Sponsor Spotlight

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Kayla Aimee. KA is the beautiful wife of Jeff and mother of a little miracle named Scarlette. Born fifteen weeks early Scarlette spent the first 5.5 months of her life in the NICU. KA is an incredible SAHM who has an infectious way of writing about her life on her blog and as you can imagine a passion for preemies and micro preemies.

Today Kayla Aimee is here to share a special + sweet way to dress up a preemie shirt while following some strict hospital restrictions...and shes sharing pictures of her sweetie pie too :)

I am super honored to have Kayla Aimee as my feature sponsor this month her blog and life is a blessing and testimony of Gods goodness and grace, you must check it out I know you will love it!

Now here's KA:

This little project is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to pretty up some basic baby clothes. My daughter, Scarlette, spent the first 5.5 months of her life in the NICU. While in there, we were really limited on clothing options for her. Not just because she was an itty bitty little thing but because the hospital had pretty strict standards about what we could put on her. The most important requirement was that her shirts snapped open in the front for easy access to all of the electrodes/wires attached to her chest.

So Scarlette spent a lot of time in simple, snap open tops like these. The thing is, they aren't the cutest shirts in the world. So I decided to dress them up a bit.

All you need for this project is a baby shirt, some assorted ribbon and some needle and thread.

Pick out two pieces of ribbon. Open the front flap of the shirt and stitch one piece of ribbon to the inside. I used lace for this part. Then layer the other piece of ribbon on the outside of of the front flap and stitch it down as well. I sort of bunched the ribbon as I went to give it a ruffled look.

I am not a huge fan of the snaps being visible so I decided to cover them up with rosettes. To make the flower ribbon rosette, cut a small fabric circle for your backing and cover with fabric glue. Pin one end of the ribbon to the center of the circle. Spiral the ribbon around the center, twisting it as you go. Twist the ribbon a bit more loosely on the last few spirals to create a fuller, flowery effect. Let dry and then secure with a few stitches to the bottom and sides of the rosette!



And that's it! It's a ten minute or less project.

Scarlette is ten months old now and happily at home so we can dress her in whatever we like. But I still make her a few of these cute shirts from time to time because she looks so darn sweet in them. Am I right or am I right? (Answer: I am totally right. My baby is stinkin' cute.)

Your local NICU is most likely always looking for preemie clothing and hat donations. A few of these shirts would probably brighten some parent's day so if you're thinking of making some, consider creating a couple preemie sized ones to drop off at your local hospital. Trust me, when your little one lives in what amounts to a cubicle with very few personal effects, seeing them dressed in cute clothes is not only fun, but provides a much needed sense of normalcy.

A twenty-something not-so-newlywed and southern girl through and through, Kayla Aimee (you can call her KA) likes scrapbooking, Macy's at Christmas time, and really good fitting jeans. By day she is a stay at home mom but by night she is a blogger, deal finder and kick arse ping pong player. You can read more about Scarlette's story on her blog at http://kaylaaimee.com

Thank You!

I had such an amazing time today it was the perfect way to spend my birthday, I am feeling full to the brim with love and joy from all of you!!

If you haven't had a chance to read all the posts yet here is a little recap from today's surprise party!!

we had:

* an adorable leather bow belt tutorial from Theresa {HERE}

* a huge giveaway from b. children's wear {HERE}

* this super cute autumnal wreath with Jodi {HERE}

* my sister in law Kristen surprised me with some amazing original drawings {HERE}

* a table centerpiece and awesome necklace giveaway with Whitney {HERE}

* this super generous giveaway from modern little ones {HERE}

* and a super fun and quick tutorial for a dishtowel apron {HERE}

* plus my vegan pumpkin cupcakes with maple glaze recipe {HERE}

It was truly such a blast! A special thanks to all the amazingly talented woman who contributed today I was honored and blessed to have you and overwhelmed with all the incredible gifts you poured into these posts!

Now here's to living my 32nd year to it's fullest - intense illness, job change, short sales, cars getting stolen and blowing up, moving...eh you got nothin on me I am so ridiculously blessed and this next year is looking mighty fine!

Love you all your a gift to my heart!

Surprise Party :: Dishtowel Apron with Heather from Life Made Lovely!

Hi there A Bit of Sunshine readers!  My name is Heather and I blog over at Life Made Lovely.  I'm so excited to be celebrating with you and Rebekah today! With the weather turning cooler, I find myself inspired to spend time in the kitchen baking treats for my family.  With that in mind, I have a fun and easy dish towel apron tutorial to share with you today.

I used a lovely dish towel I found on clearance, some vintage seam binding and a vintage sheet from my thrift store stash.  Laying the dish towel lengthwise, I created 4 small pleats across the top edge by folding the fabric over about a half inch and then pinning them in place. After stitching them down, I covered the top edge of the towel with seam binding.

Next I created a flower to add onto my apron.  From my vintage pillowcase I cut two sizes of circles and two figure eight shapes.  I created the "8's" by folding the fabric in half and cutting a circle with a flat bottom.  I layered the fabric with the largest circle on the bottom, next the figure eights overlapping each other, and finally the smallest circle on top.  I pinched the bundle from the back, added a few stitches to hold it all in place, and finished it off with a favorite vintage button.  Oh, and I stitched the bottom layer of my flower directly to my apron to ensure it stays secure.  

The best part...whole project was finished before nap time was over! Thanks for having me Rebekah! I hope you're having a happy birthday sweet friend!! -xo  Heather

<------------------------------------------------------------>

Thanks Heather I am in LOVE with this project it's so adorable I have the perfect little dishtowel in my stash just waiting for me to make one too!! Make sure to check out Heather's blog it's one of my favorites...ps. Heather did my blog design too, she the best!!!

Suprise Party :: Table Centerpiece and GIVEAWAY from Whitney and Noonday Collection!!

Alright guys I am so excited to share this next post from Whitney who is an ambassador for an amazing company called Noonday Collection, a jewelry line handmade by artisans in places such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Ecuador and India. Make sure to read through to find out more about their amazing work and for a chance to win this gorgeous necklace!!!

Hello  a bit of sunshine readers, I'm Whitney and I blog over at Life's an Adventure.  I'm thrilled to be participating in the blog party!

I'm going to share with you a simple but large impact centerpiece project for your table AND a special birthday giveaway, in honor of Rebekah's birthday today!

Ok, first the project.

You're going to need:

• Glass container, preferably one with a small neck (I purchased mine off the clearance shelf of my local craft store)
• River rocks (or any pretty rocks that will fit through the neck of your glass container)
• Tree branch

Now, I used a dead branch because that's all I have here in drought ridden Texas, but nature's trash is my treasure I always say!  But if you have a tree that has some great fall color, prune a branch and use that.  That way you get double impact -- fall color now, then when the leaves fall off, you will have the bare branch to decorate for winter.

Fill the bottle with rocks.

Then work your branch down through the rocks to the bottom the jar.  You may need to trim your branch to make sure it isn't too top heavy.  Go ahead and make three branch bottles.  It only took me about 11 minutes to do all three, and most of that time was spent picking up stray rocks I dropped.  Next time I'll use a funnel and it should only take 3 minutes, max.

I am using mine to display jewelery, but come time for the holidays, I plan to decorate the branch with berry strands and Christmas decorations.  Go ahead and decorate it for Halloween or fall right now though! 

Now for the birthday week giveaway! 

That beautiful necklace you saw on the branch above?  That's the Inca Steps necklace in teal from Noonday Collection.
 

The Inca steps necklace is handcrafted by Ecuadorian artisans of nuts from the tagua palm, also known as "vegetable ivory".  It's eco friendly and makes quite the statement!

I am an ambassador for Noonday Collection and it is so exciting to be a part of something that helps bring a bit of beauty to women while creating a pathway out of poverty for vulnerable populations around the world. Each piece Noonday Collection sells is handmade by artisans in places such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Ecuador and India.  Each piece tells a story of a community where real change is occurring through sustainable economic opportunities.  When you purchase something from Noonday, it's a gift to you and a gift to their community! 

To enter the birthday giveaway, visit my Noonday Collection site here, then leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite product or artisan story is.  You have until midnight CST on October 8th to enter.

Thanks for letting me share my little diy and favorite Noonday Collection piece...I had a blast!  Good luck everyone and happy birthday Rebekah!

<--------------------------------------------------------->

Thanks Whitney for being here today and for offering such a generous and gorgeous giveaway what a treat!!

Surprise Party :: Autumnal Wreath with Jodi

Hi, my name is Jodi and I blog at Life and Oh-La-Dee-Dah. I'm so thrilled to be over here at A Bit of Sunshine today! I love this blog of Rebekah's and am so honored to help celebrate her birthday with a guest post. So let's get to it.

Let me paint the picture for you...I'm walking through Target and it never fails, the end isles are generously heaped with tidbits of seasonal decor and they suck me in. This is truly a problem during these Fall and Winter months when the draw to cozy my home with such festive eye candy is hard to resist. I scramble for my blinders and masterfully clip them on and continue to the pacifier isle and then on to find the bananas. This week, instead of loading my cart full of decor, I decided to pull from my craft supplies and make a little something. We are after all, on a budget and you wouldn't believe the amount of pacifiers and bananas we go through.



I used a packing tube I'd saved from an Etsy purchase I received a while ago, a hot glue gun, scissors, felt and since I just purged my crafting supplies recently, I ended up buying fall colored yarn (which I'll use for another project later) and ribbon.



I tied the yarn to start and tucked it under as I wrapped it around the tube so the loose end wasn't visible.



When I finished wrapping the yarn, I tucked the end piece under the other strands in a tight knot and then I hot glued it down.



Then, I hot glued the yarn wrapped tubes to each other to form the wreath. I made a small felt bow to garnish the bottom of my wreath and used ribbon to hang it. Since this project is so flexible, you could definitely use a bigger tube (or even toilet paper rolls) and add whatever embellishments you wanted.



Just a simple, easy little bit of Fall decor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head to Target and just take one little peek at those end isle. Just a peek for inspiration. I promise.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Jodi, thank you for sharing this adorable and budget friendly fall inspired idea I love it and can't wait to make one too!! Make sure to check out Jodi's blog today it's adorable and full of tons of fun and inspiring ideas!

Surprise Party :: Bow Belt from Theresa at Orange Juice Etc.

Hello, I am Theresa from Orange Juice Etc. and I am honored to be here for Rebekah’s Birthday!

I wanted to share a project I did recently for a leather and bow belt. The project requires few supplies, a sewing machine, and simple sewing skills. I must tell you that I do not consider myself to be an experienced seamstress by any means so if you have a more efficient way of doing any of these steps, please do so! Now lets get started.

What you need:
•       A strip of thin, pliable leather, suede or other that will be easy to sew through
•       Fabric of your choice
•       Thread
•       Good scissors

First cut your leather to the width and length you want your belt to be. I used a vintage tie belt that I hadn’t worn much and just cut the ends off to the length I wanted. The leather should not wrap all the way around your waist, you should leave 4 or 5 inches of room to attach and tie the bow. The great thing about leather is that it will not fray so the edges do not need to be finished.

Now you will make two fabric “ribbons” that you will attach to each end of your leather strip that will create the bow of the belt. Decide first how long you want your ribbons to be. I measured mine against a sash from another dress. Each side measures 26 inches.

Lay your fabric out so that you can cut the length of your ribbon. Measure the width of your leather and fold the edge of the fabric over to the width of the leather plus your seam allowance (I used 3/8ths) and cut to the correct length. Cut another in the same fashion. You will end up with two pieces of fabric the same length that are a little over 2 times the width of your leather.

Iron your two pieces of fabric in half length-wise so that the right side of the fabric is facing in.

I wanted a slanted edge on the ends of the ribbons, this is not necessary but I thought it would add a nice touch. Take one end of each piece of fabric and fold a corner up to touch the other edge of fabric like you are making a square out of a piece of paper. Press the fold of the fabric with your finger to make a crease along which to cut. And cut.

Start sewing on the folded side of the ribbon at the bottom end with the slant (keep in mind that the right side of your fabric is still facing in). Sew up the slant, turn, and continue to sew up the complete length of the fabric. Stop when you get to the small end leaving this open.

Turn the tubes right side out, gently pointing out the tip of the slant, I used a dull pencil. Now iron the fabric so you end up with a long, smooth ribbon.

Before you attach the ribbons to the leather, take raw ends and turn them inside about a quarter to half an inch and sew along the edge. I did this so there would not be raw edges exposed that will fray with use of the belt.

The last step! Its time to attach the ribbon to the leather. Pin the fabric about an inch in to the ends of the leather and sew as closely as you can to the edge of the leather securing the fabric. I went a step further and sewed two more lines of stitching, each the same distance apart, making three lines of stitching connecting the fabric to the leather.

And your belt is complete! String it through the loops of your jeans, or tie it around a dress, be creative and enjoy!

Oh my gosh I am so in love with this adorable belt tutorial Theresa it is SO perfect. Thanks so much for being here today to help me celebrate sweet friend it is such a treat!!

Make sure to check out Theresa's blog and etsy shop too everyone both are equal as gorgeous as this amazing project!

how to make a t-shirt flower

 

Yesterday I showed you how to make this ombré infinity scarf and as promised here is the tutorial to make the matching t-shirt flower embellishment!

your going to need:

t-shirt to cut up
a felt circle
button for the center
fabric glue
scissors
a flower template - I made this simple one by hand with some card stock

1. Cut eight flowers using the template out of the t-shirt
2. One at a time fold the flowers in half and then a quarter and dab a little glue inside the corner so it sticks.
3. Glue the petals onto the felt circle four on the bottom and then layer three on top of those four.
4. With the last petal pinch it a bit more and glue it down right in the center.
5. Add the button with your glue or sew it down if you would like.
6. Cut a long strip of fabric and glue that down onto the back of the flower and let it all dry.

After it is dry use the flower to wrap around the scarf and secure on the underside. Alternately you could sew the flower onto the scarf but I wanted mine to be removable so that I could toss the scarf in the wash if need be...and knowing me and how most of my scarfs and shirts become napkins I know there will be a need. :)

The t-shirt flower also looks super cute wrapped around a ponytail or braid! I hope you have fun making these I would love to see photos if you do!

Flickr | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Boglovin

make something monday :: ombré infinity scarf

The ombré trend has stolen my heart this year as it has with so many of you I am sure. I can't resist the subtleness of it, so bohemian and soft. I bought some Rit dye earlier in the summer and had fun experimenting with a few projects and came away with this easy infinity scarf using only dye and an XL white t-shirt. It's really the perfect early fall piece to add into your wardrobe as the weather starts to change and this thing is a snap to make. Here is what I did:

Supplies:

Rit dye - I used liquid
rubber gloves
XL white t-shirt
bowl for dying
scissors

 I followed the directions on the dye bottle and used a bowl in the kitchen sink. It worked perfectly and made it easy to control. I do recommend gloves though so that your hands aren't blue for days.

I then just dipped one half of the shirt into the dye going crosswise not up and down and let it sit for about ten minutes then nudged a little more of the shirt into the dye bath giving it a few minutes again. I then lowered the rest of the shirt into the dye bath for just a quick dip, removed it all from the bowl and then rinsed the shirt out until the water ran clear.

I set the shirt out to dry in the sun and then went ahead and ran it through the wash to get any excess dye out.

Now all that was left to do was to cut off the bottom hem of the shirt and then the top. Make your cut pretty wide and stretch the long tube of fabric out until there is no tomorrow.

See that, easy as pie really.

And if you come back tomorrow I will show you how to make a matching t shirt flower to embellish it, promise!

Hope you have a great day today, happy Monday friends!

linking up here!

a sip of summer {and a ten on ten reminder}

It's the final days of summer friends, time to soak in the last few lazy moments before the kids head back to school. Time to use the grill for dinner, camp in the backyard, make a big messy outdoor project and eat popsicles until your hearts content.

I am taking a few days this week to soak in these moments with family but not to fear a few of my sweet friends will be here keeping you company and sharing a little sip of summer with you to help you drink in the last of summer's goodness. They will be sharing their very favorite summer sipper recipes to keep you guys cool while your soaking it all in.

And of course I had to leave you with a tiny little summer sipper project inspired by the mason jar sippies I made for Simon's birthday. This time though I used a hole punch (thanks to Cailan for the brilliant spin) to create the straw hole and then I cut a piece of oil cloth using the lid as a template and made a matching hole with the hole punch in the cloth too. I used some fabric glue to attach the oil cloth right onto the jar lid and simply spray painted the ring to match. I had been wanting to make a bigger version of this jar for myself for some time now and after reading Cailan's post and realizing that I didn't even need the drill I ignored the laundry a little longer and whipped this one together.

I am loving how it turned out and have been enjoying my favorite summer sipper, an iced soy Irish cream latte in it ever since!

I hope you all have a wonderful week I will be here on wednesday for this months installment of Ten on Ten and I am hoping you will join me...and don't forget to come by this week and check out some fun guest posts I am super excited to share them with you!

So what's your favorite summer drink? - I would love any ideas and recipes you want to share in the comment section! 

Happy monday everyone!

A guest post for Ruche :: The Arrowhead Earrings

I was beyond excited when Ruche asked me to come up with a little tutorial for their blog this week. I love Ruche and their new Summer Resort Lookbook is to die for! I decided to create a super simple tutorial for these no sew earrings using two colors of suede. Seriously these will take you like fifteen minutes to throw together and are perfect for your end of the summer and early fall looks! To get the full tutorial go HERE!

A special thanks to Ruche for inviting me to share today and to my pretty friend Kim for modeling the earrings!