PBK Inspired Bed Skirt

A very dear friend of my mine is expecting her second baby, and Baby Girl should be here in about a month. So momma bird is nesting:o) She found this beautiful bed skirt at Pottery Barn Kids and fell in love with it, but they don't offer it in the crib size. Plus the twin size is $149.00...YIKES!

So I told her I would make it for her:o)

 (picture credit to Pottery Barn Kids)

And this is what hers looks like:

(please excuse the flash photography...the room was dark)

It was actually pretty easy to make, and a lot cheaper than trying to get it from Pottery Barn Kids. Momma Bird was thrilled with the results, and so am I:o)

Busy Sewing Day

I missed out on some major yard sales today b/c I have a mission...

.plus I don't have any money:o) 

This mission WILL be accomplished TODAY. 

I have 4 dresses that need to be made for some bridesmaids. The wedding has a vintage feel to it, and from the sound of it, it's going to rock!

 Here are the dresses that I am making:

Butterick B5032

The blue one on the far right...it's reeeeeally cute:o)

And this pattern:

Simplicity 2588 

These dresses are fairly simple in construction, and I won't have to finish them completely since I will need to do a fitting, but THEY GOTTA GET DONE!!

I can't wait to see them completed:o)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend...I really want to start fixing up all of my yard sale finds from last weekend, but these dresses have to take priority.

Wish me luck;o)
b.t.w....this is day 4 of not having Facebook....I feel sort of cut off from the world...but I am trying to be free;o) If I weren't so stinkin' nosy, it might not be as bad..lol!!
Holla!

An Update on Tags

[Cross-posted from the Google LatLong Blog]

As users increasingly rely on tools like Google Maps and Places for information about the world around them, we're working hard to develop products that help local businesses highlight themselves and their offerings.

Last year, we introduced our trial for Google Tags, a way for businesses to highlight their organic Google Places listing with a yellow tag that showcases offers, photos, videos, menu, and reservations for a flat monthly fee.

Since that experiment began, tens of thousands of businesses have used Tags to help potential customers make easier, more informed decisions when searching. Throughout this period, we monitored Tags closely to learn more about our users' business needs and how they used the product.

We’ve made a decision to shift our efforts toward other present and future product offerings for local businesses, and will be discontinuing this trial. To that end, we’ve now halted new signups and will be working with existing participating businesses over the coming weeks to help them meet their marketing needs with other Google products where possible.

We’ve learned a lot from our Tags trial and will take that knowledge into account as we continue to find the best ways to serve users and local businesses alike. Lastly, we want to thank all of the businesses that were part of our Tags trial, and we hope we can meet their advertising needs with one of our existing products.

Posted by Shalini Agarwal, Product Manager

Yard Sale Love

Last weekend we had several neighborhood yard sales just down the street from us, so you can imagine how pumped I was. I came back with so many goodies! I had to call it quits b/c I ran out of room in my van:o)

Here are some of the big items that I brought home:

A Sofa Table..

I was using the drawers to hold down some plastic in plcae while spray painting another project

 A small bookshelf...it needs some major love:o)

An oak rocker. This chair has perfectly worn arms on it. I was so happy to find it and at such a good price. This guy will be getting a new seat. I have already ripped out the stuffing...which was original...blech!

A sweet little pillow form. I have this for sale in my Etsy shop. If you are interested in it, just click on the link in the upper right hand corner on this page.

And a small strainer...also for sale in my Etsy shop.

These are just a few of the things that I rounded up for the day. I found so many more treasures. The kids were super pumped about the air hockey table that I got for them for $10. They have had so much fun with it.

 I am definitely going to have a busy weekend finishing up all of my projects that I purchased. I have a few other pieces to share, but I am saving that for a special post:o)

Oh, and for all of you out there who were friends with me on Facebook....I deactivated my account. Yep, I took the plunge and I am not sure how liberated I feel:o) I am starting to purge things from my life that are taking attention away from my family. Getting rid of Facebook seemed like a good place to start. So if any of you guys need to get in touch with me, you will either have to email me or contact me through this blog.

Have a fantastic day!

Skip To My Loop Skirt

We had a birthday party to attend this weekend and it was so much fun! Cinderella made an appearance at the party, and S.R. was IN LOVE! She was Chatty Cathy once Cinderella walked thru the door. I really wish I had brought my camera:o/

Anyway, the Birthday girl needed a gift, and being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't have a gift for her. Saturday night I was racking my brain as to what I could make that would be super fast, but still be super cute...this is what I came up with:

This is 100% designed by me...if there is another skirt out there just like it, I promise I haven't seen it.

I came up with this particular design because I always have the hardest time judging how long to cut the elastic. Sometimes it's too small, sometimes it's too big, and every now and again it's just right...sounds like something out of the Three Little Bears, right?

The waist has button holes and a belt laced thru it. Problem solved:o) You can tighten or loosen to your heart's content.

S.R. was a little upset that she couldn't keep the skirt on for the party, but I had to remind her that we were giving it to her friend as a birthday gift. 3 year olds...I tell ya;o)

I will be making a pattern and tute soon, and it will be available in my Etsy shop.

***

In other news...I had a fantastic yard sale weekend. I will share with you guys my great finds in the next few days.

Participating in:

A new way to share local product availability with your customers

[Cross-posted from the Google Merchant Blog]

If you've ever spent your Saturday calling different stores or driving around town in search of one specific product, then it probably occurred to you that there must be a better way. Today we're announcing Local Product Availability on Google Place Pages - a new feature that automatically brings your offline catalog to the web, letting customers view your products and search your local inventory on your Place Page before visiting your store.

When you provide Google with local product availability data, your Google Place Page will now automatically include a new section, ‘Popular products available at this store’, featuring five popular products along with price and local availability. For shoppers unfamiliar with your business, this section shows the types of products available in your store.

If shoppers are looking for a specific item, they can click ‘Search within this store’ to search your product inventory to see if a particular item is in stock nearby.

Getting started
To automatically display local product availability on your Google Place page, you’ll need to first share local availability data with Google through a Merchant Center account and claim your a Google Place page. For instructions on sharing local product availability with Google, read this Help Center article. Learn how to claim your Google Place page here.

Posted by Paul Lee, Senior Product Manager, Google Product Search

A Dress, Some Fun, and a New Adventure

Yesterday I made this dress for S.R. I have been in sewing mode here lately and it's been so much fun!

She looked so sweet in it last night at church and had so many compliments.

I got to do something even funner than sewing yesterday as well (yeah, I know funner isn't really a word, but that's how much fun it was;o). I got to rearrange my friend's living room. She bought an ottoman, and didn't know where to put it. One thing led to another, and I ended up shopping her house and completely redoing her living room. It turned out so awesome! She was really excited about it as well. So if any of you out there need someone to come rearrange your house...I'm ya girl!;o)

In other news...

I finally bit the bullet and opened up an Etsy Shop...yep, I caved:o) I have fought the idea for a while now, but with the government furlough approaching, we might need the extra income...just in case. I only have a few items listed, but hoping by the weekend to get a few more up. Look over at the right side of the page and you will see some of the items I have for sale. Just click on the pics:o)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. I have lots of plans for the next few days.

See ya'll back here on Monday!