Peasant Blouse

peasant-blouse.jpg

Since we are planning to put our children to work in the field and feed them only potatoes, I decided to make some peasant blouses.

Here’s the first one with a Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabric (appears that this particular pattern is no longer available there), which is a nice thin weight perfect for this project.  I looked at this tutorial, but cut the pattern based on a shirt we already had.  The shapes of the sleeves were a little tricky for me to envision as they become part of the elasticized neck, so are not traditional sleeve shape.  But it was an incredibly simple thing to make.  I think it turned out well and I already have the fabric cut for the second one.  This style could also make a simple dress.

Mosaic Bird House

bird-house.jpg

I love my children’s artwork, so I was thrilled that my five-year-old came home from summer camp with this mosaic bird house. I worked with her on the grouting and looks like we need to do some more cleaning, but it is a treasure! Great summer activity. Don’t throw away those broken dishes; save them for a project.

Etsy Finds Friday

etsy-6-27.jpg

Glow Bowls, strand of 5, $65 from Diana Fayt.

Ginkgo Leaves Shoulderbag, $54 from Black Bags.

Old Fashioned Girl’s Dress, size 4, $39 from Like My Dress.

Wild Bouquet, 8″ x 10″ limited edition print, $20 from Ola Design.

Zukzuk Peacocks Orange, 8 1/2″ x 11″ print, $20 from zukzuk.

Little Amigurumi Hedgehog Pattern, downloadable .pdf file, $2.50 from purl.etsy.com.

Girl’s Orange Fruit Stripe Dress with Vintage Fabric, $35 from Bread and Roses.

Mint Valley Lip Balm, $3 from Dress Green.

Large Lampshade made from vintage wallpaper, $295 from When in Doubt, Draw Flowers.

Mermaid Dolls & Soap Supplies

mermaid-dolls.jpg

I used this ingenious idea from Angry Chicken to make mermaid tails for a couple of the girls’ dolls. After taking these photos I realized that yes, mermaids are weird and dolls in general are just kind of creepy (note zombie-like stare of doll pictured on the right).

But there was much excitement in the house about these. I showed my kids the photo from Angry Chicken and they were thrilled because they had one of the same dolls. I didn’t quite follow the instructions, opting for a lazier one-piece version with polyfill stuffing in the tail. I think the two large seashells on that one doll might be a bit much! Better than Barbie, I guess. I think little slip-on fairy wings would be another cute project for the dolls when the girls get tired of mermaids.

soap-supplies.jpg

On another note, I just received these soap-making supplies from Brambleberry. I can’t wait to mix up some stuff and see what happens. The scents smell heavenly and I love the molds.

Raspberry Salad

cimg6255.jpg

It seems to annoy my husband when I take a picture of our dinner.  “Why, this salad that I made looks so delicious, I must take a picture!”.  How could that be annoying?  So I like to share my yummy salad.  Romaine salad with oranges, toasted almonds and fresh raspberry vinaigrette.  Simple, sweet and full of summer freshness.  Made from this cookbook.