20
Jan

Repurposed Woman’s Turtleneck = Sweet Little Girl’s Cardigan

I have had several sweaters laying around my office / craft room that I purchased some months ago from Goodwill (remember this post).  I had already felted them and they were just waiting for my creativity to get a hold of them.  Except that was the problem........I just didn't really have too many ideas that motivated me to do anything with them......until today!I decided to take a felted woman's turtleneck and turn it into a little cardigan for my sweet Savannah Rose.  So here's what I started with:And here is what I ended up with: The felting REALLY reduced the … continue reading

18
Jan

Little Girls Valentine’s Day Dress Tutorial

My daughter Savannah had this super-cute Valentine's Day shirt last year that I bought from BabyGap: I love this shirt!  It's just so perfect for Valentine's Day, but that sad thing is that she only really wore it for a couple weeks last year. She went through a major growth spurt and it seemed like overnight the shirt was too short - total bummer!!  Do you find that happens a lot - the shirts don't get too tight, they just get too short?  That always seems to be our problem around The Cottage Home. In thinking about what I wanted my little miss to wear for … continue reading

16
Jan

Mary Jane’s Farm Magazine

Have you heard of Mary Jane's Farm magazine?  Well, I had never heard of this lovely publication until a few weeks ago.  Maybe I am just out of the loop and all of you have been reading and subscribing to this magazine for years, but where has this been my whole life?  It is wonderful!My mother-in-law gave me a fantastic gift for Christmas; tons of magazines!!  These weren't just any magazines, these were magazines I had never heard of or never read (due to the fact that they were a little out of my regular budget), but they were all covering topics that she knew … continue reading

13
Jan

Little Girls Kitchen Apron Tutorial

My daughter, Savannah Rose, received a darling little kitchen for Christmas this year from her Gigi and Grumpy (my husbands parents).  But what kitchen would be complete without a cute little apron to wear while you are cooking?  I decided I had to make my little lady an apron to match her new favorite toy.  Here is the "how to" for my version of a Little Girls Apron: Little Girl's Apron Tutorial Supplies: Fabric -1/4 yard for main apron (or two fat-quarters would work) -1/4 yard of contrasting colors for flower detail -1/6 yard for sash Rotary Cutter, … continue reading

12
Jan

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe – YUM!

Yesterday my daughter Savannah and I were playing with her Melissa and Doug wooden cookie set in her new play kitchen.  The Cottage Grandma (my Mom) sent her this adorable set  - have you seen it?  It is so much fun - it comes with a cookie sheet, cookies, toppings for the cookies, a play knife, a play spatula, and long cookie tin (think slice and bake) - all made out of wood!  The cookies have velcro on both sides, so you can velcro on your topping, velcro it onto the cookie sheet, or put all the cookies together and practice your slicing.  So much fun!!So why am … continue reading

12
Jan

Oh So Girly

Michelle over at Someday Crafts had a wonderful post about the shop "Oh So Girly" and I really think you must head over to her shop and check it out.  "Oh So Girly" sells adorable bows and hair-clips, watch faces with beautiful braclets, diaper keeps and crayon rolls for AMAZINGLY low prices - not to mention low shipping costs.If you are looking to purchase something for an upcoming baby shower, a diaper keeper would be a wonderful gift and at only $5.00 - you can't really beat it!  Here are some pictures of some other items for sale from "Oh So Girly":Brown & … continue reading

11
Jan

Big Girl Room – Freshcut by Heather Bailey

I realized that I never really posted much about the little girls room that I designed for my daughter, Savannah Rose.  When we found out we were having another girl (sweet Matilda Jane), we decided that Matilda would get the nursery and Savannah would get a new "big girl room" (though she wasn't too much of a big girl only being 16-months at the time).  So I thought I would share some more pictures with you of the things that I made for her room.All of the fabric used (besides the polka-dot quilt backing) is Heather Bailey's Freshcut.  These are all my own … continue reading

11
Jan

Baptism Gift Tutorial

Yesterday we celebrated my good friend Lara's son, Luca's, baptism into the Catholic Church.  It was a beautiful celebration with good food and great friends and family.I wanted to make little Luca something for his special day.  I thought about making some clothing or stuffed animal, but I really wanted it to be a baptism gift.  I decided to make him a little baptism plaque that could be displayed on a shelf in his room with a sweet bible verse.  I used Ephisians 4:5 - One Lord, one faith, one baptism.  I also tried my best to match his current room decor which … continue reading

10
Jan

Seams to Me – Mary Engelbreit Purse!

For my birthday this past summer I received the sewing book, Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner.  I love this book - it is full of fresh, unique projects for the home sewer!  The book starts with some really nice basic instruction for everything from home decor, personal style and fashion, sewing for children and much, much more!Anna's instructions are very easy to follow, so if you are a new sewer you could easily sew from this book with no trouble at all.  The book also contains actual pattern pieces too (not just pictures) which is SO helpful.  Some sewing books … continue reading

8
Jan

Crock Pot Recipe: Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops

Yesterday afternoon I was digging through my freezer and pantry trying to figure out what to make for dinner.  My family is trying to be very budget conscious lately so I have been trying to make the most out of whatever ingredients we have on-hand rather than making another trip to the grocery store.So, this is what I came up with - Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops.  The Cottage Mama's Mama had made a version of this for me when she was here after I had my second daughter, Matilda.  She always makes the most delicious food when she stays here after I have a baby - reason … continue reading