DIY Advent Calendar

This one was a doozy! It took me a really long time to figure out what I wanted because I had this idea in my mind but I couldn't find anything that I liked! So this is what I came up with and.... well it took me a lot longer than I thought. But that's probably due to my crazy decision to sewing everything by hand. It probably took me around 5 hours? But hey, it'll last a couple years so it's worth the effort. And it came out really cute! Every time I see it, I can't help but feel proud of myself (: It was super cheap as well, probably around $10, maybe $15. So here's a tutorial in pictures: 

So first, I drew out a kind of sketch and figured out the sizes of the shapes I wanted in it. 

Then I cut out my house and made sure it was semi-symmetrical

And then I cut out a piece that matched the door. 



Next, I cut my house and door pieces out of the felt color of my choice (brown for the house and a beige for the door). 

Next, I cut out a picture for the pocket. I wanted these to be pretty vintage fabrics for some added prettyness. 



So, I gathered a collection of scrap fabrics putting together kind of a theme. 

Then, I cut out the pocket section. 

Next, put all your pieces together. 

We got these heart shaped buttons and those other ones, so now pick out a button to match!



I did this part kind of backwards on the first house. But next, you should add your number. I was going to just buy like stick on numbers but couldn't find any so I just embroidered some on. This was one of the most time consuming parts. If you decide to embroider it, just sew onto the door not the pocket piece or house. 

Next, sew your button on. You can sew this onto the door and pocket piece if you'd like, as long as you don't sew it onto the house. 



Now, sew the door to the pocket piece (not the house!) And then sew the pocket piece onto the house piece! 

Almost done! Last part, cut out some paper pieces to fit in the pockets and add your 25 days of christmas activities! 

The first was Brandon's birthday so this is what I put: 

(:

I did the first one by itself just to see how to do it and then I streamlined the rest of them. I cut out all my house pieces at once, then the door pieces, and then the pocket pieces. Then, I laid out all the pieces and figured out what looked good next to each other and added whatever buttons looked best. Then, I embroidered all the doors, sewed all the buttons on, then the doors, and then sewed all the pocket pieces on. 



And this is what it looks like in my house! I hung up some yarn and clipped them on with mini wooden clothes pins. 






I also bought a few pieces of candy to put in some of them. Oh! And I bought a disposable camera to take pictures of each days activity! When it's over, I plan on getting it developed and make a little scrapbook with the pictures and activity cards. So that will be fun, I'm sooo excited about this Christmas. It'll be the first Christmas where Eliza knows what's going on and the first Christmas in our own place! So to me, it's like our first Christmas as a family (: 
**Tips to make this easier: You can machine sew the pieces on, or use fabric glue? I bet even hot glue will work! Find some kind of numbers instead of embroidering them on (ink? fabric? paper?). And you could also glue the buttons on, since they're just for decor, they don't have to be sewn on. 

Girlish Garb: Rainy Day

I believe I am one behind on these? Ah, well I'll catch up eventually. This last week and a half is the end of our semester and we have been swamped with homework, end of semester papers, and finals to study for! On top of that, it's the holiday season so Brandon has to go to work double time and I.... well I've been majorly slacking in the work area. I wish I had more time to take advantage of the holiday rush but alas, school and my family come first. Hopefully when class is over I can catch a break and do some Etsy/store related things but I'm afraid by then it will be too late. Maybe I'll get ahead for the new year? Anyways, I'm excited about this christmas. We've been having so much fun already, enjoying the weather, each other, making fun crafts, and listening to christmas music! This christmas is definitely going to be a handmade one, I'm trying to spend zero dollars! We'll see how that goes... So anyways, here's an outfit I wore on a rainy day last week. 

Do you see that shadow? Right there to the right of my leg? Who could that be... 





Well looky here! It's Eliza! She snuck up mid-shoot and decided to join in on the picture taking. (: 

Top (new!)- Urban Outfitters Sale Rack for $9.99 (can I get a woop, woop?!)Tank- Target Necklace- Was in the store buuuut I decided it was a keeper Shorts- DIY, from pants Shoes- Thrifted 




How's everyone doing out there? Holding up these last couple of weeks before christmas?! I hope you've been drinking lots of hot cocoa and soaking those ears with some great christmas music! 

Joy: My Life

This joy post is going to be a little different. I want to share a little piece of my past with you guys, my story if you will. I think about this often and this is what led me to be where I am today. Here's a little writing from the heart:
Soo I haven't shared a joy post in a while! I think in the spirit of the holidays (thanksgiving & christmas), I've been feeling particularly grateful! It didn't really effect me on Thanksgiving, although I think I was too busy enjoying my family and seeing old friends to really give it much thought. But a couple days ago, it hit me. I just looked around and thought, "Wow". I love my life. And you will never here me say anything different. I don't regret, because everything happens for a reason and every one of those things has helped me get to where I am today. Yeah, I could have done some things differently, I've made a lot of mistakes and my life isn't really ideal but I love it regardless.
I don't think I've ever shared the story of how Eliza came to be but it was kind of a pivotal time in my life and an important part of me, so here we go, story time! Brandon and I started dating my Junior year in high school. We became inseparable and spent practically every day together. Then senior year rolled around and it was time to start applying to colleges. I didn't really know what I wanted to be or do. I was thinking of going into fashion but was a little apprehensive because of my perception of the "fashion" world. All that high class, designer, mumbo jumbo just doesn't really appeal to me but I did like clothes and making things so that's all I really had going for me. I tried not to think about what would happen at the end of the year when Brandon and I would go off to college. But ultimately, I was going to end our relationship because we would definitely be going in different directions and although I loved him, I thought it would be healthier to just say our goodbyes. So the application process started and the days went by. 
About November, I started to notice some funny changes in my body. I was on birth control but was really bad at remembering to take it everyday and kind of had an irregular period. I ignored it. My boobs all the sudden got really big and I noticed I started feeling funnier than normal. I still kind of ignored it but in the back of my mind was coming to the realization of what might be happening. Then one night, I looked up symptoms of pregnancy and just knew. I avoided Brandon the next day but he came over to my house and cornered me, he knew something was really wrong. I broke down and told him, I was for sure. I remember we cried together for a really long time. We were really young and really scared, this would change everything. When the initial shock was over, we talked about it. We had this idea that we would both get jobs and get our own apartment. College wasn't really part of the plan. 
We managed to keep it a secret for a month and then Brandon spilled the beans to his mother. And then she made us tell my mom who in turn told my dad. They all went through the shock phase but then were all really supportive and ready to step in and be grandparents! Then we told the rest of our immediate family and decided to just keep it quiet until... it was obvious because hello! We didn't need the added drama that goes on in high school. However, the secret eventually got out and all of our friends started finding out. By the time someone actually approached me about it, everyone knew. We were kind of upset at first because of all the gossip going on but we had a really great group of friends. We were involved in theatre and our friends were just all so supportive and loving. I can't even express how grateful I am that even though I had to deal with being pregnant in high school, we had some great people to surround ourselves with and back us up. 
We finished off with a really great, and pretty successful year! Brandon was president of the drama club, I won an award for costuming and even directed a full play-of course, Brandon was the lead ;)! Eliza was due in July so Brandon and I were able to graduate and kind of get everything settled before she came. I was living with my mom then and once school ended, Brandon moved in with me. We had our ups and downs and it might have taken a little longer for Brandon but we were ready to take our place as parents and our relationship was really strong. And then, July 24th 2009 Eliza came! I remember feeling so peaceful, just completely relaxed and content. Parenting came so naturally and everything just seemed to fall into place. 
We lived at my mom's for about a month (so she could help me out adjusting to motherhood) and then eventually moved to my dad's. He lived an hour away in a 4 bedroom house all by himself so it was perfect. He even knocked out a wall in my room to make an add-on for Eliza's own room! He's such a great pappa! I started community college in the fall, directly after she was born (only online though) and brandon started the next semester. Brandon got a job and we were both going to school, on the right track! 
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay at home with Eliza, it was wonderful. I started getting bored though and needed a hobby which is when I found Etsy. I made a few clothing items and listed them but not much luck. I tried a few other random things before I found vintage clothing and just really hit if off with that. It was still kind of slow and I was getting restless with being in the house all the time so I got a job! I worked at a local restaurant and absolutely hated it. By boss was awful and the pay was totally not worth all the effort I put into it. I learned a lot from that experience though but since I had no time for Etsy anymore, I decided to quit to focus full time on my store. I worked and worked and worked at it, improving myself every chance I could. And then I found blogging! This was my outlet to connect with people I had things in common with and just inspired to me to really reach for my goals and work hard to accomplish all the things I want! And I guess the rest is history! We lived at my dad's for about a year and a half before Brandon and I decided we needed our own place. We moved into our own apartment March 2011 and have been living here ever since! I made a studio out of the room that we had lived in at my dad's (thanks dad!). That way, we still see my dad all the time and on his days off, he can watch Eliza when he works! I love having our own apartment, we are just a little happy family (: 
I've always believed that things happen for a reason and I am so grateful to be where I am today. I have an amazing fiance, an amazing, beautiful, intelligent daughter, a roof over my head and a job that I LOVE. What more could I ask for? I know it's not ideal to have a child as a teenager but in a way I feel like it was meant to happen. I truly believe this is where I'm supposed to be and having Eliza at 18 was the best thing that ever happened to me. Before I graduated I had no idea what I wanted to do and was just kind of lost. Then I had Eliza and being a mother just came so naturally. And then I found a passion in something that I love and something I can do for the rest of my life. Of course, it's never been easy. I'm sure you know that from me ranting about being stressed all the time but whatever! Life isn't easy, right? Plus I think you need to struggle a little to learn the valuable things in life and to grow and be successful. The most important thing is to be happy. The last couple of days I've been filled with some much appreciation for myself, my life, and the awesome people around me. I'm working on loving myself more and not being too hard on myself for not being super woman. Also, being more appreciative to Brandon! I'm so glad he's still a part of my life and (hopefully) will be forever. Can you image what it'd be like if we just went off to different colleges?! I'm thankful that he gets up in the middle of the night to go to work and pays our bills. And all the other amazing things he does for us. I'm just really grateful. I love my life and wouldn't have it any other way. 
If you read this far, than thanks! I know it's a lot but I wanted to share. I'm also grateful for you guys and all the wonderful bloggers out there! I've gained so much from this little community and am so glad I found it. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me. Until then, I'm going to be grateful!

DIY Paint Swatch Wall Art

I was inspired by this post on A Beautiful Mess to make some paint swatches art. However, mind did not come out quite as pretty. I do like mine but I got these row ones and when I cut them... well they didn't come out as straight as I wanted so I scratched that and just kind of went with whatever. Anyways, here's how it happened: 

So I got a bunch of swatches in the colors of my choice... Eliza picked a few out too. 

then I cut out all the text. 

See? Not very straight. 

I got an empty frame that I had and took out the back. I was going to cover it but then I got a bit lazy and decided I liked it the way it was. It's kind of like... rustic, right? So I lined them up in two rows but didn't like them just like that. 

So the top row, I cut into triangles

And then the bottom row I cut into mismatched squares. Interpret it however you'd like but I kinda think they look like trees! 

And I kind of planned on taping them down but then opted for the much easier route- a glue stick! 

Glued them down... 

And put it in the frame. 

I like that's it's kind of campy looking. And also colorful and playful. It fits in our living room well. 

So not perfect but I like it regardless. And it was fun to kind of just let go of my expectations, explore a little and go with the flow. I haven't done that in a while. 
In other news! Brandon turned 21 yesterday, wahooo! We had school all day yesterday but we had about an hour of quality time for him to open gifts. I got him a record player (!!!finally!), a thrifted sweater, some shot glasses that I drew different mustaches on, and a "Birthday Recovery Kit" including some aspirin, crackers, bandaids, and coupons for back massages. Then today we attempted to put-put. This basically consisted of, us hurriedly whacking the ball, Eliza runnin in, swiping up all of our balls and either threwing them in the hole or in the bushes. It was a good time. I think I was laughing too much to really care and I'm really suprised we didn't lose any of our balls. Anyways, the 21st birthday celebration starts tonight and it's going to be a late one (: I plan on making some coffee, and then a version of mexican hot chocolate with tequilla. I don't know about you but that sounds freakin' amazing to me. Hope you guys have a good friday! And a good weekend in case I don't make it back before Sunday... or Monday. Tata!

Hanging Hearts Tutorial

This is probably one of the easiest tutorials I will do/have ever done. It does involve a sewing machine though.. 

Yes, again with the maps. First, I cut out a bunch of hearts...

And then stitched them together. The trick here is to make sure you pull out enough string at the top (in the beginning) to tie them to whatever you'd like. And then stitch the first one, pull some slack (however much space you want in between the two) and sew the second. Continue until you're all done. I made three strings of these at all different lengths for some variety. 

And then hang your hearts up! So that was pretty easy, wasn't it?

I don't even know what this metal thing is but I love it! After Ike(?) hit Galveston, we went down there to check it out. We walked along the ocean and I guess there was a gift shop that had blown down because the beaches and jetties were littered with all kinds of rusted and sandy treasures. This was one of the things I found and I'm sure my dad didn't appreciate it but I brought back quite a few lovely items. 


Below are a few funny pictures that I came across and had to share. This was when we shampooed our carpets (because Eliza destroyed them) and we had to cram all of our furniture in our kitchen and bedroom. Yes, that's a couch in my kitchen. And that's me attempting to cook dinner... hahaha. 




Eliza sure enjoyed climbing on/around everything like the little monkey she is. 
Btw, ignore the dishes in our sink.... we did have a couch in our kitchen... that's a pretty legit excuse right??