My New Toy and What I've Been Making With It

I have been having so much fun with the Christmas gift my Hubs gave me! He's really something when it comes to buying gifts. I never know what I want for Christmas or my birthday so he's pretty much always on his own trying to come up with something for me. He, on the other hand, is very precise about what he wants and reads every.single.review. known to man before making his final decision on any purchase. But that's a good trait to have. I do not have that trait. He learned that lesson several years ago when he asked for a good leather toolbelt for Christmas. {Carpentry is one of his hobbies.} We had looked at many from local places, etc. but being the cheap frugal person I am, I found him a leather toolbelt online - and it came with lots of 'tools'. Needless to say, it wasn't anything like he had dreamed of, or shown me or hinted about. The tools {which he is also very picky about} were junk and the toolbelt, albeit not very pretty, is still working out very well. Now every Christmas, he sends me an email with links to the EXACT items he wants and we always get a good laugh out of the Toolbelt Christmas.

All that to say, I didn't know what I wanted for Christmas. I had no idea what to ask for. So, on his own, he decided to surprise me with a Silhouette Portrait. I'm sure by now you've heard all about them, but I am still learning about all the awesome features this incredible machine has! I'm giddy to try them all out and can't wait to show you some of the projects I've done.

I snuck this monogrammed shirt into this post the other day. I used my Portrait to do all the tedious cutting for me. Piece.of.cake, I tell you!

Hubs knows WAY more about this machine than I do already. He watched many YouTube video tutorials on it and read pretty much every review on this machine before purchasing it. He cracks me up, but no one can ever accuse him of not being thorough! When he bought my machine, it was during a promotion so I got a lot of extras with it, like this gorgeous red cover {my favorite color!}. There are so many tools you can use with this machine. I love that it hooks right up to my computer and I can use any image for downloading and I don't need to buy a million cartridges for it. It takes up very little space, but you better make room for all the fun projects you're going to be making with this thing!

Really, the whole creative world is at my fingertips and I can't wait to explore it!

Do you have one of these? What awesome projects have you made with it? What YouTube video tutorials would you recommend?

Wishlist Ornament {DIY}

Christmas is a time where tradition comes alive. Memories are made, family recipes are shared and many cultures celebrate Christmas in their own, special ways. When I was in elementary school, I remember learning about how Christmas was celebrated in different countries and it was so interesting to me. I tell my girls about Christmases over my lifetime that are very special to me - like the Christmas I got a Popeye gumball machine. I just LOVED that thing. I also remember making ornaments in my classes at school or church and it was always fun for me. So, when I saw these clear Christmas ornaments at Hobby Lobby {50% off}, I knew it was time to make ornaments with my girls. I wanted to help them make something useful that would leave us with fun memories for years to come. So, I gathered my supplies and we made Christmas wishlist ornaments.

First, I cut small pieces of paper to write our lists on. Then, the girls wrote in their own handwriting their lists. {I helped the youngest.} Be sure to write the year and child's name on the top of the list so you can remember for years to come!
Next, I shredded a small rectangle of scrapbook paper in the color of their choice to make filler for our ornaments.
Finally, we took the tops off, added our filler and strategically placed our lists in the middle. Just add ribbon of your choice to the top hook and you're done!
I'm linking up with some of these parties.
If you didn't see my post yesterday about making money while shopping online....GO HERE!

30 Minute Ruffle Skirt {Tutorial}

If you know how to sew a straight line, you are going to love this skirt! It literally takes only three straight lines of sewing to make this skirt. In fact, you probably do more cutting and folding than you do sewing - and the best part? You don't have to hem this!! I'm not a big fan of hemming. I don't know why really. It's not that hard. But this fabric doesn't ravel or fray. You're going to love it!

Materials:
I bought my ruffle fabric at Hobby Lobby for 10.99/yd {Use the 40% off coupon and it's a GREAT deal!}. I only needed 1 yard. Then, I bought poly-satin in silver for 2.99/yd. Used 1/6 of a yard for this skirt. And I already had some elastic on hand.

*Measure the waist that will be wearing this skirt. Then, take that measurement and add 4-5 inches. We will be using elastic for the waist, so that extra 4-5 inches will be good for gathering.
*Measure the length you want and carefully cut your fabric to meet your requirements. {See pic below for a great tip.}

*Now it's time to sew your seam. {I put mine in the back of the skirt.} Place right sides together and sew your seam from top to bottom. I use a 1/2 inch seam. Remember this fabric is stretchy, so slow and steady is best. {See pic below.}

*Now, for the waistband. Take your coordinating fabric {I chose poly-satin} and cut the length the size of your subject's waist + a couple inches gathering and finishing. For a 1.5 inch wide waistband, you'll want to cut a 6" wide piece {We'll be folding this waistband over twice to get our finished width.}

*Fold in half, iron. Then, fold again and iron. {Just like making a bias tape.}

*You can sew a straight seam down that opening, if you wish, but I left mine open.

....And the finished result!

The best part?? I got three skirts out of this 1 yard of ruffled fabric for my three girls who are 8, 6 and almost 4. Better than thrift store prices and it's brand new!

I'm linking this post up to this party:

Warm Fuzzy Welcome!

Welcome to Life is Sew Daily! This is my latest blog {it seems that blogging is my hobby} and I hope you'll enjoy what you see here and come back to visit often. I plan to post tutorials, great resources, linky parties to show your latest projects and perhaps a few giveaways every now and then!

I've been in a sewing mood of late and thought that I'd start blogging about my projects. I have a lot of projects going right now. You can see some of them here where I sell them in my etsy shop. You can also see some of my other 'projects' here where I bake allergy-free for one of my daughters.

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!