wait, you sew?

I tend to get a few baffled looks when I tell people I sew. It's not exactly a popular craft with today's generation, but it should be! I think being able to sew is a great talent! It's one of those basic life skills that everyone should know how to do. But that's just me.

I started sewing maybe about 5 years ago. It didn't take me long to get completely hooked. Now I have a fabric stash that fills up an entire 6 drawer dresser. Oops. I definitely go on binges where I want to sew all day, every day, and then I get distracted and I don't sew again for months.

We had family beach pictures taken while in Hilton Head last month and of course I got it into my head that the kids NEEDED matching outfits. I know, I know. I'm completely crazy…especially since I gave myself approximately one week to complete the task. Ha! It was so worth it though. They turned out adorable.

Quinn had a blue seersucker jon-jon with his monogram

Eric had blue seersucker shorts paired with a monogrammed white polo

Ashley had a blue seersucker dress with white rose trim and her monogram on the bottom skirt

We haven't gotten all of the pictures back yet, but this is the teaser Erica posted and look at that cuteness!

Bubs is fast approaching the "too old for smocking" age (wahhhh) so I've been shifting his wardrobe to appliqué tees with matching shorts. He has about 6 different sets right now and I have no plans to stop.

The apple set is the latest in his collection. We are going to the apple festival in Hendersonville tomorrow, so he needed an appropriate outfit. I'm wishing I would have added a leaf next to the stem now that I'm looking at it.

I had sent the hubs out to get me some plain white tshirts and some white lining material and he sent me this picture from the store, ha. He embraces my sewing craziness as long as I make some things that he likes too. This will be the next set I make for Quinn, camo shorts with a big camo tiger paw on a white tee!

I'm mildly obsessed with appliqué for myself too. I had designed this whale for a set for Quinn, but thought it would be cute for me. Then I posted it on Facebook and friends wanted it too. It has spiraled into me making several designs and selling them on my Facebook page, Southern Sass Sweetie. (shameless plug)

My friend Jess is taking her son to Disney this fall and requested mama-son coordinating shirts. They turned out pretty adorable. Quinn is having a Mickey Mouse birthday party this year, so I just might need to make us some coordinating shirts too.

Of course this has been my biggest seller. Purple, orange, tiger paw, polka dots, and a monogram = all my favorite things! It's been really fun to see the girls who ordered them post pictures on FB and tag me in them. It makes my heart happy to see others enjoying my creations. (If you're reading this and got a shirt from me, tag me in a pic!)

You know how they say exercising releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy (and happy people just don't shoot their husbands…name that movie), well sewing does that for me. I'll admit it. I am so proud when someone compliments me on something and I get to say, "I made it!"


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all aboard!

This past Saturday we celebrated my nephew turning six! He had a train themed birthday party at the Miniature World of Trains in downtown Greenville. To prepare for the party that afternoon, bubs requested that we play with his "big choo choo."

His "big choo choo" is the GeoTrax train from Fisher Price and he loves it! I've mentioned this train before, but it really is pretty awesome for his age. The track is easy for him to snap together and he loves the remote controlled engine.

Quinn played with the train all morning long and I only had to be about 30% involved, ha! I was able to sit and sip on my coffee as he adjusted how many cars the engine pulled around the track.

I love a toy that let's him play on his own without getting frustrated. I'd say we could add more, but the boy already has a whole laundry basket full of track, cars, and bridges!

Baby Elton John made an appearance on the ride to Greenville. Those bright green sunglasses just crack me up. He loves them.

We were a bit late on our arrival because hubs' truck decided to break down on the way home from the dump. Luckily he managed to limp it home, but we arrived just in time to see Eric open his presents.

I was the boring Aunt this year who gave him clothes, but Grandma gave him a train set. All the little boys, Quinn included, were ooohhhh'ing and ahhhh'ing over that one.

There was a monster of a mountain built in the center of the room with trains running around, up and down, and through. It was very impressive. You could walk completely around the mountain and take it all in.

I'm not sure who enjoyed the trains more, hubs or bubs haha.

Right before we left, they turned the lights into night mode. That was even more impressive. The buildings and trains all lit up. There were light up signs on the stores and glowing cabins in the mountains. Very cool.

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cursed car, mickey mouse, & elton john

How's that for a blog title? I truly believe the back bumper of my car is cursed. I've replaced it 4 times now with some dings in between the big dents. About a month ago someone backed into me in the parking garage, but they were nice enough to leave a note and their insurance paid for a new bumper.

A week ago, we had gone out to dinner after work on Friday and hubs noticed there was a small scratch in the middle with some purple paint left behind. Wouldn't you know, the next Monday I noticed that a purple car always parks right across from me. Major side eye to you Mr. Purple who didn't leave a note.

Wednesday I went to go run errands during my lunch and found this. Ugh! Someone swiped my car and just kept on going. I don't know why I have such bad car karma. I think the bumper needs to have a scratch on it at all times.

So while I was out I did a little retail therapy. I had seen the Too Faced Country palette advertised in the Ulta mailer and could not stop thinking about it. The car ding is just what I needed to push me over the edge and I made that pretty palette mine. I've used it twice now and love the colors. They go really well with my brown eyes and how cute are the color names?!

Later that night, hubs walked through the door and handed me these pretties. Cute little pink flowers can always put a smile on my face.

Oh my Mickey loving boy. The other morning he told me he wanted to have his picture taken with his big Mickey, lovies, and passy. How could I saw no to that? We have a smaller, more portable Mickey, but the big guy is what he wants to tote around lately.

Bubs has been taking him in the car for the ride to daycare. Yesterday morning he told me "Mama, he's my best friend!" Love it. I've also got him trained now to say "cheeseburger" and smile whenever I hold up a camera/phone.

When I went to pick Quinn up from daycare, I somehow brought home a little baby Elton John. HA! One of his teachers had given him these sunglasses and they crack me up.


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bathroom remodel: phase one

So when we bought our house I knew the main bathroom was going to need some love and attention. I mean y'all, it was yellow-green baby food color. Ick. We avoided doing anything in there because we knew it was going to be a beast, and a beast it was. 

It all started back in May when I wanted the hubs to paint the guest room. Our house has an intercom system that doesn't work, so hubs has been removing the boxes from the walls and patching the holes. He removed the box in the guest room and thought "might as well do the bathroom one too." That turned into "well if we're going to be patching holes, might as well remove the toothbrush holder/soap dish/toilet paper holder/towel bar that's in the wall", which led to "well we want to remove the mirror and light fixture and make it two mirrors and two lights fixtures", and then "we need to change out the light fixture and fan in the ceiling" and OMG Y'ALL my bathroom was a wreck!

Here's the one before picture I could find on my phone. It ain't pretty. Not only is the wall color atrocious, but the paint job itself was just as bad. One coat with brush strokes everywhere. Ugh. Hubs had to sand the entire bathroom.

Fast forward to last weekend and hubs was finally able to prime everything. Good golly Kilz stinks! It filled up the whole house and gave me a major headache. I don't know how he could stand it actually being in the room and painting. I helped paint the trim and hubs did the rest. God bless him because I stink at it. 

Last night we were able to hang everything up. New mirrors, new light fixtures, new towel bars, new toilet paper holder, and best of all NO MORE BABY FOOD COLORED WALLS!

They grey is perfect…after I went back to Lowe's and had it re-tinted. I picked a shade that was too light and looked white, so we went for one shade darker and I love it. It compliments the blue-grey tile perfectly. 

Bathrooms are expensive though! Everything added up quickly. I found the mirrors at Homegoods for only $40 a piece. Such a steal since everything else I liked seemed to start at $100 a piece.

The bathroom feels much more soothing now with all of the cool tone colors. I plan on hanging some navy curtains as soon as I buy a curtain rod this afternoon. We're taking a break from the remodel for now, but we're definitely not done. 

Phase two includes a new tile floor, a new countertop/cabinet base, and adding a second sink. This second part is going to really add up so we need to save some pennies first. For now, I'm as happy as a clam!

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big boy bed

When we were at the beach this past month, we came to the realization that Quinn was too big for his pack n play. The poor thing couldn't stretch out in it and after waking up from a nap crying, we decided to give a big bed a go. The condo we were staying in happened to have a toddler railing, so we set it up and he did wonderfully. Once we were back home, bubs immediately asked for a big boy bed in his room, ha! It wasn't exactly part of the plan, but we already had furniture for him stored at hubs' parents' house so we went and picked it up. 

While the furniture is in great condition, it wasn't exactly what I envisioned for the big boy room, so bubs had to wait a couple more weeks while I painted the bed. I told him Friday morning it was all ready and he would get to sleep in his big boy bed that night. He was pumped!

He was so excited I could not get him to sit still and smile for a picture. He wanted to check it all out and make sure all of his friends were accounted for.

And of course there had to be some wrestling with daddy to really start off the big boy status. Lots of giggles.

His new quilt came in the mail Saturday evening, so it was washed and added to the bed Sunday morning. He loves his anchor sheets and new blankie, as he calls it. He did so well sleeping in it too! I was worried he would get out of bed on his own about a million times, but he didn't. Not even once! He did so well each night and each nap. I'm very proud of my big boy.

The hubs was finally able to prime our bathroom on Saturday, so Quinn and I headed to the park. It was operation wear him out so he would take a good nap. I'd say we were quite successful.

He loves being able to go down the slides all by himself. He kept shouting, "watch mama!" and it made my day. He also shared his chalk with another little boy (after a bit of coaxing haha).

I was embroidering some shirts when little man woke up and of course he wanted to see what I was doing. It didn't last long though. He sat in my lap for about two minutes and then promptly raced off to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I could hear him singing the theme song down the hallway. Adorable.

I've started making different appliqué designs and selling the shirts through my Facebook page. So far it's been a lot of fun. The only problem is that I pretty much want to make one of each for myself too ha.

This morning I went to get Quinn ready for daycare and he was still out cold. He had wriggled himself underneath his new quilt and he looked so precious. The hidden bonus to the big boy bed would have to be that he looks so tiny in that big bed. He still looks like my little angel baby.

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