Christmas dinner...Great decor ideas for any formal meal

On Christmas, my older sister and I decided we wanted to make a nice dinner for our entire family. 

I love to decorate and do crafts, and my sister loves to cook and bake... So together we make a great team. I got to teach her how to craft and she got to help me in the kitchen with my cooking and baking skills. 

For our theme we decided to go with the rustic winter decor, as I had in the rest of the house. Of course we turned to Pinterest. We found a great name tag idea.. For practically free! Cut some sticks...hot glue and print the names out. One problem we ran into with this simple project was that the sticks were wet, so the hot glue wouldn't keep them together... So we popped them on a cookie sheet and baked them in the oven for a few minutes to dry them out! Walla! We had dry sticks. 

We then cut a lot of branches of fir trees and expanded our table decor down the length of the table. We also cut logs and set candles on them. 

For the silverware and napkins I rolled the napkins, wrapped twine a few times around it...and tucked a cinnamon stick and green twig behind the twine. 

For our food and appetizer table, my friend had just cut down a tree and I saw in the back of her truck a wedge about 6" thick, some used that to add height and dimension. I then added candles, and burlap and wine, cheese, appetizers, and water. 

Christmas Special... Little Girls Dresses...

Merry Christmas Everyone!
As a special for this week, I wanted to share with you some of our Christmas dresses, and a comfy sherpa coat that any girl would love for snowy days!

I love playing with fun sparkly fabrics, that make a little girl want to twirl all day!
So, without further ado... here they are!

Sewing classes for little ones...

In the past month I have started giving sewing classes to 3 and 4 year olds. Generally people would think they are too young, and how would they remember anything?... Well folks, do I have a surprise for you! These girls are young so their minds are fresh, they remember from one week to the next what they have been taught! I was surprised on their second class to see them doing everything I taught them the week before. 

Repetition is what these little ones need, but with that repetition comes the skill that they will never forget. At this point they are learning right sides together, pinning, cutting, back stitch and holding the fabric on their own as it goes thru the machine. We are pressing the pedal so they can learn everything else, and as they grow taller, they will be able to learn multitasking! 

It's a joy to teach these children and see them so excited about every class, and so excited when just one seam gets sewn. 

So I encourage you all to start teaching your little ones skills early in life! They love it 😄 and you will learn from them! 

Chair slipcovers and Cushions

As winter comes, Bella Jean moves from altering lots of wedding gowns, to sewing cushions and slipcovers. We love to take our customers drab pieces of furniture and make them brand new! 

Here are a few that we've done lately... 

BEFORE:

DURING:

COMPLETE:

FAUX LEATHER CUSHIONS:

OUTDOOR CUSHIONS:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

DIY Bulletin Board

Hello everybody!  Yes I'm back to the blogging world- I will be keeping you posted at least once a week from now on!

I wanted to share with you this really easy project that makes any out dated bulletin board fit your room style! 

Here are the materials used: 

Bulletin board (Joann's -$3)

Fabric - 1/2 yd- $4

Thumbtacks- $2

Stapler and staples

Start with trimming your fabric to size...

Next put the fabric wrong side facing board. Then put a couple starter staples in one long end...

Then pull tightly on the other end and staple 

Once the long ends are stapled firmly- pull from side to side and staple the short ends. Be sure to keep staples on all end a couple inches away from each corner. 

Now to do the corners, pull the corner of the fabric in over the point of the corner of the board. Staple.

Then fold one flap over the corner and then the other flap. It should look like this

Trim your fabric and turn the board right side up.

Now measure and mark where you want your tacks and push them in! 

Finished! 

Heirloom Christmas Party Dresses...

The last couple of weeks we have been sewing up some Christmas party dresses. The thing I loved about both the styles we made, was that they were heirloom dresses. What I mean by that is, they have unique details that you would see on a lot of dresses in the olden days.

Pintucks on the bodice, with hand embroidery over top, dupioni silk, flat piping on the collar, sleeves and bodice, and buttons down the back instead of a zipper.

On the second dress, we made it of a chiffon bodice, with elegant long sleeves, and a cuff with lace and buttons. The collar is edged in the same lace as a the cuff, and the buttons down the center front complete the look. The skirt is made of a suiting material that has a rose velvet print over top.

All the details on these dresses display a vintage look, that is appealing to the modern eye.

Portland Adventures...

On Friday morning at 7am Victoria, my mom and I started our trip down to Portland, OR. Yes, we were going to Fabric Depot again (and some other fabric stores). 
Our first stop was EE Schenk. This is a wholesaler's warehouse full of all sorts of fabrics, notions, and patterns for sewing and quilting. 

EE Schenck

 After about an hour we met up with Cherie and some other friends and all ventured off together to the Fabric Depot. For the next couple of hours we gathered all sorts of fabrics and trims. We went with quite a long list for specific jobs but also got extra fabric for some children's clothing. We found everything we needed which was quite a relief! Next we headed to the Taylor's for a scrumptious lunch in the sun!

Fabric Depot

Lots of Elastic Lace

 After some of the ladies took off back home, we decided to take a walk along the boardwalk with our sister Naomi and Faith. On a sunny day this is definitely a "must do" in Portland. It was so beautiful! We stopped at a little ice-cream shop and got a double-scoop ice-cream cone. If you want a full portion of ice-cream this is the place to go. Their scoops were huge! I couldn't even finish it. Later we went out to dinner with Sarah then to another friend's house for games...

By the River in Portland

Delicious Ice Cream!

mmm...

 We rested up on Saturday and went fabric shopping again. This time we went to the Mill End first...if you are looking for a wide variety of silks, brocades, wools, jean and homespun fabrics, this is the place to go! Then we went to Fabric Depot again...(we just can't get enough of it!)

The Mill End

The Mill End

 Later we went to a cupcake shop and out to coffee with Elena. It was so nice to be able to fabric shop with a wide variety, and to spend time with our friends in Portland...

Ver, Elena, Vic

The Ride Home