Sympathy Basket & Card

We have some very kind neighbors across the street from us. They're very friendly, always chat with us when we're outside, and they love watching the kids and seeing what they're up to. Last month, they asked us to feed their cat while they were on vacation for a week. They told us about their grandson, who was terminally ill with cancer. Their entire family was going on vacation to Disneyland with him. After they returned from their trip, they brought us a box full of homemade cookies, as well as a very sweet card, thanking us for helping them out.

Sadly, their grandson passed away last Sunday. I felt moved to do something for them, so I put together this flower arrangement and card, and left it on their porch on Wednesday evening. I hope it brought them a little bit of comfort.

Simple Sundress

During a recent trip to JoAnn's, I found the cutest bolts of printed fabric that were already shirred across the top, and hemmed along the bottom. I immediately thought they would make a super simple sundress for my daughter. However, I resisted the urge to buy any yardage that day. A few days later I mentioned it to a friend at work. Amazingly, she just so happened to have a piece of the exact same type of fabric, that she had purchased to make a dress for her granddaughter a few years back. She offered it to me and brought it in later that week. (It was even already pinned!)

My sewing machine and I aren't exactly the best of friends, but even I couldn't mess this one up. All I had to do was sew a straight stitch down the seam. Then I raided my ribbon stash and found a yard or so of light pink grosgrain that coordinated with the fabric. I pinned it in place, crossing it in the back, and tacked the ribbon down. Voila! Instant sundress, and it didn't cost me a dime. I have a feeling I'll be heading back to JoAnn's before summer comes to purchase some more of this fabric for a few more dresses.

Easter Korker Bows

I have always loved korker bows, but haven't loved how crazy expensive they are in stores. I did an online search a few months ago and could not believe how easy they are to make! There are a variety of directions scattered about on the web, but I (mostly) used the instructions from eHow.com. Three things that I didn't do (that you should do):

1. Buy long enough wooden dowels - mine were the 12" precut, and while they work, it'd be better to use longer if possible.

2. Sand the dowels before using them. I learned the hard way that this really will make a difference when it comes time to slip the ribbon off.

3. Use wooden clothespins to secure the ribbon to the dowel. I couldn't find any when I was at JoAnn's, and didn't want to make a special trip, so I used straight pins instead. Definitely need to get some clothespins!

Paper Punched Easter Eggs

To christen my new blog, I thought I'd start with an easy Easter themed craft. I saw the directions for this fun and easy project called Paper Punched Easter Eggs by Nikki, In Stitches and thought it'd be a great way to use of some of my massive amounts of scrapbook paper.