Fun Funky Fleece Hat

Shannon at luvinthemommyhood has been doing the most wonderful contest his month: Sewing vs. Knitting. I must admit I am a little  super amount envious of people who can knit. I have tried several times to learn but I think it is like languages, I have a mental block where it is involved. ANYWAY, since I am a sewer I thought I should take a turn in the ring and take on those chunky knits I so adore. Every winter I make these fun funky fleece hats. I get comments on them when ever my kiddos and I wear them out. 

The kids love them because when I wear them it means I am totally up for some fun. 

I love them because they are so easy and look adorable at football games, tailgates, sledding etc. they MAKE pictures :) When I made Finn his first one for William and Mary's homecoming he ended up on the front page of the newspaper AND the home page of the college:

Now thats gotta be good right? But since I try my hardest to be a mom who has a ton of fun with her kids I thought you might like to learn how to make your very own funky fun fleece hat.

"Paint"

The second round is going on over at "Sew Dang Cute" if you would like to enjoy some fun inspiration for painting you should absolutely check it out! I am thinkin' I am totally out this week ha! I hope your halloween weekend is fabulous!

A Good 2 Cents

Since photography dominates a HUGE part of my life I love talking with other photographers. I always learn something new and I feel like it helps keep me fresh and current. Chelsey, the photographer behind Pink Fig Photography does fabulous work. I love that her looks aren't overtly trendy like so many photographers right now (um, myself included often times) Her images are ones you would be able to keep for decades not have to redo next year :) I asked if she would share some tips to getting the most out of your photoshoot in hope of helping ya'll get prepared for the inevitable Christmas card photo duh duh duhhhhhhhhh. She offers some fabulous advice! Check out her official site HERE or her lovely blog HERE. If you are in UT I would absolutely book a session with her soon before all her holiday spots fill up, and um not to pour lemon juice in a paper cut but did I hear ya'll got snow yesterday? Ouch.  But it sure makes a fun backdrop!! (trying to make lemonade with that juice now). Here's Chelsey:

Hi Everyone! My name is Chelsey and I'm the photographer behind Pink Fig Photography. I'm so excited to be a guest today on Sewing in No Man's Land. I love Kelly's tutorials and of course her blog. Kelly asked me to share some information from a photographer's perspective about what to wear, acting natural and great background ideas.


What to Wear:





I hate to break it to you but "matchy-matchy" is out. The days of matching polos or black shirts and khaki's are over. Now are the days of layers, patterns, accessories, textures and originality! Try adding a cardigan or scarf over your tops to make your outfit look more complete. A good way to get ideas for your outfits is to check different clothing websites online and take a look at their current clothing lines.

Daring New Look

FINALLY we have internet again! Whoo hoo!!! Who knew a day and a half without internet connection could be so stressful ha! I am so excited to talk about the new look of the blog. First some background. When I started the blog a few months ago I promised the hubby it wouldn't end up costing mola. Well, I must admit I was envious of how good other blogs looked and I have NEVER claimed to be computer savvy so there was no way I could figure out how to spruce up mine. While in Rome I received a lovely email from Amy at Designer Blogs asking if in leu of material she could help out with a blog design. UM? OH MY GOSH! I was so excited. I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate until I got home so Amy was kind enough to wait. Then the creative process started! Designer blogs is fantastic in that they allow you to pick images/ designs from HUNDREDS of stock images, or you can have a completely custom design made! Here is the amazing part. I have a horrible idea of what I like and have HUGE respect for interior designers or in this case blog designers who can reach inside your mind and pull out EXACTLY what you yourself could not articulate. I gave Amy so much garbledegook aka: "I like swirls and birds and muted colors and things that are pretty etc. etc." and with that tiny bit of guidance and looking at other blogs I sent her that I liked taddah!!! She came up with something I absolutely LOVE! Then she was crazy patient with me as I figured out how to use all the little bits and pieces. She answered all my silly questions promptly and kindly as opposed to "Seriously girl? First you need to turn on your computer" ha! What is wonderful about Designer Blogs is that they are sooooo affordable. I thought having a custom blog would be outrageously expensive but I think they realize they will get A LOT more customers (and return customers) if they keep their prices affordable. So if you need a stocking stuffer, or a halloween gift :) or a fresh new look for your blog to be thankful for hop on over HERE and check them out. Of course I HIGHLY recommend Amy but I am sure the other team members are fantastic too. I hope you love the new look as much as I do, and that things are a little more organized and more accessible!

The Somerset Dress

Alright you asked for it and here it is!

Since I had three sick kids, a big project at the orphanage and the fun Crafting with the Stars competition, I took it easy on myself and decided to do a knock off of Shabby Apples Yorkshire dress {just like the mini version I did HERE}.

I really wanted one for myself made out of cotton, it is just too hot here for my tweed one. You can find the pattern HERE as soon as Media fire stops being ridiculous and you follow the exact same directions as in the Yorkshire {mini} dress.

The pattern REALLY needs to be enlarged. I enlarged mine 120% and that seemed to be perfect. The waist is still elastic and super comfy. I just added the belt for a little punch of color. I think at Christmas I am going to add a red and white striped belt :)

Remember you can always take it in but you can't add more :) well, in a very fashionable way ha! I am soooo excited to share with you about the new blog design but thought I should get this tutorial up while it was still fresh in everyones mind. If you have any questions or hang ups please feel free to email me! I am going to go try and figure out how in the world to do a cool "paint" themed project on an island that has little to now paint ha!

Scrapping walls and eating ice cream

It was very exciting to see the changes made this weekend at "our" orphanage here in Dili. The children at Sawyers school had done fundraisers and saved etc. to earn enough money to make some major renovations to the walls, doors and roof. We were then extraordinarily blessed to have the help of the American Sea Bee's (If you have not heard of this branch of the military you have got to click HERE to read about them, especially the section on "most recent activity", they are AMAZING). I was able to head over and help with some of the work, scraping walls and pounding a few nails.

We brought with us 3 of the older girls who have worked extra hard raising the money and getting involved with the orphanage.

It was so cute watching some of the children watch and try to help the soldiers

We also discovered the boys everywhere LOVE beef jerky. This little guy in particular

Time to vote and some major inspiration!

The first projects are up HERE at Sew Dang Cute and OH MY GOSH are they amazing. I am determined to do several of them this week. It is such a fun way to get totally inspired. Lets see if you can guess which one is mine :) The internet is down at our house, boo, so I headed over to a cafe which has it's up sides {chaco hazelnut milkshake being the main one} but it has it's minus's, I can't really upload pics here. Hopefully it will be revived at our house tomorrow and I can share with you the wonderful things that went on at the orphanage this weekend. I am so excited to show you how some of the fabric I have received has been put to good use. Also this next week I have a fun theme, 3 dollar dresses. I will be sharing 3 patterns for 3 dress all that cost me 3 dollars!!! 2 mommy dresses and 1 little bubs dress. Thanks for taking the time to vote! Hope your weekend is fantastic! I am wishing we could go somewhere like this together:

and drink hot chocolate and pick out pumpkins. Maybe get lost in an apple orchard.

We will be carving pumpkins soon, they actually have them here year round because they are a major staple in the locals diet. I think we may paint them first though as they are all green ha!

Cheers!

Kelly

Double Header Contest and Christmas Card winner{s}

I was so excited this morning when I jumped online and went to Shabby Apples blog {like I have been doing every 10 minutes for the past week}

& saw that my dress design made the top 15!!!!!! AHHHHHH! Sooooooo excited :) There are so many gorgeous dresses it is certainly going to be an uphill battle but I am just thrilled that my first attempt was even considered. If you would like to participate in the final decision you can go vote HERE. Of course I would love a vote for my design, #12 :)

In other news I was also selected to compete in the "Crafting with the Stars" competition over at Sew Dang Cute

Each round has a theme to adhere to. The first one being:

I was lucky enough to be paired with Jen from Tatertots and Jello, a blog I am slightly obsessed with ha!!! I am thrilled to be a part of it but I must admit I am pretty nervous. I am at quiet a disadvantage since there isn't a "craft" store within several thousand miles. I am freaking out thinking "oh my goodness what if next it is something like pipe cleaner crafts" um, I don't have any pipe cleaners and I have yet to see them on the island {trust me the crafty nerd I am I have totally looked ha!!!} At least it will keep me biting my nails right? :)

The way the voting will work is that our projects will be anonymously posted and then readers get to comment to vote! I hope it is okay if I mention when the projects are posted and you mosey over and check it out:) I will of course post a tutorial on the project I made as soon as I am allowed (after the next round is announced) It is funny because it has kind of made me pause before posting something. You cannot enter something you have already made (understandably) which makes me think uh oh knowing my luck I will post something and the next day it will be the theme haaa! We'll see if I even get past the first round.

Now on to some fun exciting news!!! The winner of the Christmas Card. Thank you all so much for your comments! The cards have been ordered and are on their way as we speak. I am about 2 weeks behind schedule {I like to get the cards out so they come a day or two after Thanksgiving} but now a days if they MAKE it to the recipients I will be happy ha!! Now on to the winner, thanks to Random.org

Woo hoo! McKenzie when you are ready just email me and we will get your card all made up!

But thats not all folks!!! I totally couldn't just pick one so I went a little wild and crazy and picked another.... but then the power cut off ha!! You'll have to trust me that it was number 71 :)

Congrats Kristi!!! Email me when you want to start getting this party started!

Now if you didn't win the give away but really want an original totally personalized Christmas Card may I make a tiny suggestion? Hop on over HERE and email Leah about having her make you one up. Her designs are to die for ;)

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday evening, please go see a movie or get some ice cream for me! I am going to go clean up Finn's Space Party..... ughhh totally the worst part about parties ha!

Cheers!

Kelly

Rocket Man: Little Boys Space Party!

Tomorrow is Finn's space party {no one remind him his birthday was a month ago ha!} He kept going back & forth between a space party and a shark party. Then he told me he wanted a sharks in space party. Well, I am not THAT creative. Thankfully my friend brought me back a fabulous party edition of Donna Hay's magazine and it had fabulous ideas for a space party and when I showed it to him it completely won him over. The project I thought was down right genius was the home made jet packs and I just had to share them with you!

{Warning: once kiddos put these on there is NO keeping them still, blast off will take place immediately}

  

The Yorkshire in {mini}

I am a big fan of Shabby Apple. Love that their dresses are modest and colorful and fun. Not a HUGE fan of how expensive they are but what can you do right? One of my favorites is their Yorkshire dress which you can check out HERE. I admit at times it is super itchy around the neck but totally worth it for fashion right ladies? It is my fav for a few reasons. First it is tweed so it is warm. This is not so great here in Timor but I love it back in the States during fall. Two it is lined. This is huge to me. The other Shabby Apple dresses I own are not lined and when I first received one I was almost irritated at how flimsy it seemed. Having said that, they are made beautifully and wash well. Finally I feel like it is a really classic design so I will be able to get plenty of years of wear out of it. When the time rolled around to do family pictures our whole "theme" was based on this fabric from the lovely Jess's etsy shop Chirpy Designs. There is always one article of clothing that I tend to base everyone else's on. This really helps me to figure out a look. Until I find that one thing I am kind of all over the place. I made Finn a tie from THIS tutorial. I think the color combination of ice blue and olive just beat out my obsession of grey and yellow (it was time for both of us to move on really, the relationship had become unhealthy). Evie really didn't have anything that went (keep in mine this is the night before pictures). I decided to sit down and make her a dress and didn't realize until half way through I was totally just making her a mini version of the Yorkshire! So after that long intro here it is for you, how to make your own girlie girl a Yorkshire in {mini}.

You can find the pattern HERE. Word of warning this pattern was a bit big for Evie. I would say it very well might be perfect for an almost 2 year old who is on the small side, otherwise known as a regular 18 month old haaa!

Christmas Card Give away!

I am sure you know by now I am slightly obsessed with getting our Christmas cards out, well I am obsessed with Christmas in general really ha! I have narrowed it down to two. Both are a front and back print and then folded:

The second is a little more traditional:

I like that they both have blank space where I can write little personal notes. They both come from Angie of Simplicity's Holiday Delights set:

Whoever is selected by random.org can choose one card from any of the designs, then send me your selected pictures and I will put the card together for you, including personalization. You get a high res. copy that you can print where ever you like. OR if you prefer I can place an order with the professional company it is specifically made for WHCC, prints come with envelopes.

Here is how it will work you can enter a few ways

1. Leave a comment saying which you like better

2. Be a Follower of Sewing in No Man's Land

3. Post a note on facebook about the giveaway

I hope you are as excited about this as me...

Cheers!

Kelly

You win some you loose some and some are just {stolen}

Evie is finally on the mend after several looooooooooooooong nights. Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers, it made me feel infinitely better :) She was well enough this morning that we were able to get our final family pictures done! Here is a sneak peak:

Unfortunately after pictures were done we all dove right in the ocean. While swimmin' around both our car and our friends car had windows smashed and contents stolen {including my favorite Target necklace, one that looks expensive but is not}. They left our ipods and my Frye boots which made me soooo thankful. Sawyer was really upset by the whole experience and kept asking me if I wanted my necklace back and then asked if I would spank the boys who took it ha! I am just so very grateful that my Hubby is crazy protective of my camera bag and all but makes me swim with it so it also was safe. My friend joked that she hopes the pictures were worth it :)

On a lighter and awesome note, I am also so excited for a really fun give away I will be doing this week. Are you having a hard time finding a gorgeous original christmas card? Don't want the same 'ole Costco one that all your neighbors will have? Well hold onto your stockings because I am here to rescue you. As a hint hop on over to one of the most talented photographers I know, Angie from Simplicity's blog and look HERE to see her new Christmas cards, oh they are so gorgeous! Oh I can't wait! AND, if you love Evie's dress:

(I am sooo in love with this dress) then stay tuned for the tutorial!!!

Cheers,

Kelly

Few Things are worse

Evie is sick. She had a raging fever last night. Here in Timor fevers and achy bodies automatically make my mind fly to Malaria and Dengue. If there is a medical emergency you have to be flown off the island. So of course being the paranoid mother I am I sat there rocking my baby girl with a temperature of 103 thinking how I could get a helicopter together at 1am. I am a classic over reactor. Especially where fevers are involved. My husband and I went to see City of Angles on our first date, that first scene, where the little girl dies from a fever, has damaged me for life. Pair this with my hesitance to give high dosages of medicine and well, usually it is not pretty. Thankfully Sawyer's little buddy at school's mom is the Aussie doctor and she agreed to see us since our medical personnel is out of town (For being basically full blood Irish I have super crummy luck).

Turns out she has a terrible ear infection (oh, it stinks that those are hereditary) and a bad case of Tonsillitis. Yuck. I have to say though that I did love being able to literally sit the entire day and rock her. She would cry if I let her go and snuggle right into me when I sat back down.

Needless to say the project I had for today took a big time backseat but tune in to learn how to make some pretty cool play jet packs (Finn wants a space themed birthday)

Hope everyone is well in your abode... 'Tis the season :)

Cheers

Kelly

PS The pics are from when Evie was sick in January, she was so tiny

Halloween Treat Bucket: A Potterybarn inspired tutorial

I LOVE Potterybarn Halloween. They have the cutest fabric treat bags and every year they get better and have a wider variety. Both my boys have personalized treat bags, of course theirs are from Down East Outfitters, a Potterybarn clearance center, and cost me a dollar. I sat there one day & dug through THOUSANDS of treat bags until I found ones with their names on them. The problem is I am about 99% sure they are sitting in storage somewhere in Virginia. I can't find them anywhere and I was so bummed because by the time I discovered this there was NO WAY I would get them in time if I ordered them. Plus Evie needed one of her own and I wanted it to match her Cherub costume

So I decided to make my own & I LOVE it soooo much I made another for both boys AND one for Addie as a thank you for being my model in a previous shoot. The pattern you will need can be found HERE.

Just a Heads up!

Three super quick things (and a smattering of randomness which is sooo like me) before a halloween post that I am VERY excited for. I thought I would share some of my fav. photos taken on the beach in Italy because a post with out pictures is hardly a proper post at all :)

The Bali Break Tunic was missing Page 5, so sorry about this. It is uploaded and ready to go! You can find it HERE I need to be better about checking those. Thank you for bringing it to my attention :) Hope it didn't cause too much of a headache.

Secondly, I receive lots of emails with query's about my header (which fingers crossed will be updated soon). I totally wish I could claim that the dress in the photo was made by me but it is from Anthropologie purchased last winter for my mommy daughter photo shoot {a little glimpse can be seen HERE} with one of my favorite photographers Leah Miller {she squeezed Evie and I in while I flew out for 2 days for a photo shoot I was on :)}. I also get asked where the location is. It is in Lehi, UT at the coolest abandoned house ever. Funny story, the police totally drove up right after this shoot and thank heavens I was nursing Evie and just acted like I had pulled off to do JUST that. The police officer actually said "We just have to check because some crazy photographers have been taking pictures here for some reason" HAAAA! It is a great location if you are in UT. I snuck back there for the maternity shoot for my wonderful friend:

and her gorgeous daughter whom I want Sawyer to marry sooooo bad.

Back to the dress, I did replicate it in purple and will try to make a tutorial.

Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, Evie would like to know when wearing pants/ or underroos as hats is going to catch on because honestly she looks like this several times a day:

Can't wait to share the Halloween tutorial with you!

Cheers,

Kelly

"I am Batman... until I am Superman" Reversible cape tutorial

My boys LOVE dressing up. Our costumes get serious use. Usually they are in and out and in and out, over and over. What makes this process a lot easier is their reversible Superman to Batman cape. I first made it for Sawyer and his best friend Fischer when they were about 9 months... yeah I know jumpin' the gun just a tich ha! We had a birthday party this weekend for our twin friends Zara and Felix. I didn't want to bring any of the cheapy toys you can get here on the island and our birthday present supply has run dry so I thought why not make Felix one of the cool capes and share with you how I make them at the same time!

I know there are tons of cape tutorials so I am not thinkin' I am all original, but just in case for those new to sewing there are some fun little tricks in here that are good to know :)

about a half a yard both of blue fabric and black fabric

red, black and yellow felt cut in the superhero symbol shapes

{I was short yellow felt so I used some yellow fabric}

scissors

sewing machine

straight pins

the cool old Batman theme song stuck in your head

"Batman na na na na na na na na..... Batman"

Happy Soldier Dress: A yellow tutorial for MADE

I am THRILLED to be a part of MADE's yellow celebration. I have been in heaven checking MADE everyday to see the fabulous, sunny, bright tutorials created by so many fantastic crafters and seamstresses. For my turn I was excited to have an excuse to make a pinafore I had been thinking about since returning from Rome for a little lady I know. I saw these little "military" pinafores all over the place there (or HERE at Zara) and thought "hmmm I bet I could make one" (isn't that always the way with us crafty ladies ha!) So, here it is the Happy Soldier Dress:

The pattern for the Happy Soldier pinafore can be found HERE, it is for size 4T and can easily be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs.

Sneaking in before the MADE post....

because they are just too cute not to post. This is Evie on our last night in Italy. It was the tinsiest bit cold so I jumped at the chance to put her in an outfit I bought her before she was born (and well before I knew we would be living in a hot climate year round)

We sure do love her, even if she does spend the majority of her outside time chewing on rocks!

As much as I love Timor I have to admit it was hard to come back. I really miss thinking up an idea and being able to jump in the car and in one stop have everything I need, as opposed to scouring every "store" (or stand on the side of the road" and finding something sort of like what I need but not really. I do love it here and we are so blessed to be here in hundreds of ways. I knew the onset of fall would be tough for me. I just have to remind myself that if and when there is a major snow storm in DC I will be thrilled to be building sand castles and eating ice cream. Thanks for letting me sulk a bit and please someone eat a candy corn and mallow pumpkin for me.

Cheers!

Kelly

Dare to Design: My Dress Design for Shabby Apple Dresses

Is it odd that I am literally shaking as I type this? I don't know why I am so nervous to share this. Maybe because it took me FOR-EV-ER to figure this pattern out and then make the dress. Maybe it is because I am worried that it's cuteness won't translate to film? In any event I wanted to share the dress I made inspired by Shabby Apple Dresses (click on the hyper link to view their fabulous collection) I call it the "Bustling City" dress.

My wedding dress had a big bustle and I love it so much I never wanted to spread it out (much to my photographers dismay). Since then I have REALLY wanted a dress with a bustle, a practical bustle. This one isn't huge and doesn't make my bum look enormous. It is just a fun detail on the back, an area that is usually boring.

I love highish defined waists (hide my momma tummy) and clean straight skirts so I tried to do that in the front

It hits right above the knee so it is nice and modest for my embassy functions

And of course those who know me know I am OBSESSED with collars so this one had to be fun and pleated like crazy.

Does it help that I had my gorgeous friend Nicola model it? Oh I think it does ha!

Oh and it has a little side zipper. That thing turned out to be the bane of my existence. I couldn't find my zipper foot (still) so I took the dress with me to Rome. My mother in law couldn't find her zipper foot so the two of us struggled and tore out and resewed it I don't know how many times ha! I really love the finished product and even though I am sure I won't win (guaranteed the gorgeous little lady behind the fabulousness that is Grosgrain will whip something up and crush me, she is just AMAZING) I couldn't let another year go by with out trying. AND if nothing else I am so excited to wear it to something fancy pantsie and be able to say "Oh thanks, I made it!" if I receive any compliments :) So let me know what you think. I am so nervous it is silly. Oh and I thought I would include one shot of me wearing it... you know just for kicks and giggles.

Cheers!

Kelly

PS I am working like a made women on a project I am SOOOO excited about for MADE's yellow month. The post will be up Thursday woo hoo!