Sick kiddo and a Bunny

I woke up to a sick little girl this morning. Not a great way to start the day for either of us. But she's asleep on the couch again and the rest of the house is quiet so I've got a few moments to myself. Once everyone wakes up I'm sure craziness will ensue so I'm enjoying it while I can. And since I'm dealing with a sick girl and potentially other sick children, because that's the way it always goes when it comes to the stomach flu I'm sure I'll be out of blogging commission for a few days. I did find this great Bunny giveaway by littleloveblue! It's absolutely gorgeous, as is her shop. Go check her out for a chance to win! Of course I'm hoping I'm the lucky one!

Fabric stash

A couple of weekends ago I was able to go up to Montana and visit Michelle with my mother-in-law and the kids. We had a wonderful weekend and it's always too short! While we were there we went to one of my favorite fabric shops and I stocked up! Today I made a table-runner I'm going to giveaway here on Saturday. I've yet to take photos of it and although I hated to cut into my new fabric it had to be done sometime. I love this fabric. They're Civil War reproduction prints...so pretty!

Taste of Summer

I finally used the last bag of rhubarb from my garden. I always freeze some to save the summer goodness for the cold days of winter. I made my grandmother's time tested rhubarb cobbler recipe to combat the foggy, cold mornings we have been having. I love it because it is ridiculously easy and since it is not a family secret I thought that I would share it.

3 Generous cups of rhubarb
1 c. sugar
1 T. margarine

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1 egg
1 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. milk

Spread rhubarb on the bottom of a greased 9x13" glass dish. Cover with 1 cup sugar (I used a little less) and dot with 1 T. margarine.

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Top with some fresh whipped cream and enjoy.

Let it be noted that I never said it was a healthy treat. -- Michelle

ATC Swap

My oldest daughter Em finished her cards for the ATC swap and we got them ready to mail out. She had a wonderful time coming up with things to draw. All of hers had a nature theme. I think my favorite is the bumblebee and the cowboy shooting the snake. Too cute.I just got back from visiting my sister from Nebraska and the laundry is calling my name. I've been out of town the last two weekends and I'm ready to be home for awhile! Or at least another two weeks before we head to Disneyland!

Tea Time

It is a bit of a dreary day here, so instead of being productive and working on the many house projects calling my name I have taken the advice of my most recent estate find and am drinking tea and doing nothing. I am always amazed when someone sells a needle point for little. Do these people understand the work that went into this little piece of artwork? I suppose I should be happy with their ignorance since now I get to love this little piece. I hope that your day is more productive than mine. --Michelle

Shopping List Saturday

This week has been a bit random for me. I went to visit my sister-in-law last weekend and I'm visiting my sister this weekend. A lot of avoiding house chores in between and discovering some beautiful items on Etsy!1. Waiting print by myfolklover I've had this print in my favorites for awhile. There is something just very enchanting about this print.
2. Aronia Bush by winsomehollow I love this little bush. I actually love all the things in her shop.
3. Snowy Night 2 by photofinds This photo is just amazing. My son's room has a night theme and this is just perfect.
4.Verona ring by cookoorikoo This is such a pretty ring, perfect for somone who loves everything vintage.
5. How to Write a Story brooch by TillyBloom Such a cute idea, a brooch with the beginnings of a story. Just lovely.
6. On a Moonlit Night Necklace by secretjewellz This necklace is absolutely beautiful. Enough said.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and please go check out Fancypicnic for some other amazing shopping lists.

Wall Art

I love my 1940's "cottage" but it is itty bitty. I have absolutely no room in my bedroom for a headboard. Luckily I came across some a great vinyl head board from elephannie. I chose a subtle look, but you can see a more striking example here. Her products added the perfect whimsical art to my bedroom. Finally I have a headboard and I didn't have to sacrifice any of the precious space. She includes little birdies to practice application which I added to the room.

Consider a little wall art to brighten up your space. These wall vinyls add the amazing hand painted look without any real actual work. --Michelle

Mobile Swap 2009

I finished my mobile for ElsieMarley's mobile swap this week. It definitely was out of my comfort zone to make something I'd never tried before. But on the whole it turned out well and I'm glad I completed it before the deadline! I used felt wool I got at the local knitting store that was nice and thick. I tried to make it natural and whimsical which is what the person I had made it for requested. I hope she likes it! It was actually fun to make and I think I'm going to try to make some for my own house I used this Japanese felt mobile book that I purchased from alittlegoodness for some of the patterns and it has a lot of other great ideas I'm anxious to try.

Baby Gifts

Leslie and I recently welcomed a new member of our extended family, a new nephew. I managed to finish his baby gifts within a month of his birth which is quite the accomplishment for me. Peanut the wee elephant is from Last Minute Patchwork & Quilt Gifts and the cloth baby shoes came from a free tutorial at Star Dust Shoes. I was pleased with the ease of both patterns. I am excited to send them to their new home and hope very much that Peanut is loved for years to come.

Perhaps you know a little one who could use a gift --Michelle

New Stamp

I ordered this stamp from CraftPudding a little bit a go and I just got the picture of what she's going to make! It is beyond awesome and just what I wanted. I can't wait to get it in the mail.
I'm off to do a ton of house chores today. I was out of town this weekend and so now the house is an utter disaster. Laundry here I come.

Shopping List Saturday

It's been cold and windy here this week which has allowed for a lot of tea and couch time. We've all been fighting various degrees of colds as well so it's been a week of trying to slow down. And during that slow down I've been listening to a lot of Bon Iver. This shopping list is inspired by his songs, for some reason when I listen to him I think of woods and solitude.1. T-Shirt Hoody by circleandsquares I love this design, it's a old plane dropping deer into the forest, how cute is that? Plus this month their apparel is 30% off!
2. Pine Forest soap by Neptune Kiss This soap has such a great design and is perfect for bringing a little of the outdoors inside.
3. Tree and Pine cone necklace by mollyheltsleydesigns This necklace is so beautiful. I love the pinecone dangling on the end.
4. Indian Pipes by NatureOnPaper I love this print. I really like how the white flowers stand out from the brown background. She also has a lot of other fabulous prints in her shop.
5. Pedestal with birds and pom-poms by catherinereece The design on this pedestal is just so simple and lovely.
6. A room of ones own print by swallowfield I think this print would look great in a child's room. The perfect imaginary place.

Please visit Fancypicnic for more great shopping lists!
May you have a lovely Valentine's and a wonderful weekend!

Auction Night Treasures

I am addicted to the Wednesday night auctions. Normally I work but this week I was off and I was able to wander down to the auction house with a friend and it is my opinion that I hit the jackpot! I went intending to buy a little record table which turned out to be much less awesome than pictured, but I found a sad little box in the corner full of hand embroidered quilting squares and many more not finished. The box had a less than cute crochet mouse on the top so when it came up for auction everyone else thought it was junk, but I knew the treasures inside and got it all for only five dollars! Here are my favorites.

I also picked up some sweet vintage tin race cars and "retro" fisher price doll house and school for the children I don't have. I love leaving the auction house with arms full of finds and a little money left in the wallet.

Thanks for looking. Michelle

New Fabric

I've gotten a nice selection of fabric recently to build up my stash. They're all so beautiful I know it's going to be hard for me to actually cut into them. I think my favorite fabric right now is this Rocket Scientist byKeri Beyer fabric I got from Fabricworm on Etsy. It's really a wonderful fabric and I can't wait to start my much belated baby quilt for my son. I'm thinking of also buying this Alexander Henry traffic jam fabric to put in the quilt. Right now my idea for his quilt is things that move, he's big into cars and trucks. Really I need to stop hemming and hawing and just start or he'll be a teenager before he gets his "baby" quilt.

Face Lift

For the first time on 3Birdies this is Michelle. Leslie mentioned a while back that I would be sharing some of my creations and I am finally able to contribute. My husband has promised me a remodeling of a small studio in our backyard. I have lovingly named this soon to be space my Craft Shack and am anxiously awaiting construction in May. To tide myself over till then I have been working on refinishing projects to furnish my new space. My first project is a sad old stool I got from a house our friends are moving into. It had been left behind and was asking for a new home and some tlc. I jumped at the chance of giving it a face lift because it reminded me of a stool I remember my Grandma having in her kitchen that I was always assigned to sit on at big family dinners. I am extremely pleased with the result and though it is not a historically accurate redo I think that I have given the stool back its dignity.

Tea Party

Because every tea party should have a unicorn and a pony as the centerpiece.

Dealing with a sick kiddo today so a lot of lazing around and pajama wearing. A perfect day for bread baking and book reading.

Knitted Cowl

I had a nice weekend with the family playing in the snowing and watching the beautiful huskies race along the paths. The girls were more interested in building snow forts but the boy loved all the dogs and as that is also his favorite word right now it worked out perfectly. And with all this snowy weather around here I decided to knit up this super easy cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It was really easy to make and I practiced changing colors with it which was fun. I used a different kind of yarn than recommended because I had some left over from some other projects and I should have cast on fewer stitches to compensate. But since I'm still a beginner this was good practice for me. I was able to fix the width by just sewing it a little smaller, which worked for me. Just put the seam toward the back and I'm set. I know this isn't probably the perfectionists way but at least now it will get worn and my hair will cover up the seam so I'm happy!
You can find a variation of the pattern I used at the PurlBee here. If the weather is getting you down and you need something soft and cuddly against your neck go check it out!

A Break

It's been a bit busy this week and a lot of playing with the kids so Shopping List Saturday got put on the back burner for this week.We're planning on going up to the dog sled races with the kids today which will be fun to see the huskies. I had to include a picture of our own husky mutt. This picture makes me long for summer again! I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday!

Project Bag

I'm feeling on top of my game today so I'm hoping that translates into a productive afternoon of sewing. One of the reasons I'm feeling a bit more energized is I finally got out of bed and took the dog for a walk this morning before the kids were awake. There's something about walking in silence down tree lined streets in the early morning, it's a great way to start the day.
I had picked up an old project bag at the thrift store awhile ago so that I could use the handles for a new project bag. I gave the handles to my dad to paint and used the fabric my sister had given me from the quilt museum in Nebraska for the outside and fabric from Ecuador on the inside. My dad painted the handles a reddish-orange and glued old coins on the outside. My favorite coin is the one from New Zealand for sure. My husband and I dream of going there. It turned out well, except I think I should've made it a bit wider on the bottom. But now it fits one projects worth of knitting or other small sewing project and it's nice and bright and cheery. Just what I need on gloomy winter days.

Artist Trading Cards

Yesterday WiseCraft posted about artist trading cards for kids and I had to sign up my five year old. The goal is to have kids 4 and over create five artist trading cards to send to five different kids and then they in turn will receive five different trading cards. She loves drawing and creating and I know she'll love the mail. It will also just be a great way to talk about other parts of the world and let her see different kinds of art. I may be more excited than her at this point. I was already planning on breaking out the paints today so this couldn't be better timing. Sign up your little one by the end of the week to take part!

Japanese book

As I mentioned a few posts back I got the wonderful Girly Style Wardrobe Japanese sewing book a couple of weeks back. Right now I've been going back and forth on what project to start first. I'm thinking something simple since I don't know how to actually read Japanese and I don't want to get too lost. So I've picked out these cute pants and my goals is to get them sewn by the end of the week. Now I don't actually think that it will take me a week of actual sewing but I know how my weeks usually go and I don't want to set the bar too high. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have a final product to share. I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.