Growth Chart

A growth chart I just finished up. It's my second one I've done for somebody and each time I tweak a little more and it looks a little better. Makes me want to make one for my own kids! My list keeps getting longer....

WOW, A Month!

It's amazing how fast a month can go by and suddenly it's December, Christmas lights are up and cookies are being consumed.
I won't bore you with the details of my last month. Let's just say there was a little bit of everything, from napping to sewing. A good month!

I just made this purse this week because my old one died on me. I found a great tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew called the Phoebe bag. I highly recommend it! It was super easy and turned out very cute! The fabric I used my mother gave me from their trip to Portand, and I would tell you what it is but I cut off the selvedge and already threw it away in a fit of cleaning. :(


I hope everyone is enjoying their month of December and I have a few other posts coming of things in the works.
Happy Friday!!

Finally...

I'm finally feeling alive again! I'm hoping November is a much more illness free month than October was for us. It seemed like every time we thought we were getting better one of us got sick again. Yuck!
So a little belated Halloween stuff.
A Halloween garland I made in between times of feeling crappy.
Cute musketeer.

Happy pumpkins.
Happy November may I be thankful for my health!

My Creative Space

When there are germs in the house then a lot of knitting occurs, which is a good thing now that the weather has turned colder. I'm half way through my youngest daughters hat for this winter. Because she has strawberry blond hair she looks good in turquoise and other colors that bring out her pink complexion.And nothing helps little people, and big people for that matter, feel better than some Halloween cupcakes.
For other creative spaces head on over to Kirsty's.

Recovery

I have a confession....I may have kept my oldest daughter home from school today just so we could build forts and make cookies.
My youngest daughter has been suffering from flu like symptoms the last couple of days. To be honest we all have been a bit under the weather. There is major flu nastiness spreading in our neck of the woods and having a husband who teaches and kids in school it was just a matter of time that it reared its ugly head in our house. Luckily, the fever has been easily controlled with Tylenol and the kids are amazingly resilient to illness.So even though my oldest wasn't really very ill we kept her home so everyone could sleep in, lounge in pajamas and enjoy each others company.This morning was spent making beds on the living room floor, making sure to include favorite stuffies. I love that even though my oldest daughter is in school she still luggs her favorite animals around the house, tucks them in, and cuddles up close. My younger daughter also got her favorite toy and tucked it in close on the couch. A very cozy and warm picture this morning, even with the coughing and sniffling.

Ugh!

Dealing with all kinds of yuckiness around here. A lot of tea drinking, movie watching and knitting planned for the day.

Saturday Shopping List

It's been awhile since I've done a Saturday shopping list. Things are finally starting to settle down around here so I thought it was about time. Also, my family and I are going to be participating in No Impact Man's project through the Huffington Post. It's a week of our family and others trying to really focus on our impact on the environment. If you'd like to read more about it or sign up please go here.
So in light of the next week my list has to do with things that may help with reducing our waste.
1. Vegetable bags by wonderthunder. A great way to not use those tiny plastic sacks for veggies and fruit.
2. Eco Cup cozy by laurabucci. Perfect for using on a reusable mug for that much needed cup of coffee.
3. Apple a -go-go by earlygirl I love this cute knitted cover for your apple. A great way to keep the apple "safe".
4. Snack pouch by downhomeamy. This bag is a wonderful way to keep snacks contained without the plastic!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Please check out fancypicnic for other great shopping lists.

Winter Hat

The oldest and her new hat.

The nice thing about winter coming is an excuse to knit warm and cozy things. And can I say for the fiftieth time how much I love Malabrigo yarn. I LOVE IT.
I used some super bulky variegated yarn for the brim. I'd have to say this is one of my favorite hats I've made so far color wise. It also helps that my daughter looks so darn cute in it too.

My Creative Space

Working on fall brooches.

Kootoyoo for more creative spaces.

Baby Shower

I apologize early on for my picture heavy post. :)
This past weekend I threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Michelle, with the help of my other relatives. I've been slowly planning, gathering and creating for the past month now for the big day. Being done with my own kids has made me even more crazy excited for her and the birth of her first child.
Because we both have a love for all things retro and vintage I decided to go with the vintage theme for the shower. I also picked red and turquoise for the colors since when I was planning she didn't know what she was having, although now she knows it's a boy.
It was a great morning spending time celebrating with her and with friends and family.The banner I made for decoration and for her baby's room. I used her fabric scraps from her baby quilt to make the triangles.My first diaper cake. I appliqued on some rocket fabric onto some onesies for part of the gift. You can see them peaking out behind the ribbon.

The cake my sister-in-law made using vintage carousel decorations.


And no shower is complete without the cute pregnant lady. :)

Halloween

This past weekend was my husband's family reunion. I threw a baby shower for his sister and we had a great time laughing and playing games. I have photos coming soon.

Last week I spent some time getting some Halloween accessories made for the shop and the girls. The girls are counting down the days until they get to dress up as musketeers!Found in the shop.

Ears Pinched

Last year my oldest daughter who had just turned five at the time announced she wanted to get her ears "pinched". Someone in her class had earrings and she wanted them too. After a little discussion we came up with a solution of when she could get them done. Because there wasn't an arbitrary age we could think of that would say "old enough to have ears pierced" we came up with a way for her to earn it. And a year later she has earned the right to get her ears pierced by writing her address, dialing her phone number and tying her shoes.This past weekend I took her to get them pierced. She had a minor breakdown caused by fear so we went to my parents house, had pancakes, talked about piercing for an hour, went back and got them pierced. Second time round she was very calm and handled it very well. I guess she just needed to talk it out for awhile. She of course loves them and I'd have to say I think they're pretty cute too. As a parent it's fun to see my kids have some of the same memories I have as a kid.

Growth Chart

I've working on a growth chart for a friend who requested one with owls. It took me a couple of tries to get it right but I think I like the final product. And it's done, which gives me a huge sigh of relief!
I'm debating making one for my own kids now. But that's just another thing to add to the list, ugh.
Happy Monday.

Vintage Shop Update

I have a ton of vintage finds I've picked up over the summer holiday that I have finally gotten around to taking photos and uploading them to my shop. Whew! One more thing of the list!
And a big thank you to all of you who wrote such kind things about the quilt. It really made my day!

My Creative Space

I've been out of sorts the last couple of weeks with transitioning back into school but yesterday I was finally sat down and worked on my son's quilt. And once I got going I was actually able to finish everything but the binding. Yes, yes it is over two years late but I think definitely still in the acceptable time range, ie he's under 18.This is only my second attempt at quilting with my machine as I usually quilt by hand. And I'd have to say it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. All in all not a bad day's work. I'd feel a lot more relaxed if it wasn't for my other sewing project waiting in the foreground.
For other amazing and inspirational spaces please head on over to Kirsty's.

Funk

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I realized it all had to do with having a lot more time on my hands, which may sound contrary to being in a funk. But when that time is because my oldest is in school full time and my middle is at school part time there's not only more time but it's a lot quieter. And to be honest I miss them when they are at school and thus the funk. But I have finished reading the Twilight series, moped in my pj's and now it's time to get on with it. My son and I have been enjoying some quality time and I'm done mourning this new phase in our life and am starting to embrace it. Unfortunately, the first thing I did out of my funk was to shampoo my carpets, yuck. But it's put me on the road to recovery and thus let me share the cute skirt I made for my youngest daughters first day of preschool, which was very similar to my oldest daughters first day of school outfit. I just love the fabric so much I had to use it twice.I hope you all have a great Tuesday and I'm hoping to be back into a scheduled routine now and visiting my blog a little more frequently.

Family

The cool air, a harmonica and leaves underfoot. The sewing machine is quiet but I'm content.

My Creative Space

My "baby" is two years old and I'm finally quilting his "baby" quilt. Where did the time go?

For more creative spaces head on over to Kirsty's.

Fancy Tiger and the Avett Brothers

There were two things that really were at the top of my list for amazing experiences. One, was obviously the concert seeing the Avett Brothers. Wow, are they good in concert! They not only sounded good but were really fun to watch. It was so warm and we were so close we could see the sweat dripping from their fingers as they played. I know nice picture, huh? But it felt pretty amazing to be right up there. Really I think they may be my favorite band and when I hear songs like this it makes me want to see them all over again.

One of the other great experiences was an amazing fabric shop we found while touring around Denver. Living in a more rural area with not a lot of selection means I get most of my fabric online. Buying online is just not the same experience as touching and seeing all the fabulous fabrics in person. The store was beautiful, really beautifully laid out with an amazing selection of fabrics and patterns. It may be a good thing I don't live too close, that could be a very bad thing. But I am planning on going to it again next week when I just happen to be in Denver for a wedding. I'm planning on taking my mother so she can check out how fantastic it is, and as a bonus I get to go again! So if you ever happen to be in Denver please do yourself a favor and go check out Fancy Tiger! It's well worth the trip! And if you happen to be half way around the world never fear they even have an Etsy shop.

Trip

I'm back from a wonderful, amazing, glorious, fill in the blank, weekend with my awesome husband. It was so nice to have long lengths of time that we could talk or not talk and just enjoy each others presence. Some serious date nights are now being reintroduced into this house!

It was so fun I'm going to have to take three or so posts to talk about everything because I just can't resist all the great things we experienced and found in the great city of Denver.
For now I'll start with our first full day of exploring the downtown city area. Lanford Monroe "Ghost Orchard"

We went to the Denver Art Museum which we had never been to and was thoroughly amazed at the incredible talent that exists and also the realization that I just don't get modern art (can I say that?) I get it mentally but emotionally I was enthralled by the old. But that's probably my inner history degree speaking.
I'm even posting a picture of my silly self by some art sculpture, figured I had to come out of the blog closet some time. :)It was a great day exploring, walking and seeing the variety of different people that live in the city. Of course we probably could have been in the middle of nowhere and been happy as clams.

Going on a Jet Plane....

Okay, not really, but it feels that exciting. My husband and I are going for a weekend getaway for the first time in five years! It is much needed and much anticipated! We're going to go to a bookstore and browse the aisles without herding children, sit and talk and the highlight is seeing the Avett Brothers live. They're one of our favorite bands and it's going to be awesome to see them live.


Can you tell I'm excited? On a related note I have been talking about trying to learn the guitar and my sweet husband brought me home my very own guitar last night. It's nothing fancy but it will do the trick till I learn what the heck I'm doing. So thoughtful. The presents just because are the best!
Happy Weekend!

My Creative Space

I have finally had enough of watching my son's pants continually sag as he runs around due to his lack of bottom. And as I was perusing Etsy looking for some cute car ribbon to make him a belt I decided I couldn't wait that long and decided to make due with what I had. I used some cotton webbing as the foundation and folded some Japanese rocket fabric to match, a few D-rings later and a completed belt to keep a skinny kids pants up! An added bonus is I will no longer have to watch him run around with one hand on his bottom trying to keep his pants from falling around his ankles. Now that's what I call success.

Please head onto Kirsty's for some fabulous creative spaces.

Pillow Case Remix

There are advantages to being one child down. I do get a little more time to finish some projects that aren't a priority but would be nice to do. Today's project consisted of making a bag out of a vintage pillowcase to hold all of my plastic bags that I reuse. A simple tube with elastic on the bottom and a hook on the top. I love simple projects that help me feel more organized. That's a win win in my book.

First Day of School

The oldest had her first day of kindergarten yesterday! She had been getting a little nervous the days leading up to Monday but once it finally came she was all ready. I on the other hand thought I had everything under control until the moment I had to say goodbye. Then it took all my effort, and a lot of lip biting, to make it to the car in time before the sobbing began. I'll miss seeing her all day and it's bittersweet to see her head off on her own. And I know I'll be saying the same thing in twelve years when she's going out into the world. (Sigh)
But she had a great time and my husband is a teacher at the school so it can't get much better than that. For my husband he's excited for all the extra time he gets to have with her and I can't deny her some quality time with her dad.
In anticipation of her first day I literally sewed up a storm. Seriously, my sewing room is piled with dangerous piles of fabrics and strewn pins.
I made her a skirt using this great Japanese fabric I ordered from Mountain of the Dragon on Etsy. One panel has cute animal school kids playing on a playground and the other side of the skirt are the kids sitting in school houses. Too cute.I then decided I didn't like any of the backpacks I found at the big stores. Especially since I'm not so fond of Hannah Montana and the like for a kindergartner. So I used Amy Butler's messenger bag pattern and cut down the size by about three inches so it wouldn't be ginormous. I'm hoping this bag will get her through more than a couple years of school.And finally after attempting to find the perfect lunch bag I gave up and made one. Unfortunately, since I can sew that's usually my fall back position. Can't find one I like, fine I'll sew it! Which, usually means a fair amount of stress at times. But I used the pattern from Sewing Green and it was so easy and cute I want to make a lot more.
Thanks for reading my ramblings. All in all it was a good day yesterday and I miss her terribly but I have two little ones to keep me company and we're keeping busy!

Shop Update

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the market. I had a great time and it was definitely worth it. I have a few more in the next coming weeks and it's nice to not be as stressed about the whole thing now that I have one under my belt.
I finally got my camera out today and listed a whole bunch of things in my shop. There's a lot of different things I've been working on and it's nice to see the whole thing come together.Again, thanks for making my day! My oldest goes to kindergarten on Monday and I've been frantically sewing her special things for her big day! I think I've been immersing myself in sewing as a denial method. Monday's going to be rough...

My Creative Space

I had my first market last night and since a lot of you have seen my in progress items I thought I'd give a glimpse of the final product.
I'll be posting more pictures tomorrow. It was a lovely time and I'm glad I forced myself to do it!
For other truly fabulous creative spaces head on over to Kirsty's.

Sweetness

A tiny hand tucked just right...

More Market Bags

I've finally gotten on a roll and have been sewing up a storm this past week. It's been exciting to see everything come together and I'm starting to feel a little less nervous about the whole thing. Of course I did put all of my items in a pile tonight and felt a tad underwhelmed by it's height. I think it would've helped if all the items I'm sewing weren't flat. I'm sure once I get there and have it spread out and displayed it will look a lot fuller. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I had some leftover burlap from the coffee bags I've been making and I made this little burlap purse using one of Jessica's fabrics from How About Orange for the lining. I love that fabric! So bright and cheerful.
I also am hoping this market bag doesn't sell because I love the coffee bean on the front! I'm looking forward to sewing for myself after this is all over!