Refashioned Toddler Dress to Shirt

I received this cute dress from a friend and decided to refashion it because it had a black stain on the front. I refashioned it into a cute shirt for my daughter. Here are the steps it took to transform this Pink dress into a dressy shirt.

Here is the finished project. This was a nice DYI project that was free and fun to do.

Here are some pictures of the process it took to make this dress into a cute toddler shirt.

I cut the bottom half of the dress off where the stain was. 

I cut the lining off underneath the top layer too.

I measured the length of the dress on my daughter and cut off the fabric near her waist line. After it was cut it looked more like a cute shirt.

I folded the fabric twice on the bottom of the newly refashioned shirt and pressed it with an iron.

Then I hemmed the bottom of the shirt as well as the lining.

The refashioned shirt looked great once it was finished, but there were still some minor stains on the front so I used some of the leftover dress fabric and created 3 fabric flowers.

I found some old buttons and covered them with with the same dress fabric and adhered them to the flowers. 

Fabric Flower completed to match shirt.

Here is the finished refashioned dress to shirt project. It was fun to cut apart clothing that I did not pay for. It made the 'cutting apart' easier. I think it turned out better than I expected. I would have positioned the flowers higher on the dress, but given the location of the stains...it wasn't an option.

Zesty Garden Salsa

My garden is overflowing with tomatoes! Yikes....I have tried to make every meal possible using tomatoes and I am running out of creative cooking ideas so I canned salsa today with fresh ingredients from my garden.

I usually spend time canning with my sister, but I wanted to see if I could do a batch all by myself. I did it! The truth is canning is better with someone to talk to :). Okay, I did have cute little kids around to talk to so I wasn't completely alone.

Here are my unwashed tomatoes straight out of the garden. I used a mixture of tomatoes for the salsa.

 After blanching the tomatoes for 30-60 seconds I placed the peeling tomatoes in ice water. 

I used the BALL Blue Book Guide to Preserving and followed the Zesty Salsa recipe inside. I love that book. My sister gave it to me for a gift and I know I will use it often in the years to come.

I combined tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, salt, cider, and hot pepper flakes. 

After it came to a boil, I reduced the heat and simmered for 10 min. 

I processed the pint sized salsa jars in boiling water.

Here is one of my canned beauties! I can't wait to serve this salsa up with some delicious corn chips!

Zesty Garden Salsa

6 pint sized jars of zesty salsa.

August Sunflowers

Ahh.....the beginning of a garden sunflower in August. 

My kids and I have waited for this mammoth Sunflower to mature for months.

It looks like the sunflower is basking in the sun with windblown hair.

These sunflowers face the sun every day.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

I went on a lovely trip to Michigan this summer and here are a few of the beautiful things I saw. I hope you enjoy these pictures taken in Michigan. 

Frankenmuth, Michigan

A perfect German styled town with awesome places to eat and shop.

Not to mention the worlds largest Christmas store, Bonner's! You can really get lost in that place. It has so many Christmas ideas and decorations it is unbelievable! 

For those of you who are Christmas lovers....that is a store for you!

Doesn't this farm look dreamy?

Perfect sand on to walk in on Lake Huron. It felt so good on my feet. 

Lake Huron, Michigan

A frog jumped up on the screen door of our cabin. What a cute little guy.

 I think he wanted to join in on the fun.

Mackinaw Island, Michigan: "Somewhere In Time" the movie was filmed here. It is a very romantic island.

There are bike shops all over the island. Horse and bike are the only means of transportation on the island. We rented bikes and peddled around the entire island. What a view. No cars are allowed on this picturesque island. I think it makes the island a bit more cozy and friendly feeling. You have to see it to believe it.

I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures that captured my heart while I was in Michigan.