Ready for Fall, Almost. {Weekend Wrap-Up}

Tell me the truth... have you had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks?  I'll let you in on a not-so-secret secret... I have not. Ha!  What have I been up to, you wonder?  Well...

I turned 30 last weekend, so I've been Thirty for a week and two days... I have to say, it's not feeling much different than the past few years.  The kicker may be that both of my girls are now in school, well, the youngest is in Pre-K, but, still...  I now (for the first time since starting SoChick!) have actual, dedicated, work time during the day! Yay!

So, back to this weekend's wrap up...  I may not have had Pumpkin Spice anything from Starbucks, but I did enjoy a homemade pumpkin spice coffee at home, in my new mug, which I picked up at World Market with my $10 Birthday Coupon!! (Along with the pretty new earrings shown)  

Here's how I made my Pumpkin Spice Coffee:

- One mug fresh brewed coffee, I use World Market's Breakfast Blend.

- A drizzle of pure maple syrup

- A dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice

- A splash of organic 1/2 & 1/2

I know you love my exact measuring... *wink*

We spent the weekend enjoying the company of some wonderful friends of ours who were out this way from the coast.  It was a short and sweet visit, but we were so, so glad to see them!

 Lastly, because it's been quite brisk here in the Mountains the past few mornings, I decided it was time to put up a fall wreath on our door.  Of course, since we are in a new home, I thought it'd be nice to update my previous wreath, using supplies I had on hand.  I'm very happy with how it came out and very glad to have used the brown satin ribbon I've been holding on to for years!  I swear, years!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and I hope to have more to share, very soon!

XxOo~ Melissa

Summer 2013 {Weekend Wrap-Up}

This summer year has been crazy, an adventure, but crazy... to say the least!  While the fabric shop has reopened and is doing well, I thank you bunches and bunches, I have been totally lame in the "work" department.  I am trying not to feel too guilty for that though, as I have been really enjoying settling in to this new place with my family, enjoying the summer with my little chicks and thinking about where I want to go from here on out, with SoChick.  More on the latter in another post.

This is my long overdue first Weekend Wrap-Up, aka Summer Wrap-up, post from the mountains of WNC...

I quickly found a Local Quilt Shop and picked up some Geekly Chic prints, which I paired with some Jennifer Paganelli fabrics from my Fabric Shoppe.  This project was a practice in piece/quilt as you go, which I've yet to complete.

This is one of the first views we had when we moved to WNC, from the balcony of our temporary apartment.

We've taken several drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway, here is a view of Looking Glass from the Overlook on the BRP.

Across from the Looking Glass Overlook on the BRP, we hiked to Skinny Dip Falls.  We came back another time to try to swim here... no thanks, I'm not ready for icy mountain water. Brrrr!

My youngest chickie was completely bummed about not having "pretty" jammies to wear to bed, so we took a trip to a local fabric store, they picked out their shabby chic fabrics and I got busy drafting and sewing my first set of girly summer nightgowns.  I'm not going to be making children's sewing patterns anytime soon, but it was much easier than I anticipated.  Let me know if you're interested in the tutorial by leaving a comment below!

This past week I sewed these coasters for our living room.  These were sew easy, my little chicks even sewed their own coasters to use on their nightstands, for their nighttime water.  The girls used Geekly Chic scraps, from the above project, for their coasters.

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up, and More! {DIY, Food, Thankful, Sandy Relief and How you Can Help}

I'm alive!  Of course if you are following me on {Facebook}, {Twitter} or {Instagram}, you knew this... if not, you should! *wink*

{Where I've Been...}

I took a much needed mental break.  You see, my brain works overtime coming up with awesome ideas, which I welcome... but unfortunately, along the way I sort of overwhelmed myself and had to step away to recharge.  We all need a little recharging every once in a while, right?

As you may or may not know, working from home and managing a business is a lot of work, never mind when one is also managing a family with active children and has a hardworking, yet supportive, spouse who is the main source of income for the household.   

During my re-grouping session (doesn't that sound professional?) I took a look at the big picture that is my life; I saw that I needed to re-prioritize my time to give my brain a break so that I can be present, physically and mentally, for my family, my business, this blog and for myself, too.

Here's some of what I've been up to, I'll fill you in on other goings on over the next week or so...

{DIY: My Master Bathroom Re-Do}

  It has been over a year since the fire in our home, and while most of the big work is finished, there is still kitchen back-splash to be hung, trim to be caulked and painted, and some other small painting projects.  I went through my list for the summer, and then accomplished very little... to get back into the swing I decided to take on a smaller DIY project of re-doing our master bathroom:

Un-Primed Builder Beige, blah!

Freshly Painted Grey

It was dark out when I took this photo, still the same grey!

I was excited to try homemade chalk paint for the first time with this DIY project.  I painted the shelves, which you can see were a dark cherry color in the Before picture, a light, almost-white, color called "Sweet Leaf". 

More about this re-do, including an actual After picture once it's complete, along with paint color info, the chalk paint recipe I used and my inspiration for it, coming soon.

I also lined the DIY Roman Shades from this post, and replaced the slats because our cat, Jack Bauer, jacked them all up... pun intended, ha!

The shade on the left is lined, right is unlined, see the difference?!

I'll update my DIY Roman Shade Post with How-To info along with Pros and Cons to the Mini-Blind Roman Shades!

{Good Eats: What I've been cooking}

I've been doing a great job of meal planning... well, for me anyway.  Since we are gone for gymnastics practice three evenings a week, I've been trying my best to make crock-pot and easy-to-cook meals.  But also, I've just been enjoying cooking for my family in general.  Here is some of what we've been eating.

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Thick-sliced italian bread French Toast, Baked Bacon, Mocha French Roast Coffee, Freshly Juiced Pineapple-Orange Juice.

Dinner: Country Ribs, Roasted Brussles Sprouts, Sauteed Sweet Potato w/Brown Sugar

This morning we had Steel Cut Oats- My little chicks loved this breakfast!- Inspired by this Pinterest Pin:

Source: thekitchn.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Follow Me on {Pinterest}

Want recipes? Let me know in the comments and I'll put a post up for ya!

{Thankful in November}

Everyone else is doing this, and it's a fabulous Idea, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon... I'll follow-up via Instagram & Twitter #ThankfulInNovember, but here are my first five:

1- I'm thankful for, this guy:  

I couldn't ask for a better friend, husband, and father to our girls, to spend forever with.

2- I'm thankful for, this chick: 

My first little chick-a-dee was born a preemie, at 5 1/2 weeks early, and weighed 4lbs 14oz. I couldn't be more proud of this girl, she cracks me up, loves school like it's cool, all while managing to excel in gymnastics and girl scouts. *tear*

3- I'm thankful for, this chick: 

My littlest chickie, does most everything on her terms... Miss Southern Diva, 'nuff said!

4- I'm thankful for, Coffee... because this is true:

5- I'm thankful for my Nan's Brother sewing machine, because, let's face it, it started it all!

{Hurricane / Superstorm Sandy Relief: How you can help}

I am thinking about everyone who has been affected by this storm.  Being that I am from NY, I am proud to say that if anyone knows how to pull together and get through tragedy, it's New Yorkers, but even they need a hand... here's what you can do to get involved and help everyone affected by this storm:

-Donate to the American Red Cross, here.  Or, you can text REDCROSS to 90999, which will donate $10 to disaster relief efforts from Superstorm Sandy.  It doesn't get any easier than that.

-Quilt Relief: Another way to help is to send your finished quilt tops to be quilted and donated to those in need.  So many people are still without power, and homes.  It's Novemvber and cold in the North East... a quilt can bring warmth and comfort.  Here's more info on how you can get involved: eQuilter Quilt Relief

Thank you to Lisa, @CrazyQuiltyGirl, for donating her time and tweeting about this project!

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Sign up for the SoChick Newsletter, which will go out this week, for info on my Handbags Shop and Fabric Shoppe Sales for the Holidays!  (Sign up is in the right column.)

Whew!  I think that's enough for one day!  Leave me a comment if you have any questions,  would like a recipe, or just to say Hi!.  You're comments make my day, I love to know if you're reading!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up {Market, Savannah Tote, Sunsets}

Happy Monday!

My weekend started bright and early with me walking out my front door at 6:30am on Saturday to head out to the New Bern Farmer's Market with my SoChick goodies.  I've been away from the market for a few weeks because the busyness of the summer had caught up with me, and it felt great to be back in the swing of things.

New on my table this weekend:

-SoChick Sling in Aqua Spring

-Two new Mini-Totes

-Grab-n-Go Totes 

I didn't have a ton of time to restock because I was pre-occupied with other projects, but new items are high on my to-do list for this week... I will be at the Market next weekend, also.

I also enjoy delivering orders at the market.  This Savannah Tote is one of the orders that was picked up at my market booth this weekend:

This SoChick Savannah Tote was made with Dancing Paisley in Limestone and Temple Doors in Deep Water, both fabrics are from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms Collection and are for sale in the SoChick Shop.  I really love how the genuine leather accents on this bag contrast with the blues and greens in the fabric, so chic!

Saturday afternoon, the little chicks and I went to see Ice Age with friends, it was cute and I love how our littlest chickie does so well sitting through movies.

We ended the weekend with a walk on the beach and drive through downtown Beaufort and Morehead City, NC... Nothing beats a coastal sunset:

What did you do this weekend?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments!  

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up [Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Raleigh, NC]

This weekend I met up with my Mother-In-Law in Raleigh, NC for The Original Sewing & Quilt Expo.  This was the Expo's first stop in Raleigh... I usually travel to Atlanta in March for the Expo down there.

It was a fun weekend, the event was a lot smaller than the Expo in Atl, but I liked being able to hear myself think and get my hands on good deals!  It was also a great opportunity to see new-to-expo-shops and new-to-me-shops... I found a few that I would love to visit when I'm in Raleigh again, like Wish Upon a Quilt.

A view of the Gammil Longarm Workshop and the Expo floor.

One of my most favorite shops, Sew It Up.  I've purchased from them the past three years and am so happy with their kits and patterns they offer.

Seriously, every time I'm in this booth I feel like I could sew one of these dresses.  Take a look at the dress I made for my littlest chick with a Pink Fig pattern that I picked up from Sew It Up at the Expo in March, Here.

Our view of Raleigh from 7 floors up in the DoubleTree Downtown.  Raleigh has such a pretty Downtown area full of shops and beautiful old homes.

To finish it off, we had dinner at The Pit.... Seriously good BBQ up in here!!

Like I said, I scored some great deals at the show... I'll share what I came home with in another post!

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Through Friday, June 29th... Save 25% on ALL Fabric in the Shop, Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry Prints, with code VACAY25 at Checkout!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up {Coastal Living & Father's Day}

What a great weekend we had...


We kicked off Saturday with a 2.5 mile run, my husband, littlest chickie, and I. (Our oldest was at Gymnastics Practice).  It was nice to run with my husband, and have him switch off with the jogging stroller... a 3 1/2 yr old in a jogger is not easy, regardless that I've been running for a few weeks with her, ha.


We we got home I knocked out these SELF exercises from the SELF Drop10 Diet... I'm pretty much just using this for the exercise routines, and boy do I feel it.  I love this workout.


After a few more chores, we headed out to pick up our oldest from practice and went down to Harkers Island, NC where we took a ferry out to Cape Lookout National Seashore.  After living on and near NC's Crystal Coast for 7 years, I had yet to make it out to the lighthouse!  My husband, kids, and parents have all gone... it was about time!

It was a windy day but beautiful all the same:

Father's Day started with the little chicks making breakfast for their Daddy, my hubby, with help from Mommy (aka me, duh) which was followed by a family run, well for the husband and I... Little Chick sat in the jogger and Big Chick rode her bike.  We ended Sunday by grilling out at our house with my Dad and Stepmom.  Just as an FYI- you have to try Grilled White Peaches, Bobby Flay style... here's the Recipe... SO GOOD!


The next few weeks are going to be insanely busy, followed by a week long vacation at Fripp... so here I go!

Have a great Monday!
XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up {In a rut, life, the beach}

I've been in a bit of a blogging rut lately... I'm guessing it mostly has to do with being busy in life. So, here's a quick rundown of what I've been up to; I'll get back in the groove, I know I will!

School is out for summer!

Gymnastics Practice for my oldest Chickie continues (12.5 hrs a week); I am so proud of her.

This weekend my oldest also moved up to Junior Girl Scout. The Troop had a bridging ceremony and cook-out, it was great... her troop really is a great group of girls, parents and leaders. This year, Girl Scout's are celebrating 100 years of scouting... and I'm so happy she has been a part of it!

I am now heading to the New Bern Farmer's Market on a weekly basis, for the most part.  Next Saturday will be the third in a row, and any of you crafty gals who participate in Markets will know how this works... lots of sewing for market! I love meeting new people, chatting and catching up with the regulars.

The past two Sunday mornings we have gone out to walk the beach, I hope this stays a regular occurrence.  It makes for great family time and we all love the ocean. Both of our girls have grown up by it... its amazing that living 15 miles away keeps us from the beach as much as it does.  We'll change that this summer.

With that being said there are a few projects I'm working on, another Sewing Expo that I'm attending, oh and I need to catch up on my Craftsy BOM.

Sigh... Summertime and the living's easy... or busy... but I'm enjoying it all!

Found this shell on a beach walk... blocks by Bubblewrappd 

Have a great Tuesday!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up {Flowers, Fabric, & Mother's Day}

Good Morning!  Monday morning means time for another Weekend Wrap-Up post... these posts are my way of sharing life behind the biz with you... though now that I'm back at the Farmer's Market regularly, I guess a little bit of biz will sometimes be thrown in the mix. 

On Friday I planted some flowers in a hanging basket on the front porch.  I love the color combo and that Vinca Vine (the green plant on the right) came from another in my back yard that decided to grow extras! Yay for extras!

A blooming yard means I get to bring pretty flowers inside, too.  Here, I put a fresh hydrangea bloom in a glass jar with some Stella D'Oro Daylily cuttings... love! 

Saturday was spent at the New Bern Farmer's Market, I was so happy to bring these Fat Quarter cuts of the Amy Butler Soul Blossoms fabric that was listed in the SoChick Shop last week!  I was even more thrilled to find so many sewists who were happy to see, and buy, this pretty fabric... totally what makes me love what I do, seeing others who get just as excited over beautiful fabric!

I picked up these pretty earrings, from Twisted Wire, at the Market this weekend... I was fortunate to have a booth next to her and they were my Mother's Day gift to myself... that's okay, right? Of course it is!!

Mother's Day was spent eating pancakes in the morning, made by my hubby & enjoyed by all; gardening, relaxing at home, and ending with dinner at my Dad's place.  Dinner was delish, my lovely Stepmom pulled fresh veggies from the garden for us to enjoy and we finished it off with Strawberry Shortcake dessert... Yum!!!

(With my littlest Chickie while big sister was relaxing with Daddy.) 

Here is the square foot veggie garden we planted... still a few spots to fill with plants, but its looking good so far.  Yes, we used pink Twine to section it off. (From The Twinery, of course!!)

How was your weekend? Did you have pretty weather?  How did you celebrate Mother's Day?

Don't forget about the SoChick Sewing Pattern SALE & GiveAway that's going on... I'd love to reach my goal of 25 patterns sold by Memorial Day so I can give away a pretty bag making kit!  See all of the info, HERE.

Have a great Monday!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up [Camping & My Craftsy Pattern Shop]

 What a fun weekend of camping with my daughter, her Girl Scout Troop and 2000 other Scouts from North Carolina.  We were celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting... Wow!  I was a Girl Scout in 1st & 2nd Grades in Germany, my Dad is US Army Retired; it was awesome to be able to share this once-in-a-lifetime event with my chickie.

Of course we were super tired when we got home yesterday afternoon... basically we just laid around the rest of the day to recoup.


How exciting, though, to come home to some brand-spankin'-new SoChick business cards?! 

I ordered these from Moo.com and couldn't be happier with them!  It's great seeing "Fabric" and "Sewing Patterns" listed as an offering from SoChick!  Truly a dream coming true! (Is that over-use of the word 'true' or what?! But, it's the truth! *wink*)

Pretty fabric is on it's way to me and I can't wait to get it all checked in, photographed, and listed so that it can then make it to you! (Soon, so soon!)

In the meantime, my Craftsy.com Pattern Shop is OPEN!  Currently I have the SoChick! Market Tote Sewing Pattern listed for sale.  I felt this was a perfect pattern to start with because it's fairly easy to sew, teaches skills that can be carried over into other handbag & accessory construction, and can easily fit your personality when using your own fabric combos.   Bag Making Kits will also be available in my SoChick Shop as fabric is listed.

What I love about the SoChick! Market Tote as a bag... well, it's super versatile, the gathers in the bottom sides add a feminine-chic touch, it has two inside pockets to help organize (you can fit a TON in this bag), the sides fold in for a different look and it has a magnetic tab closure.  What's more, it's interlined with canvas which really ups the durability factor.  I love it!

I've also started a Flickr group, SoChick! Sewing.  Now, when you make something using one of my patterns, you can share it with myself and others!  I can't wait to see your spin on my sewing patterns!

P.S.- If you've purchased an item from SoChick!, you can share customer appreciation photos in the SoChick ~Customer Love~ Flickr group, too!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend-Wrap Up & I Want Your Sewing Questions

This past weekend was another good one, though it rained all day yesterday and got a little chilly... I'll survive, I guess.


I have another custom order I'll share later this week as well as finally sharing about the Sewing Expo I went to weeks ago, and will be attending again in June, in Raleigh, NC.


Today, though I want your feedback.... have you seen my Guide to Fabric?

Well, I need to wrap that up... I have one post left where I'll tell you about some fabrics I enjoy working with, other than quilting cotton, but I also want to use it as a Q & A... So here's what I'd like from you:


What tips & tricks do you want to know to help you on your sewing journey?


Any questions about bag making you'd like answered?


How about sewing in general... need some tips?


Ask away in the comments, I'll take your questions and include them in my final Guide to Fabric post.  Sometimes finding the answers really is as simple as asking a question!




Happy Monday!


XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up [Back to Market and a Diaper Tote]

This past weekend I went back to the New Bern Farmer's Market, here in NC.  I attended the Market at the end of last year and decided to take time off through the winter.  Now that my business is preparing to expand, carrying my sewing patterns and premium cotton fabrics from today's designers, I felt it was a good time to start back at the market again... not to mention, I love the socialization and everyone is so nice and kind.


Mostly I will be carrying smaller accessories and embroidered items while I'm there, leaving larger bags to be ordered in my shop.  What excites me most about this arrangement is being able to get into embroidery more often... I love embroidering fun and whimsical designs, it's exciting to see what my machine can do!


Here is my set-up from this past weekend at the market:

This weekend was Spring Fest at the Market and there were a lot of folks out and about.  I enjoyed my neighbors, meeting new people and catching up with familiar faces!


Next up, I want to share a recent custom bag that I made for a great friend of mine.  She and her husband recently welcomed their third child into the world and she and I chatted about a diaper tote that she could use past the baby years... She picked the Laura Gunn Poppy fabric for the front of the bag and said she wanted "organizational features"... here's what I came up with:

This bag is a slightly larger version of the Savannah Tote found in my Shop, the brown fabric is organic cotton twill and it is lined in 100% cotton from Michael Miller Fabrics.  The overall colors are Turquoise, Aqua and Brown with the pops of red and green in the poppy print.

 Inside, I included a removable base insert (which is found in most SoChick! handbags with a boxy base!), 5 elastic-topped pockets (three on one side, two larger ones on the other), a small pacefier/lipgloss pocket toward the top of the lining and a hook for keys.


I love how this bag turned out, I don't think it looks like a diaper bag and all of the pockets will keep it super functional beyond diapers and bottles.  I'm happy to tell you that my friend said she loves it, too!  Hearing that is why I love what I do!!


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Pssst~ Have you been to the SoChick Handbags Facebook page? I am seriously ONE 'like' away from 400 and I would LOVE to give something away when we hit that milestone... 


and P.S.~ Thank you for reading and following along with me here, on facebook and on Twitter.  You are all such a huge part of SoChick! and why I love and continue to do what I do! XxOo~ M


XxOo~ Melissa

Weekend Wrap-Up [Vintage Style, Sew Serendipity, and Such]

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.  Today was the first day back to school for my chick-a-dee number 1, and yesterday stared a seriously busy work week for me.  Though, April is shaping up to be a pretty busy month... which is okay, as long as I stay on top of things.

I have a few things I want to share, like a recap of the Sewing Expo I went to in Atlanta several weekends ago, some order's I've been working on, the progress in my girls' room, and something else that I've added re-added to my plate, but those posts are going to have to wait for editing and such.  Today I'm just sharing a few photos that helped to top off a great Easter Weekend. (Even though yesterday was a weekday, ha ha.)

I picked up this magazine  in the grocery store yesterday... I love it.  It's full of great ideas and inspiration.  A fun read.

After browsing my new magazine, I was pleasantly surprised by the mailman delivering my early Mother's Day gift (From my Mother In Law):

I am sew stinkin' excited to try something from this book!  I'm not exactly sure when that will happen, so in the meantime, I'll just read it from end to end and over again. 

Do you have Sew Serendipity? What is your favorite pattern? 

I promise to be back to regular posting soon... and wrapping up The SoChick Chick's Guide to Fabric with the final two posts! 

XxOo~ Melissa