Stuff Other People Make

I received these coasters as a lovely gift from my friend Sara. I am in love with them! The pattern is from the book Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. I have them in my living room and am thinking I need to work that color in the room some more. I love it! Makes things much less drab. Thanks Sara!!

Our Mornings - In Pictures

The ingredients may change, but our mornings are always the same.

I fix Sydney's breakfast of choice.

I fix my own breakfast.

Sydney eats my breakfast.

And I eat hers.

Everyday. And everyday I think it's going to change and it doesn't. 2 year olds are strange beings.

Busy as a bee

I have been. Busy that is. Doing what I don't know. I'm working on too many surprise projects right now, which means I have nothing to blog about. But that does mean I will have plenty to talk about in the coming weeks. Several birthday gifts, Valentines, and some new ideas brewing as well.

But for now, this is all I've got. Rows and rows and rows.

Felt Food Revisited

I've been stitching away at some more felt food. It has been so utterly cold here you can't even imagine it. (Yesterday was the first time in a week we got over zero.) So we have been spending a lot of time snuggled up on the couch watching movies. This has been the perfect project for that since most of the items are sewn by hand.

So, today for lunch we are featuring pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers; an apple slice; an orange slice; a serving of sliced carrots; and one large piece of broccoli the size of a tree. (Yeah, that didn't turn out so good but it was a great way to practice french knots!)

Enjoy! Next up on the menu - desserts!

There goes an afternoon...

A whole afternoon wasted playing with my sewing machine! My mom gave me a darning foot for my sewing machine for Christmas and I decided today was the day to figure out how to use it.

First I had to clean my machine though. If you participated in any of the felted sweater projects, I suggest you do the same! Mine filled up with lint very quickly with all those sweaters running through it!

Then I had to figure out how to get the foot on the machine using only a small (bad) drawing as my instruction. I figured it out eventually, after dismantling a few things!

Then I went nuts! Free motion sewing is so much fun! I will definitely have to think up some new projects so I can do this some more. I think I was probably going too fast, my stitches got a little big in some places and honestly I was scared I was going to sew myself a couple times. So next time slow and steady is the plan.

Here was my first attempt at some free motion embroidery. Looks a little childish, I think I need a little practice!

So that's what I've been up to. Not cleaning, doing laundry or putting away Christmas decorations. Just playing!

I *heart* paper

I was so excited last week to sell one of my pendants. Not just because I sold something (which is always exciting) but because I have been looking for an excuse to show you this paper!

I finally checked out a little independent scrapbooking store that is about 2 minutes from my house. What took me so long? I have no idea. But it was good. Really good. Probably too good, but who cares! I have decided from now on to spend my craftying money in indpendent stores like this one as much as possible. I mean really, this is just another woman trying to live her passion. That's the kind of business I want to support.

Here's the packaging for the pendant.



And here's the coordinating paper that of course I had to have as well!

More Kid Stuff...

Sorry guys, you are probably getting really sick of all the kid stuff going on around here, but well, that's my life I guess!

So my exciting news...I was shopping this weekend, browsing through T.J. Maxx and spotted this dollhouse. I've wanted one for Sydney for so long, but had come to the conclusion I would have to make one to be able to afford it. Which I was okay with, but who knows when it would get done. So I scooped this one up...which was on clearance...for $44!!! I am so excited and so is Sydney. It came with dolls and furniture, but could use a little crafty help to make it homey! I'm thinking some rugs and real blankets for the beds. The brand is Ryan's Room. I hadn't heard of it before, but it seems pretty good. The entire thing is made of wood. As soon as I got home I googled it to make sure it was safe, no recalls, all that stuff. I think this is probably an older model, which I assumed when I bought it, but still the cheapest I found it for was still $99. Woohoo!!! I love bargains like that.

We decided to put it in Sydney's room with the hopes that it will encourage her to actually play in there (it has). And I think this is just what I needed to motivate me to redo some things in her room (I bought curtain fabric for her room ages ago) and maybe even move her to a big bed. She is perfectly content in her crib, and she has never tried to climb out or anything like that...are we just asking for trouble moving her?