The Lovely Poppy

everyone loves a good zipper tutorial

May 13, 2013 By Nicole

three years ago, i decided to teach myself how to sew. i knew the basics because my mom just happened to be my family and consumer education teacher in middle school, but i wanted to be able to sew more than just straight lines. i found that videos were the easiest for me to learn from. if you google sewing videos, you will come across a lot of poor quality, three hour long videos on things that you likely have no interest in learning.

Craftsy is a new (an awesome) online community that has a great selection of video tutorials, forums, and a really great discount shop. i’ve bought many yards of fabric from them- most of them at least 30% off. one of my favorite parts about Craftsy is their iPhone app. i love plugging in my audio when i’m driving home from work and have time to learn new techniques. they have sewing, cooking, crochet, knitting, and other informational classes- for really great prices. i was a little hesitant to purchase their classes at first, so i tried one of their free ones and was hooked.

have you always wanted to learn how to sew in a zipper? i whipped up this pouch over the weekend, using their FREE zipper sewing class as a refresher. i even learned a few new tricks and techniques myself!

the dresden design is not part of the tutorial, however i certainly am loving the addition!

i purchase most of my zippers from zip it! love that they are from my husband’s hometown.

the final pouch size ended up being the perfect size to throw into my diaper bag and still carry all of my essentials.

let me know what you think and remember.. it’s FREE

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succulent [[l.o.v.e.]]

April 28, 2013 By Nicole

now that spring has arrived i’ve been excited to work my green thumb (ha?!?). i really do not know anything about plants, other than they need water. i don’t like anything that is high maintenance and have recently fell in love with succulents. they come in so many different types and their shapes are adorable. i’ve found a few at walmart, but wanted a better variety so i went online and ordered from etsy.com.

i came across this wonderful shop and my order came 24 hours later- i’m still wondering how they got here so quick, but certainly not complaining. the price was reasonable and for traveling across the county, they arrived in great shape. i’m still searching for a place to put them, but for now a casserole dish will do! possibly an old wood soda crate or maybe some vintage kitchenware. oh the choices!

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baby leggings// chevron

April 15, 2013 By Nicole

have i mentioned that nolan is off the charts for his length? both b and i are well over 6 feet tall, so it’s not a surprise BUT finding pants long enough for him is not an easy task. i’ve been on the hunt for some good jersey knit fabric and came across this green chevron. i couldn’t wait for the weekend to roll around, so that i could get to my serger and whip these up. i’m pretty happy with the results and photographing baby legs (and that cute baby tummy) was so much fun.

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behind the lens

April 12, 2013 By Nicole

a few weeks ago i was able to go to a dslr photography workshop. the workshop was great and i was surrounded with a bunch of other wonderful moms. i’ve had my dslr (camera) for a few years now, but never really knew how to use all of it’s settings. after taking the workshop i applied what i learned and have to say- i’m pretty happy with the results. i’m continuing to try to practice in different lighting and backgrounds, but my subject will mainly be this little stud and his sister.

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dear bailey// big sister

April 3, 2013 By Nicole

dear bailey,

you’re a big sister now. it’s hard adjusting to not being top dog in the house and having to share attention with your little brother. you love nolan, but don’t always show it. now that he is starting to move and coo more you have become slightly more interested. nolan watches your every move and laughs sometimes when you are goofy.

it’s starting to warm up here in wisconsin, which means people and your fellow dogs are out walking. you’ve held it together well and have been better at not barking so much. we can’t wait for your relationship with nolan to continue to develop. i think he’s going to love you as much as your parents. you’re favorite time of day is bedtime, when you get mom and dad to yourself in bed.

thanks for being such a good model for mom to practice her photography homework on. you certainly have learned to sit still when that little black rectangle is pointed towards you. it wont be long until the 500+ photos on mom’s iphone are surpassed with pictures of nolan (currently around 400).

until next time,

your owners

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onesie refashion

March 22, 2013 By Nicole

a few weeks ago i bought nolan some new onesies. after taking them out of the wash, i realized they both had tiny little holes in them. instead of heading back out to the store to return them, i decided to add some of my favorite fabrics to them. i appliquéd a little pup to one and a tie to the other. i love how they turned out, however i would recommend returning them if they have holes. they lasted a few times in the wash, but the holes eventually got bigger. thankfully nolan grew out of them quicker than the holes grew, so it wasn’t a problem!

i’m keeping my eyes on onesies that have refashion potential. so far, the onesies at target and carters brand seem to have the best options. thinking of some sailboats, beach balls, and frogs for summer!

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life lately

March 18, 2013 By Nicole

i’ve successfully transitioned back to work and things have been going great. both nolan and i have adjusted well (daddy too!). i work monday, wednesday, and thursday at the office and tuesday and friday from home. i was a little anxious about how i was going to handle three longer days away from nolan and balance two shorter days working at home with a little one, but everything has went so smooth. nolan plays next to me as i work and has been such a good baby. i’m still getting used to working full time on less sleep, but i’m functioning better than i thought.

nolan turned three months yesterday and i’m loving how alert and interactive he is. his nickname at daycare is “smiley” and almost always has a smile on his face. when i’m working at home, i often look over at him and he is staring at me with a big grin- SO CUTE! i’m savoring every minute while he’s this little, but also looking forward to him getting a little bigger so that we can take him out more. i already have a BIG list of things i want to do with him (swimming, parks, festivals, fairs, etc).

i’ve been trying to do a few more things for me and have encouraged b to do the same. this weekend i’m taking a photography class and b is going to spend time in milwaukee with a friend. we’re trying to get over feeling guilty about leaving him with one another, while doing something for ourselves, which has been harder than i anticipated. i’ve been good about taking time at night to create in the studio and have some pictures to share this week.

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quilted chambray tote

March 5, 2013 By Nicole

before nolan was born, everyone said the best advice they received was to sleep when the baby was sleeping. well.. i returned to work yesterday and after a wonderful 11 weeks off, i can honestly say i very rarely napped. instead you could find me behind my sewing machine, happily humming away. i completed a variety of different totes and quite a few wristlets. all of them except the one above and this one have new homes. a few were made with patterns and a few i made up as i went. i now know how to sew in zippers, use rivets for leather straps and install magnetic snaps- woohoo! it’s the little things (especially related to sewing) that make me happy!

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sewing with leather: what i learned

February 27, 2013 By Nicole

i recently decided to take the plunge and try sewing with leather. let me tell you- it’s completely different from sewing with cotton and a lot trickier (in my opinion).

here’s what i learned:

needle size: orginally i tried sewing through the leather with my regular needle, however i quickly realized after snapping a few needles that i needed to use a heavy duty needle. the 0/18 needle worked perfectly for sewing through two layers of leather.

tension: i had a difficult time getting stitches to stay, until i switched the tension to -2. i’d recommend lowering tension to the lowest level on your machine. if your stitches are not staying, it’s likely due to your tension setting.

pinning: don’t pin your leather together, instead use some sort of clip. i used snap hair clips, but you can really use anything that doesn’t puncture the leather.

marking/cutting: mark your cut lines on the inside of the leather. i used a regular marker and it did not show through.

ironing: i did not want to iron leather, i pulled and tugged until the shape was straight. if you do decide to iron leather, make sure to iron it inside out.

i purchased my leather off of ebay, from a furniture store who had some larger remnants available. i wasn’t going to spend 60+ dollars on something i wasn’t sure of how to use. once i’m more comfortable with how to work leather with my machine, i will likely buy a larger amount.

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huge TOMS sale

February 20, 2013 By Nicole

one of my favorite websites is having a huge sale on TOMS. if you love TOMS as much as me, you know they rarely go on sale. i couldn’t pass up such a good deal and ended up getting three pairs for nolan. so cute and tempted to go back and get more for when he is older. they also have a good selection of men’s and women’s. check out the deals here, happy shopping!