School

Karina starts Kindergarten shortly.  I can't even believe it!  When I started blogging, she was a baby.  A little, bitty baby!  Now she's all big and school-aged, and has a little sister (who is starting preschool!!).  To say the least, this mama is feeling a little nostalgic! 

I'm excited for her school though.  She was accepted into the technology and engineering magnet school, and with all the experiments and constructing of things that she does at home, I think she will just love it there. 

Elena will be going to the same preschool Karina went to, and I know she's going to love it, too. 

On the other hand, what am I going to do with myself for 3 mornings a week when I have no children to look after?  Wow.  Crazy thought!  This day seemed so far away!!  And it's almost here.

We're making the most of what's left of the summer (we go back after Labor Day), heading to the beach and a couple of local theme parks when we can.  Throw in some dentist appointments and open house, and we're pretty much done with summer.

I hope all of you wonderful people who still hang around and might actually read some of what I post on here are doing well.

If you feel the urge to do so, please send positive thoughts and/or prayers for my dear best friend who is still suffering with the results of her car accident, and after having root canal with no anesthesia for the second time (I'm not even making this up; she's deathly allergic to the anesthesia), she developed a massive infection behind her sinuses (or in them?) and had to be on IV meds to clear it up.  She can't get a break, and she could surely use one.  Another family that could use some good stuff is my cousins.  I mentioned a long, long time ago that someone I knew was adopting, but I couldn't say anything else about it.  Well, I can say a little now, and the news is not good.  They opted for international adoption, first through Honduras.  The government down there has been going through a lot of turmoil and they were basically told, "We don't know when you'll ever get a referral for a child."  So instead of sitting around, they looked for other options and chose Congo.  Now that's fallen apart, too.  They have legally adopted a child there, but the government ceased issuing exit paperwork, so now hundreds of legally adopted children are just stuck there.  Some are dying.  Some need medical attention.  We're lucky that my cousin's child is not one of those, but that could change at any time.  These kids need to come home to the parents who desperately want them.  For more information, you can check out "Both Ends Burning" campaign.  And while you're at it, if you're so inclined, send some good thoughts and/or prayers out to heal our broken country, too.  And if you choose to leave a comment about any of these issues, please be polite and appropriate.  Thanks.

Rummage Sale (It's Not Really a Yard Sale Since It's Inside) 2014

Well.  The great yard/rummage sale is over for another year.  Two years, really, since next year we'll be taking our youth group to Detroit for the National Youth Gathering for which this sale raises travel funds.  We did well this year, but it was not our best year.  I started wondering if a new, shiny thrift store in town might be hampering the yard sale crowd's enthusiasm.  I browsed in there recently and saw a number of items I know we had at our own sale.

Well, anyway, here are some pictures with commentary. 

 Here is a view from one end of our gym to the other.  I'm not actually standing all the way at the other end, maybe 1/4 of the way down.  The long tables in the middle are for housewares and glass, cooking items, etc.  In the far corner is electronics, by the green on the wall is kids and baby stuff.

 Here's our holiday table this year with a view to the sports/garden section and on to the books.  We had GOBS of books this year and sold a lot of them.  The school had a used book sale and what they didn't sell they gave to us. 

 Here's a view from one end of the housewares table looking down towards the other end.  This year we had two stand mixers, neither one of them Kitchenaid, but still.  It was so tempting, but the only thing I use my mixer for is to make cake, maybe once or twice a year.  So I refrained. 

 Here's just another view from behind the checkout area looking across holiday.

 Another view of most of the gym.

Our baby items.

 We had a bunch of Beanie Babies this year and a lot of them sold!  I won't tell you how many came home with my own girls....

 Two Disney brand porcelain or ceramic or nice plastic (not sure) Cinderella dolls.  They did not sell.

 Very nice playset with animals and dolls included.

 Lots of other dolls, including some old Barbie dolls.

 Gobs of old Littlest Pet Shop stuff. I think it all sold.

 Disney toddler Snow White, she sold.

 Toy section.  See that old white and brown doll house there under the table?  The people who donated it had stored it in a box labeled "Crusty Doll House".  Ha!

 Toy section

Here is the housewares table.  We had so much glass and china this year it was literally overflowing.  We didn't have enough tables and had to add two more!  We also had our first break this year.  The poor lady felt so bad, and I was just afraid she'd sue us!

 A lady had collected cut glass and when she passed away, her husband donated boxes of it to us to sell.  She had already priced and labeled a lot of it for a yard sale that she never got around to doing.

 Obviously this is not frames or baskets.  I took this while we were still reorganizing.  We ran out of room on these middle tables, as I said, and ended up taking all the frames, vases, and baskets to other locations.

 Linens area, and very diligent helpers.  One is in red, the other is waaaay back in the back by the books.

 Pyrex.  We had so much of it this year!  And check out the cool stacking canister set.  That sold.  I was surprised how much of the Pyrex did not sell.  The prettiest stuff did though.  We had three measuring cups, though, and I ended up buying those when they didn't sell.  Actually only two of them; I didn't need a four cup measure.

 We always have a lot of silver plate.  Some of it was sterling though. 

 

This is a Miche Prima bag with two covers.  We had to reduce it to sell it.  The other lady running the sale with me and I both wanted it, but we have Demi bags and of course these don't fit the Demi bags.  Oh well!

 Folks, that is a MINK coat.  Another lady working the sale called the store (local) where it had been purchased originally, and they no longer sell fur, and were apparently quite perturbed at being asked about the price for it.  We sold it at discount. 

 This is just a pretty teapot marked Japan.

 Interesting candlesticks.  These sold easily.

 Pretty dishes

 Loved the pink teacup set.

 This is an old quilt frame.  I saw similar ones selling for around $50 on ebay, but this one did not have all the parts. 

 Some rain sticks.  You hold them up and the rice or whatever is inside falls down and it sounds like rain.  They were really cool.

 We dubbed this the "Scales of Justice".  This sold.

 

Here is a Dickens Village (brand) Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  I actually know the person who donated it, and it was hard to part with.  We didn't sell it and saved it for next year's sale (2016).

 An almost brand new George Foreman indoor/outdoor grill, which retails for prices all over the place, from $90 to $130.  This sold.

 This was an unusual item.  It did not sell, but it was definitely interesting.

 Part of the jewelry table.  When we open up first thing on Friday, we always have dealers flocking to our jewelry area.  Fortunately, we have a couple who are very good at this and they always help us price and sell the jewelry.  We have never had anything worth a whole lot, but we did have some gold filled teeth this year (which our helper took to a jeweler and for which he gave her $75!) and a gold necklace that we also sold to a jeweler for $85.

 More old jewelry.  It came to us on this green felt just like this.  I think the old stuff is so neat.  There is a pin on here, and I don't know if you can see it or not, but it's a small, black circle and it says, "Mickael Jackson".  Odd.

 This painting/sculpture of a King playing card was handmade by an 8th grader at the school.  The teacher stored it and kept it for many years, but when she retired she had nowhere to keep it.  We had hoped someone would buy it, but unfortunately no one was interested.

I love seeing the old sewing machines and I only wish I had room for them.  This one had a whole accessories box with it. 

 This is an antique sled that is somewhat valuable, to a collector.  We didn't have any collectors this year.

 A Hershey's fondue and s'mores maker kit, and another Hershey's fondue set.  It's always interesting to see what items we get duplicates of.  We also had two tabletop George Foreman grills, in addition to the tall one, and two weird juicer things (I guess it was some kind of juicer) made of a material similar to Pyrex.  They sold.  The Hershey's did not. But the Foreman grills all did.

 Finally here are just a few unusual items.  This pot was HEAVY.  Behind it was some kind of golf shadowbox.  The elephant might have been handmade, I'm not sure.  It was very primitive looking and not at all heavy.  The porcelain lady was marked occupied Japan and that sold.  Below the black pot you can just see the top of an old iron insert--the old kind where you heated it up on the fire or the stove or whatever you did.  In big old letters across the top of this thing it says, "Asbestos".  We have no clue if that means it contains it, was made from it, or it was the company name.  We just kind of stayed away from it!

 

Well as I said, this was not our best year, but hopefully since we won't do a sale next summer, the following year will be better.  We had TONS of stuff, that was no problem.  Friday we made over $2000, but Saturday was just kind of slow.  It was a lot of fun though!  I had the girls with me most of the week, and my friend had her boys.  When we made our work schedule, somehow we shorted ourselves at least a day, so we prepped this entire sale in 4 days.  No really.  We were lucky to have some great helpers who worked hard.  The couple who helps us stayed late several nights when my friend and I could not (we have kids, theirs are grown).  And she and I stayed until about 8pm one night as well.  My mom was a huge help, taking the girls for me over and over again during the day and then taking them home with her after lunch almost every day.  My mom works at the church, so she was just down the hall.  She also kept my friend's younger son on the Friday of the sale when we had our kids there.  She took the kids down to her office and just played with them.  She said she had a great time!  She was a lifesaver, that's for sure!  

I hope you had fun checking out the yard sale!  Here's one last picture for you to enjoy.  There was one day we were working (prepping) and my friend and I had all our kids there.  They play together very well in spite of their age range.  Her oldest is 9 and of course Elena is 2.  Karina and my friend's youngest are the same age.  

 

Now how adorable is that?  I joked that if they got married to each other, this is how they'd end up.  That's Karina in green with my friend's son who is her age, and my friend's oldest is sitting with Elena.  It was just the cutest thing.  Love those girls AND those boys!!

Link Up The Love Tuesday

I've never participated in a link-up before, but this one was something I couldn't really pass up.  I saw the link-up on Sandpaper Kisses blog, and went to the Buttons and Birdcages blog for the link itself.

So here's my love:

1. My brother David and his fiancee Erin, who put together a really nice, last minute Father's Day get together at their house.  They bought and cooked the food, set up everything on their patio, and even bought my girls some bubbles to play with.  I'm incredibly lucky to be related to them!

2. My mom, who is nearly everything to me, and who has always given everything of herself for me and my brother.  She keeps on giving now, even when she's tired.  Not only that, but she lives with my grandmother, who is 88, and becoming less and less able to do things.  My mom takes care of her, too. She has literally spent her entire life as an adult taking care of someone.  And it's never been herself.  And she almost never complains.  When she does complain, she always ends up saying nice things in the end.  My mom is incredible.  If only I could be more like her!

3. My bloggy friend Rachel.  I 'met' her when her oldest son was very little and I used to leave lots of comments about how stinking cute he was (and still is!).  We ended up corresponding via email more and more, and have become friends.  I am so incredibly grateful for that friendship. She has such a positive outlook on everything, can find the good in everything and any situation, and helps me see what a kind and caring person I can be, too.

4. My grandmother's friend Carretta. She takes my grandmother to doctor's appointments and to and from church all the time, and it is helping my mom out a ton.  She is a really kind and giving person and I'm so grateful for her willingness to help out.

Okay, so I'm going to give this link up part a try.  Hopefully I can figure it out!

Making Elsa Inspired Dresses Using Mostly Thrift Store Finds

Nothing in this post was sponsored and I am not in any way affiliated with any of the stores or brands or characters that I may mention.  If I mention them, it's just because I went there, or saw the movie. I'm not endorsing anything, either.  This is just what I did. 

If you like this so much you want to pin it, awesome, but I would ask that you not pin the photos with the girls' faces in them.  Thank you!

Before I get started explaining what I did, I want to note that if you have a very detail-oriented child, this method might not work well, because materials found at the thrift store vary wildly.  Or you may find that this is too time consuming or just not what you're looking for.  There are plenty of alternatives to paying someone on an online auction site thousands of dollars (Please don't do that!  They're the reason those dresses are all sold out in the first place). First, you might want to check to see if anyone locally can make one.  Or, you could also check Etsy.  I recently saw a seller with a lovely handmade Elsa dress selling for only $40, which is just a few dollars more than the Disney store dress they sell at JCPenney.  I think that one is $36, but I'm not positive.  And it's true that sometimes JCPenney does have that dress in stock (I actually saw it once, with my own eyes!).


Now that business is out of the way, let's get to the fun part.  Since the word "Elsa" is in the title of my post, some of you might be new here, so welcome!  This is a small, personal blog, and I don't do any reviews or giveaways, but hopefully you'll enjoy reading about how I made Elsa dresses for my two girls. 

When both of my girls (ages 5 and 2) were invited to a "Frozen" themed, dress-up birthday party, I knew that Karina's flimsy store-bought dress would not hold up (it's literally coming apart at the seams, she's worn it so much), and Elena didn't have anything at all. 

I had actually been thinking about sewing some Elsa dresses for them for a while, and came up with an idea  to use a T-shirt as the base of the dress.  I'm certainly not the first or only person in the world who thought of this, as you may find if you do a little online searching.  Once I had the idea, it was time to shop for materials.

I didn't plan well.  I bought way more than I needed.  Don't do that.  Figure out what color you want for each piece, how sparkly, etc, and go out with a plan.  You'll spend a lot less!  

I decided to look at the thrift store for clothing and other items I could repurpose into their dresses.  I knew I definitely needed a T-shirt base, and I thought I might find some other suitable materials there as well.  I took both girls with me to our local Goodwill, which is fairly new, and huge.  In the kids' clothing area, I managed to find two perfect white T-shirts.  Karina's shirt has silver plastic rhinestones on the top and the one I found for Elena has a heart surrounded by a snowflake, also in rhinestones.  Here is Elena's shirt before I started sewing.  (Please disregard messy craft space!)

Both shirts are long sleeves, so I could trim the ends into a point, similar to the cuff of Elsa's dress.  After we found the T-shirts but no suitable skirts in the children's area, I thought I'd look in the curtain area for some sheers and see what I could find there.  Along the way I ran into the ladies' nightgown/pajama/robe area.  Score!  Material used in nightgowns is thin, kind of wispy, and reminded me exactly of Elsa's cape.  I got several different pieces, including a long white slip that I thought I'd use for the cape, but ended up not using at all.  Then in the ladies' shirt area, Karina and I spied this awesome sequined turquoise top.  We just knew it would be perfect.  I did end up buying fabric for the skirt at Joann's, because I hadn't found what I was looking for to match Karina's Elsa top.  Over the next few days, I found more sparkly tops, two of which became Elena's dress, as well as a light turquoise slip that became both girls' capes.  I bought more items than I needed, because I wasn't sure what was going to work, how much I could find, and I also had some of the colors a bit off in my mind.  

What I ended up using for Karina's dress:  white T-shirt, sequined turquoise woman's top, sparkly fabric (one yard), half of a light turquoise slip.
What I ended up using for Elena's dress:  white T-shirt, sequined teen's top, sparkly woman's tanktop, half of a light turquoise slip.

Now for the sewing part.  If you have never sewn anything before, I probably wouldn't recommend this as your first project.  It took a lot of figuring out where and how to attach things, and sewing with knits can sometimes be tricky as they move and stretch.  If you have basic sewing skills and a little experience, definitely go for it.  If you don't have sewing experience, but still want to try this out, just make sure you have some backup material and take your time.

When I sewed the sparkly shirt to Karina's white T-shirt, I needed to turn the blue shirt upside down first, so the bottom hem became the top hem of the bodice.  The neckline of the shirt was off-shoulder and had a buckle, so it could not be used.  Then I pinned it like crazy to the white shirt, checking it multiple times to be sure it fit.  Then I cut slightly along the new top to make the curved parts of the top of the bodice.  You can also see the silver rhinestone's on the shirt.  See below.

  I left the back straight across, although you can tell from the photo that it's a little crooked.  Don't worry.  It's not really as bad as it looks; Karina's holding it up for me and she's holding it kind of crooked.  (This photo is from after I had sewn the bodice to the shirt and the skirt to the shirt)

I sewed the blue shirt to the white shirt (careful of the rhinestones; I had to go very slowly so I didn't break a needle) using a zig-zag stitch.  Then I tried it on Karina, marked where I wanted to make the V at the bottom of the bodice, and cut.  I intentionally made it big so she wouldn't grow out of it immediately.  You can see the V in this photo of the girls.  You can also see the pointy sleeve ends on Karina's dress too.  What face is Elena making here?  She is so silly.

Karina's skirt was hard, because for a while I couldn't figure out how to make it longer in the back than the front.  My advice: use stretchy material or a long skirt.  When I made Elena's, I didn't worry about it being longer in back, and the shirt I used for the skirt portion of hers was stretchy.  Elena's was soooo much easier than Karina's.  I finally ended up cutting three pieces and you can see that the middle piece was too short.  I added some extra to the top of it, and the cape hides this part now.  When I sewed the V of the bodice to the skirt, it did make it a little tighter on her, so I may have to add a zipper in the future (dreading that) but for now she is able to put it on and take it off just fine.

Here is another view of the back, with the train part.  I later hemmed this all around, so it's a little shorter than in this photo.

When I was ready to do the cape, I cut the turquoise slip in half and used the longer back piece on Karina's and the shorter front piece on Elena's.  I did have to do a bit of hemming on the sides to prevent fraying, but it was amazingly easy, as the fabric had a tendency to roll up anyway. 

The following photos show some of the processes and materials I used.  I don't normally post tutorials, so if any of this is confusing, I apologize.  Hopefully you can still find some inspiration here!  I also didn't take a lot of photos of Karina's dress at first, so most of these show progress on Elena's dress.

Here is the sequined shirt I used for the bodice of Elena's dress. Below is the sparkly tanktop I used for the skirt.  I cut the sides down a bit and sewed them back up, right sides together, to make a skirt.  I also cut off the neckline, as close as I could, to make it more straight across.

Here is where I had cut the V for the bottom of the bodice out of the sequined shirt.  See how many pins I used?  

 Here you can see it in my messy craft room with draped over a chair. 

Here are some more photos of the dresses when they were finished.  You can see the cape in these.  I did go back and hem both dresses a little more, so they don't trip, and the girls played for hours in them last night.

 Here is Elena's dress finished and hanging. 

 Can you see the tiny white lace trim at the bottom of the cape?  That was part of the slip!  This is why I liked shopping the thrift store.  So many cool little goodies already part of the material!

If you can, try the dress on your child several times during the process so you can check for length and fit.  Make sure it's not so long that she trips.  You may or may not want to include the slit in the skirt; Karina's has a slit but Elena's does not.  Elena's is also stretchy material for the skirt whereas Karina's is not.

Most of all, have fun!  Don't expect perfection or an exact replica.  All that matters is that you have fun and the little girl for whom you're sewing is happy in the end!  Mine are, and I'm a happy mom, too.