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!!!!!

I got a great night’s sleep and feel much better today, even if it was the dreaded food shopping day, which ended up being not so bad once I threw a little craft shopping in too.  What makes food shopping even better is the company of my I-guy.  He is very patient and sweet and I can talk to him the whole time about what to buy and who is bugging us (ie; the unpleasant cashier at sunflower market).  So he makes it much, much better.

I saw yummy strawberries at the market today and knew exactly what to do with them once I came home, and suddenly strawberry pie (recipe HERE) was at the top of the list of things to do today. I also made pita chips (from left-over pita bread) and creamy vegan dip with fresh organic dill.  YUM!  So, even though I did zero crafting, We all ate some very yummy food, which is just as good in my book.

I also bought these patterns ($0.99 at JoAnns) and that feels good too.  Yep, having patterns pile up in a stack of high expectations is a great feeling.  Okay, I’m being very sarcastic, but someday I will conquer and have new capri pants, a jacket and lots of custom shirts. Ha!

I don’t know what got into me yesterday, but all I could do was make this little box. I was obsessed. I did have a few minor interuptions, like taking Super-E to School, picking him up, making meals, showering, a work meeting, ya know, that daily life stuff.  I’d finish up these minor little set backs, and run back to this little box.  Thank goodness my mom was here to entertain the kids.

It all started with THIS video by etsy lab, which progressed to trying to figure out how to make it out of fabric and with a smaller lid.   After fiddling around with several pieces of paper, I finally got the pattern for this pretty little box.

What is it for you ask?  I have no idea.  A gift, earrings,  buttons maybe.  I’m really not sure why I made it, I just knew I had to and I had to do it NOW.  Now that it is done, I’m feeling much more calm and satisfied. Funny how crafting whims do that.

I’m running out of time now, but if anyone is interested, I can give instructions for this. You could totally figure it out on your own if you watched the video, but I added a few things and made some minor adjustments to the lid.  Anyway, just let me know in the comments.

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!

You know about this? Handmade Parade’s Vintage Pillowcase Challenge? I saw it a while back and had forgot all about it, until I was reminded by this amazing entry(!!!) and I became totally distracted with this challenge. I knew right away that I was making a sun hat (you have to have a good one if you are going to live in Southern AZ!) only, I didn’t have a pattern. I searched the web, and couldn’t find anything I liked. So, I spent the entire day, messing around with circles, bandwidths, circumferences, diameters and pi!!! Boy did I ever flex that mathematical brain muscle!! Ouch!!

After I got, what I thought was the perfect pattern, I cut out my pieces only to find out that they weren’t sewing up perfectly like my mock pieces had!!! I have no clue how that happened, but I re-worked it a bit (actually a lot) and am pleased. It’ll be good for our morning hikes and for keeping the glaring sun at bay. I also dipped my pillowcase in tea to tone it down a bit. It was a bright white before.

I’m totally going to wear it too! It’s loads better than the ill-fitting one that I’ve been wearing for the last several years.

I used a standard size, thrifted, vintage pillowcase for the outside and lining, a double layer of interfacing for the brim, tea for a tea soak, and a wee bit of thrifted lace.

Remember all those neckties a bought a while back? I made this out of one. Well, I’m still working on other things to do with these ties and came up with these flower brooches. I took a few apart and used the fabric to make them. They are even prettier in person and are in my shop now, in case you are interested.

I’m still working on other things to make with all my neckties and I’ll be showing you that this week (hopefully). I’m thinking I can make 3-4 things with just one tie, you’ll see. That is how handy an old tie can be. Who’da thunk!

These are the cards I made for my 3 winners. They are carved linoleum stamps on a pretty speckled recycled paper cardstock. I had tried different colors of ink, but the black seemed to work best.

I also have had 3 half-finished pincushions lying around my craft room for a while, and finally decided to finish them up today. I made little heart straight pins for them and I think they add the perfect touch. They are polymer clay shaped around the ends of straight pins then baked. A nice simple and fun little project to do while juggling the sad woes of my three sick guys.

The three pincushions are in my shop, since I won’t be doing that little craft show this weekend with my new group, Sonoran Artisans. This is all I’ve been able to make all week and it would look pretty sad having three little cushions on a table for a craft show.  Aw, well. There will be more shows I am sure.  I will definitely go visit the group to see what they’ve got.  Better to meet them first anyway,rather then jump in head first, I think.

I love February, it’s the romantic in me I guess. I love the hearts, the red and pinkish hues and all pretty things that are made around this time.

This is a Valentine Fairy–she brings the promise of love and happiness. She is a close relative to cupid and keeps a watchful eye for sparks of love. (I watched Amelie last night,can you tell? Oooo, la la!)

She is made by stamping onto fabric and then embellishing with lots of pretties. She will have a string near her crown to hang her any where you’d like.

Do you want her? You can have her by simply leaving a comment on this post. I will draw one name on February 5th at 6pm (you can comment up until then). You will get this, a couple of handmade valentines and some other goodies. There will be more winner(s) of smaller valentines, depending on how many comments I get. So you can delurk now and say hi!

More of these are in the process of being made for my little Feb. 10th show in town and for my Etsy shop.

Thank you for all you do to keep me inspired and creating!

I had an old bag that I’d been using for work for the past 3 years of my nursing career and for other things the few years before. It’s a canvas messenger bag with nylon lining. It could still be a good bag (and we’ll probably still use it for other things) but it is heavier than it should be with all its inside pockets and the lining is tearing inside which means that things go in and don’t come out. I’ve been dying to make a new bag from Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing and finally made this one. It couldn’t be more perfect for work.

It’s made from vintage “mambo” bark cloth that I thrifted a while back for probably a dollar or two. I’ve seen it on-line for almost $20 per yard–yikes! Talk about a steal for me! I really dig the pattern and colors. I don’t think I could have picked a better bag for this fabric, no?

Here is a peek inside:

See the cute little robot button? It was made by Michelle. Another button from her embroidery button swap. I know she is planning for another swap soon. I will post about it as soon as she announces round two (uhm, no pressure Michelle). Come to think of it, I think I said I would do a notecard swap as well. Soon…soon.

***disclaimer: I’ve been thinking about my last few posts and thought it looked kinda bad that I’m touting the green way and The Story of Stuff and then showing off a new camera. Let me just say, that I don’t make purchases like this often and there is no perfect “green angel”. We can only do our best to make better choices and do what makes us truly happy. Sorry, just had to say that.

20 reasons why my birthday was so wonderful + 10 of my favorite things + 6 things I’d like to do this year = 36 things about me.

36. Daddy came home Friday from Dallas, to relieve me from a long hard week alone with sick kids.
35. I felt much better Saturday morning, after having fevers, chills and aches on Friday night.
34. Perfect weather all weekend–sunny, clear, warm.
33. Wore a new shirt that I made and love. It’s the famous Built by Wendy pattern #3835. I opted for the longer sleeves with the ties.

32. Went downtown on Saturday to explore.
31. Used my wonderful new camera that I got a week ago from my hubby and took lots of pictures (more on that later).
30. Ate lots of kettle corn and roasted corn on the cob at Dillinger Days festivities.
29. Ate out for lunch with the kids!!!(a rarity) at a pretty outdoor restaurant.
28. I-guy had the whole staff at the restaurant singing witch doctor.
27. Bought some excellent hand ointment for my mommy/nurse working hands.
26. Made chocolate cake with the guys and ate a whole lot of it for dinner.
25. Woke up on Sunday morning to Rock lobster and handmade gifts by super E.
24. Went on a beautiful hike.
23. Saw an enormous Saguaro cactus.
22. Ate chocolate cake for lunch (yum!)
21. Our friend Tim baby sat for us.
20. Went on a date with my hubby, the first in a loooooonnnngggg time (another rarity).
19. We went to see Juno. I highly recommend. Excellent soundtrack too!
18. Went out to dinner and had a delicious vegan dinner.
17. Had uninterrupted conversation with my husband for over an hour!

Favorites:
16. tea: Ambrosia White Plum
15. food: vegan pesto
14. song 1: I feel it all
13. song 2: True Affection
12. color1: Turquoise
11. color2: Orange
10. feel: Soft baby feet
9. sound: The kids laughing
8. scents: Baked bread and cinnamon
7. chocolate: Dagoba Xocolatl

Things I must do this year
6. Finish fixing up our money pit of a house!
5. Grow our garden– start in April
4. Start a compost by spring.
3. Take the Lactation Certification Exam in July.
2. Exercise daily.
1. Meditate daily.

Well, oddly enough, I am totally sick again. Apparently my body decided to give me a break for my birthday weekend but we were back on schedule with the fevers, chills, coughing, and aches by Monday morning. I am determined to feel much better by tomorrow!