Whoa Sassy! 2nd Honeymoon Apron & Man-Thong

Yes, I cannot believe that I just wrote "Man-Thong" on my blog, but there it is. Someone gave me the idea to make a matching outfit as a bridal shower gift instead of just lingerie for the woman. I actually think it turned out cute, matching and all. :) My brother ordered black for his fiancee, little did he know that I'd throw in something extra for him. He was a great sport and we all enjoyed laughing together. This is not a gift that just anyone would appreciate. My husband was brave enough to model the outfit with me. Thanks, baby. The easiest thing about this project is that I use ribbon for all the ties (especially useful on the man's clothing).

To Dad: Memories in the Kitchen

This is a post to my Dad. I can remember so many times being in the kitchen with him. He loves to cook, to experiment, and is never afraid to try something new. I got that from him. Every Sunday I still say, "so what are we going to bake today?" Sunday was always baking day. Often that meant that Dad would mix the cookies and I would stay in the kitchen for the next 3 hours to bake them, thanks Dad, but I loved it.

One time I decided to make a nice dinner for the family. We were going to have fish. Well, I'd never made fish myself and I probably should have watched someone cook it before I tried. I hate bones in fish, so I saved time by taking out the bones while cooking. That meant I had to chop it all up; the sea bass was served "mashed style." I can still remember the look on my Dad's face. He looked at the pan and kind-of squinted his eyes and had a smirk on his face that said, "oh, that's cute and looks really gross." Yes, not your typical fish meal. Out of courtesy of my making it for them, they did try it. I'm sure there were leftovers.

With my Dad, bigger is better. If you're going to make 3 dozen sweet rolls, you might as well make 6 while you're at it. I still have this mentality. I love it because it means I get to share with neighbors and friends. That's what cooking is about, sharing the love. My Dad was always good at that. No matter what we made, we were always taking something to someone.

I was always amazed at how many pots and pans and wisks and bowls and sheets my Dad could control at once. He is a kitchen multi-tasker. Men in general don't do well at multi-tasking. But when it comes to cooking, my Dad is a pro. I remember wondering if I'd ever be able to remember how to control the burn factor of so many things at once. It has been a fun learning process.

Whenever we talk on the phone, the first thing we usually say is "what did you make for dinner?" or "have you made anything fun?" We email and share recipes all the time and enjoy trying to get each other to make a new recipe 1st. The only downfall to these conversations is that I can't say, "can I borrow a cup of sugar?" because my Dad lives several states away.

His passion for experimenting in the kitchen has been passed to me. It's something I get giddy about. Having the kitchen piled high in dirty dishes with delicious food on the table and in the gut is the best night.

Dad, thanks for letting me do the dishes with you. Even though you made the rinse water scalding, I cherish that time in the kitchen.

I promised something new...THE DEANNA APRON

My mom-in-law has given me lots of hints to what colors and purposes she wanted an apron. Details were: black, white, and yellow and it's hanging on the wall. I had no idea going into this that making an apron to specifically "hang" was much different than making one to wear. I felt more pressure thinking of it as a decoration item than a piece of clothing. Interesting experience and cute apron.

This one was really fun to make and is an original pattern. I love the ruffles on the pocket and the fabric flower. The flower is detachable so the apron can be laundered. It's a hang dry only because I don't think the ribbon strips across the front will like heat. And don't you LOVE the lemon fabric!? Too much fun to pass up.

For kicks, this is what it looks like on.

Such a good advertisement spot in the kitchen!

I love fabric flowers. Easy to make and the perfect pizaaz to an apron.

Regular jeans are going to start having ruffle pockets because they are so CUTE.

Under Construction

Hello readers. Sorry about the disarray, but I'm attempting to make a cooler blog. Hopefully it will be finished soon with a black and white lemon apron (Deanna Apron) along with the "Ty Apron."

P.S. I am going to start selling aprons. I will take orders for specific colors and styles. This would be a great time to start thinking of Christmas and Bridal shower gifts. Enjoy your aprons!!

Garden Apron

I am growing a garden right now. It is such a fun and rewarding experience, besides the weeds. It is something that takes good work with pretty immediate rewards. I love to have the kids work with me. We plant a seed, it grows, and they know where our food comes from.

As I was out there working, I kept wiping my wet hands on my clothes. I knew I needed a Garden Apron. I copied the top neck-line of the Lotta Apron but then the arm holes and sides are different - not so close to the armpits and not wrapping all the way around your back. I added a pocket with the cutest little ball trim ever! I'll be using more of that stuff in the future!

This apron also looks cute with the ties going around the waist twice and tied in back. The pocket really is the key to the usefulness of this apron.

Long Cafe Apron

I've been wanting to make a long cafe apron with a wide band. Here it is. I love the combos of fabric here. Be adventurous in your experimenting. I found the bottom piece and loved it. I think it was the perfect accent for this apron. Follow the same intructions for the regular cafe apron, however cut the waist band twice as wide. As for the body pieces, cut two that equal the length of the bottom and then sew them all together. Fit the whole apron together the same as the typical cafe apron. This apron fits more at your natural waist then at your hips.

Lotta Apron

This was a fun apron to make. I've decided I really like reversible aprons, they're so clean looking after you're finished. There is no unfinished edge. They are also much easier than they appear. Sewing two basically finished aprons together just takes a couple of pins and some edge stitching, nothing to sweat about. If you need cheering on, just ask, I'll gladly give it.

I love love love the neck line of this apron. When I saw it, I immediately knew that I'd be making this one. I love the little pleat on the top of the body where the neck ties connect. Such a good idea.

The other reason I love this apron is the embroidery. I hadn't done embroidery on anything before. I loved doing it! It was such a relaxing activity. I'm definitely going to be doing more one future things.

This comes from a book by Lotta Jansdotter. Thus, this is the Lotta Apron. This was a friend's book she purchased from Borders. It comes with the pattern pieces for the apron. It has so many other cute ideas in it as well. I recommend it for everybody.

The back of the apron wraps all the way around and I really like that it's a little bit shorter than other aprons. It covers you're entire body. It will be a great baking apron!

Here's both sides. So cute!