How to Clothe 4 Children for 8 Dollars... Fashionably.

How to Clothe 4 Children for 8 Dollars... Fashionably.: ( THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL BLOG GO CHECK OUT )

Alors...

It wasn't eight dollars exactly but the title caught your attention hugh?

Since I am on such a plaid kick I just HAD to share with you the ensembles My Chickens wore for Thanksgiving! (I have been on a plaid kick as long as I can remember but REALLY so since last year when I made myself something for the first time... the skirt that made the cover of Where Women Cook!) Always on the lookout for a unqiue find I went to a garage sale this past summer around the corner from our house and bought a remnant of fabric that caught my eye... plaid... mais bien sur.

$4.00.

I have been sitting on it since then waiting to make something for My Chickens to wear for Thanksgiving... now that I think about it, I made the girls dresses last year for Thanksgiving too... in plaid! I didn't want to take any chances without a pattern since I was working with a VERY limited amount a fabric. One bad design and my whole idea would be shot so I hit our horrendous new Super Wal(Hell)mart (there is nothing "super" about it except that it's super gross) and bought some lame, Easy-Sew patterns.

$4.00

Turns out I really did have enough fabric to make all four kids (Chickens) something to wear! And two headbands for the girls!

Aidan & Cousin Sofia

So far, I had spent $8.00 - here's how much it cost to pull off the rest...Now, Aidan's sweater is Janie and Jack. If you are going to buy retail and buy quality you gotta buy Janie and Jack. Regular price is outrageous but they have wonderful sale racks and I have found that the way their clothing is cut that my children have ALWAYS been able to get two to THREE years out of any particular piece. I'm serious. It's so bizarre but it never fails. Aidan is six years old and that is the sweater he wore the Christmas when Amélie was born. You can just make their stuff work - it's incredible. That sweater was a gift.

$ Free.

The orange polo shirt is a neighborhood hand-me-down

$ Free.

I am all about the hand-me-downs. I sort thru the stuff that is totally not "us" and keep the basics.

Speaking of... those little shoes Julien is wearing are from a friends son who was a baby 11 years ago. They've been in a tub in my basement until this moment.

$ FREE

Now back to the girls for a moment.

What to do when it's the day before Thanksgiving and you need tops? Why you pile the kids in the truck, say a prayer and head over to Target of course. I am always in need of solid color tops for the girls and on top of that, I love to dress them alike when I can.

I found these two cream color shirts, one in each their size on clearance...

$4.00 a piece! And cute to boot.

My sister's wedding this summer.

Now for the fascinators. Ever since the wedding this summer and the fun I had designing and making the girl's hats and fascinators I have designed a hundred in my head. It all starts with an inspiration. What you probably can't see is that on everyones piece of clothing I used the selvage edge of the fabric as the hem (I LOVE doing that) and on the little pocket on Julien's romper I did not stitch the fabric under but left the left, right and bottom edges raw so they became all fringy... and super cute. I decided to go with the whole raw, fringy, Chanel thing for the headbands... The only Chanel I wear is No. 5 but Coco Chanel and that particular look thru the years is a major source of inspiration in many of my personal clothing selections. Now, if only I was a rich, 110 pound ingenue who epitomized the look...

I digress...

I love the gnarly rosettes and added the pearls at the last minute (at about midnight Wednesday night). After deciding they desperately needed pearls to cap of the Chanel thing I was considering cutting up a strand of my own and then I stumbled upon an old stretched out bracelet in my stash! JACK POT!

I KNEW there was a reason I never threw that piece of junk out!

Now for Julien's Onsie and Juliette's tights...

What do you do when the theme is plaid with CREME and all you've got is white tights and a white Onsie???

Why you bust out the tea and TEA STAIN of course!!!

Problem solved!

Oh, Juliette's navy blue Mary Janes are from the thrift shop, Striderite's... never-been-worn

$2.00

And Amélie's brown boots are from that semi-annual swanky children's resale thing I go to. Gymboree never-been-worn $9.00.

So, shoes-n-all what is that, like $29.00??!!!!

Sa-weet~

Here's a few more pics...

All the Grandkids in our family. My SIL makes those sweet knit headbands! Have you seen her Butterbean shop? Victoria is one of the most creative people I know. Like the rest of us, if she had more time and more money... we'd all have to watch out!

Time for mashed potatoes!

SIL Victoria et Moi

Me and My Sisters!

Necessity is the mother of invention.

A creative spirt MUST create.

No matter how flat a$ broke she is.

Grab ahold of those crazy ideas in your head, whether it's selling your house in a horrible market to find your dream farm or making an elusive plaid taffeta dress and go for it!!!

Keep on creating girls!

Who knows what you will come up with next!!!

I Want To Tri

I Want To Tri:

I'm telling you what..every time I jump on the stationary bike or dive into the pool, the more and more I think about doing a Tri. I have even been researching some local tri's around Omaha and lurking on tri websites for training advice. I did find one that will happen in May and it is an all women's triathlon. Of course with Omaha weather, I know the options of tri races in the local area are slim.

When it comes to the swimming, I think I am decent. I can now swim a mile and a half but I am still swimming 100 yards in two minutes (pretty slow). I could improve this by adding in some intervals.

Running...well considering my ankle is more on and off then anything anymore I am just going to see how it feels come Spring. I am hoping the more I continue to stretch it and stay off of it when it comes to running, it will improve. I plan on doing a Sprint Tri for my first one, so I think I can handle the 5k run.

Now the biking is what I am worried about. First of all I just have a mountain bike, which gets around on the roads fine but it is nothing fancy. I was amazed at how much Tri bikes are and I will not spend an arm and leg on a bike until I know that I am more serious about racing. Also, how the heck do you go about learning how to change tires and the chains on your bike...I am horrible about maintenance. Finally, I really hate the idea of training on city roads. I have known several people who have been killed from cycling on roads and I am deathly afraid to go that route. I wonder if I could perform just as good with doing some of my rides on the stationary bike using intervals.

If anyone of you have done a Tri, help...I need advice!!

Stone Walls

Stone Walls:

I have a current obsession with interior stone walls. I love the solidity of them - as though they will stand forever. I also love the sense of history they give to a room - as if they have a story to tell. I love their texture, their unevenness, their imperfection. I prefer them paired with pale colours and perhaps limited to one feature wall so as not to feel too overwhelming.SIMPLE BUT SO ELEGANT !

They are beautiful in a living room.....

and in a dining room.

They make a great statement in an entry way or passage.....

... and add such warmth and character to a kitchen.

They work very well with the soft furnishings of a bedroom...

....and create interest in a bathroom.

Now please excuse me while a recline on this inviting daybed and dream about a house full of beautiful stone walls.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Till next time

Sharon x

Image sources: 1. Bella Francais Interiors, 2 & 9. Campagne Decoration, 3, 12, 17, 18, 19. 24, 29, 31 Pinterest, 4. Coco Cozy, 5 & 15. House to Home, 6, 10, 21. Country Living, 7. Eclectic Revisited, 8, 20. Cote de Texas, 11. Desde my Ventana 13. House Beautiful, 14. Desire to Inspire, 16, 25. Tumblr, 22. Under Spanish Moss, 23, Create Girl, 26. 4-interior design, 27. Josephine Ryan, 28. Verdigris Vie, 30. Lux Interiors Designs, 32. Casa Decorada



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