Craft Addictions

thanksgiving

2010-11-18T16:13:00.000-06:00

Trying to solve the problem of no thanksgiving decorations, but I think it would do us well to keep it up all year round.

This year I'm thankful for...

My family - immediate, extended, in-laws, etc. they are all great.

Healthy kids

Good friends - new and old, near and far
A nice warm home with way more stuff than I need

The opportunity to stay home with my kids

My hobbies - while I have way more hobbies than time life would be so boring without them

Good food, especially the leftovers

That my family loves leftovers as much as I do

The built-in God given creativity of kids

My life, and the season I'm in.

Sights of Fall

2010-10-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin patch, apple orchard, CSA bounty, felt acorns, wool leaves, watercolor acorns, and bundled baby. Just a few of the things that make Fall my favorite season.

Caleb's Nursery

2010-09-29T10:24:00.000-06:00

It all started with this fabric. I bought it a few years ago at a thrift store. My intention was to resell it on etsy but I fell in love with it and had to keep it just in case someday we had a boy in our house. When we found out we were indeed expecting a boy I pulled it out eagerly, ready to design around it. I didn't have enough yardage to make curtains out of it so I needed to find some coordinating fabrics. I searched and searched to find something that matched the dark blue fabric and wasn't too themey, but still cute. I was about ready to give up on the whales and just buy new fabric for inspiration and start from scratch, when it occurred to me I might already have something that matched. (Duh, should always try that first, right?) Luckily I had saved the curtains from Sydney's nursery and they matched perfectly!! Even better, the windows and closet are the same size in their bedrooms so I didn't even have to sew anything! (We didn't find out what we were having when Sydney was born so the nursery was gender neutral - it didn't last long and I switched the curtains out for girly ones!)

So, here it is! Let me walk you through it a little. The whale fabric became the crib skirt. You can see the striped curtains in this photo. I took apart Sydney's mobile and made whale themed softies to hang from it. It plays the Winnie the Pooh theme song, which doesn't make much sense but Caleb doesn't seem to mind!

Above the crib is a white shelf (cheap from Ikea) that holds some art I made for the room. It was inspired by some adorable art from Land of Nod, which was a bit out of my price range and missing the whales I really wanted. I made this using mod podge, tissue paper (for the water), other scraps of paper for the whales and boats, and some acrylic paint for the background and waves. It was really simple - no skills necessary! The canvas was my only real expense and I got it on sale at Michael's for about $3.

This corner is to the right of the crib. By the way, both the crib and changing table we got when Sydney was born, the crib is from Target, the changing table my dad built for us. Above the stuffed animals is a frame I decorated with sea shells. It is supposed to have sheet metal in it so we can use magnets to hang pictures and also write messages with dry erase. Two months later it still isn't done, but someday. Below the frame is a string with clothespins (spray painted white.) Sydney uses this daily to hang new art she has made for her baby brother. The green hanging cage in the corner is an Ikea must have to hold the ever expanding collection of stuff animals in our house - do those things multiply on their own at night or what? My one big splurge in this room was the rug. I bought it from at a local fiber arts festival for $40. It's woven from recycled denim and will no doubt last forever so I'm calling it a good investment! Above the changing table is this grouping....

The square frame should have pictures in it by now, but doesn't. The tree art on top is from this amazing site. The house shelf I decorated with scrapbook paper, a map and some other odds and ends. Sydney has a similar one in her room that I redid.

And finally, here is the other corner of the room. My grandma gave us the glider, which I have to say I am surprised how much we have used. I sewed the slipcover for the footstool, which was orginally found for free on garbage day many years ago. The lamp, tray, blanket, green box, etc. was stuff I already had around the house. Although I didn't specifically keep track, I'm pretty sure I spent less than $100 redoing this room for the baby. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It has a really cool and calm feeling that I love.

Still Here...

2010-09-24T12:15:00.000-06:00

Hello! Can't believe almost 2 months have passed since Caleb was born and since I posted here. I'm hoping to jump back into blogging. I've definitely missed it! I started this blog not long after Sydney was born, and now I'm feeling the urge to continue it for the same reasons. Motherhood can be tough sometimes. I think the part I struggle with the most is missing the sense of accomplishment I used to have. Now everything is undone 5 minutes after I finish it - changing the baby, feeding the baby, doing laundry, doing dishes, cleaning up toys...nothing seems to last! Hopefully my blog can document for me and you the small projects I've work on, the ideas that inspire me, even the books I've read (see new sidebar addition. Turns out nursing a baby provides ample reading time!)

Can you believe it's Fall already? It has felt like it here since the first of September, so we've had a little time to get used to the idea. I love the colors and scents of fall and the inherent need to just be cozy this time of year. I recently harvested the only things I was able to grow this year - herbs. I've got them all drying in the garage, except for the basil which was made into pesto right away and frozen. There is nothing like the smell of pesto in the dead of winter to make you think Spring is just around the corner. We've been freezing a lot of stuff around here to "get ready for Winter." Sydney loves to imagine us holed up in our house all winter like Laura and Mary. We might live out on the prairie like the Ingalls, but really the grocery store is open all year round! We frozen a lug of peaches, made several pounds of apples into applesauce and made my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Not all of those made it into the freezer I guess, but we tried! I would have loved to can stuff this year, but my husband made me realize this might not be the year for it. I guess I need to learn to accept that having a newborn means not everything on the list is going to get done. And life goes on in spite of an unchecked to do list. Hopefully I will be back here soon. I've got lots of pictures of Caleb's nursery that I want to share with you. I love how it turned out, and especially love that I did it all on a budget! See you soon...

Baby is here!!!

2010-07-29T14:30:00.000-06:00

Caleb Bruce arrived Wednesday, July 28th at 8:52 am. He is 8 lbs. 5 oz and 20 inches long. Our family is having a great time getting to know each other!

More Nature Stuff!

2010-07-26T09:45:00.000-06:00

Nope, no baby news around here just yet. Soon, hopefully soon! In the meantime we've been growing some beautiful Monarch butterflies. Sydney and her cousin each found a caterpillar on July 3rd. We brought them home and before we knew it that had each formed their chrysalis. A couple weeks later two beautiful Monarch butterflies emerged.

Hard to see much in these pictures....the orange cup still has a little green chrysalis at the top, the red is just after the butterfly emerged.

We are using this book as our guide.

It's got great instructions for care as well as a nice listing with pictures of different kinds of butterflies. We've checked out every possible library book on butterflies and this is by far the best. We've already had a discussion about the rather short life span of butterflies, so hopefully Sydney won't be tramatized if they don't make it very long. She's already planning her specimen box! (Yep, pretty sure I have a little scientist on my hands here.)

Back to Nature :: Summer Fun

2010-06-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to spend as much time with Sydney outside as possible this summer. Probably something to do with my quick approaching due date (which in my head equals the end of fun as we know it. I know that's not true, it's just going to be different!) Last Friday we made a sailboat out of willow branches from our yard. We have a huge willow tree in our backyard that loses branches daily. Gorgeous tree, annoying branches. So we put a few to good use.

The idea was from the amazing Maya of maya*made. I love her blog and her simple style. Sydney helped with the "design" and my husband and I did the rest. She was really excited to see if it would float so we headed over to the river to try it out. A smaller body of water would have worked better, but it did float. She was thrilled and wanted to hurry home and make a whole fleet!

Out in the yard

2010-05-28T07:55:00.000-06:00

Nothing too crafty going on around here! We've been spending a lot of time working outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. Luckily I have my #1 helper with me!

The one thing that grows the best in my yard is mint. Don't you love the little tags? Head here if you would like some for yourself!

This probably seems really weird, but this is the first few shovels of our very own compost! Isn't it beautiful? We live in the land of hard sticky clay soil. It begs for a little compost mixed in every year. We started our compost bin several years ago, but never took any out until now. Aside from a half decomposed avocado shell, it looked great!!

Hope you all have great plans for the long weekend. Our schedule is pretty full, but I'm hoping to fit in a lot of relaxing! Stay safe!

One Trick Pony

2010-05-21T13:34:00.002-06:00

It seems my creativity is limited these days to zippered pouches. Here are four more I made for teacher gifts for the last day of preschool. They are all the same - lemon print with small sunscreens inside. I'm sure teachers always get the same stuff every year, but I figure who can't use another zippered bag? Sydney was excited to hand them out and they were well recieved.

2010-05-20T13:33:00.000-06:00

Oops! Sorry for the long break. Here's what I've been up to...

Making cards for thank you's, birthdays, mother's day and graduations. This seems to be the only picture I took though!

A very fun weekend of shopping and eating with the girls! This was only the first day!

Enjoying the first of many beatiful veggies from our CSA.

Enjoying the beautiful weather with my girl.

Eating way too much ice cream. I'm pregnant during the summer, what do you expect? :)

Be back soon!

Raffle Starts Today!!

2010-05-03T11:05:00.000-06:00

Head over to the Healing Maggie Grace to enter the raffle today. Among the fabulous prizes is a book I am published in, Pretty Little Presents! Can't wait to see who wins (secretly crossing my fingers it's me!)

my small part

2010-04-27T13:48:00.002-06:00

A heartbreaking story with a miraculous ending. While praying for my dear friend Teresa, I've been working on this picnic quilt to donate to the Healing Maggie Grace Raffle that some sweet ladies have put together.

Please visit the Healing Maggie Grace blog frequently and if you can please buy a ticket or two or three to help Teresa as she continues to heal. Isn't this what is so amazing about our blog community? Coming together to help someone we call friend, even though we've never met. I love it!

Multiplying Pouches

2010-04-19T12:53:00.000-06:00

I seem to have an overabundance of zippers. Odd, I know. I can't pass them up when I see them at thrift stores or garage sales. I remember making a fleece vest for Sydney when she was a baby. I was so proud of myself and how inexpensively I had produced a wearable garment. Until I went to buy the 7" seperating zipper the pattern called for! So now in my quest to never buy a zipper retail ever again, I snatch them up second hand every chance I get. My last score was a gallon size ziploc full for $2. How could I pass that up? :)

Anyway, all that to say that I had too many zippers and needed to use some up. Hence the multiplying pouches.

I've made a few to give away for prizes at our knitting group...

And a few for myself to use (the other one is already in my bag!)...

And three for baby use someday (a diaper & travel wipes container fit in here)...

And there will probably be more. I've learned these are much faster to make it you do several at a time. With all this practice zippers hardly even seem scary anymore!

Wedding Quilt

2010-04-09T14:47:00.000-06:00

Some close friends of ours got married in March. Do you ever struggle with gift giving at weddings? Should you stick to the registery, give something personal, or just give up and stick some cash in a card?? I decided that since we were close friends I could forgo the registry list and do something personal. Plus both the bride and the groom are in their 30's and well established, so I wasn't worried that they desperately needed that cake pan I was going to buy them. So I made them a quilt!

(Sorry in advance for the bad photos...this was just moments before I shoved it in a box and walked out the door to the wedding!)

The design was inspired by about 10 different quilts I found on flickr. I knew it needed to be modern, and I wanted the blue/brown combo somehow. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and they liked it too! That's always the scary part, isn't it?

My sister was kind enough to quilt this for me on her quilting frame. And she even hand sewed the binding for me! She did an amazing job - I love the free form swirls.

So, did I make this all with stuff I had on hand, saving me tons of money on a gift? Well, no. But I'm pretty sure I still spent less than I would have on a store-bought gift and hopefully they will enjoy it much longer than that cake pan.

HELLO!

2010-04-07T12:23:00.003-06:00

Hi there! I'm alive! Sorry for the ridiculously long blog break. Lots going on around here and I just seemed to lose my blogging voice in the middle of it all. Then once I was gone for so long, it was hard to really get back into it. But hopefully I'm back. I have lots to share!

First of all - our big news - we are expecting a new baby at our house! And it's a boy! I am due August 10th. We are all very excited.

So, on to the crafting!! I finally made it into my craft room on Monday. I threw open the windows and pulled out some fun springy fabric (vintage pillowcases) to make a small tote for Sydney. She has been crazy about drawing pictures lately, mostly nature inspired things like birds, bugs, trees, etc. So I decided to make a little tote to carry some colored pencils and a drawing notebook with us on trips to the park, the lake, or just the backyard. She loved the idea and the fabric, and insisted on a pocket on the front.

sweet words

2009-12-04T14:14:00.000-06:00

Can you see the snowflakes falling in this picture?

Sweet words from my girl..."it's like there are decorations falling from the sky!"

half way there

2009-12-02T14:06:00.003-06:00

I bought myself a little time...I got the first 12 stockings done. They look a little silly on only one half of the window, but I know myself. Non-centered stockings will drive me crazy and motivate me to finish the rest. Sydney is very excited about them, which also makes me excited to complete the project.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I feel the need to kick it into high gear with Christmas festivities. I think the advent activities will be good for all of us to relax and remember what the season is really about.

Happy December!

progress

2009-11-24T14:21:00.002-06:00

I'm thinking somewhere around this time (2 years ago) I started making miniature felt stockings to use as an advent calendar/garland. And to give myself credit, the stockings have been made for about that long. But they required numbers embroidered on them before they could really be used (why oh why do we do this to ourselves?) It is now my goal to have these ready to go for the 1st of December! I made a list of activities to put in them, and I will add some sort of little presents to fill out the rest of the days. Just in case anyway else out there is procrastinating I thought I would share what I came up with so far. Most of them are pretty obvious, but sometimes it helps to have a starting place. (Hopefully next week I will have pictures to share!)

Drive around and look at Christmas lights.
Have hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.
Wrap a Christmas gift for someone special.
Give to someone we don't know.
Make Christmas cookies.
Make a Christmas gift for someone special.
Make a Christmas CD and sing to it all day.
Watch a Christmas movie as a family.
Read 5 Christmas books as a family.
Make garland for the Christmas tree.
Eat supper with only the lights from the Christmas tree on.
Decorate your bedroom for Christmas.
Write a list of the things you are thankful for this Christmas.
Make Christmas cards and mail them.
Play a game as a family.
Invite friends over for supper.
Read the Christmas story as a family.

And please, don't wait until you have the most beautiful advent calendar to start the tradition like I did. Grab some paper bags and a sharpie and do it already. I'm pretty sure the memories will last longer than the embroidered stockings.

confessions of a craft geek

2009-11-12T22:53:00.003-06:00

Okay, so here's my confession. I'm hooked on Project Runway. I watch it hiding away in my craft room because no one else in my house will watch it with me. The designers work on their projects and I work on mine like we are all in the same room. (Hope I don't catch that nasty virus Carol Hannah had!) And honestly, I get so much done! For some reason Lifetime feels the needs to have 4 hours straight of the same 2 shows over and over and for some reason I feel the need to watch all 4 hours. Here's what I accomplished tonight! Three more checks marks on the Christmas to do list!

close knit

2009-10-30T14:09:00.003-06:00

I've been knitting pretty much constantly lately. Thanks in part to this.

Close Knit is a knitting and crocheting group that my sister and I started at our church. We wanted a fun, relaxing place to meet people in our church and knit with them or teach them how to knit. (And yes, a logo was very necessary!) We have had a blast! We've been meeting weekly for about a month now and have been surprised and blessed by how much interest we've had in the group. We are focusing our knitting efforts on items to donate to a local homeless shelter. This is one of my contributions.

A scarf/neck warmer with coordinating hat.

Not only are we knitting for a good cause, but I'm cleaning out my yarn stash too!

I want you all to know that starting a group like this is completely out of my comfort zone. Meeting new people and leading a group are not exactly my strong points. But it's amazing what you can accomplish when you use your passion in a way that can help others. God has strengthened my confidence and stretched me as a person and I am very thankful for this opportunity. I'm not telling you this for a pat on the back, but to encourage you to step outside your comfort zone, try something new, volunteer. You'll never regret it.

enjoying the season

2009-10-23T09:25:00.002-06:00

Hope you are doing the same.

ready to go...

2009-10-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've got my knitting all packed up for our trip to the funeral. I could probably be gone for 2 months and not knit all that yarn...but you just never know!

A couple things that have caught my eye recently:

Why not to sew your kid's costume (yes NOT!) Personally I'm looking for any excuse I can find!

Transferring images from your inkjet printer to wood. Using supplies you already have on hand. Seriously. Haven't tried it yet, but my brain is spinning a little from the possibilities.

Hope you have a great weekend!

In Loving Memory

2009-10-14T12:23:00.003-06:00

Great Aunt Nellie

August 12, 1909 - October 12, 2009

A very special lady who will be greatly missed. We love you Nellie!

the simple things...

2009-10-12T18:12:00.004-06:00

For some reason I find Lego sorting strangely satisfying.

(Cute stackables courtesy of Ikea.)

book making

2009-10-02T14:43:00.003-06:00

Okay. Time to get back to blogging. Don't even ask where I've been, or what I've been doing. Couldn't tell you, just wasn't feeling it I guess. But time to jump back in. And just in time for Christmas projects. I love to make gifts for my family and friends but it makes blogging so hard! So there will probably be lots of tiny sneek peeks around here for a while. But rest assured I am taking lots of pictures and will have a big Christmas roundup at the end of the year.

Here's a bit of what I've been working on. Books made from recylced kid's books. I've been on a kick with these for a couple weeks. And last week I hit the book sale at the thrift store - a grocery bag full for $2. Should keep me busy for a while! Sydney constantly scolds me for taking books apart (I've taught her well I guess!) But I am careful to buy the grossest worst books they have, the ones that are practically falling apart already that no one else in their right mind would buy. So, I don't feel too bad about it.

I'm no pro at book binding but I enjoy faking my way through it. I recently ran out of PVA glue and tried to subsitute everything else I had with no success. So that's one thing I do know...glue matters. I think I offered to do a tutorial on this once, but realized I didn't know what I was talking about then. Still not sure if I do but I would be happy to give some guidelines to anyone that's interested. It doesn't have to be quite as technical as you might think.

Second Hand Summer

2009-09-11T11:55:00.005-06:00

I haven't shared my thrifted/garage sale finds in a while, so I thought I would show you them all in one post. Ready?

Unique wooden candle holder (the wood theme is pretty constant throughout.)

Round mirror which I love and only paid a quarter for!!

Another wooden piece, this holds Sydney's latest "nature hike" find.

Buttons!

Interesting white pot. The previous owner used it as a flower pot, but it has measurements on the side like a mixing bowl. Not sure what I'll do with it but it was too pretty to pass up.

Wooden bowls. I have a certain attraction to wooden bowls.

The softest towels ever.

Magnet board/calendar for Sydney. Luckily we have the same taste in old junk! I spotted this expecting a huge price tag and was shocked it was only $1.

Not pictured...miscellaneous books for both Sydney and I, mini molds and tart pans for her kitchen, and a couple zippers. Crossing my fingers for more good luck!

Growing Up

2009-09-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today my baby girl goes to her first day of preschool. I'm not sure who is more excited/nervous. She is growing up way too fast. And some days not fast enough. I guess I'm just another mom trying to stop the clock and enjoy every moment.

Gloves, or glove I guess

2009-09-07T15:23:00.001-06:00

I knit myself a glove! This has been one of those projects that just seemed way too hard to tackle. All those fingers, and worse yet the space in between them...I just wasn't sure I was ready for them. But I don't really like to wear mittens. I end up taking them off too often - to find my keys, to buckle my kid in the car, etc. So I determined it was time to make gloves. And honestly it wasn't that hard. They were rather time consuming knitting all those fingers in the round, but not really hard. Granted I have only made the one glove. We'll see how it goes, I might have a new appreciation for mittens!

A couple details...

Yarn: Reynolds Cricket, a rayon/wool blend that is really soft, knit on size 3 needles.

Book: Knitting New Mittens and Gloves which has a couple really cute patterns including some mittens I'm looking forward to making! :)

More Gifting

2009-09-03T14:59:00.002-06:00

It seems like I am in gift making mode around here...I should really keep it up and get going on Christmas gifts. For now though I am focused on birthdays! My nephew turned 6 last week. I purchased part of his gift, but decided he needed just a little handmade love too. He has a very drafty closet in his room so I made him a felted snake to keep the cold (and the monsters) out of his room. It was a huge hit! Of course, as soon as Sydney saw she insisted on one of her own - in pink of course!

Each snake took about an hour from start to finish. The most time consuming part was picking out which sweaters to use! They are both stuffed with a combination of poly-fil and rice and weigh just enough so they seem pretty real. I really didn't anticipate the level of play these were going to endure. If I made them again I would reinforce them a bit more. Also Sydney's snake's head was made from a cabled sweater that wasn't felted far enough, so from time to time a piece of rice escapes. Someday I might take it apart and line it, but so far she hasn't let it out of her sight long enough to accomplish this. My nephew's snake was made with pieces that were 12" wide, and was meant to be used as a draft blocker. Sydney's was only 8" wide because I knew she would mostly play with it. As an added bonus these work great as a neck pillow in the car for both kids and grownups!

Baby Julia

2009-09-01T14:21:00.003-06:00

I finished the gift for baby Julia, with plenty of time as we haven't been able to go meet her yet. I decided on this sweet hat pattern from the book One Skein by Leigh Radford. I used the softest bamboo yarn (on clearance at my LYS.) It turned out cute, but super tiny. I'm going to have to give it to her quick so she gets a chance to wear it. The first 18 rows of this hat look like a jumbled mess until you get done with them, but then they pretty design finally shows up and it all seems worth it. The rest of the hat is a breeze. I also made this very simple baby quilt. It's about 40 inches square, made with simple fabric from JoAnn's with a vintage chenille bedspread backing. With the heavier than usual backing and the batting in the middle, the quilt turned out pretty thick and heavy - perfect for a play mat I think.

Gift giving is one area that I try really hard to stay on budget mostly by using what I already have to make something. I bought all the fabric for the top specifically for this project instead of using my stash though (just nothing baby-ish in there.) But, I bought enough fabric for 2 baby quilts, and used a coupon so the total cost per quilt was around $6 since I already had the batting and the chenille on hand. I already pieced the other top, so it will be a quick finish when the next baby girl comes around. I think it turned out to be a special gift at a great price.

Baby Knitting

2009-08-19T11:26:00.003-06:00

Over the weekend our little family spent a significant period of time in the car to travel to a very special lady's 100th birthday. Not only did we listen to the entire audiobook of The Swiss Family Robinson, but 10 hours in the car provides an ample amount of knitting time. I finished two sets of booties (which just need some buttons, I'll share them soon!) On Monday I was still on a roll with the knitting and whipped out this super cute baby hat (here's the ravelry link to the pattern, or the direct website link.) Some friends of ours are expecting and don't know what they are having so I figured I would make a set for a boy and another for a girl and just have an extra set for any future babies that come along. So, the boy set is done! Feels good to be ahead of the game. The baby is due in a couple weeks so hopefully I will have time to finish up something girly.

ETA: Okay, you knew this was going to happen, right? My husband just called. Our friends had their baby last night - it's a girl! Time to get busy!!

A little something exciting...

2009-08-14T21:58:00.000-06:00

I think I am finally ready to share a little exciting news with you (No mom, I'm not pregnant.) I got published! Two of my projects are in the latest book in the Pretty Little Series by Lark Publishing, Pretty Little Presents! I've been waiting to share the news until the book was in my hands - didn't want to jinx it or something! But now its finally here. Check it out!

My projects, a flower baby rattle

Eek! That's really my name!

and fabric napkin rings

The book as a whole is really cute and has some projects I will definitely be trying out. I'll try to do a more thorough review soon, but for now you'll just have to gaze at my projects!

A little freshening up

2009-08-13T21:27:00.000-06:00

It was time to freshen things up in my living room. Remember this? Seems art in this spot has a shelf life of about a year. Anyway, here's my latest version.

I like that I can change things up a little just by swapping out a few pictures rather than starting from scratch. We'll see how long this one lasts!

A few notes, not that you were going to ask, just because I can actually remember right now! From bottom left, going clockwise:

original art from Sydney displayed on a magnet board made with metal roof flashing
a matryoshka doll from my grandma displayed on a shadow box shelf
scrapbook paper in a shiny frame
Sydney crossing a bridge last summer in Alexandria, MN
Looking up a tree, last summer, Edward Lake, MN or was it Lake Edward?
Fabric on embroidery hoop
Lily pads at the lake last summer
Sydney's folded hands at 3 days old
An abandoned bird's nest we found in the yard this spring, displayed in a shadow box
My sister's photography
Patterned paper from Paper Source

Birthday Kitchen: Before & After

2009-08-12T14:01:00.005-06:00

My how the time flies! I can't believe I've been away from here for so long, and I also can't believe my baby turned 4 this week. We had a great party over the weekend with lots of family, food and fun. We finished Sydney's kitchen just in the nick of time, and I even got my house clean before everyone showed up!

The story of the kitchen:
I've wanted my daughter to have a play kitchen for as long as I've had a daughter. We had one when I was a kid that my dad made and I have many great memories of playing with it. I've been scouring the Internet for great deals, but man those things are expensive! I knew it could be made, but my construction partner (my husband) was not really on board. After much pleading he finally relented after I gave myself a deadline - one week to find a second hand table to start with or I would give up the dream (until Christmas at least!)

I bought this table at a thrift store for $20 that Thursday. I spent more than I thought it was really worth, but it was sturdy, the perfect height and at least partially made from real wood. The other cabinet that was going to be the fridge was purchased at an auction sale several years ago for $12.

As so it began. Lee added sides and a back to the table and an extremely sturdy shelf to the inside. I primed and painted both pieces with paint I already had on hand. I chose black so it would at least somewhat "go" with our family room where I wanted it to live and to match the fabric I had already chosen for the skirt under the sink.

We "installed" a faucet we found for $2 at a Habitat for Humanity Restore* and new knobs that turn, a towel bar on the side, oven knobs, a long fridge like handle for the cabinet and cut a hole for the bowl sink in the table.

The oven door I made from wool felt. It has a velcro door with a vinyl window. We thought for a long time about making a real door for the oven, but decided this was a much easier, cheaper, safer method.

So here is the breakdown:
$20 Table
$12 Cabinet (although since I was cleaning out the garage I think this shouldn't count)
$ 2 faucet
$43 for oven knobs, faucet knobs, towel bar, shelf, tension rod and misc. supplies
$ 3 acrylic high gloss spray finish (my black paint was eggshell so this gave it a nice shiny, cleanable finish)
$ 6 stainless steel bowl
$86 Total Cost (not including a whole Saturday and several evenings of labor)

Used black paint, silver spray paint, screws, plywood, fabric, felt, and velcro already on hand.

And...the finished product.
I love it! And thankfully so does Sydney. She was also lucky enough to receive some super cute accessories from a crafty friend and a crafty Nana!
A little funny story for you in closing...I purchased several plastic baskets for Sydney to organize her food, dishes, etc. in her kitchen. Monday morning I was trying to help her get everything set up. She insisted we leave one basket empty under the sink which I insisted was where her dishes should go. She informed me that was the dishwasher! Of course! Why would she think she should wash dishes in the sink - I never do! :)

* If you have a local Habitat for Humanity Restore be sure to check it out! Not only are you supporting a great cause, but they have some great finds there for super cheap!!

Memory in Fabric

2009-07-23T14:29:00.004-06:00

My kiddo's birthday is coming up soon (she'll be FOUR already!) so I've been trying to get a little head start on some gift making.

I first saw this idea here months ago, via the Craft Magazine blog I believe. They have been on my mental to do list ever since and it feels good to cross them off. I get a little sick of all the commercial toys out there...can you even buy Memory without some sort of TV show or Disney character on it? Regardless, what could be better than fabric?

They were very easy to make [cut cardstock 3"x 6", cut circle, create fold line, coat with rubber cement, place fabric, fold and press firmly. Repeat many many times.] I used a fiskars circle cutter set at 2 inches. Also would be a great reason to invest in a large circle punch which would have many other uses. I think these will be one of the standby kid gifts that I make ahead of time and have on hand. Wouldn't it be fun to do themed versions with Christmas fabric?

I'm not sure how long these will last. They are just cardstock after all, but I'm hoping the little pouch will help increase their lifespan a bit.

P.S. I just got back from the thrift store with the table I've been searching for. Check back soon, I'm going to need your help to transform it into a kitchen! I am really excited about this project!!

My return to the thrift shop!

2009-07-20T13:25:00.003-06:00

It's not that I've been avoiding the thrift stores lately. Just haven't been in the mood lately I guess. But I decided yesterday I was on a mission this week to find a piece of furniture that could serve as the beginning of a kitchen for Sydney. So off we went. Of course I didn't find what I was looking for...

Instead I found this fun chair for only $4. Its in good shape and pretty comfortable. I just need to find it a home before my husband comes home! For some reason he thinks we have too many chairs.

And the ultimate in thrift store finds...Japanese fabric!! I think its adorable. I especially love the odd little sayings.Hmm, burning hot fried eggs don't sound that great to me, but whatever! I paid more than I normally would for it, so I'm considering selling a couple yards of it just so it doesn't hurt so bad! If anybody is interested in a little Japanese cotton fabric just let me know.

Summer Tent

2009-07-08T13:06:00.003-06:00

This morning Sydney and I decided to try out the tent pattern from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. Mine isn't exactly like the pattern, but a similar theory. I used a thrifted sheet instead of 42" wide fabric, so I skipped all the dimensions listed and just used the whole sheet. No hemming & no cutting, we were done in about 15 minutes. Basically its just loops sewn at all four corners for the stakes and one at each end for the rope to hold it up.

Honestly its projects like these that make me so thankful for my stash. We had everything we needed to make this as soon as I brought up the idea. An important point when your crafting partner has the attention span of a 3 year old!

If we can manage to keep the mosquitoes away I think we will be having a lot of fun out there this summer!

Jam

2009-07-06T15:26:00.003-06:00

Last week I made my first batch of freezer jam (strawberry rhubarb.) It was so simple. I know people always say it's simple and you think really? Could it be that easy - it's jam? But honestly, it is. (I followed the recipe on the back of the box of fruit pectin.)

In honor of the occasion I also fired up the bread machine. Warm bread and fresh jam on a beautiful summer day. Life is good.

Travel Pillow with Pocket

2009-06-29T12:20:00.004-06:00

As soon as I saw the travel pillow MayaMade designed for her kids I knew I had to whip one up for Sydney. It was a fun, quick project and a good excuse to use some cute fabric! (This adorable pattern is from JoAnn's.)

The pillow I made has a super easy design. It is basically an envelope pillow case with a handle sewn into the side seams. The envelope style allows it to be removable and of course washable. Travel pillows don't stay very clean around here. The pillowcase fits a travel pillow which is roughly 12"x16". The pocket is the girl's favorite part - she says it's a sleeping bag for her friend of choice (Lola today.) On the original pillow the pocket was meant to hold a lavender sachet, also a nice touch.

I just noticed Maya has posted a tutorial for her pillow - go check it out!

Baby Kimono Sweater (aka the post of many parenthesis)

2009-06-24T09:48:00.004-06:00

Finished up this sweater before the baby even arrived! It's for a friend of mine that had her baby today. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knitting (Ravelry link). Pretty quick and easy pattern except for a bit of sewing at the end. (I stink at seams.) I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn, but the pattern calls for Peaches and Cream (gotta love a pattern that actually calls for cheap yarn!)
Even though the yarn I used was acrylic, I did manage to successfully block this sweater by using steam from my iron. I pinned the sweater into place on my ironing board and steamed it without touching the iron to the sweater. It worked like a charm for me. (This does not guarantee good results for you, or even for myself with future projects. It was probably a fluke and when the poor child puts it on the front will roll right up her belly...but it looked good when she opened the gift!)

Stripes and Dots

2009-06-17T08:47:00.003-06:00

After well over a year, this is finally finished!

I started this quilt for Sydney with the intention of just making a fun blanket for her out of my stash. It quickly grew to twin size before I knew it! I chose all the striped and polka dot fabric I had and cut it into strips of various lengths. The white stripes were an after thought. The patterened fabrics right next to each other was just too much!

The backing is a thrifted sheet. It couldn't have been more perfect if I had planned it! The binding is leftover strips so it's a bit wider than it needed to be, but I was not about to cut it down.

The quilting is kind of a cursive "l" pattern that was fun to do. A little tricky to shove all the through my sewing machine, but fun all the same.

Hopefully the next one won't take so long! (Not that it actually took me that long to make it...procrastination you know!)

Purple Cap Sleeved Top

2009-06-10T16:07:00.003-06:00

A finished project! Hurray! I finished this top for Sydney over the weekend and she immediately put it on. It kept her nice and toasty on Saturday, despite the cold weather. It fits snugly around her, but wasn't too tight around the neck which I was worried about. We will be saving this for fall and winter (with a long-sleeved T underneath.) It's a great (free!) pattern, knit entirely in the round so no seaming. You bind off and put it on!

Warming up

2009-06-09T09:14:00.002-06:00

We spent the weekend trying to stay warm. We met both sets of parents at a state park to camp and fish. It rained most of the weekend and never broke 60 degrees. Brrr! I spent the time huddled around a fire knitting, so I guess I can't complain about that too much! I do have a finished knit to show you, but I have to bribe Sydney to model it - hopefully I can share that tomorrow. Today you just get to see the new babies we are growing around here. Robins! The color of those eggs is amazing. We are anxious for them to hatch, mostly so mama robin can stop making such a mess on the side of our house.

Preteen Girl About Town

2009-06-03T13:06:00.003-06:00

This afternoon my niece is graduating from elementary school. How she got this old is beyond me. I was a freshman in college when she was born, how can she be a "preteen" now?

At this age freedom during the summer = your bike. I think it's always difficult to find just the right bag that can go with on your bike - not too big, doesn't get caught on your wheels, not too hot, etc. So I made her this little pouch that fits on her belt. It's just big enough to hold her house keys, a couple dollars for ice cream and maybe some lip balm or small sunscreen. I thought the fun print would go well with her summer wardrobe (which I am most certain contains absolutely zero pink.) Hopefully it helps her have a great summer, full of preteen fun and keeps her out of trouble. Boy if it did all that I think I would have quite the marketable product on my hands!!

P.S. Can I just tell you how good it felt to actually make something! :)

Yep, still alive

2009-06-01T20:00:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the unannounced, extra long blog break around here. While I don't really have a good reason, I have lots of excuses...

We had a garage sale this past weekend.
I've spent more hours than I want to recall scrubbing, scraping, sanding, and painting our deck. Next time we are getting a new deck.

Spring yard and garden projects that are never ending.

A sick kid, which has resulted in a month of dairy free cooking, which is trickier than I expected. I am so hungry for cheese!

Several weekends spent at various lakes.

Spending lots of time with my grandma while my grandpa was in the hospital for knee surgery.

Not having time to craft or make anything. I feel like I don't have anything interesting to talk about here, but now I realize how quickly you can get out of the habit of posting. I'll try harder to keep it up.

The pictures are from a weekend at the lake several weeks ago.

Out with the old...

2009-05-08T12:10:00.003-06:00

In with the new...

Sorry, this is as exciting as it gets around here these days. (Must get out of this boring funk.) Today I got rid of this horrid beast:

And got this glass top, convection oven beauty. I've never been so excited to bake!

(Please try to ignore the crap on my counters and toys on my floor. If I have to clean my house just to take a lousy picture you guys will never get to see anything!! :)

Have a great weekend & Happy Mother's Day to all of the fabulous moms that read this.

Recycling at it's best!

2009-05-01T12:22:00.003-06:00

I've been at a strange impass with knitting lately. I'm at a point where I'm spending a lot of time on my projects and don't want to use cheap yarn and have bad results. But, I'm also too cheap to really spend a lot of money on good yarn. So I did a little recycling! I found this sweater at a thrift store for $3.

I used this tutorial to take it apart. Not a quick process by any means, but I ended up with this!

I wound the yarn on a board with two nails, three feet apart to measure the yardage, then twisted my skeins up all fancy like the yarn store. For $3 I ended up with about 650 yards of yarn. The yarn is a really soft acrylic, wool, angora blend. Now I just have to decide what to knit!!

Eyelet Yoke Cardigan

2009-04-29T13:13:00.003-06:00

Yep, more knitting. I'm not feeling very inspired lately to work on much else. Really need to get out of that funk! Anyway, I actually finished this before Easter, but just recently put the button on. Sydney wore it to the grand opening of our new library. Not sure which one she was more excited about...just kidding. Much more excited about the library. Typical. But she got lots of compliments while we were there.

Details: Eyelet Yoke Cardigan (free pattern)

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (2 1/4 skeins)

Vest

2009-04-22T12:45:00.005-06:00

I started this vest for Sydney while I was hiding out from the water at my mom and dad's. It's made from this free pattern from Lion Brand and only took 1 big skein of yarn. I really like how it turned out, especially the color variation of the yarn - it striped perfectly! But of course, it doesn't really fit that great. I'm debating trying some blocking methods I've read about but am a little nervous (it's acrylic yarn and the methods involve a hot steaming iron.) It's actually getting to warm for it now anyway, so I think I'll just wait and be brave next fall. Otherwise I have a cute little niece that just might like it too!

On a side note, I am no longer scared to "pick up stitches." The ribbing around the arms and neck was all picked up and knit after the rest of the vest was done. A little daunting, but really not as hard as it sounds.

Determined Chive

2009-04-21T12:29:00.002-06:00

Things are finally starting to sprout around here!

Easter Birds

2009-04-14T12:56:00.003-06:00

These little birds were Easter gifts at our house. They were surprisingly easy to make and went over better than I expected! (I keep waiting for the kids to get sick of handmade stuff, but thankfully it's not happening!) The bird pattern is free from here. The nests are knitted and felted. I basically just made a small hat and felted it, super easy as well. I used a worsted weight yarn with size 10 1/2 needles so it went rather quickly.

The Shalom Cardigan

2009-04-09T14:36:00.002-06:00

My first grown up sweater done! I started this back in January while we were on vacation. I've only had about 3 inches to go to finish it for about a month now. I always do stuff like that...

Anyway, it's done now. Not perfect, and it doesn't fit perfectly, but I think a good first attempt. The pattern is pretty straight forward. It is knit from the top down, which is wonderful because you get to try it on as you go. It's a great motivator to keep knitting!

Very bad self-portrait. Those things are so hard to make look good. But, there you have it.

P.S. This was knit using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease held double.

Mini Slippers

2009-04-06T09:37:00.002-06:00

In the hopes that things can go back to normal very very soon, I am going to make an effort to post actual crafty things on my blog!! (But first a very quick update for those interested - We got home last Thursday, our house is very dry and perfectly fine, we are now waiting for a second crest that could be over a week away and possibly worst than the first. Good grief.)

As you can imagine I have been doing a lot of knitting during the past few weeks. First up to show you are these mini slippers. Same pattern as these slippers, with a few less stitches and smaller size needles. Sydney wears slippers constantly at home (even to bed) and needed a new pair. Her feet are growing like crazy! Luckily these stretch so I'm hoping they last a while.

I've been trying to find a pattern similar to the one I've been using for these slippers. My pattern is from my great grandma and I'm unsure of the copyright date. This pattern is very similar though and includes many sizes. I can usually whip up a pair of slippers in under 2 hours so they are a great last minute gift idea!

Update

2009-03-30T12:47:00.005-06:00

Hey folks - so far so good! Sydney and I are at my mom and dad's. Our house is high and dry, thank God! While there is a lot of damage, the city of Fargo has been miraculously saved. We're aren't in the clear just yet as a winter storm is headed that way, but we are hoping and praying the worst of it is over. THANK you ALL for thinking of us. I will actually have something fun to show soon, I have been knitting like crazy for the past few days!

Take care and thanks again!

P.S. My amazing brother in law is featured in this video (the one titled Levee Breach.) Go Trent!!

Water Update

2009-03-27T16:57:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to let you all know, Sydney and I left our house this morning and are staying with family in Minnesota. My husband Lee is an engineer and is staying behind to work. We left to provide him some peace of mind so he can do his job. Please pray for Fargo!!

Staying Dry...

2009-03-23T21:35:00.002-06:00

Or trying to at least! We are battling a (potentially) record breaking flood here in Fargo. The crest is forecasted for early Friday morning. Until then I'm working on moving things out of our lower level (we live in a split level home.) Unfortunately they are forecasting rain and snow in the next few days. We are praying for the best possible outcome, but planning for the worst. It will probably be quiet around here as I try to get all my ducks in a row before the water comes!

Hopscotch T

2009-03-16T12:42:00.003-06:00

I started working on this T-shirt for Sydney last Thursday, thinking it would be a quick project I could share with you all on Friday. Took a little longer than I thought! I just finished it up yesterday.

Embroidering all the numbers was the time consuming part. I considered fabric paint or appliqueing another layer with numbers, but embroidery won out. I am pretty happy with the end result and Sydney likes it, so I guess it was worth it!

Snow Day

2009-03-10T09:07:00.003-06:00

We're having a snow day at our house today. We are in the middle of a full fledged blizzard that is only going to get worse this afternoon. They are expecting 6-10 inches of snow today (we also got 3 1/2 yesterday) with 25-35 mph winds. So, we're hunkering down here. I'm planning pj's til noon, lots of baking, lots of knitting, and maybe a couple movies. For those of you enjoying Spring already, please send warm melting thoughts our way!

And just so this isn't a completely boring post, here is a picture of a hat I made for Sydney. It was supposed to be for next year, but fits perfectly right now. Probably not a good sign!

Fingerless birthday gloves

2009-03-09T09:11:00.002-06:00

My friend Sara's birthday was last week.

I made her this card:

And these fingerless gloves:
Details:

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton yarn in Expresso (#621)

Needles: US size 6 DPN

Cast on 36 stitches. Knit in a basic 2x2 rib, with a cable row thrown in every 4th row or so. (If you really want more detailed instruction let me know, I would be happy to write them out.)

Finger Knitting

2009-03-06T16:08:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Sydney learned how to finger knit. So did I for that matter. Instead of me trying to learn and then explain it to her, we just watched a video on You Tube together (this one.) She had it figured out in no time. I wound the yarn around each finger, she pulled the loops over and off. She thinks maybe when she is 11 she will be able to wind her own yarn - according to her everything is going to happen when she is 11.

She lasted for about 15 minutes and then was ready to be done for the day. I wasn't sure how you can save a work in progress with finger knitting so we just called it done and did the bind off. The tails of yarn were luckily just long enough to turn it into a necklace. The beads were her idea.

I think we will definitely be doing this again soon. Her tiny hands won't be producing anything too big, but I think a headband would be super cute!

2009-03-04T13:33:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for your sweet words of comfort. My great aunt Linda passed away last Wednesday. She was 61. Linda was a donor and on Thursday she gave of herself yet again and we pray that others may live on because of her very special gift.

Linda's donation was on par with the rest of her life. She was a wonderful giving person that preferred to be behind the scenes working rather than leading for all to see. She had amazing crochet, knitting and cross stitch skills and her love was spread far and wide through her gifts. The blanket in the picture was a gift from her. I have always treasured it, but will even more so now that she is gone. I remember watching her crochet when I was a kid. Her fingers moved so fast you could hardly see them. She was an extremely funny person, you couldn't help but laugh when you were around her. She will be greatly missed.

On Thursday a Donate Life flag was flown at the hospital as a tribute to Linda's donation. We all learned a lot about the donation process through this experience and I urge you all to be informed and make your wishes known to your family. Research the laws in your state regarding organ and tissue donation.

We just returned from her funeral service last night. Our world kind of stopped turning for about a week and we are trying to get back into a normal routine now. You all have been busy while I've been gone! I have over 300 unread posts in my Google Reader account. So, if your looking for me I'll be siting in front of the computer trying to catch up!

Take care and thanks again for thinking of me and my family.

home again

2009-02-24T13:42:00.003-06:00

Hi all! We've returned from our trip to Orlando. It was fun, relaxing and warm. Just what I was hoping for.

We've returned to some very sad news however. My great aunt was in a horrible car accident and is in the hospital. Things will be quiet here as my family gathers. Please pray for a miracle that only God can bring. I'll be back soon.

Take care,

Roxanne

Vacation!

2009-02-17T13:56:00.003-06:00

What is the #1 necessity on a trip?

A new bag, of course!

Trust me, this one looks a lot better when its full of stuff. And it will be very soon. Full of beach towels and sunscreen and knitting and books. And no toys or sippy cups or wipes. Hurray!

My husband and I are leaving tomorrow morning (very early!) for Orlando for the next 5 days. He has a conference to go to, I have an appointment by the pool. Sydney is very excited to be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

I'm taking my computer but I'm not promising consistent updates - I'm going on vacation!!!

my first sock

2009-02-16T09:54:00.004-06:00

My first attempt at a real sock. Newborn size. Yikes, that is tiny! (Sorry, not spilling any secrets here today! No babies coming our way right now, just everyone else we know!!)

So, I'm not completely happy with it. I'm hoping some of you sock pros can help. I kind of changed the pattern I was using. It was supposed to be a 1x1 ribbing for the whole sock, but I preferred just a cuff of that and then straight stockinette stitch for the rest. But then I got to the heel and I think the pattern was written to stay with the 1x1 ribs, so that part looks goofy. I also have some holes where I turned the heel that I'm not too happy about. Should I have picked up more stitches than it said and just decreased right away? Ugh, so many questions!

My husband and I are leaving for a trip on Wednesday so I am trying to get my knitting projects in order. I didn't want to attempt my first sock on a plane, so this was my practice round! I guess at least it does resemble a sock!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T14:22:00.003-06:00

Hope you are enjoying a special day with the ones you love.

The winner of the Heart Warmer is Amber! Thanks for playing everyone!

Valentines

2009-02-13T14:09:00.004-06:00

Lots of Valentine-making projects around here! It's been fun finding ways to use my Silhouette for these! It is definitely making my life easier.

These are Sydney's Valentines. She insisted on the store bought variety, I insisted we add something creative to them. Compromise - Mickey Mouse cards on decorated hearts. There are slits cut in the corners for the card and a set cut in the center for a pixy stick to go through. We were both pleased I think!

These are the cards I made. I'm slowly learning it's all about the layers in card making.

Sydney and I worked together on a Valentine gift for someone special. (Inspired by one Breanna sent me! Thanks again!!)

We made an extra Heart Warmer! Leave a comment before Saturday at noon (CST) to win it!

balls in a box

2009-02-11T13:31:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to spend the day with my friend Rachel. (Thanks again Rach!!) I had made this gift for her son Reggie a while back but haven't been able to share it until now.

First off, I used Amanda Jean's tutorial for the storage cube. I've been wanting to try this for ages - oh my gosh, so easy! No idea why I waited so long. The box for Reggie was pretty big - 9 1/2" square so I ended up using plastic canvas on the inside for stability instead of cardboard as she suggests. (None of my cereal boxes were big enough!) Seriously, I'll be making many more of these. Cute organizing containers are so expensive these days, this is a great way to save some cash!

The balls are made from this pattern with a little variation. I skipped the circles on the ends and used the same fabric for all the pieces. These are a little trickier than the box, but still pretty simple. I stuffed them with poly-fill and some rice so they are the perfect throwing weight!

Reggie turned one a couple months ago. Sadly, my handmade boy gift ideas seem to run out at about that age. That is of course until he's ready for a skull scarf! :)

P.S. My e-mail is broken and it's driving me crazy!

Knitting Round Up

2009-02-09T10:19:00.004-06:00

Last week I tried to spread out all my knitting projects, but then never actually posted the rest. And now I'm working on other stuff I want to share, so we are going to do the extra long round up post today and move on already!

First up, a cabled cowl from this pattern. Knit with Lion Brand Thick and Quick. And it is thick and quick. If I make this pattern again, and I think I will, I would add another row of cables to make it a little taller. This was knit flat so you just have to sew up the side seam when you are done. Super easy! A great first project for making cables.

Second are these slippers (also Thick and Quick.) My mom gave me the pattern. It was one of my great grandma's favorites. It is also super easy and quick. Again, knit flat and sewn up. It's really fun using a pattern with so much history! I'm going to try and figure out if the copyright is still valid on this pattern. Hopefully I can share it with you soon.

And lastly, a work in progress. This is another cowl made with this cable pattern only worked in the round. (You need to sign into Ravelry to view this one.) I had one ball of very special yarn and I'm hoping it will be just enough to finish this project. It's pretty slow going on this one though!

Alright, that's it. All caught up.

Mini Mitts

2009-02-03T15:13:00.003-06:00

By special request, mini fingerless mitts. I practically squealed the entire time it took me to make these. They are so cute and tiny and the best part - they took only a little over an hour to make the set. Only problem - she thinks they are for ice fishing. I had trouble explaining that hand knit Malabrigo yarn should not come in contact with slimy fish.

Just in case you wanted to know...

Yarn: Malabrigo worsted weight yarn in Melilla (226)

Needles: DPN size US 10 1/2

Size: Ages 2-5, just adjust the length to fit.

Cast on 21 stitches. Knit in the round until they are 3 1/2 inches long (or measure your own little one for thumb placement.) Cast off three stitches. Continue the row. Next row cast on three stitches and continue knitting for 3 rows or until they are the desired length. Use a stretchy bind off (I use this method.) Done!

Return

2009-02-02T08:52:00.004-06:00

We're back.

Happy to be home, but missing the simple life of vacation.

Lots of memories from our Winter getaway.

Tomorrow, the knitting.

Now, I must go see what you all have been up to!

R&R

2009-01-27T22:18:00.002-06:00

We've escaped for a little R&R around here. This is where I've been planted the past two days...

Knitting in my PJ's in front of a fire surrounded by my little family, it just doesn't get much better. I'm trying to savor every minute. I know it will go by way too fast.

I'll check in again soon to show off some finished projects. Despite the wifi, I am trying to really limit my computer time. Um, trying... Once again Ravelry sucks me in!

Pin Cushion Crazy

2009-01-23T09:34:00.003-06:00

I whipped this little guy out the other night. My sister had given me the cutest pin cushion for Christmas which she made using this tutorial from Amanda Jean. She claimed it was quick and easy, and she was right! Mine is made from a small black olive can instead of tuna. Less stinky, just as cute!

Silhouette Projects

2009-01-19T18:49:00.002-06:00

So I am finally getting the hang of my new Silhouette cutter. The software definitely has a learning curve, but once I get it all figured out the possibilities will be endless I think. I joined a Yahoo Group dedicated just to the Silhouette. They have so much practical advice and instructions on there, I think I would be lost without them. I've only gotten some smaller projects done so far, but they were really fun!

Here is a card I made, just to see if I could get the coffee cup to work. (It's a clip art image from Microsoft.)

Then I decided I wanted to start a family journal for this year. We certainly couldn't use any old plain notebook, right?I got the idea for a family journal from another blog but forgive me, I haven't a clue which one anymore. It sits on our dining room table ready for pictures, some words about our day, lists, funny stuff Sydney says, etc. Scrapbooks never seem to get done around here so I thought this could be a stress free way to document our year.

Hopefully more cut projects to come!

Craft Room Revamp

2009-01-15T13:11:00.003-06:00

Thanks for all the love on the sewing bags! I was hoping to make myself one too, so I can try to put a tutorial together when I do that. It really was super simple, just time consuming to put all those parts and pieces together.

Between Christmas and New Year's I convinced my sister that she should help me clean out my craft room - Clean Sweep style! We basically emptied the room and put it back together in a way that actually makes sense now! All like things are together now and everything has a place where it belongs. It is WONDERFUL!! Thanks again Becky. I refused to take pictures of how bad it got...no one needs to see that! Just trust me, it was bad. I have a LOT of stuff. I maybe didn't even realize just how much until we did this. Even so, it all fits and is organized and ready for the new year. Go here and here to see the old layout. And here is the new!

This shot is to the left after you enter. The white shelving under the window was a Christmas gift from Lee. (Funny how he always knows just the right thing to buy! Hhmmm.) Basically we swapped the table and the white dresser. I can now work from both sides of my table which is wonderful.

A little further in...

To the right. (Sorry it's so blurry.)

We took the door off the closet. It makes such a huge difference! My husband built me some shelves to use the new found space. I love how this turned out...looks like my own little yarn shop! (Okay, maybe not so little!)

So that's the tour! It has been like this for 2 weeks now and is still clean! That is so huge for me - I am a very messy crafter!! But putting things away now seems much easier. Cross your fingers for me that I can keep it this way!

Still more gifts!

2009-01-14T12:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, I think this is the last Christmas gift post! These are portable sewing bags I made for my sister and my friend Sara (and one for my mom, but I can't find the pictures of that.) I always have trouble keeping track of all my sewing essentials when I'm on the road, so I figured others might have the same problem. They include a removable pin cushion, felt needle pages, large pockets for scissors and rulers and such and a small pocket with velcro closure. Check them out!

Thank You

2009-01-13T11:57:00.003-06:00

Well, you guys sure know how to make a girl feel good! Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes!! I had a great birthday weekend with my entire family. I was spoiled rotten with amazing gifts (like this one!) and am feeling inspired and ready to create.

My husband got me this amazing tool for my birthday.

The Quickutz Silhouette. Very fun stuff going on here. I'm still trying to figure everything out, but I can tell already I am going to love it.

me

2009-01-09T10:01:00.003-06:00

This is me.

And today I am 30.

I think I'm okay with it.

Felted Bowls

2009-01-07T14:17:00.003-06:00

These were a gift for my sister. I actually made myself some a while back and my sister dropped several "hints" that she would like a set as well. Being the complete individuals that we are (not really, we are almost the same exact person) I was able to make the bowls using the same yarn I used for mine and they match her house perfectly just like they match mine. Huh. (I'm quite sure she copies me!!)

These are based loosely on the pattern in One Skein by Leigh Radford. Good book, by the way, I think I need to request it from the library again. The bowls are basically little squaty hats. So, if you can figure out how to make a hat, but aren't real sure about circular or double pointed needles these are still within your grasp. Give them a try!!

Holiday Recap

2009-01-05T14:36:00.003-06:00

Wow, time flies over the holidays, doesn't it? We spend so much time getting ready for something and then whoosh, it's over. But it was very good and well worth the work (contrary to what my husband tells me.) So, I've taken a nice little break and now I can finally show you all the things I had been working on! Spread out of course so it looks like a lot more than it was!

First up is the most well received gift. I made this scarf for my 18 year old nephew. He absolutely loved it, in fact I think everyone was a little sick of hearing about it by the end of our time there! The scarf was knit in a 3x1 ribbing. The skull chart was something I found on flickr. I ended up knitting a separate rectangle and sewing it to the back of the skull section so there is a pocket at the bottom of both ends. It covers up the mess that using multiple colors can create, and can add a little extra warmth for guys too cool to wear gloves. This is made from Lion Brand Thick and Quick and took 2 1/2 skeins of yarn! It weighs a ton, but it's very warm.

Something to snuggle with on Christmas night

2008-12-23T14:22:00.004-06:00

That's what I'm hoping for anyway. I got this quilt done for Sydney just in the nick of time. It's pretty small (a lap quilt for an adult) but plenty big for her. She picked out the Mickey Mouse snowflake fabric last Spring. I think it was 75% off so I caved pretty easily even though I had no idea what we would do with it. Now, I've managed to use up every last scrap! The entire quilt is from my stash actually. I love being able to do that!

We are leaving tomorrow morning to visit family for Christmas, then returning on Thursday evening to host my family at our house on Friday. It's been a lot of work to get ready, but I'm really excited to have them all here.

I hope that all of you have a very blessed and merry Christmas. It is so easy this time of year to loose focus of the true meaning of this season, but I pray that you all can take a few moments to consider the first Christmas and what it might mean today in your life.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Roxanne

digging out

2008-12-16T09:34:00.003-06:00

Yep, still alive up here. We had quite the whopper of a storm this weekend. A blizzard in fact, complete with 10+ inches of snow, 40+ mph winds and ridiculously cold temps. Just plain crazy cold. The picture above was from 1:00 Sunday afternoon. That house across the street seemed to disappear and reappear several times that day. We are done with the snow (except for the cleanup) but the cold has stuck around. It was -12 degrees this morning. Brrr.

This is the view on our deck. I'm a little worried if it can hold all that snow! I think we might have to clean if off. Plus, it kind of gives me a claustrophobic feeling, like there is no way out. I think I've been stuck at home for too long! I snuck out last night to do some shopping but poor Sydney hasn't left home since Friday. She's going a little crazy, think we will have to venture out today.

Anyway, enough talk about the weather (that's all we talk about around here!) I did get a lot of stuff done while I was stuck at home. This is a gift for my SIL. Ask me how much I want to keep it. A lot. Idea completely stolen from here.

A little more little girl Christmas...

2008-12-11T11:58:00.005-06:00

Okay, here's another one. The recipient got this already so now I can show you.

As you may remember from last Christmas, I love to incorporate books into my gifts as much as possible. I've had the idea for a Princess and the Pea set for a long time. I think I bought the books from Barnes and Noble last summer! I made four little mini quilts to go with the book and attached a felted pea to one. My intention was to be able to let the little girl act out the book with a doll while its being read to her. And I'm sure the quilts will be used for a lot of other fun play!

The quilts are all made of the same set of 4 fabrics, some with just a couple of the prints, some with all four. I have another set of these that I think I will save and give to Sydney. (Mostly because I want to keep one!)

Little Girl Christmas

2008-12-09T13:10:00.003-06:00

I'm finally starting to check some things off my Christmas list. For a while there it was just a massive pile of WIP (work in progress) and nothing done. But this one is complete, and I can actually show it to you! This set of felt food is for one of Sydney's friends. She just got a baby brother, and I thought this would be a great big sister/early Christmas gift. She has the ultimate in little kid kitchens and so she had to have the ultimate in felt food - nothing but desserts! Chocolate cake, cherry pie, donuts and cookies. These are so fun to make. I'm hoping after Christmas I can add a lot more items to Sydney's collection as well. (She's not so sure about Mama making stuff for other kids!)

2008-12-08T14:29:00.003-06:00

And the lucky winner is
Amanda at Giddy Goat. Congratulations! Thanks to all of you for playing along!!

Two Years of Blogging!

2008-12-05T14:44:00.003-06:00

Thanks for coming back today to celebrate with me! Please leave a comment and say hello! One lucky winner will receive a pair of knitted wrist warmers. I'm still on my knitting kick, so you all might as well enjoy it as well! If you would like, let me know what color you might prefer if you are the lucky winner!!

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!!
Roxanne

ETA: Hey folks, keep those comments coming! It's been so nice to hear from some new people too!! Just wanted to add that the giveaway goes until Monday morning when I will draw a name. Thanks!

Time Flies

2008-12-04T13:57:00.003-06:00

Time has flown by around here, in more ways than one. I took a little break over Thanksgiving. We left last Wednesday to visit family and didn't return home until Sunday. My plan was to decorate the house for Christmas before we left, but that of course didn't happen. Instead I just dug out all the Christmas stuff and didn't finish anything and came home to a disaster. Such fun. My parents are coming to stay tonight so you can guess what I've been up to. But the house is decorated and sort of clean and I can really buckle down and focus on gift making.

This is one little decoration I made for myself - a vase cozy I guess? It just makes everything look warm and cozy I think. The yarn is possum that my MIL got me a couple years ago in Australia. It is extremely soft (if not a little strange!)

Time has flown by in another way too. Two years ago today I started this blog. Two years ago today, I found a way to connect with some amazing people from the confines oops I mean comfort of my own home. Thank you all for reading, commenting and just being my friend. To those of you from my "real life" (Rachel, Wendy, Sara, Stacy, Becky, Mom) it means so much to me that you read this and care what is going on in my day to day life. To all of you out there that I have yet to meet in person, connecting with you through this blog has been a wonderful experience. Thank you all very much.

So, I'm off to clean my craft room so my mom and I can work on some projects while she's here. While I'm doing that, I will be thinking about some giveaway ideas for my blogiversary! Check back tomorrow and I'll let you know what I came up with!!

Couple things...

2008-11-21T14:03:00.003-06:00

Couple things on my mind today that I wanted to share with you all.

Picked up this amazing magazine last night at JoAnns. I had read some reviews on other blogs and thought it looked interesting, but wow, it is good. I'll admit, as an avid blog reader I am rather picky when it comes to magazines. Sometimes it seems like there isn't much out there that hasn't been done already 16 different ways, and how could a printed publication keep up with it all. But this magazine has done it. Check it out!

Those of you running the 2007 version of Microsoft - have you checked out OneNote?? I am loving it!! A great way to catalog all sorts of things, from shopping lists to recipes to knitting patterns. I'll have to share some shots from my notebooks in there some day. Anybody ever use Google Notebook? Its like that only on your own computer and ten times better. I'm sure Microsoft has some boring instructions somewhere, but I could write up a little demonstration on how I use it if anyone is interested. Let me know!

Sydney and I spent the morning organizing her craft & art supplies. I finally gave in and boxed up all the china out of the lower portion of my china cabinet. It is now craft central. Sydney was surprising helpful when we sorted out all of her supplies. We re-used a dozen or so old containers - sequins in an old spice container, pom poms in an old peanut butter jar, paper clips in a baby food jar, etc. Recycling all that plastic is so inefficient, I try my hardest to find a way to reuse it instead. Anyway, it's all cleaned up and ready for business now.

*A funny story for you...yesterday afternoon Sydney spent at least an hour gluing things together while I worked on some origami patterns I've been wanting to try. Last night her dad put her to bed while I was out running errands. Her bedtime prayer included "and thank you for a very wonderful crafting day." Ha!*

Hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend! I hope to finish lots of Christmas presents. We'll see!

Take care.

Change of Season Pillows

2008-11-20T10:33:00.002-06:00

It seems with every season change I make new pillows for our sofa. Nothing as spectacular at this of course, but it works. The pillow in the back is made from leftover curtain fabric. The front pillow is part of a felted sweater. I didn't have much left so it is pieced together. The back is the same curtain fabric, the buttons hide an unmatched seam! More cozy-ing up to come! It is getting down right cold around here.

Pickle Mittens

2008-11-14T14:15:00.000-06:00

So obviously I've been spending way too much time on Ravelry. LYS means local yarn shop. Which in my case is 6 blocks from my house. I ventured in there a while back and actually controlled myself. I bought two skeins of yarn - the aqua from yesterday and this amazing green which is an organic cotton also by Blue Sky Alpacas. I used pretty much every last inch of the green (called Pickle!) to create these mittens.

Even with Ravelry and all the amazing wonders it contains, I couldn't find a mitten pattern that I liked. Everything looked so big and puffy. I was looking for extra long (of course) and slim and sleek. So, with what I learned on Fetching, I forged ahead on my own.

This teeny little pile of scraps is what I had left. I refuse to buy more yarn just to knit a thumb!! I actually ended up taking an inch off the bottom of each mitten to make this work. Ridiculous I know.

DIY DPN

2008-11-13T13:50:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Sydney and I spent the weekend with my family. I took the opportunity to use my Dad's fancy power tools (and his assistance) to make myself some double pointed knitting needles. I was getting sick of picking patterns based on the size needles I already had on hand. So for a little over $2 I made three sets of needles (5 per set).

To make these I took a needle gauge with me to the hardware store and compared the dowels to standard needle sizes. If you plan to try this, figure out how long you want your needles to be before you go. Then with some quick math at the store you'll know how many of each dowels to purchase. The dowels I found were 4 feet long so I was able to get five 9 inch needles from each one.

Next, we cut them accordingly and sanded away on my Dad's very large stand alone belt sander. Once I got home I spent a while hand sanding them. Then I sprayed them with lacquer, sanded again, sprayed again and sanded again. I used them to finish the hat I posted about yesterday and actually ended up sanding them again after I was done with the hat. It's hard to notice the very small imperfections until you start to really knit. But, once they are smooth they work like a gem! Plus, I love using things I made myself!

P.S. The yarn in the photo is Blue Sky Alpacas sport weight in Pale Aqua (514). I keep carrying it around and touching it trying to decided what to make with it. Any ideas?

Getting cabled away

2008-11-12T13:41:00.003-06:00

The cables have sucked me in! (Even though they take me forever.) I think I may have finally finished a hat that actually fits me. I used some clearance Lion Brand Jiffy yarn. I have more of it and plan to make some sort of scarf to coordinate with it. The pattern is from this book that I checked out from my local library. The hat was really short on me the first go around so I ended up taking out the top decreased section in order to go back and add more length. Gotta cover those ears you know!!

Crunch Time...

2008-11-05T14:37:00.003-06:00

Busy working on a couple of deadlines lately. I am a constant procrastinator. How does one get rid of this horrible habit?

Anyway, here is a tiny sneak peek at one of my projects. I don't want to spill the beans yet, afraid I might just jinx it.

Happy Wednesday!

Bribery

2008-10-28T13:15:00.003-06:00

I design the newsletter for our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at church. This is my second year doing it and I've decided this year that it is much easier to bribe others to contribute content than it is to write my own. And what better bribe than a cute zippered pouch!

Fetching

2008-10-27T12:54:00.003-06:00

I've been on a knitting kick lately. It has been cold and rainy here (it even snowed yesterday!) and thus, perfect knitting weather in my book. These are one of my finished products. Fingerless gloves from the Fetching Pattern. Found via Ravelry of course. This was my first time attempting cables - they are so fun and easy, I'm not sure why I haven't tried them sooner. Each glove took about two days (not constant of course, just when I could sneak in a few rows.) These were knit using Patons SWS in Moss, which is a wool/soy blend. I thought the yarn felt nice and soft, but once I got one done I knew it was way too itchy for me. Luckily my mom really liked them so they are now going to be a Christmas gift for her. Not a very good surprise, but I hope she enjoys them just the same!

One of my favorite things about this pattern is the 4x1 ribbing. I'm not very experienced with double pointed needles yet, so I always end up with a weird gap between needle breaks. But this pattern was thought out so well that the pearls in the ribbing end up right wear the needle breaks would be making them seem truly seamless! The thumb on this pattern was a little tricky. Ravelry to the rescue! I searched the forum posts for help on it and found this link. (Moron note - probably obvious to everyone else, but when the pattern says use waste yarn so you can remove it later it would be wise to use a contrasting color yarn so you had some chance of locating it again.) Once you give it a try it will be easy as pie, trust me. I'm already working on my second pair - this one to keep!

Thankful Journal

2008-10-22T13:04:00.005-06:00

I'm hoping we can start a new tradition in our family with this project. It is a Thankful Journal. I decorated 10 pages - 3 for each of us to share something we are thankful for and one page for a family photo. Sydney was very excited to work on it. She has a Bernstein Bears book about counting blessings and loves to list all of her blessings. It usually is the first thing in sight, or some obscure thing that pops into her head. But you can't argue with toilet paper and orange juice being a blessing, right?

Progress

2008-10-20T15:04:00.003-06:00

Hi there! I'm back, you didn't know I was going to be gone, but now I'm back. Last week seemed to get away from me somehow. Lots of activities, company, and a trip out of town sucked up all my blogging time I guess! In between all of that I have been working on some projects. Several knitting projects and some Christmas gifts, but I can only share a few of them...blogging around Christmas is so hard! I want to share everything, but too many surprises would be ruined. Anyway, the picture above is my work in progress pile. Any guesses as to what all those things are? :)

button-tab hat in extra small

2008-10-09T13:19:00.004-06:00

Just got back from the Pumpkin Patch where Sydney got to try out her new hat. It definitely got the stamp of approval. I made it using this pattern, with the intentions of making myself a hat. But somewhere along the way I totally screwed it up and it became small enough for Sydney. Wish I could tell you what I did, but I honestly don't remember. I can tell you though, the hardest part was picking the button!

a little yellow house with a little pink door

2008-10-08T13:10:00.003-06:00

Yesterday a miracle happened - my house was clean, dishes done, child sleeping all at the same time! Woohoo! So I spent some time working on a gift for a special little girl using this tutorial.

I worked on it some more after supper and had it done before I went to bed. I love those kind of projects - done in a day with supplies I had on hand.

And of course, Sydney has requested one for herself. She wants hers to be a red bird house. Personally I think making this as a bird house is a great idea. Add it to the list I guess!

Autumn Trees

2008-10-07T12:49:00.002-06:00

Simple Autumn greetings.

Simplicity in Gray

2008-10-02T12:00:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend I was inspired by this post by Amanda Jean. The simplicity of the quilt was just perfect. I decided to go for it, with my own twist. I started out in my stash of vintage fabric (I keep it separate from the rest of my stash.) Then things just went from there! Here is the top...

(Wow, the camera really shows off the wrinkles doesn't it! Sorry!)

And a close-up of the patterned fabrics. The back is going to be more of the off-white fabric, with some piecing worked in somehow. Now I just need to get some batting and decide how to quilt it!