Sew Liberated Book GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sew Liberated Book GIVEAWAY!!!!

Do the fantastic giveaways never end. Must find the time for my sewing machine this week.

Neige $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Neige $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am a sucker for lovely children's clothes. I have spent more on boutique clothes than I would like to admit. I wish Grosgrain didn't show me this store, because I don't need to spend anymore money but I love this site.

Genius wrapping ideas for the Earth and wallet

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html
Brillant- simply brillant!

Gifts I want but don't dare ask for . . .

. . . or the title could read, In Case the Husbnad Doesn't Think I'm crazy enough

I love this Meadow Lyre
http://www.bellalunatoys.com/musicbooks/items/meadowlyre.htm
The fact that I am not musically inclined at all doesn't seem to be entering into the picture.

Tap Shoes
I so wish these were my size http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34600208&ref=sr_gallery_15&&ga_search_query=tap+shoes&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Thoughts for today

Random bits wandering about in my head today:

I love my boys!
I love snow!
I love everything about the holiday season except this. Not being able to find the perfect gift for someone on your list that really deserves the perfect gift.

Stuck on an ornament

Every year I make an ornament for friends and family. I think it is a nice way to be able to give someone a gift while still being small and none of the pressure of reciprocating the gift giving. I just really love making and giving gifts.
This year I would love to include Finn in on this tradition. I am out of ideas though. I may have used them all up this last weekend with the nieces and Finn and the adults, truth be known (you know you loved craft time!).
If it was just me I would stay up until midnight to make these little baskets, I am obsessed with them, http://frontierdreams.blogspot.com/. Do you think a 4 year old would get in on the felting?

Still smiling

I love that Finn loves preschool. Tonight he came how singing "To market, To market to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggity jig." All night I heard this and everytime I had to bite back laughter. He says it so perfectly.
The advent calendar was a huge hit!

Advent calendar

For the last few years I have been interested in advent calendars. My children seem to inspire me to create new traditions in addition to celebrating a mix of my family's and my husband's family traditions (interestingly enough both of our traditions involve a lot of swearing when our dad's put up the tree, he he.)

I would love to make a fabulous advent calendar that could be handed down to my boys but the sad truth is that every year this gets put by the way side as the season starts. Lucky for us we have found an advent calendar Finn loves. next year we will have to have something for Grady but this year he isn't interested in anything but the tree.

Last year we bought the Lego advent calendar and it was a huge hit! We bought this year's version and I can't wait to see Finn's face tonight when we unveil it!

I love these advent calendars-- ahh someday

http://missgioia.com/2008/12/frankincense-advent-calendar.html

http://prairiemouse.typepad.com/prairiemouse/2008/11/advent.html

Should I stay or should I go

I haven't been very good about writing and posting in this space. Now I am faced with the decision to stay or go.

Well, first a list that has been composing in my head for some time.
Things I want to do in the New Year
1. Practice more Yoga!
2. Reupholster a vintage couch in really crazy fabrics.
3. Make a wreath every month out of things found.
4. Take more nature walks
5. Think of new fun family things to do together
6. Live at camp more during the summer
7. Buy less
8. Build up my shop on etsy
9. Find a new house in the country, for the whole family
10. Be a better wife
11. Be a better mother
12. Be daring! Do at least one thing a month that stretches my comfort zone
13. Go camping for a weekend.
14. Give things away. They are just things and I don’t want my time sucked into cleaning. Sorting, storing or listing them anymore.
15. Make things for the family first this year.
16. Knit a sweater for me

I am sure I will keep adding to it in the weeks ahead. This blog would be a great place to document if my list is just words or if I have put some action behind it. So I will stay for a bit longer.

Chubby Baby Car Seat Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Chubby Baby Car Seat Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

My Britax could use this. Aren't they lovely.

Love for Heather Ross

I have been hoarding Heather Ross prints for some time now. Some I have even cut into--I know shock! Right now I am working on her free Medocino dress pattern. I love the faux smocking look of the elastic thread. This thread could become very addictive, I can see that now.

There is an awesome give-away here. While you are at Ms. Sew-Fantastic's blog check out the awesome crayon wallets and the start of her crayon quilt. Love these!

Giveaway at Green Fairy Quilts

Please check this out!
http://www.greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/
What a great giveaway at Green Fairy quilts, and a great charity to give to as well. I just 'found' this website and I am so inspired. I love noodles and there are some great patterns here as well as awesome noodle packs.

new life all around us

The little birds have hatched- robins BTW, not tanigers which have the nest next to the fence. They are adorable in their nakie state. Speaking of adorable, check out the boys today! So cute. Both are growing so fast these days.

I think I have to have it!

Check this out:

Madsen Bicycles
I have to have one! It would be perfect for the small village we live in and I think the boys would love it. I haven't owned a bike in years but I think I'm in love all over again.

Lovely new yarn

If you know anything about me it is probably that I love to craft, especially with new fabrics and yarn. Check out this new yarn called Spud & Chloe from Blue Sky Alpacas. I love BSA's organic cottons and can't wait to get my hands on some of these lucious yarns also.

Giveaway runs until Memorial Day here: http://www.skeinsherway.com/ Run over and let her know I sent you.

Inspiration

These are just some things that are inspiring me at the moment. They also share a color palette with my kitchen. The Scarlet Tangier has built this nest twice now in the playhouse. Now that it has eggs in it my 4 year old is enthralled. He watches from binocolars, has to check it out once a day, looks the bird up in bird books and frets about the babies.

The second picture is a table runner I made a few days in the last week of pregnancy for our new little one. I love the fabrics from a charm pack by Moda and love the wooden bowl. I think I found the wooden bowl at TJ Maxx. The tree is the huge maple tree that lives in our side yard. He is a tough ol' tree and we love him for it.

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am always amazed by people's talents. Look at this lovely dress! Just gorgeous as is everything on this blog!

Kitchen Swap 2009

I am excited to venture out into a few more swaps this year. It is always so much fun to get a present in the mail. Well, almost as much fun as it is to make handmade items that you know someone will really enjoy. I have signed up for Kitchen Swap 2009 at sew-fantastic .

Hmm, things you should know about my kitchen-- natural cherry cabinets, light blue walls, I collect white/ivory ironstone pitchers and red and white enamelware, my favorite thing in my kitchen is my red kitchenaide stand mixer. I love aprons and usually my LM and I wear one for cookie making.

Looking forward to seeing what I can make for someone. Can't wait to begin.

working off the scraps

I have been working on and off with this project. LM loves Tom & Jerry so I bought this panel about 1 year ago to make him a special lap quilt. Well, there it sat in my stash. Finally pulled it out this last week and started thinking of ways to make it up. Using 5" square scraps from my scrap bin together with strips I have been pulling it all together. I think I will use white to frame the blocks a bit. Then I was thinking of quilting the white sections with multi-color thread with words- like his name, Tom & Jerry etc.

This isn't my greatest masterpiece but it is fun and will see quite a bit of wash and wear so I am trying not to obsess about it. Hoping to get this done by the weekend. We shall see. It is supposed to be beautiful weather.

Great giveaway

There is a great giveaway going on here:
http://thatssimplyfineandfancy.blogspot.com/2009/04/you-did-it.html

Who doesn't love flowers. I know I do. While you're there click on over to her etsy store. Super adorable things if you have a little girl in your life.

Playing with fabric

One of the many many joys of having a little one in the house is finding some stolen moments during nap time for yourself. Sure the housework slips, maybe you eat a bit more takeout but now seems the perfect time for that to happen. I was excited to see the Nothing but Scraps challenge over on this wonderful blog , flickr group here. I have a plastic tote full of bits and pieces of quilt fabric, scraps for sure. I don't think any of them match but I am going to pull out and make bits and crumb blocks for this challenge. I hope it will be a fun and funky picnic blanket for our family.

My goal is to sew a bit everyday and granted, that might be 5 minutes while waiting for the laundry to finish drying.

I do need to finish up some super simple goodie bags for my big guy and his friends. I can't believe he is going to be 4 in just a few weeks. Love you little man! I can't believe I am so blessed that I have you in my life.

Love for Etsy.com

I love etsy. com. It is like going to the best arts and craft fair ever and only seeing what you love. Support handmade and WAHM and artists at the same time. What could be better.

Here is my recent favorite purchase from Tadpoles and Tutus. This is her picture but I will upload a picture of the boys shirts soon. I got one for LM- size 4T with custom measurements and a newborn onesie. They are better than I ever expected. Soft, adorable, well-stitched and unique. Something you would find only in the best boutique. I can tell I will be haunting her store for new designs until the boys outgrow all her sizes.

Do you have a favorite etsy site?

Thought for the day

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Baby Crafts-Part One

Before the newest little man got her I had some fun making him some special items. Someone should have told me embroidering on onesies was so much fun. I have been having a ball transforming all the solid onesies into custom shirts.

I especially love this rocket ship from Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To by Jenny Hart. Love this book! He likes the shirt, honest he does. He just like's mama's milk better right there.

I have been just using Gerber onesies (because they are what I had on hand and I like that the sleeves are finished instead of just serged). Some (okay most) of the onesies are his big brother's hand me downs. Now they are uniquely his.

I didn't use a backing on these. Sometimes when doing embroidery on clothes I use a bit of cotton quilt batting on the backside cut to shape. This often hides knots, makes the stitches even and is a bit softer against the skin. I wasn't liking the look of that on these little onesies so I just put the onesie in a hoop and stitched away. I also just used whatever colors I liked in my big box of tangled floss. Worked just fine.

Since his borther had these type of shirts for every holiday I am afraid the newest guy will have to suffer momma's crafty endeavors as well.

Next installment- the knitting projects.

Brothers

Can you tell they are brothers?

The new addition

He's here. 8lbs 14 oz. of cute chubby cheeks. Everyone is doing well. We are in love.

Defining Goals

It seems more than a little foolhardy to make goals for the next month and a half. When have I ever done things the easy way though.

Goals:
1. Fall in love all over again! Yeah new baby! Love up on the family!
2. Only smart, well thought out purchases. Curb the consumerism.
3. Finish at least 2 projects that I have started. There is more than enough of these throughout the house and they probably range from a 5 minute job to a few days. I have been finishing projects like crazy around here in the last few weeks and it feel so good. Must keep it up.

I miss you my loves

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."

Albert Einstein

Making Valentines, Sharing the Love

LM and I have been crafting it up. This is a somewhat major development in our household since he is 3 1/2 and has shown no interest in crafts or coloring until the last month. Being craft obsessed you might imagine how excited I am. I think what finally pushed him over the edge was his desire to write his alphabet. He loves it.

Well, he also loves stickers, regular and foam stickers. This weekend we made little Valentines that we will stick onto lollipops. LM decided he is a big fan of the glitter and glue. Can't say I blame him. These are just a few of our efforts. I say "our" only because I got to play with the Cricut machine DH got me for Christmas. Unlimited crafty potential in that thing!

Who needs to see their feet?

Well, just a few more days of being an expectant mom. Not sure I will be here again and it is making me a bit sad. Anticipation and waiting is a bit better this time than when I waited for the first little man. It is easier now to take it one day at a time and enjoy the anticipation rather than the anxious waiting that it felt like before.

I am bigger this time than ever before which is really saying something. I have not gained anywhere near as much weight though and this little one seems to be taking out real estate only in the very front. Probably wanting water front property like his father.

It is a beautiful day here. One of the truths about living in northern New York state is that when any sun comes out and it climbs above freezing, everyone vacates their houses, some in their short sleeves. Evidence my DH (who in this photo just hit little man with a snowball- and LM thought it was funny. Those two are two of a kind.)

Slipcovers for the glider

After: My begining slipcover attempt with my yard sale find. The chair is super comfy and ready now for nursing. Now I just need to actually tackle decorating my bedroom-- must be done this year.



Before: See my constant helpers. Little man and Morgan dog always ready to lend a hand.

It was super simple just to slipcover these cushions. Maybe 1 1/2 hours and 2 yards of fabric- only because I choose a fabric I needed to match the pattern on. The fabric is a super soft chenille and heavy upholstery weight. In hindsight I wish I had gone with a bit funkier fabric but this won't show all the pet hair and kid things as much. There is always next time too!

Long time no blogging

Still not sure blogging is for me but since I have been crafting up a storm lately I thought I might give it another try. Pictures and posts to come. Feel free to skip over the next part, just my rambling thoughts for today.

My head is in a complete fog today. I have a terrible head cold combined with 35+ weeks pregnant can make me grouchy. I didn't sleep much last night (or the last several) since I have an awful sore throat-- but enough whining.

I have been managing to quilt again. For a little while there I forgot how much I love it. Forgot enough even to think maybe I should just ditch it all, the stash, the patterns, the whole thing. I sometimes have these pipe dreams of only buying what I want to work on right at that second and finishing it and putting it away. The cold hard reality is I simply think this will never be me. I always have multiple projects on the machine, on the needles, etc.

Simplify-- this I think I can do. I have managed to clear an awful lot out of our attic and house in the last few weeks, a perk of nesting. Now I need to make sure I don't go back there again. The lure of the recycled and thrifted items I must ignore.

In the next few weeks, God willing, we will have a new life to add to our home and family. I couldn't be more excited and scared. Oddly, I feel so completely unprepared this time. I'm worried about the nursery not being done- yet we co-sleep at least for the first 5 months, and about a million other things. Really non-things if you want to know the truth.

I'm going to go take a bit of a nap and let my mind wander over a few books, plan an upcoming birthday and try to live a bit more in the moment, even if there is thick fog.