for the grandmas that visit this blog :)

MORE donated fabric!

thank you robert kaufman for this adorable urban blooms flannel!

Easter Outfit

here's my nathan in his easter outfit. i made the hat, the bowtie and his pants all using free tutorials i found on blogs. don't you just love that!

the pants are from MADE (a creative collection) w/out the kneepads as you see. i totally wanted to do the flat front pockets but forgot until after i had already sewn up the hem.

the bowtie is from something about katie.

and the newsboy cap is from clevergirl.

one other thing i *was* going to make was a pair of suspenders. i purchased a pattern from dainty couture, but ended up not going that route. i wanted nathan to still look like a little boy for now. he's growing up way too fast for me!

and lastly the fabric is robert kaufman's "MC plaid 80's". good luck trying to find any though! i had a tough time finding more than 1 yard at a time and had to get it from a few sources.

the story of a boy and an enormous strawberry....

sick baby... again

life stops when this happens....

4 hrs in the emergency room for breathing treatments and amoxicilin. why don't they just sell that stuff by the gallon?

Diaper Doll

want to make one of these?

supplies: 20 newborn or size 1 diapers

white curling ribbon (i used red to show you better)

tape

scissors

bamboo skewers (optional)

whatever you want to dress your baby in (pants, onsie, pacifier, bottle, hat, whatever you want!)

take 6 diapers and roll them up and tape them. you can also use a rubberband if you want.

set 4 rolls aside, they are the arms and legs. take 1 of the remaining rolls and wrap 9 more diapers around it, use tape to secure it. this will be the body, 10 diapers total.

once all 10 diapers are on, wrap a piece of curling ribbon around it to make sure it's really secure. don't tie too tight or you'll smoosh the body and it won't be round anymore.

on the remaining roll, wrap 5 more diapers around it to make a total of 6 diapers. and again, secure it with curling ribbon.

stack the body and head on top of one another and wrap another piece of curling ribbon around both parts to secure. then dress your doll.

slide the 4 diaper rolls that you set aside at the beginning into each of the pant legs and arms (1 in each). if you're having a problem with them staying in the pant legs, you can tape the diaper around a bamboo skewer, and then slide it into the pants and stick between the layers of diapers.

here are some fun things to do with diapers...

diaper bear
diaper doll
diaper wreath
diaper cake

MORE crochet

where i live there is an abundance of oranges! one of the local grocery stores has them on sale right now for 18 cents/lb. so of course every weekend we've been buying 10 lbs and they're gone in a few days. what's the worst thing about oranges? peeling them! i hate getting my hands all juicy with citrus and the rine under my fingernails. gag! last year as i was browsing through the pampered chef catalog i saw a citrus peeler (FOR $1!) and figured i'd try it out. now this may not be a new invention to you, but to me it was and oh my goodness it is fabulous! peeling an orange takes seconds with this handy tool. and no more citrus hands! there's a hook on one side that slices the orange and the curved edge slides between the slices and peels the rine. it's just fabulous!

the weather is warming up :) time to start playing outside! nathan can now climb on and off his horse and will sit on it for hours if we'd let him!

look mom! no hands!

i don't have any new sewing projects to show, just yet. they're in the works though :)

to fill my time when i take a break from my machine, i've been learning to crochet via youtube videos, lol.

here's the video tutorial i followed for this baby hat...

then i tried my hand at a hat for myself, video tutorial found here. and the flower was made via a video tutorial thanks to little birdie secrets :)

it's my new obsession!

Craftaholic Anonymous

who can relate?

1. I will not stuff craft supplies in every corner of my house.


2. I will not keep nine projects going at one time.

3. I will not pick up more buttons, lace or fabric when I have a ton at home.

4. I will not let my crafting area look like a condemned area.

5. I will not relegate the kitchen table to crafts.

6. I will not attend craft shows just to pick up more ideas.

7. I will not stock up on more craft supplies just because they are on sale.

8. I will not go off on a tangent when anyone mentions that little word "import ".

9. I will not let my crafting distract me from fixing dinner.

10. I will not stay up all night crafting.

11. I will not save dryer lint, empty cereal boxes, detergent scoops, etc.

12. I will not buy every craft magazine I see.

13. I will not make promises I cannot keep. See you at the craft show

Crocheted Beanie

i am loving to crochet! once again i used mikeys mail on youtube. he offers great video tutorials for the beginner like myself! here is a newborn beanie that took a little more than 1 hour to make.

Easter Bunny Spoons and Wreath

In this spoon, a hug and a kiss you see

One is from the Easter Bunny and the other, from me :)

got my Easter wreath up today. Cindi with This is my life has easy to follow instructions on how to make it.

FABRIC DONATIONS ROCK!

wednesday when i arrived home from running errands, i saw this box waiting on the porch for me. i thought, hmm, i haven't ordered anything lately, i wonder if it's a fabric donation? SURE ENOUGH IT WAS!
notice who it's from ;) yep, AMY BUTLER DESIGNS! i about fainted! i had no clue this was coming! inside was 4 yards of fabric from her midwest modern collection and they even sent along thread!! i already have my rag quilt "designed" and hope to get working on it this weekend... maybe...hopefully?
then on thursday i got my fabric donation from MODA. now this i knew was coming and was excited to see what they'd sent. the brown stripe pattern on the left is by 3 sisters fabric and is from the aster manor collection. the one on the right i have no clue who it's by! if anyone can help me, that'd be great! i'm having a hard time finding coordinates for it. if you've never seen moda's craft blog... click here.
to end the fabulous 2 days i had, we had a fabulous dinner. a super easy and delicious chicken parmesan. recipe found here at the ducks in a row blog. sorry for the poor presentation. i didn't realize how good it was until i started eating it. and once i tasted it, i knew you just had to have a picture of it's deliciousness! LOL.


and now onto friday, MORE UNEXPECTED FABRIC :) i got another box from MODA. inside was a cute little drawstring bag with a nail file, push pins, 2 patterns, 4 embroidery flosses and a honeybun roll of soiree by lila tueller, which is SO CUTE!
the other surprise box was from MICHAEL MILLER FABRICS! AHHH!! inside was a gift box of fabric/ribbon/patterns and book from their first sight collection, which i love and have used before. and also 20 fat quarters of browns, blues and greys. these are going to be great to donate to the silent auction! by the way, have you ever checked out their blog? it's fabulous with many great tutorials!

if you're wondering why i'm getting fabric donations... my husband (jaren) and i are part of a relay for life team this year. our team consist mainly of highschool students, but my friend is the team leader, so that's why we joined her team. well part of being on a team is committing to fundraise $100+/each member that gets donated to the american cancer society. for teenage students, this is a little hard. so they came up with the idea to have a spaghetti dinner/talent show/silent auction to raise money. i wanted to do my part and thought i could donate a few rag quilts to the silent auction. so i sent a letter to many of my favorite fabric designers/distributors asking for 3 yards of any fabric they could donate and voila! and as you see, they've donated more than just 3 yards :)
and remember this post 8 MONTHS AGO about fabric i won through strawberry patches? my main goal for the fabric was to make something to donate to the Ronald McDonald House in my area. unfortuantly i started babysitting for a friend, had a dreadful move, then holidays, and havn't had the time (i know, lame excuse) to volunteer at the house. so i wasn't quit sure what i could make that would be of use to them. so i've been hanging onto the fabric waiting for my chance to use it. well, that's all about to change and i think i came up with a great project. hope to share it with you all very shortly!

Learn to Crochet

i've always wanted to learn to crochet! my husband has tried to teach me, but his skills weren't up to snuff, lol. so i went to trusty ol' youtube and found a great video tutorial!

thanks to the above video, here's my first finished afghan. just a basic granny square stitch.


can i just say... one, i love that the video is a male crocheter. and second, he's a truck driver and so his my hubby. so of course i would think a male truck driver that crochets is awesome :)

CTR Towel

in my church at the age of 8, a child is baptised. baptism is a personal covenant between you and God. at that age, their primary (sunday school) class is called the CTR's. CTR means CHOOSE THE RIGHT and this is the emblem that associates with that saying... when i came across a CTR towel and poem on the Made with Love and Glue blog, i had to bookmark it in my favorites in hopes i'd get to make one soon! so when i found out that a friends son had made the important decision to be baptised, i knew i just had to make this for his special day! there's a poem that goes along with the towel that just fits it so well! here are my digiscrap versions of it...

if you're interested in making this, here's the tutorial she offers. it's great! she also has links for the CTR emblem and poem. happy appliquing!