I blew the dust off and fired up the old machine for the first time in months. Months. And I managed to eek out some gifts. Three sets of pj’s, a bathrobe and an infinity scarf using this tutorial. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posts Tagged ‘Crafting’
Monday, December 26th, 2011
Handmade Holiday
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
One Yard Wonders Blog Tour and Giveaway! — Closed
It’s here! One Yard Wonders Fabric by Fabric is hot off the presses. I’m so thrilled to be among the contributors to this book. It’s full of awesome projects and I’m going to share my favorites with you as a part of the blog tour! AND the good people at Storey are providing a free copy of the book to a lucky winner. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Brave and Festive
You guys are so on top of your Christmas game. Ben and I are both not functioning at 100%. I was feeling really bad about myself and then he told me that he walked to the train station because he thought his car wouldn’t start only to find out later that it was user error. He walked! And he couldn’t even find his gloves (also user error). So we’re both in pretty bad shape but we press on. I’m even still making stuff.
I got the idea for table cloth to tree skirt on Pinterest and on my third(!) try I finally found exactly the right table cloth to use. It’s super simple to do. You just cut halfway through the circle and then cut a little tree trunk sized circle out of the very middle. I finished the cut edge with some red bias tape and a hook and eye or two. I love how it turned out.
It’s just dumb luck that I found this one. It’s linen with a nice red trim around the edge. Festive without screaming Christmas. It might have some poinsettias on it or they might just be red flowers. Either way it’s the nicest tree skirt we’ve ever had and even with all of the reject table cloths that I bought it only cost five or six bucks.
That first one is the best picture I could get of Avery though she was happy to pose. She’s being brave and festive but she looks pretty miserable in all of the pictures. She’s better today though it’s still not clear where all of this is going. I hope Chase can make it to her pizza party tomorrow.
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Saturday, November 19th, 2011
Saturday
We crafted the day away today. We made our snowmen and the little girls that made them. They turned out cute! Chase is very happy. I forgot how hard it is to cut crappy felt without razor sharp scissors though. I have a pretty good stash of wool felt but most of the really bright colors are the acrylic stuff. If your scissors aren’t sharp, sharp, sharp you just end up mashing the stuff between the blades which is crazy frustrating. Especially if you’re 4. Avery made a snowman too. For hers I cut the tp tube down a little so that the snowman is not quite as big as the person. I added a fringe to the scarf too. Read the rest of this entry »
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Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Christmas Crafts
After dinner we glued styrofoam balls onto toilet paper tubes. I saw something somewhere that inspired me. The problem is that all I can remember is that I thought I could recreate is using toilet paper tubes and styrofoam balls. That’s it. I should have taken a picture.
So tomorrow when they’re dry we’ll work on the faces and clothing them with bits of felt. We’ll see what we come up with. Then we just have to find some place to set them up on display. It’s a week until T-day and then it’s full on unapologetic Christmas! Tiny tinsel tree will make its appearance in short order.
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Friday, November 11th, 2011
Catching Up
So I’ve barely been around. Mostly because for the last several weeks I’ve either been sleeping or puking. What? I know! I’m just about through my first trimester with baby 3 due May 22! Whew, I’ve been sitting on that one for a long time. I suspect that this won’t be news anymore to anyone reading here but there it is. I said it.
So what have we been doing? I’ve been reading. I’ve been reading in bed ever since we got rid of the tv in our room that was fighting for my attention. It took a while to warm up but I’m ripping through books now and I’ve read some good ones. The last three off the top of my head were Private Life, Comfort Me With Apples and Plainsong. I recommend all of them. Private Life was probably my favorite. Historical fiction with plenty of character development and the tiniest bit of suspense.
I’ve been buying up craft supplies at the thrift store. The day after Halloween, like the very next day I started thinking about Christmas. We may or may not have gone to Jo-Anns for paint and come back with a bag full of Christmas nonsense including a tiny tinsel tree and a silicone pan in the shape of a gingerbread man. Meanwhile the girls are working hard on their ornaments. When the wooden ones are all painted Chase wants to make more borax crystal snowflakes. Sounds like a plan. We totally baked gingersnaps and and enjoyed them with some herbal tea today after school and it was awesome and cozy even if the kitchen was (and is perpetually) a mess. I’m loving the season.
I haven’t been watching too much because I like to fall asleep in front of the tv and I haven’t been creating much since the Halloween crunch. But hopefully with the fog of the last weeks lifting I’ll start working on something. Anything.
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Maybe It’s Just Me
But these two kids. Well, they kinda look the same, no? We came across this picture of Ben over the weekend and I was blown away by how much like little Ben she looks. She doesn’t look so much like big Ben but little Ben, wow. Read the rest of this entry »
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Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
Fall!
It’s finally here. And not a moment too soon because pretty much all of my summer clothes were too trashed to even go in the donation box. First is was COLD then it was warm again but it seems to be evening out at a reasonable coolish in the morning and warmish in the afternoon. I can dig it. Read the rest of this entry »
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Saturday, August 20th, 2011
Back!
We made it. We thought we might not. We thought we might just stop along the road in nowhere, PA, pitch a tent and call it even. By the time we left the girls were falling down (over) tired and whining like nobody’s business. After listening to Magic Treehouse books 9-15 for the 5th time I wished we could “go there” but it didn’t work for me. I spent Friday night recovering and Saturday night catching up on Project Runway. I’m feeling mostly better but am very much looking forward to my sleeping in day tomorrow. Mmm, Sunday. Somebody bring me coffee in bed.
My pictures of the week are all crap. Honestly, what kind of picture is that?! I really captured a moment there. I still can’t remember to take pictures with the people we visit. Mostly, though, I just didn’t pick up my camera. We were pretty unplugged. There were a couple of times that I was able to check my email but I really couldn’t respond to or address anything and that felt pretty good and spilled over into the picture taking I think. I mostly just sat around a lot. I sure do like sitting.
The first day of school is quick approaching. I really have to start thinking about back to school dresses. That’s right TWO! Two big girls go to school this fall. We’ll have to see about that. Things have been more than a little slow in that department. I did do a teensy bit of sewing this afternoon for a special birthday and it always kind of feels weird sharing that stuff but it’s not like I can just show you some other cool thing I made sooo… Chase picked out the fabric for the pouch and the headband. The fairies were part of the G Street picks.
It probably shouldn’t surprise me considering how rarely I go delving into it recently but I was happy to find a black zipper in my stash! I went about it the way I work best. By just randomly cutting and slashing and throwing it together while chasing my kids and yelling into the phone. Well, look at that, I DO know how to put in a zipper.
Chase helped me sew too. Ok, go, faster, too fast! Stop! STOP! We still have all our fingers and it was fun. It’s not really sewing if there’s no chance of a puncture wound, right? We stuffed a little headband that we made in there and I’m wishing I had some knit in something a little less sunny that I could throw together for myself. Maybe if I look hard enough my stash will come through again.
So, dresses… I have to think about it. I must have said that ten times already. Think. I’m moving it to the top of my to-do list. Which reminds me that I just finished I Don’t Know How She Does It. Perfect for the beach. Not too heavy, kept me laughing and made my cry a little but only a little and then I was laughing again. Think Bridget Jones has kids. I read in he acknowledgments that she sold movie rights and thought, hmm, it’s been a while since the book came out guess that never came to fruition but just stumbled upon this. I wonder who Kelsey Grammar plays. Oh, but I almost forgot the best part! I found a copy of Private Life so I can finally read the book I’ve been talking about since December! Just sitting there right on top of the pile not even on the shelf yet!
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Monday, August 1st, 2011
My Sew Along Week!
So I mentioned a while back, and maybe over and over again, that my pattern was coming up in the sew along that Pink Chalk Studio is hosting. Well it’s finally here. It’s kind of a thrill, getting to see what other people put together and how that is the same or different from your own vision.
This is my first published pattern and I’m not at all used to sending my work out for other people to use. That took a little time to wrap my head around and so did not TOTALLY freaking out about what could possibly go wrong. I did that for a while but I know now that it will be fine and I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished product. I love the fabric choice up at Pink Chalk, this should be really sweet. And while we’re getting a little shameless self-promotion out of the way, the next book comes out in November and I have a super cute project in there too! I mean honestly, it’s nice to hear someone say you’re awesome every once in a while even if it’s just you. I’m not even sure if that clip is totally relevant but it’s a classic so watch it all the same.
Anyway, I’m totally embracing this. So, in the spirit of sew along I thought I’d post some links to some of the jumpers that some gals have already put together here, here, here. here. and here.
Photo from Pink Chalk Studio