Bundle Up Boys: Whovian Edition

Poor Jeremy doesn't get much out of my sewing, but when Bundle Up Boys came around, I was excited to join the blog tour and make something for my little man!

Lately, Jeremy has made this geeky momma proud and has discovered a love for the Classic Doctor Who show.  We found it on Netflix and he's hooked.  He's also become a big fan of The Sarah Jane Adventures, which is a DW spinoff show.  So, what's a geeky mom to do when presented with sewing for her son?  I go geek on him!!!

He absolutely loves his TARDIS robe, which was made using the Ellie Inspired Sleepy Bear PJs.  I used felt rectangles for the TARDIS windows and used printable fabric from JoAnn's to print the Police Box info square.

For the pajama pants, I found a really neat Glow in the Dark fabric that we had in stock from Northcott.  The pattern has options for shorts or pants, but with fabric this cool, I felt that it needed to be used as much as possible, so pants it was!

I was looking for something for the Jocole Tank (the boy hates sleeping in anything with sleeves) when the latest Art Gallery shipment came in.  We ordered a really cool looking knit (we also have the same print in woven) that works great with this whole look!  I picked up the Police Box embroidery design from Urban Threads and added the text around it.

I loved working with both of these patterns for this blog tour and Jeremy is still really excited about his new "Time Lord" PJs. Next up will be a pair of boxers off of the Jocole pattern!  Maybe I can find some "Weebly Wobbly Timey Wimey" fabric for them!

"Bee" sure to check out the other great bloggers on the tour this week and make sure you get your bundle before they're gone!  Click here to buy the bundle!

As for us, we're off on another great adventure!  Happy sewing, Beauties!!!

~Princess Bee~

20th Boy, Oh Boy, Sew Like My Mom, Sew a Straight Line

21st Made By Sara, Friends Stitched Together, Max California

22nd Just Joshin, Kid Approved, Gracious Threads

23rd Mimi’s Mom, Feather’s Flights, Once Upon a Sewing Machine

24th Handmade Boy, Made By Momma, Bee Quilted Beauties

25th Handcrafted By Red, The Crazy Tailor, Kelly Hogaboom

26th Mae&K, Get Your Crap Together, Lady and the Gents

27th Paisley Roots, The Berry Bunch, Knot Sew Normal, 

 BabyFish Designs, Rebekah Sews, Lady and the Gents

28th Swoodson Says, Petit a Petit, Kelly Hogaboom

29th Beaza & Llama, Shaffer Sisters, Fabulous Home Sewn

Fabric Feature Friday: Art Gallery Cherie by Snickerdoodle Stew

We have a little bit of inspiration for you all this Friday, coming from Jessica of Snickerdoodle Stew!

She is such a talented seamstress and I love what she did with the Art Gallery Cherie fabric.

Jessica made Emory from Izzy & Ivy Designs for her daughter.

I love the way these fabrics all work together and Jessica

really rocked it on this dress! 

The details on this darling dress really give it a special touch.

Cherie can also be used for the guys!!!

Jessica used the Urbanite Pants Pattern from the One Thimble EZine, vol 4.

The pattern has sizes 1-12 AUS and are from Rabbit Rabbit Creations.

I'm loving the details on these pants, which include some great pockets for the boys!

We all know how little boys love collecting things when playing outside.  At least my boy does.  There's no telling what I'll find in his pockets when I do the wash!

I want to say a big thanks to Jessica for sharing these with us.

We love seeing these fabrics come to life!

~Princess Bee~

Bee Inspired: Molly & Me

It's time to Bee Inspired again and this week, we're bringing Molly & Me projects to the craft table!  My daughter loves her AG doll, Molly, and especially loves projects that result in something matching for them.  Here they are in their matching fairy costumes, ready for the Renaissance Festival last spring! (Pattern is a modified Ellie Inspired Butterfly Dreams, I just made the bodice into a pillowcase style.)

 Little girls love playing pretend and especially pretending to be fairies and mermaids!  I found this really cute mermaid tail set on Pinterest and love how cute this girl and her doll are in their mermaid tails!!!

 When you're always on the go, like many families these days, a good backpack is essential for kids to be able to take toys and books for the road.  And when you have an 18" friend joining you, she needs a backpack of her own!  This tutorial is a PDF download to make matching backpacks for girl and doll.

Finally, after a long day, it's nice to kick back in some comfy pajamas.  Here's a great pattern for pajama pants for girls and dolls.  It's quick and simple to make and will put a big smile on any little girl's face!

I have so much fun sewing for Layna and Molly and I hope that you enjoy the tutorials I rounded up today!  And if you have an older girl, she can even help sew some of these projects!  Now go "Bee Inspired" today!

~Princess Bee~

Back to School with Ellie Inspired and Rock the Stitch

I know it's way too hot to be thinking about winter coats, but I just couldn't resist this one!  Ellie Inspired has one that is just darling!!!  The Sweet Pea Coat just has such a classy look and my little darling is wanting less of the ruffles and frills and more of the classy and streamlined.

I will be the first to stand up and say that I am so addicted to anything that Art Gallery Fabrics releases.  For this look, I paired the Emmy Grace with Indelible.  The coat lining and gold on the dress bodice are Emmy Grace, the main print on the dress and the teal on the bodice are from Indelible.  The colors work so well together!

Yep, that's my daughter, twirling in the middle of the street.  Even though she is growing up, she can't resist twirling in a new outfit!  And this coat doesn't fail to impress on the twirl factor!  Instead of buttons on mine, I used a couple frog closures.  They really add a nice touch to the coat.

I really like some of the options available with this coat pattern, such as making it reversible!  I might try that style next.  We do live in Texas and this wool coat is going to be too heavy for most of our mild winter.  But a reversible one in lighter fabrics will be perfect!

The dress is one that I'm definitely planning on making more of!  It's the Fawn Lily from Rock the Stitch and has a lot of great options.  There are two bodice options, overlapping (how I did mine) and button-up.  It has three lengths (tunic and dress, either above or below the knee) and three skirt options (A-line, gathered or pleated).  I did the below the knee A-line for mine because I love the print of the fabric I used and just couldn't see it being gathered up or pleated.

For the back of my bodice, I continued the teal fabric across instead of using the gold from the front.  I like how it came out, almost like a mock bolero.

I had a lot of fun putting this look together for Layna.  And now it's time to start the next project!  This time, my son will be getting something pretty awesome.

~Princess Bee~

Bee Inspired: Backpacks

It's that time of week again!  Stuck in the middle, waiting on the weekend, ready to "Bee Inspired"!!!

This week, we're still looking at stuff for Back to School, so let's check out some of my favorite backpacks around Pinterest!   I've made sure that all of the tutorials I feature on the Bee Inspired posts are free for you, so you can save money for the fabrics and supplies needed for these great projects!

Let's start out with a drawstring backpack, but this one is a little different that all the other drawstring backpacks out there, though!  It's a little more trendy for our little ones heading off to school in the next few weeks.

This tutorial can be found on the Fiskars website.  It's a pretty detailed tutorial and I'm planning on making one of these with my son before our co-op starts.  

Up next, we have two backpacks from the Birch Fabrics website.  

The first one is a favorite of mine!  The Little Hitchhiker Backpack is great for little ones because it doesn't have a drawstring that can get tangled or a zipper that can catch little fingers.

Finally, the Take Flight Knapsack has some really unique twists on it, making it so much fun for little boys!

School is right around the corner!!!  Will your kids stand out in the crowd with one of these awesome backpacks this year?

~Princess Bee~

Bee Inspired: Messenger Bags

We've hit the middle of the week slump and it's time to "bee" inspired!

School is right around the corner, so for my first "Bee Inspired" post, I'm going to link up to some of my favorite messenger bags that I've found on Pinterest.  I've made sure that all of the tutorials I feature on the Bee Inspired posts are free for you, so you can save money for the fabrics and supplies needed for these great projects!

Ladies first!  This tutorial by Yards and Yards includes the instructions for adding a feminine embellishment on the front, perfect for the girly-girls heading back to school!

This messenger bag is perfect for a large floral print, like the fabric she used in hers.  And it's a very simple and straight-forward tutorial that even beginners will have no problem following.

Next, a little something for the guys.  Punkin Pattern put together this rough and rugged messenger bag tutorial and my son would love it!  

This one is a little smaller than most of the other ones I've found, but some simple math can help there!  I just love the design elements she uses, especially the hardware!  

Finally, one that can be made for the guys or the girls.  The Kennedy Bag from Sew Sweetness is one I would make for tweens or teens.  

Everything is in the details with this one, from the front patches to the hardware on the front and sides.  It's a more mature messenger for those kids going into junior high or high school.  

I hope you've been able to find a little inspiration with me today!  Go create!  And be sure to share with us on Facebook!

~Princess Bee~

Business Owning Beauties

We're kicking the week off with one of our hard working Business Owning Beauties!!!  We caught up with Tricia from Two Snuggle Bugs.  Be sure to stop by her Facebook page and show her some love!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's start with a little introduction to who you are, your family, your boutique name, etc.

 My name is Tricia and I'm the owner of Two Snuggle Bugs. My shop is named for my two adorable kids who are my snuggle bugs, my oldest is a boy and my youngest is a girl. We are a military family so we have moved lots and seen lots of great places.

What was the inspiration for you to start your boutique?

 I learned how to sew from my mother at age 8. I didn't have much interest in sewing professionally until I found out I was having my daughter. There were so many great patterns and everything was so cute that I found myself wanting to use my talent for something beyond dressing my kids. It's a mobile career so wherever the Army takes us, I still have employment and if for any reason life gets crazy and I need to step back for a while I can do that.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced since starting a business?

 Becoming CPSC compliant! It's a huge job! Learning the ins and outs of the rules has been a learning curve. It's been worth it though!

What is your favorite thing about being a business owner?

 Seeing the outfits I made with my own two little hands on a customer. It's hugely rewarding and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's been so much fun!

Do you have a favorite item that you are currently selling? 

 I love my princess dresses. They are meant to be played in and worn and loved. I have some customers who have taken them on vacation, worn them for a birthday party, and some who just wear them with leggings to school. Creating a dress that's inspired by the original princess dress has been fun for me! 

What is in store for the future of your boutique?  Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?  10 years?

 I would love to still be sewing and creating in 5 and 10 years, though who knows where I will be at the time! 5 years will find us  retired from a 20 year career with the Army so we'll be settling back into civilian life and getting into a new version of normal. I'm sure Two Snuggle Bugs will still be a huge part of my life. I love that I've been able to take something that I shared with my mom and grandma and been able to build a business from that. I always think of each of them as I sew and I love sending pics to my mom for her opinion. I had no idea when I learned to sew for my dolly that I'd be able to share that with others later on in life. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tricia, thank you for sharing a little bit of your life with us!  We can't wait to see what's in store for your business! 

And a special thank you from us at Bee Quilted Beauties to your husband for his service to our country!  

~Princess Bee~

Back to School with Bee Quilted Beauties: CKC Day 3

It's the final day of our Back to School with CKC posts and to finish up the look I made for Layna, I used the Adele's Ruffled Coat pattern.

I left the front ruffle off on mine, since she's going through this "I'm a big girl and too old for a lot of ruffles" phase.  But the burlap flower (bought from 2 Shabby Chics) is a great touch!  I attached a safety pin on the back of the flower so it can be removed for washing.

I used a hook and eye closure right under the collar, where it's kinda hidden.  That leaves the jacket free to show off the deer on her Sabrina's Top!

This little jacket will be perfect for the cooler Texas nights in the fall!  I'm picturing her wearing this to Fall Festivals and the Pumpkin Patch!  Won't that be darling???

I had a lot of fun putting this outfit together for Layna while we were visiting Nana and Grandpa last week!  Now on to the next project!

~Princess Bee~