Why didn't I think of that sooner?

The other night, we grilled kabobs, and I had the brilliant idea to use some leftover tabbouli to dress the grilled veggies as they came off the grill.

This was a stroke of genius -- SO good!

Making Happiness Happen

I read an article that a friend posted to Facebook that really got me thinking and inspired me. (You can find it here.)

My take away from the article included a few simple ideas:

1. We are in charge of our happiness and we can choose to be happier people. 

2. Building a life out of quality relationships and life experiences can make your life richer than working crazy hours at your job.

3. Accumulating more "stuff" in our lives truly doesn't make us more happy. There will always be more "stuff" to buy, so maybe it makes more sense to simply appreciate what you've already got and refurbish when possible.

So, what the heck does all this have to do with crafting?!? In a word, simplification. I have a need to make things in my life more streamlined and and more simple.

To support this idea, I decided to try my hand at refashioning this weekend. I figured it would be a refurbish on something I already own, so I'm not buying anything new or throwing anything away--It's cost neutral, yet if all goes well, I'll have something else to wear in my closet. It's also something I could do inside since it's so dang hot out, and a cool, breezy dress will be just what the doctor ordered once I do need to head out to run errands on the weekend.

This time last year, while I was happily pregnant, I purchased a few items of clothing that were incredibly comfortable. In this batch of clothing that -- thankfully -- is now too roomy in the belly, I had two sundresses that I'd love to be able to put to use this summer. My idea was to blend something like this dress:

with this:

I wanted to better define a waistline and make the dress appropriate for my non-maternity self. So here's what I did:

I turned the outfit inside out and measured the length of elastic that was already sewn into the dress below the bustline. I then cut a few pieces of 1/4" elastic at the same length and pinned it into the dress about 1 1/4" below the original elastic.

Then, pulling the elastic taut as I sewed, I ran a zigzag stitch along the length of the elastic.

I did this twice more on the front and the back, each row about 1 1/4" below the previous row.

Now, I've got to get working on the other dress! I'll show you the end results in the next post.

Bathroom Update, Part 2

We are well on the way to having a functional guest bathroom again! And to be honest, I think it's a reasonable facsimile to what I had envisioned!

Just a little touching up here and there, but we can do that another weekend. I think the color on the cabinet is MUCH better than that lighter color.

This third photo shows the truest color compared to what I painted. It's a really cheery bathroom now, and looks like a fun place to take a tub for the girls! A helped me pick out a new shower curtain, and we also picked up some towels and new bathmats on sale this weekend. The mirror that we picked up this weekend will probably go in either tonight or tomorrow.

Many thanks to my dear husband for helping me with all the taping and for watching the girls while I painted!

Bathroom Update, Part 1

Am I insane for planning to go to the hardware store, the paint store AND Ikea this holiday weekend?

I want to be sure to have the bathroom done by the time our out-of-town guest arrives at the end of next week.

Through the Looking Glass, Part 2

So I think I've got a plan. 

We've gotta keep it inexpensive for now, so we'll paint the walls and the cabinet. This weekend, I'll pick up a plain mirror at Ikea, and if they have an interesting simple shelf to put below it, I might do that.

While I'd love to be able to switch out the light fixture and the countertop (and the cabinet for that matter), it's just not in the cards for now.

And I managed to pick a wall color that didn't make my husband nauseous. Check it out:

...ahhhhhh.

Through the Looking Glass

Tuesday morning around 5:30am, we were awoken by the most horrifying sound.

The mirror in our guest bathroom mysteriously fell off the wall and broke into a bazillion pieces.

After we (and by "we", I mean my husband) swept up the pieces, swiffered the floor and then mopped, we decided to throw away the bathmats for fear we'd never get all the little shards out. And on the way down, the mirror also took out the towel rod. Once the dust settled, my husband said the magical words that were music to my ears:

"Well, now that the mirror is down, if you want to repaint, now's the time."

Sadly, it was followed with a little general guidance, because I have a tendency to paint rooms a little more,... how shall I say it... more chromatic than he's usually comfortable with. We can usually find common ground in the end, but let's just say I think he's still not completely on board with V's bright orange accent wall. (Honestly, I'm not so sure about either sometimes).

So what say you, blogosphere--any color suggestions? Any websites I should check out for inspiration? Please drop me your two cents below!

Fun New Supplies to Try Out

So I stopped in at JoAnn since they had a big sale this past weekend and picked up a few new supplies that I want to try out. I'm curious to see how I can work these in to my repertoire.

First up, I bought a few different types of elastic. Dare I say, I'm getting precariously close to starting to sew with knit fabrics. I think I'd like to attempt to make a simple tank top for A with some of this stuff. I just need to figure out the best application.

(On a side note, I'm enjoying how writing and posting about different projects kind of commits me to trying new projects!)

And second up, I bought a ruffle foot for the sewing machine. Yes, I know that ruffles can be made without them, but I've been eager to give one of these a whirl. When I take this one for a test drive, I will be sure to document my progress and share with you.

Lastly, you'll notice some fancy schmancy plaid in the background. Thankfully, it's not a huge surprise for my hubby, but I'm going to give some grown-up sized pajama pants a try for Father's Day.

Any advice for me on the new gear? Drop me a line in the comments below.