Favorite Friday

Another installment of Favorite Friday! This week, my favorite thing is my new Spring purse!

It's bright, it's huge - I love it! The main fabric is a decorator weight woven fabric. The handles are made from a corduroy shirt from the thrift store. The lining is also a thrift store find. As you can (sort of) see from the out of focus shot, the bag has become a long dark tunnel. But I just don't care because I love it and it holds a ton of stuff!! I can see lots of long skinny zipper pouches in my future!

Happy Friday Folks!

Just me...

Last week Sally from Polliwog's Cakewalk tagged me to share 6 things about myself. I think I did this once before, but it's been awhile and I'm sure there are 6 more things I can think of. So here goes...

1. My sister and I are 5 years apart (I'm younger!) and don't really look that much alike, but we have a couple strange things that are exactly alike. For example, our hands look exactly the same (my identical hand twin!!) Our legs are the exact same length from hip to heel, but I am 3 inches taller than her through the torso. We also dress alike all the time without ever planning it. We don't buy matching clothes or anything, we just seem to coordinate a lot. And we do a lot of stuff together so there is usually a phone call to make sure we aren't going to match too much.

2. I have a degree in marketing, but my minor was in Economics. My advisor pretty much told me that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard, but I liked it! I liked economics - what was wrong with me? But now, my husband thinks I'm smart because of this. Yep, I've got him fooled.

3. Speaking of my husband thinking I'm smart - I pretty much ruined that this morning when I slipped and fell in the shower. To give you an idea of his reaction - no I am not 80 and no I didn't break my hip. I am however really black and blue and I feel like a truck hit me. Not my proudest moment. I can't believe I am telling you all!

4. I have an addiction problems. Luckily instead of drugs or alcohol I chose fabric and paper. What? You already knew that? Oh, sorry.

5. My husband and I got married a year, a month and a day after our first date. We met while I was dating his roommate. Oops!!

6. I bowled in the lane next to Kimberly Locke (from American Idol) here in Chicago about 4 years ago. I used to go to Chicago a lot back at my pre-baby job. Don't miss the job, but do miss the free trips to the Windy City!! Anyway, she was really nice (but she kind of sucked at bowling!) Exciting celebrity siting, huh?

So that's all I've got, sorry to bore you! I do have a fun project to show you though...

I made this little apron yesterday to send to Sydney's cousin Chiara. Her mom just had twin boys (the recipients of the turtles from a while back) and we thought she should have a little something fun too.

It was so easy! I made it from a dishtowel that I got on clearance (I bought a ton of them just for this purpose). All I did was cut and sew the sides and made tubes for the strap to go through so the neck and waist is all adjustable. Making the strap was the most time consuming part of the whole project!

I mentioned last week that I was working on some knitted Easter eggs. Well, I've finished three and I guess the excitement has kind of worn off. Funny how that happens.

Here is my first attempt. Love the colors and the look, but the size is way off. This sucker is huge. Like ostrich egg big.

Attempt number two. Knitted with the smallest needles I own (3) out of plain old white. Much better size, but kind of boring.

And attempt number three. Cuter yarn, decent size, but badly misshapen. Can you even tell this is an egg?

I think they would have turned out much cuter if I had just put the knitted egg over a Styrofoam egg instead of stuffing them. But, I knew they would be hugged, thrown, and generally played with a lot so stuffing was the best route. One thing the experience has shown me is that knitting a ball would be really easy. I think I will work on that pattern - I'll share it with you when I get it perfected!

In other exciting news around here... this arrived in the mail and has found a special place in my craft room!

I am the proud owner of a Birthday Crown from the lovely Vallen! I was so excited when I opened it! Isn't it fun?!? It had some adorable pinwheels that were supposed to be stuck in, but Sydney swiped them and has been having a blast with them. Hopefully I can steal them back soon! Thanks again Vallen, I love it!!

Favorite Friday

Sydney and I were working on our favorite Friday breakfast (buckwheat pancakes with a mashed banana mixed in to cut through the buckwheat flavor!) when I realized what favorite I had to share with you today!

This rotating tray holds my most used kitchen essentials - extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper, italian seasoning, Montreal Steak seasoning (by McCormick) and the standard salt and pepper shakers. I actually got it for free, another reason why it's a favorite probably!

Last fall when we were at my in-laws house my MIL was cleaning her house and had a huge pile of stuff she was planning to donate. Of course, I dug through it and found this tray. It went with a set of serving dishes that fit on top. Not sure why I didn't nab those...maybe she was missing one of them. I can't remember. Anyway, I knew this would be a very useful treasure! And I was right. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't use it, and it has kept my spice cabinet neat and tidy since I no longer have to dig around in there for the items I use everyday.

Hope you all have a great weekend planned! We are experiencing (HOPEFULLY) our last cold streak around here, so we will be hanging low at home patiently waiting for spring.

It's boo-full

That's what Sydney said anyway. She's a sucker for beads though, so she's a little biased. These are just some of the beads I bought last week. I have no idea what they are called or anything (the darker green ones might be jade??) They were just pretty and 50% off! That's all I need!!

They just happened to match what I was wearing yesterday!

As with all necklaces in my house, now you see it....

now you don't!

Squared Table Runner

I think 2008 just might become the year of the table runner!

This runner was sent off to live at the lovely Mary Ann's house as a little thank you for a gigantic box of goodies she sent to me and Sydney - think vintage sheets for me and endless art supplies for her (her favorite being crepe paper that is cut up and hung all over the house.) Thanks again Mary Ann! Hope you enjoy the runner - which in Sydney's head means you put it on the floor and run back and forth on it as fast as you can. Just something to try in case you get bored!! :)

Playing catch up...

Somehow I've found myself behind. On e-mails, laundry, blog reading, blog posting etc. Not sure how it happened, but please bear with me while I try to catch up! In the meantime, here are some things that have been going on around here...

I attended my last knitting class for the mittens last Thursday. They just need to be felted and I will show them off! My husband wants me to knit him a pair in camouflage next. Not sure they make yarn like that, but I'll come up with something.

Last Friday we went to my sister's house for a Wii party. Oh my goodness, so much fun! And I'm really not a video game person. Sydney had a blast too, even though she didn't quite get what was going on. Funny story though....the kids were playing Wii bowling that night. Sydney thought it was very fun, even though the ball usually went behind her head. At home on Sunday the TV got left on ESPN and professional bowling was on. Sydney came running to find me, very excited because she thought she was playing Wii again. Hilarious!! Funny how her game improved dramatically!

Just made a quick trip to Wal-mart. (Doesn't sound very exciting, I know.) This particular store is relocating soon to a Super Wal-mart so they have been clearancing everything. I made a haul on a ton of yarn ridiculously cheap. Like Lion Brand Thick and Quick for $2 cheap, among other things. I'm all ready for Christmas scarf making!! (Thanks for the tip Stacy!)

Speaking of knitting, I am currently working on one of these knitted Easter eggs...so easy and quick, I can't wait to show you how cute it is!

Not that I really care, but I find it funny that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony named their kid's Max and Emme....just like the kids from Dragon Tales on PBS. Anybody else watch that show?

I snuck out to this fabulous bead store on Friday. I am starting to get hooked on jewelry making. Just what I needed! I'll hopefully show off my creations soon!

Sometimes a little whining pays off! Remember my zippered pouch from last week? (I'm sick of linking, just scroll down if you don't.) Well, the very sweet and thoughtful Katherine has made a tutorial to show us all how to make a lined zippered pouch without hand sewing the lining! Thanks again Katherine! I knew there had to be a way, I just couldn't wrap my head around it until you explained it. You're the best!

One more thing...someone asked about the frame I used for Sydney's painting. It was a after Christmas clearance score from Michaels, came in a pack of three different sized frames. Really nothing special - any old frame will do! I found the mat at Hobby Lobby - with my 40% off coupon it was $1.50.

Alright, that's all I've got. I'm off to catch up on e-mails.