Bless this mess

Working on my template for a couple of days -- ignore the mess

seven magical days

We just got back from seven days in Disney World. I never thought we would love it as much as we do. We went two years ago for the first time and fell in love with the place. I am tired from this vacation, but not complaining because we had a blast.

because one halloween banner is never enough

I love making fabric or paper banners/pennants for holiday decorating. A few years ago I made this spooky banner to add to my Halloween decorations. This year, I made another banner. It's a Boo banner that I stenciled on using freezer paper stencils and fabric paint. Quick and easy.

soldered halloween ornaments

I made a few of these soldered Halloween ornaments last year for my Halloween tree and decided to make a few more this year. I sent one home with my mom and gave the other to my friend. I still have the two from last year, so the Halloween tree is happy and full.

another baby quilt

I completed another baby quilt this week. I used vintage fabrics and a vintage sheet along with fabric from Girlfriends by Jennifer Paganelli and yellow seersucker. I added 2 inch white strips in between the printed fabrics to help the colors pop. This quilt is for a baby girl, but I think the mom of this little girl is more of a cool mama instead of a girly mama, so I kept the colors cool and not too bright. I just stitched in the ditch for the quilting which made long horizontal quilting stitches. My mom was here visiting so I had her help me (or completely do) the binding. She likes and uses the binding tutorial from Heather Bailey's blog and as I watched her, it seemed much easier than the way I bound the last quilt.

free shipping in the shop

For one week I will be offering FREE SHIPPING in the may and mae etsy shop! Just use the promo code FREESHIP at checkout and your charms will ship for free. The offer is good until October 1st! Check out the shop.

shop update

Halloween is just around the corner and I have updated the may and mae etsy shop with some new Halloween charms as well as a few other fun ones - Alice in Wonderland, the Union Jack, and a few Christmas too.

a lil' cutie pouch for a sweet girl

Mallory wanted me to make her a lil' cutie pouch from Noodlehead's tutorial and she uses it quite a bit as a little purse to carry her change when we go out. So, we thought it would be the perfect gift for her friend when she got invited to her birthday party. We added a special soldered charm necklace for her and put it inside the pouch. Instead of a key ring, we added a large lobster claw on the side so that she can hook it on her belt loop when she takes it out with her.

a stash bag

Awhile ago I got a special bag in the mail from Dana at Made. It has become a perfect bag to carry in my purse where I can keep a treat or two just for me. Although, the fish on the front give it away and the kids know they can probably find some Swedish Fish in there. I thought that my friends might need some candy stash bags of their own. I made a few and this is the one I made for my friend Sara who has recently moved to Philly. I filled it with her favorites - dark chocolate. The pouch is just big enough to carry a few treats, but not too big that you might overload it (but, is that really a bad thing?). I followed the directions from Noodleheads's blog for the Lil Cutie Pouch and just beefed up the size a bit and eliminated the tab for the key ring. Oh, and I lined the outside fabric with fusible medium weight lining just to make sure it can hold all that chocolate and not collapse!

my very first bound quilt

I am a bit sad that I don't have a photo of it right out of the dryer. You see...I finished it the day of the baby shower and took photos before I put it in the washer and dryer. I didn't get it pulled out until a few minutes before I left for the shower that night. I loved how it looked after it had been dried. The front fabrics are a combination of fabric left from outfits I have made for Mallory in the past. The back is fabric I picked up at a flea market a few years ago. I like that color combination is made up of both new and vintage fabric. I got so excited that I finally overcame my fear of binding a quilt that I have already started a new one for another little baby girl!

a personalized charm for a friend

I have a friend who was able to go to Paris with her husband for their 17th anniversary. For some reason (I think she lost her camera while there) she doesn't have any photos from the trip. So, for her birthday, I made her this charm necklace as a reminder of her special vacation.

dog applique

I am really not much of a dog person (so sorry), but I do enjoy drawing them and turning them in to appliques. I think they look so cute on clothes for baby boys. So, maybe I am a dog person...just in clothing! Here is a onesie I made for a new baby boy for my friend and neighbor. If there is any interest in the applique pattern, I can draw it and put it in google docs. Just let me know.

a few summer skirts

I have been in the mood to sew recently. Plus, I want to use up my fabric stash. I had a clear a space upstairs in order to do it, but for a few simple skirts, it was worth it.

First, she wanted a skirt with a blue jay on it (just a blue bird) and that was easy. I think I made it about the main part of the skirt 15" and then added a 4" band at the bottom to applique the blue jay on. The bird applique is from this pattern.


Next I made a few from Dana's Simple Skirt tutorial. I made both double layered. I love them both, but am especially fond of the red, white, and blue one with bias tape. Perfect for the 4th of July.

shop update

I have been working on some new soldered jewelry and have updated my etsy shop. There are new Patriotic/4th of July charms, initial charms, Coca Cola charms, and some new Paris/New York charms too. All charm purchases come with 24" nickel ball chains as well.