Making expensive stuff the cheap way!

I've learned to sew a straight line. So, I'll just hop into about a billion huge projects now---that's what my husband is most likely thinking. I've been accused of having way too many irons in the fire, but never of being bored or boring!!!

Hannah Anderson and Oilily have two of my most favorite children's clothing lines. When in D.C. visiting my sister we went to Tyson's Corner and peeked into these shops. I did buy Seleste a dress from Hannah Anderson's that was on sale and had to summon up every bit of self control to resist buying two other dresses at full price for Seleste and Talia. Way too expensive. A tiny little skirt from Oilily costs $100.00 or more. Eeeeek! You really need a Hollywood salary to afford that.

So what's the alternative? Make-em yerself honey! And that's what I am going to attempt to do. For the first project, I let Seleste and Talia pick out their own fabric (Talia - Left, Seleste - Right). As you can see they like pink!! Good thing, so do I. I've never been afraid of color and adore tons of it around. If I succeed with the basic skirt then I'll try adding all the tulle, fluff and stuff.
This next pic is of the fabric I bought from the scrap section. Just enough to make a table cloth. Sweet little bright print.
I've also been crocheting dish rags again lately. Hours in the car contributed to this! I used a smaller thread and had fun with the colors. As you can see I have been experimenting with some new stitches. Don't you just love the lacy flouncy look the shell pattern gives the purple cloth. The table is one I painted quite a few years ago. It started life as a cheap unfinished coffee table. Now look how it has moved up in the world. I'm painting the living room ceiling with a sky to match it. That's another one of my unfinished projects (about 2/3rds done) that will be finished this summer. You don't have to spend a bundle to have beautiful handcrafted things about. You just have to have the courage to tackle it yourself and try again if you must. My first really terrible piece of furniture I painted (the painting was terrible not the furniture) is serving humble duty in a dusty corner of the sound room at our church.