Easiest non-sewist tutorial ever

You guys will love the simplicity of this little tutorial. It’s truly the.easiest.tutorial.ever. And the best part? It’s perfect for all you non-sewists:)  Ok, you will need a needle and thread. I bought a cute sweater from Target.. it has great bones but I didn’t like the buttons they used. You’ll see.. they were a bit too serious for my taste :) So I took them off and sewed new ones on. Told ya this is gonna be easy!

 

Let’s get started.

 

Supplies you’ll need:

 

the above-mentioned needle and thread

new  buttons (be sure you have enough- my sweater had 9 buttonholes so I needed 9 buttons)

scissors/snips

sweater or other garment to restyle

 

Here’s the sweater I used

I really do like the buttons that came on the sweater. They have a cute vintagey-appeal that will be perfect for another project.

You want to remove these buttons with small pointed scissors. I use surgeon’s snips, as they cut really close and are super-precise.

Gather your buttons. You can see I made custom buttons (but of course, eh?) using fabric scraps. You can buy these cover buttons at Hobby Lobby, Joann, maybe even Walmart. They come with a little kit and are inexpensive. I think a pack of 4 is around $3.

These colors look great against the gray sweater :)

You’ll need matching thread for your buttons. If you’re not a seamstress, you can pick up one of those little $1 emergency sewing kits at the dollar store.

This is where I throw everything into my “catchall” tote and do my hand sewing in the carpool line! It took me all of about 10 minutes to sew these buttons onto the sweater. It actually took longer to decide where I wanted each of them lol.

And here’s the finished product. Cute, huh? Definitely worth the re-do!!

And because I know you guys will ask, the yellow tee is also from Target.

Just a note about your button size and buttonholes. You may want to take the garment or buttons you’ve removed to the store if you buy new ones, just so you’re sure to get the same size. I totally forgot about needing the buttons to actually fit inside the buttonholes lol! So my buttons were about twice the diameter of their holes.. oops! I knew I would want to button the middle ones (see photo) so instead of making smaller buttons, I extended the length of my buttonholes.. I know, easy for a seamstress to do. If you find yourself in a pickle, get a local seamstress friend to help you out.. it’ll take her all of about 5 minutes :)

 

I’ll have some thoughts and more details about the upcoming changes to ggC in the next year in an upcoming post.

 

Hope you guys are enjoying the CHRISTmas holidays!!

 

Hugs,

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sharing the handmade love

Last month the hubs and I took a weekend trip to Wilmington, NC. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing and we are blessed with a fabulous “village” to care for the kids, pups, and handle those things that need to be handled when you’re out of town. The weather was crazy-cold so our plans to be at the beach most of the visit were instead redirected to downtown Wilmington and the riverfront. I have recently taken up running so it was a cool coincidence that Wilmington’s Beach 2 Battleship Triathlon was also in town that weekend.





Downtown Wilmington has a really cool vibe and being there amongst the marathon action was pretty inspiring. The spectators and their signs were awesome!! Of course, we didn’t know any of the contestants, but I felt this huge sense of pride for each of them as they passed in front of us. What an amazing accomplishment..








We got to the see the winner cross the finish line. I still can’t believe he finished an ENTIRE triathlon in such little time.





Wilmington has great restaurants, clubs, coffee shops and we passed this chain link fence with keys hanging all over it. There was no sign or info posted about it so we Googled it when we got back to the hotel.





Knitted “love” someone hung on the fence

An estimated 30,000 keys are hanging on the fence




If you’re a crafty online shop owner, you’re probably aware of an awesome grassroots initiative called Link with Love. For the rest of you, go check it out. Link with Love is a campaign to educate consumers on the intellectual property of the world wide web. What they’re doing over there is huge! If you have a website/blog, grab a button from their blog and help educate your viewers.




I am so addicted. Pinterest is my new love. Sigh. Forget Facebook and Twitter.. Pinterest, you have my heart. If you’re not a Pinner, you can request an invite to get started. It’s basically an online bookmarking tool so if you’re more of a visual person (like me!), then you’ll love it. I have created a Christmas board containing some fun items. There are decorating ideas, recipes, handmade gifts (what everyone on my list is getting this year!). Check it out!





Again, let me know if you need an invite and I’ll send you one:)


Hope you guys are having a great week!
Hugs,

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more than just makin’ a buck

I’ll soon be wrapping up Christmas orders. And that feeling is ah-MAY-zing. Almost cause for celebration :) There are still several items left to show you, and they can also be worn post-Christmas. Love that.  A preview will be up soon.

 

A quick peek at items going out now..

So, I started a really easy tutorial for you non-sewists. Got the item finished, photos taken, and tried on the little item to model/ show you guys how it looks.. and it is not good!! So, I’m going to switch something out and we’ll see. Of course, what was intended to take me all of about 20min has now turned into a 2-day ordeal! I’ll get it finalized and you’ll see how simple “it” is.


We’ve been around soccer with the kids for going on 14yrs; both began playing at 3yrs old. That almost makes me seem “old”!!  We’ve played in clubs in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and currently North Carolina. We’re super-fortunate to be in an area of the country where there’s a real appreciation for the sport and some serious competition to boot. This past weekend wrapped up an end-of-season tournament for our daughter’s team in Charlotte, NC and was a really great experience for them:) They actually finished their regular season undefeated (we say “undefeatable” in our family lol), and this was a first for their coach as well.

 

Aren’t they beautiful? They are truly the best bunch of girlies. Love ‘em to pieces!

 

Of course, my child is the one with her finger sideways. Not sure what that’s about?! Maybe code for, “Can we hit Chic-fil-A?”





Changing gears now.


For the better part of this year, I’ve been craving something more from ggC and my work. I’ve been sewing custom garments for your little sweeties for 10+yrs now and while parts of that are fulfilling, it’s time for something more. I love the creative side of my job, seeing a design in my head, putting it on paper, cutting the threads, sewing it out, and seeing it come to fruition is really fun. But there are parts of my job that I don’t like. Every job has its pros/cons, I get that. The cool thing about being a sole proprietor is that I make my own choices in business.. the negative to being a sole proprietor is that I have to make my own choices in business. Words that come to mind when I think of this year as a whole: fulfilling, gratifying, intense, painful, indifferent, purposeless, aimless, nonsensical, motivating, and I’ll end with resolute. I’m all over the board here, I know. I have struggled with how to put this post into words for a month now. While sewing can be a very rewarding, honest, blue collar way to earn a living, I feel like there’s more that I can be doing with this extraordinary gift God’s given me. Simply assembling a garment isn’t enough anymore. I want to do, to help, aid, make a difference. This is about more than just making a buck for me. This change has been spirit-infused and has consumed me every day for the past year.



I’m still trying to sort out how I want ggC to evolve, where I want us to go, what I want us to do. While I have no programmed timeline for finalizing what all this means, there are some changes that will take place. Beginning January 1, 2012 our ggC label will no longer offer custom items. None of our designs will be sold as a custom order nor, will we be accepting orders for uniquely custom items. Both the Etsy shop and our website will be emptied of all current stock. If you’ve had your eye on something but have been waiting to purchase, now is the time! There will be no discounts on either site through the New Year. Not to worry if you have an outstanding order with me; that will be processed exactly as they have been.


I’ll periodically begin stocking the website and Etsy shops with ready-made, RTS (ready to ship) items after the new year. My short-term goal will ensure that when you order, it’s placed and received within a matter of days, not weeks. You have no idea how much the 3-4 week turnaround wears on me.. I’m really pumped about immediate shipping!!


I have tons of ideas for OOAK pieces and plan to spend most of my energy cultivating the future of ggC. I really hope you guys will stick with me through this.. while the thought of losing customers doesn’t thrill me, I have to be okay with what you’re looking for as a consumer. Please trust that we’re planning a better, stronger, more purposeful ggC to come out on the other end of this. If you’re a spiritual person, I would appreciate any prayers you can send up for us. If you have ideas or thoughts you’d like to share, please shoot me an email. I’d be honored to hear from you!

Love you guys!

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Somebody’s gettin’ somethin’ free :)

November is like party central in our family.. birthdays galore. And of course, we’ve all taken it to the next level with the “It’s my birthday, so I’m celebratin’ ALL week” lol. The kids like to try and use that excuse to avoid their turn at unloading the dishwasher :)


Today is our son’s 16th birthday. Andrew has always thought he hit the Mother Lode, having his birthday on a national holiday. Yeah, he’s perpetually out of school, can hang out with friends and do whatever teenage boys do, all on his birthday. That alone should be a sufficient gift, eh? Andrew was actually born early (he wasn’t “due” until December) and was an early birthday gift to me that year, as mine is 5 days later.


So I’m in a celebrating-kinda mood and thought I would pass some of that glee to you guys. Here’s the scoop:


ALL orders, every.single.order, between last night at midnight and midnight Wednesday, will be entered into a drawing to receive your order COMPLETELY free. Regardless of its amount, if you place an order on our website between these dates, you’re automatically entered into the drawing. And I’m not using random.org to draw.. we’re gonna do it old school.





Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served! I appreciate your service and love you oodles, Daddy!
Love you guys!

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Christmas upload round 1

I’m stoked.. our Christmas stuff is so FUN this year. And really varied. You’ll see.. Christmas upload round 1 will happen tomorrow (that’s Fri, Nov 11) and will be available at noon EST. The two items are already on the website but you can see them here on the blog in more detail. The two items will be ready for order tomorrow with the possibility of a second chance to purchase on another day. We’ll see how deep I get in fabric:)


And the second upload, you ask? It will happen probably within a week. I’ll keep you posted ;) Round 2 will have a much more urban, vintage look to it and I LOVE that she’ll be able to wear these items AFTER Christmas. Moms, that’s a lotta bang for your buck!


So, back to tomorrow’s upload. The items are already on the website but won’t be available for purchase until noon Friday. A lot of you have been contacting me for current stock and I wish I could accommodate/guarantee items for each of you.. I would love to have 110% of happy mamas:) I have made a pact with myself that this year (the first in ggC history!), I am going to be done with all Christmas orders by Saturday, Dec 3rd. I *may* accept a few more customs but all in all, we’ll have everything ready and shipped by the 3rd. So this upload is my attempt to remain sane this holiday season!! I know, my husband will totally roll his eyes if he reads this.. sane is questionable around here lol.


All in the Family knit pant set and our Christmas Ruffle Knit Skirt are what’s in tomorrow’s round 1 Christmas upload. You can find the link here.. and if you get lost on our website, they’re under ‘holiday’. Moms, there are even a couple of jon-jons for those needing matching sets.


Oh, and if you guys have questions, please send them sooner rather than later.. that would be awesome!!


Here’s All in the Family & the Ruffle Knit Skirt







If you have questions, hit me up.
Love you guys!

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