i'm in love

I am in love with many things, but at the moment it is with my new pair of Born sandals I bought for the summer. I feel like I am walking on air. And, the best part is that I found them at Marshalls on clearance for $29. I used to be a shoe person and my husband will tell you that I still am, but if he only knew how much I have cut back the last few years then he would be as proud of me as I am. Now, I just want a few pair of great, quality, good feeling shoes.I have these Doc Marten black leather slip ons and anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I wore them almost every day in the fall and winter. I bought them by chance on ebay for $35. I even found a second pair at the Zappos Outlet identical to the first that I bought just so that I wouldn't wear out the first so fast. Pure love.

finish line

I can't believe I really posted (almost) every day in May. I did miss one day a week ago when I left the house at 6:45 am and didn't return until almost midnight. Sometimes it was easy to have something to write about and sometimes I was just plain out of writing material. It did help me get a ton done and for that I am very grateful. This is the package I sent to my apron swap partner. You were required to 1. Make a Summer themed apron with at least some trim. 2. a tea or kitchen towel that matches. 3. Provide a summer drink recipe to share. I threw the pincushion in just to make up for the semi professional sewn apron! The fun thing about doing these swaps is that you (or at least I do) get so in to the one that I am making that I almost forget that I am getting one in return. And, when all is said and done - meaning you have mailed it off like I did today - you can start thinking about the one that will come to you.

happy birthday dad

What do you give a dad who has everything he wants and needs (including an incredible daughter -ha)? You search the vault (my brain) and try to come up with something he doesn't need, but could use. This is what I came up with. He likes to keep his shirt and tie on when he comes home for lunch after church and is usually looking for something to wear (like one of my mom's aprons) to protect the whiteness of his shirt. I appliqued this awesome guitar and the lettering on to an apron I had bought since I didn't think I had it in my to make another apron for awhile. My dad does rock and I love him so much. Happy Birthday Dad!

apron complete

For some reason I had grand visions when it came to making such a simple apron for the Sassy Apron Swap. I wanted to make it unique, but not too difficult as I am still learning this sewing craft. I found a vintage apron at the flea market that I loved, so I copied it the best I could. I made it reversible since my partner loves vintage and Amy Butler, but it had to be a summer theme. So, one side is oranges (summer theme) and the other is in Amy Butler fabric. I will say adding the pockets at the end on a reversible apron gave me so much trouble when it came to matching them up. I had to steam out all those holes from unpicking, but I did it. I will have to figure out a better way next time. If I added them before I sewed the two layers together, it bunched up on the curved seams. So, if you have any suggestions, I am willing to take them on. I hope my partner likes it!

lunch bags completed

Three done and none to go. That's a good feeling. I really enjoyed making these lunch bags and the easiest one was my last. A suggestion from Beth at my eclectic mess to make the bag seamless and reversible had you following her directions and then pulling the entire bag through the top of one of the handles. This made it so much easier and nicer to look at, especially on the inside. Great tutorial. Now, after I finished these, it got me thinking...what to give our two kind lady bus drivers? This might involve attempting some of the chocolate chip cookie recipes I was given and see if I can get the perfect cookie for them and me as well. Yum.

practicing

I find that most everything I do takes a lot of practice in order to do it well - or at least up to my standards. My standards aren't high mind you, but I do want to be able to look at it (whatever it may be) or listen to it without cringing a little. So, as I try new things, I realize they may take a lot of practice on my part before I can look or listen to them straight on. I say listen because I used to take piano lessons and boy, did that take a lot of practice! Anyhow, I am practicing a few things at the moment. One is taking better photos with my SLR camera. Oh, how I wish I were better at it. A lot of it does have to do with lighting, but most of it has to do with just knowing how to take a good photo and understanding an editing program (mine is Photoshop Elements) so that you can refine those photos later. When I first got the Elements program I was determined to learn all about it. I even bought a recommended book "Photoshop Elements Classroom In A Book" and have it all loaded up ready to go (it comes with CD lessons), but haven't gotten past lesson 1. I took some photos my my little girl last week because I realized the day light was ideal outside and thought it would be the perfect time to practice. I like how some turned out and edited a couple in Elements to see what I could come up with. Here is the end result. Not bad, but I am looking forward to practicing some more because I heard practice makes perfect and I am not looking for perfect, but just something that I will enjoy looking at.

quite refreshed

I highly reccommend the all day with friends thing. Whether it's shopping or crafting, it does the trick. The best deal of the day - 2 matching duvet covers for my boys that share a room. I have been eyeing these red gingham ones from Pottery Barn for almost 4 year now and I FOUND them at the outlet for 1/4 of the price. Yippeee! I even found jeans and cropped pants for myself. That was a fantastic score as well. I got a few things at IKEA to help organize in my crafting area that I am excited to put up. But, now I am back to reality and that is okay because I did miss reality by the end of the day. The timing was perfect. The company was perfect. And, the day was perfect.

bowing out

It's only 9:30 and I am heading to bed. I have a big day tomorrow. I am leaving when the sun comes up and not coming home until the sun has been down for a very long time. It's my all day girl shopping trip. I make it sound like it's a common thing, perhaps something I do often. Don't be fooled. This is a first and I am excited. I am excited to have the whole day to shop and not have a child on my leg, hip, in the cart, or just crying holding my hand. My kids are good kids, but they aren't much for shopping and I don't blame them. So, why not leave the ones who do not want to be there at home? I wish that could be done all the time because they don't like to shop at the grocery store, Target (unless they have a leftover gift card to spend), or pretty much any where else either. But, they must come nonetheless. Until late Saturday night...farewell!

future projects

You know how it is, you happen upon an amazing craft or project on the internet and stick in your favorites folder only to never quite get to it. Well, I am trying hard not to let that happen with these and others even though the list is never ending. I just have to believe that I will get to them some day. Well, here are a few I want to put at the top of this list.

1.sock monkey tutorial from web-goddess blog and found here. 2.isn't this bunny too cute? i found it at the martha stewart website here. 3.a beautiful bag - the jenny bag - with a tutorial i found here at Lola...again. 4. okay, on those days when you don't want to start a fire or can't make it camping, but still think it would be fun (and yummy) to roast marshmellows then this would be perfect. i found it at ohdeedoh from apartment therapy. 5. these could go on bags, on barrettes, and just about anything else. artsy-craftsy babe makes them in to pins and i just love them.

lunch bags for teachers

Of course, I only have one complete, but at least the kids still have two weeks of school left so there is time to make one for each of their teachers. I talked to my sister and we decided that this tutorial allows to you make a cleaner, prettier bag, but the first one gave you a great starting point. With this one pictured here, I used the dimensions from my eclectic mess blog, but still followed the directions from supafine. I think I will attempt to follow the directions from my eclectic mess and make a truly reverseable bag for the next one. We'll see how well I can follow directions. I kind of got stuck on step 4 the first time and that's why I went back and just followed the old directions because it was easier and I got it. But, with a little coaxing and advice from my sis, I think I can figure it out for the next time. And, like I said, "there's still two weeks left of school!"

*side note* - I added a pocket on the inside for utensils (a water bottle pocket would be cool too) and a snap just for extra closure. Oh, and today my third grader told me his teacher brings her lunch in a Wal Mart bag everyday, so ha - this will be a great gift for her. I am so excited!

randoms

Tonight as I blog I don't have anything to share with you that I have created. I have a few projects in the works - teacher gifts and my apron for the Sassy Apron Swap, but I have do have a few random things to share.

First - this book was given to my boys by my neighbor. Her little boy has it and when playing there last week, she noticed how much they loved it. She wasn't kidding - Trevor came home determined to remember everything he read in it and to try to do the things (tricks, lessons, crafts, etc.) that it mentioned. Well, now, thanks to my friend, the boys can try them all. It teaches the boys how to tie a tie, make a boomer rang, and even wrestle an alligator. Some things very useful and some will just have to be acquired knowledge for special occasions (like when we are in the swamp land and see an alligator). It is just a really cool book.

My little girl (almost 16 months) just started walking this week. She just became a dare devil all of a sudden and pushes off the couch and walks to us even if we aren't ready for it. Of course, she is 16 months and most of the kids her age have already mastered this skill, but for us, this has been exciting to watch. Our little 3 year old didn't walk until he was 18 months, so we weren't worried, but it's always a thrill to have progress.

The last thing is that I have finally gotten the stink out of our towels. Do you have this or are we just the gross ones? My towels have smelled musty and like mildew for months and I have tried all new detergents and more fabric softener with no success. Finally, I Googled it and found this site that had tons of suggestions. These are the ones I followed that worked for me -
1. I ran a cycle without anything in the washing machine on hot and added bleach and then vinegar to the fabric softener slot.
2. I used less detergent and only washed about 3 towels to a load instead of stuffing them in until nothing else fit.
3. I didn't', but plan to switch to powder detergent. This site says that the liquid detergent doesn't get washed out all the way and can cause the towels to mildew over time.
4. If the rain quits long enough, I would like to hang them to dry outside and I think this will help a ton.

Okay, that's all I have for tonight, but hopefully some of these projects will get finished and I can share them soon!

in search of...

I need a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. I made some for the boys tonight since they have a friend spending the night (no school tomorrow) and the recipe said, "after trying millions of recipes this is the one my family loves the best." Well, how could I go wrong with that? It is not the one me or my family loves the best. It is too cakey. I too feel as though I have tried millions of recipes, but I just haven't been lucky enough to find one that I (we) LOVE. I have a fantastic one for oatmeal chocolate chip, one for malted chocolate chip, and even a great one for chocolate chip pudding cookies. Those are all great great recipes, but they don't satisfy when I am just craving a good old chocolate chip cookie. This little boy we have spending the night tonight just told me that his dad makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I think I am going to have to look in to that and hopefully, he is one who shares recipes. If anyone else out there has the perfect one, let me know. I like them chewy, but slightly crisp on the edges. You know...the perfect chocolate chip cookie!

yard sale

Yesterday was our neighborhood yard sale, so me and the kids walked around from house to house checking out the goods. Gage found two wooden puzzles that he bought for .50 cents each. He was so excited to hand over his dollar and get something back. Trevor never found anything that he was willing to give his precious dollars up for. He is a picky spender which can be a good thing. Boston didn't get to come because he had to go to his baseball game with dad. Mallory was along for the ride and just sat back enjoying the scenery in her stroller. I found some really cool old books - kids crafts, science projects, Disney - all for a quarter a piece. My best score was these two vintage sheets for .50 cents each. I have washed them and now I just need to decide which of my many projects I want to use them on.

for jellie - don't look unless you don't want to be surprised

My little sister, Jellie, is having a baby in Septmber. Her husband, Logan, restores classic cars and even turned a VW Bug in to a classic Woody. Awhile ago I told her I would attempt to put a VW Bug on a onesie for her little baby boy. So, here is my attempt Jellie - that's if you are still looking. Love ya!

a few good reads

Here are a few good reads that I have picked up and ordered over the last month. Some I had heard a lot about (Bend the Rules Sewing and In Stitches), but the other two I ordered or picked up and was pleasantly surprised. The baby GIFTS book I picked up for only $5.98 at our Half Price Books. Did I tell you I love that place? Now, I love to go in there and just sit in the craft section and look and look. I could spend hours in there, but reality usually sets in fast because I am never in there without a child and they just don't last as long as I would like them to. It's probably saving me money having them in there with me. Anyhow, I am anxious to get started on some of the projects in these books, especially the lounge pants in the In Stiches book by Amy Butler. You can't have too many of those!

great idea for a clock

I was watching HGTV a few weeks back and saw this great idea for a wall clock. Wouldn't that be so cool in a family room? I, of course, can't think of where to put it because we just mounted the TV over our fire place and the other free wall is full of pictures, but I am determined to make it work in this house somewhere.

running out of steam

It's been one of those weeks where I have just one too many things going on - be it basketball games, baseball games, babysitting, hosting playgroup, chaperoning a field trip, and carpooling galore! I am not complaining, but only recognizing the reason for my sleepiness as I drive around town in the late afternoon. So, at 9 pm, it is feeling like midnight to me. I like those weeks where there isn't much planned and I can even stay in my lounge pants (really p.j.s) doing stuff around the house until I have to meet the boys at the bus. Those are rare, but coveted. Today for playgroup we had a lessons on Mothers, so I helped the kids (all 3 year olds) make these little plaques with their hand prints for their moms. We decorated lunch sacks with crayons and stickers to put them in and I wrapped ribbon around the sacks to tie them off. It was a quick idea and I really like the idea here and here. I think I will get some bigger canvases and maybe do all their hand prints on one every year. It makes me wish that I could go back in time and start when my 9 year old was younger, but since I can't I will have to live with the fact that his first hand print is at 9 (unless you count the ones from the hospital - wait those were feet)!

Applique PDF's

This is the only way I could figure out how to link a PDF to my blog post and so, I hope it works. This is the first time that I have used Scribd, so I am crossing my fingers that anyone who wants to can download these PDF's from here so that they can save the applique patterns on their computer. Good luck and give me feedback if it does or doesn't work for you.

PDF Monkey - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: PDF Monkey

PDF Ducky - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: PDF Ducky

PDF Birdy - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: PDF Birdy

the lunch sack tale

I really tried hard this year to give my mother in law something she needed for Mother's Day. She is trying to down size her house and I know she likes the things we have given her in the past, but I didn't want to give her more stuff that she might not have room for in her next place. So, I tried sewing a lunch sack out of laminated fabric since she works and takes her lunch every day. Yeah, I know there is a trick to sewing with it (as well as oil cloth), but I didn't check in to that and I really messed up a simple bag. I was getting frustrated, so I decided to buy her one made out of oil cloth that I had seen for sale at our local craft/decorating store. We were getting ready to go Saturday night (yes, last minute), when I decided to look up their store hours just because. Yeah, it was 20 minutes away and it was going to close in 5! So, that idea was out the door. Finally, I thought, "hey a lunch bag, instead of a sack, would really be better because she brings Tupperware with leftovers and needs a bigger bag. And, thank goodness, I didn't just give her a tiny lunch sack." Now, I was thinking, so I looked up a tutorial and an hour later I had a bag - only it was a bit small. I didn't follow the tutorial to the tee and tried to wing it a bit. So, then I thought, "I'll make her another one that is even bigger so she can have two - one for when she brings just a sandwich and one for the big leftover day." Okay, it was late and I started another one. Well, needless to say, I didn't get it done until today - Monday - the day after Mother's Day. I did give her the small one with the promise of a bigger one. I like how the bigger one turned out especially and think that I am going to make them for the kid's teachers as an end of the year gift. Hopefully, I will start out making one big enough so it won't be the endless gift making again!

mother's day love

My husband and the boys went out shopping last night for some last minute surprises. I woke up to a wonderful breakfast in bed and for the grand finale - they planned a corn dog dinner complete with a new fryer. It may not be glamorous to some, but it has been fun trying a few corn dog recipes and now for our late night snack (treat), I will be searching for a donut recipe! My husband knew this would be fun for me because I love the corn dogs we get at the state fair. The boys think it is so much fun too.


I went out shopping last week for some fabric. I wanted to make some pajama shorts for the boys since it was starting to get hot and they just have flannel pajama bottoms. I went to the quilt shop here, but there wasn't anything that I think my boys (age 6 and 9) would have worn. The sock monkey fabric was quite cute, but I don't think that they would appreciate it. So, I actually just went to Wal Mart and found some great fabrics that would work - a camouflage and vintage baseball. They were a quick sew and I plan on making a few more pairs. This is my oldest wearing his pj bottoms and a Derby hat he made at school for the Kentucky Derby. I haven't taken a photo of the younger son in his yet.

I also found some fabric for the apron I am making for the Sassy Apron Swap. My partner likes vintage fabrics and styles. So, I am planning on copying the style of this vintage half apron I have and use this Moda fabric. It's a summer theme, so I thought the oranges would be perfect.


It's always good when you find fabric for future little girl dresses and that's what I will use these for. Love the Eiffel Towers. I have been looking for it for awhile, I found it in the clearance section at the quilt shop. Score!

porcupine onesie done? -check

I tried to mimic the porcupine that was on these little baby pants (again - only .25 cents) in an applique. Of course, this was started a few weeks ago, but I kept messing up (snagging the fabric underneath, etc.). So, it was put in the "I'll mess with you later" pile. I usually get to that pile when I have a little more patience. I finished him late the other night. I think he would have looked a bit cuter if I had hand embroidered the quills, arms, and legs, but it was late and I just did a straight stitch on the sewing machine - quick and easy. He is still quite a cutie, I think.

you just never know

Each time I start a new project I have high hopes that it will turn out exactly as I imagine it to. Sometimes it even exceeds my expectations. Once in awhile it turns out so bad I have to throw it away so that I am not reminded that I stunk something up! And, sometimes it's a learning process where I realize how I will do it better the next time. This picture on a plaque was one of those. It turned out o.k. - nothing to scream about, but I will keep it. In using paper and Modge Podge there were too many bubbles and as I tried to press them out I stained the paper with newsprint. All said and done it is up in my girl's room and I do like the bright colors of it. I found this tutorial here at the thompson family blog where she made some silhouttes and I decided fabric (although she says perhaps paper) is the better way to go with Modge Podge. So to see if I could get it right I made a small little plaque that I am excited to hang in my craft area. It's still drying, but I am liking it a whole lot better than the first attempt. Plus, I love the red and green together.

a good use for books

Thank goodness my husband made a batch of snickerdoodle cookies or I might not be awake right now. We have a bad habit of conjuring up something sweet late at night. Last week was the ultimate when we made this pie. It was amazing! Not the best late night habit though. I had just started to come out of that winter weight gain. I'll just have to work a little harder - well worth the effort.

I have been collecting some vintage (and some just slightly old) children's books as of late. I have a few ideas of how I want to use them. One was this idea from Kiddley that I mentioned earlier. But, the first one that I am going to work on it a plaque for my daughter's room. I picked up the wood, printed paper, and Modge Podge tonight from the craft store. In the morning I want to paint the wood white. Then, I will decoupage the paper on and pick one of these pages - either Alice, Robbin Hood, or the little girl from Never Tease A Weasel - and decoupage it on. I will show you tomorrow how it turns out.

hot chocolate helps me think

It's 9 pm and it feels like midnight (too many late nights with projects and such). It's spring and it doesn't feel like the winter (besides the sound of rain outside), but I needed a hot chocolate for a treat. Pretty soon it will be too darn hot and I need (yes it is a need) to finish the box. Plus, I am addicted to Redi Whip and I had to have something to put it on. I don't always - sometimes a squirt in my mouth is enough. Is that bad? I guess it could be like drinking the milk out of the jug, but I will have to live with that bad habbit. Plus, around 3 or 4 pm when I need a burst of sugar, it does the job and it's actually not that bad for you. I put together a flickr tag that has most of the crafts that I have done since January and I went over my monthly limit with the photo uploading, so I will have to wait awhile to put the rest on. But, I guess what I am thinking about it is the fact that I am trying to decide why I blog about my projects. I don't think there are too many people out there listening, so I guess I do it for my own record. I think I do it because I like to see some progress and have some accountablity. Plus, someday I would like to put together some sets of embroidery patterns with children's themes and alphabet sets that have a few images with each letter and a few words plus a few renditions of the letter itself. I haven't come very far with these other than doodles and a list of things I could draw for each letter of the alphabet. I don't know how to get the drawings printed on heat transparency paper or if I should just sell them (who knows- I'll probably give them away) as PDF files. So, I continue to think. Hopefully, the hot chocolate will help and if it doesn't, then it sure tastes good along the way.

favorite colors

The colors of this pin cushion are my very favorite. I made it today as a gift for someone special. I made the bithday stick pin from Shrinky Dinks using this tutorial at wee wonderfuls. When I look at the colors of this pin cushion, it makes me dream of the time I will be able to decorate my craft space in turquiose and red. Also, I figured out (finally) how to make a PDF file so I was able to turn my monkey applique pattern into one and am in the process of doing the same for the duck and bird. I am going to use the monkey for some upcoming embroidery as well. Multi use pattern! I will put them on my blog as soon as I have them all converted.

the joy of waffle cones

Do you know what I can smell right now? Hmmmmm....fresh baked waffle cones. Oh, and does it smell good. I needed to whip some up for a friend and this time I made a few extra for my guys. Sometimes I don't and all that they are left with is the lingering smell and no cone. Cruel. My mom and dad gave us this Chef Mate Waffle Cone Iron for Christmas one year and I didn't realize what a treat I was given until we made our first batch of cones. Later, when I would bring them to friends with a gallon of ice cream, I also realized what a gift maker I had as well. So yummy. The waffle iron comes with booklet of different cone recipes. I have a great cone recipe that doesn't require a waffle cone maker (except for you playing the part!) that will do until you have an iron of your own.

Ice Cream Cones
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted butter

Heat the oven to 400 degrees (350 if you are using a dark coated baking sheet). In a medium sized bowl, beat the sugar and egg whites with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Mix in the flour until smooth, then add the vanilla extract and melted butter. For each cone, scoop 2 1/2 Tbs. of batter onto a baking sheet, spreading the batter into thin 6-inch circles (usa a measuring spoon for accuracy). Bake for 7to 8 minutes or until golden, then remove the sheet from the oven. Working quickly, form each cookie into a cone, pinching the tip to seal it tightly. Allow the cones to cool seam side down. If a cookie begins to cool and is difficult to shape, return it to the oven briefly to soften it.

*Tip* - Put a mini marshmellow at the bottom of the cone to prevent melted ice cream from leaking out the bottom.

thought i would share

These are a few new websites that I have discovered and thought that I would share with you. The first one was started by my dear friend's sister and it just launched last week. It is called babysteals.com It has amazing deals for moms- clothing, nursing cover ups, etc. Take a look and see what you think. It has one item each day and once it is gone, then it is gone. I have just found Burda Style. I am sure that many already know about it, but I am just happy that I finally have. Some of the patterns seem really easy and some are a bit above my sewing expertise, but they give you some great ideas. I think I am going to start simple and make the men's silk tie for my husband for Father's Day. One day when I was looking up this new line of fabric I saw in a magazine I found this website called Baum Textile Mills, Inc. that has tons of quilt and project patterns for free. I think I want to make the Sweet Baby Quilt to start out with. As usual, I want to start out with an easy project just so I don't get overwhelmed and never want to try again. That has happened before. I still have a fear of bias tape. It's true! The last one is Kiddley. They no longer keep up the blog, but the archives have tons of ideas and crafts to do with your children. I love the Valentine buckets and just picked up some old Golden Books for .25 to .99 at the flea market and Half Price Books that I want to decopauge on to some metal buckets. I want to keep the kids craft and coloring supplies in them upstairs in the playroom. Thought these were all worth a mention.

random stuff

I got this beautiful stamp today that I ordered here from Craft Pudding. Isnt' she so cute? Now, what am I going to use her on first? I think she looks like my little girl and couldn't help but want her for my own.





I went on a little treasure hunt at the flea market last week when my son was at playgroup. I found a few things that I was excited about. I still don't know what I am going to do with them, but the baby wrapping paper will probably turn into a craft where Modge Podge is involved. The vintage Valentines were just too cute to pass up. The yellow apron was only $2 and the I loved the pattern of the brown and orange one and want to copy the style for the upcoming Sassy Apron Swap so I bought it for $5. You can't see it very well in the photo, but it has a nice curve at the bottom and the scallps on the side have pockets. So, I just need to study it and see if I can get the pattern right.

Yesterday my son got his two front bottom teeth pulled because the ones behind them were already 3/4ths of the way grown in. It was wild to see. When he was at a birthday party that I night I realized he didn't have a tooth fairy pillow, so I quickly sewed this one. I made it blue because I didn't have white felt and he does like blue. But, looking at it I realize that it is kind of weird to have a blue tooth. It worked though and the tooth fairy was able to make a deposit in the little pocket as well as withdraw! The B is for his first name, Boston. He got that tiny orange treasure chest from the dentist's prize box and he put his two teeth in that and then stuck it in the pocket. Such small teeth!

Finally, today is our hometown favorite - the Kentucky Derby. It is always so much fun leading up to it and celebrating the day of is quite fun as well with Derby Pie, Hot Browns, and plenty of games and contests with the kids. This is the first year we didn't do much on the day of the Derby because it's our 12th wedding anniversary and we had a babysitter. It was nice! Happy 12th to my wonderful husband and project supervisor. He is the handyman and I am the one with the crazy ideas. He says, "you want me to get my drill out for what?" "Yes, it will work, I promise" - that's what I always say. And, most of the time it does! Thanks for putting up with my imagination and I appreciate all of your help with it all!