Countdown til Christmas!

December 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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Now that Thanksgiving is past and gone, its Christmas time for real, and I can hardly stand it!  I’m a sucker for Christmas countdowns, and here is a super simple countdown you could make for your home!

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Start by making 24 pockets.  I outlined them in double-sided white bias tape because it curls so nicely around curved edges.

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Make a strip of fabric for the binding, and paint up twenty four buttons.  I found these blank wood buttons on eBay for cheap cheap cheap.

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Sew button holes in the pockets, then lay everything out on a big quilted rectangle and sew the pockets down around the outer curve.

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   We used a dowel rod: painted it white and drilled holes in the ends to run a string through.IMG_8807

Then chock it full of candy and treats!IMG_8811This turned out really big–about a door’s width, so hanging on the back of a door might be a great idea for saving wall space.

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 Merry Christmas!!IMG_8797

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It used to be pink…

January 21, 2013 by 6 Comments

I acquired this bench from one of the guest rooms at my Nana’s lake home:

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Yep.  That’s a pink cushion.

And you all know how I feel about pink…

Here’s how the acquisition came to be:

We went down to the house on Lake of the Ozarks back in November to do the leaves.

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(Me my baby brother with our mad leaf blowing skills)

I decided to bring the bench home.  We put it in our entryway and there it sat.  Pink and all.  A holiday party (in my home) came and went.  Christmas came and went.  New Year’s came and went.  All the while the bench maintained its glorious pink hue.  Obviously I wasn’t in that big of a hurry to get rid of the pink.  That or I’m just lazy.  We’ll go with not in that big of a hurry, okay?  Well, today the bench changed its clothes!  My parents came to spend the holiday weekend with us and my mom recovered ‘ole pinky with some really dandy fabric that I actually found today.

480385_10151258118510894_1535183106_n Yep.  I love it.

Isn’t my mom the best?  Yep.  I love her!

Total cost:  $11.19

Oh and the new fabric even has a bit of pink in it *wink*

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Have a dandy week!

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Sew Much Ado {Giveaway} – CLOSED

November 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Ok, I’m not really a quilter, but I do try!  I love the look of a finished quilt and I love the fascinating combination of prints and colors that a quilt can embody.  I jumped at the opportunity to try out Sew Much Ado’s quilt pattern for Gathers and Giggles!  I had a beautiful pile of girly fat quarters that I thought would be great, even though I don’t exactly have any daughters yet!  And so this lovely little quilt is for my first unborn daughter, or maybe my first granddaughter :).

Note that my dimensions are a little off because I was limited by the length of my fat quarters.  My quilt turned out about the dimensions of a crib mattress, but following the exact piece requirements in the pattern will create a square quilt 40”x40”.

Sew Much Ado currently has six sweet little patterns available in PDF!

The Giggles and Gathers pattern is terrific.  Good pictures, plenty of guidance, lots of steps broken down to make it easier to follow, and neatly organized.  My quilt was a breeze for me (the non-quilter) to put together with such a detailed pattern.

If you’re looking for a quick and cozy sewing project for the cold weather fast approaching, I recommend this cutey from Sew Much Ado!

Sew Much Ado is offering TWO lucky ducks this same PDF quilt pattern for Gathers & Giggles!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
  *This giveaway is open to US entries only *The winner of this giveaway will be posted no later than the evening of Tuesday, November 27th and emailed within 24 hours.  If the winner does not respond within a week, a new winner will be drawn. *This posting and giveaway were sponsored by Sew Much Ado, but all opinions are strictly my own

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Happy Birthday!

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My friend Shannon owns the coolest modern fabric shop in the entire country and it’s right here in St. Louis.  Fabric Nosherie has been around for one year now, so yesterday they threw a party.  Of course I attended and of course is was a grand time.  I got some holiday shopping done for my sewing family and friends.  And…  Fabric/pattern designer Patty Young was there and she gave a very impressive lecture.  She talked about how she got started in the business and shared some of her favorites from her pattern book Sewing MODKID Style.  Loved it!

Patty and Shannon

 Happy Birthday to The Nosh!

Maybe one day Shannon will want to do a guest post on the Dandy with a sewing tutorial or something???  Maybe.  😉

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Fat Quarter Shop {Giveaway} ***ENDED***

August 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’ve been searching high and low for the most perfect fabric to reupholster these chairs for our study:

They are from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis and quite rough looking.

After all they spent who knows how many years living in my uncle’s attic…

I want something unique for those chairs.  I want something gorgeous.  I want something designer.  I want something perfect.  Where would I go to find the most perfect fabric?  Well, we’ve already well established that I buy lots online.  It’s the best, most easiest way to find a great deal.  In my mind there was not a moment of hesitation on who to ask about fabric.  I know a fabric designer.  She’s really super.  Her name is Laura Gunn.  Here’s just a sampling of her talent:

So friend Laura mentioned that one of the best places online to view designer fabric is at Fat Quarter Shop.  She said that they use high quality images to display their fabric, so you can really get a feel for what the fabric looks like.  And of course she was right!

Plus, Fat Quarter Shop has all my favorite designers…

Carina Gardner

 

Heather Bailey

 

 

Amy Butler

 

The list goes on and on.  Oh and don’t even get me started all on the fantastic quilt kits:

Or…

All the fabric on sale, because there’s certainly a lot of it!

  

I’m thinking I need to order that fabric to make a cute dress for Ruby!

Who’s ready for a giveaway???  Two very lucky winners are going to receive a $25 gift certificate to spend at Fat Quarter Shop!

*This giveaway is open to entries worldwide.

*Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won! The winner of this giveaway will be posted no later than the evening of Monday, August 20th. Be sure and check back then to see if you won, so you can claim your prize.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

This posting and giveaway were sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop, but all opinions are strictly my own.

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Forshee Designs {Giveaway} ***ENDED***

February 27, 2012 by 103 Comments

         

 

Last summer my laptop had a little accident.  It involved a full can of Diet Dr. Pepper and unfortunately the soda can won!  This forced me to do my blogging work on the Mac Mini upstairs in my office space.  I felt shut away in there from the rest of the house let me tell you!  It made it really difficult to get work done.  After all I had a little Banjo to keep track of and contend with.  One of my fellow bloggers asked if I could get some work done while Banjo played.  Are you kidding?  He can’t be left anywhere in the house by himself.  Ha!  Only kidding.  He’s a good little boy and doesn’t do anything bad.  He just likes to “help” sometimes.  This “helping” includes answering the front door.  My office space is quite distant from the rest of the house and I would constantly worry that he was going to answer the door if I didn’t hear it.  So this of course led to my spending many late nights tucked away with the Mac Mini.  I missed my laptop dearly!  For months and months I saved my pennies to purchase a new one.  It took awhile, but I FINALLY had enough to justify getting a MacBook Pro!  Do I drink anything near it?  Nooooo!  Of course I’m very protective over it and knew that I needed a padded laptop sleeve to keep it/carry it in at all times.  Lucky me Forshee Designs allowed me to pick out a custom laptop sleeve:

 Isn’t it soooooo pretty?!

It’s Dandy Damask.  Don’t you just love the name?  🙂

Forshee Designs has so many gorgeous fabrics to choose from.  For all the laptop sleeves, but also everything else that they design!  Like:

Aprons

iPad Sleeves

And…

Camera Strap Covers

 

 

Forshee Designs even has patterns for purchase as well as personalization.

I’ll gather that you found plenty that you absolutely need from Forshee Designs!  Well, start entering to win, because…

The winner of this giveaway is going to receive a $25 gift certificate to spend at Forshee Designs!

*** This giveaway is open to entries worldwide***

There are 7 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 7 chances then leave 7 separate comments**

(1): Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment. (ex: “Dandy Smith”)

(2): Go to , Forshee Designs, have a look around, and then tell us what you will spend the $25 on if you win! (ex: “Dandy Smith = I love anything in the Dandy Damask! )

(3): Join the Forshee Designs Newsletter (found at the top the Forshee website).  (ex: “Dandy Smith= newsletter”)

(4): Like Forshee Designs on Facebook or if you already do.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= like”)

(5):  Become a fan of Dandy Giveaway on Facebook or if you already are.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= like Dandy”)

(6): Follow Dandy Giveaway on Twitter and then tweet about this giveaway. (ex: “Dandy Smith= twitter & tweet”)

(7): Become a follower of Dandy Giveaway through Networked Blogs (in the right hand sidebar) or if you already follow through there.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= follow Dandy.”)

***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won! This giveaway will be open for entries until Sunday, March 4th at 5:00 pm CST.  Be sure and check back on Monday, March 5th to see if you won, so you can claim your prize! ***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won!

This posting and giveaway was sponsored by Forshee Designs, but all opinions are strictly my own.

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{Giveaway} Fat Quarter Shop ***ENDED***

October 3, 2011 by 103 Comments

 

I have this thing for fabric.  The closet in my craft room is filled with shelves and shelves of it.  So many different patterns and colors.  Seriously yards and yards of it.  Much of it never even used for a project!  When I told the audiologist man that I wanted to make the bedding, curtains, and accessories for baby girl’s room he immediately said that I should be able to use fabric that I already have.  Of course that’s not possible.  Upon taking inventory of my fabric stash nothing jumped out at me and said, “This is perfect for baby girl’s room!”  So…  I’m on the hunt for the perfect fabric combinations for her room.  We have yet to paint her room, because I haven’t decided on the colors yet.  We do have until January, but  that’s going to be here before we know it, so I best get deciding! 

Lucky for me Fat Quarter Shop has so many different options when it comes to fabric!  Fat Quarter Shop also offers, excellent customer service, super fast shipping, exclusive quilting clubs/kits, and a large selection of fat quarter bundles!  I’ve been pouring over pages and pages on their website.  There’s so many options that I’m having difficulty with the decision making process!  I’m not particularly a fan of the color pink, so I’m trying to avoid that for baby girl’s room.  I guess my aversion developed from over exposure in my childhood.  :)   But the more I look at Fat Quarter Shop I’m becoming more used to the pink idea.  However, I would still like to try to have minimal use of the pink hues.  :)   Here are a few of my favorites:

   

                                                                  

 See what I mean about this being a very tough decision???  I really LOVE this one, but have no idea what other color to bring in to match with the yellow and gray.

 

 Suggestions???  🙂

Don’t have a little girl room to decorate?  Not a problem, because Fat Quarter Shop also has tons of fabrics perfect for home decor, quilting, and a little boy’s room!

How cute is this quilt kit from Sew Emma?

 

And this fat quarter bundle is perfect for a little boy! 

 In fact Fat Quarter Shop is giving away that Robot Factory Fat Quarter Bundle!

A $38 value!

*** This giveaway is open to entries worldwide***

There are 7 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 7 chances then leave 7 separate comments**

(1): Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment. (ex: “Dandy Smith”)

(2): Go to Fat Quarter Shop, have a look around, and then tell me the fabric combinations you think I should use in baby girl’s room.  Thanks in advance for your help with this difficult decision!  🙂  (ex: “Dandy Smith = I really like this bird fabric, but have no idea what other color to tie in!  I’m also open to other ideas!  🙂 )

(3): Get Dandy in your inbox! Sign up for our newsletter in the right hand sidebar or if you already have. (ex: “Dandy Smith= newsletter”)

(4): Like Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook or if you already do.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= like Create-A-Mural”)

(5):  Blog about this great giveaway!  (ex: “Dandy Smith= blogged”)

(6): Follow Fat Quarter Shop on Twitter and then tweet about this giveaway. (ex: “Dandy Smith= twitter & tweet”)

(7): Become a follower of the Fat Quarter Shop blog or if you already are.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= blog follow.”)

***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won! This giveaway will be open for entries until October 9th at 5:00 pm CST.  Be sure and check back on Monday, October 10th to see if you won, so you can claim your prize! ***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won!

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{Giveaway} The Ribbon Retreat ***ENDED***

June 27, 2011 by 56 Comments

Alright so I do have a craft/sewing room.  In fact I have an entire room in my home dedicated to this space.  Is it organized?  Probably not very well.  Ok it’s a disaster most of the time, but at least I know where everything is!  Kind of.  :)    As we start to need use of that room in our house (as a guest room) then we will be adding some space in the basement for my craft room.  That’s the plan anyway.  If you have any suggestions on how to finish a basement please let me know, because I need a craft room!  :)   Yep it’s a necessity that I cannot live without.  I’m always on the lookout for the perfect crafting items to add to my supply.  But who really has the time to shop for crafting supplies in an actual store?  Not me.  That makes The Ribbon Retreat is my new best friend!  Care to take a look at some of the items they carry that I’m also in need of more of?  Who am I kidding???  I’m always in need of more of everything!  🙂

The Ribbon Retreat has materials perfect for making a ribbon bow…

Wired Ribbon:

 

And loads of other ribbon as well!

There’s also a huge variety of Ric Rac.  So many sizes and colors to choose from!

Can I just tell you that before the holidays last year I decided to make an advent calendar?  I hunted and hunted for the perfect Ric Rac and never found any that was perfect for my project.  How I wish that I had known about The Ribbon Retreat then!

Also at The Ribbon Retreat there’s more items that everyone is looking for…  like:

How about a way cute tutu?

 

 Or an adorable Newsboy Hat?

 

There’s even my personal favorite… FABRIC!

Here’s a few of the fabric selections from a collection titled ‘Just Dandy’:

I see a really dandy quilt in my future!  🙂

Basically if you are looking for it then The Ribbon Retreat has it!  And what’s being given away this week from The Ribbon Retreat?  A $25 gift certificate that’s what!  Thanks The Ribbon Retreat for such a dandy giveaway!  🙂

*** This giveaway is open to entries worldwide!***

There are 7 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 7 chances then leave 7 separate comments**

(1): Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment. (ex: “Dandy Smith”)

(2): Go to The Ribbon Retreat, have a look around, and then tell us something that you need in your crafting space! (ex: “Dandy Smith = I really need some of that ‘Just Dandy’ fabric.  Okay I need the entire line of it!)

(3): Tell people how much you love Dandy Giveaway by blogging this exact statement:  “Are you looking for the best giveaway ever?  Then you really don’t want to miss out on all that is Dandy Giveaway!”  :)  (ex: “Dandy Smith= blogged”)

(4): Like The Ribbon Retreat on Facebook or if you already do. (ex: “Dandy Smith= like”)

(5): Follow The Ribbon Retreat on Twitter and then tweet about this giveaway. (ex: “Dandy Smith= twitter and tweet”)

(6): Change your status on Facebook to mention this giveaway. (ex: “Dandy Smith= Facebook status”)

(7): Place The Ribbon Retreat Blog button on your own blog.  (ex: “Dandy Smith= blog button”)

***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won! This giveaway will be open for entries the entire week and end on Sunday, July 3rd at 5 pm CST. Be sure and check back on Monday, July 4th to see if you won, so you can claim your prize! ***Remember*** Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won!

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{DIY} Bat Shirt with Sumo’s Sweet Stuff

October 11, 2010 by 14 Comments

We are so lucky to host Sumo, from Sumo’s Sweet Stuff today here at Dandy Giveaway!  Here’s Summer:

 
 
Hello everyone!

I’m so excited to be guest blogging here today!

I’m Sumo, from Sumo’s Sweet Stuff!



Sumo's Sweet Stuff

My real name is Summer, but my husband nicknamed me Sumo when we were dating. (Should I be offended?) Now he’s got all of my family, as well as lots of our friends, calling me Sumo. I think Aunt Sumo sounds pretty great, don’t you? I live in Utah with my husband, and our two beautiful daughters – Reece & Remi!

 

 
Growing up, I never used to be all that domestic or crafty, so I think no one is more surprised than my mom at how I’ve ended up where I am today! I started Sumo’s Sweet Stuff last May as a place to keep some of my crafting projects so that my personal blog wasn’t overrun with them. Somehow, that developed into a place to host giveaways, share tutorials, share recipes, and feature fellow bloggers’ ideas and blogs! I also use my blog to promote my etsy shop, so if you’re ever in the market for some baby girl accessories, come on over! Every Monday is Market Yourself Monday, where you can link up your latest projects, and visit other blogs to get some inspiration!
Sumo Sweet Stuff

 

 

Hello everyone!

I’m so excited to be guest blogging here today!

I’m Sumo, from Sumo’s Sweet Stuff!



Sumo's Sweet Stuff

My real name is Summer, but my husband nicknamed me Sumo when we were dating. (Should I be offended?) Now he’s got all of my family, as well as lots of our friends, calling me Sumo. I think Aunt Sumo sounds pretty great, don’t you? I live in Utah with my husband, and our two beautiful daughters – Reece & Remi!

 

 
Growing up, I never used to be all that domestic or crafty, so I think no one is more surprised than my mom at how I’ve ended up where I am today! I started Sumo’s Sweet Stuff last May as a place to keep some of my crafting projects so that my personal blog wasn’t overrun with them. Somehow, that developed into a place to host giveaways, share tutorials, share recipes, and feature fellow bloggers’ ideas and blogs! I also use my blog to promote my etsy shop, so if you’re ever in the market for some baby girl accessories, come on over! Every Monday is Market Yourself Monday, where you can link up your latest projects, and visit other blogs to get some inspiration!
Sumo Sweet Stuff

 



Today I’m going to be sharing a tutorial with you for how to embellish your kids’ Halloween shirts with bat wings!
 
After my daughter Remi was born this past March, I made her a butterfly wing onesie.


I thought it would be fun to put a Halloween spin on that idea: bat wings!

Last year I purchased Halloween shirts from Target during the post-Halloween clearance sale for super cheap. I had thought about getting them new shirts to put the bat wings on, but then I figured their Halloween shirts would actually be perfect!

What you need:

– shirt/onesie
– fabric
– heat and bond (if you are putting wings flat on the shirt)
– interfacing (if you are putting wings that hang off the shirt)
– wing template (I looked at some pictures online and free handed mine)
– iron
– sewing machine/accessories


We’ll start off with Reece’s shirt. I wanted her wings to hang off of her shirt since she is mobile and can (obviously) sit, stand, and walk on her own (unlike the little Remster.)

Start off by tracing your template on the interfacing. You’re going to need two.



Next you’ll want to trace your template on your fabric. You’re going to need four wings total since you’ll be having a front and back. I cut a bit outside of the template so that my interfacing would fit in between the layers easily.



Take your interfacing and iron it on to two of your wings.


Next you’ll want to sew the top layer of your wings on to your interfaced wings.



After that, iron down small folds on your wings. This is where you’re going to sew the wings on to the shirt.


Take your shirt and measure the width. Place a pin where the middle of the shirt is. This is where you’ll sew your wings.


Pin your wings on to the shirt.


Sew the wings on to the shirt and you’ve got your little bat ready to go!





I did a different option for Remi. I just wanted her wings to be flat on her onesie.

You’ll want to iron on some heat and bond to a piece of your fabric. (I didn’t take a picture of this step for some reason!)

Trace your wing template on to your paper side of the heat and bond and cut out your wings.


Take your tape measure and find the middle of your onesie.


Take the paper backing off of your wings and place them on the onesie where you want them to go.



Iron them on.


Sew around the edges.


And your other little bat is ready to go!

 
Cute, fun, unique Halloween shirts!


And even cuter when on your sweet little ones!

 



If you have a little guy, a fun way to do the wings would be to have them extend from under his arm to his side (does that make sense?) Maybe that would seem more boy-ish.
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Enjoy turning your little ones into bats!
Come visit me at Sumo’s Sweet Stuff anytime for more tutorials, recipes, and ideas!

 

Thank you Summer!  I love this bat shirt — I think it’s equal parts hilarious and adorable.  I will be making one for my own little guy for Halloween for sure — I just hope it’s as cute as hers.  We’ll see, huh? 



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