Thrifty me!

Okay, so I realize two things...1. I am not very good at remembering to take the time to sit down and blog about what I've done and 2. I suppose that this makes it look like I accomplish nothing. Not true. Really, it isn't. :)

Anyway, I did these pants of Little Bit's so long ago, but I never got around to taking a picture and posting them, though I am so incredibly proud of myself for them.





First of all, I got the pants (actually THREE pairs of pants, two jeans and one kind of parachute pants material khakis) for 10 cents a piece at a yard sale!!! I so love good finds like that. The only thing wrong with them....holes in the knees. Naturally. What kid doesn't wear holes in the knees of their pants??? But I'm looking at them, and inspiration struck. I thought, "Hey, I can put patches over them, and they'll be good to at least wear to play in, so I won't have to worry about her messing up her good ones outside in the back yard..." That was the plan, then I got the patches and more inspiration struck. "Hey, what if I cut the patches into cute shapes and embellish with embroidery?" Is it wrong to like her play clothes more than her "nice" ones???

Anyway, she loves them, and I got away paying only about $2 a pair for them. (Though the khakis were fine, only missing a button, I think, and needed no such attention). She esp. likes THIS pair in the pics, because of the little bird. I admit it, though, I like it, too. She and I kind of have this weird thing for birds. Go figure. For Christmas, she picked out a blank journal with a bird on a branch on the cover. I, of course, LOVE it. (I would have loved anything she picked out, but dang it, if the girl doesn't have taste!) :)

So, not a very festive post, but at least I managed to get something up for the month of December. :)

Happy New Year all!

You have to try this!!!

Thanks to Amy Karol at her angry chicken blog site, I found this cool little website that lets you take clothes, shoes, etc. and mix and match them to make your own little wardrobe combination. Polyvore VERY ADDICTIVE, just as she warned it would be. Well, here it is...a piece of my wishful closet, though technically, I do have some things that look like some of this stuff... Actually, it's a pretty darn good representation of how I dress...

Lori's closet by celtic19 featuring J Crew

Some of it, of course, I will never be able to afford...the boots are over a thousand dollars!!! Yeah, right. But some other things, like the J.Crew shorts are actually rather affordable (on sale!). Really neat! You have to try this!

New Dress and Late Night Marshmallows

Here is the other dress I finally finished for Little Bit. I love the wooden buttons in the back...though I should have made sure she had it on straight before I snapped the photo...really, it's straight! She just wiggles around a LOT. LOL Now, save a few pairs of play pants, she's pretty much done for Fall, so that's good. Now I can get on to making those Christmas presents. But she likes the dress. I asked her which one she liked best, this one or the green one, to which she replied, "I like both of them. I like all the dresses you make for me, mama." To which, I beamed, appropriately. Ah, nothing like the praise of your children to give you an instant self-esteem boost. :)



Yes, this is me (pardon the poor photography)...roasting marshmallows over my stove. Sigh. I think I need camping therapy. LOL Of course, it was my HUSBAND who got the idea to do this for a snack last night, who also got the idea to use our bamboo kabob skewers to roast them on (forks get hot...) It took every ounce I had not to bring out the chocolate and graham crackers, too... Mmmmmm....smores.... And so then I start in on this tirade about how we really need to go camping, this fall/winter. In a cabin, of course. I don't really trust tents with very small children...afraid they'll just up and leave in the middle of the night...not to mention there's nowhere to "put" them to keep them from running off. They're too young to "obey" when you say "stop!" "come back!" but they're too old (and too big) to be content in a play yard or something. Of course, it wouldn't be half as hard if they're weren't TWO. That makes a HUGE difference, esp. when they almost always run off in OPPOSITE directions. And you can only run one way at once... You know, I bet that's what they're talking about at night in their beds...plotting how best to escape. LOL Funny thing is, I could see that...

Chocolate Owls

I love Halloween. I mean, REALLY love Halloween. There's just something about it that really gets me happy. Part of it is the weather. I am totally a FALL girl, so I love bright plump pumpkins and brilliantly colored leaves everywhere. I love the crunch it makes when you walk on them, the cool breeze blowing. Blue jean weather, I call it. And I love it!!! Add to that my love of dressing up I've had since a kid and an unsatiable addiction to all things chocolate, and you can see how this is an amazingly fun holiday for me. :) I generally decorate the whole house, though I've had to scale back now that I have small children...hard to put out breakables when you have a little boy who thinks he's supposed to throw everything. But still, it's just so much FUN!!! And one more thing I enjoy...making treats. :) There's just something about fall weather that sets me in baking mode, and I want to make EVERYTHING. Not a great thing when you're on a diet, but very hard to fight this baking urge I get...which is why we had cupcakes at 10:00 at night two nights ago...

And though it isn't baking, I have found a new fun pasttime in making chocolate lollipops for the kids. Little Bit LOVES them. I have to limit her, else she eat the whole batch in one sitting!!! (That's my girl! She gets it honest!!!) But I was quite happy with how they turned out, esp. since I forgot to buy a paint brush to do the little details... oops. Still, they turned out rather nice, and very tasty! And super easy to do, really! I'm going to have to get some turkey molds or something for next month, though I suppose owls can be a whole fall thing, hmm?

New Dress

I had ordered this material a while back, (It's from the Chocolate Lollipop line from Anna Maria Horner--Love her!) and Little Bit fell madly in love with it and wanted a dress made out of it, so here it is, her very own creation, though I picked the pattern. I did have to add a strip to the bottom, however, to make up for the fact that she grew a lot since I cut it out...my own fault...I think it was March or April when I cut the thing out. I shouldn't have waited so long to get it sewn up! But she loves it. And it suits her. It really does.

Hoot!

I love owls. Oddly so, but there's just something about a cute, round, little fat owl, that just gets me. :) And I have a thing for birds anyway...except parrots. I actually hate parrots. They really freak me out... But I digress.

Anyway, last year I made Little Bit a little owl appliqued hoodie that she fell immediately in love with and was very sad when she outgrew it, so I promised to make her another one. And here it is. THIS year's version of the owl hoodie. I have a feeling I might be making these yearly for the next few years at least. LOL I changed it up a bit this year, letting her pick out the colors for the most part and adding a little fingernail moon in the "sky." I wondered about stars, but I think I would only get mad at all the little sharp turns and points, so I'll just wait on those...maybe next year. :) Anyway, she's quite happy with it, so then, so am I.




By the way, have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my new sewing machine???

Totally Unrelated Pictures

Okay, so here's a peek into what's going on in my life. First, I'm still working on fall things for my brood, and here's a picture of Little Bit's crocheted purse I made for her a bit back(I made a bigger one for me that consequently matches NOTHING I own...shrug). Naturally, she keeps it stuffed with crayons and tiny stuffed animals and other things that are much too big and heavy and are causing it to pull to much on the strap. Naturally. :)

And then here's a couple pictures of the only thing left growing in my garden, though it's still going strong...so far... If only we could have consistent rain... But anyway, here's my okra, of which I'm quite proud, even if there's not a whole lot of it. Still, it's growing and doing well, and that's something...

And then, finally, a nice picture of yesterday evening's snack...chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. :) Yum! Think they look good? They tasted even better, I promise!!! They're so soft and chewy, and the chocolate stayed all soft and melty. Yum... Why don't I make these more often??? I really don't know. Of course, Jason just complains "I like raisins better...You should have made raisin ones..." Grumble, grumble. Some people just don't know what's good. :)

Easiest Shirt EVER!

I just finished making this shirt for Little Bit (out of some scraps from one I cut out for myself, no less--so practically a freebie, there), and I LOVE it. It has got to be the easiest shirt ever! Took me (not counting cut out time) maybe thirty minutes to make, and that's counting in the time it took to thread all the elastic through, which everyone knows can be a pain at times. Anyway, I was so happy with this pattern, I just had to share. :) Definately gonna' be more like this sometime soon. I have the perfect crinkly cotton/gauze just waiting for a good pattern, and this is it!

(note...the bottom's not crooked, just the way she's standing and it's flow-y fabric...)

Remembering

Well, Little Bit's birthday is coming up. I can't believe she's actually going to be FIVE!!!! Where did the time go??? Seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital...I still remember the ride home, and that weird feeling I got when we walked in the door of our tiny little one bedroom apartment, gazing at that tiny little perfect person still sitting, asleep, in her carseat and thinking, "Okay, I'm a mama...Now what do I do?!" LOL And Merlin crept up next to where her carseat sat, so he could smell her. He wasn't very impressed one way or another...though he did later start sleeping under her bassinet like he was guarding her. I remember how even though they told me she couldn't see more than a few inches from her face, she could watch her mobile and move her eyes and head to follow the little animals as they spun around and around. She LOVED it. I remember, too, how I couldn't sleep with her in the same room as I was, because she was such a loud sleeper, and I jumped up like I was shot every sound she made (so much for MY deep sleeping!) I remember a few weeks later, when she slept though the night, one week less than two months old, and I just about had a heart attack, to realize I'd slept that long and she hadn't woken me! I remember how she HATED baby cereal, and I later discovered, pretty much ALL baby food, in general. I remember how she stopped taking her pacie as soon as she realized she couldn't get food out of it. And how she's ALWAYS loved milk, even to this day. In fact, she wouldn't even let you turn it chocolate until just a few months ago. She's a purist, what can I say? LOL I remember rocking her to sleep EVERY night as I sang to her. I remember how after she started talking, every animal, two legged or four, was a dog. And when she started calling them by their real names, Rhino somehow became "Nano." I remember, too, how when she got older, we discovered she LOVED to drink water, and later, still, root beer, still a personal favorite of us both. I remember every little pair of shoes I've bought her, every jacket, every sweater. And I still have them all, packed up in hopes that one day I might get one more sweet baby girl, and eventually make her (or them) a baby quilt out of them. I remember her first word was Mama, and she used to say it over and over and over, and I never got tired of hearing it. I remember how when she started crawling, she could only go in reverse and how cute (and annoying) it was, esp. when she got "stuck" against a wall and would scream, thinking she was stuck there forever. I remember her Peek-a-Blocks and Roll-a-rounds, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Blue's Clues (now the boys' favorite show...). Oh, there are just so many memories. I could go on and on and on forever, I think. But for now, I will stop, and look at the little owl I made her, and smile, happily reminded of so many "happies" she has brought into my life. Who knew a little pile of wool could bring on so many memories?

Jewelry!

I am very proud of myself...one, for adding to my etsy listings with new bracelets, but also, (and a little embarrassedly...) for learning how to use my camera to take close up shots. :) I'd taken forever to list this jewelry for that very reason...all my pictures were so far away to be in focus that you couldn't even tell any details. So, what was the point in even paying to list it, I figured. But now you can see them! I mean, I'm no photographer, but I think they turned out rather nice, and I'm happy with them, at any rate. :)

Now, my goal for this coming week...clothes. Me and my daughter and the boys. Lots of clothes to sew up and start getting ready for this fall (and birthdays...)

New Tunic

So, I finished a tunic/shirt I had in mind for this fall. It's officially called a "summer" tunic (from Heather Ross's book, Weekend Sewing), but I'm assuming she didn't have Florida summers in mind. It will be perfect for this fall, however, when the evenings start to get a little chilled. As well as I think it did turn out (and it's super comfortable), I think it would look a little better in a slightly thinner fabric. I'm worried this one was just a hair too stiff to flow just right. I'd been worried about that when I cut it out, but it's very soft, and I got it on sale, so I thought I'd give it a go. You just hate to try a brand new pattern on your expensive stuff FIRST, before you know if you like the way it will turn out, you know? Anyway, it's a pretty simple pattern. Shouldn't have any trouble turning out about two or three more of them. :) I've already got the fabric lined up and waiting, one of which I've had for over a year, staring at me while I wondered what to do with it. It's a thin gauzy-like material, but very Bohemian looking with brown and greens...very pretty. I can't wait to see how it will turn out. I'll let you know... (By the way, let me also apologize for my lack of self-photography skills...or proper lighting...)

New Skirt

I'm working on getting some late summer/fall clothes made up for me and the kids. I finally finished skirt # 2 for Little Bit. Only had it cute out for over a month, I think. LOL I think it looks quite cute with her little tank top, or with tights and a long sleeve tee for this fall. :) I just love versatility. :) Here she is, modeling it for me, though I had to keep telling her to "stand normal" instead of posing. (Though I did capture of few of those for me and the grandparents, of course.)

Repurposed Shirt

Okay, so Amy Karol has so completely got me addicted to cutting up my t-shirts to make thin little summery cardigans! I've always been fascinated and even tempted to repurpose/refashion some of my old clothes...and especially t-shirts, but I just didn't know where to start, and it's hard when you think..."Well, what if it doesn't turn out right???" But this is sooooo super easy! Check it out here. This is my second one...I'll have to post a pic of my first. It's actually my favorite. :) And to top it off, J. Crew has in their web shop a cardigan made EXACTLY like this, except with some added chiffon ruffled trim...hmm...I may have to try that...

New Quilt and Ugly Muffins

I am happy to say I finished another baby quilt for my etsy shop, though I think my next one will be bigger, more throw-sized and more versatile, though it will likely be a while before I make another quilt for my shop. I have a project I need to finish up for a friend of mine, then some little things for myself and my daughter. I've been so busy with my shop, I'm a bit behind on the personal stuff. But I worked on a little skirt for her today, and I should get it finished, Lord willing, tomorrow.

As to the muffins, I tried a new blueberry muffin recipe. And though I must say, they aren't the prettiest-looking muffins--no nice rounded top like the sweet potato cranberry ones I make have (and I've made them twice now, with the same results, so I think it's just the recipe...), they are by far the BEST-TASTING muffins I've ever eaten! Man, are they good! Basically, like eating blueberry cake. :) They have a lot of butter and sugar, too, so that's probably why. :) So, not really a health food option, but definately tasty! Hmm...perhaps I should go have another one...

I Can Can!

I'm happy to say that my canning endeavor was successful! I had a slew of apples that were going to go bad, and I'd been wanting to start canning...hopefully a lot when my garden is ready to harvest...so I thought I'd try my hand at it, and I have four beautiful quarts and one pint to show for last night's efforts. :) I was very VERY pleased with it, and I can't wait to get to the farmer's market. I need more apples. :)

One of those days...

I was so happy with myself. I had finally got up the energy to go in my sewing room and finish this baby quilt for etsy that I've had pieced together for weeks now. And so here I have finished quilting it, and I sewed the binding together, ironed it, and started sewing it on...so imagine how sick I felt to realize that I had cut the binding too short. (grumble, grumble) So, needless to say, I haven't finished it, yet. I DO have some more of that fabric, thank goodness, but still... I was so close. Grumble, grumble...

So, apparently, I will spend the afternoon cutting stuff out, as I hate to pull out the cutting mat and everything for just one little thing. So, I guess I'll be cutting out a few things today. Well, at least that's still productive...

I'll post a picture of my quilt if I ever get it finished. :)

Eat at Joe's!

I always loved that part in the old cartoons, when the cat would get electricuted by the mouse, and his eyes would light up as a sign lit up over his head saying "Eat at Joe's!" So, when we moved here, and we saw a Joe's Crab Shack, I thought. "Oh! I have to eat at Joe's!"

But circumstances have kept us from there time and time again, naturally. So, the other day, with company in town, we needed a place to eat. So, I suggested we eat there. "At Joe's!" Now, if you've never actually been to a Joe's Crab Shack....Well, let me explain.

I have to go change the boys, naturally. Anyone knows that with a baby in tow (esp. with two in tow), you have to stop and do this a LOT. And my dear husband offered to take one for me, to ease my load, but when I get back from changing baby #1, he informs me that there is no changing table in the men's room. (Remind me to gripe on this later...how there is NEVER a changing table in the men's room or usually not at ALL at fast food joints! Modern and fair world my butt!) But anyway, so I go to change baby #2, and while I'm in there the music gets suddenly much lounder and switches to "I will survive." (I will leave out the part how we were alone in the rest room, so I started singing this song to my 22 month old...) But imagine my surprise when we leave the restroom only to discover that random people and all the servers are LINE DANCING!!!! I was like, "OH....uh...okay..." as I made it back to my table (on the complete other side of the restaurant...I had to dodge dancing servers on the way...) When I got to the table, I was informed that baby #1 had been staring at them oddly the whole time, like "What on earth is that man doing???" LOL But, yeah, every fifteen/twenty minutes or so, they break out in dance, and some of them get into it! There was one guy out at the patio who was breaking down, let me tell you! And the whole time, I'm thinking, "Wow! What a fun place to work! Theresa would love it here!" LOL

It's nice when fun things happen when you're so completely not expecting them. :)

So, if you get the chance, remember to EAT AT JOE'S!

(Note: there were no cartoon cats injured in the writing of this post.)

Sick...

I hate being sick. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a complete germiphobe because I hate it so much. I mean, I know no one likes it, but I dread it like the plauge, literally. LOL And that's partly because I seldom get the sniffles or a little cough. No, usually when I get sick, it's the bubonic plague all over again. I am the only person I know of who had chicken pox AND strep throat at the same time, and I had fever so long and so high once as a kid that it pitted my baby teeth. Thankfully, I'm not sick very often. At least there is that.

But now some bug has attacked our house, and now three of the five are infected...and, naturally, I'm one of them. sigh.

I hate being sick.

A Few of My Favorites...

1. What is your favorite home-cooked meal? Hmm...hard one for me, really. But I'd probably have to go with chicken and dressing or fried pork chops with mashed potatoes and country gravy and peas.
2. What is your favorite meal to order in? Pizza. Definately pizza. Either cheese or Ham and Pineapple if I feel adventurous. LOL
3. Where's your favorite restaurant? Hmm...Either Cracker Barrel or Mellow Mushroom. I'm not big on the fancy-type restaurants. I'm more of a pizza place kind of girl. LOL
4. What's your favorite thing to wear (0utfit)? Hmm...in summer, my J.Crew khaki shorts and my new black J.Crew t-shirt with either my Birks or my J.Crew flipflops (I am such a J.Crew girl!), probably. In fall/winter, my AE jeans a t-shirt, and one of my three Gap cardigans and my Timberlands.
5. What's your favorite pasttime? Hmm...Probably sewing or writing, depending on my mood.
6. Describe your favorite day? Hmm...me sitting at the desk in the middle of a writing spurt, while it thunders and pours outside all day long. Or hiking in the cool, crisp fall evening...that's nice, too.
7. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies...and brownies. : )
8. What is your favorite piece of jewelry (besides a wedding ring)? That's hard...either my silver Celtic Cross or my silver Claddagh ring. I got both in England.
9. What is your favorite music style? Again, so hard. I love bluegrass...makes me feel like home. :) But I probably listen to more rock, pop than anything.
10. What is your favorite sound? Birds chirping in the morning, crickets at night, and I so love the sound of rain. :) Ooo..and windchimes.
11. What is your favorite smell? Oranges. :)
12. What is your favorite drink? Homemade Raspberry Lemonade. :)

Eye Candy

I just love pretty things. Bright colors and pretty patterns in fabric, glass beads that catch the light and sparkle... So, I made up a bunch of these little "pretties." I took them to the craft fair, and I've slowly started adding some of them to my etsy shop, but I just can't decide about these ponytail holders, in particular. They're just so adorable! And to see them in Little Bit's gorgeous hair...well, I just can't decide if they would serve us better in my shop or in her little hairclip jar in her bathroom. LOL And it doesn't help that she's just as hooked by eye candy as I am. Of course, I can always make more...for her or the shop or whatever... LOL I've already started making her a set of varying colored bracelets...so she can match everything. She's big into matching. Actually, she's kind of funny, my Little Bit. She's pretty much straight down the middle of girl and tom boy. While, she's NOT a little princess (and will tell you so, outright, if you try and call her that...), she's also not boy-ish (unless you count her love of trucks...). She wants to play in the dirt, is in love with airplanes and big trucks, and is louder than a locomotive when she gets going....BUT.... she also loves to match and wear pretty dresses (not frilly, mind you), and she has the tenderest heart of gold. As far as I'm concerned, she's taken the bost of best worlds and fused them into her own little unique world...a world I am SOOOO glad I get to be a part of....and, according to her, a very important part, I must add, beaming. :)

Still, though, no child needs fifty or so bracelets or hairclips, and they're just so much fun to make! LOL So, what do you think? A good shop addition? Or not worth the effort to bother? shrug.

Still, even as I write this, I'm eyeing the ones I made in MY size, trying to decide how many I can get away with keeping in my own jewlery box.........Well, at least she gets it honest.

Monotonous Monday

Click, click, click...wait, wait, wait. That seems to be how my morning is going, trying to upload all this stuff into etsy...takes FOREVER. That, coupled with the stress of having to get my little one down from everything as he tries to climb his way up to the ceiling...when we named him after my brother, I never dreamed he'd inherit THAT quality. sigh. My mother says she worried my brother wouldn't live to see two. Groan. Maybe we should go the Asian route and get rid of all our furniture and just sit and eat on the floor...at least that way, he couldn't fall and break something, like an arm or leg. Double sigh...

In the meantime, it's still been a fairly good day. We made chocolate chip muffins this morning, to my daughter's delight. She thinks any meal that involves chocolate, esp. when it's not dessert, is the coolest thing. LOL You know...I don't really blame her. I ate three myself...

New Stuff in Shop!

Well, I finished the craft fair and was sorely disappointed when there was hardly anyone there! Unfortunately, someone planned this one the SAME day as two other VERY BIG fairs. shrug. Oh, well. Very poor planning on someone's part. At any rate, though everyone that came DID like my stuff, and the sock monsters were a big hit! :) But the good news is that now I have LOTS to put in my shop at etsy. :) So, here I go...only it takes FOREVER to upload all the photos, so I'm gonna' have to work on it over the next week. But I did get a few things in. So, if anyone wants to check it out. It's www.sweettaters.etsy.com .

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm just waiting on the rain...oh, please let it rain! My poor garden's going to dry up and blow away if it doesn't start raining soon...

Questions from a friend...

I had nothing of any interest to post, so I must say thanks to a friend of mine...I borrowed her questions from her blog. :) http://theresag-lifeinthebigcity.blogspot.com/2009/05/breaking-writers-blog-block.html (One day I'll figure out how to make that a nice little neat link you know with, say, one word. :) I'll get it eventually...

But anyway...

What are your current obsessions? Hmm...Well, sewing right now...basically, just trying to get everything done in time for the craft fair, but I'm also obsessing over this Faery house I want to build for Aislinn for Christmas. Like a fantasy dollhouse, and I want to make the little faeries and everything. It's really cute in my mind, anyway. :) For her birthday, I want to make her a little doll that she can change all the clothes and maybe a matching outfit for me, her, and her doll. She's sort of getting into that, now, though she's not really a "doll" girl, but if she's anything like me (so far, it's a LOT like me), I never liked BABY dolls, just the bigger ones with cute clothes and stuff to change and help my mother make and stuff. I thought she might get a kick out of that. :) Maybe helping pick out material for clothes and stuff.

What’s for dinner? Uh, I haven't thought that far, yet. So, nothing fancy, that's for sure. :) Maybe hotdogs...that actually sounds REALLY good. I LOVE hotdogs, and there's this French's mustard commercial that makes me sooo hungry that always comes on during Little Bit's cartoons.

What is your greatest fear at the moment? Hmm...at the MOMENT (not overall, by any means) that no one will like any of my stuff, and I won't sell anything, or that no one will even show up. Or that I'll catch Gavin's cold and be too sick to go Saturday after all this work. Hmm...that's more than one.

What is your favorite Spring thing to do? Probably go shopping. Though that's also my favorite Fall, Summer, and Winter thing to do, too. LOL Hmm...probably camping and picnics and hiking. Though that's actually even better in the Fall. I do love to plant things, though, and that's Spring. So, I'll pick that one...garden. LOL

When's the last time you were tipsy? I don't drink. Though, if we're just talking spaced out, that would be the last time I had a bad migraine and took two Fioricets. That makes me kind of "weird" like my eyes are big as plates. Then there was the night awhile back when I had to stay up for 24 hours for some sleep deprived tests...Yeah, I was a bit out of it then, too. LOL

What is your favorite ever film? Oh, wow...I gotta' pick one! I can't. I have to say Princess Bride and Monty Python for two reasons...1. They're just fun. and 2, I had the best time watching those with a friend of mine...I think we quoted the ENTIRE movie (Princess Bride) the last time we watched it together...and don't forget Six Flags with Python. She'll get it. :) On my own, though, my comfort movies are the Mummy movies, (one and two...three wasn't as good). I just love Brendon Frasier. He's the perfect hero. Smart, brave, strong, handsome, and funny all rolled into one. Sigh...

Where are you planning to travel next?Probably home to visit the folks.

Can the people outside your car hear the music playing inside your car? Not when the kids are in the car, but if I'm alone, probably. I also sing along, of course. How can you not? I usually get annoyed with Aislinn interrupting me in the middle of my favorite sing along songs to ask if I saw the big bus or what was that dog doing? LOL Thankfully, she's started singing along some. She's so cute singing "Black horse and a cherry tree!"

Quilt front

I finally finished another quilt front...now just to quilt it...

Anyway, was proud of myself and had to post a picture. :) Making progress...

Up 'til 2

Well, I was up 'til 2 last night, working on stuff for the fair...I hope it all goes well. I am putting a lot of time (and money) into this thing. Don't even ask me how much I've spent so far...I don't want to think about it. But, on the up side, I did get a LOT accoplished last night in the realm of bracelets. I think I probably made about 20 or so yesterday, and my hand is SORE from using those pliers. shrug. All for a good cause, I suppose. Anyway, here are a couple of my favorites...I just LOVE the blue porcelain beads! So did Little Bit, who is modeling her very own new one I made for her yesterday. :) I made two, one to sell, one for her. She's madly in love with Hello Kitty, and the resemblance was just too close to resist.

Here's some of my child size...

Some of the adult size...

The wonderful blue porcelain...

And my little model...she even has my same crooked pinkie finger...

Hopefully, I'll have a new quilt to show you in the next couple days...

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Mountains of bibs...

Bibs, bibs, bibs...oh, yeah, and burp cloths. Seems like that's ALL I've done for the past week and a half, but I'm done! Finished! Finally, I can go back to my other projects for the fair...sock monsters and bracelets and hairbows and stuff...Oh, and two more quilts. And I only have a week left. Can you say STRESSED?! Oh, well. At least I've got one thing done. I love these bibs, though. The fabric, the mermaid ones, is so awesome. I think I'm going to have to get more and make me a quilt out of it. It's just so beautiful. Of course, a skirt, too, would be nice. :) Maybe both? No, I'm not addicted...no, not me. :) I like the moose fabric, too. Very cute. Of course, there's LOTS more designs I have made up, but I couldn't get them all in the picture, and I was too tired to try. But I have Michael Miller's Bot Camp for one, and some fireman helmets and some airplanes, too. Cute stuff. But alas, I have no time to type...I've got work to do!

One down...

I finally finished the first baby quilt for the fair. I hope someone out there likes it. LOL I fell in love with the design and colors...will be sad to see it go. Well, happy and sad, you know? Anyway, thought I'd post the pics...glad to have one down anyway. Several more to go. I've been cutting out these past few days...so time consuming, but so necessary, too. It takes so long, but you don't really feel like you've accomplished much, because you haven't sewn any. shrug. Oh, well. That's gotta' get done, too. Anyway, enjoy the pics. Hopefully more to follow!

The front...

View with back, also...

More monsters and a bracelet

Well, still getting things together for the craft fair. I've managed to finish several friends for my first little monster, with many more in the works. I went sock shopping this past weekend and was able to find several interesting pairs just waiting to becoming little monsters. :) I've also started making some jewelry for the fair, too, something I used to do but haven't done in quite a while. It's a good thing for me to work on at night while my husband watches his shows. I can never sit idle in front of the TV. I have to work on something, else I feel like I'm wasting time. shrug. Speaking of wasting time...I really should get back to work while the boys are asleep...Have a great Tuesday everbody!

One of those days

Well, this is one of those days. I've a fussy baby who wouldn't take his nap and now just wants to be held all day, a four-year-old who wouldn't sleep last night and is MAJORLY grumpy and argumentative today, not to mention I've already succeeded in breaking my favorite white rectangle platter. sigh. I'm afraid to do any sewing today, lest I sew a sleeve to a neckhole or cut through the fabric trying to snip a thread. Just one of those days. I will, however, leave you with some pics of my little sock monster I made the other day...on a good day, thankfully. Hope your Wednesday is going better than mine!

new baby quilt

So, I finally pieced the first of my baby quilts to take to the fair. I hope to get at least three done, maybe more, but I have a lot of little stuff I want to get done, too, and I am not sure how much I can get finished in the time I have left. shrug. Oh, well. I'll do the best I can. Like I said, hopefully at least three. I really like this fabric. It's very modern and "different." I'm not a big fan of the traditional baby quilt fabrics...all pastels with small woodland animals scattered everywhere with lots of ribbons and bows. And teddy bears. I think I am one of the only people in the world that really just doesn't like teddy bears. No, wait. Neither does my daugther. LOL Okay, so there's two of us. :) She's such an odd duck, too. She likes "odd" animals. In fact, she got an "Easter penguin" in her basket Sunday. She has an almost life-sized alligator, several dragons, and a dinosaur that she loves to pieces, though she also loves her many puppies and cats, so there is some semblance of normalcy in her toy choices. Still, she will NOT play with teddy bears. Anyhow, thought I'd share a picture of my newest quilt. I think it would look very pretty in either a boy's room or a girl's. I'll have to post again when it's all quilted and done.

Have a good Tuesday!

You know you're addicted when...

When you get over thirty yards of various fabrics in the mail and all you can think as you run your fingers longingly through the various designs is...man, I wish I had more of this! :) Or some in the other color....or I wish I had gotten the fish one, too.... LOL

And Aislinn's mermaid dress...well, she's revolted. sigh. Actually, in her words, "I changed my mind. I still like the mermaids, but I don't want a mermaid dress." (I only bought it at $9 a yard, I say sarcastically to myself). sigh. She fell in love with some floral stuff I bought for the craft fair, so she's getting it for a dress, and I can play with the mermaid stuff (FreeSpirit), which really isn't so bad. :) Skirt for me, perhaps??? :) LOL We'll see. If I buy a little more, I could make a quilt. As it is, I have three designs from the series. :) See. Addicted.

Oh, and Aislinn has informed me she's going to be a chef. But I'm sure whatever she is will be very artsy. The kid is four and has NO TROUBLE (I mean NONE) staying in the lines when she colors and when she draws, you KNOW what it is. She's very good. Maybe she'll become a fabric designer and I will never want for fabric again. LOL One can dream, huh?

By the way, here are some felt noodles, I've made for my etsy shop and the fair, displayed in one of Aislinn's little plates. Gavin was trying to eat some of hers today. :) Naturally, because it wasn't real, he'd eat it! Wish he'd eat real noodles...those boys are just so picky!!!

Easter dress and bibs

So, I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I did manage to finish my daughter's Easter dress along with a new bib pattern for my etsy shop. Thought I'd post a couple pics for progress's sake. :) Now, if I could just get my dress done...