This is the time of year when these pretty little creatures start whizzing around from flower to flower in search of nectar.

I find them so incredibly magical. I was able to capture images of them at the Sonora Desert Museum on Mother’s day. I had seen a couple in our yard when I was trying to think of an animal to embroider for Michelle’s button swap, and decided they would be perfect.

I made an extra button for Michelle, and thought that she might need a place to keep all of her pretty embroidered buttons, so I made her this little button box.

They arrived to her in the mail already and she is happily keeping her buttons tucked away in this box. Thanks Michelle for hosting yet another great swap!

Oh, I almost forgot. I made three extra buttons with the intention of giving them away. I added a dab of blue colored glue stick to keep the fabric from moving when assembling them and the blue never went away, so I drew little blue flowers & clouds with an art marker to try to cover the spots. What do you think? Does anyone want one? Leave a comment and I’ll pick three different people on Friday.

It’s been a bit of a disturbing day. The very kind, Farruska, brought it to my attention today that someone has stolen some of my tutorial pictures and uploaded them on a flickr account as their own. There are other photos on this account that belong to another blogger as well (I have notified her). Who knows what else has been stolen. This just infuriates me that someone would steal my tutorial pictures that I worked so hard on.

At first, I thought that this person just doesn’t understand copyright infringement, but the photos that were stolen from the other blogger had been very obviously cropped to remove copyright marks. I wrote an email to this violator and to Yahoo Copyright. What also irks me is that this violator person put my photos in a whole bunch of pools/groups.

So, I have no other choice than to protect all of my work with a watermark, which I had been avoiding, only because it would add extra time & work. I have used these photos as testers. Now I know,that these watermarks could be easily cropped off, but I am just unsure of how big and how much I should be distracting from the craft itself. I am most definitely going to plaster my watermark on my tutorial pics, smack dab in the middle. What do you think is best as far as watermarks?

***deeeeep breath*** Anyway, what I really wanted to share today, was the lunchbox tote that I made for Oh Fransson’s Lunchbox Swap. It’s a simple little bag with a drawstring top, a bit of patchwork and a little bird appliqué pocket. I really tried to make it based on the recipient’s color likes and blogged preferences, which was still hard, especially since I don’t know this person. I hope she likes it.

I added a few thing inside, like a food container, water bottle and handmade notecards.

I received my lunchbox a couple of weeks ago and have been planning to post about it, but I can’t seem to remember to take a photo of it until after dark. So, you can see it in the following links instead. It is the most beautiful lunchbox with gorgeous hand embroidery and lots of inside pockets & goodies. Susan, was so incredibly thoughtful and generous. She even sent some recipes, including 30-minute Red Lentil Soup, which I made the other day for dinner. It was fantastic!! Coconut milk made it incredibly rich and creamy. We devoured every little bit. Thank you Susan. I love it all!!

I guess I’ve been in a stamping mood lately. I made these sometime last week as “thanks yous” for my swap paticipants.

I really like being able to use several different stamps for layering.

The front of the bookmark has a house, bird, paisley and swirls and the back has the upside down queen with pigtails (that I drew in).

I think Super-E and I will be collaborating on bookmarks for his class mates at the end of the school year. He can draw up the images he likes, I’ll carve them out and then let him stamp away.

This weekend though, we I get to work on an Egyptian costume for a play that he’ll be in for school. Fun!

I realized late this morning that we are having a baby shower at work tomorrow for a co-worker. So, guess what I spent the day doing……

Soft booties, a bib and two freezer-paper-stenciled onesies all tucked nicely into a matching bag for the mommy. I made THIS bag for the same person over a year ago and she has been hinting, ever so slyly, that she would like a pink one, so there it is. Pink and lots of it.

I think this is the 5th (?) time I’ve made this little baby set. It has become my signature baby gift. I will be making a boy one (finally, someone has had a boy!!) very soon.

You can find tutorial links on how to make this set and lots of other baby goodness in the following posts.

* Bibs Galore & using single-fold bias tape

* Baby Gift Set with bag

* More bib sets and randomness

* Big Baby Package for my friends

Also, check out some great onesie inspiration HERE!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!!!

First you have to see what my baby I-guy painted yesterday with his memaw (my mom). He only needed a wee bit of help with eyes, beaks and legs. These are so precious to me. His art is starting to take shape and become something other than a brown puddle of mixed up colors. I couldn’t be more proud.

(for memories sake, from left to right, a rainbow, grasshopper, orange, strawberry, chick, horse, sheep and humpty dumpty)

These beautiful embroidered beauties are dish towels given to me and made by my mother. Eight of them! They are so needed, but they will be so hard to use. They are gorgeous!!

Tomorrow, I will share something that I spent all day making.

Do you have small kids? Do you have this CD/DVD? You HAVE to get it!! It totally ROCKS!!! Really it does, unlike no other kid’s music I’ve heard. Being an old They Might Be Giants fan may help a wee bit, but I really don’t think so. It’s the kind of music that you don’t mind too much that your kids are listening to over, and over, and over again. You might even find yourself singing it at work or at the store. The kids love it too! It comes with both a cd and dvd which is great for when one gets destroyed, the other will (hopefully) still exist and be in playing condition. A special thanks to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Chris for this gift. It’s a definite hit!!

This was made a few weeks back for my super-I’s birthday gift. I’m in the process of making a blue one for his brother who has to have one too, of course. It’s sorta inspired by one I saw on Mahar Dry Goods. Super-I loves his monster towel. It keeps him nice and warm after getting out of the tub.

Don’t forget to sign up for my notecard swap . You have until Sunday, March 16th!  THIS swap looks fun too.  Check it out!

This illustration (for illustration friday, word: choose) represents my younger self and my younger husband (15 years younger). I think I chose him, he thinks he chose me, but really it was instantly mutual. And honey, I’ll always choose you because I can’t imagine anyone else making me laugh as much, making me as happy or loving me as much as you do. (Now, you didn’t think I’d make it through an entire Valentines day post without a little bit of sap did you?)

And these are for my little guys. I had a craft date with a new friend today (we had so much fun) and I made the one on the left. When I got home I made the one on the right which is on a different type of cardboard so it looks a bit brighter.

These were the responses from my little guys:

Super-E: “Thanks Mom, it’s cool” Turns around and walks off. (what do ya expect, he’s 6)

I-guy: “Thanks mommy!!! I love it, I love it, I love it!!” while twirling around and looking at it lovingly. Wow, didn’t expect that kind of supreme cuteness! We immediately headed into their room and hung these up by their beds.

The night wasn’t complete without heart shaped pasta for dinner and wacky cake for dessert (recipe courtesy Pink Chalk Studio) Thanks Kathy, it was soooo good!

Hope everyone had a love filled Valentines Day!

Like I said in my last post, my two little guys are like two totally different creatures.  Super-E loves constant interaction (boy can he talk!).  So you can imagine how great it is to give him something that will keep him quietly busy and keep his mind buzzing with ideas.  He loves drawing (oh! how I love this) and he loves making stories, so naturally he needed a creative notebook.

I had meant to embroider his name on the front, but time quickly escaped from me.

Inside: a space for scrap paper, pencils and a Star Wars notebook.  The recycled paper notebook had a plain cover that I covered with this printout.

The other side has a pocket for handmade paper books and more scrap paper.

He just couldn’t be more pleased with his notebook.  He carries it around wherever he goes, just in case he has a really great idea he needs to right down.

My I-guy is kinda hard to give gifts too, because he really doesn’t need much. He will very happily play by himself, with whatever he finds, for long periods of time. He is so different from my first guy. I finally decided on felt food which ended up being perfect for him and it goes perfectly with the play dish set that Grandma C gave him. The colorful dish set is Austrian made and fits his cute little hands just right.

To kinda go with the felt food are these little sock puppets made from two odd socks. I had to make these because whenever I-guy would find a stray sock (dirty or clean) he would shove his arm in and play puppet. Now he has two (one to share with his brother) whom he named Roxy and Ruby, complete with eyes nose and mouth. Maybe now, he’ll leave the stray socks alone.

Roxy and Ruby love feasting on salad with carrots and tomatoes, pancakes, mandarin oranges and an assortment of yummy cookies. I already have special requests to make strawberries, cherries and watermelon.

This little Christmas Mouse is making his way to Great Grandma Glennys.  She is always saying that a little mouse must’ve been eating her cookies (cake or other goodies) when they are running low.  She, of course, is the real little mouse, but Super-E thought this little yellow guy could keep her company while they munch away on all sorts of sweets.

These were such a treat to sew up (the original pattern HERE) that another one appeared shortly after the first.  Then right after that, a certain little I-guy came in my room demanding a bed too.  I know a third little mouse will need to be made and quite possibly a forth (filled with catnip for kitty).