Tutorials

tutorial: ScrapBuster Banner

okay so the other day i made these quilts. and i had a lot of scraps left over. i came up with this scrap buster banner. and if you end up making this quilt, using my tutorial you will have enough to make this banner as well. i think that would make such a great […]

don’t ask, don’t tell decorating

i go to thrift stores. nothing new there. it’s not because of the economy or because i’m trying to stick it to the man. and most definitely not because i’m trying to find some antique to sell on ebay. i don’t like ebay it stresses me out. not saying that anyone out there who shops […]

i made a couple of quilts

first off, glad to see so many people out there confessing to stinky bathrooms. thanks for the advise, the laughs, and the support. i’ll be sure to keep writing more personal, sometimes not so shining moments, as they continue to happen. one thing is for sure, if you can’t laugh about things…then life really does […]

winner of $40 dollar gift certificate

it’s been wicked cold some mornings here. add some fog and we get some pretty amazing looking frost cover here’s your winner for the $40 gift certificate to the sew cute shop! Random Integer Generator Here are your random numbers: 98 Timestamp: 2010-02-11 17:08:48 UTC kristi said… I found out about your blog from Monica […]

celebrate the boy month

first off, thanks for a wonderful shop update success! wow. really thank you. you guys are awesome, and you make my creative juices run on high speed. i’ve already come up with a ton of more ideas for this blog, other blogs, and my etsy site. now to try to figure out WHERE i can […]

tutorial: composition book cover

to make this cover you will need: *strips of varying widths with at least 16 inches in length. *2 rectangles of muslin cut out to 5 1/4 by 11inches *one long rectangle with the measurement of 25 by 11 inches *one button *one elastic hair band. first get you a boring looking composition bookmeasure your […]

winter work

we’ve had a bit of snow come our way. i’ve had to wear my closed toe shoes and mr v and co has been trying to make sure our house stays nice and warm. but while the boys are at school and work…the girls jump on beds, play with fabric, and play dress up with […]

look at you guys go

i’ve been busy with the hand sewing. keep a look out for new patterns and kits and ready made things coming soon to my etsy shop! i’ll let you know when ooooh but people! PE.O.PLE!!!! you have been busy yourself with the v and co tutorials!!!! you make me proud. and a little teary eye […]

our weekend and a sytyc loss

with the sickies of the flu still prevalent in our home…we’ve had a pretty low key weekend. but so far we’ve had 12 hours of no one up chucking. i actually slept good last night. i’m crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, and holding my breath that we’re done. here’s to being optimistic. well, this […]

tutorial: baby doll quilt

here are the basic instructions to make this baby doll quilt what you will need: 18 squares of white fabric cut to 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches 18 squares (two of each fabric to be used in each pinwheel block) of patterned fabric 2 strips of white cut to 3 by 10 inches […]

second hand re-creation

while in my cleaning organizing fit, i’ve been able to move things around and re-create with some second hand stuff that wouldn’t normally go together. i took my thrift store find silver basket, and my thrift store find glass candle stick holder (total cost $1.00) and created my new center piece for my dining room […]

sytc win: scarf tutorial

so last week the challenge was mittens. i kind of went out on a limb and made “the perfect accessory for your mittens scarf” you guys didn’t care and voted for it anyways! thanks! i asked my good friend to see if i could use her adorable daughter. i think she did a fantastic listening […]

real pine wreath tutorial

this wreath, is inexpensive, and pretty fast to make. first you will need a grape vine wreath (walmart around $2) and then you will need some pine tree limbs (when we went to get our tree i cut some limbs off of surrounding trees) then you will need some crafting wire, and some pruning shears. […]

winning tutorial: the snow ruffle pillow

hello! no, i haven’t forgotten what i said the other day about giving something away for your time. i’ve decided to give a few things away, and i’ll be picking later today i promise! but for now check this out: a lot of you knew my project the minute it showed up. i guess many […]

hand made holiday wreath

well, first off hello! so nice to meet so many of you! i got to chat with a few of you (um, those of you that have your email attached to your comments sure make it easier to correspond with! hint hint to the rest of you.) 😉 yes, yes…i’ll pick someone (rather random generator […]

tutorial: that lime green necklace

i keep getting comments and emails over this necklace and weather or not i was going to show you how i did it. okay well it’s not that complicated i think you can figure out that i strung wooden beads. so this tutorial will be for how i got an even coat over my beads […]

sytc: week 5

image this weeks new theme snow. check it and vote! ‘ll be back a little later today with a tutorial for that lime green necklace! 😉

mini tutorial: vintage looking signs

first off, i just have to say you have entertained me for the past few days with your comments! everything from laughing and agreeing with my sentiments about the tree, to stories about how much more crazy you are than me, to touching stories of memories of when your mother finally gave in to the […]

look at you guys go!

to say that i’ve been busy these past two weeks would be an understatement. i’ve been multi-crafting for different places, people, and things (on top of sytyc) (you’ll hear more about that in the future for sure). i’ve also been multi-volunteering at the kids’ school. being on the community council takes a lot of hours, […]

winner of shey [B] camera strap

tutorials

random.org number generator picked #157 #157 is lindsay of: just me and z congrats to you! email me your info so i can get you in touch with shey! thanks to the rest of you for playing, and for making me laugh! stay tuned later today (or tomorrow?) for a “look at you guys go!” […]

tutorial: spraypainted wheat pillows

as seen last week on sytyc…here are my wheat pillows and the easy steps on how to make them! you will need: spray paint ( i had ivy leaf, and brown) freezer paper. muslin scissors pencil first cut some muslin. next trace your own drawn pattern (or you can download my pdf here) make as […]

before and after: kitchen/dining area

thank you for the lovely well wishes on my birthday! yes, the husband got the necklace. i don’t know how he knew exactly what i wanted. but he did so good! 😉 okay so…this last summer we did a little remodeling in our kitchen/dining area. here are the before and during and well, i can’t […]

sytyc:week two

first off i haven’t thanked you for the love of my turkey! so glad you like him as much as katie and i do (ahem and my boys have mentioned that it’s kind of cool too). i even got a finished picture already from one of you! 😉 i’ll be doing a “look at you […]

mini tutorial: sure way to make your children cry

1.) make pumpkin soup 2.) tell your children they have to at least take three bites 3.)sit back and watch in amusement as they “try” to take three bites, and watch the tears fly with comments like “i caaaaaaan’t!!!!” and “but it looks like, like, like…i DONT KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!” in other news: […]

happy hallows eve

from our house to yours. katie trying on her “sen sen” costume…the boys will be clone troopers…of course. today i’m off to make some pumpkin soup (wish me luck), avoid the super cold weather, completely ignore the “hellish white fluffy stuff that has fallen out of the sky to bring on seasonal depression” also known […]

look at you guys go

yes it’s true i’ve reduced my self to drinking…late at night. and not even Diet Dr. Pepper my first love. between being “mom!” and “honey.” i’ve been trying to create some cute new things (well i think they are cute) and doing it by trying to stay up late like i used to… so yes […]

this, that. and a mini tutorial

as you can see, no big tutorial today. we were hit hard last week with the flu. we’re out the other end of the tunnel with kids finally feeling better. thank you for the well wishes! currently you will find me still lysol-ing and opening up windows to air out our house “just in case”. […]

tutorial: garden fresh fabric tomatoes (and pumpkins)

yes, made out of a simple abundance layer cake, and can be found at the Moda Bake shop. go on over and check out the tutorial for these little ladies, and if you happen to go to quilt market make sure you give them a little hello, for they are going to be there. along […]

tutorial: pine cone wreath (and guest blogging)

beautify your home for the fall season with this super cheap and easy wreath, that looks like a million bucks! oh now see i told you i was going to do a craft with all those pine cones. and here it is. but guess what…i got to rule over at U-Create for the day as […]

blame it on the salsa sewing

last week i ran into a couple of my friends in our grocery store who were getting the final ingredients to make salsa with the tomatoes that they had grown. “we have a LOT!” i mentioned they better share their wealth. then i was on the phone with another friend another day and i asked […]

starting something new

i’ve been blown away with your guy’s love of my tutorials and patterns. seriously, thank you. i want to start something new here at V and Co. and highlight your finished products using my tutorials (my ones here or on the moda bakeshop or bought at my etsy shop!) picture from ressica jachel using dress […]

you’re invited

to my shop update on monday the 21st at 10 am (mountain standard time) patterns and kits for vintage baby quilt and flags.as well as a few other down loadable tutorials i’ve been working on i really hope to see you there comments closed

best second hand find (in my eyes)

i got to go this past week to the second hand store. when i got there. i instantly spotted this little wood hutch. i think i pooped my pants when i saw it. not really, but i was that excited. we brought it home after i paid the $25 that they asked for it. i […]

tutorial: dress made from a skirt

here’s a tutorial on how to make a romantic inspired dress out of a woman’s skirt. what you will need: one woman’s size skirt. (large with a zipper is most recommended.) this skirt having a zipper in the back made fitting this much easier. so i suggest you get a skirt with a zipper. first […]

what i made with that $2 skirt

a dress for her. i love to repurpose sheets and table cloths, you know that. so when i found that $2 skirt i had sort of an idea that i could do something with it. a.) i could take it in and make it fit me. b.) i could make something else out of it. […]

tutorial: pottery barn looking decorative balls

how’s that for a title? 😉 so i’m really into making my house a little more pottery barn looking at the moment. i wanted decorative balls, and when i started this tutorial i really liked the idea of “different colors” to add a little bit of punch as well. so i’m going to show you […]

tutorial:: the perfect add on fabric flower

remember a while back i made my daughter a new flower hair clip? you all asked for a tutorial then. then i posted about the textured pillow i made… you all asked how i made the flowers…well here you go. the basics on how to make the perfect add on flower to add just about […]

texture and sort of like martha’s pom poms

i made this pillow yesterday. i don’t know if you can tell but i’m really into texture right now. i’m working on a new moda bake shop project which has a lot of texture. this little throw pillow is to go with katie’s quilt cover i’m making for her toddler bed. it makes sense in […]

tutorial: fabric strawberries

yes, yes, this would be my latest tutorial for moda. go and see the whole tutorial and please go leave me some love over at the moda bake shop. have a “sweet” weekend. we’re enjoying ours at home. just how we like it.

winners and a tutorial

random picture to keep things interesting and the winner of the auti dress is: # 10 daysgoby who said: “I love the dresses – I tried making one of those and I’m SO MUCH BETTER OFF buying one – especially when there are such cute fabrics!” well it’s your lucky day cause the random # […]

oooh we have us a winner(s)! and some other stuff

oooohweeee! well thank you all for playing! hello to some new names and welcome back to old timer names that i’m starting to know and love! 😉 thank you beki for hosting a lovely lovely giveaway! using the random number generator, the number picked was: #69 anne come on down! you are the lucky one […]

tutorial:make a fabric covered lid for your picnic basket

before i begin…there will be a GIVEAWAY on monday. yeah you are going to want to come back. with picnic season here…i wanted to take my second hand find and spruce it up to take it out with us on park trips this little beauty only cost me $3…but the lid was less than desirable […]

tutorial: the table cloth skirt

what you will need: a zipper and zipper foot for your sewing machine your favorite skirt (preferably an A-line skirt) a table cloth (the one featured is a martha stewart table cloth found at K-Mart) so many of you liked my other skirt i just made out of a table cloth that i was wanting […]

frustration

tutorials

it’s taken me over an hour to upload 5 pictures so i’m giving up. my family is sitting waiting for just me to finish so we can leave to go to the grand canyon. i thought i could get up before everyone and type up the tutorial for you all. but seeing that everything is […]

seeing red

well thank you for all the well wishes on the crankies and for the lovely response to my new patterns. i have a lot of ideas bouncing in my brain and already have started on a new set of patterns but will have to wait a little while to show you the final products. on […]

shop update

image includes the ruffle pillow. pattern and pillow will be available to buy. yeah i know it’s early. but i don’t know when the other blog is going to do their spotlight so i have to make sure i get everything in there before hand. and well, if i don’t get spotlighted till like 10 […]

a before and after (?)

this piece of furniture was given to me by my sis-in-law. she didn’t have room for it and as you can see she started to strip it but didn’t finish it. it has great lines and works great in my living room. this last weekend (before we went up north to the big city for […]

new skirt for me

thank you for the vote of confidence and patience on yesterday’s post about my garden. yeah i’ll work on the patience thing 😉i made this skirt out of a table cloth that was on clearance. did you read that amy? no posiblities of sweaty hairy men on this skirt! i think it was the martha […]

tutorial: baby girl quilt

want to make this? go see it at the moda bake shop. it’s my latest tutorial for them. go give me some love! *********** we’re off to an army thing this weekend. we get to spend a couple days at snowbird ski resort. the kids are being watched by my wonderful brother and sister-in-law. i […]

we’re back

and we’re POOPED. i would like to sleep for like three days the wedding was wonderful. california weather, oh how i’ve missed you. it was great to see all our family. i’m itching to finish this tutorial i got going… more to come…soon ps: mom liked the bag edited: sorry it’s been brought to my […]

tutorial: fabric covered eggs

a great craft to do on any day of the week with kids…AND cute! first get you some lovely yummy springy fabrics. these i got as a swap from this lovely gal then you’ll be needing some plastic eggs (i got mine at walmart they were $2) first cut your fabric the width of your […]

it’s full speed ahead spring

we had a lovely celebration of “oh my gosh i can’t believe you have made it 11 years of waking up with my crazy butt every morning.” he even bought me the movie. we havn’t watched it yet…oh but we will…we will. friday and saturday were beautiful and spent outside…i got to paint some too…more […]

loving weekends again

before the deployment the weekends were my happy makers. i looked forward to them like a kid looks forward to a trip to a candy store. after a year long deployment and re-adjusting to life with the husband home… i can finally say that i love weekends AGAIN. ******** our agenda this last weekend *saving […]

in the works

have i been working on: A)organizing B)painting C)being sick D)a tutorial E)trying to be a good mom and wife by cooking every darn night F)getting my part of the stupid taxes done E)all of the above E. would be the correct answer. but see this is how i roll. i put a bazillion things on […]

i’m speechless…but i’ll push through that

wow people! i mean WOW PEOPLE! seriously you guys like your moda and it shows! the man formerly known as GI Joe husband would like to know where the heck you all came from! i told him EVERYWHERE!(though i don’t think that’s what he was asking) HELLO AMERICA, CANADA, UK, ITALY, FRANCE, HUNGARY, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, […]

:: a “sweet” and “swanky” giveaway::

alright here’s the deal: since so many of you were so kind to say some really nice things about my tutorial over at the moda bake shop, i in turn want to do something for you guys. here’s a giveaway of two lovely yummy honey buns. they are “sweet” (the one i used on my […]

happy birthday to my 3rd noise maker

dude you are 5 today! * here’s a few fun things about you right now: * *you love LOVE star wars (big surprise) * *you are super snugly * *every night between 3am to 5 am you crawl into bed with mom and dad * *you may be small, but your voice is huge (seriously […]

tutorial: rag rug and moda

a few weeks ago i got an email from a wonderful woman from moda (yeah THE MODA ) asking if i would be interested in posting some tutorials over at moda bake shop. first, i swore out loud (going to have to repent for that one) then i was like “this has got to be […]

which way should i go?

my house looks like a tornado hit it. the chair is almost done, but…. that’s just primer on there and i’m wondering…. white, black or red for the actual wood part? inquiring minds want to know. i’m leaning towards bright fire engine red. need to fold laundry just the tip of the ice burg. make […]

things i want to try from blogland…

one thing that blogging has brought into my life (besides some great blogging friends) is some great inspiration, here are a few that i really can’t stop thinking about: camille’s chair makes me want to go out and just do the re-upholstering thing…this was her FIRST attempt. can you believe that? my wonderful friend larissa […]

tutorial::rice bag feet warmer

this would be a perfect holiday gift for neighbors, friends, or teachers. it’s fast it’s cheap and essential for the cold weather! what you’ll need: one bag of rice (i used a 1 lb 12 oz bag) one fat quarter of muslin and one fat quarter of really cute fabric. (this particular fabric is moda) […]

because dept stores are about to do it…

even though there are still two days left till valentines day…lets not forget the next big girly holiday coming up…MOTHER’S DAY…and well, because the department stores are getting ready to promote it, i thought i would as well…go to my shop and buy yourself this pattern. it includes instructions on how to make the embroidery, […]

this one’s just for me

do your feet ever stay cold no matter how long you’ve been under your covers? is it just me? well yesterday i decided i was not going to have cold feet anymore! and decided to make me a rice heating bag…you know the ones you stick in the microwave. i wanted it to look stylish […]

tutorial:: moda charm pack celebration flag

got some charm packs you need to use? wouldn’t this be so cute in your little boys room? or for a party? first get yourself some charm packs…yeah that’s me promoting my shop. fold in half one block (all charm packs are 5×5 so if you are just cutting out your squares cut them to […]

tutorial::easy peasy heart garland

i’m not a huge decorator for the seasons, but even i can’t pass up a garland for $1.50 at walmart you can buy this package of six hearts. go get you some of those… now if you are crazy like me and you have issues with the shape of your hearts you’ll need this step. […]

another first for me

i’ve been wanting to make these forever, well just for a few months actually and i finally got around to making them yesterday. i think these are better than any school picture up on the wall could ever be. i think i’ll make one for each kid every january. i bought the frames one at […]

sytyc: perfect gift for the “little mother”

something that this little quilt has made me realize is that i really miss making quilts. it’s been a super busy year for me, and i haven’t really been able to focus on bigger projects like quilting in a while. this year i promise myself to change that. i’m making at least a few quilts […]

tutorial: bandanna skirt

these skirts fit a 2-3 year old…you can adapt it for older girls by adding layers and extra bandanna’s (maybe i’ll make a tutorial of that later on) first off get yourself a bandana fold in half and press with an iron. next cut in half with some fabric scissors. (took this picture with my […]

aprons and hotpads…

go check them outHERE tell me you wouldn’t look smokin‘ hot in one of these numbers? i walk around all day in mine and i feel like i want to put on some pearls or something. watch out donna reed! i did finish these for the boys’ teachers. my boys have the BEST teachers this […]

a winner and a confession

well thanks for playing! yes, here’s to another fun year but with a husband in the picture! so i asked the random integer generator thing a mi-jiggy to get me a random # (uh, no way was i going to pick out the winner and have the rest of you get mad at me!) so […]

tutorial:: pottery barn looking frame ornament

so i’m sure some of you already have the pottery barn ornaments that are silver and are monogrammed…if you are looking to replicate that, look somewhere else cause i don’t have an engraver and i’m cheap remember?! but if you want a cute little knock off of a frame ornament then this is the tutorial […]

christmas decorating and what i’m working on

thanksgiving is over… and it’s full speed ahead christmas now…so this week expect a tutorial on your own pottery barn style ornament, a before and after, and some sewing thrown in there… the three boys have been helping with decorating the sad little fake tree, maybe next year GI joe husband will be a manly […]

I’ve been busy…

taken with my NEW CAMERA! it came late last night, so this picture was taken AT NIGHT! holy crap I’m in love. So I haven’t really been posting pictures of projects lately. I was trying to hold off posting anything till the camera got here but it’s here now and I’m trying to get aquainted […]

inspirational tutorials

you know i’m all about tutorials and when i find them i bookmark them so that i can attempt to recreate or make something of my own using bits and pieces of information…here are a few that i think are note worthy: *so in love with this skirt tutorial …by whip up *this simple yet […]

tutorial::how to make a nine patch

okay so this nine patch quilt is made of nine squares to make one block and then a plain white block in between. i’m going to show you how to make the nine square block. (sorry about the pictures, they didn’t turn out super great but at least i had pictures!) first cut out strips […]

tutorial in the near future…

flowers from GI joe husband for my birthday (NOT FROM MY ARCHIVES!) so my wonderful friends come to my aid again. lets see, i have a borrowed sewing machine, a borrowed microwave (oh yeah forgot to mention that yet another thing that i use every single day is broken too! lets just hope things come […]

loss of another great friend.

picture from my archives two things i use every single living day are now officially broken. first my sewing machine, and now MY CAMERA! ah, so she’s off in a box snuggled in bubble wrap to be fixed hopefully. i don’t know how long i will be without a camera…so i don’t know what to […]

it may be fall outside, but it feels like spring in here

i ‘m so in love with the whole process of the grandmother’s flower. of course give me a few more hundred of these babies and we’ll see what kind of tune i’ll be singing then. but i love the fact that i can go anywhere and at anytime just start working on it. i want […]

tutorial:: how to applique

so this is the “oh crap i have company coming over tonight and i need to make something holiday-ish looking” applique tutorial. it’s not my favorite looking applique technique but it gets the job done. maybe some other time i can show you “i’ve got time on my hands cause my husband is watching football […]

fall cleaning…

i’m cleaning today. before i can sew and start back up on all pending projects this needs to be taken care of… especially when one of your good friend’s house ALWAYS looks like this, you kind of get inspired the friend that everyone thinks we’re related because we kind of look alike and i hung […]

well looky where i was featured!

ah! you can see my dresses made out of sheets and my tea towel tutorial at the Sew Mama Sew BLOG! it’s under “create and celebrate” october 8th post check it out!

fall has arrived and thrown up in my house

i’m not a big time decorator of the holidays, for some reason the changing of things every few months bugs me. (it’s a personal thing) but i have to admit, fall and christmas are the ones i do decorate for. other than that it’s pretty much same ol‘ same ol‘ at my house. here are […]

tutorial::how to make a country rustic sign

this tutorial is so darn easy you could do it in your sleep, but here you go, the steps to making your own: 1. get yourself a board, old weathered ones are the best and when you live out in the middle of nowhere that’s been around for a century and a half, trust me […]

fall decor::using nature

so i love fall, it’s my favorite season, i love everything about pumpkins and i love the colors. there’s only one thing i hate about it…when its done we get winter. but lets focus on fall… i was walking in our back yard and started to pick up the rotting apples on the ground and […]

tutorial:: how to make a pinwheel

so it’s quilt month over at mr monkeysuit and i decided to join the fun. for my little tidbit i’ve decided to make a tutorial on how to make a pinwheel, so you too can make a quilt like my little katie’s first you need four squares two of a color and two of white […]

tutorial:: binding your quilt

i don’t know about you but i can not follow directions without someone “showing” me. either in person or in pictures…so i hope this helps if you need it! (and yes that’s my katie quilt.) measure your quilt and determine how many strips you’ll need to cut for the whole quilt (i usually hate to […]

help with the cranky

so i’ve been super cranky for the past few days. i’ve realized that i havn’t been sewing and the house is a disaster. it’s all due to the 700+ pages i’ve been (trying) to read non stop since i got the book. but thankfully (and sadly) it’s over now and i’m back! the day yesturday […]

tutorial:: no sew ironing board cover

what you’ll need: enough fabric to cover ironing board, a pencil and a hot glue gun. so this was my ironing board that i use ALL the time…pretty hammered and kind of ugly i flipped it over and with a pencil i traced around the ironing board, i then cut out it out leaving around […]

tutorial::easiest apron to make (and cute!)

this apron that i’m going to show you is super easy and super fast. it’s made from a pretty dish towel. buy your dish towel (mine were on clearance for $1.50 each) this one measures 18 inches by 28 inches (rectangle towels only) fold up your towel just like the picture (in the middle fold […]