My Etsy Store {Reagan's Creations} Now Open!

I'm excited to say that my Etsy store Reagan's Creations is now open. I opened it a while ago and didn't do much with it. I decided to start listing things because of all the encouragement from my friends and family. I love creating things, so why not share it with everyone else. Right now my store is a little sparse, but I hope to fill it with goodies soon. Right now my plans are to list PDF patterns, hand embroidery,  and other accessories. I guess kind of an assortment of things. The story of my life, but creativity can not be limited to one thing. If only my husband understood this! :) 

Bags, Purses, and Clutches... Oh my!

I have developed an obsession with purses lately. I think it's from not having a purse of my own for 2 years. I have lots of purses but they are usually taken over by sippy cups, and snacks. Now that my kids are older and I don't have to pack the house for them, I have started carrying my own purses again.

If you follow my blog you have probably seen all of the Amy Butler fabric that I use. I'm pretty sure she is my favorite designer. Not just for her fabric, but she has great patterns too. I bought her Frenchy Bag pattern a year ago, in the hopes that someday I would be free of the diaper bag. That day has finally came. I bought this fabric from Joanns a month ago, because it looked so cute for Spring. It's a light weight cotton, but worked fine with a little interfacing for this project. I think I will also make another one with a heavy weight fabric for the Winter. I also made a little clutch out of the same fabric. I used a tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets, for a Kindle case. I just changed the measurements a little.

I can't take credit for the other bag in the photo. I bought that one from TJ Max for $20.00. I did make it better by making an insert for my camera. I have been looking at stylish camera bags for a while, but couldn't believe the price tag. So, when I found the tutorial from Little Blue Boo, I knew I had to try it. It was very simple if you are in need of a camera bag.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Here are the parties I will be linking to this week.

Super T Shirt with Cape {Tutorial}

Now, for my second, Lets Hear It for the Boy, t shirt project. My original thought was to make a Superman shirt, but then I decided to personalize it. My sons name is Tristan, but everyone calls him T. So, it seemed fitting to make him a Super T shirt. 

Supplies:


Shirt: ($2.99 Hobby Lobby)


Knit Fabric: ($9.99 yd. at Joanns. I used two colors. You could use old t shirts if you have the right colors.)


Embroidery Floss: ( .39cents each I used two colors)


Embroidery Hoop: (Optional)


Velcro: ( $1.50 pack of 3 squares Hobby Lobby)


Personalized letter: ( I just freehanded a block letter and cut it out)


Coordinating thread, Scissors, and Sewing Machine

My first step was pinning the letter to my fabric and cutting it out. I cut the bottom fabric a little bigger than the letter pattern, and cut my top fabric the same size as the pattern. 

Next, I pinned and straight stitched around both letter layers. I have only used knits a few times, but I love that they don't fray. 

The next step is a fun little addition to the applique. It is optional, if you just want to sew it and leave it. I just thought it made the applique pop. For this step I used two embroidery floss colors, and my embroidery hoop to stabilize it while sewing. I got the floss idea from Dana over at MADE which you can find here.

To make the cape, I cut the knit the length and width of the shirt. To make it look more like a cape and not a square, I cut around the shoulders and neck. Again, using knit was nice for this project, because I didn't have to hem all around the cape. 

I wanted to be able to take the cape off for washing, so I used velcro. You could just sew it on if you prefer, I just found this easier. 

I decided to add a little floss to the bottom corners of the cape. I just thought it looked cute. 

I hope you enjoyed my last two boy projects. I hope to have more soon. Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you have any questions please leave them in my comments and I will try my best to help.

Batman T Shirt with Tie and Suspenders {Tutorial}

In my next two posts I will be sharing two fun boy t shirt ideas. If you are a regular follower you know I have only posted a few boy ideas, and that has always bothered me. My poor little guy doesn't get as much hand made stuff as my daughter. So, when I saw the Lets Hear It for the Boys contest over at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar, I was instantly motivated.

The first shirt I thought I would try was the Batman with a tie applique and suspenders. It's fun, different, and very simple. I have a tendency to use lots of pictures for my tutorials, so bare with me.

Supplies:

T shirt: (I used black from Hobby Lobby $2.99)

Batman Fabric: (1/2 yd - 1yd Joanns $8.99 yd I was able to get mine 30% off)

1 yd of ribbon: (I used coordinating grosgrain yellow)

D rings: ($1.99 4pk at Joanns)

Steam a Seam

Tie Pattern: (I have a printable pattern below for a size 2T. You can shrink it or make it larger with your printer.)

Coordinating Thread, Scissors, Iron, and Sewing Machine

After getting my tie pattern cut out I used the negative version to line up where I wanted to cut. As you can see in the above photo, I wanted to the bat and the word Batman to be on the tie. When I was happy with the placement I used my rotary cutter to cut it out.



When I had my tie cut out, I was ready to place it on my shirt. I also took my yard of ribbon and cut it in half for the suspenders. I did have to trim a little at the bottom the make it even with the shirt. I used Steam A Seam to hold the tie and ribbon in place for sewing. You can use the full sheets or the strips. I had both, but either would work for this project.

Before ironing on the ribbon, I placed my D rings under the ribbon. I then ironed on the ribbon and the tie.

Next, I cut strips of fabric to place over my ribbon. This is optional, you can just leave the ribbon. I just liked the idea of having the words Batman down the suspenders. I then folded the edges, placed Steam A Seam on them and ironed them on the ribbon.

My last step is to sew it all together. The Steam A Seam will hold it all together if you don't want to sew it, I just like the looks of the sewing. I used a straight stitch down the edges of the suspenders, and a zig zag stitch around the tie.

*Note: Be cautious of sewing around the D rings. I sewed up to the ring, stoped, then cut threads and started again. You will break a needle sewing over them.

Now you have a fun shirt, that I'm sure your little man will love. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. If you have any questions, please leave them in my comment. I will help any way I can.

A Few Living Room Upgrades

I am so excited to share a few little projects that I have been working on this past week. I'm getting ready to have people over for my kids 2nd birthday, and wanted to make a few changes to the house. I really haven't changed much since we moved into our house 6 years ago. We built it, so it was exactly how I wanted it. When the kids came along my world revolved around them and what they needed, and it showed in my house. When you have twins, it's double everything. My house was taken over for a couple of years. Things have gotten much better the past few months, so I thought it was time for some changes. I have started with my living room. I found some cute fabric at Joann's for 40% off. This was my first time at making curtains, so I went simple with tab tops. I'm very happy with how they turned out.

The next upgrade I made was to an old dresser that I have had for many years. It was mine as a child and has been in my attic for a while. I decided to fix it up a bit with a little love and a coat of paint.

I decided to go with the blue that was in my fabric. I found a good match in a Sherwin Williams paint called Watery. The dresser had been white for as long as I could remember, so it was a nice change.

When the dresser was done it looked a little alone on my entry way wall, so I decided to add some picture frames. I decided to try something new. I used 11x14 frames and cut poster board to fit. I then added a 4x6 photo to each frame. I used removable tape, so it would be easy to change them out. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I think it really brightened up my livingroom. My next upgrades will be to my kitchen and bedroom. I haven't told my husband yet but I would love to change the paint in my kitchen, but he hates to paint. For some reason he can take a car apart and put it back together, but he hates to paint. It doesn't make since.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog.

Princess Dress and Pirate/Princess Birthday Invitation

I wanted to share the newest additions to my kids birthday party extravaganza. This post really reflects my love for etsy. I really believe I can find everything I need on that sight. First I want to share the princess dress that I made my daughter. I sadly cannot claim the design as mine. I purchased the PDF pattern from an etsy store called Fabric Boutique. If you have never purchased a PDF pattern from etsy, you should check them out. There are several stores that sell them for a very reasonable price.

The fabric that I used was Amy Butler {Rowan}. I have had it for a year, and could not find a project worthy enough for me to make that first cut. Does anyone else have that problem? I have several fabrics like that. I thought it would be a perfect pattern for my daughters princess dress. In the picture you can see the leggings she had on underneath, just ignore those. She was not a very willing participant in getting a picture today.

These are the invitations that I will be sending out to friends and family soon. I had these made by another favorite etsy store called Silly Me Design. I used this store last year for their first birthday invitation and loved them, so I had to go back again this year. When you are dealing with boy/girl twins, you have to get creative, and she did a great job with it. I would highly recommend checking her store out.

2nd Birthday Party Preparation

My twins 2nd birthday party will be in March, and the preparation is taking over my craft space. It will be a pirate/princess theme. I have decided to only make a few homeade items this year, because I went a little overboard last year. I was so exhausted after it all, that I didn't sew or scrapbook for a month. I decided to make their outfits and birthday banner, then purchase the rest from a party supply store. I thought I would share a couple of things that I have finised.

I stated by cutting 3" triangles, and used my pinking shears to make the zig zag look on the edges.

I used my Cuttin up Cricut cartridge to make my letters, and my Story Book Cartridge to make the crown. I had to google image a jolly roger, but I like the one I found.

For my sons shirt I found a larger google image of a jolly roger, printed, and cut it out. I cut it out in white felt, and sewed around it. I liked the rugged look of it. He will be a cute pirate.

I will be back this week to show the dress I will make for my daughter, and maybe a few other things I've been working on.