Crafty Little Beana

Life has really given me some lemons!

2012-01-07T13:10:00.000-06:00

Well my friends my life has taken a few rough turns and twists. I want to get back to blogging and coonnecting with all of you and will soon. I am working on the best way to share my story from the past year. I want to share without the bitterness and anger that sometimes enters in. I know that my story may just help someone else going through the same things. Be warned it will not be a rainbow and butterflies, my life is just so happy, kind of tale.

Please Vote for funding for Angelman Syndrome

2011-05-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

I don't like ads on blogs at all. Please know that the banner I have added to the top of this blog is non profit for funding for Angelman Syndrome. It is very close to my heart as my nephew has it. They are very close to a cure for this genetic disorder. They have CURED it in a mouse. Please vote, PLEASE! Thank you in advance for your support!

*The photo above is from the Angelman Walk last weekend.

Have you seen this?

2011-05-01T16:24:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! How "sweet" is this? I have got to add this to my long list of to do's.

Blogging Soapbox

2011-04-25T17:01:00.003-05:00

I really love sharing ideas and getting inspiration from others. I mean creativity leads to creativity. I need to work on my ability to not pick up offenses. It truly bothers me when others do not credit their source of inspiration. I LOVE the relationships I have made in blogworld. Let's be honest about these bloggers that post a "new" tutorial daily... really, not all of their ideas are truly their own ideas. I love having someone else spark my creativity, isn't that why we read crafty blogs to begin with? Just give credit where credit is due. I am not just speaking for my own small blog, but other small bloggers as well. I have seen many out and out thefts of ideas lately, and a lot of these are from bloggers that are strict with their so-called "copyrights".

*I just needed to get this vent off my chest... it has been keeping me from wanting to post anything and I really should be blogging too :)

Why Didn't I Think of This?

2011-04-06T08:46:00.002-05:00

*Photo from the Mother Huddle

I seriously HOARD vintage linens so when I saw this a light bulb seriously went off. Why didn't I think of this! Such a simple, yet sweet idea. No need to cut into my great grandmas hankies, just knot them together and put them on display! I am seriously in love! Now I have to go dig through my basement totes to find them ;)

I Like to Keep it Real

2011-04-04T15:43:00.003-05:00

Because I would never want anyone to feel like I am perfect or have it all together, LOL, here are some crazy pics of me and my mom cleaning and reorganizing my crafty loft. Enjoy and feel a little better about yourself and your tidy work space.Oh yeah it was that bad! And this was after we removed a ton of stuff!The sheets were sorted into their own bins and moved to the basement. I have a hoarding issue going on.

My mom completely buried (and blurry) during the fabric sort.

It looked great for a few weeks... I need to tidy and decorate so I can share my incredible fabric storage my mom hooked me up with :)

Springy Leaf Tee

2011-03-31T13:33:00.006-05:00

I was smitten when I saw this tutorial on One Pretty Thing. I knew I wanted to make one for myself. The one featured was for a Fall Tee, but my procrastinating self finally got around to making it right before St. Patrick's day! I chose some of my favorite bright colored scraps to make my leaves from. Also because I am larger than most, I bought a pack of men's V-neck undershirts to use. I plan on embellishing more Tee's for the Spring and Summer. I really love how fun this tutorial was to make. Simple, clear directions. *photos taken with my phone... also I was wearing my sparkly St. Pat's hair bow LOL! Oh also no make up ;)

Tooth Pillow

2011-03-31T13:18:00.003-05:00

So while on a blogging break, my sweet Gina Beana lost her first tooth! I had to whip up a cute little pillow super fast. Sorry for the bad pics, I was not in blogging mode :)

In true keeping it real fashion, please ignore my messy counter tops (they are always that way)!

Gina attempted to extract her tooth on her own.We had to call in the big gun, my sister! She is the official tooth puller of the family. I hate the whole tooth losing thing, kind of creeps me out!She couldn't be happier!

I Love Commissioned Pieces

2011-03-30T12:33:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago a sweet old friend asked if I would be interested in making the bedding for her first baby's nursery. Of course I jumped at the chance! She dropped off two fabrics she knew she wanted for the room with little direction.I Love being able to create something when the person you are creating for has complete trust in your abilities. I made her sweet baby a quilt for the bed, a dust ruffle, and valance for the window.For a present for her, because I get so excited about new arrivals, I made a little doll and plaque for Miss Lailah's new room (her mommy cried tears of joy when she opened them).

I used a pattern from Hillary's Wee Wonderful Book for the doll! I LOVE that book so much!

A Birthday Gift

2011-03-29T08:57:00.002-05:00

I found these adorable black and white polka dot flowers at Michael's and knew I had to make a wreath for my mom! She is redoing her color scheme on the outside of her house to my favorite color combo. I just sprayed a grapevine wreath with Krylon, ocean breeze. I used a blank wooden disc from Michael's and painted her initial on it. A little foofing with some red flowers I had on hand and voila! I am pretty fond of it! She reworked it a little after I gave it to her, because she is crafty like that LOL!

*displayed on my front door in these photos! my mom's house is much fancier ;)

Everybody Needs a Break, Right?

2011-03-28T17:16:00.003-05:00

So I have taken a small hiatus, but... "I'm Back Biotches"* LOL!

I have been checking in from time to time, but mostly I have just been living life to the fullest! Trying to enjoy every, little, simple thing. I know that we can pick up right where we left off, just like all great friends do :)

*I have a super guilty pleasure of LOVING the housewives on Bravo! Oh and Andy Cohen ;)

Harvest Time

2010-07-16T09:34:00.004-05:00

Last week we picked our first tomatoes from our garden!!! Hooray! We have been averaging at least two a day since. Does anyone have good canning recipes for tomatoes? Is ketchup possible?

*Adler added is night time binky to the photo! He thinks it is pretty important too :)

So Yummy

2010-07-14T10:28:00.002-05:00

I have decided to finally try (and review) several recipes I have saved off of people's blogs! Julie has shared so many tasty sounding treats! I made her Cheesy Artichoke Dip and let me say YUMMO! This is so cheesy and so yummy! I used marinated artichokes in my dip and it was delicious! * I will post my review of her Salted Carmel Cupcakes soon too, it appears I only took pics with my cell phone of those. And I have made 3 batches of them so far!

Oopsie... I Made it Too :)

2010-07-12T17:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks Melly for another great softie pattern! Can you believe this was a freebie? So generous! I used scraps from the quilt I made my sister for her birthday last year. Vintage sheets! I made this little Oopsie for her youngest son, Carter! He loves every softie I have ever made so I thought he deserved one of his own! Enjoy Carter Bug!

The Generosity Continues

2010-07-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

Melly has shared an adorable pattern on Moda Bake Shop! Hurry over and check it out :)

Cell Case Orders

2010-07-08T09:43:00.003-05:00

I have been making cell cases for family and friends for a while now. Over Father's Day weekend a fantastic thing happened. One of my friends that I made a case for showed it off to her family and just like that I had an order for 8!!! I know for some of you this is common occurrence, but for me I get asked to make one or two at a time! I was ecstatic!The best part was the feedback I received. I made the cases slightly wider (to fit an iphone) and added a pocket on the back to hold ID/debit cards. The strap is also a tad wider as well. I currently have an order for 2 more and I am going to make my salesman friend a new redesigned case as well.It feels so good to have people other than family LOVE the things you create (no offense Mom)!

*I got the original case idea from Moda Bake Shop, I LOVE that blog!

I Love Chinese Food, but the Aussie's have my Heart

2010-07-06T08:48:00.004-05:00

I had a horrible summer cold shortly after school got out. My throat was killing and then I craved hot n sour soup. My sweet hubby brought some home for me and this was my fortune!!! The soup made me feel a 100% and the fortune help to motivate me!

A Childhood friend phoned me and asked me to make her grandmother a special gift for Mother's Day. Her grandfather had recently passed and she wanted a bear or something made out of his favorite sweater. The more we spoke she said everyone thought her grandfather reminded them of a turtle. I had remembered reading about Ernst on Jodie's Blog, but sadly the pattern was not yet available. She was getting ready for a big show so I was afraid to even ask if she had a rough draft copy I could get my hands on. But I asked (begged really) and you know what, she sent me a copy!!! What a complete sweetheart! It seems I heart many Aussie Crafters. It turns out they are all truly kind, supportive, and giving people (remember my Melly love affair)!

These little turtles are so sweet! The pattern is amazing! My dear friend's entire family has been slowing getting a turtle of their own from Grandpa's sweater. He had 8 children, so I have been busy. The turtles get a little crazy while waiting for their new homes. I find them all over the house, playing with the toys, climbing into craft supplies, even out in the garden!

Thank you Jodie for your sweet spirit and generous heart!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

2010-07-04T06:58:00.002-05:00

I know my last post was LONG! If you made it through, congrats! More crafty goodness to come.

* I was playing with the new templates in blogger and now I can't get my boring old one back! Anyone know how?

Something to Share

2010-07-03T09:38:00.003-05:00

I am coming back to blogging. Just took a little time off to craft and enjoy the summer. I have had this little tidbit from Andy Rooney saved from a few years ago. I LOVE it! It is so true. I thought you all may enjoy it too. More crafty posts to come! I have been super busy :)

"As I grow in age I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask "What are you thinking" She doesn't care what you think.

If a women over 30 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she is doing.

Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course if you deserve it they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women. Women over 30 couldn't care less if your attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.

A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.
Once you get past a wrinkle or two a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk or if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately its not reciprocal.
For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 30+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress.

For all those men that say, " Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free". Here is an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it is not worth buying an entire PIG, just to get a little sausage.

Angelman Syndrome

2010-05-10T20:20:00.002-05:00

Please take the time to watch this wonderful video. The song is so true. No one ever plans for their family not to be "perfect". We all plan our lives based on "perfect". The "it will never happen to me" mentality. My sweet nephew Carter was born with Angelman Syndrome. My sister, his mom, is my BEST friend in the whole world. We live 4 minutes from each other. We wanted to raise our kids as siblings, not just cousins, yeah we are that close and crazy! Our lives are still close and TIGHTLY entwined. Her son Carter is turning 5 this month and our lives are FAR from the "perfect" lives we always had planned. Life is HARD! I encourage you to familiarize yourself with this syndrome. Awareness is half the battle in receiving proper funding for a cure. We are walking as a family this Saturday to support our Carter Bug. Feel free to click on the link on my sidebar. It is not just to donate, but is a great site for help and information. If you would like to join us to walk this weekend we would LOVE it!

The Kid's Art Center

2010-05-06T22:36:00.002-05:00

A few months back I created this little space in my kitchen for the kiddos to do some of their crafting. We have had the table for a while, but I had it hidden in the basement. The paper organizer used to house some of my scrapbook papers. The shelves were Target clearance years ago. I had everything on hand. A fresh coat of paint and everything is good as new! It was great to transform a space just for the kids! They LOVE it!!! Adler got right to work :)
The polka dot bulletin board just isn't big enough for all the creating my two little ones do. With Summer coming and the kids around more often what will you do to help them explore their creativity?

The Crabs

2010-04-21T16:57:00.003-05:00

Here are the Crabs! The inspirations behind the shirts! Really they are happy kiddos most of the time! I thought a photo of them actually wearing the shirts would be nicer than them just laying on the drive way :)

Cute and Ewwww.

2010-04-14T18:37:00.005-05:00

If you have a bug phobia don't look past these crab shirts! I am warning you, you will feel creepy crawlies on you for a while after viewing the pics below. I wasn't going to let myself do any crafty until I got my craft space cleaned and organized, but then my mom lent me her newest cricut cartridge! I LOVE it! I am busy making oodles of appliques! My kiddos needed matching CRAB shirts, because they are always crabby LOL!
I got these organic cotton matching numbers at Walmart both for 5.50! They are sooooo cute!Look at this SPIDER I, Gina, found just outside of our garage! Thank heavens it was dead already, because I don't think I could have stepped on it! It would have crunched like a mouse or other small animal. Ewwwwwww. I can't even think about it. Worse I hope there isn't some big family of Tarantulas living in my garage or worse my house!!! I couldn't find a penny for size reference so I used a pack of gum. Remember it is DEAD so I think it looks smaller with it's legs all curled under it. This thing is fuzzy my friends. Can you see its eyes? I put it in an artichoke jar for Gina to take in to her class tomorrow. ( Sorry Miss Bode)

Oh Yes, Oh Yes, It's Springtime!

2010-04-08T21:01:00.002-05:00

We picked flowers the other day at my Dad's house! It is always fun to spend some time with Grandpa Pat. He planted over 3000 bulbs a few years ago!!! My house smelled wonderfully!

The dust on the mantle is just an added bonus! Life is about experiences not cleaning, right?

After picking flowers we spent the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens! I LOVE springtime!

Eggstra Fun Egg Swap

2010-03-15T12:56:00.004-05:00

I mailed my goodies for Shara's Eggstra Fun Egg Swap. If you are participating and want to be surprised by what I am sending, please stop reading now! This is your SPOILER WARNING!!! If you are like Sarah and hate to be surprised, by all means read on :)

I packaged all of my babies carefully in their eggs!They were so excited to be sent off to their new homes.I was so sad to see them go. If you did not get a chance to participate, Shara will be giving away one of my little chicks along with some other swap goodies once the swap is over. Just check her blog out, she will add more details about the give a way soon! (I used a Melly & Me pattern for the sweet chicks)

A Simple Easter Wreath.

2010-03-11T07:37:00.004-06:00

The weather is finally beautiful where I live. It may not last, so while it is here we are soaking it up. I let Adler play outside yesterday while I made this wreath on the front porch. It was so simple. Adler even helped by handing which egg he thought should go on next!I used an 18" grapevine wreath, a pack of 48 regular sized plastic Target eggs, and one 6 pack of Jumbo Target eggs. With my trusty glue gun we were done in no time! The whole project cost less than 6 dollars!!! Not a bad little front door statement. What do you all think?

Pinwheel Quilt!

2010-03-07T11:48:00.002-06:00

Dana is hosting another Quilt a Long, so of course I am game! I Loved the quilt I made last time. She has such a great way of explaining things. It makes it so much easier for me to stay focused when I am part of a quilt a long. I am making this quilt for myself and using fabrics from my stash only!!! I hope the only thing I will have to buy for this quilt is the batting :)

New blog.

2010-03-05T13:50:00.003-06:00

My sister and I have FINALLY opened our Etsy shop! Also we started a new blog to share our craftiness! I will still update this blog :) I just didn't want this blog to change into a never ending promo machine for our shop.

It is a Sad Day.

2010-02-24T15:09:00.004-06:00

We had to put our beloved cat, Moofasa, to sleep today. He was such an important member of our family. Such a LOVER. He would talk your ear off, even when you wanted to sleep. He let you know when things around the house just weren't right. He was my design consultant when I was sewing, he had to touch each and every fabric. Most importantly he cared for each and every member of the family. When you were having a bad day he caressed you. When the babies cried he came to see what was taking me so long to get to them. He greeted every guest with a warm welcome.

It was a difficult decision today. He was always a LARGE cat, nearly 20 pounds. Today he barely weighed 7! His kidneys had failed and were very small. Even with treatment he may have made it 2 weeks to possibly 2 months. I couldn't let our gentle man suffer any longer. My husband had him at the vet. Gina and I said our tearful goodbyes to Moofasa over the phone. She cried so hard telling him goodbye. My husband, who rarely shows tearful emotions, broke down. He held Moofasa and asked the vet for a brush to brush him one last time. I could tell when Kerry got home he had cried during the 20 minute drive home. We are heartbroken. I am done with having pets for a while.

Goodbye Moofasa, you will forever be in our hearts. Thank you for being so good to us.

I Really do Like to Blog.

2010-02-22T14:02:00.004-06:00

I know I haven't been blogging much. I have really been trying to get more things done that I have been neglecting. If I read my blog I probably would have quit checking it long ago! Thanks to all of you that still check in from time to time. Below is my contribution to Sarah's Heart to Heart Valentine Swap. I received so many goodies, most of which were immediately claimed by Gina and added to her room :)This afternoon Gina and I began making some new little dolls. She collects the Harajuku Perfumes and has been dying to make some of her own! I love my crafty little girl. I am off to see if the paint is dry so we can work on these girlies a little more :)

* I just noticed the summer Harajukus, if Gina sees these I will have to get a job to support her habit!

I Made the Deadline!!!

2010-02-04T10:26:00.003-06:00

I finished the quilt! I LOVE the way it turned out! It was dark when I took the picture so the colors did not turn out the greatest.
Look at how happy he is! The 5 days of power sewing was all worth it! Happy 7th Birthday Bay!!!

*I used the Wonky Star tutorial again for the border on this quilt.

May the Force be with You

2010-01-29T20:51:00.003-06:00

My nephew, Baylor, is turning 7 this week. He has such a great imagination! Last year I made him this great Tattoo Shop. I was wondering what in the world might come close to that. I had purchased some vintage Star Wars sheets at the thrift last summer. Bay loves Star Wars and has been asking his mom what I was going to do with them ever since he saw them at my house. Well since I had made his brother an I spy quilt I thought it might be perfect to make Baylor a quilt of his own. These boys are snugglers. I finally came up with a plan for the fabric while in the shower last week. I started the quilt this afternoon and have 5 days before I need to gift it. Needless to say I will be one crazy quilting machine LOL!

I have to add some more to the sides. I am thinking wonky stars of various sizes? Any thoughts?

Heart to Heart Swap

2010-01-26T13:50:00.003-06:00

I am participating in Sarah's Heart to Heart swap . Here is a little sneak peek of what I am sending. Well really I am not sending, I am driving them to her house and helping her package up the goodies to be resent :) I love meeting people in blog world only to find out you live close to them in real life!
If you would love to receive a beautiful bit of Valentine goodness rush over to Saucy's and enter to win her gorgeous conversation heart charm bracelet!

I am in LOVE!!!

2010-01-23T18:47:00.002-06:00

Check out this blog! Absolutely AMAZING! I want to build nearly everything she has made plans for. I can't wait to get into all of my husbands tools and get building :)

Alice in Wonderland!

2010-01-20T16:22:00.003-06:00

I am really getting excited for the new Alice in Wonderland movie!!! I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in an Alice themed swap? I was thinking just a swap of something crafted/created that was inspired by the film? You can view a trailer of the film here. Let me know if you are interested I will get the swap organized quickly if there is enough interest.

I Spy Quilt

2010-01-19T11:36:00.005-06:00

I participated in a great I spy swap last year! It was so exciting getting all of those different novelty prints! I have a very special little nephew that I just knew would adore a gift like this. I was so thankful that Wendy developed a pattern and shared it. This is a twin sized I spy quilt.

Sorry for the terrible photo.

I struggled a little with finding the right binding fabric and backing fabric in my stash, but I LOVE the way it came out in the end. My own kids LOVED it too. They were playing with it up until I gave it a final wash and wrapped for Christmas! I am participating in another swap now to make one for my own kiddos :)

An Earring Holder - My First Tutorial

2010-01-13T18:34:00.004-06:00

Wow I can't believe this is my first tutorial!
Since Gina got her ears pierced last year her earring collection has been growing. She informed me that she needed some place to keep them all. We looked all over for a cute affordable earring tree and found nothing we liked. I thought there has to be a way to make one. This project is super affordable and in my opinion super cute. I had all of the supplies on hand, but even if you need to purchase them you will spend less than $3!!!

Supplies needed: An unfinished wood 4x6 frame from Michaels ( $1 )

Plastic Canvas (mine was from the flea market, $1 for 20 sheets)

Craft Paint (on hand)

Embellishments (I just used a ribbon, but the sky is the limit)

Glue (on hand) Set up your work space.

Open the frame and remove the cardboard frame backer (for lack of a better word). Set this aside, we will use it as a template later. Paint the wooden frame any color your heart desires. I used two coats making sure to get the outer edges and the inner edges.

While the paint is drying take the cardboard backer from the frame and trace it onto the plastic canvas.

Next take you scissors and cut your canvas just inside the line you traced. It will need to be just slightly smaller than the piece you traced.

Make sure your frame is dry and flip it over. Place your piece of plastic canvas in the frame.

Then fold down the metal holders to keep the plastic in place.

There was a peg that came with the frame. Place this peg into one of the holes in the back of the frame. Depending on which hole you put it in your earring tree will be either vertical or horizontal.Finally stand your frame upright and embellish. I just used hot glue to attach a bow on mine. I figured simple was best, let the earrings shine!

Place your earrings in the holes and PRESTO! A super earring holder on the cheap :)

Please let me know what you think? Too many photos? Too much instruction? This was my first one, so I am open to any feedback. Thanks! Oh and if you make one leave a link I would love to see it :)

I LOVE Snow Days!!!

2010-01-07T19:14:00.005-06:00

Ohhhhhh I LOVE Snow Days!!!!

No School, Lots of Sledding,and Gina Crafting!Adler wanted no part of it!!!

*Oh and P.S. No school tomorrow either YIPEEEEE!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T09:49:00.002-06:00

I can finally post pictures of all of the great things I made this year for gifts! Oh wait I forgot to take pictures of them because I knew i couldn't blog them yet :( Okay, I also left my camera at my Mom's house, Really? So I will show you these lovely photos of my beautiful, cooperative children (HA HA)! We had a little photo shoot so we could use the pictures for a Christmas gift. Thankfully true personalities really showed through :) I will be off to visit all of those I made gifts for so I can share them with all of you :)

Lovely. Happy New Year!

Awesome Glass Hurricane for $3

2009-11-25T12:41:00.003-06:00

I fell in LOVE when I saw this AMAZING tutorial for a Williams Sonoma Glass Hurricane knock off for $3!!! I rushed out to the nearest Dollar Tree and gathered more than enough supplies. I need to get outside and gather more leaves for filler, but you get the idea :) I can't wait to fill the with cranberries for the Christmas Holidays. Hurry and visit Melissa for the great tutorial and get your supplies for a great Thanksgiving centerpiece! All of the glassware and candles were purchased at Dollar Tree. Even the cute little bird tea lite holders.

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-11-04T07:59:00.002-06:00

Last year I created this little sweetie for Halloween.

So this year I decided a Christmas cutie was definitely needed, meet Ms. Christmas.

Wow. Time Flies.

2009-11-02T12:39:00.003-06:00

I LOVE this time of year! The anticipation of the Holidays is too much to bear sometimes. Here is just a small glimpse of what I have been up to lately. So much to blog. Maybe I can try to be a little more regular with my posts :)

Halloween.

Apple Picking

Craft shows with my sister :)

Thank you to all of you that continue to check in on me :)
I hope to post some fun creations in the next few days.

Final Birthday Celebration

2009-09-22T13:10:00.004-05:00

Finally Gina's celebrations are over! She wanted to have a My Little Pony Tea Party. We invited a few of her friends for an intimate little party. There was cupcake decorating, pin the tail on the pony, Pinata bashing, and a candy bar for favors! Playing in Oma's garden was an after party bonus for all the Princes and Princesses!

My sweet sister helping set up the Candy Bar for the party :)

Gina's 6th Birthday!

2009-09-09T18:14:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my sweet little girl's sixth Birthday! I made her this sweet kitty using a Melly & Me pattern! I adore the way it came out.I woke her with a small powdered donut and candle and sang Happy Birthday to her. We shared a few sweet moments before her brother woke.

I decided to give her the kitty before school, her just from mom gift :)

My, all too grown up, baby ready to face her Birthday at school with her new friends!

Crazy Birthday Season

2009-09-07T14:44:00.005-05:00

We have officially entered Birthday Season in our family. It started with my cousin, then lovely sister, next my little cousin, then Gina, and finally Me! And really there are more to follow this month too, but we will stop with me for now LOL! I already shared the quilt I made for my Sister. I just LOVE it to pieces :)For my little cousin, Ian, I made a Birthday shirt with the number 12! He LOVED it!

(I am not to sure about this goofy face he is making ;) ).

I am working on some special Melly & Me projects for Gina now. Her Birthday is tomorrow! She is going to be the big 6!!! I can not believe it! Time flies for sure. My birthday is 2 days after hers. Lots of celebrating ahead! I thought I would practice making a Rainbow Cake. It was super easy and so completely yummy! I made the cake according to the box directions, not the diet version (though I could definitely go on a diet LOL)!Here are all of the colors mixed up! Then poured into our star cake pans!And how else would you top a Rainbow cake, but with Rainbow chip icing!!! YUM YUM!

I thought the cake would not be as bright, because my batter looked lighter, but it was soooo bright and deep vivid colors. Everyone LOVED it :)

Finally

2009-08-24T06:53:00.004-05:00

I participated in the Old Red Barn Quilt a Long earlier this year, but I couldn't blog about it. I was making my quilt as a Birthday present for my sweet little sister! Well Finally her Birthday has arrived and I can talk about this wonderful quilt a long!

I was so excited to actually make a full size quilt from start to finish! I usually make baby quilts, so this was huge!!! It fit my daughters full size bed. Dana was such a great teacher too! She took us step by step through the process. I will show the quilt finished with binding tomorrow (I still have to upload those pics). I used vintage sheets from my collection and I LOVE the way it all came together! I think I need to make myself one.

*Happy 32nd Birthday to the most wonderful little sister anyone could EVER have! I Love you NEALIE!

First Day of School

2009-08-17T13:38:00.003-05:00

Today was Gina's first day of Kindergarten! I was so sad and so happy all at once. I am so proud of how confident and independent she is, I am a little sad she was so happy to go.
*On a sad note the toadstool backpack could not be used. They were supposed to just carry a 2 pocket folder and that fit fine. Well new policy is to carry a three ring binder and it doesn't fit!!! So sad!

Toadstool Backpack

2009-08-07T10:54:00.004-05:00

I finished a project from my favorite sewing book! I am so happy with it! Gina picked out the colors and sewed the button on the door. I can not tell you how much I love MELLY and her sweet patterns! This will be Gina's first backpack for her first day of Kindergarten (insert weeping momma here).She thought it would be cute to get a picture of her opening the door :)

Of course Adler loves everything I make ;) He wanted his picture taken too!

Another Sweet Bunny

2009-08-05T08:09:00.005-05:00

A great little friend of ours turns 4 this month! What better gift for a cute little mother hen than a bunny and baby bedding! I love using these little quilts to practice my machine quilting. I did some free motion circles and waves on this cutie.

Can You Stand the Cuteness?

2009-08-04T09:17:00.003-05:00

I am in LOVE with this little cutie! I went to the Flea Market this weekend and it was PACKED! The weather was super so there were lots of people out just enjoying the day. I had walked the whole place and bought the vintage green and yellow fabric the owl is sitting on, then I found some G.I. Joe guys I knew my nephew would love. I called my sister to meet me and once she arrived I walked the Flea with her again. I had walked passed this little owl and not even noticed him! The guy I bought him from was literally selling what looked like dirty trash out of the back of his beat up pick up truck! He said he had just cleaned the barn out. Well I glanced up at the cab of the truck and on top there sat this beautiful creature! Guess what? He is a bank too, complete with the original stopper! Made in Japan sticker still in tact :) I am in LOVE!!! I think it will sit perched in my sewing space, What should I name him or her?

Eye Spy Swap

2009-08-02T12:21:00.004-05:00

For Christmas this year I am going to make my nephew an Eye Spy Quilt! I was super excited when I found this little swap (truth be told I may have had more than enough variety already in my stash ;) ). These are the fabrics I sent to Meredith. I cannot wait to see all of the variety I get back. Then it is off to start another quilt :)

Beautiful July

2009-07-19T08:09:00.003-05:00

Nothing crafty to report, I wish there was. I have so many projects going on right now! The weather has been absolutely phenomenal for July! I have been trying to do as many outside things as possible with the kids. The Chihuly Exhibit was at our local Botanical Gardens a few years ago and thankfully a few pieces remain. His work is AWESOME! Get out and enjoy the sunshine :)

Owl Love.

2009-07-15T21:15:00.005-05:00

As a child of the 70's I remember the lovely Home Interiors Owl pictures my mom had hanging in our living room. Maybe that is why my sister and I have a love for all things owly now. I found this adorable owl tote pattern on a new to me blog. It is super cute and must be added to my long list of to do's :)

Wonky Stars

2009-07-15T21:06:00.002-05:00

I need to give credit where credit is due :) I used this FABULOUS tutorial to create the stars for my Fourth of July quilt! It was super easy and a lot of fun too!

New Fabric.

2009-07-09T13:47:00.002-05:00

I love using vintage sheets in my sewing. Occasionally I find a new sheet that I love almost as much as the old ones. I found this bright cheery set at Target on clearance! I have so many ideas flowing. I love the blue and funky flowers. The full size sets were on clearance, not the twin sets. I had to buy two sets because Gina loved them for her bed as well! I am thinking of a twirly skirt set for Gina, possibly a quilt backing, maybe a dress for a Melly & Me bunny. What would you make with this great print?

Well She Finally Came to Her Senses!

2009-07-04T12:40:00.003-05:00

My Machine that is. She would not work for me. I tried the new cord and NOTHING! Then I blew on her (dusted her), and begged and pleaded and finally she started up! No light though? Halfway through the line stitching on my quilt the light finally came on!!! Thank you old girl :) We are back in Business!

I was able to finish this July 4th quilt just in time! It is the first quilt I have machine quilted, and the first larger than a baby quilt I have made by myself! I would have never been able to accomplish this without the help and support of the Old Red Barn Quilt Along! Thanks to all of my fellow quilters :)The parade was cancelled this morning because of rain!!! So this new quilted blanket will be perfect to sit on and watch fireworks this evening, weather permitting. I have tossed it in the wash so it will puff all up in time. I can hardly wait!

Thanks again for all of the help and encouragement, and special thanks to Dana for making it all possible!

Happy Independence Day!!!

Was it Jealousy?

2009-07-03T10:19:00.003-05:00

I was using my ANCIENT Kenmore to quilt my 4th of July quilt when all of a sudden my trusty Modern (circa 1999) Kenmore won't turn on at all!!! I think she is jealous that the old lady was getting sewing time? I have no idea! But how will I finish everything I need to? Maybe (hopefully) she just needs a new pedal/power cord. I am seriously in tears right now. I would love a new machine, but I have a sick attachment to her. She was my first new to me machine. The old lady is a piece of junk! I don't like her, and was just using her to quilt. She was actually 2 steps from being sent away before I realized I could lower the feed dogs to free motion quilt.

I am going to run and get my sister's power cord (she has the same machine). I hope this works!

4th of July Quilt

2009-07-02T07:52:00.003-05:00

Well I am attempting to machine quilt! The only machine I have that I can lower the feed dogs on is this super old Kenmore. I really need a machine upgrade!

It is not going so well. Maybe I will finish this quilt for the 4th next year. I like the loops, and the randomness. This was supposed to be my practice quilt for a bigger project I have going on. I may just have to put the old machine away and break out the quilt frames. Hand quilting is so much more therapeutic, right?

Annie.

2009-07-01T07:51:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday, when it was super hot, I took Gina to see the musical Annie. We went to an outdoor amphitheatre. The musical started at 8:oo p.m. and ended at 10:40 p.m. It was 95 degrees still at 10! But it was sooooo much fun!

When the show started Gina decided she wanted to be Annie. Then she leaned over and whispered to me that she likes to sing but just not in front of a lot of people! I bought Gina the movie about a week before we were to see it live, but she said she wanted to be surprised! By the end of the show she was singing loudly right along with the girls (those songs do stick with you LOL).It was so hot the cotton candy got hard before Gina could finish it! We had a wonderful time. As we were leaving Gina took my hand and said I had so much fun spending the evening with you. She is so sweet and I Love her so much (I must remember these times when she is a teen)!

*Thank you Dad and Peggy for the great tickets!

The Bunnies are Multiplying!!!

2009-06-29T14:50:00.005-05:00

Those cute little bunnies are ganging up on me quickly!!! They are taking over my crafting time. Everyone that sees them wants one. I still have not made Adler one yet. Every time I finish one he hugs it and pats its back. He is so sweet!

These two cuties were for sweet babies under 3 so I embroidered the diaper fasteners instead of using buttons. Also my sister gave me the great idea of using the ear fabric for the belly too (instead of felt). I love these cuties! It was hard to give them away ;)

I Love Melly & Me

2009-06-24T12:37:00.007-05:00

Melly & Me is a great blog! Melly is super creative and super generous. Every time she releases a new pattern she gives one away on her blog too!!! I recently won her Feathered Friends pattern. I can not wait for it to arrive from Australia :) She has her first book out now too! I ordered it and it arrived on Monday. I found it at a great price from on Etsy. This book is amazing!!! Scrumptious pictures and full size pattern pieces. It is a great bargain considering you get 12 Melly patterns! I do not think there is a single project I won't attempt to make. Gina starts Kindergarten this year and I am definitely making her the toadstool backpack (seen on the cover above). This cute unicorn Pegasus softie will make a great Birthday present for Gina this year too. I am thinking of using these fabrics from my stash for it. This book is so amazing and well worth every penny. Check out her blog often too, so inspiring. Oh there is a fabulous Argyle quilt pattern in it too that I can not wait to make! Check it out :)

* I also ordered the Clucky pattern shown above. It is too cute!

New Pattern Maker

2009-06-22T10:26:00.004-05:00

I am thrilled to announce that Gina is the next up and coming Softie pattern maker :) Sometime around Easter I was looking for the perfect Bunny pattern and came across this one at mmmcrafts . Gina happened to be looking over my shoulder and fell in love with the bunny.

She asked me to buy the pattern and I replied with, "we will see, it might be too expensive". I left it at that and completely forgot about it. Well turns out she never forgot (gotta love a 5 year old)! She came to me last week with the above pattern and said, "Mommy I drew you a Bunny pattern because the other one was too expensive". Melted my heart! I asked her which bunny and she told me the one with the diaper "I just can't stop thinking about it". Well needless to say I got right on line and purchased the pattern .

I surprised her with this little guy this weekend! Not my favorite colors, but they are hers. She was super excited! It's name is Buttons!

Quilts for Triplets!!!

2009-06-15T16:06:00.004-05:00

My sweet neighbors are having Triplets!!! We are super excited for them! We adore them, and share so much in common (well minus triplets). Kerry and I had a long path of infertility. We talk openly about it, with the hopes that our journey and struggle will be able to help others. Gina was conceived through Invitro by the best Doctor out there (in my opinion). We had been open with our neighbors and it turned out they were having trouble conceiving, I gave them our Doctor's name and finally they too are expecting!!! Three wonderfully growing baby girls!

When I was invited to their baby shower I panicked because I had not yet started the quilts! I had 3 days to get them started and finished. I work so much better under pressure.

I used my stash only for these quilts, and a simple log cabin knotted quilt pattern. Older babies love to mush their sweet faces in this quilt.

I loved using the Heidi Grace fabric with the houses on it. It was so appropriate for a neighbor quilt :)I wanted them each to have a different quilt. The mommy to be loved the handmade goodness too. I love it when they tear up :)

1 1/2 Birthday!!!

2009-06-14T11:48:00.003-05:00

Adler turned 18 months last weekend and we celebrated to the fullest! He is a December baby and sometimes celebrations in December get lost in all of the Christmas festivities. We have decided, until Adler tells us otherwise, that we will celebrate his half birthday instead of his real birthday. June is a much better time for pool parties :)

He chose to have a Mickey Mouse pool party! It was so much fun!

I made him a yummy Mickey Mouse cake, along with colorful cupcakes for his friends :)
I also made him the traditional Birthday shirt! Complete with a 1 1/2 :) This photo was taken after the party. He wanted to carry all of the balloons around! (please ignore my messy house LOL )

*Our immediate family will still have cake and celebrate our sweet boy in December as well.

Baby Girl Needs a New Pair of Shoes, right?

2009-05-27T20:19:00.002-05:00

If you are in the market for cute little girl Bear feet shoes, check out my ebay listings. I was cleaning out Gina's closet and found two small pairs hanging out on the shelf. I don't know how I missed them when I sold her other ridiculously over priced shoes! Seriously when she was an only child the girl had a great closet! Now the economy, and reality has set in for our family of four!

Funk Lifted

2009-05-08T14:37:00.003-05:00

I Love my Kids! I am so thankful for the warmer weather that is finally here! Thank you for all the encouraging words. I hope to get my crafting and blogging Mojo back too! There are so many projects I have to finish. I am also participating in Amanda's quilt a long. I am super excited! More posts to come, but enjoy our outside fun pics in the meantime :)

Shower Gifts and A bit of a funk

2009-04-20T18:21:00.004-05:00

My sister and I threw a cute little shower for our BFF (yes we share everything)! It was such a lovely time. I, of course, made her gifts (there are more to come when the little guy arrives). This is baby number three for her. All babies deserve a celebration though, right?

The pretty package!

I always like to make up a basket of bathroom necessities. Gas drops, saline drops, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. This is a great wedding shower gift too. All of the medicine cabinet staples that you may not think of until you absolutely need them. Of course the wedding shower medicine cabinet supplies differ greatly from the baby shower supplies, but you get the idea.

I couldn't leave out the siblings! The mommy loved these the most, I think any way!

* Is anyone else in a bit of a funk? I have so many WIP's, but I don't want to do them. I am super tired of taking my daughter to gymnastics, and I cringe at the thought of her starting cheer leading this fall. Really, I have a rather blessed life. My husband does whatever it takes for me to be able to stay home with our little ones. I am just feeling burned out. Does that make sense? I can't get excited about anything, and I am tired. I love my family with all of my heart, but I want a break! I don't even feel like it is fair for me to say that. People have it so much more difficult than I do. My husband works 2 jobs at times to allow for me to have this life, why am I not more happy about it? Sorry to be a downer, but I guess that is the reason for my lack of blogging too.

Cute Little Dolls

2009-04-03T12:52:00.004-05:00

Michelle at Gingham World has the cutest little dolls for sale just in time for Easter!!! Check out her blog and Etsy shop. Cute stuff!

I LOVE Chick-fil-A!

2009-03-16T16:30:00.003-05:00

I have been super busy with stuff I can't share until the end of the month. I love this video and wanted to share it with all of you. If you love Chick-Fil-A like I love Chick-Fil-A you will love this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo

*Please if anyone knows how to just post the video screen here let me know. I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure it out. Thanks, Gail*

Hello Kitty Sewing

2009-02-19T12:55:00.006-06:00

Gina got a Janome Hello Kitty sewing machine for Christmas, and I love it (she does too)!!! I finally got it set up for her to sew. She was so excited sewing on her own. She is making a quilt out of her fabric stash. Oh yes she has a stash. Every time we are at a fabric shop she has to have a couple of FQ's. She had a sweet rhythm going, sew, clip, press until the ironing accident occurred. She was so excited laying her fabric on the ironing board that she burned the back of her arm. Nothing major, your typical sewers burn :) However she decided that I should do her ironing for her, for a little while anyway. I can not tell you how much it blesses me that my 5 year old loves to create alongside me. I hope it lasts through the teen years, but time will tell I guess :)

My Cora Paige Contribution.

2009-02-18T15:29:00.004-06:00

*edited to add that she sold already. Thank you :)
In order to sell anything to raise money for The Cora Paige Playground I had to open an Etsy Shop. I am a couple days late for the launch, but I have finally gotten a sweet doll listed. It is the only thing in my shop currently. I would love to have an Etsy business, but life is a little crazy right now for that. Please click on the link on the left to see all of the wonderful items available to help support build Cora's Playground.

A Winner!!!

2009-02-16T10:46:00.004-06:00

Okay so my random number generator is my husband. I asked him to give me a number between 1 and 23. He chose 12! So Congratulations Jess. I will be emailing you shortly for your mailing address. Thank you to all for taking the time to leave me the encouraging comments. I plan to have many more giveaways this year. I also plan on making some tutorials. I am so thankful to everyone that shares their ideas and knowledge here in Blogworld!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T18:36:00.004-06:00

My mom always made a big to do about Valentine's Day when we were kids. She taught my sister and I a sweet song when we were young to remember how to spell Valentine. I am sure many of you know it, but for those of you that don't here it is.

V-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-e Valentine

If you will me M-i-n-e

Then I'll be T-h-i-n-e

V-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-e Valentine.

I wish I knew how to add the melody, but I am just not that smart LOL.

(Click on the photo to go to this listing)

For Christmas I ordered a gift for my sister and myself from Gina. She has gorgeous (and affordable) personalized jewelry in her shop. We have received so many compliments on our necklaces. They would be the perfect gift for Mother's Day ( I should have told you about her before Valentine's Day). I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day I am off to work on my doll for Cora's Playground.

*I will be drawing the winner for the fabric giveaway on Monday afternoon. There is still time to enter :) *

Sweet Little Cora

2009-02-13T14:52:00.002-06:00

I didn't even know this sweet baby girl, or her family, yet her life has changed me. You can read her story here. I have been busy sewing some of my dolls to sell to raise money for a playground in her memory. I have been dragging me feet in getting an Etsy shop open, but in order to sell for Cora's Playground I need one. I have to be ready to list my items on Monday. Does anyone know how to spiff up a new etsy shop. I would love help, or direction. Thanks so much! Here is a link to the many etsy stores donating to Cora's Playground.

Gymnastics!

2009-02-10T17:08:00.003-06:00

Gina has officially started gymnastics at a "real" gym (she thinks she has outgrown the Little Gym)! She is super excited. This is a picture of us on our way to her first class (last Thursday). Thank you Grandpa Pat!

*p.s. -Don't forget to enter in my FQ fabric giveaway *

One Year of Blogging & a Giveaway

2009-02-08T17:55:00.005-06:00

I have been blogging for One Whole Year! I can't believe I have stuck with it (I have a hard time focusing) :) I have loved every minute of it. I love every comment you leave. I seriously check my blog throughout the day to see if anyone has commented (does that sound pathetic?) So as a thank you for all of the blog support, I am having a giveaway! I am giving a way 12 Fat quarters. These are fabrics from my stash. There are some Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Robert Kaufmann, and Kerry Berry cat fabric that I used in my Project Improv block. Everything you see pictured. I figured one FQ for each month I have been blogging. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post.
Coincidentally my 100th post will be sometime this week also. This is #96. I will choose a winner on the 100th post!!! Good Luck and spread the word. It's a great way to build your stash ;)

Too Sinister?

2009-02-07T13:17:00.004-06:00

My nephew Baylor turned 6 this week! This little guy is so into dress up and creative play. He loves to give us all tattoos. I have had this idea in my head for him since last summer. I made him this Tattoo shop. Now my question for you is, Is it too sinister looking for a 6 year old boy? I am taking this to his party this afternoon. I hope he likes it. Boys are so hard to create something for. I made a functioning open/close sign for the shop.

Here are the goodies I have included with the door cover. Every tattoo artist needs his own ink ;) A skully doo rag, stencils, and temporary tattoos (the spray bottle is for the temporary tattoos). The lap desk makes a perfect portable work station. I do have ideas of making Gina a Spa Shoppe for her bedroom door. Maybe even a rocket ship for Adler's door. How cute would a cottage front be? Maybe even a castle? Oh the possibilities are endless! If there is an interest I would be willing to post a tutorial for this little project.

*sorry the pics aren't better. It was difficult to find a doorway with proper lighting.

Here She Is!

2009-02-04T20:44:00.005-06:00

Okay I have finally figured out this pattern, I think. I am happy with the way she came out. I have really been wanting to make my own doll. I have made many flat style dolls on my own, but this was my first of this kind. I need to tweak the pattern just a little bit more and then I think I have her as close to perfection as I can get. She is a playful little girl. Loves a good apron, with a pocket of course.

Head stands are a must!!! So are stretchy rainbow leggings.

Time for a rest on her favorite little knotted quilt. She is so cute! I may have a hard time sending her off to her new home (my swap partner).

Gifts for the Girls

2009-02-01T10:32:00.005-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday is so much fun for the guys, but what are the girls to do? I decided it would be fun to make and give the little girls at our party some new fashion accessories. My sister has some of our old friends staying at her house so finally there are more girls than boys around. (well the boys still out number the girls by one, but who's counting?) I made them initial shirts and leg warmers! This all started because I wanted to make little Annalye (8 mos old) some baby leggies like I made for Adler when he was little, and then I lost control. Gina loves the pairs I have made for her, so I thought her little girl friends might like them too!

Gina Loves her outfit for today!

This is the next project I need to get done. A Birthday shirt for my nephew that has a Birthday on Tuesday! I know I love procrastinating ;)

*The first Pic has a peek of the swap doll with hair. I still need to style it and dress her. I think I love her!

My Swap Creation.

2009-01-23T09:09:00.003-06:00

I have been wanting to develop a doll pattern of my own for a while, so what better time than for a Handmade Swap. Part of the swap was to take pictures of the process. It has been fun, however I have forgotten to take a few pics. It is hard to stop and grab the camera when you are on a creative roll. LOL

She is turning out smaller than I had wanted, and there are a few little imperfections. I may keep this prototype and make a new one for my swap partner. Do you think small imperfections give a handmade item more personality? (I am too much of a perfectionist I think to leave it.)

Save Handmade Swap

2009-01-22T11:15:00.003-06:00

Bird and Little Bird is hosting a Save Handmade Swap. While there is still time to sign up, I have already received my swap package! Olivia is my swap partner and she is super quick. I think two days after I received her as my partner we got a package in the mail. Here are the lovely things she sent.

A gorgeous Pink and Brown apron for Gina (she let Gina pick an apron from her Etsy shop).

And these adorable bean bags. The front of the bags have the number sewn on them and the back has the same number of dots sewn on them. These bags have played with like crazy!!! Thank you so much Olivia! I have the fabric selected and ironed, ready to be sewn into my swap goodies.

Meet our New Family and their New Digs.

2009-01-19T12:03:00.003-06:00

Gina loves "Arts and Crafts" (as she calls it). Kerry has not been working for the past month at his primary job, so we decided to take advantage of him. He gets to play with Adler while G and I do projects. Before Christmas I had bought some wooden peg people to maybe make for gifts. Well time completely got away from me and this was a project I put off. Good thing, because Gina loved painting these.

She had big plans for these people. I am second from left :) For the house we used an unfinished wood CD holder from Michael's (I had this for a Christmas gift too, yet another project that didn't get done).Gina's own bedroom is a very muted version of her dollhouse room. Purple with blue polka dots. She painted the walls, I added the dots. The downstairs she insisted be blue with red roses. It is lovely. Again she painted the walls, then she painted the red blobs for the roses and I outlined them in pink.She chose the color for the outside of the house too. Although I swayed her decision of painting the window panes green. And here we are! Adler, Gina, Mom, and Dad :) I love them! She did a fantastic job, don't you think?

We have furniture to sew still, so more to come.

My Sewing Space

2009-01-17T09:30:00.004-06:00

My Sewing Space is really a work in progress. Maybe I should call it my Studio, since I do all kinds of crafting in it. I took over the loft in our house last fall. Once Adler was born I had to give up the room I was using. The kids each have their own rooms and a playroom (don't even get me started on how many playrooms they have, that's for another post.)

This is clean, Really. I have so many other things I want to do to this space. I still have boxes of craft supplies in the basement that I have no room for in this loft, not to mention fabric still in my sister's basement (sorry Nealie). I would love to get the wall painted that the window is on, but it is on the wall that the 2 story open entry is on. We need to get some fancy scaffolding or something in order to do it. Also I have some projects in mind for idea boards and things like that. I love seeing into other people's spaces (that is why I became a Real estate agent for a short time :) ).

Here is the view from my trusty old machine. I really would love a new machine, but it is not in the budget right now (I am not sure it ever will be in this economy). Gina decorated it with a few shiny stars. I used some fancy Lisa Frank bee tape to mark some seam allowances on it like 8 years ago. I do have a special relationship with this machine, it just doesn't do all that I wish it could. Well that is a little glimpse inside my world, I would love to see inside your "studio" too.

Project Improv

2009-01-15T18:56:00.004-06:00

I set a few goals for myself for this new year. One of my goals is to make a quilt that is larger than a baby quilt. Jacquie is so motivating, she decided to start Project Improv. I am so excited to be a part of this. She is organizing a few quilts for charity and I signed up to make one quilt block in each colorway for the quilts. I have an embarrassingly huge stash of fabrics so I will only be using fabric that I already have. This is the first block I have made. It is for the Blue/Green quilt. I can't wait to see what these quilts look like finished :)

Ready for a change.

2009-01-05T20:13:00.002-06:00

I am so ready for warm weather! Winter is really just starting here, so I think I am going to change my blog look a little bit. The header picture is just temporary. It is Gina in 2007. She has grown and changed so much. Time flies. I am still trying to organize my loft sewing area. I also have the kids playrooms to organize. I have no desire to organize, I just want it done! I am not letting myself sew until these areas are clean (you would think that would be motivation enough!)

Great gift!

2009-01-03T15:10:00.005-06:00

My dad is a little hard to buy for at Christmas. He always says not to get him anything. My sister and I always want to get him something. We make him things usually.

This year we had a pretty good idea I think. We bought him a clock (similar to this one.)We took loads of pictures of the kids holding a blank sign. We then printed them off in black and white. We chose the best pics of the kids and wrote numbers 1 -12 on the signs (on the actual printed out picture) with a thin black sharpie. We then put them in the clock picture frames. It turned out so sweet! I only wish I remembered to take a picture of it finished. I may have to go to my dad's office and take a picture of it hanging on the wall :)

edited to add *Picture of the clock added Thanks to my Uncle Chuck :) He works at the same office*

Handmade gifts for my kids.

2008-12-31T13:02:00.003-06:00

What a busy time of year! I really wanted to post more this year, but at least I started a blog. I have learned so much from so many fellow bloggers. I made some great gifts for my kids this year using patterns and tutorials found on some great blogs.I made Adler this adorable Rocket ship. I used this pattern from the long thread. She has some fabulous ideas. If anyone needs the specifics for the astronauts travel compartment I have the measurements I came up with.For Gina I made a cute doll from a Wee Wonderful Pattern. I used the Chloe pattern, but the yarn I used was too thick to hold a wave. I couldn't bring myself to cut the hair into a bob either.

Also very last minute I made the little doll quilt and pillow using a tutorial on Crazy Mom Quilts.

I adore the pillow with pillowcase idea! Gina loved that the pillowcase came off. It's the little things really. The kids both loved their presents made by mom. The rocket ship was a huge hit! All of our friends will probably be getting them for upcoming birthdays. The older kids loved throwing it around and the younger ones love taking the little man in and out of the rocket. I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I look forward to a great 2009 with all of my new blogging friends!

My Crafty Sister

2008-12-12T10:13:00.004-06:00

Adler Loves Moose and Zee, so for his birthday my super crafty sister made him Moose and Zee softies. She made up her own pattern and everything. This was her first attempt ever at a softie. She is the best Aunt ever!
He loves them so much.

My Baby is ONE!

2008-12-07T18:11:00.004-06:00

Adler turned one today! The time has seriously flown by!We had a Moose A. Moose and Zee D. Bird birthday party for him yesterday. It was so much fun! Noggin.com had tons of great printables and ideas on their website. (This pic is terrible! I forgot to get pictures of this stuff until after the party.) These are some goodies bags. I printed the images noggin provided on sticker paper and used them to seal the bags. I also used a Moose sticker for a sparkly centerpiece on the cupcake tray (all of the cupcakes were gone when I remembered to take this picture).
I printed out a Moose on fabric and appliqued it to his onesie, along with a green polka dotted #1. It turned out so cute! I can't believe I don't have a better pic of it.

Here is the special Birthday Cake! I made a Moose cake and Zee cupcake! I was overwhelmed at first by this, but it really wasn't hard at all. Noggin had great step by step directions. I really can't believe he is one already. Time goes by so fast when you're having fun I guess :)

Wow! A whole month with no posts!

2008-12-04T09:26:00.004-06:00

I have made some wonderful "friends" through blogging. If they become your Facebook friend too does that make them a "real" friend LOL? I have a great new friend in Kristy . She is super talented! She made my son this adorable MUNO!

I know. Can you even stand it? She should totally be selling these cuties. I could not believe her generosity. My pictures may not be the best, but I love this guy! He is tucked away right now, waiting for St. Nick to place him in a little boys stocking.

This photo shoot had to take place during nap time. I am sure I lost many of you by now. I love Yo Gabba Gabba. Adler and Gina do too. My husband can't stand it. What is worse is he says, "do you really think these characters are appropriate for kids?" So now every time I watch it I have a tainted view of what my husband thinks Muno and his family look like!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:32:00.004-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween! We enjoyed our trip to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday. They only had a few left. It was a beautiful day though. The Pumpkin Patch is always a great time.

Tonight we gathered with family and friends in my sister's neighborhood for a hayride and trick-or-treating! There are always chili dogs and Rockband too! I have so many pics I want to share. I need to put a better one on of Gina's costume. She was a Skully princess. I made her crown, cape, skirt, and scepter! Everyone loved it!

I am blessed!

2008-10-27T11:26:00.004-05:00

.I have been feeling a little under the weather lately, but the other day I got the most wonderful present in the mail. Jacquie sent me the most adorable mini quilt. I had been secretly loving her little houses she made a while back. I was trying to figure out what I could make using them. I would love to make a large quilt, but I have a million projects started and only a few finished

This little house is so adorable! It matches my Christmas decor beautifully, but I love it so much I am going to keep it out year round. Of course I had to show the back of the quilt too.

Thank you so much Jacquie! I love all of the wonderful things blogging has brought to me. The ideas alone are worth blogging, but the sweet friends made along the way are even more precious! I feel truly blessed by all of the new friends I have made. Thank you all :)

Grosgrain: Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-10-23T18:13:00.000-05:00

Grosgrain: Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twelve Years Ago Today!

2008-10-19T19:36:00.007-05:00

My husband and I were married twelve years ago today! We were so young. I just turned 22 and Kerry turned 22 a month after we were married (yes I am older and wiser LOL). It was a beautiful day 12 years ago, and the weather proved to be just as lovely here today. We spent the afternoon at the park. I think we look even happier 12 years later, don't you?

My friends new Etsy shop and a giveaway!

2008-10-15T14:44:00.002-05:00

My blogging friend, Sandra, has just opened her own Etsy shop. Be sure to pop over and wish her much success! She has a little giveaway going on right now for one of her adorable bags :)

I won!

2008-10-09T07:14:00.002-05:00

Melly & Me had a little giveaway the other day and yours truly won! I am super excited. I won a pattern for this super cute hippo softie! Head over to their blog and check out all of the super cute patterns they have.

I feel like it is time for me to give back a lttle to such a wonderful blog community. I will be having a little giveaway in the next week or so, be sure to keep checking for it.
* Photo from Melly & Me

Little Blue Bird of Happiness.

2008-10-07T09:56:00.004-05:00

One of Kerry's coworkers had to leave work early yesterday because his wife went into labor. I had to quickly come up with an economical gift. So of course sewing from my stash came to mind. I have never met his wife, but who doesn't love a new baby. I am still on a little high from the Candy Corn softie I created, so I thought I could create a cute little Blue Bird toy. The inspiration was the little blue bird hanging from the carriage on the fabric. I put a little bell in while stuffing so it would make a sweet little sound when baby shakes it. I can try to make a tutorial if anyone would be interested. I also whipped up some sweet baby shoes. The onesie is just a given. I love how quickly this gift came together.

It is a cruddy rainy day here, so sorry for the bad pic.

* I have the placement of the eye wrong on the bird, I also want to add some legs :)*

Flickr Group for Vintage Sheet Swap

2008-10-06T17:09:00.002-05:00

I started a Flickr group for the things that you make from our swap. There is nothing in it so far, because I haven't made anything from my FQ's yet. So please hop on over and post your creations :)

Meet Ms. Corn, you can call her Candy.

2008-10-05T15:21:00.004-05:00

Lera is hosting a candy corn contest. I could not sleep at all last night thinking about how I would make this little cutie. I don't like Candy Corn, but she is so sweet! Don't you think? The entire time Gina and I were making her, we were singing "I don't like candy corn..." courtesy of Moose A. Moose on Noggin. That song gets so stuck in my head this time of year.
Gina loves candy corn and this little doll. Adler has his eye on Ms. Candy Corn too. I have lots of friends having babies this month. Is this doll to corny* to include in their gifts?
*I couldn't resist :)

Sucker.

2008-10-04T18:27:00.003-05:00

Adler's first sucker! It's love.

* He was having a rather destructive day. Notice the shredded Ottobre magazine in the background :( *