Five Freakishly Awesome Things

Today I will share with you five freakishly awesome things from my life.  Those of you that follow me on Instagram (username: decorandthedog) already have the inside scoop on most of them but I felt like EVERYONE needed to know about the following….

1. The Pinterest app for Android is now available.  I broke up with Pinterest for awhile.  You know, when it started “seeing” everyone in my real life.  But I got over it and now we’re on again.  Browsing aimlessly makes my heart happy.

2.  My dear friend, Amanda, was home from Reno.  We went thrifting.  I found these Wire Fox bookends.  Obviously our time spent together was a success.

Ike was jealous and decided he needed to be a Kindle bookend.  My feet look freakishly huge and dirty in this photo.  Only one of those is actually true.

3. Amanda, Nate, and I also ate a delicious supper at Crust in Bettendorf.  Naples style pizza. Cheese curds fried in a 312/funnel cake combo batter.  Life changing.

4.   Nate and I had our first kickball game of the season on Tuesday.  It’s our second season playing.  We’re old pros.  Oh wait, Nate is.  I just stand in the outfield and pray that the ball isn’t kicked to me. True story.  But I do have a pretty fierce kickball stare perfected…

5.  Our new living room rug arrived.  I type “our” like Nate is excited about the new purchase.  He totally digs it.  I ordered it from Overstock.  I had a horrible previous experience so I was afraid to open it.  I opened just an end yesterday.  So far so good.  I’ll show you more next week when it’s in place. Unless I hate it and have to send it back.

I managed to twist my knee while lugging it closer to the couch to better visualize.  I am one handy little lady.

What’s freakishly awesome in your life this week?  Fun apps? Rugs? Adult sporting leagues?  Tell me all about them!

Easy Sew Apron Pattern and Tutorial

Last week I shared with you my Pass It Along Project which was easy sew aprons gifted in Mason jars.  Shove anything into a Mason jar and a blogger will love it.   Seriously.  Anything.  Use your imagination.

I chose aprons because I knew my recipients like to cook/bake.  Why I chose sewing as my contribution to the project, I am still not sure.  I like to sew.  I’m okay at it but I have this attention deficit problem.  I should have switched up apron fabric or something to keep me interested.  I have made a pact with Nate.  Anytime I decide to be crazy and ponder opening an Etsy shop, he will remind about the time I made four aprons.  He could even direct me to this post.  But don’t worry, one apron is a piece of cake!

It doesn’t help that my sewing machine has it out for me.  Seriously.  I’m adding a new sewing machine to my Christmas list and my current one will find a new home….where it can torture someone else with it’s bobbin issues.

Anywho, today I’m going to share with you the easy sew apron tutorial.  Be prepared to be amazed at how easy this is.  Don’t worry if you’re afraid of your sewing machine.  You can do this.  I mean, my sewing machine has it out for me and I still made four.

For one apron, you will need:

• One 26x18  inch rectangle (for the body of the apron) 
• One 26x8 inch strip (for the bottom trim of the apron) 
• One 95-105x8 inch strip (for the sash/tie) 
  • The length can vary on this.  I used a little shorter (95”) on these because I was too cheap to buy more fabric.  The shorter lengths tie in the back.  Longer will allow you to tie in the front. 
  • You can either cut one continuous length if you have enough fabric or you can sew pieces together to make the length desired.

Start by ironing the 26x8 inch strip in half.  Then iron in 1” on each long edge.

Open the 26x8” strip.  Place the 26x18” rectangle on top.  Align the fabric along the 1” fold.

Pin the two pieces together and sew along the top edge.  (I have no idea what seam allowance I used.  I just pick something that will hold the fabric together.  Fancy pants sewer.)

Fold and press in 1" on each side of the 26x8” piece.  Fold over and press another inch on each side.  Pin and sew along both edges.

Look at the pretty apron front.  You’re almost there. You can totally do this.

Grab your 95-105x8 inch strip.  (You will need to press this strip in half and also 1” on each side like you did with the 26x8 inch strip.  Stupid pressing.)

Center the apron on the strip.  Place the apron on top of the 1” fold in the strip.

Pin closed.  (Pretend the following photo has pins.)

You need to tidy up the ends before sewing the whole shebang together.  Fold in about 1” and then fold over again.  Pin.

Start at one edge and sew along the bottom of the entire sash.

Yay!  You made an apron.  I knew you could do it.

To complete the project, get yourself a Mason jar.  I found these four in the clearance section of Target for $1.00 a piece.  Awesome.  Fold the apron and shove it in the jar…nicely, of course.

I attached a favorite recipe with a ribbon.  I used the free vintage printable recipe cards from Love vs. Design.  Can’t beat free.

Any questions?  Are you an apron fan? What would you love delivered to you in a Mason jar?  I’m thinking cookies would be perfect right now…

Be sure to check out our other sewing and craft projects here!

Getting Your Dog to Pose

A question we get asked often is how we get Ike to pose so nicely for photos.

I wish the answer was that he is an angel doggy and he does exactly what we ask of him at all times.

But I don’t tell lies.  And our friends and families would rat us out.  Truth be told, Ike is a wild man.  The dog is nuts.  He’s 5 1/2 years old and has a crazy amount of energy.  He is a terrier. 

Luckily the dog is easily bribed.  It’s just getting him calmed down enough during bribery to get some decent photos. Also patience is important.  Very important.  He has had basic obedience classes and does well with commands like sit, stay, and down.  Well, usually he does well.  The following photos may lead you to believe otherwise.

Here are some behind the scenes shots from our recent DIY console table photo shoot.

We start with a treat.  Notice Ike still licking his chops.  Notice me in the mirror trying to get his attention.  It’s obviously going well at this point.

Here is Ike trying to shake off that treat.

The following photos show him confusing “sit” with “down”.  They sound alike. I get it.  Especially when your brain can only focus on treats.

This won’t work.  He’s only interested in the treat on the floor.

We let him have that treat and decide to start over.  Here is Nate trying to get him to refocus.

Staying is for dumb dogs. 

So is sitting…

Okay, now we’re sitting and staying.  Someone had best be fast with the camera.

Let’s move that treat over the photographer’s head…

10 minutes later we have the great shot for the ol’ blog.

Photographing Ike has become more difficult over the course of the blog.  He sees the camera and instantly gets this annoyed look on his face.  We’ve upped the quality of treats and know not to be rushed if we want Ike involved in the photos.

Does your pet like to model?  Did you have any clue that Ike was a wild man?