The Cottage Mama Blog - Sewing. Cooking. Crafting.

Mar

Burlap Covered Lamp Shade Tutorial

I'm definitely in full-on nesting mode now and have been tackling all sorts of home improvement projects. I have been working on bringing more texture into our home lately. While I love bright, fresh fabrics for little girls clothing, I much prefer a warm, earthy palette for my home decor. I love looking through the Potterybarn and Ballard Designs catelogues for ideas and inspiration. Both of these stores are a little out of my budget these days, but I think they do such a wonderful job of putting rooms together with color, texture and natural … continue reading

Mar

Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese

Now that my morning sickness seems to be entirely gone (knock on wood), I've been getting back into cooking. I love flavored cream cheeses, but my favorite varieties are the savory ones - veggie, onion, sundried tomato, ect. There's nothing better than making your own flavored cream cheese. It's a fraction of the cost of the store-bought variety and is twice as yummy!Make several different cream cheeses for a brunch party or keep a couple in the fridge to please your whole family. This is my savory variety, but you could certainly make your own sweet flavored … continue reading

Mar

Brett’s Irish Soda Bread

You know I love hearing from you guys - it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Well, a bunch of you either commented or emailed regarding the Irish Soda Bread that my husband made for our St. Patrick's Day celebration. I thought, surely I posted the recipe last year, but apparently I didn't. The fact that I had yet to post this is surprising because it is such a big part of our St. Patrick's Day tradition. Sorry for being such a tease - I posted pictures of something yummy and didn't give you the recipe? How rude of me. So here's the recipe you've been … continue reading

Mar

Guest Post on "No Big Dill" – Dick and Jane Inspired Dress

Today I'm guest blogging over on "No Big Dill" for Katy's "Once Upon a Thread" blog series. This creative blog series is geared towards coming up with a look based on your favorite children's storybooks and I've come up with a "Dick and Jane" inspired look.This dress was created from the $1.49 sheet that I found last week on my thrift store hunting adventure - it doesn't really look like a sheet anymore, does it? I'm sharing a tutorial for the embellished bodice on this dress. So head on over to "No Big Dill" and say hello! … continue reading

Mar

Happy {Belated} St. Patrick’s Day

Happy {belated} St. Patrick's Day to you all! We had a great day yesterday enjoying our Irish heritage. It finally thawed out enough here in Chicago for us to be able to go outside and explore the yard.We went hunting for sticks and rocks around our yard and boy were there a lot! We have tons of trees around us, so once the snow melts, there are plenty of great sticks to be found.This was Miss Matilda's main look the entire time we were outside. She was in amazement of so many things - especially the wind-chime that we have hanging from a tree. It is so … continue reading

Mar

Twin Boy and Girl Onesie Tutorial

I'm back with a tutorial! It's about time, right? Well, a couple months back I was contacted by an old friend who asked if I could do a custom order for her brother and his wife who are expecting boy and girl twins. Of course I said sure and this is the little set I came up with for the soon-to-be parents. I thought you all might enjoy making this set or just one of the onesies - it seems like there are lots of babies expected over the next six months around here! Click HERE to print the applique pattern pieces. Supplies: Two onesies Two … continue reading

Mar

The Art of Thrifting

I had a wonderful "day-off" on Saturday. My husband was judging a beer brewing competition and my in-laws took the girls for the entire day and offered to keep them overnight. So, I was left with a WHOLE day to myself (aside from the brief meeting with our accountant to finish up our taxes). What to do? What to do?I chose to spend my day leisurely thrift store shopping around my area. This is something I rarely get to do and there were some shops in the area that I had never even checked out before. My number one priority was to find a comfy wing-back chair … continue reading

Mar

I’m Finally Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

So, I've finally decided to let the cat out of the bag. Remember last week when I told you that I had something else in the works? Well, it's not blog related and it's not Cottage Mama related, it's much bigger than that - about the biggest thing I've been working on in the last year and a half........I'm Pregnant!!Wow, this has been one heck of a secret to keep from you all - I've been wanting to tell you guys for SO long. But I like to wait until I'm through the first trimester to tell most people - I had an early loss in between Savannah and Matilda, so it … continue reading

Mar

The Years Go by So Fast

My good friend, Lara, quoted someone by saying, "When you are the mom of young children, the days can feel VERY long, but the years go by SO fast." And isn't that the truth? It feels like only yesterday that I was in the hospital giving birth to my oldest daughter, Savannah Rose, but somehow she is already three years old!This past Saturday was Savannah's 3rd birthday and this was truly the best one yet! We had a small family party this year (as opposed to our obscene 60 person 2nd birthday last year). Savannah was very particular about what she wanted for her … continue reading

Mar

So, I’ve been busy……..

So, I've been busy with lots of things over the last month. All fun stuff, but it has left me with less time to devote to tutorials for the blog and time to sew for myself. Since I'm feeling a bit more caught up, I'm hoping to get back on the band-wagon with some creative inspiration.In case you were wondering what I've been up to (aside from Project Run and Play). I've been busy creating new looks for spring such as........Retro Mod JumperThis design is not particularly new to my shop, but the color scheme is for sure. I love the pretty aqua green and … continue reading