I often have a hard time answering the question, "What do you do?" I do many things. And I love the things I do. I primarily stay home with my kids. However, I also blog, I design sewing patterns for my own label, I run a currated pattern shop, I design for Pattern Anthology... But to the average person, none of those answers make much sense. If I share any of those answers I usually hear either, "oh how fun" or "how did you start doing that?" And usually theirs an air of confusion. But, those are the things I do. And so I had a difficult time with my recent business cards. How does one put all that on a card? You can't. Continue reading

In the hunt for a granola bar recipe that isn't full of sugar and wheat/dairy, I stumbled upon tons of really healthy recipes. Tons. And then we combined a few recipes and made some unhealthy ones. And they're the best thing ever. We call them granola bar cookies because they taste so good. And they're gluten free and dairy free so you can feed they're great for people with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivities. Continue reading

I found a Craigslist steal last summer. A woman was advertising a vintage dining table and china cabinet but the photo clearly showed top quality mid century modern furniture. I jumped on it and snatched them up right away. The table came with 6 chairs but we keep just 4 around it and 2 have been sitting in the basement. Until now. Hair on hide has inspired me lately. source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 I recovered the chairs with hair on hide leather. The chairs are lovely. I love the blend of Mid Century Modern and the hair on hide. Our living room is fairly bare but I love the clean feel. With 4 kids, you get "clean" where you can take it. I can't figure out exactly where I like those newly recovered chairs. Couches, yellow chair and chair on right: Thrive Furniture Gray knitted blanket: from Grandma Chairs on left: MCM thrifted Hair on hide: LeatherHideStore.com This is my favorite arrangement. And no, there are no end tables, coffee tables, pillows or artwork of any kind. But we do have Superman. Thank you to the LeatherHideStore.com for sending me the hair on hide. I couldn't be more... Continue reading

It's WINTER here. Not winter, but WINTER. If it's WINTER where you are then you probably feel like staying indoors and getting cozy. I prefer to stay inside and do something fun and warm. Cooking, baking and crafting with kids is always preferrable to playing in the snow. For me anyway. If you need a little inspiration then consider the Handmade Winter e-book. It is 92 pages of recipes, craft projects and inspiration for spending time with family. This was put together by a bunch of your favorite bloggers. You'll recognize most of them like Jess, Shannon, Abby, Carla and Marigold. I could eat that photograph. Seriously. And that leather necklace is adorable! If I had time today, I'd make it. But these sewing projects are my favorite! That skirt is gorgeous and the ipad case is adorable! The skirt is for a girl but I'd make that for myself! If you're interested in seeing more about this e-book, you can head over to Handmade Winter to see the contents list and check it out! Continue reading

I've felt like I didn't blog much in 2013. I think I feel that way every year. But looking back, I guess I've made and blogged quite a bit. Here are a few of the things I've made. I'm especially fond of my patterns: And of Pattern Anthology: I'm excited for 2014! So many fun things planned! Starting with this blog getting a major facelift. You might notice some downtime this week but then I'll be back and looking slick. Don't miss all the fun in 2014, including new videos, tutorials, easy DIY, and some top secret stuff I can't wait to share. Subscribe here to the blog and follow on facebook and bloglovin so you don't miss anything! Continue reading

I don't know about you but doing just one more thing for the holidays seems to feel like so much work. That's how I was with decorating inside this year. The kids opened most our decorations and did much of the decorating themselves but I could never seem to finish! I don't like to go overboard and decorate every inch of home that shows. I prefer understated, clean. So, step on in. Welcome to my home. Our entry way doesn't have a great place for a table or much furniture because I added a coat closet there where the space used to be but that's alright with me. Less surfaces to gather clutter. Plus, a coat closet so the kids can throw all their junk and we don't have to see it! I love the peace sign. I can't say for sure where I bought it but it's a few years old. It's all bent and worn from being packed each year but I think that adds charm. Can you smell those pinecones? With a simple wicker basket, some cinnamon scented pinecones and a little ribbon, we've got the right smells and a cute little detail. (all from Jo-Ann Fabric... Continue reading

Well it's December 23rd here and it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards. If you're in the same boat then you're in luck. They're easy! Sending an e-card is free and fun. This tutorial uses the new online design site, Canva. I signed up when they hadn't gone live and it's fun to play around with. This morning I made this cute little card. This one too. Ready to make your own? Create an account with Canva.com. 1. Select Christmas Card. 2. Then select a template or even select just a background and add your own photo and text. 3. Select the current template photo then click the trash to delete. 4. Select upload and upload any photos from your computer or facebook. Double click them to put them in your card. 5. Use the circles at the corner to make the photo larger or smaller. The round handle at the bottom of the photo is to rotate it. Sometimes tilted photos are super cute. 6. Click the interposition button (see arrow) to bring one element in front of another. Simple highlight that element then click your cursor on that button to bring it to the front. 7. Click... Continue reading

I am so excited to share a new book with you, Sew Classic Clothes for Girls: 20 Girls' Dresses, Outfits and Accessories from the Cottage Mama . I ordered this one before it came out and was so excited the day it came in the mail! I took it to Panera, enjoyed a bowl of soup and enjoyed flipping through it because it's just a beautiful book. I shouldn't have been so surprised it was amazing, because the Lindsday Wilkes is amazing, but I was just amazed because I feel like sewing books are often great but not totally beautiful. I was more than happy when Lindsay asked me to join her book tour. Of course I'd love to share her book with you! I can honestly tell you that if you love to sew timeless clothes for girls you'll love this book. Gorgeous Clothes The clothes are pretty but I really love the instructions in this book. Full color and they don't miss a step! Patterns come in sizes 12 months to 10 years. The pages of the book are just as cute as her patterns, if you own one of those. Size Chart: Incredible Instructions This book's instructions... Continue reading

Today is a big day for Ruby. She's having heart surgery and we'd love to show her mama, Christie from A Lemon Squeezy Home, some support. Today on instagram, facebook or twitter post a photo of a heart and tag it #loveforruby to show Ruby's family that there are people in the world praying for and thinking about her as she undergoes surgery and recovery. From Christie's blog post last week: I can’t believe Ruby is 6 months old already (last Thursday). Which also means her surgery is soon. As in next Tuesday, December 17th soon. That is the day her little heart will be repaired. The day they will open her chest and actually stop her heart and put her body on a bypass machine for 30-90 minutes. I’ve thought a lot about the bypass machine—at first it terrified me, but now I am truly in awe at what they can do. It really is amazing. If you're interested in sending the family a little money to help buy a meal out while they take care of their little heart warrior baby you can join this facebook group to find out the details. Continue reading

Today I'm joining the 12 Skirts of Christmas series over at Sewing In No Man's Land! So many great skirt tutorials. Head over to see the skirts that have come before me in the series! And don't skip looking around Kelly's blog. She's an amazing photographer and seamstress! Have you seen those fabrics in the store that have the wide elastic waistband already sewn to them? These are the easiest skirts ever to sew. Unfortunately, they usually come in a women's length. Thankfully I've got an easy, fun way to shorten them without hassle! Supplies: Cheater skirt fabric (measure girl's waist and buy 2 more inches) Matching thread Instructions: That's it! Super easy! Thanks for having me in this series, Kelly! Continue reading

It's no secret, The Train To Crazy is the catchiest, weirdest blog name you've seen lately. Am I right? I named it on a whim 6 years ago when I thought the only people who would be reading it would be my mom and dad. (hi Dad). Well, things change and it morphed and grew out of the little family blog it was into something totally different and great. Over time I've cringed at the name more than a few times but let me tell you something you already know. It is really hard to get off the train to crazy. Am I right? Continue reading