the luckiest

Krazy Straw Valentines

2012-02-08T11:00:00.002-05:00

My goal for this Valentine's Day was a no-candy valentine for Noah to give to his classmates (he has 9 classmates on Mondays/Wednesdays and 9 different classmates on Tuesdays/Thursdays, so that seemed like a reasonable amount to make).

Oh, and to not be up til the wee hours of morning working on them the night before.

I think I figured out a way to combine the non-candy element with Noah's first valentines -

Krazy Straw Valentines!

I'm just shocked that I got him to make a fist.

(confession: he's clutching a green skittle in that fist.)

(... which actually worked awesome with the green krazy straws.)

So Valentines are done!

His class doesn't address them, just hand them out, so I'm done! Wahoo!

The outtakes are pretty awesome, too.

(umm... what?)

Happy (early!) Valentine's Day!

Picture dump!

2012-02-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

Look! My kid has hair! Lots of it!

Also, Noah and Rufio have been getting along really well lately. I mean, they've never NOT gotten along, but Rufio is wanting to actually be around Noah, which is new to both of them.

They even snuggle up to watch TV.

I went to Mary Jo's last week in search of some gingham, polka dot and striped fabrics to use for applique shirts. Check out what I found in the remnants section packs of pretty much every color ever for a grand total of $3.40! SCORE!

Noah and Joe took some time from playing to help me un-baste my triangle quilt. What cuties.

Have you ever seen Jaybird Quilts' tutorial for making quilt labels the Spoonflower way? I remember reading it a loooong time ago but thought "$20 a yard?! Spoonflower is crazy!" but as it turns out, it's $16.50/yard when you design the image AND I got 64 (or more) labels out of one yard (three different label designs!) and they are now printing on Kona cotton which is great because that's the only solids I use in quilts, so I know it will go smoothly if I piece it into the back of a quilt! I did some of my quilting logo in yellow, some in grey and some plain ol' solid ones for quilts I give as gifts (with room for a message or quote).

I'm now on my FOURTH t-shirt quilt order. Woohoo! I did something either genius or stupid by posting pics and info to my sorority's alumni Facebook page. Over 50 people have asked for more information so I'm hoping this is a good thing! I've got one heading to the quilters today and one in the process of being pieced!

I also discovered this week that you can use a 40% off coupon on a whole BOLT of fabric/batting at Hobby Lobby! Who knew?

So now I officially have 20 yards of 90" wide batting at my disposal. Sheesh- with all the supplies ready to go, I better get to quiltin'!

Have a great weekend!

4 years.

2012-02-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

On this day four years ago, I married the boy I had a crush on since 10th grade World History class.

We vowed and smiled and danced...

Your's is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don't know where I am
Don't know where I've been
But I know where I want to go.

and talked to every person we've ever met in our lives.

I swear they were all there.

Everyone had an awesome time.

Including my dad, whose birthday was the day before.

I'm pretty sure he thought the reception was his birthday party.

As much fun as the day was, I was so glad when it was over and we could start our life together.

So far, it's been awesome.

I'm not in control... and I love that.

2012-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today is another due date of mine.
Truth be told, earlier this week I was a disaster zone. I had a couple of days there when I would just cry out of nowhere. I had already written this long doom and gloom pity-party post talking about how bad the day sucks. (it was "big time", btw). I've been through this before- a due date with no baby to show for it- but last time I was already pregnant again so that was a little different.
Today, however, I have hope.
It's crazy how often I have to remind myself that I am not in control- but as weak as that seems in the world's eyes, it's such a comfort to me. It's such a blessing to know that the God who created the universe is in charge of my life. He always does what's best, and what's best for Him is, in the long run, what's best for me.
We sang the song below in worship last week and I won't lie, I was basically crying the whole time. (Whoops- my bad to everyone within 5 feet of me.) The part that got me going was the line "When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit, I will wait, I will wait for you". But the best part?
"When I failed to trust your promises, You never failed to hear my prayers".

The secret mysteries belong to You

We only know what You reveal

And all my questions that are unresolved

Don’t change the wisdom of Your will

In every trial and loss

My hope is in the cross

Where Your compassions never fail.
I know I sound like a broken record, but it's becoming more and more clear to me that God's plan for my life is so much more than I could have ever dreamed. The events we see unfolding and the people that we have met in this past year all point to something more fantastic than anything we would have ever planned for ourselves. God knows exactly how and when our next child is going to come to us and He is in control of that, not me.

I'm happy to say that I'm learning to sit back and enjoy this ride.

Gracie girl.

2012-01-23T14:44:00.002-05:00

Am I the only one who can't hear the name Gracie without thinking of Ben Fold's Gracie?
Dang I love Ben Folds.

Some friends of ours just finished a 5-year adoption process for their baby girl, Gracie. They came home with her just before Christmas and I could not be happier for them!

Gracie's dad contacted me back in November when they found out that Gracie was in fact their daughter and that they would be travelling to China the next month. He wanted to have a quilt made for his wife as a special baby gift. In talking with some of the other girls in our Adult Bible Fellowship (fancy name for Sunday School group- who, by the way, meet every other week for "sewing club"- don't be jealous of how cool our club name is!), we decided it would be so special if we could all work together on it.

2 charm packs, some yardage and 2 "sewing parties" later, we had this quilt ready for her:

The names of all the women who worked on the quilt are on that half-square triangle block on the back along with a short message and 1 Samuel 1:27.

We gave them the quilt at a lunch/shower for them yesterday.

I think it's safe to say she loved it.

That thing everyone does in January..

2012-01-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

I've combined the two things that most people do in January.

organizing + resolutions

in closets.

A Closolution, if you will.

I've resolved- nope, DECLARED!- that I will effectively organize every closet in the house in 2012.

(there are only 6- one every 2 months. Not too hard!)

Of course, I started with the one that most impacts me.

That just so happened to be the worse off.

The playroom/sewing room closet.

Seriously? At night when I was done working on things, I would literally throw them in there and slam the door before they could fall out. So sad.

Thanks to a $44 shelving unit at Target and 50% off storage boxes and baskets at Hobby Lobby (holler!), my closet now looks like this:

*happy sigh*

I'm thinking I'll actually keep it organized, too! I grouped things and put them into easy-to-remove baskets or boxes (embroidery supplies, mailing supplies, buttons/basting pins/binding clips, ironing stuff, craft supplies for Noah, markers) and even left some empty space on a shelf for works-in-progress.

So far so good!

One down, 5 to go!

I've been sewing and DANG my kid is weird.

2012-01-06T23:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the little comments and emails about the adoption! Like I said we are super excited and just praying that everything works out in God's perfect timing.

So, between since I haven't had any embroidery to do after Christmas, I've been sewing a lot! I just finished piecing a t-shirt quilt for a friend from college and have sent it on it's merry way to the quilter.

I've also been working on a few ideas for quilts that I will have for sale soon, this being one of them. Well, it's the rough draft, as I've got one thing to fix tonight before I head to bed. Can you spot the mistake?

4th half-triangle on the left.

It's supposed to be light grey- DANGIT!

Oh well, at least I messed up on an outside piece that's easily fixable!

I also finally made the sewing machine cover that I've had pinned since I joined Pinterest!

It's a tad bunchy and big, but since my machine is a sewing/embroidery machine, it has a weird piece that juts off the back and messed up my measurements.

But oh, do I love me some linen + bright colors.

Speaking of love, I love my kid.

He is the weirdest, most fun person under 4 feet tall that I've ever met.

(Note- I actually typed out "under 3 feet tall" but yeah he's definitely 37". Jolly Green Noah.)

A friend of ours gave him this chicken hat as a joke (I think!) but Noah wants to wear it everywhere and now that it's getting cold, he insists on wearing to school... and, as his teachers informed me, wearing it DURING school.

<3 that kid.

this family, it is a-changin'

2012-01-04T14:39:00.000-05:00

I haven't been around much, have I? Let's just say there are LOT of things going on and a lot of things changing around here. I've been hard at work at my "real job", plus sewing and embroidering a lot more (basically re-opened my etsy shop... on Facebook). Joe's been working as usual (as well as volunteering with the children's choir AND taking part in a men's bible study that meets about once a week) and we're basically always just trying to keep up with Noah, who... you know... is two.

I am very excited to say that things are going to get a little bit more crazy around here (hopefully soon!) as we have started the process of adoption! We are still pretty early in the process- we've only turned in our application and application fee and met with our agent once- but I can't explain how excited I am!

As some of you know, we've been trying for about 2 years to have a second baby. Two miscarriages and a lot of prayer later, we've realized that God thinks that our plans for our life were hilariously small, and his plan is already so much greater, so much more fantastic than anything that we could have planned! :) I know that adoption is very much a "hurry up and wait" thing, but I'm praying and hoping that it happens quickly.

So if I'm missing from here soon (yeah, like anyone would notice a difference), it's probably because I am applique-ing shirts (see? THIS is why I started back with those!), sewing quilts (both custom orders and - hopefully soon- a few in the etsy shop!), giving sewing lessons and basically anything else to help chip into the ol' adoption savings account. Oh, and making our scrapbook for birth moms to look at- you know that's one part I'm pumped to get working on!

I am so excited to meet and love this child who I know God has already picked to be a part of our family long before he revealed His plan to us.

Psalm 40 is sort of a desperate, semi-depressing Psalm, but this much is true:

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry....

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us."

I've been saying if for a long, long time, but God has big plans for my little family.

Just in case you like free things...

2011-12-26T23:23:00.006-05:00

I'm giving away one free appliqued onesie or t-shirt on the wee little winslow facebook page!

I hope you were super stoked about everything you gave and received this Christmas!

that awkward moment when..

2011-12-22T14:36:00.002-05:00

you realize that your nails would go great with that quilt.

Christmastime in our house!

2011-12-20T10:43:00.006-05:00

Gotta love a Christmas tree with only 7 ornaments on it... all at the top.

the beginning of my nativity set!

this chalkboard has been really fun!

Noah's nativity set.
If you ask him about baby Jesus, he'll tell you all about him, his mom Mary, his dad Joseph and Bob. I bet you didn't know that Bob the Tomato was at the first Christmas. True story.

Also, baby Jesus had a paci.
....and was a baby carrot.
Totally historically accurate.

Advent calendar and Elf subway art

Merry Christmas!

WW- If you're tacky and you know it, clap your hands.

2011-12-14T19:22:00.000-05:00

a catch-all photo-dumping post. (get excited!)

2011-12-08T23:19:00.004-05:00

I'm terrible at this blogging business... but I'm getting better at running!

I completed my 3rd 5k this year (and EVER) last weekend. The Reindeer Romp!

(each runner got reindeer antlers!)

I've been sewing/applique-ing/embroidering a CRAP TON!

(72 shirts ordered, stitched and shipped in the past month!)

and this one... well, this one sent me over the edge.

The "V".

The sparkles.

The bow.

The tiny-ness.

I die.

I've also managed to do a few things for Noah.

Some Grinch jams...

and a shirt for his Christmas program at school.

(yeah, he's blurry in real life, too.)

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and are gearing up for Christmas!

wordless wednesday

2011-12-07T14:12:00.001-05:00

pretty stoked it's getting to be Christmastime.

wordless wednesday - then and now

2011-11-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

still skeptical.

and now for something completely different.

2011-11-21T23:19:00.005-05:00

Some of y'all may remember that I used to have a little etsy store, which last year- due to baby/medical/going-back-to-work issues - got overwhelming and I ended up emptying it out and taking a little break. I continued to do embroidery and applique work for local people, but this past month tried a little experiment in selling shirts and onesies on Facebook. I had a great response (54 Thanksgiving and Christmas shirts were ordered- wow!) and have decided to start selling again via my wee little winslow facebook page.

Until Wednesday, I am taking on an order of 15 more Christmas shirts for those who missed the boat the first time around (which will ship on or before December 12th). After the new year I am planning on taking shirt/onesie orders once a month (both holiday-themed and non-seasonal, and definitely more than 15 at a time- that's just so I can get MY Christmas sewing done as well!), so if you're in need (let's be honest- "in want" is a little more accurate!) of a sweet shirt for your little one, head on over, hit "like" and check in every once in a while to see what's happening!

wordless wednesday

2011-11-09T08:17:00.002-05:00

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2011

2011-11-01T21:45:00.002-04:00

It's that time again- the Blogger's Quilt Festival! Woohoo! I love looking through all the awesome quilt entries- and the chance to win some prizes isn't too shabby either!

I considered posting about my newly-finished t-shirt quilt (because it's getting the most use around this house on these chilly evenings!), but when I looked through pics of all my finished quilts I have to say I really love the look of Olivia's baby quilt!

I made this quilt about a year ago for a good friend from middle school and her new baby girl. Amazingly, I managed to make this quilt from start to finish in one day. Given, I used a charm pack (Moda's It's a Hoot!), but still- that's fast work for me!

(aw, look at bebe Noah)

I quilted this one very simply in a criss-cross straight line pattern because it was fast (it took about 20 minutes total!) but I think it really showcases the charm pack squares

The binding didn't take long since, if I remember correctly, I was watching episodes of LOST back-to-back until I finished the entire series in about 2 months. Whoops.

The quilt has gotten much love from mama and baby since it made it's way to Texas.

More recently it's become a hang-out for baby girl and her big brother.

Making this quilt taught me 2 big things.

One, that pre-cuts are super helpful when it comes to making a quilt in a hurry.

Two, I learned that it is super easy to re-kindle a friendship with crafting. :)

Olivia's mom and I met in 8th grade in a technology class. I don't remember much about the class other than we had to use a computer to whittle designs into blocks of wood (seriously? That was a class?), but our friendship was formed there and cemented by hilarious late-night slumber party antics involving Will Smith's "Getting Jiggy With It". We lost track of each other in high school when I moved to SC and she moved to TX. Over the years we caught glipses of each other's lives on myspace (remember? back in the stone age before facebook?) as I earned a music degree and she moved to Hawaii (seriously- HAWAII! I was so jealous!).

Our boys are less than a year apart (and look suspiciously alike) and when Miss Liv joined the bunch I just knew I needed to make a little something for her. I have really enjoyed seeing pics posted on facebook of all of the places this little quilt has been and I love keeping up with my sweet friend's family.

who's got the power? the power to read?

2011-11-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

who answers the call for friends in need?

Super Why!

he's the guy, he's Super Why!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween- I know this kid did!

I'm leaving... on a jet plane.

2011-10-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

So, I've never been on a plane.

There.

I said it.

My friends think it's so bizzarre, but honestly, where would I have flown to? We travel a good bit, but it's usually to Wilmington, Hilton Head or Atlanta- close enough to drive!

Well, ONE week from today, I'm getting on a plane and flying to Texas to meet my awesome cousin Maureen for the International Quilt Festival! The market is this weekend (trade show so not open to the public... and I am "the public"), but I hear a lot of vendors stay for both weekends! I'm so excited to see all the awesome quilts and, let's not kid ourselves, SHOP!

These pictures (from IQF's facebook page) make me so so so so so so excited!

Have you ever been? Are you going this year?

all together now: "oooh... aahhh..."

2011-10-19T08:02:00.006-04:00

Lookie there! Quilt Story is featuring my Kappa T-shirt Quilt today!
Head over to check out a really unique quilting blog. They feature a quilt and its story everyday AND I'm kind of in love with their Fabric Tuesday link-up post (for me it's a swift kick in the rear to get something completed over the weekend and post it by Tuesday)!
Go see!

Oh, did I mention...

2011-10-11T15:17:00.001-04:00

I ran another 5k!

I actually walked twice during this one (only once the last race) yet still managed to beat my last time, so I'm assuming that means that when I *am* running, I'm running faster!

Noah was stoked to see Homer (the mascot for our local minor-league baseball team) there and spent most of the time that I was running waving at him.

See? That is a stoked face.

Joe only got this one pic of me running.

I'm the blob in the back wearing a grey shirt and pink hat.

So see that 4 year old in front of me? Yeah, that's a complaint for the race. They started a 1 mile fun run about 10 minutes after the 5k started, so the kids that walked the 1 mile were finishing right as the 5k'ers started coming in. Logistics fail.

I can't say that I love running, but I'm getting to where I love how I feel when I'm *finished* running, so that's a start. My friends and I (from the first pic!) have been running together 3 mornings a week, but we're backing off a little for now, as a lot of that was time the kids were in school when we really should have been doing other stuff. We plan to continue running on our own and signing up for another 5k in December!

I also read about the Ramblin Rose Triathalon this week... maybe that could be next year's project? Yeah, I've officially lost it.

and in the years after, with tears and with laughter...

2011-10-09T22:21:00.008-04:00

... we'll always remember our dear Kappa days.

I told my dad my senior year of high school that I would absolutely not go through Rush at USC.

"I'm not going to PAY for my friends." I said.

Little did I know that some of the best friends of my life were waiting for me.

The memories that this quilt hold are worth every penny.

mmm... fall.

2011-10-01T22:13:00.008-04:00

I'm not sure about where you are, but in South Carolina it's dang-ole-HOT until about October. This week has totally taken that to a new level.

yesterday = September = high of 84 degrees

today = October = high of 65 degrees (holla!)

We took advantage of this ah-mah-zing weather and headed to a pumpkin festival at our local farm (and CSA provider!). Noah met some cows...

we took a hay ride

picked a few pumpkins

checked out some pony rides (just watched!)

and totally crashed a half mile down the road.

In other news, it's been about a month since my last blog entry. No good reason, just attempting to spend a little less time online and a little more time doing the following:

making akward faces all. the. time.

... especially while re-fashioning some clothes that have been in my closet for YEARS without wear.

finishing my KKG t-shirt quilt (yup, that's all the preview you get.)

It is currently at the quilters, totally quilted and ready for pick-up and binding!

snuggling with this cute kid who just recently decided that cuddling with mom isn't the worst thing ever

and all-around enjoying his whacky antics (yeah, this is how he came out of his room that morning. What a weirdy).

Oh, and running. Yeah, THAT'S still going on. I have my second 5k one week from today. I wouldn't say I'm "enjoying" it, but I do like the chit-chat time that comes with running and I'm not missing the 17 pounds that running scared away OR the new jeans it brought with it!

I'm hoping I'll have a finished t-shirt quilt to show you soon along with some appliqued fall clothing and possibly some step-by-step pics of a shirt re-fashioning? (aw shucks- I've had 2 people request that already!)

whew I can breathe now.

2011-09-06T22:09:00.006-04:00

The past month has been insane... and resulted in a crap-ton of pictures.

My dad's 50th surprise party went off without a hitch!

(I realize that is super young for a granddad, but I was adopted by my aunt and uncle so he's not biological! )

Although I'm having a really hard time with the fact that my brothers are now teenagers and the oldest is a college student. What the crap!

Also, I finished the Couch to 5k program and ran my first 5k!

My friend Ashley and I ran it together and it wasn't that bad! There were a TON of big hills, though, so I'm pretty proud that I only walked 100 steps (yup, I'm a geek and counted!) and ran the rest of it! I'm already signed up for a 2nd one on October 8th!

I used this tutorial to make a new pillow for the couch! I used 2.5" squares because that's what I already had cut out from a random night when I cut pretty much ALL of my scraps with the Go cutter!

This was my first time putting an invisible zipper in a pillow- it was easier and faster than the envelope method in my opinion!

Lastly, Noah turned 2 yesterday! We threw a Dr. Suess themed party on Saturday. Most (if not all) of these ideas came from Pinterest (here's the link to my pinboard of ideas for it!). We rented a bouncy house (from Friday to Monday- yeah, we hung out in it after Noah went to bed at night, so what?) and I think all the kids had a blast!!

These party hats were presh! I totally recommend Modern Bebe for any party printables! She was so great and the stuff was so easy to print!

The favor bags had "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" skewers, 2 pencils and 2 buttons (from the Target one spot!).

The birthday boy had a great time!

Today I even went ahead and made Noah's thank-you postcards and started writing them!

I've never been this on top of things!

Whew! Now that the crazy month is over, I'm hoping to have some more time to finish some projects- first off that t-shirt quilt!

flashback friday: big mama.

2011-09-02T14:57:00.004-04:00

Two years ago today, I was pretty dang miserable.

I wished away every second of every day of August 2009.

I was convinced I would have an August baby because- holy crap- he was huge on the ultrasounds and my family is known for big babies and no one ever made it to their due date.

No one but me.

Fast forward two years and our house is a frickin' wreck and I just want time to slow down.

(For the record, it appears as though Thomas the train and Dr. Seuss had a love child, which has vomitted all over my living room.)

Nostalgia got the better of me for a minute as I looked through these "belly pics" that I took every few weeks when I was pregnant with Noah. He was so much quieter and easier to deal with while in utero. :)

Now, in the last 45 minutes I have of Noah's nap, I'm off to bake Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes and make some Who Fluff on a Stick. Oh you've never heard of Who Fluff on a Stick? Then you better check back later to see some party pics and experience it's awesomeness.

more Silhouette SD projects

2011-08-20T12:01:00.003-04:00

a new shirt for Noah
(he has no idea how cool this is)

a new shirt for dad (Go Gamecocks!)

and a new house motto:

4 things... a non-update, if you will.

2011-08-16T08:39:00.007-04:00

I've been running (3x week) and going to Zumba (1-2x week) for about 8 weeks now and tracking what I eat on myfitnesspal.com. I'm not losing weight super fast (12 lbs so far), but I'm doing things that I *know* are healthier for my body and that makes me feel awesome! My first 5k is on October 8th and I'm really excited!
This guy starts "school" back tomorrow (he attends a Parents' Morning Out playschool). I can't explain to you in written form exactly how excited I am.
Aah, the t-shirt quilt- project 4 years in the making. Way back before I even had a sewing machine, I had all of these great intentions of making one- how hard could it be? Cut squares, sew them back together. Now that I'm a bit more versed in quilt making, I understand what an undertaking this is- an expensive one! I plan to take on a few of these for some sorority sisters and I have already bought 2 bolts of FusiKnit which put a nice dent in my wallet. So far I'm loving it and I had so many fun memories come back to me while cutting these- college was so fun! Since I took this picture I've started sewing 2" sashing strips to the rows- slowly but surely it's coming along!
Snickers Popcorn. Don't ask questions- just make it.

Then just make sure to keep your almost-2-year-old away from it while it's cooling!

Almost-2-year-old- crazy! Birthday party invites went out yesterday and I can't wait to show y'all pictures of his Seuss party!

jumping on the trendy train

2011-07-25T13:10:00.006-04:00

If you would have asked 16 year old me if I like "trends", I probably would have rolled my eyes at you, turned on the heel of my converse one-stars with the rainbow laces (so NOT trendy, right? Riiiight....), flipped my hair over my shoulder, turned up my ipod (which had a heavy mix of everything from Blink 182 to Britney) and walked away.

Yeah I wouldn't have admitted it to you then, but today, I'm all about trends. The feathers in the hair type stuff- not so much, but fun and cute things- hecks yes! I'm all about these trends right now.

Any workout that allows- nay, encourages- you to wear tassel-butt pants is ok in my book.

Not to mention it's WAY fun and you can burn upwards of 800 calories in a 1 hour class! A group of friends and I have started going to a class on Thursday night taught by Liz (HI LIZ!) and soon there will be a Tuesday night class- STOKED! AND it reminds me of competition cheerleading (too bad we can't do stunts) AND the past few weeks one of our songs has been "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing (!!!!!). AND I am learning how to booty dance (don't think about that too hard, you could go mentally blind). I could go on, but I'll leave that alone and move on to my next favorite fad...

2. Hexigons

I bought one of Sara's kits and I'm officially in love.

They are tiny and time-consuming so I'm only planning to make a cover for my last trendy gadget...

3. My kindle

Yes, I'm aware that books will still be around even though the kindle exists and yes I still love the smell of a book, but I also LOVE the convenience of the Kindle and the way it allows me to be absolutely lazy at night and read in the dark without the bother of lifting my arm to turn a page. *happy sigh*

Oh, and the last 2 trends should go without saying: Pinterest and this Iced Coffee Concentrate. Holla!

Joe and I are heading up to DC this weekend for one of my absolute bee-eff-effs! I've never been to that area before- if you have any ideas or suggestions (fabric stores, anyone?), shoot me an email or leave a comment!

I thought summer was supposed to be calmer than the school year?

2011-07-16T22:02:00.007-04:00

Man, things are seriously busier in the summer than they are during the year- what's up with that? Unfortunately, I don't have many accomplishments to share as I've been travelling, preparing for a wedding I'm in at the end of the month, getting ready for Vacation Bible School (which I'm in charge of all opening and closing ceremonies and music... it doesn't seem like much but when you're looking at 400 kids already signed up, it gets daunting fast!) and I got a kindle- So there went hours upon hours of productive time!

I did make these shirts last week for Aislyn who became a big sister yesterday! Her little brother Elim was born and I just can't wait to see him and squish him!

Other than that I've basically been just running around after this kid all the time.

The big boy bed transition went freakishly smooth and he's doing GREAT sleeping in it! He's been in it for almost 3 weeks and hasn't gotten up at night once (I would knock on wood, but let's be for real- my kid's obsessed with sleeping and once he's out, he ain't wakin' up til morning!). He does like to come to the door and knock right after we've put him to bed, but then he just gets back in bed when we don't come to the door!

The coolest thing that's ever happened to Noah happened this week when we went to see the Wiggles in concert. They said no flash photography so we left our camera at home (since we rode the light rail up there and if they wouldn't have let it in... well, we would have been screwed!) but I have a couple of pics from my phone. Unfortunately, this is the best pic of me and Noah. Lame.

He is absolutely in LOVE with his new shirt and didn't want to take it off to get in the bath that night.
(whoa- proof he has hair!)

He was so cute though. The first hour of the show he just sat there staring incredulously at the stage like "Is this real life?". The last 45 minutes or so he started clapping and singing but you could just tell his mind was completely blown. Sam and Captain Feathersword even came down to our area and waved to Noah! So fun!

I've got a few projects mentally lined up that I hope to get finished after this crazy week of VBS starting with a king sized quilt for our bed. Am I insane? Maybe.

can you spot the difference?

2011-07-01T23:41:00.004-04:00

*deep breaths*

dabbling in alterations

2011-06-27T08:29:00.006-04:00

Last weekend I attended a bachelorette weekend in Charleston, SC for my good friend from college- the invitation requested that we pack a black cocktail dress for dinner and drinks on Saturday night. I totally didn't have one- well, I did have a dress that I bought to wear to a wedding TWO WEEKS after Noah was born that was approximately 4 sizes too big now! I decided that I would try my hand at altering the dress- taking it in a few inches and then hemming it to a more "cocktail" length.

Here's the before:

YIKES!

and the after (excuse the camera pic!):

with the bride:

It really was not as hard as I thought! Luckily, I had Jenn (who sews clothing for a LIVING and works at a bridal boutique) give me her opinion as far as HOW to take it in. My genius self was planning to take it in on the sides (but a side zipper ruined that plan) and she advised me to try taking it in at the pre-existing darts in the front and back (apparently at the rate of 1" per size down). The dress was two layers (the lining and a sheer top layer) so it took a little longer than I thought it would, but I am in love with the results! I think I will definitely wear this dress more often- but then again, I only wore it once before!

I would love, love, love to take a class or get a book on clothing alterations- this opens up a whole new world of thinking: if almost ANYTHING can be fitted to my specific body, then shopping is about to get a LOT easier! If I love the look of a dress but one size it too tight in the bust and the other looks frumpy, I would love to be able to buy the bigger size and take it in. I can't believe I've never tried this before and I can't wait to learn more about how clothes are constructed!

... and just for fun- here we are all, ready for supper at Magnolia's! YUM!

oh, pinterest. (a love letter in pictures)

2011-06-21T12:55:00.006-04:00

Dear Pinterest,

At first, I wasn't so sure about you. I didn't quite understand the point but I went ahead and moved most of my bookmarked projects over to pinterest so I could see the photos of the projects. Ok, I was starting to understand- this was easier than a list! Then I discovered browsing pinterest, following friends and the group boards that you can ask your friends to contribute to if you're brainstorming a project.

... and I fell in love.

Although you do waste a considerable amount of my daily computer time, you also inspire me to make some pretty cool things.

Like this potholder sewing kit that makes it easy to sew on the go:

some sweet bandana pajama pants:

a cutesy dry erase frame with daily motivational quotes!

and this awesome (and HUGE and pocket-filled) PB-inspired beach bag (made from scraps and $0.99 IKEA fabric!):

Not to mention ALL of my last minute Father's Day gifts were your idea:

In conclusion, I want to thank you for your awesomeness, forgive you for the lost hours of my life and pray to the good Lord above that you never disappear with all of "my" ideas never to be heard from again.

smooches,

Laura

3 quilt finishes, the beach and a random deep moment.

2011-06-11T17:55:00.015-04:00

Wow, it's been a while.

The past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind of finishing up school, scurrying to get quilts finished for gifts (two graduation and one baby!), making end-of-the-year teacher gifts, waiting for my brother-in-law to return from Europe with my camera, a little bit of medical drama, packing, and heading to the beach for one (long, long) week of family time (30 people in one house from 2 countries and 3 states). Sheesh.

It's all over now and I can officially say it's SUMMER (I wish someone would have made me this sign) and we're home and ready for it!

Remember these plans?

They became reality just in time!

(I hand-sewed the binding in the car on the way down to the beach!)

I warned Sarah and Abi that I was totally about to be that person who gives you a gift and is then like "HOLD ON! I have to take a picture of you holding it!". I wish I could have been able to get some more pics of the awesome quilting (can you believe that a friend quilted those two quilts and the baby quilt below and only charged me... wait for it... $40?! Insane!).

The 3rd quilt I finished at the beach is for a dear friend that I met in embroidery class. After having a terrible time getting pregnant, losing babies, debating IVF, and finally turning to accupuncture, she is expecting their first child:

I made this one using the Moda Bake Shop recipe for "Random Reflections", but only made one row of blocks, and the rest white. The fabric is from that random Robert Kauffman jelly roll that I just couldn't figure out and the font for the name is Smiley Monster.

and in the spirit of tradition, I obviously had to take a pic on the porch at the beach house.

Though I am ecstatic to be home, we did have a lot of fun at the beach. Noah is getting to be so much fun and it just blabbering on and on to anyone who will listen. His new favorite thing is telling everyone "hey" all the time. He's been saying it for a while now, but it's just funny to watch him walk into a room and wave and scream "HAAAY!".
Man. I sure love that kid.

It's becoming more and more clear to me that God sent Noah to us for a reason. After a terrible pregnancy with him (and no luck with subsequent pregnancies so far), Noah's sweet spirit and loving heart comfort me when I'm fretting about the future. He has always been the easiest baby and the happiest kid and I know that God entrusted us with his care because we would need that sweetness and love to get us through times of heartache and uncertainty.

I find it hilarious and ironic that Noah's name means "rest" (if you've ever been around him, you know why), but that reminds me of a verse about peace that I cling to when nothing makes sense:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Not as the world gives, do I give to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

1 John 14:27

That verse is helping me out a lot lately, and I hope that you're finding at least a little peace in your life as well!

I'm linking up to Fabric Tuesday- check out all the awesome projects!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2011-05-16T09:55:00.003-04:00

(or "Didn't She Just Write This Post?")

Amy's Creative Side is once again hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival and I'm entering Noah's Doggy Park Quilt in it! So, I'm sorry that this is basically a repeat of my excited post a couple weeks ago when I just finished it!

This is the first quilt I have made for my son, Noah. I've only been quilting about a year, and have managed to make multiple baby quilts, a twin sized quilt and tons of table toppers/runners, yet nothing for my boy! This quilt is a modified Hexigon park, the sashing is Kona white, the back is brown minky (drool...) and I bound it (binded it?) with Robert Kauffman's quilter's linen in chocolate which is so lovely.

I quilted it 1/4" inside each white sashing strip and through each hexigon which made an awesome argyle-ish effect (which is super cute on the back). The finished quilt is about 50" x 60"- perfect for Noah to sleep with or for me to steal and snuggle with on the couch.

Just sayin'....

mmm... chocolate (Homer Simpson voice)
early morning pictures before school = akward shadows, sorry.

Here's the label and a peek at the snuggly back.

This quilt is so special to me because it's for Noah. I know that sounds cliche, but there's a reason- the whole time I was cutting, sewing, quilting and binding it, I was thinking about and praying for Noah (ok, so I was watching a movie while I was binding it, but still, the little Beans was on my mind!). I know most of us pray for our children on a regular basis, but once you get past the intial "please watch over him, protect him, help him to grow in Your word", etc. you start really thinking about his future. At one point I found myself praying for his education and future wife- someone who may not even be born yet! My parents have always told my brothers and I that they have prayed for our spouses since birth, but it's weird when you actually do it for your own baby!

As far as sewing/quilting go, I learned that minky isn't nearly as hard to deal with as I thought. I had ZERO puckering on the back and only a couple tucks on the front (but I blame that on taking the pins out after I quilted all the left-to-right diagonals- I probably should have left them in until I came to them quilting right-to left). Also, I learned that hexagons (especially half-hexagons) aren't scary at all! I also learned that I am in love with quilter's linen. It's so pretty!

That's about it! If you're stopping by from the BQF, thanks for dropping in!

I've got a plan...

2011-05-13T12:37:00.003-04:00

Which is good, because my goal is to have these quilt tops finished by next week, since they have to be quilted (not by me, thank goodness), bound and ready to give as gifts on June 4th.
I can do that... right?
Right?!

Oh, and if you've ever wondered what teachers do during their lunch, this is one possible answer. Draw and color little shapes with colored pencils.

wordless wednesday.

2011-05-11T12:39:00.001-04:00

who needs a vacuum when you have a Noah and a Rufio?

Well isn't that snazzy!

2011-05-10T09:17:00.003-04:00

(disclaimer: my brother-in-law is in Europe (unfair!) with my Nikon so get pumped up for some Droid pics!)

This past weekend I finally found the kind of office chair I was looking for (no arms, adjustable height, fits under my sewing table) at the price that I was looking for ($12!). I headed home to find- as luck would have it- this month's Hancock flyer had arrived in the mail and this charming yellow and white chevron zig zag upholstry fabric was featured on the front page.
SCORE!

A couple hours later I have an awesome new (to me) sewing chair!

I still want to get in there and fix a couple things- namely staple down and trim up the bottom side of the seat and force the two halves of the back of the chair together a little more- but it's usable! Hooray!

I linked this up to Fabric Tuesday- button in sidebar!

Lookie there! I'm on gen X quilters today!

2011-05-06T08:57:00.006-04:00

If you're coming over from gen X quilters today- hi! I looove that blog - Annemarie is so awesome! I just got my fat quarters in the mail from the Kona Your World swap and love them. I can't imagine how much work that was, so thanks, Annemarie!

In other news, I have 16 and 2 half days of school left (SCORE!)

.... & I finally finished Noah's quilt!

It's a modified Hexigon park, the sashing is Kona white, the back is brown minky (drool...) and I bound it (binded it?) with Robert Kauffman's quilter's linen in chocolate.
I quilted it 1/4" inside each white sashing strip and through each hexigon which made an awesome argyle-ish effect (which is super cute on the back). The finished quilt is about 50" x 60"- perfect for Noah to sleep with or for me to steal and snuggle with on the couch.

Just sayin'....

mmm... chocolate (Homer Simpson voice)
early morning pictures before school = akward shadows, sorry.

It also equals running out the door as soon as you upload the pics, so I didn't get a pic of my favorite part- the label on the back! It's a hexigon and I did a smidgen of hand stitching around the edges with embroidery floss. (I'll have Joe email me a pic to upload!)

ta-daaaa! Here's the label and a peek at the snuggly back.

So what do you think?

chasing my tail

2011-05-02T22:26:00.007-04:00

Do you ever feel like you just can't catch up?

Like, for instance, I usually have a list of 5 or so things to do at home after work in the 2 hours I have from the time I leave work to the time Joe and Noah get home from work/Grandmama's. I feel like every day lately I am ready to do stuff immediately after school, but then I realize that I have to run by my church office/go to the grocery store/have a rehearsal and 9 times out of 10, Joe and Noah beat me home and I get ZERO things on that to-do list done... nor do I have dinner even figured out.

Which makes no sense because I just had spring break, which I should have spent checking things off the to-do list and planning for the weeks to come, but instead my dad came to visit from Nashville (only his 3rd or 4th visit since Noah was born) and we just hung out and then did Easter things.

... and ate banana bread my dad made.

we worked on our letters a little,

blew bubbles,

and hunted Easter eggs.

So now I'm a week past spring break, having still not finished projects I started then and making lists of new projects to do (like these Mothers Day corsages or this beach bag)... or spending time on ye old pinterest. Did I mention that those quilts that I agonized over fabric selection are still just stacks of fabric? Or that I need to have them finished the first week of June?

Eh, you can't win 'em all.

Happy (2 weeks after) Easter!

... and hey teachers (and those of us moonlighting as "real" teachers)- summer's not so far off. 19 and 2 half days left in this school year. I pray that summer will bring the ability to get back into my regular at-home routine quickly and I will feel more organized and in control of everything around me- because right now I'm just hanging on.

Oh yeah, I finished Mary Catherine's quilts!

2011-04-26T09:48:00.003-04:00

I mentioned before that a friend of mine from college sent me her late grandmother's aprons for me to make into small quilts to be framed. I finished them a while back, but only got cell phone pictures of them (due to the infamous camera-hiding bandit). They are only a front a back- no batting or binding- so that they will fit flat in the frames.

I think they turned out pretty cute considering none of the fabrics coordinated!

I made three- they are all the same layout, and fabrics vary only slightly due to availability.

This was my favorite print from all of her aprons. Vinatge-y goodness!

In other news, Noah's quilt is halfway quilted in a diagonal straight-line pattern, almost argyle-ish (modified Hexagon Park in Max and Whiskers by Moda)!
It's backed in minky is dang HEAVY!

... and just for fun here's a picture of my child pretending to be Richard Simmons.

My husband has (well, HAD now!) longish hair and wears headbands when he cuts grass and plays soccer. Noah loves putting on headbands too and this day, he decided to wear them to a restaurant to eat with the in-laws. Lovely.

I'm linking up to Fabric Tuesday again! :)

Noah's quilt top = finished!

2011-04-23T13:00:00.004-04:00

The little booger just went down for a nap- basting time!

dear spring break, we love you.

2011-04-18T14:32:00.003-04:00

(I feel the need to inform y'all that the red stuff in the following picture is strawberry juice, not blood. Or bluuuuud.) :)

sincerely yours,

Joe, Laura and Noah

max and whiskers + hexigons

2011-04-16T16:09:00.001-04:00

I think I'm in love.

Spring Break and the best mail day ever.

2011-04-15T16:25:00.005-04:00

Holy Moly we made it! It's finally Spring Break! To quote my (used to be a football coach before he was a) principal- we're going with a 2-1-2 offensive/defensive strategy when we return! Two weeks before PASS testing, 1 week of PASS testing then 2 more weeks til SUMMER! I can hardly wait to be a SAHM again. I wish I could say that teaching has been wonderful, but that would be a lie- every day I leave with Noah still snoozing in his bed my heart breaks a little and I feel like I'm missing a day of his little life. He's growing so fast and learning so much I just can't wait to be with him all the time again! Whatever, I'm babbling.

Here's what I'm REALLY here to talk about today- best mail day EVAAAAHH!

The other day I went ahead and ordered more Amy Butler fabric (those green dots) to coordinate with the navy floral print. I think these are all the fabrics I'm going to use for one of those quilts I mentioned in the last post.

I am 99% sure this fabric will be made into a quilt verrrry similar to this one from Quilt Story, only I'm planning to make the diamonds symetrical.

And while I was ordering those two prints, I couldn't NOT order this Modern Meadow 1/2 yard bundle and 2 charm packs of Central Park (what? Everyone else is doing it!). Lastly, today I recieved some stationary that I ordered for the recipients of the quilt (and myself) from Silhouette Blue on Etsy. Seriously- these look so amazing, and shipped so fast! You can order cards in half sets, too if you aren't 100% committed to a certain design. Love.

The last thing I want to show ya isn't anything that came in the mail, but rather something that has been (and I guess still is) a long time in the making. I am making Noah a quilt. That's right, he's been on this earth for 20 months, and I still haven't made him a quilt. Shocking, I know. I'm planning to make him a large hexigon quilt using Lily Quilts' Hexigon Park pattern for Moda Bake Shop, but leave off the squares around the edge. I'm using a layer cake of Max and Whiskers, which may be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I seriously squealed a couple times as I went through the layer cake. Here's how far I got last night:

Ok, someone hold my hand...

2011-04-12T06:28:00.005-04:00

I'm about to pick fabric from my stash and make not one but TWO quilts from it. EEEK! I'm completely out of my element here. I usually order precuts or bundles from the same line- I don't trust my eye + brain enough. These quilts are for two sisters- one graduating from college and one graduating from high school. After looking and looking online, I never saw anything I wanted, Joe said "Shouldn't you have at least SOMETHING here you could use?" (with the understood "because you buy frickin' everything!"). So here's what I came up with so far for the older sister: (excuse the crappy pics, it was late and I had to use the flash- I'm terrible at that white-balance stuff!) I love love love these together, but I feel like it's not enough- do I need to pull a green out from that navy Amy Butler print? I tried to put some blue with it but it was bad. I don't think I'd do red, through because of the pink... right? My second pile, for the younger sister, is a huge fail. Even looking at it the first time I wrinkled up my nose at it.

All of those colors are in the zigzag print but it just doesn't flow and 1 FQ of that zigzag print ain't gonna get me far!

So I regrouped and went through my scraps and came up with this:

I know there's no yellow in the bird print, but that's ok right? A friend mentioned that I should pull out more of the fuschia- would it replace the yellow or is the yellow ok because it's still in the citrus-y family?

Oh dear... I don't trust myself - I may just order some Modern Meadow and Aviary 2 and call it a day! :)

(I'm linking up at Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday!)

I love my Silhouette.

2011-04-11T13:05:00.002-04:00

Ok, ok- I can't just come on here and whine-whine-whine without showing you at least a couple pictures, right?

I busted out my Silhouette this weekend and grabbed a few shirts from Walmart for $4 (the pink onesie was on clearance at Target for $2!) and made Noah and his not-yet-born-but-I'm-sure-they'll-be-buddies-friend Hadley some shirts.

remember Noah's peeps shirt from last year? Yeah, v2.0 is an upgrade!

I think it's safe to say I'm obsessed with the "smiley monster" font.

McFatty Monday and the post I could have written myself.

2011-04-11T11:32:00.003-04:00

Have you ever read the Heir to Blair? Beth Anne (Blair is a pen name) and I were on the bump message boards a million moons ago at the same time when we were pregnant with Harrison and Noah, respectively. Her blog is hilarious and heartfull and a lot of times she reads my mind- although it may just be that years of ingesting sweet tea and grits will make people think alike. Who knows.

Anyway, she hosts a Monday morning link-up called McFatty Monday which chronicles her weight loss journey and asks others to join in. This is the first time I've ever joined in and if you hop on over and read her post for today, just imagine me reading it, sitting there wide-eyed at the screen with my mouth agape nodding like an idiot.

... today I am struggling hardcore.

After Noah was born I joined weight watchers and lost 31lbs, getting 4 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I felt great- I was still not where I wanted to be, but it was better than where I was. When I got pregnant this last time, I gained a few pounds quickly- not because of the pregnancy, but because I was lazy and just dang ole just wanted to eat bad food (no sense in sugar-coating it, huh?). When I lost the baby, I'm not proud to say that I turned to food more than once (and am still guilty of doing that every once in a while) for comfort. I guess I felt that if I had been through the whole "having the u/s technician tell me 'oh, honey, there's no heartbeat' - losing a part of my family- enduring a hospital stay and d&e - missing out on beer for 3.5 months" thing, the least I could do was eat food that tasted good. I still don't think I've called BS on myself for that one, and I have the 20 extra pounds to back it up.

Blair wrote in her post another thing that I TOTALLY identify with- "You know how anorexics distort their body to see themselves as larger than they really are? I do that in reverse." Me too, girl. Me too. I'm wearing the same clothes I wore 20 lbs ago and while I think I look fine when I'm gettting dressed (because, honestly, EVERYONE sucks it in when they look in the mirror for that last glance-over), but I'll catch myself in a photo or in the mirror with my terrible posture and get a nice slap in the face from reality.

Alright so what am I gonna do about it?
A) I'm on day 11 of no soda (not even my beloved Diet Coke!)! Other than feeling like I was going to die for about 5 minutes yesterday (which could have also been attributed to me being a baby shower and realizing that the guest of honor was due 10 days after I would have been and then promptly excusing myself and having a complete meltdown in the car), I've been doing good! I got some awesome tea from Earth Fare last night- including "Morning Thunder" which goes without saying, is caffeinated.
B) I've got to make better choices for not only me but for my family. Joe and I want to set GOOD examples for Noah, but at the moment... well let's just say yesterday for breakfast Joe ate a piece of peanut butter pie. Yikes. (Noah and I had Kashi waffles and bananas, thankyouverymuch)
C) I've got to get moving. Whether it's Jillian Michaels at 6am or a quick run around the neighborhood to wake me up while Joe's getting ready for work or even evening family strolls pumped up a notch- something has to be done!

V and Co's Abby Tote

2011-03-24T23:21:00.003-04:00

I feel like I suck at all this blogging stuff these days. I mean, I'm getting things done, but by the time I actually finish something and have a chance to take a picture, it's night time! Then, the next day, I forget and/or don't have a chance to take pics with daylight! (We won't even talk about the precious shirts I've made Noah with Expressions Vinyl iron-on vinyl- I want to show you but by the time I see him in the afternoon he's a mess and the shirt is so dirty!)

Well, not today! Yesterday I sewed up V and Co's Abby tote! My fabric (Robert Kaufman's Metro Living Rings in Pewter and Anthology Fabrics' Bryant Park Rooftop Garden in Yacht) came in the mail, I threw it in the wash then stayed up sewing til the wee hours of the morning (which seemed like a good idea at the time... but then 6am came early this morning!).
After school today, I actually thought to have Joe take a couple pics of it for me!

I look excited, huh?

As I mentioned before, I am a bit obsessed with the grey-yellow combo, though this is actually the first thing I've made with it! The bag itself was not tough to make- the pattern is very clear and concise. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a quick sew (like I thought it would be!), but it's not difficult! I like that it's reversible, but I don't know how often I will take advantage of that and may add some pockets soon to just make it a huge purse. I did add a 16"x6" fabric-covered cardboard piece in the bottom of the bag, but sewed a casing with the fabric rather than hot gluing it.

To summarize: great pattern, cute bag- remembered to take a pic in daylight. Woot!

current project (for someone else)

2011-03-21T23:25:00.005-04:00

(please excuse the cell phone pics- someone has hidden the battery charger for the camera. I have my suspicions that it's a short, bald, handsome fellow. )

When I went back to working full time (while still working my 15/hr a week part time job), I decided I was not going to sew/embroider for people anymore.

The only thing is, I seriously SUCK at saying "no"... which is actually a good thing in this case!

I am so honored to be doing this awesome project for Mary Catherine, a sorority sister of mine from "back in the day". She contacted me, in oh January, and told me she has a bunch of aprons that belonged to her grandmother that she has had sitting around since she passed away in 2004- I immedately got excited. I got into quilting soley for the purpose of finishing my great-grandmother's unfinished quilt tops- I LOVE family things like this!

Mary Catherine asked if I could make 3 mini-quilts (about 24" x 36") for her and she is planning to frame them and give one to her mother, one to her aunt, and keep one for herself for Mother's Day.

So precious. How could I say no?!

After a lot of back-and-forth about the details/design, we decided on a simple half-square triangle design with Kona white. I think these are going to be awesome! The prints are all so different (to quote Mary Catherine: "some of these are really ugly"), but I think that's what makes it so great- I'm sure that each of these patterns hold a memory or two of her sweet Grandmama.

I can't wait to finish these up and send them to her!

you know what this blog has been missing?

2011-03-19T20:34:00.004-04:00

This boy.

He's getting so silly, and refuses to look at a camera. That's getting old quick.

He even came to visit me at school yesterday to bring me lunch!

I love that boy.

DING! DING! DING!

2011-03-19T08:44:00.004-04:00

We have a winner!
According to Random.org, the winner of the awesome quarter yard fabric bundle is...

... comment #14 - miamihoney!

(I have sent you an email- so please check it for further instructions!)

Thanks for entering, everyone- and thanks for the beautiful fabric, Down Shadow Lane!

Now get off the computer and go have a fun Saturday! :)

I'm embarassingly predictable.

2011-03-18T13:12:00.005-04:00

This was my cart from Fabricworm a minute ago:

grey.

yellow.

grey.

yellow.

then i started thinking about the fact that my house is a little:

yikes.

the play/sew room is now ready for playing and sewing!

2011-03-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

*If you're looking for the Down Shadow Lane Giveaway, it's in this post.*
***The giveaway ends tomorrow night so go sign up!***

This past weekend we almost finished the mini-redo of the play/sew room! We patched the walls, painted the room, hung shelves, made some new wall art (the Seuss fabric hoops) and organized, organized, organized!

I say "almost finished" because you will notice in these pictures:

A) There are no blinds! The old ones from the previous owners literally fell off the window. Strings snapped, huge disaster. But I'm ok with it because we planned to slowly replace all the blinds in the house with the 2" faux wood kind (I say slowly because that 63" window? $80 worth of blinds. YIKES!). The new blinds are here and will be hung this afternoon!

B) There's one more big blank space on the wall (to the right of the shelves)- but I'm ok with that- I hope to one day put a quilt wall hanging there!

Either way, I love the way it is now- so bright and cheerful!

(Hmm... I just realized that I might as well call this the IKEA room)

I love this idea that's been floating around the internet and it seemed like a great way to bring a little "theme" to the room without going overboard (or using too much of my precious Seuss stash!)

Did you get a look at those IKEA shelves? They make me so happy!

We put them both up there in the corner for my sewing supplies that are most often used. Thinking way ahead, we think that they'll also work there in the corner with a changing table underneath them, should this room ever becoming a nursery.

My silhouette and I went to work labeling and organizing everything.

Between this room and the mini-bolts in my fabric cabinet, I am so excited! I love getting organized, it's just keeping it organized that's the problem! I'm hoping having everything out of reach of tiny hands will help!

wordless wednesday

2011-03-16T16:28:00.001-04:00

happy birthday to me.

(I'm not so good with the "wordless" part, am I?)

down shadow lane fabric bundle GIVEAWAY!

2011-03-11T13:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a riddle for you:

What do the fabric behind Noah's library bag,

these pants, and a few of the fabrics in that stack of fabric in my header have in common?

All that fabric came from Down Shadow Lane!

Down Shadow Lane is an online fabric shop, run by Jen, a stay-at-home-mom from Arizona. I won't lie, I orginally found her shop by searching for a certain fabric and just pulled up the shop that had it cheapest- I wasn't aware of everything else this shop had!

Down Shadow Lane carries all of the designer fabric names that you read of all over the place- Amy Butler, Anthology, Michael Miller, Denise Schmidt, Anna Maria Horner, Joel Dewberry- at great prices. You name it, it's there! She has yardage, fat quarters, patterns, scrap packs, amazing sales - and the bundles... oh, the bundles!

I have ordered a good bit of fabric from Down Shadow Lane and let me tell you- it is always top-notch stuff and arrives quickly and folded ever-so-neatly (I'm a sucker for good folding!).

The good news for you, my friend, is that Jen has oh so graciously offered up this awesome 1/4 yard bundle of Sugar Pop for Moda in brown, chartreuse and aqua to one lucky reader!
(that is, 1/4 of a yard of each of these prints)

(um, drool. )
mod blossom in brown
mod tree in chartreuse
large floral in aqua/brown
buds in brown
mod blossom in cream/chartreuse
mod tree in brown/aqua

Would you like these pretty fabrics to make their way to your mailbox?

You can make that happen 2 ways:
1. Comment on this post telling me what you would do with this fabric should you win. Do you have a quilt pattern in mind you'd like to try or maybe you want to make a gathered clutch? Tell me about it!

2. Head on over to Down Shadow Lane and add them as your favorite on Etsy, then leave me a separate comment letting me know you did!

Please make sure you leave me with an email address so I can get in touch with you if need be. This giveaway will close at midnight on Friday, March 18th and I will announce the winner sometime on Saturday !

Good luck!

what's that I smell?

2011-03-10T13:10:00.003-05:00

*sniff sniff*

... smells like
a giveaway!

a bright, pretty, yummy, "ooh I want that!" giveaway!

**stay tuned**

Collin's quilt

2011-03-09T21:44:00.006-05:00

My sewing club (no really, we'll have a cooler name soon!) is about to do a 3 week quilting "class" using the Charm Square Baby Quilt tutorial from Oh Fransson!. Well, I jumped the gun a bit and made this a week early! I had this Half Moon charm pack and had no clue what I was going to do with it- I just loved the black and white- and some Kona Peacock seemed the perfect compliment for the son of a surfer and a girly girl!

Seriously, how cute are these goons?

As it turns out, my BFF (yup, that's right. bee-eff-eff) since 10th grade, Stea, and her husband (who happened to be my other BFF in high school long before they even started dating!), Paul, had a baby shower this past Sunday for their first little guy, Collin! This is the perfect quilt pattern for something like this- pieced in about an hour (and hour!!) and basted, quilted and bound the next afternoon!

I feel like I barely quilted this one (just two straight lines on either side of the pieced strips and then 1/4" inside each black square and half-square)- unlike Brady's look-a-like quilt, which I quilted til I was blue in the face! However, I do love how fluffy it made it- especially with the big black and white flannel on the back. I didn't take a pic of the finished back, but it had a 4"x4" peacock square label on the back declaring my love for the little shnookums...

SQUEE! I can't wait for Collin to get here so I can snuggle him!!

Question....

2011-03-08T09:25:00.006-05:00

Does this font/these colors make you feel like you're going cross-eyed?
I'm thinking "a little"...
UPDATE:
Ok, I'm going back a more legible font and hopefully soon I will figure out how to make the headers and sidebars a cute font, but leave this be!

Yay! I feel semi computer-smart!

Operation: Organize-Fabric-and-Get-It-Away-From-Sticky-Fingers

2011-03-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

... is now COMPLETE!

We had a busy, busy weekend that involved getting new light fixtures throughout the house (I'll probably post pics soon!), picking out our new wood flooring, baby showers, a girls trip to Mary Jo's, cleaning and organizing... and organizing... and organizing.... and rearanging and organizing some more!

I have now moved all of my quilting weight cottons, seersucker, minky, linen and pre-cuts to the den in this random piece of furniture that used to act as a bar (you know, back in those wilder days of mine). I love that I can now see all my fabric, but sticky little fingers can't grab it! It's a bit of a pain that it's not in the same room as my sewing machine, but hey- it was all in tupperware drawers in my bedroom closet before, so I'm not complaining!

Now just to figure out what to do with the flannels, large scraps, broadcloth and upholstry-weight fabrics.... ok, so I may have a problem.

On that note, my birthday is tomorrow (WHEEE!) so I may be buying myself a little birthday present. How weird is it that as soon as I got all this fabric ogranized, I immediately thought "Ok, now I should buy some more fabric"? I'm seriously drooling over these circles and I did the math and with the free shipping I can order a yard of each without spending any real money (cause PayPal money isn't "real" money, right? .... right?!)

wordless wednesday

2011-03-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

comic book boards.

genius.

SCRAP SWAP!!!!!

2011-02-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

As a part of No Fab Feb, Sarah is heading up a Scrap Swap!
What an awesome idea- I already signed up to send 3 envelopes!

If you're anything like me and are tired of looking at the same old fabrics over and over again (though they are oh-so-cute), head on over and sign up for the swap (hurry! You need to be signed up by March 4th)!

the one where she babbles on about fabric and zigzags.

2011-02-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

I recently (well, technically in January, thankyouverymuch) bought a Marine fat quarter bundle. Have you seen Marine by Dan Stiles?

It's fantastic.

It's also organic which means almost $15/yard- EEKGADS! Luckily, a girl of modest means such as myself can snap up a fat quarter bundle for a reasonable price and still feel like I'm getting a good taste of the fabric.

I was the loser who signed up to receive an email notification the moment this line was made available... and completely geeked out upon recieving said email.... and bought the FQ bundle approximately 32 seconds after getting that email.

This fabric is going to be a quilt for Noah. I don't think I want to go twin sized and make this his "big boy bed" quilt (I just can't commit to that small of a color spectrum for his future room), so I'm trying to think of a way I can use this fabric for a lap quilt for him. I wanted to keep the fabric pieces large enough that he can see the birds, submarines, whales, etc.

I thought of this one (I did get the book with that pattern in it for Christmas, afterall!) However, I keep coming back to zigzag quilts.

sigh.

I love zigzag quilts. Did you realize there is an entire flickr group of zigzag quilts?

Yup. Goodbye, 1 hour of my life. I'll never miss you.

A Quilt is Nice's zig zag

Cluck Cluck Sew's zigzag

Are those not to die for? Maybe I'm just a freak, but something about the angles, and the crispness of the lines... I am in love.

So the question is: do I try to figure out how to make a zigzag quilt out of my beloved Marine fabric? Is it worth the headache to get the prints to flow directionally? Any advice from quilters out there? Am I insane? Help a sister out.

Noah's new duds

2011-02-20T00:07:00.000-05:00

I can't get enough of the Kid Pants pattern on MADE!

First seersucker, then madras... oh man Noah is looking pretty Fratty these days.

Also I finally finished the Overmost with the fabrics that I bought from the actual Whipstitch store in Atlanta back in September! I think it turned out very cute and it's reversible (my model got a bit diva-ish so the last pic will have to do).

I'm having a lot of fun sewing with fabric that I already have since I am signed up with SewSara for No Fab Feb- yup, no buying fabric in the month of February! I have been good, not perfect (Joe had to buy me 2 yards of Kona Peacock at Hancock the other day- what?! I'm leading a quilt along with my sewing club and I knew about that loooong before I knew about No Fab Feb!), and I'm embarassed to say I have a lot of really cute fabric that I forgot all about!!

BOY MONTH!

2011-02-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

You know it's Boy Month over on MADE, right?

First project- seersucker pants!

Keep Calm and Make a Sign

2011-02-14T21:32:00.002-05:00

I'm sure everyone's seen the Keep Calm and Carry On sign - as well as about a hundred variations of it.

I'm just going to stop right now and tell you that my #1 favorite Keep Calm sign is this one:

followed closely by these:

I digress.
I decided that I really liked the Keep Calm and Sew On poster (which, by the way, you can also get here as a keychain, a mug, a shirt, a button, a sticker... need I go on?) and figured with the Silhouette, it should be no big deal to make!

...and I was right- it was super easy! Here's how I did it:

Materials:
- a canvas (I got a 2 pack at Michael's for $7- and that was without a coupon)
- spray paint
- Silhouette SD or similar cutting machine
- vinyl (yeah, yeah, I know that's contact paper in the picture, but ignore that- it was a huge fail, so I used vinyl instead)
- transfer paper

NOTE: you could make this sign without the Silhouette as well, you would just print out the letters in the desired font and size, then cut them and either glue or mod podge them onto the canvas.

First, type your words in the Silhouette software the size and font that you want them (Century Gothic or Gill Sans look the most like the original signs, but I used Aharoni because it was thicker/larger). I was able to make them as large as possible and waste vinyl by rearranging the words.

I used a piece of clip art for the sewing machine, which I found by googling "sewing machine silhouette". *UPDATE*: You can now download the image at A Lemon Squeezy Home... then go to her etsy shop and buy yourself a rockin' sewing necklace!

To import the clip art into the Silhouette software simply save your clip art then open he image in the program, click the blue and yellow trace button at the top right of the page, highlight the area you'd like to trace (the whole picture) then click "trace" - DONE!
(if that wasn't clear enough, Dana has instructions with screen shots here in her Texas Wildflower Art tutorial).

Using the silhouette, cut your vinyl (I used the pre-set vinyl setting of Speed: 8, Thickness: 9 and blue blade cap) and weed it out until you are left with only your words and image.

Then cut the vinyl backing so that the words are in separate pieces, ensuring that they will fit on your (currently naked) canvas.

Speaking of that canvas...
I guess ideally you would paint your canvas with a brush, but I am impatient, so I spray painted mine (I also like how that made it darker in some places and lighter in others)!

Allow your canvas to completely dry (my can said it would be completely dry in 1 hour, but I allowed it to dry overnight as well). Using your transfer tape, transfer the images and words to the canvas, starting at the top center:

One thing that I found VERY helpful during this project (and other vinyl projects) was a pan scraper. I got a set of two of these a million years ago as part of a gift basket for one of my bridal showers- and it has been sitting unused in a drawer in the kitchen- I now have a use for it!

Now, I'll be honest, the vinyl didn't stick to the canvas as well as it sticks to the wall. It kept wanting to pull off with the transfer tape. Also, since you're putting the vinyl on a stretched canvas, there is no back to it, so you can't press hard with the scraper (unless you put something underneath it, between the wooden frame). To fix that, I just turned the canvas over and scraped alone the back of the canvas where the image was against a hard surface (in this case, the closed laptop!), which helped the vinyl get a better grip on the canvas.

I didn't have to do that each time though, only when it wasn't sticking well. The rest of the time I just applied each word to the canvas with a book under the canvas as a hard surface and rubbed with the scraper.

I realize until this project, but you can re-use transfer tape! I felt really dumb after I realized how much I have already wasted! You just stick it right back over your next letters and then onto your canvas- brilliant!

Continue until you have all of your phrase on the canvas. Take care that you don't rub your transfer tape onto the word ABOVE the word that you're applying- that could pull it back up!

The vinyl is also repositionable if you are VERY careful. The first time I was "finished" with it, I hung it on the wall and realized that the words were all too high on the canvas. I just used to the transfer tape to move them down a little and voila- finished (for real this time)!

Ta-da! You're done!

Now go hang it in your sewing room/playroom that you share with your 1 year old.
Oh wait, that's just me? Ok. Good thing we have the same decorating sense- bright colors and pretty shapes.

Make sure you put it somewhere where Alf can creepily stare at people who come to admire it.

for realz tho.

2011-02-14T17:16:00.000-05:00

happy valentine's day, darling.

a poser's Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

valentines a la Noodleheads

tags a la Silhouette

freezer paper stenciling a la Dana

I never claimed to be original. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

You know how I know I'm old?

2011-02-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking lately about how things have changed in my life in the past 6 years.

Where I live, what I do, what my hobbies are, who I hang out with, how much time I spend with God, how I spend my free time, period.
Tonight especially got my thinking about how I spend my Friday nights.

It's bizzarre to think that this was my "fun":

When, today, I can't think of anything better to do on a Friday night than this:

I have a birthday coming up in a couple weeks and when Joe asked me what I wanted for my birthday, my elderly tendencies showed again when I asked for Danscos (my feet just hurt so bad after teaching all day!)

and a tiny iron for appliquing/quilting/silhouette-ing (is that a word? It is now.).

My likes, they are a-changin'.

new header

2011-02-06T23:48:00.001-05:00

It's ginormous, but I can't stop looking at all the pretty colors.

*happy sigh*

Thank you, mail lady.

wordless wednesday

2011-02-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

(I reckon I've been a bit more productive than I've let on.)

wordless sunday

2011-01-30T20:12:00.001-05:00

Oh hush, having two jobs and a 1.5 year old can really mess with your days and weeks... and your brain, your sewing productivity and your blogging.

... and did I mention that the aforementioned 1.5 year old can climb, loves donut holes and is super sneaky?

my newest toy

2011-01-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

Dana over on Made had a giveaway this week for a Silhouette SD cutter. Like Dana, I didn't think I wanted one, since I SUCK BIGTIME at scrapbooking, but once she showed (and I started googling) all the things OTHER than paper that this baby can cut, I knew I wanted one. Lucky for me, my sweet sweet husband told me I could go ahead and get it as a "going back to work" present (yeah... our family just comes up with random reasons for presents, so sue us).

It still seemed like a lot of $$ for something I only wanted and didn't need, so I decided that I would get it if I could come up with 10 things off the top of my head that I would use it for. So here they are, in case you're curious (oh, and it will hold me accountable to do at least a few of them ASAP!)

vinyl decals for Joe's banjo case (ok so that one was his idea- whatevs, still counts.)
vinyl conversion chart for the inside of a kitchen cabinet (I am ALWAYS googling these!)
freezer paper stencilling
decorate onesies for upcoming baby showers with iron-on vinyl (like this) AND a funny banjo shirt for Joe ("banjos... definitely not square!")
some sort of SC state art (like this)
some sort of cool "Gamecocks" decal for the back window of the jeep
an actual framed silhouette of Noah's sweet baby head
class room decorations for the windows/doors with vinyl (I'm imagining a really cool "name plate" type deal on my office door)
two words: etched and glass. I forsee cool wedding gifts in this category!
making (rather than buying!) cards for birthdays, weddings, etc. with all the pretty paper I have from when I *thought* I would be good at scrapbooking!

So, I had ten things on the list, so obviously I hit "buy". The silhouette and approx 8 rolls of vinyl (I know, things got out of hand for a minute there over at expressionsvinyl.com) are on their way to my doorstep!

I really like that I don't always have to cut on vinyl. The thing will cut contact paper (for glass etching), freezer paper (for stencilling), paper for scrapbooking (I mean, maybe one day I'll finish our wedding scrapbook?), even FABRIC! (although I can only see myself using it for little bitty things, not for big projects like quilts and stuff- for that I go to my trusty other toy- the Accuquilt Go! cutter!)

Whew. So that was my online shopping experience for the night. Hope everyone has had a great Saturday (we saw the Steep Canyon Rangers tonight! Yay!) and have a great Sunday!

IKEA hacking

2011-01-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

I had never heard of IKEAhackers.net until my wonderful husband combined his love of playing on the interwebs and IKEA and came across it! Honestly there are some pretty cool things on there but others that are just a little too weird, oops, I mean "modern" for me... still way fun to look at!

We have this Expedit shelf in our den as our TV stand. I LOVED the clean lines and all the storage it gives, but was really starting to hate the clutter and... IKEA-ness of it (coming from someone who loves that place so much it seems like blastphemy, right?!).

(hey, don't judge. This picture was taken at the end of Noah's first birthday party... I swear our den doesn't usually look like that!)

We cleaned out all the books that were just sitting there and moved all of our DVDs to another shelf and decided we would attempt to make it look a little nicer. We looked into putting a back on it (MDF is suggested a lot, as you can cut holes for wires, paint it, cover it with fabric- whatever you'd like!), but I wanted to keep from putting nails into the piece just in case we ever wanted to use it as a room divider or something else that would require both sides to be visible. After hanging it up to get an idea of where to cut openings in the fabric for cords, I ended up hot gluing the fabric (Sophia fabric was $.99/yard last week!) to the edges of the piece, blowing on the glue a little first so that it would be a smidgen cooler and not completely scortch the wood (a little trick I learned as a first year teacher hanging posters on the wall that I planned to later take down).

and voila!

If you jump back to this post, you'll see that yellow accents in the den are sort of my thing right now... I just love 'em!

bedroom in progress

2011-01-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

I started working agin January 3rd... I worked 5 days and due to the snow, a furlough day and MLK day, we won't go back to work until tomorrow! I realize this will probably all have to be made up, but I've enjoyed being home with Joe and Noah (Joe's job is uber flexible so he can be home a lot if need be... or want) and getting lots done around the house- especially our bedroom which has always gotten the shaft when we decorate.

I'll post pics of the whole thing next week after we paint the room but here are a few things in progress:

Vanity tray re-do

new pillows and new duvet (yes, it's the same one Young House Love just bought... that's how I

heard it was on sale! $39 for a king duvet?! Yes, please!)

Oh, and that first picture is of the glass egg crates I just got at Anthropology to organize my jewlry on top of the new dresser!

Whew.

2011-01-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Things have been a bit busy around here. My church job started back last week, I started my teaching job last Monday (and I think I'm actually LOVING it!), we're on day THREE of South Carolina's Snowpocalypse 2011, and Joe and I have taken on multiple furniture projects in the past 2 weeks (how very Life in the Fun Lane of us!).

So, since I have to have Noah at his doctor's appointment in an hour, all you get today are pictures (with a promise of more soon!):

First, we have Noah ready to play in the snow (which he hated). Please note our version of snowboots: Converse + Ziplock bags = SC Snowboots.

Now that Miss Olivia's quilt is safely with her in Texas, I can show you the finished quilt!

Noah lurves it.

This project has been on my to-do list forever, and I finally got it done last night. Joe helped me picked out the fabrics... I was going to use a fabric with text on it rather than the madras (which I had been hoarding for some sort of clothing for Noah for the summertime), but I like this look!

That's all for today- now we're off to the doctor to hear if ear tubes are in our future... *le sigh*

ambitious

2010-12-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Joe and Noah went to do Christmas with his grandparents but I stayed home (sick!) to go to the doctor and "relax".

However, I can not sit still, so I got to work piecing a baby quilt top for an old friend (who is having her baby AS I TYPE THIS!). Once it was pieced, I though "why not baste it?" and then once it was basted I thought "might as well quilt it!" and before I knew it, the binding was on it and I was hand-stitching it on the back while watching "Lost" reruns at 1am.

I did eventually go to sleep.

I tried two new things with this quilt- Kona coal for the solid squares and binding (which it seems I am the last to discover, but seriously? It looks GREAT with anything!) and straight line diagonal quilting (which Jessica did on a table runner the other day and, holy crap- it was cute AND fast!). I'll only show a bit of this right now, since it hasn't been gifted yet.

Oh, and that Christmas quilt is finally finished and has been used for ample snuggling in the past week.

So this is new...

2010-12-22T17:59:00.000-05:00

I got a job.

"Oh, you were looking for a job? How exciting!"

No, I was not looking, that's the weird part!
A principal (who, interestingly enough, interviewed me 3 years ago! I guess I made an impression- then again, it could have been my hair... it's hard to miss.) called me and asked me to come interview (I said "Let me talk with my husband to see if we're interested and call you back" and then the husband says "YES YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A JOB!"). I interviewed at 9am Wednesday morning and they called me at 11am asking me to come to the district office the following morning to fill out paperwork.

Not sure yet how I feel about going back to work (probably because it wasn't my idea- ha!), but I do think it will be great once I get used to it. The job is only until May and I can re-evaluate then to see if I even want to continue teaching full-time (and see if they'll offer this position to me on a contract!).

So the sewing (and posting) will probably slow down (can you imagine? Even slower than now!), but I will post soon about all of the gifts I've been busy making/embroidering/wrapping/hiding from Joe! :)

what do Santa's elves do late at night?

2010-12-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

make big crayons for little hands.

tricks up my sleeve

2010-12-10T01:18:00.000-05:00

In the short time that I've been quilting (and more importantly, reading quilting blogs), I have learned a few tricks that have help make the binding process easy. So easy, in fact, that tonight I realized that this just may be my favorite part of making a quilt!

Trick #1

(are you tired of looking at this stupid quilt yet? I sure am!)

Serge the quilt sandwich before binding- genius!

I can't rember where I read this first (Cluck Cluck Sew, maybe?) but it's so smart!

I have a tendency to leave much more than the recommended 2-3" of batting and backing on while I'm quilting a sandwich and it was always sort of a pain to lay it out and trim all that when I was done quilting (oh, and it made me nervous that I was somehow going to cut my quilt in half. No really, I'm a spaz like that.).

Serging the edges kills two birds with one stone- it cuts off all the excess batting/backing AND holds the edges together so neatly for you to sew your binding on!

See? The 6.5% of myself that is a perfectionist loves that.

I almost don't want to bind it.

Almost.

Trick #2:

(source: Know What I Love?)

The second trick I got from Know What I Love? who said she got the idea from The Sometimes Crafter (I couldn't find her mention of it though!). When I iron the binding in half, I roll it up as I go. When I'm finished and the binding is ready to go, I slip a measuring tape (oh so stylish!) through the center and there you have it- a way to keep your binding on hand without it all strewn about!

Tomorrow night will be a rarity: Joe and I have NOTHING planned (the only night from December 5th until December 22nd where that is the case!), so we're going to make fish and chips, turn on the fire and watch a movie while I bind my quilt! Fun!

dipping my toe in free-motion quilting

2010-12-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

the good,

(for me anyway)

... the bad,

(I didn't quilt low enough on the top row so there was random big puffy areas- therefore I did a tiny loop-de-loop across the seam)

.... and the GOOD LORD THAT'S UGLY!

Eh... It's a Christmas quilt. I'll only have to look at it one month out of the year. :)

This free-motion junk has a definite learning curve!

Quilters: What do you do when you have to let off the petal to reposition- how do you avoid the jerky, sharp motions that ruin your nice curves?

little bits of Christmas!

2010-12-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

Char over at Crap I've Made is hosting a Nativity Parade- I don't have my "real" nativity yet, but after I took a picture of what we DO have, I went on a sort of rampage taking pictures of the Christmas stuff in our house- which I will now bored you with! :) Yay Christmas!

I bought this nativity piece in 2007 from an artist in York, SC. It's all one piece and has a cute little light that switches on under the star. It's not really my "Christmas style", persay, but I didn't have any sort of navtivity (or anything else Christmasy, for that matter) so I got it! I think it is so cute!

This sweet little crowd is currently residing in Noah's room for the Christmas season. We had a small light up tree in there to use as a night light, but it was too bright and he would stay awake at night to stare at it.... thus, it was replaced by these guys!

Here are a few shots of my favorite things around my house at the moment:

Progress

2010-11-23T23:07:00.001-05:00

So much to do, so little time...
(or should I say "Sew much to do..." ah forget it, I'm lame.)

Christmas Quilt:
Basted.... just sitting there waiting for me to come up with a plan for the quilting...

Honestly, I'm totally uninspired in this department at the moment. Thoughts on the quilting here? Playroom Bunting:
Finished. I learned today that it's hard to get a decent picture of something hanging in a window, even on a cloudy day (see Thanksgiving banner below). This bunting is made using V & Co.'s tutorial and a Punctuation charm pack. Love.

It was so fun and easy I started wondering if this would make a good gift... maybe for a baby shower? Or just for fun? Then again, maybe I'm just a little obsessed with buntings...

Embroidery:

I'm not complaining AT ALL, but embroidery for other people has taken up a good chunk of my time lately. I love the extra moo-lah and I love helping people come up with unique gifts for their family and friends. I don't however, love that icky orange thing on the bag on the right. Blegh!

(side note: GO GAMECOCKS! BEAT THE TIGERS! Joe and I will be tailgating with my Clemson-alumni parents for the big game this weekend... should be interesting!)

Thanksgiving Banner:
Finished! Ok, so I had grand dreams of coming up with something precious based loosely off this awesome Thanksgiving bunting (seriously, Laura? Let the buntings go...)- I even ordered a charm pack of that Moda Awesome used in the Elijah B. banner! Then, Joe, Noah and I were wandering aimlessly around TJ Maxx and I saw the letters below all tied together with a broken brown cord on a clearance table for $2. Umm... heck yes I can string those bad boys up on some brown ric-rac and call it a day! So I present to you, my $4 Thanksgiving banner.
YET ANOTHER Christmas gift for Noah:
I had a chance to run up to Mary Jo's alone (that NEVER HAPPENS! BTW, if you haven't heard of Mary Jo's, click that link and drool... a lot. Yup, that's near me. Be jealous. Be verrrry jealous.) yesterday and grabbed some of this Celebrate Suess fabric and orange webbing for straps- I'm planning to make Noah a library bag. I realize it seems a bit early, but we like the library! Also, my dad has started a Suess book collection for Noah so I thought the fabric was an appropriate choice.

Ok, so this isn't progress, it's just cute.
Noah enjoyed his first oreo this week.
Dang, my kid is cute.

Speaking of progress, I thought I would update you on sweet baby Sam Sartin's progress kicking cancer's butt (link to their blog is at the top right of the page).

(picture from Cassie's blog)

Sam was admitted today for his stem cell transplant. This handsome bald man will be in the hospital for a loooong time for this procedure. Please remember Sam and his parents Cassie and Alex in your prayers as they begin yet another step in this journey to Sam being well. Sam's birthday is also Thursday- Turkey Day! Happy (early) Birthday, Sam!

Seriously? He can't really be THAT big!

2010-11-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

How on earth could it only take 14 months to go from baby-in-my-belly to making friends on the playground (actually, he just ran over to him yelling with his arms over his head in a "touchdown" motion and somehow the other kid miraculously understood) who have a football and then throwing it back and forth with them?

Too fast. This is all moving too fast.

etsy shop

2010-11-18T01:43:00.000-05:00

You may not have noticed, but my etsy shop is currently on vacation mode. I'm not sure when I'll be back (hopefully not too long).

I've been told by friends that I don't owe anyone an explanation, but- eh- here are my reasons:

1. We are going to put the house on the market soon so the "sewing room" has been packed up and is now the "play room"- which is amazing by the way. To go from toys all over the den and the kitchen and oh, every other room in the house, to all toys in one room is AMAZING. It's also so fun to watch Noah explore a whole room without restrictions. He loves it!

2. I was so tired. My shop doesn't have a history of being uber successful, but you may remember that for Halloween I got very into applique and put up a few new things in the shop. These little witch shirts sold like hotcakes (you know, if hotcakes took you an hour to make from start to finish). I was finding myself sewing everytime Noah was asleep- nap time? SEW. Night time? SEW!

Most nights, 2am looked like this:

... and while I'm extremely grateful for the buisness and all the awesome moms who bought their kids such fun things, it was stressing me out. All that coupled with the pregnancy and subsequent issues with the pregnancy left me feeling exhausted. So I'm taking a break. I'm still making things locally for friends and friends of friends, but it's nice to sit around with my husband at night and watch tv shows that you wouldn't normally give a second glance to, but now I'm sucked in for life.

Ah, that's the life.

The one where Laura pimps out Shutterfly.

2010-11-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I don't have to explain to anyone what Shutterfly is, but I want to talk about them a little today (selfishly). I love sending photo cards (LOVE!) for Christmas and for all of our married Christmases I will admit I have been a bit ridiculous. I mean, I'm sure that no one really studies the cards that I send out (and I'm well aware that they hit the bottom of the trash can on December 26 each year), but I spend a TON of time picking out the pictures and deciding which layout to go with (usually the one with the most picture spots on it!) - it's a little 4"x8" yearbook of all the cool stuff we've done that year!

The first year we were married, we did a Shutterfly card that had a collage of a wedding picture, a pic of Molly and Rufio and a random really cute shot of Joe and I at the Salty Dog Cafe in Hilton Head:

Last year, I was a bit preoccupied (hello, newborn baby!), so we did a simple, one-photo card with a pic of my little puddin' pop under the Christmas tree:

(umm holy crap. Look how tiny he was! *squish!*)

I have no idea what we'll use this year, but I do know that we will be using Shutterfly cards and thanks to their awesome customer service and suppot of bloggers, it will be on the cheap! Check out how they are making it easy for bloggers to get a great deal on Christmas cards!

wordless wednesday

2010-11-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

I know I'm supposed to "Respect the Turkey"

2010-11-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

... but I'm already thinking about Christmas.

I've been knitting a lace scarf for my Grandmama's Christmas gift on and off for about 4 months now. That's an old pic- I've gotten about 14" of it done so far... we'll see if it actually gets finished by Christmas.

I also started piecing a fun Christmas quilt yesterday using these cute fabrics: AND this week I am going to attempt to make a copycat of this Starbucks wreath: (don't worry, I won't hang it yet! I wait until the day after Thanksgiving, thankyouverymuch.)

Now, if we really want a good laugh and more proof that I'm an 80 year old trapped in a 25 year old's body, we can talk about my actual wish list for Christmas, which includes:

Elizabeth Hartmans' new book:

... an Accuquilt GO! Cutter (seriously? I'm drooling a little!): ... and cleaning ladies.

Seriously, I suck at cleaning.
There's absolutely no excuse for it.
There are just a thousand other things I'd rather do than scrub a toilet.

I am also SUPER stoked to have crossed the 3 hardest people to shop for off of my Christmas gift list: Joe (who may read this so I'm not risking telling what it is) and my parents (who can barely check their email, so I'm comfortable telling you we paid the sitting fee for a photo shoot of them, us and my 3 brothers with the wonderful Samantha McLaughlin of Reflections Captured Photography! I am so stoked- we haven't had family pictures taken since I was in HIGH SCHOOL!)

It feels nice to know that at least a few gifts are already taken care of. I think I already feel a smidgen more relaxed about the whole holiday season- and isn't that the point?

the post no one wants to write.

2010-11-06T19:27:00.000-04:00

We lost our baby.

I had more bleeding (I had a good bit of spotting with this pregnancy) and went back for a 3rd ultrasound and internal check. The ultrasound tech told me what I could see for myself- "I'm sorry, sweetie. There's no heartbeat." and then "... it's only measuring about eight and a half weeks." when I was about 12 weeks along.

This whole pregnancy felt different. I told a friend just Thursday that I just didn't feel pregnant. Every time I've gone in with bleeding, the ultrasound tech has only said "there's your baby, there's it's heartbeat" with no explanation of the bleeding- which never really reassured me. The baby was measuring 2 weeks behind as of week 8, and that also always stayed in the back of my mind despite reassurance from the doctor to "be optimistic- you probably just have your dates off." I told my mom just the other day that I was so tired of this in-between. I either want to know everything's ok, or that it's over.

.... and now I know it's over.

While I am incredibly sad and yesterday was absolutely terrible, I am surprised at how quick and easy the D&E has been for me. My doctor is a close family friend whose wife went through this after their first child (they went on to have 4 more) and he was extremely kind and sympathetic. He quickly called over to the hospital and told me that we would have this all taken care of as quickly as possible. Thankfully, my mom got Noah immediately after we left the doctor yesterday morning and between her and Joe's parents, he was well taken care of until about 5pm today when he came home. Also, a great friend who is also a nurse at the hospital was there for me and Joe through the entire surgery, which helped put me at ease, as this is the first time I've ever been under anesthesia (I won't lie, I was terrified). My wonderful friends from church have brought meals for the past two nights and will continue for the next couple nights (which, by the way Jessica, is totally appreciated and above and beyond anything I expected) and I have been covered in prayer since the moment all of this started. I have had minimal pain and I have an amazing husband who has been so strong and taken such good care of me for the past 48 hours.

I also know that my Lord knows what's best for me. I am certain that God's plan for my life is better than anything that I could ever possibly imagine and this just has to be a part of it.

my little blockhead

2010-11-01T14:15:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend!

Why I'm slack at blogging, in photos.

2010-10-21T22:46:00.000-04:00

Yup... we've had a busy fall-

and are looking forward to a busy spring as well!

I've been a little busy.

2010-09-29T00:15:00.001-04:00

.... coming soon to an etsy shop near you!

... and more!

Oh, machine applique- where have you been all my life?!

ta daaaaaah!: I FINISHED the Crazy Mom Quilt-a-long!

2010-09-23T13:18:00.000-04:00

There were moments when I had my doubts, but last night I actually FINISHED Crazy Mom Quilts' Quilt-a-Long! SCORE! I started this quilt in April and have just now finished... September 9th. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

This quilt is made using Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry for the front, the backing is a sheet from Target ($7.99!) and the binding is a random navy/white that I found at HeavelLei Creations on Etsy.

I quilted it lightly, only along the white sashing, so that it would stay fluffy and light (and also because I'm a little lazy and still not brave enough to attempt stippling).

The finished quilt is about 63" x 63" and the perfect size to snuggle with. It will live in my den for a long, long time!

Thanks for an awesome (yet way more that I bargained for!) quilt-a-long, Amanda Jean!

I'm pretty horrible at this blog thing.

2010-09-22T23:58:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, I will have pics of (what I believe to be) an amazing, beautiful-yet-extremely-time-consuming, awesome monstrosity of a finished quilt for you!

... but for now, might I distract you from my extreme lack of content with a few pictures of my offspring?

I have a new favorite store...

2010-09-13T17:34:00.000-04:00

Guess where Joe and I went on a getaway this past weekend?

Atlanta!

Guess where I couldn't help but go visit while I was there?

Whipstitch!

(forgive the fish-eye pics- we only had the GoPro with us!)

We walked 2.2 miles to get there (which I did not plan on!) but it was so worth it!

Whipstitch has some of the cutest and most modern fabrics I've ever seen! I love the selection and it was great to see fabric in real life that I've only been able to browse online - we don't have anything like this where I'm from!

The shop had a great pattern selection and a ton of samples sitting out! Knits and precuts were all in the front of the store along with a sitting area (it is a sewing lounge, after all!).

Oh, hi Joe!

The day that we visited, there was a class on fabric designing/printing going on back here in the classroom section! So cool!
Oh yeah, and they also had TONS OF FABRIC!
and a fat quarter HEAVEN!

I went a little nuts and spent a little more than I planned, but look at all this loot!

and yes, that is some laminate cotton that it's all sitting on. That awesome green houndstooth is now topping a tv tray that we use in the den- it's so cute and wipes clean so easily!

LOVE!

Oh, ruffles... I need an excuse to make you more often!

2010-09-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

I was recently asked to make some outfits for a baptism- a dress for the little lady and a coordinating jon-jon for her big brother. I LOVE putting my head together with someone else, dreaming up a plan and seeing it come together! The baptism is next month, so the mom wanted some fall colors- particularly orange. She decided on Trees in Orange by My Minds Eye and this is what we came up with for the dress

(though it will be sporting an orange monogram as soon as we decide on a style):

Oh man! I LOVE RUFFLES! As the mom of a boy, I have absolutely ZERO need for ruffles, and I wasn't even 100% sure of the method I would go with for this dress. Should I serge the edges of a strip and make the ruffle from that OR fold the hem and ruffle it? Should I do the ole "basting stitch" method of gathering or try something new (since everytime I do the "basting stitch" method it always seems uneven SOMEWHERE to me!).

In the end I did the folded hem and then tried a new way of making ruffles- I marked the front, back and sides of the dress (and ruffle strip) and then marked between each of those marks once (so I had 8 marks on the dress and 8 marks on the ruffle strip). I matched up the marks and pinned those 8 places then took it to the sewing machine (well, to be honest, I did a tiny sample run with some scraps before I took the actual dress to the sewing machine... I'm not THAT brave!).

At the sewing maching I used a regular stitch length and just started shoving/cramming/smooshing the fabric up as I ran it through the machine. This was actually EASIER for me to do evenly because I was only working with a little teensy area at a time. When I reached a pin, I just took it out and kept on smooshing! After I had "ruffled" the entire hem, I took it to the serger, um, serged it, ironed the seam allowances up and then went back and topstiched along the outside! Voila!

I am now racking my brain for any ruffle projects that could pass for "age-appropriate" for me.... hmmm...

Noah turns UNO!

2010-09-06T21:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, first off- I never claim to be original: both Dana and Allie rocked the UNO party at their little guys' first birthdays. I thought it was the cutest idea, so I had a go at it! I can't get over how cute it ended up- and so very thrifty! I only spent $30 on decorations- $6 on a pack of UNO cards and $25 on NOah's favorite thing on earth- balloons!

Well, first things first: Birthday Waffles

Later that afternoon, while the 1 year old napped, we decorated and set out all the goodies!
Our gift to Noah- a Smart Trike! He LOVES it!

The UNO card garland was so easy- I just ran the cards through my sewing maching using my 1/4" quilting foot! It strung them along so evenly and I love how it turned out!

In a last-minute attempt to be crafty, I made this... "mini quilt" (sort of) to hang on the mini-flag pole by the mailbox! This sign was on the front storm door:

mmm... food!

Oh yum! These regular old chocolate cupcakes were jazzed up by The Pioneer Woman's mocha icing (that, unfortunately, is not on the website- only in her awesome cookbook!)- phenominal!

Present time!
(oh, and here's pretty much the only picture of us with Noah on his birthday... and the only shot of the UNO shirt I made him!)

Noah's amazing new kicks that my little brother picked out for him!

CAKE COMA!

soon, when people ask me how old Noah is...

2010-08-28T00:15:00.000-04:00

... I'll have to say "He's one.'

... and then cry a little.

My little teensy (ok so he was never "teensy") boy will be one next Sunday and it seems like over night he has started doing these "tricks". I didn't realize it until tonight when we were at a friend's house and she was freaking out about the fact that he can high-5, but he can do a lot! For the sake of my horrible memory and that poor, dusty, unopened baby book with nothing written on the blank pages, let's take a look at things Noah can do at 12 months:

walk (blegh. I envy everyone whose children didn't walk until after 12 months)
high-5
stick his tongue out
clap
dance
sign "finished"
give kisses (precious)
give hugs (even cuter because he goes "mmmmmm" while he hugs)
blows kisses
shows his muscles (hilarious!)
use a fork (we're working on that one, but he can definitely stab something then get it in his mouth!)
make a "motorcycle" sound ("bbrrmmm")
go to bed on his own without nursing (Thank the Lord! I am FINISHED nursing! I was never one that loved, or even liked, nursing but I wanted to stick it out until he could have cow's milk. Our pedi gave the ok to start introducing the milk at 11 months and except for one middle of the night wake up where nothing else would calm him, I haven't nursed him in over 10 days.)

I can't believe that I only have 8 more days of having a baby. I act like that's a sad thing, but it really isn't. He's getting to be so much fun and it's hard to imagine going back to the infant stage with the next baby, but sooner or later that will (hopefully!) happen. It seems as though each stage is more exciting and fun than the last, and I'm very excited for each new thing he learns!

wordless wednesday

2010-08-25T13:00:00.001-04:00

(We've been busy around here... and SOMEONE has a first birthday next Sunday!)

first day of "school"

2010-08-18T17:01:00.000-04:00

Noah had his first day of school today.

He made me this:

Ok, so it's not really school. It's just Parents' Morning Out- but it is 3 days a week from 9am-11:45am so that's gotta count for something! It's on the same campus as my office, so on Mondays I plan to do office work and Wednesdays and Thursdays will be for running errands and... erm... sewing.

...and possibly napping.

Speaking of napping- I think Noah enjoyed PMO.

I know for a fact that he had fun and was busy- here's the proof once I pulled into the garage:

Man, he's sweet.

On the sewing end of the spectrum, I've been pretty busy. I have three (yes, THREE!) baby showers this week! All the babies are 2nd children, so I went with a more personal gift rather than something off a registry.

One is for a sweet baby girl to be named Lilah.
(the other parts ofthe gift are monogrammed onesies)
One is for a little guy to be named named Tanner:
(his gift also consists of more- a monogrammed onesie and some USC-themed burp cloths)

and last is a little guy who has no name yet. :)

Words can not describe how much I LOVE that "Transportation" fabric. I wish I could do Noah's entire big boy room of just that fabric. Alas, that would be a little overwhelming... and a lot expensive.

Meanwhile, this beast is still lurking in the corner of my sewing room:

I have one more round to go and I'm calling it a day on that quilt! I'm just sort of chipping away at it a little bit at a time. I would love to have the whole quilt finished by Noah's birthday party.

Hey, we all need goals, right?

(even if they're not realistic)

Speaking of Noah's birthday, it's about 2 weeks away. Go ahead, ask me have I even sent out invitations. Nope. I have done nothing yet but plan it all in my head.

In my defense, I TRIED to make his invitation but couldn't get a decent shot of him to put on it. I guess I'll have to work on that soon... maybe tonight!

the luckiest

Krazy Straw Valentines

Picture dump!

4 years.

I'm not in control... and I love that.

Gracie girl.

That thing everyone does in January..

I've been sewing and DANG my kid is weird.

this family, it is a-changin'

Just in case you like free things...

that awkward moment when..

Christmastime in our house!

WW- If you're tacky and you know it, clap your hands.

a catch-all photo-dumping post. (get excited!)

wordless wednesday

wordless wednesday - then and now

and now for something completely different.

wordless wednesday

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2011

who's got the power? the power to read?

I'm leaving... on a jet plane.

all together now: "oooh... aahhh..."

Oh, did I mention...

and in the years after, with tears and with laughter...

mmm... fall.

*whew* I can breathe now.

flashback friday: big mama.

more Silhouette SD projects

4 things... a non-update, if you will.

jumping on the trendy train

I thought summer was supposed to be calmer than the school year?

can you spot the difference?

dabbling in alterations

oh, pinterest. (a love letter in pictures)

3 quilt finishes, the beach and a random deep moment.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I've got a plan...

wordless wednesday.

Well isn't that snazzy!

Lookie there! I'm on gen X quilters today!

chasing my tail

Oh yeah, I finished Mary Catherine's quilts!

Noah's quilt top = finished!

dear spring break, we love you.

max and whiskers + hexigons

Spring Break and the best mail day ever.

Ok, someone hold my hand...

I love my Silhouette.

McFatty Monday and the post I could have written myself.

V and Co's Abby Tote

current project (for someone else)

you know what this blog has been missing?

DING! DING! DING!

I'm embarassingly predictable.

the play/sew room is now ready for playing and sewing!

wordless wednesday

down shadow lane fabric bundle GIVEAWAY!

what's that I smell?

Collin's quilt

Question....

Operation: Organize-Fabric-and-Get-It-Away-From-Sticky-Fingers

wordless wednesday

SCRAP SWAP!!!!!

the one where she babbles on about fabric and zigzags.

Noah's new duds

BOY MONTH!

Keep Calm and Make a Sign

for realz tho.

a poser's Valentine's Day

You know how I know I'm old?

new header

wordless wednesday

wordless sunday

my newest toy

IKEA hacking

bedroom in progress

Whew.

ambitious

So this is new...

what do Santa's elves do late at night?

whew I can breathe now.

ta daaaaaah!: I FINISHED the Crazy Mom Quilt-a-long!