Camo Womens Halter Into Girls Skirt Tutorial

I started with this brand new camo sequin halter top with a metal loop neck. Not something I would wear, but I LOVED the fabric and it was free (hand-me-downs) and you gotta' love free! So, I refashioned it into a skirt- my daughter wanted a dress, but this was easier, so "You get what you get and you don't get upset!" This was my first time doing something like this and I blame all of those cute, crafty blogs for inspiring me.

First, I cut the top off so that it was straight across. I had tried it on her first to make sure that it would fit her as a skirt.

Then, I trimmed up the sides a little at the top so that they would turn in like a skirt shape and not flare back out like a pear-shaped woman. Then I sewed them up.

The skirt would have been too short, so I added a strip of black knit as a yoke along the top- it was also free material! YAY! I measured the top of the camo and cut the black knit the same length by about five inches high and sewed it in a tube.

Then I pinned the camo and black knit pieces right sides together with the knit inside the camo.
Here it is, right-side out.

I top stitched it along the bottom edge of the black knit because I thought I should, but honestly, I think it was better without. I haven't really worked with knit before and I don't think it is really a top-stitch-friendly fabric.

Then, I found some wide elastic and sewed a casing along the top by turning it down an inch and sewing. I stuffed the elastic in there, sewed the elastic ends together, and stitched the rest of the casing closed.

So, TA DA! That was it! It took me less than a half hour and I think it is pretty cute! I think we will wear some leggings underneath- boots would be really cute- and a black shirt. If I feel extra ambitious, I might use the leftover camo from the top of the halter to applique a shirt to match, but so far the total cost was free and I am liking that. Originally I wanted to add a black ruffle to the bottom, but this sequin spandexy stuff is so light and drapes nicely, so I didn't want to weigh it down. Plus, the hem was already done for me! I think this is doable with any shirt, really, and I think I will probably tackle more projects like this in the future.

Hope you like it! If I am unclear on anything in my directions, just let me know!

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Zucchini Alfredo

I have had some requests for this recipe, so I made it AGAIN and took a picture this time. Then, we ripped out the zucchini plants. Most of them were going to feed the pigs anyway, and they were not that good anymore, either- kinda tough. I did have some more recipes to try out, but they will have to wait for next year. So.... last one!

Zucchini Alfredo4 cups young, tender zucchini- cut into thin slices or - if you are ambitious- noodles
Salt water
¼ cup butter
8 oz. package cream cheese
¾ cup milk
½ cup shredded parmesan
Garlic salt

Slice zucchini and soak in salt water for one hour. Drain. Saute in butter until zucchini is limp, but not too long so that it turns to mush (I have done this a few times). Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat cream cheese and milk, stirring until smooth. Add garlic salt to taste and stir in parmesan- it will be really creamy! Drain zucchini and coat with sauce.

Now, I need to look for eggplant recipes! We have 27 eggplant plants because my husband discovered his great love of eggplant last year and got a little carried away planting!

Perfect stripes!!!

For my sister's baby shower gift, I made her a bag in the same style as I made my other sister and myself- it is an Amy Butler Birdie Sling. As before, I filled it with lots of great books for baby. Of course, because I was busy making a periodic table, I didn't finish it in time and it actually had to be delivered to the hospital this week! :) I called her when I finished it and told her she could have her baby now. Well, the next day she went into labor! Yes, the bag is that good! LOL! One reason it really is a great bag is that COMPLETELY WITHOUT TRYING, I matched up the stripes PERFECTLY!!! Just so you can see how big this thing is, here is me holding it and taking pics in the middle of the night waiting for baby news from the delivery room!Well, my new little niece, Naomi finally arrived, missing the cool birthdate of 8-9-10 by just 5 minutes. :( Anyway, she is precious and I think the new Mommy will get lots of use out of this bag!

Thank you again to a friend who made these bags possible! :) Miss you!!!

Chemistry Baby Shower

You are all going to think that I have the craziest family ever. Well, I do. And I am one of them!

For my sister's baby shower, we couldn't do any boring old baby shower. No, Siree! We had a CHEMISTRY theme!!! Pregnant Lainey walked in with her eyes closed and wearing a forced upon tiara expecting a "princess" theme. I then draped a lab coat on her shoulders and handed her safety glasses!

Blending baby and Chemistry was a challenge, indeed. For the decor, we went with bright colors! Lime green and yellow tablecloths with transparent plastic ware in neon pink and transparent orange cups. The plates had lime green on them and each one had a little paper triangle on it that said "Lainey and Jon's Biggest Experiment Ever!"- which was our theme. The favors were transparent neon colored test tubes filled with candy! Each guest also had a cup of brightly colored jello as an appetizer! We got clear blue plates for the centerpieces and put these squishy things on that just said "amoeba" to us (She is a biochemistry major, so there was some Biology overlap, too.) We put leftover m&m's and skittles from the favors and some sour gummy worms sprinkled on the plates and scattered down the tables for some munchies.

Sadly, I do not have pictures of our food buffet. It was a brunch and we found serving trays that looked like giant petri dishes with a hint of color on the bottoms. Our menu included quiche, mini-donuts, little sausages, and french toast sticks. We served Orange Julius as our main beverage. YUMMY!!!

I also do not have a picture of our banner, which read, "IT'S A FEMALE HOMO SAPIEN!"

My aunt made the cutest cake!

Our BIGGEST project was the NMR- instead of a diaper cake, we had a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer made of diapers!

My other sister Loni did such an awesome job on this! Here is another shot of the NMR and the belly so you can see how big it is- the NMR I mean! :)

We also decorated with an atom made from hula hoops and balloons. We made bunches of pink and white balloons tied together like molecules.

“Squiggly” balloons in bright colors and pink crepe paper were hung all over. And some Chemistry pictures and equations and molecule line drawings with bright paper added to the fun. I also made a pink and green paper bunting to drape across her crib.
How do you play Chemistry games at a baby shower? Loni got so creative on this! We had people flip a coin to determine which traits the baby would have and draw them all together in a picture of what the baby will look like. We also played a “forensic questions” game where Lainey left the room and people had to answer questions about what she was wearing, things that she said, and more. And I made a gigantic Periodic Table with some elements missing and the last question was "How many elements will Lainey correctly place in the table?" The missing elements were tied into the baby aspect by being attached to signs that said, for example "Highchair" with the H being the hydrogen square.

All in all, it was a really awesome shower!!! Definitely an original!