A while ago I used to share highlights from the week around here in the Crush of the Week post. It was a fun way to give a little peek into what goes on around here, behind the blog. But it also made the post suuuuuper long. And more work. So I ditched that. lol.

But now there is Instagram!! Woot!

I thought it would be fun to share a few of my Instagram photos here occasionally!

So here’s a little recap of some things I’ve shared in the last couple weeks!

My mom sent me my Grandma’s sewing machine that she used for 70 years. I love it so much. Unfortunately the iron base broke in shipping so we’re doing a little recon to see if we can repair or replace it.

Doug and I got away for a little trip just the two of us last weekend. We visited Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Actually we stayed overnight just 5 minutes south of the Moore tornado area. It just breaks my heart.

While we were in Kansas we came across on of the places Laura Ingalls lived – when they were near Walnut Creek! Did any of you read those books? I loved them. This is a recreation of her house there and a little school. So so fun.

I also showed off my gorgeous new ring! Here’s the story:

About 5 years ago the prongs broke on my engagement ring and I lost my diamond. For lots of reasons (mostly money)  we hadn’t replaced it but a couple of weeks ago Doug surprised me with this!! It’s my original engagement ring with a shiny new diamond. We had talked about a new one altogether on and off for years, but I didn’t want to do that. Even though this doesn’t have a lot of monetary value (remember we were 20 when we got married) it has wayyyy more sentimental value and I didn’t want anything else.  I am so so happy to be wearing it again! LOVE that man. So much.

I’ve also been busy cooking and baking and eating. Ahem.

At night I’ve been working on adding crochet trim to the pillowcases of my new sheet set. It’s sooooo cute! I love the vintage look it gives them.

Fun right? I would love for you to follow along on Instagram if you’re there!

The post A Peek at the Week appeared first on Flamingo Toes.

I’ve created a new jewelry set with this in mind – it’s my new Summer Garden Jewelry Set – all made with the new Martha Stewart Jewelry line!

The set is a pretty mix of flowers and rhinestones, all in sweet summery colors!

So I am SUPER excited about this new line. There are so many options and materials for embellishing and creating pretty jewelry! I can’t wait to show you some of the fun!

To make this pretty set, you’ll need:

• Earwires and rhinestone settings with leaves
• Jewelry Glaze
• Jewelry Glue
• Necklace Chain
• Rhinestone settings in 3 sizes
• Pendant base
• Silver filigree piece
• Small flower cabachons
• Jewelry enamel
• Jump rings and lobster clasp
• Jewelry Tools
  (This whole line is available exclusively at Michaels)

Let’s start with the earrings! These are so quick and easy.

Start by adding a little Jewelry Glaze to the stems of the rhinestone settings.
This glaze is super easy to use – you just brush it on lightly and it adds a pretty touch of color to the metal.

Repeat and add the color to the little flowers on the earwires. Use the Martha Stewart Jewelry glue and add rhinestones to the settings.

Use flat nose pliers to open up the loops on the earwires and add the rhinestone settings to the loops.

Ok – super easy and fast adorable earrings right??

So now that we’ve gotten our feet wet, let’s do the necklace!

Start by brushing on the same color of glaze to the edge of a pendant blank.

Fill the center of the pendant with a contrasting color of Jewelry Enamel. This is super easy to do, but it takes 24 hours to dry. So make this the day BEFORE you want to wear your snazzy new necklace. :)

Using your Jewelry Glue, add little flower cabachons to a silver filigree piece.

Let all your pendant pieces dry and get happy. While you’re doing that, you can work on the rest of the necklace.

Decide on all your rhinestones and glue them into the settings. I used 4 large (10 mm) stones, 6 medium stones (6 mm) and 3 small (3 mm).

Once the jewelry glue is dry, start connecting your pieces using jump rings.
A little more gushing here – the line has these really pretty little twisted jump rings that I am all in love with. They make even the connectors look pretty!

Connect the large rhinestones into two sets and the 4 of the medium into two sets. (These will all have connectors with a loop on each side.)

Cut two 1″ pieces of chain and a 1 1/2″ piece. Connect the chain and medium rhinestones together with jump rings, putting the longest piece of chain in the center.

Connect the two sets of large rhinestone sets to each end of this chain. Make a little rhinestone bead for each side with a connector that has one loop.

Create another chain using the smallest rhinestone settings. These will all have loops on each end as well. Connect three of these settings with 1″ pieces of chain between them, and 1″ pieces of chain on each end.

Connect this small chain to the longer one with a large jump ring on each side.

Cut two 7″ pieces of a contrasting chain. Add a large jump ring to the end of one chain, and a lobster clasp to the end of the other chain.

Join the other ends of these chains to each of the large jump rings.

Once your pendant pieces are all dry, glue the silver filigree to the pendant base.

Add a large jump ring to the ring of the pendant and add this to the bottom of your necklace.

And now you have a pretty summer jewelry set!

Isn’t it pretty? I love the combination of the rhinestones and the flowers!

If you want to find out more about the Jewelry Line, you can find Plaid and Martha Stewart products info on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

You can also check out these posts for more Jewelry Inspiration!

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign for Plaid Crafts and The BluePrint Social. All opinions are my own! :)

Linking up at Sunday Scoop, Today’s Creative Blog, Met Monday, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Shabby Creek Cottage, My Repurposed Life, 504 Main, The Scoop, and the other fabulous parties on the party page – make sure you check them out!

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So I’ve been wanting to do a little more apparel sewing this year. It’s something I used to do – ages ago – and I got out of the habit. But one of my goals this year is to get back into it a little and work on my skiiillllllz. So.

I’ve started with a little knock off top – this Anthropologie Striped Interlude Top!

Isn’t it fun?! I love how casual and cute it is. Perfect for pairing with a little tank top and some jeans for this summer.

It mixes this pretty rayon fabric with a fun knit stripe, and finishes the whole thing off with some crochet lace around the hem. That’s totally my favorite part.

Here’s the inspiration top from Anthro:

So are you ready for a little tutorial?

I used about 3/4″ yard of the knit and about 3/4″ of a yard of the rayon – but your fabric amounts will depend on the fabrics you use and the size you need.

The top is based on one of my favorite new patterns – the Casual Lady by Andrea from The Train to Crazy and Go To Patterns.

Andrea did a fabulous job with this pattern. The instructions are super easy to follow and the style is so fun and cute! Andrea is also donating ALL of the proceeds from the sale of this pattern to the She’s Worth It campaign – which helps provide funds to rescue women and girls from sex trafficking. You can read more about that here.

I started with the basic top pattern and tweaked it just a little.

To the shoulder seam of the top I added just a little length and lowered the armhole. I also shortened the pattern since I’d be adding the lace to the hem.

If you want, you can use a top you own as a guide, just to help you decide where you’d like the arm to be.
I did the same on the back, with a little more curve to the armhole.

For the top front, I drew a straight line from shoulder to hem about 2″ from the neck edge on the right side. Cut out a piece of knit the size of the small piece left on the bodice, and a contrasting fabric for the remainder of the top. Cut the back out of the same fabric as the small bodice piece.

Sew this front seam together. I found the fabrics didn’t pucker as much when the knit was on the bottom of the seam.

Cut out two small rectangles of the contrast print, 4 1/4″ x 4 1/2″. Sew the pieces right sides together around all four sides, but leave a small opening at the bottom for turning.
Clip your corners and turn right side out. Press.

Sew an edge stitch just inside the fold along the top, then another 1/4″ from the stitching.

Decide on your pocket placement (hold the front up to you and place pocket on the side with the seam so it overlaps just a bit.) Pin the pocket in place, then sew around the sides and bottom with the two edge stitching seams.

Match up the shoulder seams and sew them, right sides together.
(Just pretend the pocket is already on here k?)

Measure the neckline of the top. Cut a piece of your knit against the grain, 1″ x the neckline measurement, minus 1″.

Sew the binding in half and press the seam open.

Mark the center of the binding opposite the seam, then the halfway points between those marks. Do the same on the top.

Pin the binding to the neck of the top, right sides together.

Sew the binding on with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Fold the binding to the back of the neckline over the seam allowance and pin in place.

Sew the binding in place on the front side of the top, in the “ditch”. So you’ll be sewing inside the seam of the top/binding. Make sure that the binding on the wrong side is sewn down all the way around.

Trim the edge of the binding on the inside of the op close to the seam.

Repeat the binding process for each of the arm holes.

Sew up your side seams.

Try on the top and check your length. If you need to, trim off a little so the lace is where you’d like it.

Measure the bottom of the top and cut your lace piece 1″ smaller. Sew the lace together to make a tube.

Sew the lace to the bottom of the top. Press the seam towards the top and topstitch the seam.

And that’s it!! So fun right?? Such a cute little top for summer.

Here’s the back. I think the lace is such a fun contrast with the knit!

Here’s the link again for the pattern - and while you are there look around! There are soooo many cute patterns there – for women, kids, and your home!

Linking up at Sunday Scoop, Today’s Creative Blog, Met Monday, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Shabby Creek Cottage, My Repurposed Life, 504 Main, The Scoop, and the other fabulous parties on the party page – make sure you check them out!

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