What I Pinned {Wednesday}

Hi all! I hope you're having a great week so far, it's hump-day so at least we know we're halfway to the weekend! For this week's edition of "What I Pinned {Wednesday}" I'm sharing some pins from my "Green Living" board.

Like me, I know many of you out there are always looking for ways to leave less of a mark on the earth, live more self-sustained lifestyle, and maybe save some $$ along the way. Hopefully some of these links are helpful, and as an added bonus I've added a litte linky party below where you can add any "green living" tips or links that you would like to share with me!

If you link up some of your own tips and tricks for green living, I'll catalog them and put them all together for a very special "Green Living" series coming this Fall!

Here's what I have to share this week. If you'll notice, all these links are conveniently laid out like a road map to a successful, natural garden! (click the photos for pinterest-provided links):

DIY Winter Greenhouse for about $50

{great for leafy greens, and keeping a stock of fresh veggies through the winter!}

DIY Rain Collection Barrels

{because when you're in the middle of a huge drought, regular water just doesn't cut it}

35 DIY Pest, Disease and Weed Remedies

{to keep those plants and veggies bug-free, disease-free, and healthy!}

Web Resource for How to Can ANYTHING!

{so you'll get the most out of your garden or grocery trip}

Home made substitutes for your grocery store staples.

{because less time in the grocery store is always a plus... at least for this Momma!}

Kitchen Countertop Compost Collector

{no more stinky mess, and no more trips out to the compost bin after dark when it's 40 degrees out!}

And even though it has nothing to do with your garden, this is one of my favorites:

A Comprehensive List of DIY cleaners and solutions for your home!

{because don't you feel better knowing what your family is being exposed to? I do.}

Feel free to link up any of your "Green Living" 
projects, ideas, recipes, or links below!

PLEASE, no unrelated posts, they'll just get deleted anyway. ;)

***Need an invite to Pinterest? Leave me a comment with your email and I'll send you one!***

XOXO

Tutorial Tuesday - The Cutest Clutch in Town!

Good morning everyone! It's time for another edition of Tutorial Tuesday, complete with linky party fun!

I did {another} sewing project this week. I hope you guys are not getting too tired of the sewing tutorials, I am really coming into my own with my machine and I'm just so excited to try all these new projects. This week I jumped even further out of my comfort zone and tacked the oh-so-scary ZIPPER!!!

I know, just thinking about it used to make me cringe. Now, not so much. I'm excited about all the new projects I can do now with my new zipper skillz. {That's right, I spelled it with a z... because that's how mad my skills are. ;)} What do you think? Introducing...

The Cutest Clutch in Town

{a.k.a. The Aviary Clutch}

A friend and I were talking the other day when Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 collection came up. It inspired me to pull out my little Aviary 2 stash and make myself something lovely. :) I'm a sucker for purple, and turquoise is currently holding 2nd in that poll, so this collection is right up my alley.

I found the tutorial on the Noodlehead blog, so you can pop over there to check out the details, but I made some adjustments so give you a quick rundown here, too. :)

Here's what you need:

Materials List:

1. Fabrics of choice- I used 4 different fabrics, but you can use as few as two.

• Main front fabric: one 5.5" tall by 9" wide, and one 5.5" tall by 13" wide (the longer piece will be the gathered/ruffled front)
• Front band: one piece 4" tall by 9" wide.
• Lining: two pieces 5.5" tall by 9" wide
• Zipper end covers: two pieces 1.5" tall by 2.5" wide.
• Medium weight fusible interfacing: (2) 5.5" tall by 9" wide (for fusing to inside of exterior pieces of clutch)

{Optional Pieces}

• Divider pocket: one piece 8" tall by 9" wide (apply interfacing to half, you'll need a 4" x 9" piece)
• Card holders: one piece 7" tall by 9" wide (apply interfacing to half, you'll need a 3.5" x 9" piece)
• Cash pocket: one piece 5" tall by 9" wide (apply interfacing to half, you'll need a 2.5" x9" piece)

2. Zipper. Can be longer and cut down, but finished size will need to be 8.5" long

3. Medium weight fusible Interfacing (see above for measurement details)

4. Coordinating thread

Now as far as the basic pattern goes, I followed the Noodlehead tutorial pretty much to a T. And she's got some great pics to go along with the steps too.

I took some liberties when it came to the inside. I like pockets in my wallet/purse so I had to make some.

I took the large "divider" piece (folded over and fused), and top stitched about 1/4" from the folded edge then top stitched another row 1/4" below that. Next, I basted the sides of the piece to one side of the lining.

Next, I took the 7"x9" piece folded it over and fused it together and top stitched it the same way as the first piece. I then basted the ends to the other piece of lining. 

This is where it gets personal. ;) Depending on what you're going to be using the pockets for, the measurements for the stitching will be different. I wanted to have credit card pockets, a pocket for my business cards, and a pocket to hold my chap stick so I used each of those things to help me measure off the sections.

I also added a shorter pocket in front of the larger set of pockets for stowing cash in. That's the 5"x9" piece, just fold it in half and fuse it the same way as the others and sew it on in front of your first set of pockets.

Just to make myself feel good, I also sewed in one of my tags. You know, so it's custom. ;)

Finish following the Noodlehead tutorial and you should be all set!!

Tips for this Tutorial:

• When sewing together your lining, leave a larger seam allowance than you did when sewing together your outside pieces. (ex. 1/4" seam allowance on outside pieces, 3/4" seam allowance on lining.) This just helps the lining and pockets fit nicely into the clutch without bunching up.
• If I were doing this project again, I would make the front ruffled part 5.5" x 15" instead of 13" so I could have better ruffles. Who doesn't like more ruffles? ;)
• Mix up your fabrics for a truly unique piece!

So now it's your turn! 

Link up your projects below, and grab a button for your project post. 

Be sure to visit other links on the list and share the love! :)
Today's Creative Blog

{I'm linking up HERE this week!}

<a href="http://www.littlebirdiebaby.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybpWehEcQYkr_bcTNwQtjMs-pSV-lbAnKMq0wQAbpkfm8Vn6I1fmUjYtVvzwqfTuazi67qG1Z7SWKRWPfgV3kkRVaYGnhKP7LJ0txiH6AQQj2x8KUcYdEuPtOudXo4oDmxEdFyxqjJ7RO/s800/Tute%20Tues%20LB.png" height="150" width="150" /></a>

Have a great week!!

XOXO

Merchandise Monday - Updates to The Little Birdie Shop!

Good moring (er, uh... afternoon) everyone! I just wanted to pop in really quick and update you guys on some new additions to The Little Birdie Shop on Etsy. I've been hard at work getting some of my show merchandise photographed and posted, as well as some items that are brand new to the shop!

There are a few new onesie designs:

And some fun new little baby shower gift sets... some with "Little Birdies" and some with our old friend, "Eli the Elephant" :)

I'm working on getting my little cutie booties listed as well, as I have had MUCH response from last time's Tutorial Tuesday post.

I hope you'll stop by and check out all the new stuff, and I would LOVE to hear your feedback!! :)

Tomorrow I've got a fresh new tutorial for a super fun sewing project, so don't miss out! Have a great Monday, and be sure to check out the linky party tab up top for some of my favorite linky parties happening out in blog land today. Until then, keep creating!


XOXO

A banner day for The Little Birdie!

So, obviously I was excited about my little feature on Sugar Bee this morning, but it doesn't stop there! I came back to the computer after putting Baby A down for her morning nap and I had the sweetest message from Stephanie at My Lil Pumpkin Patch letting me know she had given me "The Versatile Blogger" award. I feel so loved today!!

Stephanie is a recent addition to our bloggy bud friends, and I'm so excited that she's enjoying The Little Birdie so much. You are so sweet, Steph! Now it's my turn to share this award with some of my new favorites!

There are also some fun "play along" parts to getting this award:

1. Thank the person who gives you this award and link back to their blog.

2. Share 7 things about yourself in your post.

3. Pass this award on to 10 blogs you have recently fallen in love with and include links in your post.

Thanks again Stephanie! All of you should take a sec to pop over to Steph's blog, My Lil Pumpkin Patch to show her some love and check it out. It's super cute!

Here are some things about me that you may not know:

1. I have a few weird and irrational fears, e.g. raccoons clawing through the screens while the windows are open, the ceiling fan falling out of the ceiling and chopping my legs off while I sleep, the hair monster in the shower drain. I know, I know. I said they were irrational, haha!

2. I have an ANCIENT kitty cat that I've had since I was 12 years old. He must be like 200 in cat years by now.

3. I am the definition of "a creature of habit." Routines keep me sane, and keep me on track. Maybe that makes me a little bit OCD, but whatevs. Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. ;)

4. My kiddo is nearly 15 months old and I'm still taking my prenatal vitamins. I kinda thought that it must be a good habit, and any vitamin is better than no vitamin, right? (remember what I said about routines? LOL!)

5. Hubby and I find it immeasurably hilarious to do "voice over commentary" for our little Jack Russell, Tina. She's so cute and silly all the time so the hilarity is already there, plus I have a "Tina voice" that just comes naturally so it just makes good sense.

6. I have pinned and bookmarked more projects, recipes, and design ideas than I could ever do in 5 lifetimes, and yet I still keep at it.

7. I absolutely love getting mail, but since "becoming an adult" I have found that mail really isn't all that great. It's mostly bills, solicitations, and crappy grocery mailers. One of my favorite things about The Little Birdie is how much real, actual mail it has brought into my life. I love getting notes from etsy buyers, test product from new vendors, pretty fabrics from new designers, and anything and everything else that people send me!

Finally, here are some blogs that I've recently come across that you should definitely check out!

1. Mrs. Bettie Rocker 

2. Heartfelt Mama

3. Hoot Designs

4. Momma Gets Real

5. {NICEGIRLNOTES}

6. Rock N Regalia

7. Southern Lovely

8. The Pepper Place

9. The Shape of a Mother

10. 2 Little Hooligans

I hope you all take a minute to visit these great blogs, and have a great day!!

XOXO

Feature on Sugar Bee Craft Edition!

I woke up this morning, and in my usual 7am haze started catching up on all my favorite blogs and linky parties. Lo and behold, what did I find? Myself! Well, my little "Betty Page" Pinup Baby Booties from last week! I feel so special. :)

Every Thursday, Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts does a "show-off," hosted by one of her favorite bloggers and this week, my little baby booties were lucky enough to be included. :)



I am a huge fan of Sugar Bee Crafts, and if you haven't been to check out Mandy's awesome blog... DO! She is so super crafty, and seriously one of the nicest people ever.

So, shout out today to Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts and Christy at Christy's Cuties for the sweet mention. It made my morning! :)

XOXO

Tutorial Tuesday - Cutie Booties!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Tuesday! I am really excited to show you what I've been working on lately. I've been on a roll making baby shoes. :)

It was a pretty big leap for me, but I'm glad I did it. I feel more confident about my sewing and less afraid to try something new/harder. As much as I would love to share this pattern with you, I purchased it from a fellow etsy seller as a "one per person" thing. BUT, I am at work on my own pattern so that I can share it with you and start popping these bad boys into my shop.

Here are the girly ones I did:

And I couldn't forget the boys...

What do you think? I'm pretty proud of myself and looking for some babies to dress now, haha! :)

Now it's your turn to share!

Link up below and let's see what you all have been up to...

XOXO