14
Jun

Rachaels Homemade Soap Giveaway

Have you heard of Racheal's Homemade Soap Shop?  If not, you must stop what you are doing and head on over to her etsy shop to check out her delicious smelling, vegan-friendly soaps.  Racheal's soaps contain no dyes and perfumes just essential oils.  If you have sensitive skin, you are definitely going to want to give these soaps a try!Today Rachael is giving away three bars of her homemade soap and three hand-crocheted bath scrubbies to one lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.I was lucky enough to receive my own homemade soap from Rachael to check out and I am … continue reading

8
Jun

Pattern Remix: Little Apples Fat Quarter Pillowcase Dress

 Jessica, from the blog, "Me Sew Crazy" invited me over to participate in her Pattern Remix Series.  If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, you must.  Basically she asked a bunch of bloggers to take ready-made patterns (paper, PDF, blog tutorials, ect....) and make them their own.  There has been a month of totally inspirational posts!Click HERE to check out the series! I love sewing with patterns, I think the fit you can achieve is superb, but I very rarely follow any pattern exactly.  It's kind of like myself and cooking, I can't stick to a … continue reading

7
Jun

Sodderbug Custom Photo Charm Necklace Winner

And the winner of the Sodderbug Custom Photo Charm Necklace is........Congratulations, Shawna!  Please email me -  thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your address and contact information and we will get this custom order necklace order placed for you.  Thank you to everyone who entered! … continue reading

3
Jun

Sew Along: The Details

So 345 of you voted for our first "Sew Along" pattern here on the blog, and the winner (by only 4 votes) was Carina Gardner's "Playdate Outfit"!I'm really excited to sew from this pattern because I think this outfit is very versatile and will be great for just running around outside this summer.  You can choose to sew a dress, blouse, capri pants or shorts.So here are some of the details that may interest you in regards to the "Sew Along":1.  Start Date: Sew Along starts Monday, June 27th, 2011.  By then you should make sure that you have your pattern and whatever … continue reading

2
Jun

Fabric Portfolio and Notepad Holder Tutorial

So I've been meaning to post this tutorial for the last several weeks, but just haven't had the time to get it written up.  I made these Fabric Portfolios for my mom and I to take to quilt market.  I actually sent my mom hers for mother's day with the business cards I had printed up for her.  I wanted us to have something to carry around our business cards, postcards, credentials and a notepad.  These turned out to be just perfect!I designed these portfolios to fit easily inside of a purse, but big enough to hold a good amount of notes and documents.  Make one of … continue reading

1
Jun

Sodderbug Custom Photo Necklace Giveaway

I've got a wonderful giveaway for you all today from Janelle of "Sodderbug - Beautifully Made Photo Charms and More".  Janelle is giving away one custom photo charm necklace to a lucky The Cottage Home blog reader.Anytime I do a giveaway, I always prefer to have the product in my hand before offering it to you.  That way I can make sure that you are going to be receiving high-quality goods every time you enter a giveaway.  So Janelle was so sweet and sent me my own photo charm necklace to personally review prior to this giveaway.  I just have to tell you that I … continue reading

31
May

The Cottage Mama – What’s New in the Shop?

As most of you know, I am going to be entering the world of children's clothing pattern design.  I have been sewing like crazy testing out some of my new designs to see if they are ready to be sent out.  But on top of all that I have added some new things to the shop that I wanted to share with you all.I will be releasing some of these designs as sewing patterns (plus some that you haven't seen) and some of them will just stay as items in my shop and may be released as patterns in the future. Strawberry Bubble Romper.  This is a fun play-suit for an infant/toddler … continue reading

30
May

Sew Serendipity Signed Book Giveaway – WINNER!

And the winner of the "Sew Serendipity" signed book giveaway is...........Congratulations, Sara!  You are just going to love this book!.  Email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your address and I will get this book in the mail to you ASAP.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered.  We've got some great giveaways coming up this month, so there will be plenty of opportunities to win some more neat things! … continue reading

26
May

The Cottage Home Little Girls Sew Along

So I've been wanting to do a "sew along" here on the blog for some time and have finally decided that it is time.  Our wonderful blog sponsor, Terri from Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops, is going to be sponsoring this sew along for us.  I was originally going to pick a pattern myself from her fabulous selection of little girls sewing patterns, but I decided I would let you all make the final decision.I've narrowed it down to six patterns that I thought you all would enjoy sewing for your little ladies.  Surprisingly, I have never sewn from patterns from any of these … continue reading

25
May

Quilt Market – The Fun Stuff

So I've already shared my quilt market experience with you, but I thought I would share some of the fun stuff that I brought home from the market.  Some of these things were freebies and some of these I purchased at the sample spree.This is a new line coming out from Moda by Aneela Hoey, called "Little Apples".  At the Moda booth they were giving out these adorable little squares of fabric and this pillow pattern.  The pattern also includes an cute little girl embroidery pattern.  I'm definitely going to make this for my little ladies.While at the sample spree, I … continue reading