Doll pjs!

Whipped up some doll pjs for a friend with the patterns from Blueberry Moon (there are several different posts, peasant top, 2 dress posts, so search around a bit). Pants were simple, but that soft tee shirt knit... grr... Forgot to add some length to the shirt so she got a cute lacy ruffle! 

L has two dolls that are 13 inches, and different sizes around the waist, and they fit hers so I'm crossing my fingers they'll fit Miss G's! The tutorial is not clear (from what i saw) on the size of the doll, but I'd guess 13".

Checkbook Cover

I've been wanting to make myself a nicer new checkbook cover... So I finally got around to it (helps that a friend from church wants one too!) I sort of used a tutorial from Small Fry & Co (who helped hers with this one) though I changed some things.

Here's the front of mine!

The tutorial from Small Fry & Co added an extra pocket behind your checkbook, which I didn't really feel was necessary, but decided I wanted an extra pocket on the back to slip in my bank reciepts and loose deposit slips. Makes the cover prettier too, I think!

I also added a pen pocket, as I hate not having a pen handy when I want to do checkbook-ish things!  Also handy to know where one is at all times in my purse!

Easy Peasy! You just tuck your register and checkbook into the pockets, throw in your pen and off you go!

I must confess, I did goof a bit on my measurements here... you can't really tell, but it is a wee bit tight to slide in the checkbook register (I actually didn't have too much of a problem with the checks); It works, but would lay a bit better with a teensy bit trimmed off my register... no biggie, but will be fixed on the next one!

If you do your own, i believe you can pretty much follow the tutorial from Small Fry& Co, but just make sure your outside pocket is on the outside when you turn it.  Good Luck! So easy (seriously, can you sew a straight line??) and in less than an hour you've got a unique and completely YOU checkbook cover! Two fat quarters give you Plenty for this- you could probably actually do 2 with that much! and cost only 99cents on sale at Joann's.  So for $2 bucks and some work... Viola!

New Shoes for E

Now that the weather is getting a bit warmer, E doesn't really need those big fluffy boots anymore... So we tried out another of the Sweet Pea Patterns. 

These are the Jack and Jill Loafters, and look so cute on him... However, I think I need to do a bit of tinkering... I would like to add some elastic in the back I think, as they don't stay on very well.  And may shorten my elastic next time too- They don't snug up very well.  and unfortunately, I didn't sew it on quite tight enough and one end has popped out already, so I need to figure out how to fix that... Love these shoes though! 

Book Review of The Last Summit

The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity by Andy Andrews

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book had a very interesting premise- That there are travelers sent through time to learn the Seven Decisions for Success. This is actually a sequel (I'm under the impression that the first book dealt with the main character David Ponder's travels). In this book, Ponder is chosen to head up a meeting of all the Travelers to help save the fate of the world. The Travelers must find the correct 2 word answer that is the solution to saving humanity from destroying itself (in only 5 tries no less!)



I did enjoy the conversations between Ponder and the famous travelers (Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, etc) and was an interesting way to learn some stories of historical characters with whom I was not familiar. I did feel that the end was a bit anti-climactic. But it was an enjoyable read. I'd be interested in reading the first book!



I recieved a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing for review.



View all my reviews

Fantasy book review

I recieved a copy of The Ale Boy's Feast  by Jeffrey Overstreet for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Press. I love the idea of this book; Several different peoples, including both humans and Beastmen struggle to find a place of freedom from the opression of the Seers (magicians) who control them. I love fantasy and definitely see the potential of this series.  However, I did not realize when requesting this book that it was part of a series and definitely would not recommend starting with this one! I was confused through most of the book, and while i enjoyed it, it was not a satisfying read due to the confusion. I felt like there must have been a lot one misses in the first few books that help oen understand the world the author creates and what is going on. There were several different story lines that eventually came together, but it was confusing to jump back and forth between them. I did really like the concept of the book, and would be interested in reading the first books of the series and then re-reading this one. I think its worth one's time, but definitely read them in order!

Jammy Pants

I found some cute jammies at a yard sale last summer, and even was given a few shirts that the woman couldn't find the pants for.

I finally got around to sewing up some pants using some of hubby's old tee shirts! I put it off due to the knit and then since the walking foot I had been waiting for didn't work anyway, tried it without; it worked perfectly of course!  So now that Eli is almost outgrowing them, he finally has some pants for these cute tops!

Making your own pattern for things is not as difficult as it sounds, especially for something as simple as these pants, so give it a try! There are loads of sites that will explain how (click here to sign up for swagbucks and earn prizes for searching!), I love the blog MADE and she posts on how to draw your own (the shirts she explains briefly here are on my to-try list!).  I love that I saved so much money on his Jammies! First getting so many of the shirts for FREE and then adding free pants by reusing some tee shirts!