Valentines!

Valentine's Day is always fun!  Getting ideas from blogs this year made it even more fun :)   

I found an awesome tutorial for this charm pack garland...I figured it was a perfect project for my girls.  We made 2 of them, one for us and one for Grandma Becky.  Sarah and Eliza did it almost all by themselves! 

The day before Valentine's, I saw this idea.  I thought it would be perfect for Family Home Evening.

I changed it a bit.  I knew I didn't have time to dig through my scrapbooking boxes to find the cute paper, or to put the amazing hearts together.  And, no branches of our trees around here are dead to make a tree like theirs...(let alone having colored rocks laying around) so I did my own twist...

I cut out construction paper hearts (creative, I know--but very do-able).

For Family Home Evening, we watched this video, then everyone wrote on a heart something they liked about a person.  They wrote a heart to everyone in our family.

 

The cool thing about having a pretty big family is that when we were done, we had A LOT of hearts!  We heart-attacked our pantry door, where we can all read the fun notes--over and over again!  It was a great activity, and really  made us focus on what we really did love about each other.  I think it will be a yearly tradition. 

Hope you all had a great Valentine's day too!

Thursday Thoughts

A few things that make me smile today:

Evidence from my little man that he is learning...note the phonetic spelling (and it's crossed out because he decided I'm not so mean--though he does still need to do his schoolwork).

A finished project.  The tutorial was awesome :)

And the house/project/grading/plot plans are ready to turn into the County on Tuesday....it's been a process.  (Oh, and the exercise room...it's really our school room.  We had to change it as people at the County thought we were starting a school, we didn't want to deal with those kind of questions.)

Sweetpod #3

Sometimes inspiration comes when we least expect it, and not always when we think we have time.  Time has been of the essence lately as we are trying to get settled and using every extra spare minute doing "house stuff,"  as I research the best doors, appliances, or a building permit form.

I got my Visiting Teaching route just after we moved in the ward and I was able to see our new sisters soon after that.  While we were visiting one of them, she told us how her car had just gotten broken into and the thieves stole her baby carrier. 

The thought came..."you could totally make her a SweetPod!"  My thoughts came next... "I can't, I don't have time."  But that same thought came into my head over and over for a whole week.  Along with it were other thoughts:  "Never suppress a generous thought."  "You have everything to make one."  "You just need to do it." 

Finally, I got smart, and did as the spirit directed and made her a SweetPod.  I went through the stash and found some dec fabric and canvas left over from this pod.  I also found some awesome Moda Cross Weave I had in my stash.  At first I wasn't sure about the color, but I think the blue really pops out and looks great! 

I had all the buckles, webbing, and foam, and even a SweetPod tag from Jessica, so it was all ready to go.  I think sewing it up was kind of therapeutic for me as I thought about all of my Denver friends that I miss so much.  And it felt great to MAKE something...I needed that.  So, as always, service always benefits us more than those we serve.

 
We tried it on for size (Hazel had to make sure it tasted OK).

And three weeks after my first impressions, I gave away the SweetPod to a very excited and thankful mother.  It felt so good.

The Nursery

This post seems a bit anti-climactic as we have already moved and most of the nursery stuff is in boxes.  There were a few more items I was going to add to the room:  a throw pillow for the rocking chair and a female Jack Rabbit for fun.  But the house sold really fast, and these items are on the "to do when I finally settle down and get out my sewing machine again list."

I think most of my decor (except for the quilts) came from this post on the sew 4 home blog.  I have most of the links for the tutorials on my nesting list page. 

I had a lot of fun making all these and the fabric was awesome.  I can honestly say that after sewing all these things with it, I never tired of it. 

So, here it is:

The crib is really the focal part.  It was fun to do all aspects of the crib. from the bumpers to the skirt to the sheet.  I just love how it all looks!

Above the crib, I took scrap fabric and stretched it in wood embroidery hoops I got at Jo-Ann's.   Cheapest wall hangings I've ever done and they add so much to the room!  The quilt hanging over the crib, I took pictures and blogged about it at the end of this post.  I love it more and more every day.

The changing table area turned out great.  I would sit and stare at it while I was nursing in my chair.  The boxes are really stuffed with cardboard (and are so functional!!).  The quilt was so fun to make--and surprisingly easy.  I followed a quilt-a-long and the top came together in no time.  I quilted it with my walking foot and after it was bound, I sewed little rings in the back for hanging.  Perfect!

So there it is.  I couldn't be more happy with the way it all came together.  It really was amazing.

I also have to share one more thing...I made curtains for the boys' room and they were so hard to leave behind.  They were perfect with the animals on the wall.  I'll be making some more just like this in the future, I'm sure of it!

Show Off

The last few months around here have been a bit crazy to say the least. In addition to getting ready for baby (whom we are still waiting for), in the last 2 1/2 months we have:

• Finished a Master's Degree. Ok, Jeff did most of the work (his degree, not mine), but still...after 8 years, it's nice to be done!
• Put Granite in our kitchen and 2 bathrooms.
• Did a tile backsplash in the kitchen.
• Refinished the banister...a beastly job that took way longer than it should have.
  
• Put in New Carpet (which felt an awful lot like moving).
• Researched and put an offer on a lot in San Diego (and still researching it!).
• Continued daily homeschooling, piano lessons, and life in general.

But, I'm writing this post to SHOW OFF some of my nesting list items!!

I was very excited to make the Chenille Blanket. At a rare trip to Fancy Tiger in Denver, I fell in love with the Amy Butler Soule Blossoms Home Dec Fabric and chose this piece. I know, I know, it's for a baby girl, but my favorite color is blue!


The hardest part was sewing the endless lines....ugh. But soon it was done. The Olfa Chenille Cutter is a MUST for this project though.


I'm not sure I absolutely love how the colors I chose for the back flannel look. If I had to do it over again, I think I would have done a more monochromatic scheme, or at least colors next to each other on the color wheel rather than the contrasting pink/green/blue. But, I'm sure it will be loved and I will love it more and more with each wash!


The Diaper pail liners are probably the most boring of the projects, but for those of us who love cloth diapering know that this can be fun too. I made some before out of flannel, but decided to make two more with some PUL fabric. Awesome fabric, but kind of a pain to sew with. I got the fabric at the super-great Denver Fabrics (JoAnn started selling PUL, but it's all thin and weird-feeling, ew).


My newborn cloth diapers just arrived the other day (yippee!) so after I go through those 2 packages of disposables, I should be up on my feet enough to go back to cloth.


The Flannel Tie Blanket is one of those baby basics for me. My awesome aunt taught me how to make them when I was pregnant with Sarah, and I've made one for each of my babies (though some didn't get theirs until after they arrived). I saw this flannel at Denver Fabrics and I thought it was so cute...pink and brown, how could it go wrong!



This blanket is SO easy...For a crib-size, it takes 1 2/3 yards of fabric for the front, back and batting (I used 6 oz polyester batting to make it a little more fluffy). Pre-wash the flannel and then lay the fabrics right sides together, smooth and trim fabric so both pieces are exactly the same size. Lay batting on top of fabrics, trim to fabric size, and pin. Sew all 3 layers together (with batting on the bottom) leaving a 10" opening on one of the ends. Turn inside out and slip-stitch opening closed (sorry, a little hand sewing). Tie blanket with yarn making sure edges are straight...ta da! Soft and cozy for baby.


The blessing day bonnet was really fun to make. It came together really quickly and was a very fun project. I can't wait to try it on the little one, though it may be a little big for awhile, since I made it in 3-6 month size.


And...if you've made it this far hopefully you will be rewarded with this last project...my favorite. I saw this pattern awhile back and bought it (which is something I rarely do since there are so many awesome "freebies" out there). I like it because it is both classic and modern all in one quilt! The pattern has been sitting, but I decided it was the one to use for the baby quilt. I've done the nursery in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern pink and orange fabrics as well as her Okra quilter's solid (the exact match) and had a bit left over. (Nursery post will come soon, when it gets put together).


The front just looks so neat and I added a bit of a "scrappy" back using the 6 fabrics I used in her nursery decor.



I just love this quilt. It has it's mistakes--like a big pucker in the back and a few tension problems--but I kept telling myself that it will look OK when washed, trying to put my perfectionist self to rest (which it does look better). I bound it in this fun fabric, which makes it look almost stripey in places (I love stripey binding!). It was unintended but I love the result.


So, that's what is done of the Nesting List thus far. I'm hoping this baby isn't waiting for me to get all the items done before she gets here, though it has been fun to take afternoons off for projects the last few weeks thinking that she will come "any day."

Come soon little one, mama is ready.

Nesting List

I'm a list-maker...I don't always get it all done, but I always have high hopes.

There's a bunch of things I want to make for the baby that have been swimming around in my head. I guess it's time to get them "written" down.

1. Nursery Decor
Bumper Pads and Crib Sheet finished Feb. 5, 2011
Dust Ruffle finished Feb. 23, 2011
Storage Boxes finished March 28, 2011
2. Quilt from leftover Nursery fabric (though I might decide to do this pattern)
Crib-Size Quilt finished April 13, 2011
3. Chenille Blanket
finished April 5, 2011
4. Diaper Pail Liners
finished March 31, 2011
5. Flannel tie blanket
finished April 6, 2011
6. Crochet-edge receiving blanket
7. Every-day crochet hat
8. Birth Announcements
9. Thank-You Cards
10. Blessing day bonnet and booties (though I can't decide between these or these--thoughts?)
Bonnet finished Feb. 23, 2011
11. New SweetPod and Saddle Bag

I may add or subtract over time...It doesn't seem SO daunting! I'll try to post photos as I finish and will add links on this master list.

Wish me luck!

Christmas Morning

Ahhh....the magic of Christmas. Here's a few highlights of Christmas morning at my parent's house.

Just after Santa came:


I try to make something for each of the kids every year. I'm going to say the stockings counted this year.

I did, however get some hats made for the girls (thanks to Ravelry...what a fun site!)

Sarah's was this pattern

And Eliza's was this.

I just wish you could see the cute hat flowers better in the photos :)

And, while we're on headwear, this was one of Samuel's favorite gifts from Papa and Grandma, he has hardly taken it off.


David was more interested in the edibles he got Christmas morning than anything else.


Christmas is always fun with kids. Hope you had a great one too!

Another SweetPod AND BAG!

So, the amazing and talented Miss Jessica has done it again! This time with the SweetPod Saddle Bag. An amazingly cool diaper bag that just hooks on to your SweetPod so that you can take your baby and all the necessary gear totally hands free.


Jessica asked me to test the pattern, and like when I tested the SweetPod, I was flattered, honored, and giddy to get the pattern!

This pattern, like the SweetPod, is easy to follow, with clear instructions, awesome design and really great. It's fully-illustrated, which makes it so easy and it was just fun to make!!!

It took me SOOO long to sew it up (all because of me, not the pattern--more on the reasoning for that soon) but Jessica was patient with me and I actually got it done a bit ago but didn't feel like I could blog about it as it was a gift.

A gift for this wonderful gal. Natalie and I have been friends for ever! OK not ever, but a good 12-13 years now, ever since that horrible Political Science Class at BYU where we were the only two females in the class. We've been through a lot together: dating, breakups, marriages, births, fertility woes, and so much more. We've even been lucky enough to live by each other once or twice in those years!

Getting her last baby here was a challenge. When she told me she was pregnant, I asked what she wanted me to make her. She said she wanted a baby carrier like mine, so I sighed, then gathered all the stuff. And, since the SweetPod is something no mother should live without, (and the pattern is just so awesomely amazing) I made her one...and the Saddle Bag to go with it.


I was able to give it to her last weekend, and she was very excited. Baby is a little small for the Pod yet, but I'm confident he will grow and the SweetPod will be his favorite ride (and Mom's salvation!)

And guess what else? Jessica is giving away 4 patterns today over at BLOOM. Now is your chance to get one of these great patterns for free, so head on over! And even if you don't sew, with Jessica's pattern, you SO can make one of these!

It's Coming...

Christmas, only 20 days away. I swear it comes faster and faster every year. There is so much I want to do and make, we'll see how far through the list I can get. There is, of course, the "have to dos," then the "really should dos," and the "I really want to, but we'll see how time goes, dos."

Since January of last year, stockings have been on my "really want to do" list. Our poor family has never really had cute stockings. Most of them are made up of those super cheap red (what is that scratchy, ugly fabric anyway?) material, you know the ones that you buy at Wal-Mart for $1. To make it even funnier, I think they were gifts from some of Jeff's old girlfriends (yes, we've been married over 10 years now). Well, since stockings have been on the list for EVER, I decided to break down and do it. While I was at it, I decided to mass-produce and make 12 of them.


The Fabric (except for the red snowflake one) is Moda's 12 days of Christmas by Kate Spain (oh, designer fabric, how I love thee!). I borrowed my sister-in-law's cute pattern and made stockings for our family, one for her baby, and some for my sister and her husband for Christmas and some for Jeff's sister and her finance for her bridal shower. She gets married right before Christmas, so I thought it would be fun. At the last minute, I thought it might be too cheezy and almost changed my mind, but she seemed really excited to get them.

Also, almost a year ago, I ran into this tutorial and thought these little birds were SO cute. And (my favorite part) I quickly saw that it would not require any hand-sewing for closure--hooray!


I whipped up a bunch to give to VT sisters, and whomever else I see fit. My only frustration was that I ran out of polyfill with 3 more birds to go, oh well. I was silly to think I could make it without going to JoAnn's before Christmas!

Hope your holiday preparation is going great!

Baby Shower Crafting

I went to a baby shower on Saturday morning. Friday night, I realized that I needed a gift. So, luckily I already had this nursing cover cut out. I whipped it up Friday evening and Saturday morning.


I also hurriedly made this little taggie. I love these taggies, so fun to make and it's a great "toy" for baby when they can't quite grasp toys yet.


The mom-to-be was super excited, which made me feel good :) So I guess it was OK that I was an hour late to her shower.

Creating

I have to create. It makes me so happy to make something out of a flat piece of fabric or to bring photos to life on a scrap page.

One of the happy things in June is that I got to create a little...not as much as I would have liked, but even something is better than nothing.

Jessica and I got together for a sewing afternoon, and this is what I made:


It's called the Diana Hobo Bag and I love it!! I found this fabulously free pattern from one of the gals who had made a Sweetpod (you'll have to check it out, it's one of the cutest ones I've seen!).

Of course, if I were to do it over I wouldn't have skipped that pocket for the inside and done the handles a little differently...but overall, it's great! It's big enough for one of those "throw-together" outings where you want the essentials (wallet, planner, diapers), or a trip without kids when you want to throw a book in.

The fabric is from Amy Butler's Belle line. I got it at my new favorite fabric store, and it was even on sale (woo hoo!).

It felt so good to make something!

Ten

Happy Mothers' Day to all of you wonderful women!

This post is celebrating the day I became a mother. April 6, 2000. Now that sweet baby is ten years old! She has taught me so much. I just hope I have taught her something too!

Here's some highlights of her special day.

Bacon and Puffy Oven Pancakes for Breakfast (yum...no hot cereal this morning!)


A trip to the Denver temple. When Sarah was little, she loved to visit the Washington DC temple on her birthday. Weather was a little (OK a LOT) warmer in Maryland in April, but we made the most of it!


Isn't she beautiful!


And had to snap this little guy while I had the chance:


For presents she got a new dress (made by me--hope it fits for a little while!)


And some $ to do what she wants (along with a card telling her how awesome she is!).


Her "cake" request was pumpkin pie (which didn't require any decorating--I was kind of relieved!)


Make a wish and take a bite!


Happy Birthday Sarah!

10 things I love about Sarah are:

1. She always tries to do what is right.
2. She is a great help with her siblings. She loves them a lot!
3. She is a fabulous pianist--listening to her is a joy!
4. She is fun to talk to and share my little excitements with, like a gorgeous new fabric or a fun scrap page just finished.
5. She likes to be with her family.
6. She thinks a lot about others.
7. She is a great cook (and makes some meals all by herself!)
8. She sticks with me when I need help.
9. She is a great student.
10. She is beautiful inside and out.

Thanks Sarah, for being patient with me and letting me be your mom!