Etsy Sunday - Joan Shum
Nothing says bride more than a beautifully made gown - especially a beautifully made custom gown. Rawr.
Enter Joan Shum. Hot dang these dresses rock my socks off! The prices are a little “Good Holy Goodness!” but hey - a custom gown? Made just for you? To me, that’s priceless!
I Heart Houston
Houston has some hidden gems that make the heat, mosquitoes and humidity worth it...

1. The Houston Arboretum: Natural beauty, great trails and it’s FREE!
2. Cricket’sCreamery and Cafe: Gelato like you wouldn’t believe - and I’ve been to Italy!
3. The Houston Museum of Natural Science: Those dinos had had a special place in my heat ever since I was a kid. That place is magical. Except for the gift shop - that is evil. There are too many cool things and my wallet hates that place…
4. El Rey: Dang good food.
5: You. Seriously - you guys are the best!
Honorable mentions: Mai’s, Culture Pilot, The Harp, Leon’s for Vinyl Ranch, Patronella’s (swoon), La Carafe.
Yep - this is a great city indeed; unlike Austin, you have to hunt for the unique and extraordinary, which I think is part of the fun! What’s your favorite part of Houston?
*Photo by Groovehouse
Crafting for a Cause
Hey Hey crafty peeps!
We have taken a hiatus from Crafting for a Cause for two months, but it’s back and better than ever! This month’s Crafting for a Cause will be a craft-a-long project - one that you can do at home using an easy tutorial. Crafting, pajamas and helping others? Sounds like the perfect Sunday to me!
The project for August will be to make Morsbags! Morsbags are perfect grocery totes - they’re made from recycled material (old bedsheets, duvet covers or tarps) and help the environment by taking one less plastic bag out of the rotation. Bags will be donated to local retirement communities and shelters to help the residents make their trips to the store brighter!

The Sew Crafty Pod has a goal of making 25 Morsbags in the month of August with your help! Send us a shout and let us know how many bags you would like to contribute, make the bags and then meet us up at Sew Crafty anytime. We will even have a celebration later this month that the bag angels can attend - expect prizes, cupcakes and good old fashioned crafty fun!
For downloadable tutorials on how to make Morsbags, visit their website and click on “make one.”
(Almost) Etsy Sunday
I love robots. It’s no secret! So when I found this seller’s amazing metal peeps, I did a little dance.
Shorts!
As anyone else who is from around these parts will tell you, shorts are an essential wardrobe staple almost year round in Houston. Why not learn to make your own in our beginner-level class? Abby Wright (one of the sewing goddesses with the American Sewing Guild) will take you though one of three variations in this simple-but-stylish pattern!

