interview with luv in the mommy hood

hey go check out my interview with shannon from luv in the mommy hood. she asked some fantastic questions and it was fun to get to think up some good answers to them!

thanks shannon for the opportunity to be part of your lovely site for the day, and i hope you start feeling better! ;)

it's your birthday

so you're turning 3.
i can't believe how fast the time has gone.
but sure enough i look at you and there you are.
growing up so dang fast.

some fun facts about you right now:
*you like to sing
*you love anything "sen-sen" (princesses)
*you love the color pink

*you get super excited when you see baby dolls or anything that has to do with taking care of babies.
*you love to push your brother's buttons
*you love bike rides on mom's new bike.
*you love to sew, craft, cook, with mom.
*you love to work hard with dad and the boys.
*you love, love, love, your dog (so much that you are now going to pre-school so the poor thing can get a little bit of a break from your "love")
*you are still super attached to your green "bink" (blankie)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Little Girl
we love you and are so happy to have you as part of our crazy family.

blame it on the salsa sewing

last week i ran into a couple of my friends in our grocery store who were getting the final ingredients to make salsa with the tomatoes that they had grown.
"we have a LOT!" i mentioned they better share their wealth.
then i was on the phone with another friend another day and i asked her "what's the plan for the day?" she answered "I'M MAKING SALSA!"
that's when i got a little mad at myself for not planting salsa making ingredients. i guess there's always next year.
as i walked past my super unorganized fabric shelf (on the list to be organized...sometime this week if i'm motivated if i have time) i noticed my reds, greens, and yellows. mmmmm...those look like salsa.
huh...THOSE LOOK LIKE SALSA!
and hence my own homemade tomato was born.
and then....
i saw my oranges....

well what do you know? tomatoes made a little bigger look really cute as pumpkins.

talk about a slippery slope of events.

yes, before you ask. tutorial in the works, so you all can make your own home made garden fresh harvest.

thank you

zucchini muffins and bread have been baking in my kitchen

thank you all for the recipe's i know i said i wasn't blogging till monday but i had to say "thanks"

and WOW, i was featured on the fabulous TCB. i love her because i never have time to go looking for creative blogs and when i get a little bit of time to check stuff out i go to her blog to see what's been going on in the blog world. TOTALLY honored that i am now part of her list.
so thank you kim!
okay now i'm really not going to post any more till monday i promise.

um? what the...!!!

does anyone need some zucchini?

i think i might have a little extra

you should of heard all the "that's what she said" jokes that were flying all over the place.

edited: lovely miss cheryl has posted a yummy chocolate zucchini bread just because she wanted to help me out!

and thanks to all of you that keep telling me of ways to use them.

***my MOST FAVORITE way is to check for unlocked cars and leave some in the back seat. BAHAHA! ! love that!

edited edited again!: you guys rock out loud with all the recipes! will do a post later on next week with links and recipe's! whoot!

my house needs serious attention.

the first frost hit last night,

so i have all my apples to pick.

i have my hands in so many new projects,

some i can show,

a few i cant.

i need to take a little blogging break.

but i promise to come back monday.

starting something new

i've been blown away with your guy's love of my tutorials and patterns.

seriously, thank you.

i want to start something new here at V and Co. and highlight your finished products using my tutorials (my ones here or on the moda bakeshop or bought at my etsy shop!)

picture from ressica jachel using dress from a skirt tutorial

so many have sent me links, personal emails, and have uploaded to my flicker group of things you've made using my tutorials.
picture by mollyculley using the fabric bracelet tutorial

and i wish i had thought of this before, and made a folder in my email for "pictures and links of products using my tutorials"
picture by micheleknutson using the rag rug tutorial

but alas i did not. and my email inbox is one big huge nasty monster that i try to avoid mainly because it causes me hives with how messy and unorganized it is.

picture by kristinehanson using how to make a pinwheel tutorial


oh don't get me wrong, i've tried...I'VE TRIED to organize it, but you all keep sending me nice little notes (which i love) and wonderful suggestions (which i love) and questions, questions, questions, (which i love, and sometimes can't get to in a nice and timely fashion) and in that mess there are links to and pictures of other lovelies you guys have sent me.



picture by ressica jachel using fabric strawberries tutorial

if i could just figure out how to make more time in the day i could make that email inbox a little less un-organized and i could find all your lovely links and pictures.

picture by cfhouge using bandanna skirt and the perfect flower add on tutorials

so with all that in mind. if in the past you have sent me a link or an email with a picture of your finished product using my tutorial, would you:

A) please consider putting it in my flicker group
or
B) consider sending me another link and picture to your finished product?

i promise to take better care of it this time around.

here's to showing off your stuff using my stuff...or something like that.
ps: thank you for the wonderful etsy success yesterday! can't wait to see your pictures, links, and emails with those patterns in the near future as well!

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go check it out

shown the gathered pillow. pdf file available

please check my shop update

for a limited time buy 3 pdf files get one FREE

thanks and see you there!

you're invited

to my shop update on monday the 21st at 10 am (mountain standard time)

patterns and kits for vintage baby quilt and flags.as well as a few other down loadable tutorials i've been working on

i really hope to see you there
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we have a winner

fall is making itself known in the middle of nowhere. we're waiting for the first frost to pick all our apples. i'm going to pick the crab apples to use as decoration around the house. stay tuned for that!

thank you all for playing.

thank you for having a sense of humor!

some of you even told lani she had nice legs and she was hot and had great eyes!

you know that makes for a happy woman.

but you know what else makes for a happy woman?

all the nice comments you guys left for her here and on her blog about her fabrics and business.

thanks for being such great readers!

okay so we had a few of you enter!

and the random # generator picked # 189

so ANNE D of batiks by the bay you are the lucky gal! you need to contact me with your info so i can give it to lani and then she can get you your winnings! email me at vanessa[dot]christenson[at]gmail[dot]com

sponsored giveaway: the quilt shoppe

SO it's that time of the month again.

no NOT THAT time of the month.

a sponsored giveaway time of the month silly girls!
This giveaway has now been closed!

this month we will be highlighting Lani from the quilt shoppe.

what can i say about lani? other than she's super sweet and nice and since she's become a sponsor and we've been talking, i've gotten to down right just adore her.

the quilt shoppe on the web has been in business for over two years and just recently they opened up the quilt shoppe...on etsy...which i can proudly say i was their very first customer! (she probably doesn't remember that but i remember the little #1 show up when i purchased my yard of fabric!)

she, her hubby, and daughter are the sweat and master minds of the quilt shoppe.

at either site you can find awesome fabric by the yard, pre-cuts, kits, notions, patterns or books, and you can join BOMs.

fun stuff i tell you!

on her etsy site, currently i'm hoping to somehow scrounge up some cash for this beautiful yard of fabric

oh and this one ! this one just makes me swoon. i mean seriously i have 5 bazillion quilts i would want to make with these two fabrics!!!

i could go on and on about the things i want...but lets talk about what you can get for free shall we?

okay!

the quilt shop is so generously offering a reader of V and Co. the following items for a giveaway:

Sandy Gervais' "Crazy 8" Pattern and fabric to complete top and binding.

yes she is!

but that's not all.

she's also going to give you a $25 gift certificate because the winner is going to...HELLO, need backing. (her words)

okay here's the ways to enter.

1) go to her etsy shop or her web site , pick out something you like come back here and tell me about it (and you could also tell me how cool i am and that you love me for how witty i am...that won't help your chances but a girl always likes to hear that)

2) blog about it with a picture and a link back to this giveaway (leave me a comment to tell me you did)

3) twitter it with at link back to this post (leave me a comment that you did)

4) follow my blog. if you already follow me tell me that (you are automatically entered again if you tell me you already follow me)

5) go to lani's blog and tell her something nice. (like she has nice legs, or i don't know she's has a great selection of fabric, and come back and comment that you did just that.)

there you have it.

i don't usually give you that many chances but...hey i feel kind and nice today. why not give you 5 ways to enter right?

okay go to it and you have till thursday morning 8am mst to do your entering...i'll announce the winner later that morning.

okay do me proud.

;)

my new ride

thanks to my mom who wanted me to have my birthday gift a few months early so that i can enjoy it this year before the snow hits. (she'll be enjoying her's all year long right by the beach...){turkey}

but until that snow hits or it gets too cold, middle of nowhere townsfolk look out for the gal singing to her ishuffle pretending like the beach was right around the corner!

today is 9/11 don't forget

to fly your flag real high today.

and make sure you also remember there are a lot of soldiers out there helping that day never to happen again.

no matter what the media says...

they sacrifice a lot just to make sure we have a safer place to live.

*********************

have a nice weekend.

there will be a sponsored giveaway on monday.

see you then.

;)

new baby quilt for a friend

thank you all for the well wishes on getting better...i see the light at the end of the tunnel!two weeks ago my friend had a baby.
she is beautiful.
my friend loves vintage things.
so last week i made her baby this quilt.

i can't wait to give it to her.

i've made a pattern and (a few) kits to sell of this quilt.

shop update has been postponed from this week (due to that nasty little thing kicking the trash out of me.) to monday September 21st. you'll want to mark your calendar for sure.

this is a story...

the happenings around the house
since the first day of school.

i am recovering from a nasty little "something" that attacked my insides off and on this weekend...slowly i am making it back to life. slowly...we will see what i can accomplish today, it may just be rolling from one side of the bed to the other to get a different view of my room...we will see.

here's to not needing to see the bathroom too many times today!

best second hand find (in my eyes)

i got to go this past week to the second hand store.
when i got there. i instantly spotted this little wood hutch.
i think i pooped my pants when i saw it.
not really, but i was that excited.
we brought it home after i paid the $25 that they asked for it.

i immediately started to play with re-arrange her kitchen and set it up. i then made this cute little banner with the vintage sheets i have in my collection. this is how i made it.

all i need now is cute pink glass knobs and i think i'll be in heaven.
*****
i'm trying to update my shop sometime next week. i'll let you know when. expect kits for these mini-banners and some new down loadable patterns!
*****
have a great labor day weekend!!!

see you next week!

ps i just uploaded some great green fat quarter bundles, or some fabric perfect for fall and some more here and here
yes i have a problem i have too much fabric for my own good

tutorial: dress made from a skirt

here's a tutorial on how to make a romantic inspired dress out of a woman's skirt.

what you will need:

one woman's size skirt. (large with a zipper is most recommended.)

this skirt having a zipper in the back made fitting this much easier. so i suggest you get a skirt with a zipper.

first i took the skirt (inside out) and placed it on my daughter. making sure the top was right under her arm pits. i pinned in (taking from both sides) under her arms where it would fit snug enough but not too snug. unzip and and take off the skirt.

i eyeballed it but if you want to measure, measure about 1/2 in out of where you are going to sew your seam

before i cut half inch seam allowance i placed pins all the way down the skirt where i was going to sew my seam. (i sort of did an A-line so that the dress would be fuller at the bottom.

the tube of your dress is now done.

since you cut off from the sides of your skirt you will have two strips left over. mine were a little on the skinny side so i figured out that my sleeve had to be at least 7 inches in width to make a little bit of a cap sleeve. (and yes i totally misspelled sleeve in the picture!) i then put on the dress tube on my daughter again and measured from the front to the back how much i needed in length. hers was 7 inches to make it over the shoulder so i added one inch and that way i had 1/2 inch to drop down past the top to sew it together. at this point i put a little pin marking where the middle of the sleeve would go on either side of the tube dress.

with wrong sides together sew down the two sides

once your two sides are sewn sew a diagonal curve and this will give you a more rounded look.

(error in the picture is says three sides but the third side is your fold)

turn inside out and top stitch around the three sides (you will have the last side still with raw edges)

once that is top stitched, fold over your raw edge a small amount and press with the iron, fold over one more time and then top stitch on top of your two folds.

remember the pin you put on to tell you where the middle of the strap would be? pin on your sleeve where the pin marks you to. make sure your rounded edge faces out away from the zipper. and make sure you do not sew in your rounded edge.
sew close to the edge of your top.

this is what the back should look like.

and now you have a perfectly cute dress for your little one!
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