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.