16
Apr

The New Cottage Home ~ Renovations Begin

So I've been a little MIA here on the blog lately because we have just had so much going on! We closed on a new house this past Friday and it all seems sort of surreal. We had been looking for a new home for months and nothing seemed right. Either the house was just right, but the lot backed up to too many neighbors (we like our privacy).......the lot and location were fantastic, but the house wasn't what we wanted (too cookie cutter, too outdated, etc). We were starting to wonder if we would ever find 'the house'. … continue reading

16
Mar

Knit Leggings and Dress for Josie

Today marks my spot on the Riley Blake Designs Knit Love Blog Tour! I love sewing with all of Riley Blake Design's fabrics........so many of them are perfect for children's clothing. They have a beautiful line of knit fabric that is such great quality (and if you've tried sewing with poor quality knit, you know that this is huge). The stretch is fantastic for things like leggings, yet it's soft and sweet and perfect for babies. I decide it was time for my little Josie Mae to get her first official Cottage Mama outfit, so I made her a pair of knit leggings and … continue reading

11
Mar

Garlicky Ham & Cheese Party Sandwiches

Several months ago my mom had told me about these yummy party sandwiches that she had made and how I should really give them a try. I made up a batch to bring over to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law after they recently had their first baby, along with some other goodies. The sandwiches were delicious! I made these again a few weeks ago and changed up the recipe a bit to suit my husband and my tastes a bit more. So today I'm going to share my recipe for these Garlicky Ham and Cheese Party Sandwiches with you. These are perfect for entertaining a crowd and can … continue reading

9
Mar

Unicorn Birthday Dress & Matching Doll Dress

Today I wanted to share the Unicorn Birthday Dress and Matching Doll Dress that I made for Savannah's 7th birthday. We had agreed that we wouldn't do many presents on her actual birthday since we were going to have tea at the American Girl Store (in lieu of a party with friends) and she was going to get to pick out some presents at the store. However, I wanted to surprise my little birthday girl with something for her to wear on her trip to downtown Chicago. … continue reading

5
Mar

Happy 7th Birthday, Savannah Rose!

Dear Savannah Rose, Happy Birthday! I can't believe my oldest baby is 7 years old. How can that be? I say that as each of my kids gets older, I know.......but where does the time go? I can still remember your birth (all 17 hours of labor) like it was yesterday. I find it so hard to see these years just flying by. It seems like you were just a baby and now you're turning into such a beautiful girl. Today, on your 7th birthday, here are a few things I would like to remember about you and that you might like to know about what you were like when you turned 7 years … continue reading

25
Feb

Crockpot Potato and Corn Chowder

It's been mighty cold around Chicagoland lately, which means it's perfect soup weather! I've been using my crockpot a ton over the last several months since we added baby #4, Josephine Mae, in October. I created this Crockpot Potato and Corn Chowder to have on a cold winter night and it turned out so wonderfully. I have a tendency to just 'wing-it' when I cook, but I actually wrote down all the ingredients this time so I could share this recipe with you all. And since it's Lent (which means no meat on Friday for our family), this recipe falls into the vegetarian … continue reading

12
Feb

Easy Jolly Bar Sixteen Patch Quilt Tutorial

It’s Grandma Jane here and I am excited to be helping The Cottage Mama in the Jolly Bar Blog Hop over at the Fat Quarter Shop. They recently launched their very own precut called the Jolly Bar. It is a 5”x 10”precut fabric collection exclusive to the Fat Quarter Shop! Each Jolly Bar also comes with an exclusive super easy pattern. And today I'll be sharing an Easy Jolly Bar Sixteen Patch Quilt Tutorial with you all! … continue reading

3
Feb

Free Patterns to Sew for Valentine’s Day

I was looking over the sewing projects here on The Cottage Mama blog and realized that I didn't have much to share in the Valentine's Day department. I've rounded up some free patterns to sew for Valentine's Day that I thought you might enjoy sewing. … continue reading

2
Feb

The Cottage Mama Sewing Studio ~ Updated Tour

Today I wanted to share an updated post about The Cottage Mama Sewing Studio. Not a lot has changed since the last tour, but I've definitely upgraded in the sewing machine / serger department. And because we are going to be selling The Cottage Home, I wanted to document this space one last time (sniff, sniff). So here goes....... … continue reading

28
Jan

Free Dress Patterns for Girls

Sewing for little girls is so much fun! Today I wanted to share some free dress patterns for girls that are available online. These are so sweet and would make darling gifts or lovely dresses to sew for your own little one! Check out these free dress patterns........ … continue reading