Dolce and Gabanna for Babies?!?!

Here is a disturbing new design from Dolce and Gabbana's new Fall READY TO WEAR line.  This means that they think this fashion will actually be worn in it's current design.  It is not some run-way only design.  WHAT?!?!?!  I once accidently wore my baby doll nightie bottoms to school under my clothes and I was MORTIFIED by the thought that someone might find out.  This takes those nightmares of showing up at school in your pajamas to a whole other level!!!

Enjoy!

I just want to say that I LOVE the top, absolutely FABULOUS!  but the "bottom" leaves a LOT to be desired, literally.

Decorate your Flowers

Daughter #1 is a creative soul.  She came up with ANOTHER great idea that will save you money, perk up your tired table, showcase your flowers, dress up your vases, recycle, and generally make you feel better.  How's that for a spectacular idea?!?!


See these flowers, they are so hum drum and lacking, same old tulips, same old vase and throw away paper packaging. Does this look like the last bunch of flowers you received?


Along with your pretty flowers, you probably got some very pretty tissue paper/plastic paper that they were delivered in, like this.





The great idea Daughter #1 had was to use the paper and ribbon from the flowers to dress up the vase.    A plain vase is sweet and pretty, but some flowers are not gorgeous in the vase and some vases are HO-HUM and sometimes you are just sick of the vase you have.  This project delivers on solving any of these problems and all the things mentioned above.  :)

1.  Wrap paper around vase loosely and see how tall it is and how much you need to fold up.  I found I needed to fold approximately 1/3rd of the paper.

2.  Fold the excess to the inside at the bottom of the vase (not under the vase).  This will allow you to customize the height of the paper decor at the top of the vase and adjust for the height of the flowers.  If you fold the excess paper inside, it will look fuller and you can use it as a whole piece for something later, instead of cutting it up.




3.  Once you have the paper at the height you want it at the top of the vase, tie a ribbon around the vase at the narrow part to hold the paper on the vase and then adjust the paper so that the bottom of the vase is covered. (unlike when we forgot the check and had to take the picture 3 times to finally get it right).


4.  You can also artfully fold the paper to give it more character after you get the hang of this basic idea.  Folding back the top corners where they overlap to make an opening like a shirt collar is very cute.  You could even make a "tie" for this design to make a masculine bouquet cover.

 5.  A nice balloon tied on the bouquet in the back steps up the bling another notch.  See? V  My flowers are SOOO much prettier now, than they were sitting on the table in the clear vase.



I hope you enjoy this and try it next time you have a nice bouquet of flowers that can use some "dressing up".  :)

P.S.  Husbands, you will get EXTRA brownie points if you use this technique to spruce up those lovely grocery store flowers you are going to bring home for the wife!  (you are bringing her flowers, right?!?)

I want a Kindle Paperwhite!!!  Money Saving Mom is giving one away!

She just published a wonderful book about keeping the holidays simple this year which of course also keeps down the costs.  You are a winner, if you buy the book, even if you do not win the paperwhite.

ME~

Flouncy T-shirt scarf

I found some tutorials online for the flouncy T-shirt scarf and I HAD to try it. Here is a link to my favorite tutorials and a picture of Daughter #1 wearing the one I made.   What I love about it is if I have a Tshirt that ends up with a stain on it in an obvious place that makes it unwearable, I can STILL use it for this craft.  Since you are cutting out circles, you just work around it.  It does not get any simpler.  Please check out the following.

The first tutorial I found.

GREAT how-to pics

The scarf is just the right size for me (plus size model) but not so great on a littler person.  If this was for her I would adjust to make the scarf shorter.  Cut wider spirals if you want it shorter and narrower spirals if you want it longer.

One thing I did that was a little different, was to wrap the middle/knotted area with embroidery floss. It makes a nice little colorful area that I can use as a feature of the scarf or It hides in the back. Either way, it is nicer than lumpy knots!

Enjoy making these, it is SOOO simple.

Shared at: Frugal Days Blog Hop 

Writing Help for young writers

Check out these CUTE Writing Offices. It helps new writers to have a reference place to access commonly used words so that they don't have to ask over and over again. These were designed by a teacher for her students but I thought Home School moms might be excited by these as well. She has them for K-beginner, K-Advanced, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade. I don't have a picture, but trust me, you will like them. :) Click the link above and it will take you directly to the Writing Offices. They fit in a pencil box!

New Skirt, #379

A new skirt, #379. Not really, I am just making a LOT of skirts for little girl #2 this summer. She likes them and they are SOOOO easy. I upcycled a COOL skateboard printed T-shirt. I am amazed how EASY it is to use polos and t-shirts to make skirts for little girls. FUN

This was a nice HEAVY knit T-shirt/polo cross. It had a collar but the knit was not really polo shirt-type knit. I am sure some of you know what I mean. :) So, I cut off the Tshirt under the arms. I folded over the top edge to make a casing for the elastic but this time, I folded it to the front. I stitched it down with a decorative leafy vine stitch (stitch #34 on my inexpensive computer-controlled brother sewing machine)and then stretched the edges to make it ruffled. See detail photo here.

So, Little Girl #2 likes her skirt but not the "hot" porch floor in the sunshine.

We enjoy making these skirts from discarded t's and polos. For our younger family members, they are just the thing to wear over shorts or leggings this summer. I hope you like them.

2012 Home School High School Prom

Home School High School Prom 2012:

There were many young people in attendance at the annual Home School High School Prom on Friday April 13th, 2012. The prom committee consisted of three dedicated moms who wanted their children to have the time of their lives while providing an opportunity for all the home schooled kids in the local communities to experience a special event usually reserved for their public and private school peers.

We are very blessed to have this kind of occasion for our children in the Augusta area. There are homeschooled children all over America who do not have access to an event of this magnitude and I, for one, would like to say thank you to Mrs. Jacqueline Griffin, Mrs. Gail Pendergrast, and Mrs. Christy Bolineau. Without these three wonderful women, we would not have had a Prom these last two years.



If you have not seen pictures yet, I can assure you that our children had a GOOD time. There was food and dancing and door prizes. Each Senior who wished to participate got to walk the red carpet and be recognized for their accomplishments. There was a nice slide show, showcasing the seniors throughout their lives.

The dresses were beautiful and ran the gamut from longer to shorter. I did not see them all but some really stood out. The outdoor-themed dress with tree branches and leaves with hot pink satin trim definitely was memorable. The young lady wearing this dress looked very happy and so did her date. The lovely white dress with black accents was my favorite. It reminded me of Audrey Hepburn for some reason, very elegant.

The dress with fairy wings definitely takes the prize for most unique and the young lady in the hot-pink ball gown absolutely glowed with happiness. I thought that the couple in the kilt and renaissance-inspired garb were very courageous. We really enjoyed their formal dress. There was a lovely blue dress in ombre, which means it transitions from a dark to light color seamlessly and it was breathtaking. There were so many dresses and so many girls. The dresses ran the color palette but it seemed that variations on blue and purple were very popular. Of course the traditional black and white combo is always a classy choice.

The young men were equally charming in their tuxes, suits, and kilts, with the Kilt winning the prize for most unique. The top-hat and cane were lovely accessories for one young man and the blue and gold vest on another fellow was quite a bold choice. The guys usually go for their color in smaller doses with ties and handkerchiefs or vests, but one hot pink shirt, which matched his date’s dress, was another bold idea. The grey suit and pink shirt went together very well.

The location this year, First Baptist Church of Augusta, was a WONDERFUL choice. With such an extensive campus they were able to provide a first rate venue for this happening which made it even more enjoyable.

The work that goes into making this prom happen means that some wonderful people are sacrificing their every spare moment to get this done each year. I am always amazed at how these very busy women find the time and energy to plan and execute this exciting occasion for our teens. If you see one of the moms listed above, please take the opportunity to thank her for her hard work and dedication. They deserve it.