DIYing and also DIEing - pom pom garland

I have my "big" craft show this weekend. It's at my church. Our church is big, and the festival is a pretty big deal.

This entire summer kind of feels like it's been leading up to this weekend. Let me remind you that I didn't know how to sew until June. And since then, it has been non stop every day. I do it because I love it, but it would also be nice to get some extra money in my pocket. I mean I really do love sewing, but like anything else, making the same thing over and over (ie burp cloths) gets tiring and tedious. And tired can't even begin to describe the level of exhaustion I am. 

Anyway, one thing that's awesome about making stuff all the time is that you get to a point that you just "have" supplies. Seeing an awesome DIY on pinterest doesn't seem out of reach when you already have all the supplies sitting on your table. On the flip side, I don't really think it's worth it to do a lot of DIY projects unless you plan to do more stuff in the future. Craft supplies are a huge rip off, and if you starting from square one, you are going to get up spending more than you thought you would have to. Like even if you just need to buy thread and needles, you'll be spending close to $10. 

So my random DIY tonight was fiesta garland to potentially decorate my craft show booth. I see a lot of cool pom pom accents all over pinterest, and I suggest you look around, because they are all super easy to recreate. 

I have always loved this for inspiration...

So today I picked up a multi pack of pom poms at Hobby Lobby and created some pom pom garland.

Eleanor deeply mistrusted my vision and would not comply, so this is the best shot I could get...

If you want to call this a "tutorial," fine. I guess. Buy some pom poms and thread them...

 

Is your mind blown?

Love,

Lauren

I'm back... until the next time I am gone...

So what has happened to me?

After I started making Strolli Cools, which people are still buying and enjoying!, I was like wait... I can make OTHER stuff, too. I told my husband last night how weird it is that when I first started making the Strolli Cools that it didn't even occur to me that I would be able to make/sell other fun things. And now, it's like I dread making Strolli Cools sometimes because it's like old hat at this point.

To be honest, I taught myself to sew at the beginning of the summer. So the Strolli Cool was the first thing I ever made. As far as being the first thing you've ever sewn, it's not exactly an "easy" thing to make. It's not super hard either, but compared to a burp cloth, it's more challenging for sure.

I think I have even impressed myself with how quickly I have picked up sewing. I do think that I have an advantage over the average person because I have a college degree in understanding and assessing apparel. Even though I never used a sewing machine once in college, I took a class where I had to learn every type of stitch, pleat, hem, seam, etc., and how it's done. I also took a science lab where I had to learn just about every single type of fabric and how they work in apparel applications. With that said... I have always known how the clothes are put together, I just had never taken a crack at it with a machine.

So. I have made a lot of shit since the last post. A lot.

5 blankets
20 burp cloths
2 dog beds
30 headbands
4 skirts
2 bathrobes
6 sensory toys
2 pairs of shorts
10 dog bows
5 lovies

Basically, I sew when Henry naps, and I sew as soon as Tom gets home until I go to bed. Recently, I have chilled out a little bit. I am really tired, plus I have been doing a lot of work on the computer with rebranding my etsy store and researching supply vendors for all the wacky ideas I have in my head. And then of course, I am also supposed to be a good wife and a good mom, and keep my dogs alive, and clean the house. And plus PLUS, people keep ordering invitations from me! Which is really great, but it kind of mentally derails me from designing and making things.

The irony of all of this is... I will sew for five hours straight, but I am too lazy to post any of this stuff to etsy to actually sell it. The main reason is, it's REALLY hard for me to take pictures of things. Good pictures have to be taken outside during the day... and with Henry, it's just never feels like a good time. Plus, I also want to get some of the packaging I have had made in my possession before I try to market this stuff.

My new etsy store is called PRINCIE and you can visit it at etsy.com/shop/princiedesigns . Princie was an amazing woman I worked with in Tulsa, and one day I will tell you all about her.

I do not know how often I will be able to blog these days. I would like to be consistent about it, but please just accept that the quality of posts may not be as good. They will probably be more diary-like going forward, and I simply cannot allocate any time to making cool graphics that really serve no purpose other than looking good. Not until this moment in my life have I ever understood the phrase TIME IS MONEY... And girl, this blog has made me about $3 this past year. Speaking of, I got a credit card reader for my iPhone. I have never had the opportunity to use it, but I feel pretty awesome just having it.

The remainder of this post will be pictures from my iPhone that showcase what I have been up to. Everything you see, including Henry's shorts were made by me. There is no time for extra editing or any of that nonsense...

If you follow this blog because you are a stranger on the internet who happens to like reading my posts, your best bet is to follow me on instagram at PRINCIEDESIGNS. For the other 99% of you who know me from real life, you know where to find me. 

Love,

Lauren

PS - OMG I left my laptop at airport security out of state a couple weeks ago and didn't realize until I was mid flight. Because Henry's birth was in 2012, this might have been the most dramatic moment of my life this year. Many phone calls and $108 later, it's back. Safe and sound...

Just like Sarah Jessica Parker...

First I just need to clarify that I am 36 weeks pregnant. FULL TERM PEOPLE. My due date is still 4 weeks away, but doctors have still created this "full term" thing to make pregnant women even more uncomfortable and impatient during the last month of pregnancy.

From the day I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was going to have to make some changes to my "acting" gig with my dad's car dealership. Like when Sarah Jessica Parker had to carry around shopping bags to hide her belly on SATC... Just like that. So I made sure that all commercials immediately change my name to Lauren Rocco Dougherty. It was originally decided to just keep my maiden name so as not to confuse people, but I couldn't have the greater Houston metro area thinking I was an unwed mother or that I had a shotgun wedding. Every commercial up until this latest one did not really reveal that I had a bun in the oven, which is exactly how I wanted it... and I didn't even need an oversized handbag or a trench coat.

But for the most recent commercial, shot at 34 weeks pregnant, I was under the impression that we were going to try and "hide" the fact that I was pregnant by filming up close. I don't read scripts ahead of time because I'm awesome, so I came completely unprepared when I showed up to the studio and read that the entire commercial was about me having a baby (see below).

I really did throw a mini-fit... similar to when moms make their 4 year olds wear fake eyelashes for the first time on "Toddlers in Tiaras." But no one gave me pixie sticks or mountain dew to calm me down. To make matters worse, once the baby is here, I think they're going to add a banner that says like "congrats - it's a boy." That's awful, right? I feel so freaking self-concious about it, but because I am the paid talent, and we realllly need some shutters for our bedroom, I didn't have much leverage in getting my way.

I have no idea if this has hit the air yet, but you saw it here first. 

Love,

Lauren