I Made A Dress... Sorta

Hey everyone, remember when I mentioned all the new projects I've been working on? Well today, I'm going to share my favourite. A new dress!... Sorta.

I found a bunch of awesome green knit fabric at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago. It's soft and light, perfect for a new spring/summer dress.

The dress has a circle skirt, and a tank top. 

It also has a lovely braided waistband...

...and neckline. But that's not all...

Surprise! They're actually separates! I love pairing the top with some jeans. I have yet to wear the skirt with a different top, but that will definitely change as the weather warms up. 

Oh, and one of my favourite parts! I used vintage buttons my grandmother gave me to close up the skirt in the back. I love that they don't match. As for button loops, I used embroidery floss and made chinese stair cases. There is also a hook and eye fastener inside the skirt for extra strength. 

If you would like the pattern, it will be up in my Etsy shop in the next week or so!

Happy Crafting!

Two-Tone Socks!

Hey everyone! I've been super busy making things lately that I haven't even had time to share! Since my last post I've made: A new tshirt, a tank top and skirt set, installed secret pockets into a client's pants, and continued to work on another client's jumpsuit. Oh, and I also made these super cute and comfy socks!

These have a longer cuff than the last ones, and also fit much closer to the foot thanks to the super short gusset. 

I love socks with different coloured heels/toes, but I still wanted to keep with a neutral theme- Black and  white works so well for this!

I'm also considering making a white/black combo (the inverse of these), what do you think?

If you look closely you can see that the black yarn has tiny little sparkles in it. It's quite lovely in person. 

If you'd like to make a pair, I've put up the pattern on Etsy for just $3!

Or, if you don't knit, you can also order a pair from me and I will custom make them for your feet!

Happy Crafting!

I Made A Tank Top

Tank top- DIY. Jeans, David Khan (thrifted). Cardigan, Old Navy. Sock, hand knitted. 

The other day I was out thrifting and found tons of gorgeous cheap fabric! 

 Soft, green jersey. 4 yards! Original price: 2.99, 50% discount- paid 1.49!

 Soft cotton blend knit. About 1 yard. Paid 99 cents! 

(Vintage?) Cotton with cute floral design. About 2 yards. Originally 99cents, 50% discount- paid 49cents!

The first thing I made from my new fabric was a cute tank top with a peter pan collar. 

To make it: 

Step 1: Trace an existing tank top in a similar style to the one you want to make, onto paper. Leave 1/4" extra around for seam allowances. 

Step 2: Cut out pattern and pin to fabric. Cut out fabric (making sure to flip either the fabric or the pattern when you are cutting out the back piece. 

Step 3: Sew the side seams together (right side facing in, of course.) Then hem all the edges except for the collar. 

Step 4: Follow this awesome peter pan collar tutorial that I found: http://transientexpression.com/tutorial-tuesday-peter-pan-collar/

Step 5: Wear your new cute tank top! 

While I don't have anymore of this fabric, I would definitely love to do any custom orders for similar tops. Just request a custom order from my Etsy shop! 

Happy Crafting!

Ultimate Blog Party 2013!

Welcome newcomers!

Hello, my name is Jamie-Lee and I blog about Crafts, Recipes, Gardening, and more!
I try to post at least twice weekly.



Some other things you should know about me:
-I'm 21
-I'm married
-I have two adorable little pups
-I run an Etsy shop
-I trained professionally as a pastry chef
-I like to knit, sew, cook, bake, organize, garden, and otherwise make things
-I truly believe in living a handmade life- trying to make all you use by hand!

If you'd like, you can follow me on Facebook.

Thanks for checking out my blog! I hope you come back soon!

If you also have a blog, you can leave a link to it in the comments- I love discovering new blogs! :)

Why Do Women Keep Judging Each Other?

This is going to be a different type of post than I usually put on my blog, but I have something that I feel is important to say. And, I think it's so important that I'm going to write it in all caps:


WOMEN NEED TO STOP JUDGING EACH OTHER SO HARSHLY!

It's true, we do. Think about it, every day we are judged- and judge others- by what they wear, who they date, their size, etc. That's obvious, we keep hearing about that in the media. But what bothers me even more, is that we are taking away our own rights to choose how we shall live our lives- and whether or not we choose to have a career.

Twice today I read in two separate posts (on a women's forum) women bashing on other women for choosing to get married young, choosing to be a stay at home mom. Why?! We should each be able to choose what is right for us. I feel like by choosing to be a housewife, many women feel as if just by making a choice for ourselves we are passing judgement on those who choose different. As if we are saying "if it's good for us, it's good for every woman", or that being a housewife or stay at home mom is a more "right" choice. It's not! And I'm sure most other housewives/sahm's would agree that we would never want to push a woman into living a life she doesn't want to lead...

Because isn't that what everyone did to women before women's lib? When women HAD to be housewives and moms, regardless of what they wanted to do? It seems like the inverse is happening now. Wasn't the whole point of the women's liberation movement about a woman's right to CHOOSE a life for herself?

Why is it not okay to want to be a housewife anymore? It doesn't take away your choice to not be one.

I am living the life I want to live. You are living the life YOU want to live. Let's stop judging each other because THAT'S the worst thing we could do for ourselves as women.

A Homemaker's Manual

As a homemaker, vintage lover, and a crafter I love finding old books and magazines about homemaking. It's so fun to read about how everyday tasks were done before modern technology. They often have great ideas about how to mend, clean, and make nearly everything! So when I found this book, I was just so excited I had to share it with you!

Download "A Manual Of Home-making (1919)- Legally Free!

A Manual of Home-making by Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose, with others. (1919)

In this 1808 page masterpiece you will find tips on building, cleaning, organizing and decorating a home; methods of washing, mending, and sewing clothing from scratch; ways to save money on food, how to provide adequate nutrition to your family, and basic cooking methods in all types of cookery- include egg cookery, pastry, family meals and more; ways to preserve food by drying, curing, and canning (and old-school refrigeration techniques involving ice!); and so much more. A really great book to learn essential life skills as well as to learn advanced sewing, cooking, and cleaning techniques. I really recommend it to any homemakers, aspiring homemakers, or people who just want a little help learning how to take their of their homes.

Enjoy!

Homemade Stove Top Mac 'N' Cheese- As Quick As KD!

Ever have a night where you're just too tired to cook anything so you quickly make up a box of Kraft Dinner? And of course, you feel guilty afterwards because you know it has 0 nutrition and the flavour is just sub-par. Well, no longer! This mac 'n' cheese recipe is ready in the same amount of time it takes to cook your elbow macaroni (10 minutes)!

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter

-1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

-2 1/2 cups milk

-1 cup aged cheddar, or mozzarella, grated (do not buy the pre-shredded stuff or it will not melt correctly)

-1/2 cup parmesan

-1 teaspoon yellow mustard

-pepper, nutmeg, salt 

-2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

Start your water for your macaroni, and as you are waiting for that to boil, grate your cheese. 

Throw your macaroni in and add a good pinch of salt. Create your roux in a separate pot.

Melt your butter, and once melted, whisk in your flour until you no longer have lumps. Cook on low for about 2 minutes, whisking often. 

Slowly (no more than 1/4 cup at a time) add your milk, whisking after each addition. 

Once all milk is added, add your mustard, pinch of nutmeg, pepper and salt, to taste. Heat until just starting to boil (first few bubbles).

Add your cheese, remove from heat and stir until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Drain your pasta well and add to the sauce. Stir to coat and serve with broccoli, bacon bits, chicken or on its own!

Enjoy!