Remember last Thursday when I mentioned the amazing giveaway I had lined up for today? Well, it's here...yay!

Canvas Corp is giving away a HUGE...and I mean HUGE variety of their amazing paper and canvas goods to one lucky M{s}G winner! Oh, and remember when I told you that Canvas Corp had acquired 7Gypsies and Tattered Angels? Oh yeah...there are some things from those companies in there, too...woo hoo!

But before I show you what is included in this giant box o' goodies...I want to share a little mini scrapbook album I'm making with Canvas Corp/Tattered Angels/7Gypsies products...

I just recently discovered Instagram (don't laugh...I knew about it, it just wasn't available on Android until a few weeks ago...)...and I am IN LOVE. What a super-fun way to take and share photos. This entire little album is full of Instagram photos I've been taking.


Canvas Corp has a whole series of brightly-colored beautiful chevron papers available...gorgeous. I cut out the middle of the "o" in LOVE so that you can see the page below this one through the letter.




Canvas Corp carries a line of Tissue Stock in a variety of natural colors that is just amazing.





On this page I used the Tissue Stock again...I cut out a small square and placed more of the chevron paper on top of some of the Canvas Corp polka dot paper...then I used more Glimmer Mist on the little half-circles on the sides...


I love love love to use the sewing machine on my scrapbook pages...I think just a random line of stitching can really add to a page...and I love leaving the strings attached...it just looks so cool to me.


OK, seriously, isn't that chevron paper THE best?


I love how the muted colors of the 7Gypsies deco tape and embellishments from their Conservatory Collection stand against the stark black and white of the paper...so cool...

And finally, my favorite page so far...


I combined 2 different colors of the chevron paper and cut out a little flag banner out of Canvas Corp's Cork Stock...that's right, I said Cork Stock...adhesive cork paper...how awesome is that?

Now...the moment you've all been waiting for...just check out this prize...

Oh. yeah.
Every. single. thing. you need to make your own mini-album...and then some. And then some more. And even more after that.

And all of those tags you see up there? Those are absolutely the perfect sizes and shapes to make banners and gift tags. Really...so easy...you just take a length of cord, grab some of the canvas tags and attach them to the cord with the mini-clothespins...how simple (not to mention darling) is that?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today I'm home (like usual)...with no car (NOT like usual).
I took my little minivan into the dealer yesterday for an oil change and to have the brakes looked at and ended up having to leave her there for new tires, front brakes, two recall fixes, an oil change, and multiple fluid replacement. I love my car...I just hate having to maintain her.

Anyway...it's usually no big deal for me to have no car...the older kids take the bus to and from school and Ty has school has only 3 days week...the problem with having no car today is that Tyler does have school. So, enter my awesome friend, Geanna.

We all have those friends that we can count on when we need them. No questions asked. Always. That's Geanna. When I told her my dilemma, she didn't even wait to hear my explanation...she just said "of course." And not only did she pick Ty up for me this morning, she's picking him up after school and taking him to her house to play with her son for a while...awesome.

I whipped up some peanut butter cookies for her this morning as a way to say thank you...oh my heck, I love peanut butter cookies...thank goodness I made a lot of them...



Then I just popped them into a little berry box from Garnish...


...and added some of my favorite Martha Stewart deco tape to the sides...

I hope G likes them...

And I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Don't forget to check back Monday...awesome giveaway day!!!

First let me start by saying that I've got some AWESOME giveaways in the works!!! In fact, I have one starting next Monday that you will NOT want to miss...believe that.

I love giveaways...love. them. And I'm always entering them...I'm not always winning (in fact, I very seldom do that), but I'm always entering. The problem I have is keeping track of the giveaways I've entered. And because of that, I've started to worry that there may be some giveaways I've won (???) and never known because I've missed checking the giveaway blog that day, or I've simply forgotten I've entered. Yikes.

But, no more!

I whipped up this little Giveaway Tracker printable so now I can actually keep track (hence, the name "tracker") of the giveaways I've entered...woo hoo!


Just click the little cloud with the arrow in it to download it to your computer...

And remember...awesome giveaway starting here, Monday!!!

Have a great Thursday, everyone...and thank you so much for reading M{s}G!

And here is the final knot (with 2 pieces of the same rope...).

In order to "fasten" the bracelet in the back, simply take two of the rope ends and tie them in a square knot...then do the same with the other two ends...here's a brief refresher on square knots in case you are unfamiliar with them...



Here's the front (or top)...


...and the back (or bottom)...

I really like it...it looks great with jeans and a tee...super casual, super trendy...



So, what do you think? Are you digging the nautical thing as much as I am?

Can you believe it's already almost May?

My goodness...

At the end of last year...around the holidays...I was hosting a monthly themed linky party. I LOVED the ideas I got from the parties I had and I thought it was about time for me to have another one. This month's theme will be Mother's Day! Yay!

From May 1-13 come on over to link up your Mother's Day projects...they can be anything at all Mother's Day-related...recipes, projects, inspirational stories, diys, giveaways, anything! As long as they are focused around that one day of the year we remember just how awesome our Moms are...

Have a little sewing project that would be easy to whip-up as a gift for your Mom or Mommy-friends? Link it up! Have a great brunch recipe? Link it up! Having a giveaway for an awesome spa day? Link it up! You get the idea...

Do you have an awesome Mother's Day idea that you would like to share in a guest post sometime during the 1st-13th? I have 2 spots open for bloggers that would like to take over M{s}G for the day! Just contact me at msgirlblog@hotmail.com asap to reserve your spot.

Please grab the button below and spread the word! The more links we get the more inspiration we get...and I loves me some inspiration...




<center><a href="http://www.midwesternsewinggirl.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab44/midwesternsewinggirl/mothersdaybutton.gif"/></a></center>
And here's a larger button in case you wanna go all crazy...



<center><a href="http://www.midwesternsewinggirl.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i848.photobucket.com/albums/ab44/midwesternsewinggirl/momlinkybuttonbig.gif"/></a></center>

Now go on and get those projects ready! 'Cause I wanna see 'em...


ps...I am diggin' this watermelon/navy-greyish color combo...can you tell? love love love it...

Lifestyle Crafts has it's 24-piece paper packs  (12x12 paper) on sale for 50% off until tomorrow! That's right...the sale ends April 22! So make sure you get on over there - right now! - and get some!

Here are the patterns...


AND, if you use the promo code "MIDWESTERN" at checkout you get an additional 20% off! So, those $10 paper packs are only $8! Wha?!?!

AND!!! If you spend $25, you get FREE SHIPPING!

OK...seriously...tell me where you can find a better deal than that...


Now, get to shoppin'...
And have a great Saturday...

...we were blessed with this lovely little girl...


Happy Birthday, sweet Kate...we love you.

I originally shared this tutorial when I was the guest blogger at Truly Lovely last week...head on over to Kassi & Kayli's blog and check out all of their lovely ideas...

Now, I don't know about you, but one of the things I hate doing during summer is carrying around a big ol' purse. Not only does it get in the way, but I'm always so afraid I'm going to leave it somewhere. And I'm not even going to mention how hard it is to get sand out of it if I take it to the beach...yuck.

My solution? A tiny little wallet that holds just the essentials...wanna learn how to make one?


This is a great project to use up some of your fabric scraps...and the completed wallet can be shoved into your back pocket or beach bag without getting in your way...

Here is all you will need to make this little summertime wallet...

*2 pieces of fabric at least 12"x5"
*fusible interfacing (iron-on bonding, actually...the kind that's stickable on both sides...)
*a sewing machine (or a needle & thread)
*scissors
*a ruler

Now let's get started...

First, cut your fabric & bonding following the diagram below...



Next, take either your main fabric or your lining fabric, it doesn't matter, and lay it right-side-down on your ironing board. Take one of your larger (3"x4") pieces of bonding and adhere it (per the manufacturer's instructions) just to the left of the mid-point (6" mark) of your fabric (right where the orange arrow is pointing). Leave about 1/2" of fabric on both the top and the bottom of the bonding...


Lay one of the smaller pieces of bonding about 1/8" to the left of the first piece...again leaving about 1/2" of fabric on both the top and bottom of the fabric. Don't worry about measuring the placement of these pieces...it's really not necessary for them to be perfectly placed..."close enough" is good enough.

Now do the same thing with the other two pieces on the right-hand side of the fabric...


When you've adhered all of your bonding, take your fabric (still right-side down) and place it on top of your other piece of fabric...make sure the fabrics have their right sides together...


Line up all of your edges and pin them together if necessary. Then sew around all four sides...using a 1/2" seam allowance. Leave an opening of a couple of inches across one of your short sides (this will be where you turn your wallet so that the right sides are facing out).


Next, remove the paper from your bonding...you should see a sheen where the bonding sticky stuff has adhered to the fabric...


Back to the tutorial...clip the corners of your fabric rectangle...making sure NOT to clip any of your stitches...


Now, turn your wallet right-sides-out, using a chopstick or something similar to push the corners out...

Bring your fabric back to your ironing board...iron the little pouch flat...and make sure to turn in the edges of the opening on the side, so that you have a nice crisp, straight rectangle...


Once your fabric is ironed, sew the open edge together...as close to the edge as you can...


Bring your fabric back to the ironing board (again), fold it in half (making sure to keep your main fabric on the outside), and iron it.


Open your fabric back up again...take each short side and bring it in toward your middle fold...not all the way to the middle, just close...leave about 1/2" on either side...and iron again.


Almost done!

Sew down each long side of your fabric...with about a 1/8" seam allowance...don't forget to backstitch when you start and finish...



Now, fold your little wallet in half, and you. are. finished!


Woo hoo! Not so bad, huh?


These come together really quickly once the fabric & bonding is all cut...


I think I'm gonna make some for all of my mommy-friends for Mother's Day...


Fun and easy...and practical!

I'm linking this tutorial up to some of these wonderful parties this week...