Bazaar preview

Last year was my first experience selling at holiday bazaars. I did two, and loved them so much! I think because it's like playing store. Half the fun is setting up my table display, making it all pretty and organized. I was hooked. So I've officially signed up for one this year, and tomorrow I'm mailing my registration for another. 

The first one of the year is this coming weekend! And it's two days long! I love that idea. Same amount of work setting up, but two days worth of sales! Here are the details:

St. Paul of Damascus Lutheran Church

24510 SE Hwy. 212

Boring, OR 97089

Friday Nov. 4th 1pm-8pm

Saturday Nov. 5th 9am-4pm

Here's a link to the flier with more information.

So, naturally, I've been getting very crafty. I'll be bringing lots of new things to see how they sell! My absolute favorite things to make so far are wreaths!

I've always loved wreaths for all seasons. Especially unique ones. I have a fall one hanging on my door, a feather one in my living room, and usually we have several displayed around Christmas time- my favorite is a lavender beaded one. I know it doesn't sound Christmas-y, but it works with our decor! 

These twig wreaths are embellished with a variety of leaves, glittered pinecones, satin flowers, feathers, beads, buttons and tulle. 

These were such a refreshing creative outlet for me! Something different than my usual sewing. I've been having a blast with my glue gun.

This is a shabby chic fabric scrap wreath! Embellished with a bow and flower. 

I've seen tulle wreaths on pinterest lately and fallen in love with them. I just so happened to have a fair amount of peacock colored tulle lying around... thanks to my halloween bunco costume...

And you all know I love repurposing! So here is my first peacock tulle wreath. 

I just love it. I think a peacock Christmas would be fabulous.

While I was having fun making satin flowers I decided to make some hair clips. Here they are, clipped to my fall garland. So fun and glam!

Of course I'll also have my usual items: reusable snack bags, stuffed owls, tons of coffee cozies... and most likely ducks and beavers embellished onesies, super cute ironing board covers, embellished wipes cases, pretty sleep masks, maybe even a diaper cake or two! I just love making them. 

A great friend will be joining me and bringing her gorgeous knitted hats, baby headbands, and possibly little girls peasant blouses! 

Should be lots of fun. Come stop by if you're local! I'd love visitors! 

A few new baby crafts

 A sweet friend of mine recently asked if I could make a few things for her new baby girl~ who will be born tomorrow! Super excited for her and her family. Congrats to you, J & C!

Here is what I came up with, based on her ideas and preferences. 

This is something I would never have thought of, but what a fun idea! They are personalized luggage tags, with baby's name on them (blurred for the family's privacy). Mama plans to use them on her diaper bag and baby's carseat/carrier. 

 Mike helped with the design of her name; I chose several fonts I liked, and he worked them together to make these look great! Then I inked the edges and added some pretty ribbon. I just love how they turned out. 

 Another project I had never attempted but always meant to: pacifier clips. So much prettier than store bought ones, and very inexpensive to make! Plus these were just so fun, once I learned how to set the snaps (so simple! why have I never used snaps? they look so much nicer than velcro!).

This one is made with cozy, soft minky and grosgrain ribbon, plus a bow so it looks pretty clipped onto baby's outfit. 

I just used a combination of fabrics and ribbons (all nice, sturdy grosgrain), snaps, and suspender clips. I may be adding these to my etsy store soon! I love making them!

I've made these stretchy baby headbands before, but I always just sewed on a little fabric yo-yo (like in the 3rd picture below). My friend was hoping for bows on alligator clips for some mixing and matching. I think that is such a great idea! Then I can make bigger bows as baby girl grows, and she can use them as hair clips separate from the headbands. They also work for the big sisters! So versatile.

The bow clips were more time-consuming than I thought, but very fun. I wanted the metal parts to be covered in ribbon for comfort, so I used grosgrain again for a bit of grip on baby's fine hair. Plus it just looks pretty!

These also may appear in my etsy shop at some point; although etsy is saturated with baby headbands and hair clips. 

I really haven't put as much time and effort into my etsy store as I'd like, but I do intend to focus more strongly on it eventually. Perhaps early 2012. For the last year (almost) I've been using most of my spare time to brand and promote what has turned into a wholesale coffee cozy business. With tons of hubby's help. It's all been very exciting, and I'm thrilled to be able to finally share more with you very soon! Check back!

And best wishes to you, J & C, for a happy, uneventful birth tomorrow, and a speedy recovery. Mia is such a blessing from the Lord and I can't wait to see what she brings to your family!

Repurposed chalkboard

This next project was all hubby's! He did it to surprise me; isn't he creative?! 

He and Beckham went to the Rebuilding Center (that place is SO fun!) and picked out an old, framed window. I think he said it was $2. Then he painted the glass with chalkboard paint! He even wrote the cute message himself. He says he isn't happy with his writing, but I think it looks great. 

Isn't it cool and shabby?! I absolutely love it. I think it'll be really fun to change the message for seasons and holidays. 

When I was pregnant with Beckham I ordered a gorgeous wipes case on etsy. It was one of my favorite things. But sadly, there was an unfortunate incident recently that may have involved a particularly messy diaper... I won't go into detail. And you can't really wash these fabric covered wipes cases. So I had to toss it. But I really missed it! So I decided to attempt my own. 

I'm only a little bit happy with it. I hate that the case I happened to have lying around was a green one. Wish it was white. And I really like the fabric, but don't love the way the ribbon around the edge looks. But for just using supplies I had around the house, and for my first attempt, it'll work. 

Here's the back. It's padded with a little batting under the fabric. I just used a lot of hot glue. We shall see how it holds up to everyday use! I may be making more of these... if I can perfect them I think they'd make a great little gift for mommas-to-be. And it seems everyone around me is expecting right now! Better not drink the water.... ;)

Finally, some sewing!

Well, I dusted off my sewing machine after a long, unanticipated break. All because I saw the cutest little zippered pouches in the Edgefield gift shop. You just never know where inspiration will be found! I've been searching high and low for the last couple months. Guess it had to find me. Edgefield is so fab, by the way. I know I've said that before, but if you are local and haven't been, you must. On a sunny day.

Anyway, these pouches I saw were made of several gorgeous fabrics, with a gusseted bottom, zippered opening, and some embellishments on the front- mostly little appliqued felt pieces and fun buttons. Super cute. I kept going back to look at them, thinking I must attempt making one.
Here is my interpretation:

I forgot to take a pic of the inside, but it's lined in turquoise. I just love these colors together. I think it'll make a perfect little cosmetics bag. 

So a while back I attempted to make a simple little reusable snack pouch lined in ripstop nylon (my original sandwich wraps were lined in PUL which apparently may not be food safe... oops). It turned out ok, but I've been meaning to make more and try and perfect the pattern. Because I love using these! I've always got snacks for the boys stashed in my bag, and this way I'm not constantly throwing away plastic zipper bags!

These are a tad girly for my boys... but I'm the one who has to carry them, right? They may as well be pretty. The nylon lining makes it easy to brush out crumbs, and when they get really messy I just throw them in the wash. I'm hoping the bigger one will be a good size for sandwiches. Picnic season is upon us!

I got a bit lazy at the end and didn't use pink thread for the bias tape on the small pouch. Really should have. Also I was out of the wider bais tape (1/2"?) and had to use the super narrow stuff... the wider would be so much easier to catch all the layers. If I can manage to streamline this little project, I'll attempt to post a pattern/tutorial so you can make your own! They are super simple. 

thredUP and a few updates

I recently learned of an online kid's clothing swap called thredUP and had to check it out right away. This is where the shopaholic in me sometimes escapes. I try to keep her locked up, and I'm convinced this is why God gave me boys. He knows I am weak to retail pleasures. Girl stuff is just too fun to shop for. Anyway. Resale and consignment are my friends. So, naturally I was intrigued by this site.
Basically, you sign up (for free), then view all the super fun boxes listed by other moms. These 'boxes' are medium flat rate priority mail boxes from USPS, that other users stuff full of clothes! You can search by size and gender, among other things. Each box has anywhere from 10-15 items in it, and you can view a list and descriptions of what's inside. ThredUP also has a rating system to ensure people are sending out quality clothes! No photos, to keep things simple and quick for listing... and also because the element of surprise is super fun.
So you pick your box, pay $5 plus shipping ($10.95 flat rate), and get a ton of new stuff in the mail! Then, when you get around to it, you list your own box of stuff your kids have outgrown! And when someone chooses it, you ship it for free! So we can pass cute clothes to someone who can use them, and get some new stuff for super cheap. Love this idea.
For years I've done the big semi-annual consignment sales when they come to town... which I love and will continue to do. But it's a lot of work! Sorting, typing info, printing and cutting tags, tagging items, putting them on hangers, driving them to and from the sale. ThredUP is so much easier and I can use it anytime I want!
I ordered my first box yesterday. 12 items. For around $16. $1.33 per item. I'll let you know when it comes and show you what's inside! I'm way excited. Getting stuff in the mail is just plain fun.
So check it out. Click one of the links above, or this one. If you sign up using my link, you get $5 credit! So your first box is only $10.95! You should know I also get $5 for each person I refer who buys a box. So it's a win-win. :)

On a side note, here are a couple updates:
Our new kitties were supposed to be spayed and brought home last week... but at the last minute there was a viral outbreak at the shelter where their surgeries were to take place. So the shelter closed down temporarily to protect the other cats, and the surgeries were postponed until March 30th. We are so glad our kitties were still safely in their foster home when the virus was discovered, but sad to have to wait a few more weeks!

And I finally got around to listing a few new coffee cozies in my etsy shop! Check 'em out if you get a chance. I've been keeping busy with lots of little side projects (and, I'll admit it, more sewing for the kittens), but I have a few fun things in the works to hopefully add to my shop soon!

Sewing desk

I cautiously dream of the day Beckham is old enough to sleep in a big boy bed. I'm hesitant because I remember this transition with Ty; it was frustrating at times. Also because he is my baby. And once he's a "big boy", I'm not sure that I'll be having more babies. So I cling to this time a little bit. 

But here is my plan:

When he can sleep well in a big boy bed, we will move him into Ty's room and they can share the bunk bed. Which I think they will love. At least for a while.  Then, I get to turn his room into my craft room!! I'll pull my big, antique scrapbooking/craft desk out of it's squishy corner of the playroom and move it in there. I need some big bookshelves, with bins and baskets and organized, gorgeous things. Maybe a big table for cutting fabric or gift wrapping. Then I can add my new sewing desk! 

Hubby bought it for me last weekend after my beloved kitty died. Got her as a kitten when I was 18. She lived to be 13 years old. I know. Not gonna dwell on it. It's already been a rough week. But it took me a while to feel like blogging again. And poor hubby felt my sadness and I know he wanted to take it away... so he did what he knew would cheer me up. He bought something for me. Something that had to do with sewing. And organization. Two of my favorite things. He really is a genius. 

Pretty! 

Excuse the annoying flash circle. Of course I waited until dark to photograph it. 

So it has this pull down front that becomes the desk, but folds up so I can hide my sewing machine and accoutrements when not it use. Looks so much cleaner than having my machine sitting out on our computer desk all the time. Still not completely ideal in the office, but it's very functional for the next year or two until I can create my own space.

Isn't it great?! It's designed to be a computer desk, but works well for my purposes. I've been working on organizing all my supplies as well... luckily our office has a walk-in closet so I have shelves and baskets in there for all my fabric. But my big problem has been my button collection. It's grown immensely thanks to my wonderful grandmas who each gave me their collections! And since I've been making so many coffee cozies with a button on each, I've been needing a good system for sorting them. 

So check back soon to see my potential solution. I'm pretty-ing it up as we speak. :)

Amy Butler apron

Yipeeeee! Tonight is my first cake decorating class!!! I've been so excited about this for the following reasons:

1. Mommy time! Away from kiddos, whom I adore of course... but everyone needs a little break sometimes! And I get to chat with other grown-ups!

2. One of the above-mentioned grown-ups is a great friend and one of my fav people to hang out with!

3. Creative outlet!! Two hours of uninterrupted crafty time! And bonus: a new craft!

4. I got to sew up a new apron for the occasion!! And I actually get to wear it somewhere other than my own kitchen! I love any excuse for a project.

5. We get to learn to decorate cakes! What could be more fun?

So, mommy time + awesome friend + crafty goodness + new apron + cake = my new favorite night of the week! Because this class is four weeks long!! I'll keep ya posted on how it's going- I plan to bring my camera tonight in hopes I can capture some of the fun and share it with ya'll!
In the meantime, here is my cute new apron:

Familiar? I had leftover Amy Butler fabric from my Cosmo bag. And I copied the design of my first apron. These are super simple to make and so much fun!

I just can't get enough of this fabric. Good thing I had lots of it! The Cosmo bag pattern called for regular weight fabric (44" bolts), but since this was home deco weight, it comes on a 60" bolt, so I ended up with way more than I needed for the bag. Perfect.

Bows. Love 'em.

Ruffles. Yum. So girly. I crave girly, with all these boys in my house. :)

And the winner is....

Holly!!!
Congrats! A super cute, one of a kind coffee cozy heading your way!

I wrote names on paper slips and had Ty draw one out of a bowl. I know I could have used one of those online number generators but that seemed so anticlimactic! This was way more fun. :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and my new followers! I can't wait to do this again. Check back later today for a special project in honor of my first cake decorating class tonight!!! I am beyond excited.

changes

Lots of exciting stuff going on around here!

Perhaps you've noticed the new look... three columns, new background, new owl. :) Plus the 'popular posts' section on my sidebar, which links to my most read posts. Fun, right? 

And check out sleepless in Sandy from your smartphone... I have a new mobile version which is more user friendly from your phone! About 90% of my internet time is from my iPhone or hubby's iPad, so this is handy for me!

Now here's what I'm most excited about.... 

I've finally launched the sleepless in Sandy etsy store!!!! This had been a work in progress for months. But really, a dream for way longer than that! Ever since I discovered etsy a few years ago, I've wanted to join the community of amazing artists and crafty folks there. But boy is it intimidating. I think having my coffee cozies selling at the shops here in Sandy has given me a bit more confidence to just go for it. 

So... check out the shop. I've posted a few coffee cozies and plan to post more, plus maybe some other things as I get to it! And if you're new to etsy, you must browse around. It's one of my favorite time-wasters. :) And a fabulous place for one-of-a-kind, handmade gifts! Also vintage fabric.... but that's another story.

To celebrate this exciting new venture, I've decided to do a giveaway!!! I was experimenting with a new style for my cozies, which turned out pretty cute... but it's a bit too labor intensive to sell for $5. 

Sooo, I'm giving it to one of you!

Isn't it pretty? It's the same Amy Butler fabrics I used for my Cosmo bag, but I gathered it! So it's all ruffly and girly. 

See? And it has a pearly white button. It'll fit pretty much any size cup just like my other cozies. And it's one of a kind! I'm not making any more like it. 

So there ya go: a girly, one of a kind cozy, in pretty spring colors. Just for you!

Want it? 

Just comment on this post before Monday, January 31st at 11:59pm.

I'll randomly choose a winner on February 1st and post it here. 

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment so I can contact you!

For an extra entry, become a sleepless in Sandy follower and leave another comment telling me you did!

Ty's extreme room makeover

Really? I only have one before pic of Ty's room?

Must be because it was so boring and void of personality.

Poor Ty. 

His favorite color used to be orange... for years. We kept waiting for him to outgrow it and pick a new favorite color. He wanted all his walls painted orange. I'm not a huge fan, myself. We had kinda settled on one orange accent wall, but then... lo and behold... he decided orange was not his favorite color any more. He still really likes it... but it's not the fav. Phew. 

He desperately wanted a bunk bed for a looong time... so this Christmas he got one. Joint effort... Nana and Papa, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa...

He was beyond excited.

So to complete his "new" room, Mike and I decided to finally paint and decorate a bit for his birthday. 

We sent Ty to Nana and Papa's for a sleepover, put Beckham to bed, and started painting at 8:00pm. It was crazy and fun, and turned out so cute.

We ordered this bedding ahead of time (thanks to my grandparents for buying the bottom set!), and I love it! It has a little orange in it, but also the gray we planned to incorporate into his room. And it looks like big boy bedding, so Ty hopefully won't outgrow it too soon. The best part- they are just simple comforters. Not duvets like I've tried before for him... impossible with a wild little sleeper. His comforter always ended up wadded up at the bottom of the duvet. These are so much easier for making the beds.

So we left two walls the existing color (Sherwin Williams 'whole wheat'), and painted two walls 'mink' (a warm gray... it photographed a bit weird...), also SW. We did opposing color stripes on each wall as well to make it more fun.

Mike got a couple clip on lamps so Ty can easily read in bed at night, but used an orange light bulb for the top one and a blacklight for the bottom. Not terribly practical for reading, but Ty loves them!

We also added stick on, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling above the top bunk. So fun!

This is the same dresser he's had, but you can see the wall stripes well in this photo. 

A little bit of cool trivia: the giraffe bank in the photo above is from Goodnight Room, a store here in Portland. They outfitted the nursery in the movie 'Management' with Jennifer Aniston... and they used this very giraffe bank! I always meant to watch the movie to see if Ty's bank is shown, but never have. Anyway.

Same orange chair... But aren't the wall stripes cute?! New lamp, which he loves. It thrills him to have so many cozy reading areas. Mike installed a dimmer switch for Ty's ceiling light. We've slowly been putting every light in the house on dimmers. I love the flexibility. It was one of my favorite things about Beckham's nursery... dim light for bedtime stories and middle of the night diaper changes. It's nice to have in Ty's room now, too. 

I love this little wall decal. Dream Big. So true. 

On a side note, I wanted to share a witty, entertaining new blog written by a great friend. 

It's called Mother of the Year... in a sarcastic, self-deprecating kind of way. And can't we all relate to those moments in motherhood? I think you'll enjoy it. :)

Amy Butler Cosmo bag

This book was one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year:

Amy Butler's Style Stitches- an entire book of bags, totes, purses, clutches... with patterns and easy instructions for each one! I so want to make them all. I love making bags.

Here is my first project from the book:

The Cosmo bag!

Isn't it gorgeous??!

I used all Amy Butler fabrics because it just seemed appropriate. Also I love them. 

This bag used a fair amount of home deco weight fabrics plus tons of interfacing (6 1/4 yds!) so it wasn't terribly cheap to make. But I love it. And it was so.much.fun!

It has pretty little pleats on the front and back, and a button closure.

Outer side pockets...

lined in the cute accent fabric. 

And the huge inside, complete with four enormous pockets!

Here is the back, pleated to match the front. 

I made this bag hoping to use it as a large purse/diaper bag but didn't realize just how big it would be!

 Here it is next to my existing Oioi diaper bag, which is a pretty big bag already. It's really more of an overnight bag or big shopping bag. But I am using it anyway because I love it! 

And of course, I had to make a matching gathered clutch with the leftover fabric. These are so fun to make. 

It makes the perfect little wallet for my cards and (rare) cash, plus room for a lipgloss!

I think I'll try these next. A whole set of little zippered bags- 6 different sizes! I could find so many uses for them... :)