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!

Wasting time on etsy

Beckham is napping as I type... I really ought to be accomplishing something constructive, or at least showering. But instead I'm having great fun on etsy. I'm dreaming of my entire Christmas wish list consisting of gorgeous etsy finds...

Why have I never searched 'vintage fabric' before?? Look what I've been missing:

Love these pillow covers. 

And, oh. These chenille squares have me drooling! Yum.

This fabric reminds me of the fabric I used for my apron! So pretty!

Speaking of aprons...

I hesitated to post this because I want it for myself! Don't buy it, ok? $5.99! I so need it.

Wow. Just wow. Have no idea what I would do with this huge piece of fabric, but it's so gorgeous.

These vintage chenille fabrics are just delicious, I've never seen anything like them! These ones are made into a quilt, and how amazing is it?!

Love these.

Ok. I must stop now before I go on a spending spree and my husband confiscates my debit card. But I will be revisiting this search soon. Maybe I need a job. 

Wanted: part-time job. Very part-time. Maybe an hour or two a week? But I need to bring my kids. And it needs to pay well. Or maybe pay in fabric!

Will work for vintage fabric. Hmm...

Repurposed coffee table... and a cool vintage find

My favorite coffee shop here in town just happens to be next door to a big thrift store. This is convenient for a couple reasons:

1. I can zip right over without having to load/unload kids twice, just to see if they have anything great

2. I can drive by after getting my coffee and peer at the furniture on the sidewalk

Recently I was doing the drive-by option and spotted this small table out front.

Loved the shape. The color isn't bad either, but I'm really wanting more white in my living room. Plus it was a bit beat up, but I wanted something somewhat shabby and weathered.

It was $5! 

I primed it

Then spray painted it a pretty antique white

 I am just in love with this cute little table!

I used sandpaper to weather it a bit, but I think I'll do a little more. 

I also stumbled across another great living room find on craigslist recently...

Isn't it gorgeous?! It's 70's vintage but in great condition. I just love it. I think it's actually a dresser- it has 3 drawers inside the cupboard doors. But it works so well against a long wall in our living room.

I love this detail.

So much character. It appears a lot whiter in these photos than it actually is. It's more of a buttery yellow, which is really pretty, but I'm considering painting it the same antique white as the small table, then hand painting on some accents like the orange-y ones it has now. 

Slowly but surely working on my living room update! I'll post before and after pics once it's finished. 

Birthday bee

A few weeks ago, I shared a little preview in Beckham's birthday post about my pretty little bee necklace.

Well, today is my 31st birthday and the perfect occasion to share this cool story.

On September 11, 1979, as my poor mother endured the Worst Labor and Delivery of All Time (or so I'm told), my grandmother was on a trip in California, brokenhearted to miss the birth of her first grandchild. While there, she purchased a special gift to save for my 16th birthday.

~fast forward 16 years~

On September 11, 1995, I was given a beautiful gold bee pendant covered in 16 tiny diamonds, and my grandmother shared the story of missing my birth and buying this special bee. I was thrilled that it was as old as I was, and especially to have my very own real diamonds!

~today~

This necklace is one of my favorite things! I LOVE that it's actually vintage! But I don't love that that makes me "vintage"....

I'm wearing it today as I celebrate with my family. But like all my birthdays post 9-11, there is an undercurrent of sadness as we remember that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Today I am praying for the victims and their families, for hope and safety and peace.

Cute, feminine apron!

I love aprons. 

Not that I really do that much baking, but I like to wear them when I cook. Plus, they just look pretty! Especially now that there are so many feminine ones, with ruffles and bows and gorgeous fabrics. 

I went to a fabric sale recently, in someone's home... it was a bit weird, but there were big signs leading the way, and all fabrics were $1 a yard! It was a tiny old house, with a living room and dining room chock full of bolt after bolt of fabric. Two ladies cut yardage on a table in the kitchen. It seemed to be a family affair, and I assume that the mother of these women passed away and they were clearing out her (enormous!) fabric stash. I got a lot of nice basics, some flannels, a few simple prints... but one really caught my eye. It was a soft cream with tiny pale yellow flowers. Very vintage looking. And I suppose it could have actually been vintage, I have no idea where or when this old lady purchased it. But I loved it instantly. 

I knew right away that I wanted to make an apron out of it. An old-fashioned fabric turned into a modern-style apron. Love it. 

Didn't it turn out pretty?

I love the way the polka dot pockets look against the floral print. 

And bias tape. Oh, how I love bias tape! Why have I never used it before?! I guess that's what happens when you teach yourself to sew. So much to learn...

But I'm getting better! I did this whole thing with no pattern! I'm especially proud of the pretty ruffle. :)

The drawback to sewing without a pattern: it didn't occur to me to scoop the neckline a bit. Once I finished it and tried it on, the straight neck bowed out very strangely. So I added a few little puckers (above) and it looks much better. 

This was such a fun project! And cheap! Fabric: $1(and I have some left), bias tape: $3.58 (I had to buy 2 packages, but I have a lot left over)... plus scraps for the pockets. Under $5 for a super cute apron!

Thrift store teapot makeover!

I found this adorable [but dated] teapot at a thrift shop here in town for $1! I loved the shape and cute curvy lines of it, and knew that all it would take is a couple coats of spray paint to turn it into something gorgeous!

 First I primed it...

Kinda cute in white!

But, oh, the lilac.... 

So pretty it makes my mouth water.

Spray paint is fun! I may have gone a bit crazy. Check back tomorrow for my "new" potting bench complete with lilac accessories.