Rainbows in Wonderland

Dots.

2012-01-30T17:32:00.002-07:00

How amazing is this shirt from Jcrew?

I just about died when I saw it. It was $100 freaking bucks though, so that ridded my option of buying it.

Instead I decided to just make my own.

I based the shirt off of Butterick's B5049 dress pattern. It was super simple to adapt though. I basically just followed the original pattern but cut it hip length and made the A-line cut a little less prominent.

Then I added an exposed zipper down the back because I'm kind of obsessed at the moment. I wasn't expecting it to serve a purpose at all but I'm actually really glad I put it in because it makes the shirt a lot easier to slip on over my head.

So all in all, I saved about $80 bucks making my own version. I'd say that's reason to go shopping. :)

Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Men.

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Who says Gingerbread houses are only for Christmas?

All About Your Heart.

2012-01-24T22:00:00.002-07:00

So I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of obsessed with Valentine's Day.

I don't know what it is, there's just something about it that makes me happy.

And no it's definitely not the flowers and box of chocolates that I'm expecting from a boyfriend. ha that's definitely not it. (Though if any guys are reading this. I wouldn't object or anything. ;)

No, it's the whole atmosphere that I like.
That's why I'm starting my Valentine's Day sewing projects like three weeks in advance.

More time to celebrate!
These are oven mitts by the way, via the Queen of all things Holiday.

They are kind of like really poorly sewn but I guess that's what I get for following a Martha Stewart tutorial. I swear her things NEVER turn out as good as they look in the pictures.

Oh well it's the thought that counts right? And my mama will appreciate these no matter how bad they look.

What's your favorite holiday?

Spotted.

2012-01-22T15:15:00.002-07:00

Thanks to the lovely Lizzie over at Cotton and Curls for the fabulous tutorial used to make this skirt.

In fact I loved her skirt so much, I decided to use the same fabric and everything. ha hopefully she won't be bugged about that.

If I look different, it's probably because my hair is brown. I sort of hate it. ha but oh well, it's fun to change it up every once in a while.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Changes.

2012-01-13T12:32:00.003-07:00

Well hi everyone, remember me?

Probably not since it's been like MONTHS since I've last posted. Sorry about that. I've been.. busy I guess you could say. ha but I'm back now for good.

This skirt is the latest thing I've been working on. Just a simple pencil skirt.

I used McCalls M5817 and black corduroy fabric.

Pencil skirts are always nice, I love how they dress up anything. Plus to be blunt, I like the way this one fits my booty. ha so I'm sure I'll be wearing it a lot.

Happy Friday everyone!

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.

2011-10-31T16:07:00.007-06:00

Brownie points for anyone who can guess what I am..

(I'm a bat! haha, I'm not sure if it's obvious or not.)

This costume was SO easy to make. I just took black felt and boning and made bat wings out of it, and then sewed them onto a black hoodie. Not the fanciest thing ever but it is both warm and comfy, so I'm sold.

And it's kind of cool because the boning helps hold up my sleeve so it makes it look like I have two arms! ha, or two wings I guess I should say.

I hope everyone has fun trick-or-treating/partying/handing out candy tonight. I will be thinking of how much fun you're having while I am sitting in CLASS. Seriously though, I am so bugged out of my mind. I'm hoping if I wear my costume, my teacher will give me extra credit or something. ha, I probably shouldn't count on it though.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Just Can't Get Enough.

2011-10-17T21:36:00.001-06:00

Ok so I don't know if it's cheating to say that I made this or not, since all I had to do was basically add an elastic waist. But I really liked how it turned out so I'm posting it anyways.

My attempt was to mimic this skirt so after finding fabric in the EXACT SAME COLOR, I was pretty much pumped for life.
My only regret is that I should have made it a bit bigger but with how easy it was to make, heck I could make one in every single size if I wanted!

In other news, school is pretty much kicking my booty and I've kind of reached the point where I'm just so over it. Soo if anyone wants to take my Philosophy test for me next Monday just let me know.
:)

Have a great week everyone!

Boomboxin' It.

2011-09-25T14:36:00.003-06:00

New Skirt!

I know it's kind of hard to see the details but it has a button-up front and a pleated waist.
I'm kind of obsessed with this pattern, I've used it like three times now. ha

This entire skirt cost me like $10 dollars to make. Just sayin.
It pays to learn how to sew my friends. :)

A Spoonful of Sugar.

2011-09-17T18:50:00.003-06:00

I have way too much fun making these things.

Happy Birthday Sadie!

By the way, I wanted to apologize for my lack of posting lately. I've started college and the workload is somewhat driving. me. insane. I've gone from being able to sew whenever to only sewing when I can fit it in. Gahh, Boo all you college professors making my life difficult. I did finish one skirt though so I'm hoping to be back sometime this week!

Have a lovely weekend everyone. If you missed it, you should check out Christian Siriano's Spring 2012 collection. and Jill Stuart's. and Rebecca Minkoff's. Just because they were amazing and worthy of posting all over the internet. :)

Strawberry Sherbet.

2011-08-27T15:18:00.004-06:00

K first of all, if your name is Angie and you are pregnant, you need to stop reading this now!!!

Ok now that we've gotten that out of the way,

My older sister (Angie) is pregnant with her first! And she's having a girl. So of course I'm taking this opportunity to make baby clothes.

I decided to make this dress after seeing a really similar one at Nordstrom and not wanting to pay the $40 price tag. I also wasn't much a fan of the 3-tone color palette so I decided I'd just make my own.

I used Simplicity 2460 and then just made a few tweaks here and there. For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, the dress probably looks similar to the swimsuit I made for my other niece. I hope they don't mind matching! ;)

Have a good weekend everyone!

The Things we do.

2011-08-14T18:50:00.006-06:00

I made another dress! (someday I'll branch out and make shorts or 
something I swear.)





















For the record, I'm feeling reeeally self conscious putting these pictures up since the dress doesn't have sleeves. I seriously NEVER wear sleeveless (as seen evident in my face.. ha 
and in the fact that I got a major farmer's tan going on.) But I wanted to show you guys the dress so I had to sacrifice my dignity. 























I used Vogue 1237 and Newlook 6723. Bits and pieces of both. 
Originally I was going to have a tulle underlayer but tulle is 
scratchy and uncomfortable so I nixed that idea. I still think it 
would have been cute though.









Much better. :)



{}

 





In other news, im officially legal now! As of Wednesday, I'm 18 years old. Which in the state of Utah basically means I can buy dry ice.. ha but 
it's still kind of cool to say!



(And no this isn't my birthday party, but I loved it too much not to pretend like it was. :)

Did you do anything fun/crazy/exciting when you turned 18?

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest.

2011-08-03T08:00:00.013-06:00

Some of you may remember the last time I entered Shabby Apple's Dare to Design contest. Well I figured I would enter in again this year.

I'm entering in the dress I drafted for senior ball, so I apologize in advance since this post will be a repeat for some of you.. Don't hate me. :)

(Say hi to my friend Natalia! She made her dress too. No I'm not joking you, she's amazing I know.)

The top of the dress would be composed of two layers, first an off-white soft satin for the sweetheart bodice and then a floral lace overlay with cap sleeves. The dress would have a high waist and an exposed gold zipper down the back, with the satin fabric being an underlining for the skirt as well.

And of course it would adhere to Shabby Apple's dress design standards. No cleavage poking out or anything. (That is if I had any cleavage. I'm not too blessed in that area unfortunately.)

(Inspiration)

Wish me luck!

Gigi.

2011-07-18T08:15:00.003-06:00

I made another dress! Floral (of course :) with a V-neck and NON-pointy shoulders. I don't know why but the sleeves look really pointy for some reason? So just try and ignore that. haha

Sorry for the poor picture quality by the way. My camera was stolen in Paris (true story) and unfortunately my $20 eBay substitute is giving me CRAP. Ugh, so in the mean time while I'm saving up my mula, let's just pretend that these photos are supposed to look like that. (Also in the mean time, if anyone wants to give me a new camera, totally feel free! Really I wouldn't mind at all!)

I used Simplicity 8881. It's a 60s pattern so I'm kind of in love with it. Seriously I may have screamed a little when I found it. I didn't realize there was a front zipper at first but I totally love that so it was a good surprise.

Next I'm thinking about making the killer bellbottom one piece on the right.

haha really though, how awesome would that be?

Roman Holiday.

2011-07-13T14:48:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the absence! I've been away,

Seeing wonders of the world.

Realizing how crazily decadent Marie Antoinette was.

Visiting the sights. (Maybe one too many. ;)

eating french macaroons.

Some were winners,

others not so much. (Please just look at my mom's face. hahaha)

Enjoying time together.

and so wishing I could bring this bad boy home with me.

Paris and Italy, you've been good to me.

Sweet Surprise.

2011-06-19T15:35:00.001-06:00

(Translation)

Hey Mr. ATKINSON,

YORK the best POP in the whole MILKY WAY. When life takes me down SOUR PATCH(ES), I can count on you to be my LIFESAVER. You SKOR high points as a dad, especially with that SNICKER of yours. I wish I could take you on a shopping SPREE on 5TH AVENUE but they don't have Lowes there because they are LEMON HEADS. I hope you have a ~~100~~ GRAND Father's day POP. I love you so MUNCH.

Love, Haylee

Here's wishing every father out there a very happy Father's day!

Titles Aren't Really my Forté..

2011-06-14T22:30:00.015-06:00

but that doesn't matter because I made some earrings! :)

They're simple, but that's how I like them.
For those that are wondering, yes they are supposed to be opposites of each other. haha, I'm not losing my mind I swear.

We've Known That Sooner or Later.

2011-06-11T12:45:00.003-06:00

I just finished my very first T-shirt quilt.
If you don't know what a T-shirt quilt is, well, it's a quilt made out of T-shirts! ha so pretty self explanatory.

I made one using shirts from different sports teams, school activities, family vacations.. basically all the shirts that usually end up as pajama shirts.

I like how many memories this quilt has, but at the same time, it's driving me crazy how crinkled it looks. Ugh, It's because of the way it was quilted together. I was persuaded into using the "meandering technique" instead of just simple squares and now I totally regret it.

..Oh well. At least I'll never feel like I have to iron it now.

Pretty Pictures.

2011-06-04T22:02:00.001-06:00

So apparently when you graduate, people send you presents!

Something I wasn't aware of but I'm down with the idea.

So I've been making thank you cards/envelopes for the lovely family and friends who were awesome and sent me something.

I can't take credit for the Polaroid cards. Aren't they so sweet though? You can buy them here.

The envelopes are made from old Anthro magazines. (Of course)

Considering that I sent these to people like my grandma, I wonder what their reaction to them will be. I love the pictures of course but I could totally see my aunts being like "..what the random pomegranate?" ha. Oh well, I love them so I'm sending them anyway.

The Rest of our Lives.

2011-05-27T16:30:00.010-06:00

I'm done with high school!
Heck to the YES!
(Ignore the fact that half my family has their eyes closed. We're just really photogenic, that's all.)

I have lots of pictures, but they basically all look the same- with my killer shoulder pads taking up most of the picture. So I'll spare you the others and use Facebook to post them instead.
...
(Did I mention I was done with high school?)

Bow Ties and Ball Gowns.

2011-05-15T00:53:00.007-06:00

I made a dress for my Senior Ball last night.

I designed and drafted the pattern so this dress was quite a project.

(It's the sketch on the far right P.S.)

I really like how it turned out though, despite the lace being really hard to work with at times.

For those who were wondering, this is the lace I was pumped to find in New York last month.

Ya pretty sure I need to marry a pilot or something, so he can fly me there whenever I need new fabric.

Me and my cute date.

Senior Ball was a total blast by the way. Josh may just be my favorite person ever. He was seriously so fun to go with and was such a gentlemen the entire night. Pretty sure I didn't touch a door handle once.

The group I was in was also really fun. None of you will probably ever read this but in the case that you do, you all rock!
(Yes I'm talking to you Marshall and Tayler.)

Thanks Josh for such a wonderfully incredible night!

We're on a First Name Basis.

2011-04-23T16:50:00.004-06:00

I made some bunny finger puppets for my nieces and nephews,
for their Easter baskets tomorrow. (Don't even worry, the Easter bunny hooks me up for helping out.)

Not going to lie, I've had way too much fun playing with these things.

I got the idea from this blog.
(Though you really shouldn't click over because mine aren't nearly as cute as hers are.)

Happy Easter everyone!

Apple of My Eye.

2011-04-18T17:53:00.017-06:00

This past week I traveled to New York City with the Fashion Design program at my school.

We toured FIT and Parsons.

Saw Phantom of the Opera. (Soo good.)

Visited a few different designers. This guy was amazing, but totally knew it. ha, don't they all?

This lady owned her own hat shop in Soho. The shop was the cutest thing ever, filled to the brim with all different sorts of books and custom hats. I totally loved her. She was so eccentric and positive about life.

Shopping at Mood! I ended up finding some incredible lace fabric which I'm pumped about.

Oh and speaking of Project Runway, I didn't get a picture of this but I totally ran into Gretchen (from season 8) on the street! She was walking her dog and the minute I looked at her, I said "Hey your.." and she smiled and started booking it. ha, she obviously loves being recognized.

By the end of it I was tired and ready to come home, but now I wish I was back! Isn't that always how it is? Oh well, hopefully in two years time I will be.

Sunny Sailor.

2011-04-14T15:16:00.002-06:00

Remember when I designed this?

Well, I made it!

A lovely reader, Sarah asked me if I'd be interested in making it for her and of course I said yes.

I based the dress off of this pattern but drafted ruched sleeves, raised the scooped neckline and changed the design of the tie.

The fabric I found isn't exactly the color I was hoping for but I'm trying to not let my perfectionist tendencies get the better of me. :)

I hope you like it Sarah!

Time Warp.

2011-04-06T20:10:00.010-06:00

Last Friday was MORP at my school.

For those that don't live in Utah.. or Provo for that matter, MORP is a girls choice dance similar to Sadie Hawkins. (The name is PROM spelled backwards. Despite it sounding like some kind of time machine or something, haha that's what it always makes me think of.)

The theme was "Ugly Prom", which explains the poofy, red dress and the running shoes.

I always hate girls choice dances because I'm so bad at "putting myself out there" like that. But I'm so glad I got the nerve to ask Thomas. He was such a fun date and a blast to spend time with.
After we took these pictures (thanks to Rachel and her dad!), we went to Carraba's for dinner and then to the dance. It was fun to finally go to a dance as a senior. I felt so old looking around and seeing no grades older than me.

After the dance, we went to my friend's clubhouse and played games and had shakes. It was such a fun night and I am so glad I went.
I never thought I'd say this but I'm really going to miss high school. All the kids at my school are seriously so freaking awesome. It's going to be weird not seeing the majority of them again.

Have an amazing week everyone!

Up to Par.

2011-03-16T17:36:00.003-06:00

I made a cake for my brother's birthday today.
He likes to golf so I went with that theme.

Coconut grass, Vanilla Wafers for the sand, white golf ball sized candies, and a Fruit by the Foot flag.

I officially don't give The Cake Boss enough credit. haha, seriously decorating a cake is a lot harder than it looks. I had fun though.

The idea came from this lovely website. (Yes it's a parenting website.. don't judge me.)

Happy Birthday Bry!

Let Me Sleep on it.

2011-03-11T19:05:00.004-07:00

I made another pillow for my room.

Yes I realize I've made like a million. haha bare with me here.

It's just that this fabric matched my room better and it has a zipper. So it's super duper fancy and stuff. ;)

I'm realizing that I am addicted to florals, stripes, and making pillows.

Who Me?

2011-03-09T18:25:00.004-07:00

A while ago, the incredible Jihee over at The Soaktree awarded me with a stylish blogger award! Of course I couldn't be more flattered. Thank you so much Jihee!

Now I am supposed to tell you all 7 random facts about myself and nominate 7 bloggers who I think are award worthy. Here we go..

1. When I type, I use the caps lock key to type uppercase letters. (Most people use the shift key.) It's completely ridiculous that I do it that way, because it just makes my life more complicated. But I got into the habit of doing it when I first learned to type and the habit stuck.

2. I will be here, here, or here at this time next year. (Scary)

3. I'm kind of in love/obsessed with peanut butter. Only exception is that it has to be crunchy and it has to be the natural stuff. Then I'm sold.

4. I use my foot to clip my fingernails. That sounds so weird.. I'll have to show you guys how I do it sometime.

5. I listen to podcasts while I do my make-up. My favorites include Stuff You Should Know, Stuff Mom Never Told You, and ModTV Fashion Network.

6. I'm currently participating in a one handed study. They pay me in Amazon gift cards. Score!

7. I'm pretty much obsessed with this line at the moment.

Um ya, Mr. Saab? I'll take one of each thanks.

Ellie, Amy, Lynn, Gemma, Madeleine, Alyssa, Chelsea, McKann, Emily,

You've officially been tagged!

That being said, absolutely no pressure to reciprocate. :)

Lookin' Blue Buttercup.

2011-03-01T16:45:00.002-07:00

My latest project.

Basically this turned out to be a nightmare of a dress. I finished the entire thing only to realize that the bodice was huuge on me. Ugh.
Apparently it's a really dumb idea to guesstimate your measurements.
Who knew?

Anyways, my options were to either redo the top and pretty much start from the beginning, Or just throw the dress in the trash..

I chose the latter. :)

Luckily my mom had more compassion than I did and persuaded me to give it another chance.

Moral of the story: take accurate measurements !

*I used Newlook 6723 for those that are interested.*

Candy Hearts.

2011-02-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

How pretty are these free Valentine candy bar wrappers from Nice Package?

I paired them with the pink striped Valentine printable from Paperbox Press and made little Valentine treat bags for my familita.

Free stuff makes me happy.

Happy Valentine's day everyone!

Paper Hearts.

2011-02-06T17:06:00.027-07:00

Valentines day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I always get so excited when conversation hearts and Valentine cards start popping up in stores.

This year, in lieu of the Valentines spirit going around, I decided to make some Valentines.

I only had white cardstock available hence the monochromatic color scheme.

Envelopes to match.

I used Free People and Anthropologie catalogs, so the pictures might look familiar to some of you.

My favorite is the pop-up card. It's like a burst of love! :)

And of course, I had to get a stitch in somewhere. :)
(The pink striped card is available for a free download here.)

I'm Late.

2011-01-15T21:38:00.006-07:00

You know what I've realized lately? I care too much about what people think. I know, that sounds so cliche but it's the truth. I've realized this after receiving an anonymous comment on my last post that made me feel bad and honestly, it shouldn't have. It was a silly thing really, wasn't even rude but I can't help but feel embarrassed about it. It was just a simple comment, saying how small my room was and how I needed a bigger one, and I've been sitting here feeling sad and embarrassed about it all night. And you know what I've realized? I'm being completely ridiculous! Why do I care? Honestly why do I care. I have always loved my room and have even had an opportunity to move into a bigger one, but I've chosen to stay put. Why? Because I love my room. I love that it is small. It feels cozy and familiar to me. I love that it's been mine since I was little. I love that it feels like me. And now I find myself questioning myself just because of a stupid little comment. Ridiculous.

So I'm going to set a New Years goal. I know I'm a bit late, I wasn't originally going to share them on my blog. But I thought it might help me stay accountable. So here it goes.

1. In light of that comment that ended up having such an effect on me, I'm going to set a goal to care less what others think. Not in a "screw the world, I do what I want" sort of way but in a way that says "Haylee, YOU know what you like, so just stick with that."

2. Sew more. Though this one can pretty much go unsaid.

3. Do something for someone else every single day. It doesn't have to be extravagant nor does it have to be a huge deal. Just something that would make someone smile.

4. Be more creative with my hair. And more specifically, learn how to braid my own hair. Yes I realize I am probably the only 18 year old on the planet who can't yet do this. I'm missing half my fingers, give me a break. :)

{}

5. Be more spontaneous. I tend to want to stick to a schedule for everything I do, and I want to work on being less rigid about things.

6. Visit Paris.

7. Finish off my senior year with a 4.0. Two more semesters to go.

8. Hold a tea party. Vintage china, french macaroons, hot chocolate, elaborate cake holders and a quaint, personable setting. Anyone want to come? :)

{}

What are some of your New Years resolutions?

My Space {Round 2}.

2011-01-13T19:13:00.014-07:00

I decided to redo my room. My old one was definitely starting to feel too young and I have been in need of an update.

My favorite part of the room has to be the chandelier. I got it from this incredible vintage shop by my house and was pumped to find it still worked well.

The pictures don't do it justice but it really is pretty I promise.

The candle burn mark I made on my dresser still has yet to be painted over, so apologies for the ghetto-ness.

The duvet is from Urban Outfitters and I made the floral/striped throw pillow.

I used the same tutorial that I used here. It's my favorite. it literally takes twenty minutes from start to finish.

Does anyone else have a ridiculously fun time decorating bulletin boards?

Happy, Happy print available for purchase here. I <3 Utah print (top left corner) available for purchase here.

I like Etsy, can you tell? :)

I am absolutely in love with this magazine. It is Australian based so it costs a pretty penny to get subscribed to here in the US. But I made SURE to grab a copy while I was there. Now I just have to make it last me as long as I can.. haha.

And that's it! If you're still reading I officially owe you cookies for making it this far. :)

What does your room look like?

Let's Play Tag.

2011-01-03T08:16:00.067-07:00

Hi everyone! How was your Christmas holiday? Mine was excellent except for the fact that it's now 7:30 AM and I have been up all night long. Gotta love jet lag huh? Nonetheless, I'm in high spirits because Ashley from The Fabulous Life of Fastle completely surprised me by including me in her top 10 favorite blogs of 2010! Yes I'm being serious, biggest freaking compliment ever! Thanks so much Ashley, you don't even know how good that made me feel.

I also have been tagged by the beautiful Mikayla to answer the following questions:

1. Video or board game? Board game for sure. Nothing beats a round of Scattergories. Unless I read this wrong and you meant video and not video game. Then I'd choose a video. :)

2. Who is the person you admire most? {I'm going to tweak the question and not choose just one, because that's too hard!} I admire artistic people. People who are creative enough to come up with something completely original and entirely their own. I aspire to be one of those people.

3. Favorite song of the moment? Coin Laundry by Lisa Mitchell. Both she and that song are completely adorable.

4. If you had to give people one reason why they should read your blog what would it be? Hm, good question. I guess that I'm unique.

5. What would be more fun, painting a picture or taking (photographing) one? Taking one! Photography is definitely a skill that I would love to get better at.

6. What is your worst pet peeve?
When people are rude to others out of enjoyment or are judgemental before getting to know someone. Oh and when my fingernails are long. (which creates a problem because trimming fingernails with one hand is somewhat challenging.)

7. What is your least favorite thing about being a girl? Having to be the one to give birth and not being able to go to the bathroom standing up. :)

8. What's the one thing you would change in the world if you had unlimited supplies? Remember just one. I am having the most difficult time answering this question for some reason. So I'm going to pull a Miss Congeniality on you and say World Peace. haha

That was fun! Thanks for tagging me Mikayla. :)
Now I tag Ashley, Mikayla, Kayla, Lauren, Beth Ann, Alli and anyone else who wants to jo
in in on the fun:

1. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone and/or computer screen?
2. Where is your very favorite place in the world?
3. What is your favorite TV show?
4. What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?
5. You are given $100 to spend on any one thing, what do you buy?
6. What are your top 3 favorite websites?
7. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
8. What was the last thing you bought?

If you tag yourself, please comment! I want to hear your answers.

This Little Piggy.

2010-12-18T20:08:00.002-07:00

For Christmas, I made my niece some little bath puppets.

These were so incredibly easy to make. I got the pattern and idea from the Martha Stewart website and seriously an hour later they were done.
One tip for anyone who wants to make them. The website says to just use a zig-zag stitch around the puppets, but I tried that like three times and the fabric was fraying like crazy. So instead I used the overlock-like stitch that is found on most sewing machines and it worked much better.
In other exciting news, I'm out for Christmas break! Well, technically I have school next week but I'm going out of town so I won't be there. Wa hoo! Which reminds me,
What are some of your favorite movies and/or TV shows? I have a really long flight ahead of me next week and I need some ideas to keep me ~~from going crazy~~ entertained. I love documentaries especially so if you have any recommendations, please speak up!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Polka Dotted Teacups.

2010-12-12T19:05:00.002-07:00

I've been going apron crazy lately.

I've been making a bunch for my mom who in turn pays me so she can use them for wedding presents. Pretty good routine we've got going on huh?

I'm in love with the teacup fabric.

I might just have to keep one of those for myself.

I also used one of the apron's for the handmade gift Christmas swap going on over at Craftaholics Anonymous.

I love both giving gifts and receiving packages so there was no way I was going to miss out!
Erica, I hope you enjoyed your part of the swap. :)

Pinecones and Holly Berries.

2010-11-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

I made myself a Christmas quilt!

and in case you can't tell, it's huge.

My mom had to stand on top of a ladder to hold it up.

haha she looks like she's enjoying herself doesn't she?

I used red minky fabric for the back so it's nice and cozy for the cold Utah weather.
Not going to lie, this quilt has made me really excited for Christmas!

What's your favorite holiday?

Getting Down to Basics.

2010-11-19T17:37:00.007-07:00

I've been needing a knee-length denim skirt for way too long, and the mall always leaves me with two options, micro-mini style or size extra large. (Don't you just wish you were tall?)

So after many shopping attempts, It dawned on me that I knew how to sew!

It's surprising how long that thought takes to register sometimes.

My denim skirt in all it's glory. I used this pattern for all who are interested.

In other incredibly exciting news, I was featured on this lovely ladies blog today! Can you believe it? I think I jumped out of my seat with excitement when I saw it. Beth Ann, you have got to be the sweetest person EVER. I still can't stop smiling about it.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone. :)

Candy Corn & Cobwebs.

2010-10-31T19:18:00.006-06:00

Happy Halloween!
Do you like my brothers festive house? My sister-in-law is pretty much a creative genius.

I made this costume last year.. but Halloween snuck up on me and I never made something new. So round two candy corn it is!

Good thing candy corn are the bomb.com

This Little Penny.

2010-10-17T19:32:00.004-06:00

As a sewing blog follower, I run into a lot of Mom blogs. It's not a bad thing, it just makes me wish I had a daughter to make cute dresses for. :)
Now don't pull out the birth control on me just yet- I'm not married, nor am I crazy. But this is where nieces and nephews come in handy!

The creative genius behind this idea was Dana from Made whose butter cream yellow version made my heart flutter.
Is that weird?
... Moving on.

When I realized I'd be doing it without a pattern, I thought I was in waay over my head, but it turned out to not be so bad.

All it took was some patience, a few stretch needles and voila! One cute little redhead.

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

2010-10-14T14:12:00.002-06:00

Shabby Apple is holding a design contest that I thought I'd take a chance at. Bare with me, I'm a novice at drawing. But if you know me well at all, you know that I can't not enter a contest.

My first dress. The fabric would be knit with a color block design palette. The skirt and bow would be either mustard yellow or gray. (Which color palette do you like better?) and the top would have navy blue stripes with ruched sleeves. The back neckline of the dress would have a slight V-neck, but not to low so it would still fit Shabby Apple's design standards.

For my second dress, I kind of struggled with putting my design down on paper. The sketch isn't my favorite but hopefully my idea will still show through. I wanted the dress to be really feminine looking. I love the idea of texture so I pictured the ruffles to be made of all sorts of fabrics. (lace, chiffon or silk chiffon, tulle, and satin). It would have 5 or 6 ruffles, each about 1 to 2 inches in length. This dress would gather a bit lower than the natural waist and the top would have an asymmetrical neckline. I'd want a stiffer fabric for the top as well, maybe cotton or polyester. Some sort of sturdier fabric to balance out the softness of the bottom. The colors would be creamy and soft. White, off-white, beige, cream, ivory and pale pink.

This dress was inspired by a dance dress I wore last year. It's similar, but I wanted to leave out the things I didn't like about that dress and keep the things that I did. I wanted to go for more feminine colors instead of earthy tones and I wanted to make the top of the dress more interesting by adding an asymmetrical neckline. I also wanted to add all different kinds of fabric for the ruffles as compared to just cotton and lace.

Wish me luck!

**Disclaimer** In order to enter the contest, you had to post your designs and inspiration on your blog. No, I wouldn't normally show you my attempts at entering a design contest, haha. So don't think it's because I'm super confident in my entry.. it's not. :)

The Firsts of Lasts

2010-10-08T22:12:00.005-06:00

I made some earrings!

and I never want to do it again.. haha. I don't know if it's because I don't have as many fingers for all of the intricate details or what, but these were challenging to say the least. I think my jewelry making days are over.

Oh well, that's what Anthropologie is for.

Snugglebug.

2010-09-24T19:39:00.002-06:00

I'm playing catch up today. I have a few things I've made that have gone un-blogged due to unsatisfactory pictures, bad hair days and mediocre sewing jobs. But I keep telling myself I'm going to take better pictures and that has yet to happen.. So instead i'm delivering them in one big bundle. It's like a birthday present, man how lucky are you? ;)

First up, the ever versatile Snuggie! Or Slanket, or Toasty Wrap, whatever you'd like to call it. Don't lie and tell me you haven't thought of getting one of these, I know you have.

This little thing was made for my mom, but It's a bit too sleazy for her liking so it probably won't be getting much use. I tell her she looks hot but she isn't convinced.

A plate that I made. I entered it into the 4H state fair hence the blue ribbon on the front. Yes I'm a 4H nerd and yes I'm dang proud of it. :)

A preview of a project coming soon.

Just for the record, I stick strictly to 4H crafts. Sheep and goats aren't really my thing.

In other completely unrelated news, I got a new blog layout! And to put it simply, I'm quite obsessed with it. I won a contest which entitled me to a free layout designed by this lovely lady and this is what her in genius mind came up with. Amazing right? It's exactly what I wanted.

Stick around for some lycra, pink ruffles and a cute little redhead, coming soon!

Little Black Dress.

2010-08-28T20:18:00.007-06:00

Over the summer, I made a dress!

I'm hoping to wear it to the Homecoming dance this year, but I don't want to plan on it just in case I don't get asked. haha so we'll see how it goes. :)

I'm really happy with how it turned out, which is good because it was no easy feat. It's definitely nice when you like what you make.

Floral Skirt #142

2010-08-27T06:26:00.018-06:00

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get sick of floral. Honestly half of my closet is adorned with the stuff and nothing has thus far stopped me from wanting more. So to add to the bundle, I made this skirt!

Please excuse the overly posed "lean against the tree and smile" look going on .

What's your favorite print? (Stripes, florals, polka-dots, etc)

An Extremely Big Apple.

2010-08-07T00:59:00.004-06:00

New York City.

The thrill of Times Square.

People watching in the park.

Tricked out ice cream trucks.

Avocado milk shakes. (Don't knock until you try them, they were delicious!)

Meeting Nephi the Filipino.

Accidentally ordering room service.

Picasso and the American Women fashion exhibit at the MET.

Being one of three Americans in a group of twenty, during the United Nations tour.

Taking pictures at Chelsea Market.

South Pacific.

Finally getting to try Pinkberry!

Staying in an awesome hotel right off Times Square.

Waking up at 4:30 for The Today Show only to leave a half hour before it started.

Angie: (after coming home from the Carrie Underwood concert/Today Show) "Why is everyone still sticking around after the news casters have gone?"
Me: "Well isn't Carrie Underwood still singing?..." :)

Homemade pasta and crepes on the last night.

Coming home afterwords with a bag full of bread sticks from the waiter.

Going to Shane and Megan's and learning how they met.
Shopping at Anthropologie

Splurging on fancy chocolate.

Spending my beautiful sisters 30th birthday with her.

Going to the Metropolitan Opera at Jackie Robinson park.

Finding perfect skirt fabric at Mood. (Completed project coming soon.)

Laughing at mom's confession: "I didn't have any favorites.. only KC." :)

M&J's selection of trimmings, buttons and embellishments galore!

Shopping on Bleecker Street.

$10 manicures. ($5 for me:)

Baptisms for the Dead at the temple.

Spending unforgettable time with my mom and sister.

My Space.

2010-08-04T19:02:00.016-06:00

Fact: I have a queen sized bed but never use one side.

Fact: The Hunger Games is kind of amazing.

Fact: I almost burned my house down by burning a candle. (Hence the charred wood on my dresser).

Fact: My desk is never this clean.

Fact: When my blinds are open, I feel like the 60 year old neighbors are watching me.

Fact: I have a loft.

Fact: I wish I used it more often.

Fact: I got this yellow vase from D.I. for $1.

Fact: I have way too much fun decorating my bulletin boards.

What does your room look like?

Floral Throw Pillow

2010-07-20T14:49:00.003-06:00

My older sister's birthday is at the the end of this month and I decided to make her a throw pillow!

The notecards have nothing to do with anything, I just thought they were pretty. :)

{Tutorial found here}

Have you ever given or received a homemade gift?

3 Days of Fashion

2010-07-18T23:29:00.011-06:00

A few weeks ago, I went to 3 Days of Fashion at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

There is a seminar at each of the four FIDM campuses and I went to the one in San Diego.

I wish my pictures paid the place justice because the campus was amazing. You can take a picture tour of the campus here if you're interested. (And you should be interested because it really was amazing. )

Over the course of the three days, we had a bunch of different workshops that filled our days. Above was the "Extraordinary Tee" workshop where we took a simple white t-shirt and transformed it into something we would wear. Ok I wouldn't necessarily wear that but they only gave us an hour and a few supplies to work with so give us a break. ;)

Creating a Promotional Campaign. In this workshop, we were given a product and then were to create concepts for a photo shoot to showcase the product. This kind of thing really isn't my forte so I didn't enjoy this one as much, but it was still fun to give it a try.

This one was called Predicting a Trend and it was my favorite by far! We were basically given an hour, some gluesticks and some Vogue magazines and told to create a storyboard of trends popular on the runways. There are actually people out there that get paid to do this. Um dream job much?

Draping the Dress. I was really looking forward to this workshop and then found myself disappointed when I felt so uninspired by the fabric and embellishments we had to choose from. It was still fun to experiment though, especially since it was a concept completely backwards to me. I'm so used to working from pattern to mannequin instead of the other way around.

On the last day, we traveled to LA and toured the campus there. Almost all majors require FIDM students to finish schooling in LA because it's the main campus. While we were there, we toured the Alice in Wonderland costume exhibit which was absolutely incredible. Seriously, the costumes in that movie completely blew me away. We also got to meet Nick Vereos off of Project Runway season two and I can't even tell you how much I freaking loved him. He was so hilarious and his designs were a-mazing!

I'm so, so glad I went. I had such a nice time with my mom and got to meet some really nice people. I also really feel like I learned a lot about the fashion industry and loved being able to experience a taste of it.
And now I leave you with my wedding dress. ;)

July 4th, 2010

2010-07-04T17:04:00.024-06:00

Here's wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July!

Formal Introduction

2010-05-16T20:57:00.022-06:00

So It's taken me long enough, but i've finally decided to hop on the bandwagon and start my own blog. Do I have any exciting news worth writing about? nah not really, but after blog stalking everyone else for months, I figured I might as well give it a try!
I initially wanted this blog to be a place where I could post my completed sewing projects, and I still want to do that. But I also want it to be about me and the things that happen in my life. So I guess we'll see where it goes from here.
So to introduce myself a bit better, I filled out a survey so that the one person that reads this (Hi mom!) can learn a bit more about me. And also because I totally love filling these kinds of things out. :)

What is your full name? Haylee Marie Atkinson

What is your favorite sport to play? Soccer, but I haven't been on a team for 3 years. Tennis is another one and football will always be my favorite sport to watch.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Secretary, working in New York City. Or something in the fashion industry.

Who was your first crush? Christian Holden, first grade. He was a cutie, but he would always play kissing tag with Kimmy Owen at recess so i'm assuming the feeling wasn't mutual. ;)

What would you guess goes through people's mind when first meeting you? Tall, thin, shy-ish, wow missing an arm. :)

What is the best compliment you have ever received? At the beginning of sophomore year, I got a really sweet anonymous note from someone at school and it made me cry. :) It was the nicest thing ever.

What college do you want to go to? UVU, FIT, FIDM, or BYU Hawaii.

What kind of music do you like? Owl City, Metro Station, Death Cab for Cutie, Jack Johnson

Do you have a celebrity crush? Shia Labeouf.

Have you ever broken a bone? My short arm! I broke it by crawling on it when I was little. Apparently you're not supposed to crawl on your elbows, who knew?

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I like the names Cayman & Kate, but not as much as Haylee. I feel like my name suits me.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go? 5th and 6th Grade, I loved those years.

If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change? I'd want my feet to be smaller. :)

If you could go back and change one day, what would it be? At the moment it would be to go back to last Friday in first period and take back saying anything to this boy in my class. What I said wasn't even that embarassing but it just came off as creepy stalkerish and i'm feeling. really. stupid.

What do you dream about? PEOPLE I KNOW. Consistently, every single night i'm dreaming about teachers and family, and people in my classes. Last night, it was about a guy in my ward. I was babysitting him over Christmas while his parents were away and as a Thank You, they gave me a bag of Christmas Presents and it made me cry. Anyone want to interpret that one for me?

Have you ever written a love letter? Love Poem, yes.

Do you have any hidden talents? I'd like to think I do. They're not necessarily talents, nor are they hidden but I really like to sew and scrapbook.

Cutest boy in your 3rd Period? 3rd period huh? haha well ok..um it'd have to be either Brock Matthews, or Zac Hayward.

Do you usually prefer books or movies? Books.

Who is your favorite person to talk to? My momma, or my sisters, or my brother.

Have you ever been on a diet? yes ma'm.

Would you ever date someone younger than you? Older than you? Older than me, yes. Younger than me, if it was within two years.

Would you ever tell the person you have a crush on that you like them? haha no way. That's not my personality at all.

Do you have a collection of anything? I collect flattened pennies from places I go to on vacation. If I can't find a penny flattening machine anywhere then I make sure to bring home a postcard.

Cutest boy in your 1st Period? Hmm another one of these questions.. In 1st period? Austin Brockbank. Or Nick Clearwater or Colby Jorgensen. Lots of choices to choose from!
Are you happy with the person you are becoming? In some ways. In other ways, not as much.

Top 10 Favorite Websites? In no particular order: Formspring, Hotmail, Facebook, Experience Project, Etsy, Goodreads, Yahoo Answers, Flickr, Blogs :)

Junior Prom!

2010-04-29T22:24:00.018-06:00

Our Group!

I went with Christian Covey who was such a gentlemen. Seriously to any high school girls reading this, if you want a sweet, charming and fun date- ask him to the next girls choice. I was very impressed.

For our day date, we went air ballooning. Yes i'm being serious.You're jealous, but it's ok I understand. :)

The girls and guys in my group are some of my favorites at Timpview. They are all so nice, genuine and so fun to be around. I loved spending such an incredible day with them.

We had dinner up at the Covey's grandparents house and the whole thing was spectacular.The table settings, the flowers, the gazebo, everything was gorgeous.

To all of you who think you've lived before you've tried Sister Newell's cooking, think again. I was blown away. I felt like I was eating a little piece of art everytime I took a bite. Dear Mrs. Newell, if you ever feel like making that raspberry chocolate dessert again, please invite me over. ;)

And on a side note, Christian was prom king so I can officially say i've dated a king. :)

Sweethearts!

2010-02-09T14:38:00.010-07:00

I just had my first high school dance, and I absolutely loved it! It was seriously so much fun.

When I found out Ryan had asked me, I screamed for 10 minutes. Haha I'm not exaggerating, I was so freaking excited.

Can't you just see the nervousness on my face? I was SO nervous. ahh oh man, i'm embarrassed thinking about it now.

Our group was huge, and so much fun! We went to dinner at The Pizza Factory, which is one of my favorite restaurants so I was pumped. (Two words: Bread Sticks. Yuumm.)

After dinner, we went over to the dance and had such a blast! (or at least I did:) It was quite possibly my favorite part of the night. But then again, what part of the night wasn't my favorite?

I can't even explain how much fun I had, and how much I enjoyed every second of it. Props Ryan, it was the Best. first date. ever!

Not Your Grandma's Skirt

2009-06-13T20:39:00.045-06:00

Introducing project numero uno, the vintage skirt.

I love high waisted skirts, and love that they're coming back in. But since i'm so tall, it's hard for me to find ones in stores that don't flash everyone when I bend over. So when I found an old skirt pattern of my mom's circa 1960's, I was totally pumped. I hustled on over to the fabric store, picked out a floral fabric to go along with the vintage vibe and voila. Many painstaking hours and pin jabs later, I had this on my hands..

If it looks like something your Grandma would wear, please tell me because i'd so take that as a compliment! ;)