pretty in pink

It's finished! Woohoo! All that pink it sewn into a finished product! I have been admiring these fun fluffy pettiskirts found here, here, and here for at least a year. $80 for dress up clothes seemed like a big splurge so I looked and enjoyed from afar.

On Monday I was pursing my blog feeds (google reader!) and came across this post from the amazing site Grosgrain. Her post made me think, hey.... I bet I could make one of these!

After making one, I am thinking $80 is a BARGAIN for the amount of time it takes to sew one of these together. But, if you like a challenge.....

So I ordered a slew of pink, hot pink, and blue fabric from afc-express and gathered up all the other supplies from Martha's instruction list and video. Martha's supply list is a little off. Get 1/4 yard satin charmuese and 1/4 yard interfacing. She says to get 3 yards of chiffon, I used 6 for just one skirt. The girl on Grosgrain also used 6 for hers. Also, be sure to get regular thread to match your fabric. I used a full spool of light pink and most of a spool of dark pink. I also found instructions here, although I didn't use them... they seemed very detailed and easy to understand.

Some valuable tips I'll pass on in addition to the resources I have linked.
1. Hand wind the elastic thread on the bobbin. Elastic thread can be found at Hobby Lobby but not Jo-anns for you locals. I used a full 30 yards for one skirt.
2. I precut all the fabric has directed, but ended up cutting much more especially for the ruffle at the bottom. I would say the measurements for fabric are guidelines, don't be surprised if you have to had length to one tier and shorten another. For example, I got really carried away and used quadruple the amount of fluff (light pink) than the directions called for since I made such tight ruffles.
3. I built mine from the base up so I could sew a straight piece to a ruffle piece. I think this made it much easier, and I may have given up altogether if I hadn't done the hardest part first. For me the hardest part was sewing 198 feet of fluff on to 50 feet of hot pink. It went much faster after that. :)
4. I used 3 full yards for the light fluff, if I had made the ruffles a little looser it would have been easier to sew on and I would have used much less. I like how fluffy it is, but it was a challenge dealing with it! The fluff was very easy to sew, just go as fast as you can while holding the fabric taught. Elastic thread maybe my new favorite crafting thing!
5. I had to add fabric and a row to get the skirt to narrow, having extra fabric was really nice!
5. This is not hard, just time consuming. I think I spent about 10 hours making Ella Bella's. I have a very basic machine and no ruffle foot and I don't really see how it would go a whole lot faster for a first time sewing one.

I want to see you creations if you try this craft out! Also let me know if you are local and placing an order, I will split shipping with you! I have an idea for a simpler version of this but need more fabric.

pink

My craft table is a sea of pink and fluff. I am thinking I am may have bitten off more than my meager sewing skills can handle! Any guesses what it is? Girls, no cheating if you already know!

under a shady tree

The days are warm but everything is still dull and brown. I am eagerly awaiting the explosion of color and new life coming in a few weeks. My eyes are ready to see some new COLOR.

life is like a day in the park

Life is like a day in the park, full up ups and downs. Happiness and sorrow. Potty accidents and terrifying swings that turn on you. Oh? That's not what happens when you go to park?

Well it's normal for us. We walked to the park, about a mile each way. We were literally 20 yards from the park when moo peed on himself. Nice. Even nicer, "bad mommy" only had spare clothes for sis. So yep, he ran around the playground wearing wet underwear and 18 month size pants (err, bicycle shorts) in BRIGHT pink. Good job Mom!

We then went to go get ice cream across the street. Closed. The little cafe next door? Closed. The fair trade coffee shop, not a great idea with kids. The nasty grocery store across the street? Check! Bad Mommy also didn't pack snacks. So after grabbing a box of graham crackers we headed home. The store had peanuts out in ventilated bags and that was enough to trigger a rash on Moo and send him over the edge. He didn't touch them, didn't come within 10 feet of them. Agh. Even the simple is complicated with his allergy. He requested a nap as soon as we got home. Poor kid.

mr. roboto

This child has been giving me fits, err, messes. He is finding his little voice and stomping his foot in resistance and oh vey is it wearing me down. The resistnace and the peeing. On everything. He gets to the potty just fine btu has a little problem with aim. Ya know those horror movies where they show a gory scene by showing just a little blood first and then zooming out and looking at the floor, walls and ceiling to show the full extent of the carnage. Thats what is like in my house right now. How is it even possible to pee around a closed shower curtain from the potty? Oye.

Good thing he is cute.

Even sweeter that he insists on calling me "sweetheart" and his dad "honey".

And even more cute that he has learned to "be strong and courageous in the Lord." Cause Miss Nancy says so!

*The tie is super easy to make. It's just tie shape (google images) cut out in two patterns sewn together on an elastic string. Easy-peasy. I guess I could give more detailed directions if anyone wants...

sunny day

You can find the fun little hats here. I love etsy!

And yes, Ella Bella is in a sun suit. And it's February. But it is 85 degrees. eighty-five! LOVE IT!

flower child

Aren't these little hats fun? You can find them here.

faceplant

Faceplant off the back porch + no rain in months + tears = one very muddy little boy

1,057

2 years + 10 months + 2 weeks + 6 days = FREEDOM.

Of diapers, during the day, for one kid.

This past Monday we set out to get Moo on the pot. Hubs and I made a pact, no more diapers regardless of how bad it got. We broke out the gatorade and loaded him up. Monday was bad. We were out of underwear (12 pairs) by noon. He didn't seem to mind sitting in puddles of his own effluent. He raged at the potty. Tuesday was only marginally better. I was ready to throw in the towel.

And then Wednesday, something happened. It just clicked. He made it the until 5pm without any accidents or needing me to tell he needed to go. Poopoo, no problem. Pee, a breeze. Had to be a fluke.

Thursday, woke up DRY, For the first time EVER. No accidents until right before bed. AMAZING. He still has trouble when we leave the house and with "real" potties. We'll get there.

WOOHOO! No more diapers to buy! (remember we use cloth for Ella Bella) Only half the diapers to change WOOHOO! I am seeing why people say once you get them out of diapers you will never want another baby.

from the archives: february 19, 2007

I can't believe this was 2 years ago already. My friend M and I dragged our then BABIES Moo and little miss out for some photos. This was before I upgraded to a nice camera, before I quit working, before my husband changed jobs, and before miss Ella Bella. It seems like a lifetime ago!

nine months

Well, I shoved my daughter in the wagon again, meaning another 3 months have just flown by! Ella Bella Chunka Monka is now 9 months old!

And she is the happiest little kid, so content to just BE. She is constantly shaking her little booty to the seemingly never ending beat in her head. In the past week she has started showing interest in possibly moving from the spot where we put her. She is eating cheerios and anything else she finds laying around with precision accuracy. She is also holding her own bottle, so FREEDOM for us! She sleeps like a champ and wakes up ready to greet the day. She has enjoyed every concoction of food sent her way, with the exception of carrots. She threw those up, twice.

She is huge, wearing 18 month and 24 month clothes. I bet she will be wearing the same clothes this time next year. She is a little fashonista, or at least she doesn't complain about all the crazy outfits I put her in.

I am so thankful for the 9 months we have been blessed with Ella Bella!

crafting from the stash: felt carrots

Follow the photos to make your own, a picture is worth a thousand words!

fluff

This week is crazy around here, so hopefully Ella Bella in a fun hat will tide you over....