Shirt Refashion

I found this shirt at the thrift store and immediately loved the fabric. I thought I would cut it up and use it to make other projects but the more I thought about what it could become I realized the potential it had to become a new scrub top for work. I have had a pair of cranberry red pants that I picked up on clearance that I had set aside until I had time to sew a top that matched them. The pants matched the fabric perfectly!



The changes I made:
-cut off the sleeves and made a little fluttery edge
-turned the sleeves into pockets
-tapered the waist in so it would fit me more closely and not be so boxy shaped














An action shot at work. For those who don't know I work at a military hospital on the outpatient surgical floor.

These are some of the corpsmen who work on my unit. They love having pictures taken and they will love that they made it into a blog post. I could choose to wear the same scrubs that the military personnel have to wear but as a civilian I also have the opportunity to wear my own scrubs. Wearing color is definitely more appealing on most days. However, not having to launder my scrubs is also enticing. It is nice to have options!

Weekend Projects x 5

A friend of mine who has recently moved back to the United States needed a bunch of baby shower gifts. These are packs of 2 burp cloths made with cloth diapers as the base and bibs that are backed with terry cloth. They are quick and easy to make and I really like picking out the fabrics.

Don't you love the sundaes on this bib? This fabric is so cute for little girls.

One more dress for a well dressed little lady

I finished the last dress in the order of 4 for my friend Kristine this weekend. (She has told me there may be more orders coming). I am thankful for the rain we have been receiving but that meant I couldn't take the dress outside to take pictures of. I have a beautiful bush (well more like a tree) with pink flowers budding that would've made the best backdrop for this dress.

This is a cotton fabric with an amazing silky feel. It reminds me of expensive sheets.

Pleating detail on the front

Buttons down the back

Dogs + Beach = Happiness

On Sunday I was invited by my friends to take our labs to the beach. The weather was incredible and the water was great. We had a great time watching them play and retrieve. What I didn't take pictures of and should have are all the people on the left side of the beach. There is a little bit of natural separation and the dogs were so busy playing that they left the other people alone. Well, mostly. Barnsley did visit a lovely couple sitting on the steps twice and shared a shower with them. They were so kind and said they missed their dog who had passed away and they were enjoying watching ours play. Barnsley also tried to follow a few of the kids and adults who came walking past our part of the beach but he was well mannered and there was no jumping or licking involved. The only time he got into some trouble was when he decided to run all the way to the other end of the beach to meet a little long haired dachshund. The poor Japanese woman was probably shaking as he came barreling towards them. All he did was try to sniff that little dog and the little dog was terrified. The woman was so sweet and I apologized in Japanese and she told me it was no problem in Japanese which I was able to understand. She even let Barnsley give her a kiss on the face and pet him so she must have liked him. I love him dearly but draw the line at kisses on the face.

Barnsley (left) Murphy (middle) Bo (right)

Barnsley followed these two boys as they looked for shells

Barnsley hoping Murphy drops the frisbee so he can play with it

A friend of my friend's has this beautiful Great Dane named Sid. He is only 14 mos. old!

The look of Labrador bliss after the play date

Something's Fishy

While shopping at the Japanese 100Y store I happened upon these dog treats. They are little fish that have been dried and are for dogs and cats according to the picture on the package. I carefully checked the package and found that they are made in Japan so I felt safe enough to try them out. They are a little bit creepy and largely stinky upon opening the package.

Once I got over the ick factor I gave some to the dogs. There was no hesitation and the treats were gobbled up. However, Lilly had a different idea of what she could do with her new delicious treat. She took one and laid it on the rug and then proceeded to try to rub her face and body all over it. YUCK! I had to supervise the chewing and swallowing of them after that.

Here they are after they had their fish treats and pleading for more. It's hard to say no to those faces!

House Part II: The downstairs

Okay I finally got around to taking the pictures of the downstairs. The upstairs will have to wait a bit longer. It is such a shame that none of you will be able to come visit and see it in person (well except for my Okinawa readers).
This is the front entry way. To the left down the hallway is the dining room and kitchen, to the right is the hallway that leads to the living room.

The bathroom in the downstairs hallway.

The kitchen

Barnsley and Lilly showing you what they do best.

To the left side of the couch is the sliding glass door which opens up onto the patio. I couldn't get a good picture of this without a glare. You will have to imagine it.

One end of the living room that is now a little reading area

Lilly running down the hallway and away from the camera monster.

One of the best things in this house is that I now have a laundry room that can be closed off to help the noise and mess disappear.

"Don't Cat"

You may be asking why "Don't Cat"? It should actually say Don't Dog. Since we've moved and I've let the dogs be loose in the house we have had a little problem with excess hair on the couch and chair. The 100Y store has a solution for everything though. This is why we have "Don't Cat" now. This is a clever little product made to put in your garden to keep the cats from using it as a bathroom. The plastic webs have little plastic spikes that are uncomfortable to step on or lay on. They are not sharp enough to puncture skin as I found out when I did a test run with my own skin. Therefore they were deemed safe to use for project Don't Dog. Now when I leave the house I just put one on each cushion and the dogs stay off the furniture and use their own beds.

The little picture of the cat has tears coming from the eyes. I wish I could read the Kanji.

These are easily stacked when not in use and placed under the couch.

Close up of the system.

Purple and Polka Dots

Finished another wee dress that was ordered by my friend

Kristine ( http://www.chisaibums.com/ )who has a stylish little girl.

The Fabric is a heavier Japanese cotton and the coordinating trim is cotton gingham.

Very cute stuff!

New Place Part I : The Outside

I've had some requests from family and friends to put up some pictures of our new base housing and I have complied.

We live in a fourplex unit and we are the very end unit "D"

Our side yard that is still trying to grow grass.

The back patio.

Backyard from the side.

A little hard to tell but just past the hibiscus bushes is a steep hill that goes down into the neighbors yard behind us. Thankfully it is steep enough that the base has deemed it unsafe for us to mow! I am enjoying much less grass to mow. I think the mowing time has gone from 1.5 hours to .5 hours! That leaves more time for the fun things like crafting.