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This month's blog, a Beautiful Mess, is doozie. My jaw dropped when I beheld the craft page; it is full of wonderful, beautiful tutorials that make my fingers itch to get started. I cannot decide which is my favorite but I can give you a small list of my top " to-do's":

You can find just about anything to make on Emma and Elisa's blog. Want to try something new then why not try bees wax candles? Are you a princess and tired of people not recognizing then may I suggest making yourself a bloom flower crown? Do you enjoy a bit of whimsy in your bedroom then the horse throw pillows are a must-make (they are so adorable)?

Aside from crafts, these talented girls also blog on photography, recipes, fashion, beauty and decor. If you are looking for great photo tips and tricks, check out the photography tab. There are a bunch of great tutorials for cute and beautiful shots as well as techniques for jazzing up pictures on your computer. Do you enjoy lavender cupcakes, grapefruit donuts, and homemade funnel cakes (I know, I'm drooling too) then try the recipe tab to find all these food pleasures and more. Is your wardrobe a little sad then may I suggest the fashion tab. I love the fashion mixology where Emma and Elise show you how to make beautiful outfits from a small number of pieces. You can also check out a few makeovers and find some trendy tips to help bring in the new season. Step over to the Beauty if you want to try something new or just a new way for the same old ponytail. Take a home tour under the Decor tab and pick up some design basics.

Basically when you visit a Beautiful Mess you come for the DIY but stay for the makeup tips, recipes and photography tips. It is a one stop shop for inspiration and eye candy.

Believe it or not I drafted this pattern from my daughter's t-shirt and I'm going to tell you how to do it too. All you will need is about 1 yard of main fabric, ½ yd of coordinating fabric and a fitted t-shirt in your child's current (or next year's size).  (These instructions are based on a 4t shirt. All measurements may need to be adjusted for larger or smaller sizes). All seams are ½'' unless otherwise noted.

Lay your t-shirt on top of your paper and trace from the armhole down a few inches and from the top of the arm hole to the neck. You can either free hand the shape of the armhole or you can use pin to punch holes in your paper and then connect the dots. Draw a horizontal line about 1.5'' below the armhole to serve as the waist. Next draw an exaggerated 'U' neckline where the bottom of the 'U' is pretty flat. If you are not comfortable free handing this try using a glass to trace your curves and connect them with straight lines. Measure the bottom of this piece and well call that measurement X.  Cut 2 waist bands the same length as X plus 1'' by 3'' wide from coordinating fabric. Cut from the main fabric one pieces X*2 wide by 14'' long (this is the skirt). Also cut 4 straps 15'' long by 4'' wide from your coordinating fabric.

To modify the top for gathers: Draw 2 vertical lines about 2'' from center and cut. Spread the 2 end pieces apart adding double the amount cut out. Connect the 2 end pieces and cut out your new pattern top apron piece. Cut 2 top apron pieces from your main fabric.

Fold one strap in half lengthwise and stitch down one long side and one short side. Clip corner and turn. Press. Repeat for other 3 straps.

With right sides together, pin 2 apron tops together and stitch together leaving the bottom open. Do not turn. Add a gathering stitch inside the seam allowance along the top and gather back to original measurement. Clip corners and turn right side out and press. Pin bottom raw edge. Add another gathering stitch along the bottom inside the seam allowance. Pin one waist band to the apron top with right sides facing and pin one waist band to the apron top on the other side so you make a sandwich. Stitch in place. Fold waistbands down, press, and pin raw edge.

Add a double fold ½'' hem along both sides and bottom of the skirt. Add a gathering stitch along the top and pull gathers to match width of waist band. Pin in place and stitch.

Fold in raw edges of waist band and insert raw edge of 2 straps. Topstitch in place.

Cut the apron top about 1/5" above the neckline and fold in raw edges. Insert strap, add a small pleat if needed to fit. Topstitch in place.

Congrats you're done your Kiddo Apron now go make some cookies!

Check out our great selection of Dinosaur Fabric here!

Green is key this month. Earth day is coming and spring in the air. I want to make my house clean, pretty and environmentally friendly. The well quoted adage is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and i is meant to be followed in that order. Which means first order of business is to reduce your usage and #1 on my reduce list are paper towels. I use them all day for dozens of tasks: wiping precious faces, reheating meals, wiping counters, dusting surfaces, and general cleaning. I dislike using them but haven't found a suitable alternative until recently on Pinterest. I found reusable paper towels and nearly smacked my forehead. It was so obvious. I decided to make my own.

I opted for a cheery Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy cotton print on one side and a thick double nap flannel on the other. This flannel would be great for dusting as well as being very absorbent (you can also go with fleece for superior dusting but its less absorbent). These towels are 10'' by 10'' and fit any paper towel holder. I recommend keeping an old paper towel roll to wrap your Reusable Paper Towels around. It just makes it easier to wind, unwind and keep in order. These towels are super easy to make. I do recommend you wash your fabric beforehand in the manor that you will be washing your towels. Choose durable fabric that can withstand all the abuse you are planning. Please choose plastic snaps if you will be using your towels to cover microwaveable dished.

You will need 1 yd of cotton print and 1 yd of flannel for 8 towels. These towels also call for 1 package of snaps (Read my post on snaps here).

1)      Create a 10.5'' by 10.5'' template from paper or cardboard. Cut 8 from both your cotton print and flannel.

2)      With Wrong side facing lay your cotton print on top of your flannel and either serge (cutting 1/4'' off) or zig zag stitch ¼'' from the edge then pink close to your stitching on all 4 sides.

3)      Add 3 snaps to each edge of your towels to secure together. Overlap each towel by ¾'' and punch through both towels at once to ensure great placement.

If you do not like the look of pinked edges, I recommend you make your template 11'' by 11'' and then place your pieces right sides together and stitch around all sides, leaving a 3-4'' turning gap. Clip your corners and press your seams open. Turn your towel right side out and press again. Pin your gap closed and topstitch the entire towel. Add your snaps.

Enjoy your Reusable Paper Towels. They are great for washing windows, scrubbing spills, dusting lamps, cleaning kids and even for drying hands and dishes. I love mine and feel that they accomplish much more than the store bought.

This is the ultimate beach bag (McCall's 6130) for your upcoming spring break vacation or stay-cation (more on this below). I can call it the ultimate because it can haul a lot of your important beach paraphernalia and can also fold down into a cute little tote that you can use to hold down one corner of your beach blanket when you are all set up. Made from cotton prints this bag can be bound in a coordinating binding or with a self binding. My mom had the super idea of adding a small loop under the front envelope so it can be hooked to your pocket, a chair or on another bag when unused. This bag opens up to hold a ton of stuff and with one shoulder strap you don't have to worry about that one strap that continuously falls off. You can toss a handful of these bags into your luggage if you are travelling via air or store them in your glove box for a road trip. The small size is great for kids while the bigger sizes are perfect for over-packing moms and tweens/teens that need to bring a bunch of stuff.

These bags are a snap to make and only need a nominal amount of fabric: 5/8 for a small bag up to 1 5/8 for a large bag. Easily whipped up in 2-3 hours, the lesser if you cut multiples at once. This bag makes a great teacher gift or grandparent gift if you have managed to convince them to take your children to the beach while you lounge at home- you don't want them taxed from a lack of quality baggage.  

If you are opting for a stay-cation these bags can manage the huge load of library books you are planning to check out. They are great for that flea market trip you have been planning and also for leisurely visit to the farmer's market to pick up treats. You can pack them with a picnic lunch or towels for the water park. Either way you are going to need bags but you are also going to want them small and tidy when not in use.

I recommend using Amy Butler's quilting cotton; its bright and colorful patterns ooze spring time fun!

Glitter Twig: To make these clips you will need some small twigs, one package of Martha Stewart Glitter Glue and 2 small hair clips. My inspiration came from this picture I saw in a magazine last year. I loved them instantly and when I heard about our glitter glue I knew it was just the right medium I needed to create my own Twig Hair Clip.

The trick to this hair clip is finding twigs that interest you. Once you have your twigs, clip them into 1'' sections. Cover the twig entirely with 2 coats of glitter glue, allowing time to dry between coats. Once the glue is dry affix the twigs to your hair clips using your glue gun.

Pom Pom: These clips may be the easiest of the 3. I used our extra small pom pom makers to create these 2 pom poms from sock weight yarn and glued them on with a glue gun. Bam! So easy. The difficult part is choosing your yarn colors. I used a Snap clip for one and a Pinch clip for the other. I prefer the snap clips for decorating pony tails and buns and pinch clips for keeping hair out of the face.

Tassel: To make each of my Tassel Hair Clips you will need 2 skeins of embroidery floss (color A and color B). Wrap the floss around your index and ring finger held together about 10 times; you don't want it to be very thick. You can follow my Tassel making instructions here. Once your tassel is made, glue it using your glue gun to the end of your hair clip (you can find more hair accessories for your tassels in our store).

Quick tip for Pom Poms and Tassels: If you want a fun pom pom go for a yarn that runs to the fuzzy side. The fuzzier the yarn that you use for your pom pom the more it will hold the round ball shape and hide the tie holding it together. A smooth yarn tends to be floppy and show the tie, but the fuzzy yarn strands stand straight-out and hold a great ball shape, so look to wools and wool blends.

Tassels are the opposite; you want your strands to be smooth so they hang straight down and have a slight sheen. A fuzzy yarn in tassels will give it a tangled look. An ideal tassel can fall right back into shape after any movement and not require combing.