17
Jun

Father’s Day Brunch Casserole

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing daddies out there!My husband, Brett, and his dad are out fishing this afternoon, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share what we made this morning for my kids super-wonderful, totally awesome daddy for breakfast. Father's Day Brunch Casserole I wanted to make something hearty for my hubby but I also wanted it to be something the girls could help me with in the kitchen.  This casserole was perfect!  I gave the girls the task of tearing up a large french baguette of bread into chunks and they had a ball.This casserole … continue reading

15
Jun

Sewing Patterns Blog Tour: Jess from Craftiness Is Not Optional

And to round up this first week of The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns blog tour, we have the lovely Jess from Craftiness Is Not Optional.  Jess and I definitely share a love of creating little girls clothing and she comes up with some of the most darling silhouettes for her little ladies.  She's pregnant with baby number three, so who knows.......maybe she'll be entering the world of sewing for boys, but for now she'll be sticking to girls clothing......Jess chose to sew up the Ruby Ruffle Dress for Miss Sadie.  I can't believe how grown up she looks here.  These … continue reading

14
Jun

Sewing Patterns Blog Tour: Christina from 2 Little Hooligans

The third stop on our new sewing patterns blog tour is over at Christina's blog, 2 Little Hooligans.  I was incredibly impressed by some of the creations Christina came up with when I was judging the Project Run and Play Flickr group this past season and I knew I had to have her as part of this tour.  She chose to sew up the Run Around Romper and made of three of them!  Two girl versions and one for her little guy.......Head over to 2 Little Hooligans to check out more pictures of Christina's darling creations and enter to win your very own copy of the Run Around … continue reading

13
Jun

Sewing Patterns Blog Tour: Jessica from Me Sew Crazy

Today we have someone I'm sure you are familiar with ~ Jessica from Me Sew Crazy!  She's always coming up with fabulous creations for her two little ladies and baby boy.  Our kids are very close in age so it is really fun to know another mama going through the same stage in life and running a creative business.  I would definitely call her one of my good friends (though we've never actually met).  Jessica chose to sew up the 'Ruby Ruffle Dress' pattern.......Head over to Me Sew Crazy to check out more pictures of this darling dress and enter to win your very own … continue reading

12
Jun

Sewing Patterns Blog Tour: Stef from Girl.Inspired

I decided we needed to start this tour off with a bang and I knew just the lady for the job.  Stef over at Girl. Inspired wowed us with her Christmas variation of the Janey Jumper pattern during our first tour (click here to check it out), so I couldn't wait to see what she would do with this new pattern.  As always, she does not disappoint.....Charlotte Apron DressCheck out Stef's version of the Charlotte Apron Dress Pattern.  Isn't it adorable!?!  Head over to her blog to check out more eye candy photos of this adorable dress and enter to win your very own copy … continue reading

11
Jun

New Sewing Patterns Blog Tour

The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns~Blog Tour~ It's that time again!  Time to start the The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns Blog Tour!My new patterns are all officially in-stock and available for sale in my Etsy Shop!What is the Blog Tour all about?  I have a group of incredibly talented bloggers and sewers that are going to be sewing up each of the new patterns (Ruby Ruffle Dress, Charlotte Apron Dress and the Run Around Romper) and will each be giving away one of the new patterns on their blogs.  The tour will happen every day over the next three weeks and we will be … continue reading

10
Jun

Beach Family Vacation 2012 ~ Seaside, Florida

We just got back from a weeks vacation down in the Seaside area of Florida.  If you don't know where that is, it is kind of near Destin, FL in the panhandle.  My in-laws have a beach front condo there that they use from time to time and invited us to join them for a week.  This was the kids very first time at the beach and they LOVED it! The picture above is the view from the balcony of the condo.My in-laws drove down from Chicago to arrive several days before us.  Since our family flew down,  we didn't have to check any luggage (they brought it all in the car for … continue reading

7
Jun

Woodland Cottage Pincushion ~ Free Pattern and Tutorial

Today, I've got a really fun, whimsical pincushion that I hope you all love as much as I do. I was inspired to create the Woodland Cottage pincushion by our home.  We live in a 1930's cottage style home and it has been a great source of inspiration for me in a lot of my design and sewing projects. Here is our home...... So today we will be making an adorable Woodland Cottage pincushion from Riley Blake Designs 'Woodland Trails' fabric line.  Even if you don't want to use it as a pincushion, you could hang it somewhere in your home or even on your Christmas … continue reading

5
Jun

Embellished Ruffle Hoodie Tutorial

I'm excited to be sharing my Embellished Ruffle Hoodie Tutorial with you today! My style of designing is a little different.  I usually let the fabrics I work with inspire my children's clothing designs and blog projects, so I'm never quite sure what I'm going to come up with.  When I got this package in the mail from Riley Blake Designs, my mind started swirling with about 10 different ideas.  This line is 'Woodland Trails' and it is about one of the cutest lines around.  It's sweet, whimsical, youthful and feminine (well, the colors I selected). After … continue reading

1
Jun

June Giveaway Day

Can you believe it's June already?This year is going by way too fast, but guess what that means?It's time for our June Giveaway Day!The June Giveaway Dayon The Cottage Home Blog Here's how this works.........you can enter to win each one of these prizes from our lovely blog sponsors.  Leave a separate comment for each prize you would like to win.  For example, if you want to win the Birdsong Bows prize, leave a comment saying something like "I'd sure love to win the Birdsong Bows prize - they are a great shop!"  And leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Got it? … continue reading