Coming next week- Fashion Friday! AND just thought I would share this fun party

I got to thinking that I needed a little more variety to keep with the "doing it all" motto so I asked myself what area I would like a little more inspiration in and I decided. . .  Fasion!  Without a doubt, I need some help in that area! 

So here's the deal:  Email me some pictures of your favorite outfits and where you got each piece.  This can only happen every week if you all join in the fun because like I said, I'm no fashion guru so if you leave it to me it's not gonna happen, lol.

And then you get featured on Fashion Friday, it's that simple!  Email me at womenwhodoitall@gmail.com.

Now to share something fun I found:
Poppies at Play is having a "Parade of Homes."  How fun!  Today is the last day and there is going to be a linky party for everyone to share their favorite room in their home.  I wish I could participate, but as you all know, I just moved so our house is in shambles, but I can live vicariously through you guys so go enter :)

Here is one of my favorites from Room to Inspire:

So go check it out for some inspiration or enter your home in the link party!  Click here. 

Here's what I've been up to

Well besides moving of course.  I've been crocheting like crazy trying to get my etsy shop up to par.  And here's what I have to show for it:

Pretty cute, right?  There's more too, check it out by clicking here. 

I sell the finished products AND the patterns for you do it yourselfers. 

And here's a little personal update.  Remember how we were going to move in with my in-laws?  We decided to rent a house instead so we've been busy busy busy with that.  But good news: we finally got the internet in here so my posts should  be back up to their normal frequency.  It's been tough living without internet!

Magnetic Chore Chart- stylish and functional!

I came across this over at All Thingz Related.  I love it because it looks great as a decoration and yet serves a very important purpose!  Click here to see how to make one for yourself and customize it to your decor. 

And the winner of a new blog design is. . .

Looking for Idea Sharin' Wednesday?  Click here or scroll down.

So remember how Designer Blogs agreed to donate a premade blog design to one lucky winner from last week's Idea Sharin' Wednesday?  Well here goes.  Random.org chose number 33.

Elvis from Pick Up Some Creativity

who posted some fun tips for using purchased patters.  Congrats Elvis, email me at womenwhodoitall@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Designer Blogs offer custom blog designs and premade blog designs!  Both options are fun and affordable!  Here is a little sneek peak at some of the premade blog designs they have available:

Click here to see more of these

or

click here to see their custom made blog portfolio.

Designer Blogs also has free backgrounds!  Show them some appriciation for donating this great prize and stop by and check them out!

Idea Sharin' Wednesday #6

Before we get started, here are some more favorites from last week's party.

You would never know this was homemade, it would look gorgeous in any entryway!  See how it was done at Life as Lori.

How gorgeous is this wall hanging?  Check it out at Mine are Spectacular.

A Blessings Journal at Basketmaker's Weavings

Some craft room inspiration at Creating by Cami

This is a fun idea!  Hide your jewelry display behind a hinged canvas.  See how at Avid Accents.

Tulle Butterfly Tutorial at Bird Crafts

I love this idea, such a fun gift for little boys.  Put a few hot wheels in the slots and wrap it up, it's a car cozy!  Check it out at Pure Joy Creative.

There were so many other fun ideas too!  I encourage you all to go look through them.  What I love about the thumbnail linky parties is you can have a sneak peek without having to load every blog. 

Instead of posting the winner of last week's party (the premade blog design) tonight I am going to post it tomorrow night somewhere around 10pm.  We wont have internet at our house for the next few days so I have to tweak things a little until then.  So check back to see if you won! 

And the winner of the prize from this week (the party at the bottom of this post, who will be announced next Tuesday) will be winning a free pattern of their choice from Jane Richmond Design.  Stop by and take a peek of Jane's shop now to be thinking about what you will choose if you win.  Click here to go.

A very special review

So this review is extra special because. . . it's a review of my blog designer, Julie, from Zip.Zog.Zoom Designs! When you spend as much time as I do in blogland, it's important to have a perfect space to call your own!
I thought about trying to create my dream blog myself. I figured I could probably do it piece by piece, searching for tutorials for every tweak I needed. Let me tell you, if I can ever avoid paying something, I'm usually one to go that route. But then I looked at Julie's prices and I thought about how long it would take me to attempt creating my own custom blog design and I had to think about how much my time is really worth.

In the end, I decided it's well worth the price! Not only would I have spent countless hours trying to figure out how to create the blog design I wanted, but I definitely wouldn't have been able to get it looking the way it does. Knowing my luck I probably would have ended up with my blog in shambles!

I am beyond happy with Julie's work! My blog is exactly how I wanted it and let me tell you I was very particular about what I wanted. It looks so perfect, it brings a smile to my face every single time I see it! What was even better was not having to stress and worry during the process. I just told Julie what I wanted and left it in her ever so capable hands. She put up with my endless list of wants and needs, tweaking things whenever I wanted. She was sweet and willing to work with me to create my vision.

I think it's kind of funny because on Julie's site she calls herself a "non-designer" but all you have to do is look at my beautiful blog to know that's far from the truth! Julie has the technical skills to create any look you want, and the eye to make it aesthetically pleasing! I am amazed at her ability to take the ideas floating around my head and turn them into a reality. She was fast, efficient, and great to work with. And most importantly my finished product is just how I wanted it.

Not only did Julie take the time to revise as many times as needed until my blog was just how I wanted it, she actually went well above her job description to ensure I was happy with my blog. I wanted to put my sponsors into a 2 column wide grid, but kept having trouble making that work. Julie actually went in and spent several hours of her own time to make it work!!! I couldn't believe it. That's service you couldn't even dream of!

If I ever feel like changing my blog (doubtful) I will most definitely be contacting Zip.Zog.Zoom Designs again. In my opinion there is no one better out there. The prices are affordable and the service and quality can't be beat.

Don't need a whole new blog design, but looking for some help with a custom header or any other blog element (and I mean any)? Julie has prices for that too! Seriously, go take a peek, I promise her prices won’t scare you off like those of some other blog designers.

Simply put, her work just couldn't be any better. And the nice thing: you can see that for yourself!

Click here to go check them out!

Later tonight I will be posting my favorites from last week's Idea Sharin' Wednesday (along with the prize winner) and party for this week, so get your projects ready!

More Mother's Day Gift Ideas

I'm back!  My first real post since the move.  It's been a crazy week!  I hope you all enjoyed those lovely guest blogs and I hope took some time to stop by and say hi to the wonderful ladies who supplied them.  Anyways, as promised, here are some more great potential gifts  for mom.  Most of these are actually from Idea Sharin' Wednesday.  I saw a lot of things that had gift potential.  I will be spotlighting more projects tomorrow as well.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Make Your Own Bath Salt with Free Printable Labels at Delicious Ambiguity!  Give mom some relaxation!

Learn how to make mom a Shadow Box Flower at Whimsi Kel.  What a fun idea!  I wouldn't mind making one of these for myself either.

Quilted Coasters to match her decor, at I Can Find the Time.

Or make an artwork board and stock it with tons of fresh artwork from the kiddos.  Here are two ideas:

One from The Phillips Fam that rang in at a measly $7!

and here's one from Ocean's Blog

and another from The Harrigan Howdy.  Could easily be changed to a "grandma's brag board!"

Or you could always go with a good old fashioned apron.  Here's an idea from Jolie's Junebug Boutique, originally made as a wedding gift

and another from I Make Stuff

Nothing just right?  Check back for more ideas next week.  Particulary if you are a procrastinator like myself :)

Designs By Jessie Giveaway

Alright so here is this week's giveaway.  Forgive me for being a little late, I'm sure most of you can relate to how busy a move can be!  Things should be calming down a bit now, thank goodness. 

Designs by Jessie is a sweet little shop that sells adorable craft caddies

camera strap covers

visor cd holders

notebook covers

phone pockets

and even some patterns for you who like DIY!

She has tons of great fabric selections, there is truly a product to match any style!  I just love her creations!  Here is a little introduction to Designs by Jessie:

People have been making things by hand since long before I was born, so I didn't invent the "handmade" movement. I am even shocked to be a part of it. I find it soothing, involving, and immensely satisfying making something by hand. With 3 boys and a husband those feelings don't come around very often.

My love affair with crafting started many years ago with crochet, and knitting. That evolved into scrapbooking, and digital scrapbooking, which readily accepted my love of photography. I wouldn't say I'm a great photographer, but I am an awesome photo editor!

After spending many years in front of my computer I wanted a change, and wanted to try something different. This is where my new love of fabric came into play. Of course, I could find room for it, emotionally and, well, the space. It takes up alot of space..

So here I am today.. You may ask what fabric has to do with camera strap covers? Well, they allow me to play with lots of different fabrics, and also dress up my camera. I get to play with texture and color, my computer and photos. But as my husband is so keen on saying, "How many do you really need?"

That's where my shop comes in. All of my items are an appreciation for the unique object, for my individual creativity, and for the process of creating. This is why you will always see new things in my store.

I'm a mother to 3 wonderful boys, with a very supportive husband, and a very hyper puppy. I am an entrepreneur, crafter, inventor and engineer. I am a published memory artist. Most importantly....I'm just a girl, playing around with pretty things that make me happy..

Jessie is offering a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner!  Want to enter?  Here's how:

mandatory:

1) stop by Deisgns by Jessie and come back here to tell me which is your favorite product.

optional:

2) follow Designs by Jessie blog (click on the name to go there)

3) follow me here

4) follow me on twitter or facebook

5) blog, facebook, or tweet about this, whichever you do more

6) leave a comment on one of my other posts and then come back here and let me know you did

Remember to leave a seperate comment for each thing you do.  This giveaway will end Friday night (the 30th) at midnight and the winner will be announced Saturday morning.  Thanks for entering!  Happy Monday :)

 

Betwixxt Winner

The winner of the adorable Betixxt clutch purse is lucky number 21. . .

Angelina.  Congrats Angelina!  Do you have a US address we can have it sent to?  Email me to claim your prize. 

I will be posting a new giveaway shortly. 

Embellished Towels Tutorial

Hi! I'm Pati and I am so honored to be here, guest-blogging at one of my favorite blogs! I have been crafting for as long as I can remember, however I am very new to the blogging scene. My blog, A Crafty Escape, is only three months old. I'm having a blast though, and learning a lot from wonderful ladies like Jill. I like to do a bit of everything including sewing, kid crafts, home decor, cake decorating and the like.

Today I'm going to be showcasing a tutorial for making embellished towels.

You are going to need some terrycloth, ribbons, matching thread and the usual sewing gear (pins, fabric scissors, etc). The measurement will depend on what size towels you want. I found this remnant of terrycloth that was 50% off and was able to make four hand towels that measure 11x18.


First step is to decide the size of the towels and cut the terrycloth.

Next you are going to hem the sides that need it.

Then you will need to mark where you want the ribbon to go. I chose to put it one inch away from the bottom. I marked this with an invisible marker to make it easier to place the ribbon. Finish off the edges of ribbon.

Pin the ribbon to the terrycloth using the pen mark you made earlier and choose your stitch. I used straight stitch on two and then tried the Fagoting Stitch on the last one.

Here you can see what each stitch looks like:

And that's it- you now have some embellished towels to match your bathroom!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed guest blogging. Please let me know if you have any questions and I'd love to see any towels you embellish. Come by and visit me at A Crafty Escape, I'd love to show you around! Thanks again Jill, it's been a blast :)