Hand Embroidered Loved Tee

Riley had her Valentine's Day party at school today. I found this cute red and white polka dot fabric at Joann's on clearance recently and knew it would be cute on a tee.

I made this tee the way I make all my own DIY tshirt projects.

I begin by drawing or in this case tracing the design or lettering I want to use.  You could find an image you like and print it and cut it out to use as a template.  I remove the printing step and usually trace (carefully) right from my laptop or iPad screen.  This time I found a heart image, enlarged it, traced onto computer paper, and then cut it out.

I always use heat n bond when I make t-shirts.  Following the package instructions I ironed a piece of pre cut Heat 'n bond to the back of the red and white polka dot fabric.  After it cooled to the touch, I used my template and traced the heart onto the still papered side of the Heat 'n Bond (now with the glue side attached to the red fabric).   Because it was a symmetrical shape I didn't have to worry about tracing the mirror image - keep that in mind if you're making a shirt with words or other things that aren't the same front to back.

I cut out the fabric heart using my good Fiskars fabric scissors.  This keeps the edge neat and limits fraying.  Following the Heat 'n Bond package directions I ironed the heart to my pre washed tee.

Before I started the hand embroidery I lined the back with Sulky Stiffy Stabilizer tear away paper. I discovered this when I was shopping for the supplies for Riley's birthday tee and it makes a huge difference.  Cut the stabilizer to size and slip it inside your tee backing the area that you will be sewing on.

I use a 9" embroidery hoop to hold the stabilizer in place and help get a nice taut surface for my needle and thread.  I use embroidery thread and an embroidery needle.  You can find all of these items at any local craft store.

I did a simple, imperfect running stitch using a coordinating pink thread around the edge of the heart.  Notice I said IMPERFECT - none of the stitches are the same or even perfectly even with the edge of the fabric.

The original plan was just to sew the heart onto the shirt, but it was large and I felt like it was missing something.  I asked Tata for her opinion on some ideas I had and with her help I decided to stitch 'loved' on the heart.

Using a piece of chalk I hand wrote 'loved' in the middle of the heart.  The first go round it was sloping down so I wiped it with a damp paper towel and tried again.  Nothing I do is ever perfect and that's okay.

I used the chalk as my guide and a smaller running stitch to embroider 'loved'.  You can still see the chalk a bit even after a quick rinse cycle wash if you're zoomed in, but in person it is not noticeable.

Even though we're in an awkward posing for photos stage I think she is cute as can be.  And certainly well loved.

OTC Valentine's Display

We don't have a fireplace in our house which means this lover of decorating is mantle-less. So lately I've started improvising by using our favorite buffet piece we bought many years ago at our favorite antique spot.

I started small with the addition of my sweet white cabinet.  It's full of little things that have meaning to our family.

Then I bought this huge glass vase on clearance at HomeGoods during the Christmas season for $7! It has a tiny imperfection near the bottom, but you can't see it. I also got my little apothecary jar at the same time. In January the big vase was still full of ornaments and my jar was full of epsom salt, cranberries and a votive.

At the beginning of this month while enjoying a kid free craft shopping trip with a friend I picked up the heart wreath for $2 and the mini bell jars for $.50 each without a clue of what I would do with them. I got the green branches (also on clearance for $2) on the same trip specifically for my vase. I have pops of green throughout our main floor and it was exactly what I needed in that corner.

It all came together on a trip to Z Gallerie (oh how I love it there) when I found these gorgeous white candlesticks. Except I knew I wasn't going to use them for candles.

 

Their wide tops were the perfect base for my mini bell jars. I filled one with an "XO" I made using scrapbook paper and scrap ribbon from the glitter hearts that are in the other jar. The glitter hearts were actually part of a pick that I dismantled. I just used a little hot glue to stack them and help them stand up on the candlestick.  I filled my bell jar with large conversation hearts.  I let the kids have one or two as a reward during the day for good behavior.



I hung my wreath with a little pink rick rack from my craft supply box.  Using the same red glitter scrapbook paper I used for the "XO" I made a simple bunting.  A friend gave me the stickers from her stash.  I attached the bunting to the wreath with these cute pink clothespins that were on clearance at Michaels for $.80.



So what do you think?  Cheap, easy and festive is my favorite combination.  Do you change up seasonal decor in your home?

All We Need Is Love

Okay and maybe a little Coach iPad cover from my cuties.


But mostly love.
 

Love for our beautiful and sassy 4 year old.
 

And for our little wild man who always says "CHEESE" when he sees my camera.

We love when they love on each other.

Yes, all we need is love.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  We love you!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day - Sort Of

I sat down one night last week and lined up a a couple posts.

I forgot to add pics to the Valentine's Day post. So it posted with my image codes with some cute, but not V-Day related pics of the little man. Mom Brain strikes again!

So, here's a recap of our first Valentine's Day as a family of 4.

The princess was feeling under the weather that morning. I served a breakfast of heart "toasties" and she was able to play with the little gifts TG and I got her. That perked her up a bit.



While she ate breakfast and watched the new Disney Pirates show, Little Man hung out with me in the kitchen. He's big into playing in the refrigerator, dishwasher and cabinets now.



After playing together for a bit Cam went down for a nap and Riley and I played dress up. She agreed to a photo shoot after the promise of a few conversation hearts.







You can clearly see that those hearts only bought me a few seconds before she dissolved into silly billy mode. I think she's still cute as can be though.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful day with your loved ones!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a difference a year makes!

Last year my parents were here and my father met Riley for the first time. Last year she slept through most of Valentine's Day as we ran errands at Fort Myer and I fed her in the car between the comissary and the px. Last year I dressed her up in a Daddy's Lil' Cupcake onesie, heart covered jean skirt, and valentine's tights and snapped this photo.

This year she was old enough to go to the (one day early) Valentine's Day parties at her Daddy's and my school and steal everyone's heart. This year she spent the entire day with her #1 Sweetheart while Mommy was with her swim team. This year she had enough hair for a pebbles ponytail and bow (but she still rocked out valentine's tights and a heart covered jean skirt). And this year she can say "WUV UUUUUUU".

What a difference a year makes...