Topsy Turvy

What an amazing expression of love my girls received today from their Nanny (grandma). My mum worked all year despite the arthritic pain in her hands to make these 2 absolutely amazing topsy turvy cinderella dolls for my girls. For those not familiar with topsy turvy dolls, when you hold these particular ones one way they are  cinderella in her "rags" dress. Turn her upside down, pull the dress down and it is cinderella in her ball gown. They are about 15-inches or so and just amazing. You would never know that mum has such terrible pain in her hands looking at the beautiful quality of her work. She always says she does not do a very good job on the things she makes, boy is she wrong. These dolls will be a treasure that can hopefully be passed on to the next generation.

I had fun watching S playing with "Rags" cinderella tonight pretending that she was scrubbing the floors. Mum even personalized each doll by putting the girls' name on their cinderella's dance card.

Tree Presents

Since Mum is currently somewhere over the US making her way to our home I thought I'd take a moment to share a couple of projects I have worked on over the last month but could not share. She won't be checking things on here between now and Christmas so I feel I can go ahead. We have a tradition that we love here called "tree presents". These are small, low cost gifts that we hide in the christmas tree and open following Christmas dinner. One of the fun things about this tradition is that it helps Christmas day seem longer, as it seems to fly by so quickly. So, we start the day with our stockings, have breakfast and after everything has been cleaned-up we head to the tree to open presents. Then after spending the day cooking we enjoy a yummy dinner. Following this clean up we head back to the tree for tree presents.

Tree presents being  low cost items I am always on the search for new ideas. attending two craft fairs in our area in October and November I was able to get a couple ideas. I have seen the idea several times before of the nylon net scrubbies and had had the thought of making some but had not done so. Then I saw a new take on the scrubbie at the Nov. craft fair and for $1 purchased one to take home and make a pattern from. A recent estate sale in my neighborhood found me with loads of the netting for dirt cheap and so I set to work making some of these:

The pink one is the one I purchased to make a pattern from. They go quite quickly and are super easy and I think will work great as a tree present.
The other idea I got from the Oct. fair was this idea for a flop mop.

Upon seeing it I knew mum would not only want one for herself but for some of her friends as well. Since I was able to get 7 from a bath sheet this was no problem. The cherry fabric was left over from another project so the total cost of each came out to about $1.50. Another low cost, fun tree present. This project was also fairly simple but very messy once you cut into the towel. I was covered in little black bits of terry cloth, as was the floor and table.

She's Gonna Love It

So I started this art caddy the other day for Ivy Girl and I was surprised at how quickly it came together. The pattern calls for just using grosgrain ribbon for the handles but seeing as how I am giving it to my 3 year old for Christmas, I worried the handles would not be durable. So with the exception of the handles the tote is complete. I am thinking of using the ribbion as stated in the pattern but putting webbing between the two layers to make it a bit more durable. Any thoughts on that? Once I decide for sure what to do with the handles this tote will be complete within minutes.

Ivy is going to love it though and I can't wait to see her excitement Christmas morning when she sees her tote full of paper. For those that don't know, Ivy LOVES paper, and I mean LOVES. I vaccumm the girls' bedroom daily and tidy up the room before hand. Almost daily I will find that she has gone into the home office and gotton a stack (sometimes even a whole ream) of paper and hidden it under her bed. As my husband says, you would think she would find a new hiding spot given that it is clear the one she has has been found out. She always has a little stack in her hands as well along with a pen, pencil or color crayons.

So this will be perfect for her. Once I get the handles on that is and fill it with paper.

Baby Blessings

Two good friends of mine are blessed to be expecting boys. Well, one actually made his arrival on the fourth and the other is due any day now. I enjoy the chance to make blessing outfits and jumped on the opportunity to make ones for these dear friends. I completed the second today and will deliver it later this afternoon but thought I'd share before hand.

I have been working on several other fun projects but as they are Christmas gifts for loved ones that do frequent this place of show and tell, I will have to wait until after the holiday to share these projects.

S turns 5

My little princess turns 5 today. The time has literally flown but what a joy it has been. S has such a sweet spirit and a people person if ever there was one. She brings joy to all those she meets as she greets one and all with a warm hug and a beautiful smile.

For the Nieces

A couple of projects of late have been this afghan for my niece Whitney and the rag quilt for my niece Jasmine. Last year at Thanksgiving I had asked both what their favorite colors were. Whitney loved pink and black so I picked up yarn in those colors and started this afghan shortly after the new year. It was my on the go project that stayed in the car to work on when at doctor appointments and such. I completed it about a month ago but have dragged my feet on getting it posted. It is now under their Christmas tree awaiting the big day.

Jasmine has always loved green but in the last couple of months has added purple to the list. When I saw the floral flannel shown below at Jo-Anns I had to get some to make something for her for Christmas. I have not done one of these rag quilts for several years but with the other fabrics I found to go with the floral I thought it might be just the thing for Jasmine. She is pretty tall so I made it a bit longer so she can curl up under it while she reads a book or watches tv. I did not have it complete when they were down for Thanksgiving so it will soon be on it's way to join her sister's afghan under the tree.

C turns 11

My oldest turns 11 today. I marvel at how he has grown (nearly eye to eye with me) over the last 11 years. They go so quickly from the sweet snuggly babies to young men who are embaressed to have anyone see their moms give them a hug or kiss in public. He is amazing and so talented. How did I get so lucky.?

Crayola Folio and one for the Boys

I really liked this idea of an art portfolio I came across on Etsy and so purchased the pattern to make one for each of my girls for Christmas. When I got on Sat. to purchase the pattern I decided to have a look at what other items this seller had and knew I had to get this pattern as well. The minute I saw it I knew it was the perfect Christmas present for my youngest who hasa fedish for all things paper and pen related. I had planned to put together some kind of art tote for her for Christms and seeing this took the guess work out, now I can get  on to the fun part....sewing.

The girls and I attended a local craft event and I allowed Ivy to pick out a fabric she liked and used it to find a corrdinating print. As soon as we got home and I got al four kiddos down for the night I set to work on the crayon art folio. I will get a friend to watch both girls when I do the Art Tote so that it is a complete surprise to Ivy Christmas morning...I can't wait. She is going to LOVE it!









Another completion for the weekend was to finally get the balloon balls made for my boys. They are such good sports about waiting and I have felt so bad taking so long getting them made. They had a blast yesterday playing with them though.

Magic

I have a wonderfully talented friend whom does photos of my children in exchange for my watching her two boys when she goes out on photo shoots sometimes. I picked up a disk from her the other day that had the photos she did of my three oldest children last month. They all have birthdays within a two month span, two of them being a mear six days apart, so I usually do their birthday portraits in one sitting. This time around Melanie did something special with one of the images she took of my eldest son. He can be quite the artest and from time to time one of his drawings will grab me and so I tuck it away for safe keeping. Melanie took photos of some of these saved drawings and with a photo she had taken of him created this:

I LOVE it! To give you an idea of how good he is, the tiger was done free hand when he was just in 2nd grade, so age 8 years old. Aren't they both amazing, my son and Melanie. This is a photograph I shall treasure for years to come.

Mildred Handbag

I was asked recently if I would teach a sewing project the first Tuesday night in December at church. The person asking gave no specifications which left me feeling a tad overwhelmed. I have loads and loads of patterns and ideas and trying to nerrow it down to one thing seemed impossible. But nerrow it down I did and this is what I came up with:

A preview showing tonight at a church activity resulted in rave reviews so I am breathing a bit easier. It should be fun to see what fabric combinations the ladies will select for a handbag of their own. Those shown here are the latest from the Stonehill Collection from JoAnn Fabrics.

Center Stage

Put together the top of another table topper today. This too will be a Christmas gift. I do not recall the fabric line as it is a few years old but I do know that it is from Timeless Treasure.

Blue Palace Table Runner

I was so excited to cut into the fabric I purchased today that I forgot to get a photo. I put together this table runner (A Christmas Gift) using a pattern (Table Matters) from BHG's Fast & Fabulous Quilting Ideas 2008. I did add some quilting in the ditch, a step they did not do, to give it a more quilted look. Now I am off to add the binding. I used 14 of the "Blue Palace" fabrics from Clothworks

Happy Halloween

from me and my little spooks....

My oldest has decided he is a bit too old for "looking ridiculous" as he called it but he was all for getting a bucket full of candy. My second wanted to go as Harry Potter but I think he ended up looking more like a brown haired version of George from Stuart Little. And the girls are pretty obvious as to who they decided to be. So they were my sewing project this week in between redoing the trim in the house.

Hope ya'll had a spookarriffic day

A Little of This and A Little of That

I met up with my perferred long arm quilter yesterday and was able to pick up the two quilts I left with her a couple weeks ago. The first was my kaleidoscope of color that will be a Christmas gift for mum.

The second, the Seeing Stars quilt that is a wedding gift for a friend's daughter.

Now on to finding some good moves to watch while I hem binding on both. The first is a king size so I might need several good movies.

I am hosting a shower for a friend that is having her first boy in a couple weeks and so today I got a jump start on some baby shower gift items. Both of her girls have a thing for sucking on their blankets so I thought the Ribbon Blanket on Moda Bake Shop was the perfect gift idea. I love these robot fabrics from Andover Fabrics and decided they would make a fun ribbon blanket. A purchase of 6 fat quarters from a local craft shop allows me to make 2 of these blankets as well as 2 sets of 3 burp cloths with scraps leftover for something else fun. I am sure with all the woman having babies at church at the moment that I will find a special home for the 2nd set of robot goodies.

I put together the 16 5" squares for the blanket this afternoon and will hopefully make it to the fabric shop sometime this week to pick up the minkee fabric to finish it out. I am leaning towards the aqua color as the backing but we shall see what they have to offer in colors at the store.

I am not so hot at drawing so I am on the look out for a super cute image of a robot that would be cute embrodiered on a onsies.

Stitcher's Angel Swap Revealed

I recieved a wonderful e-mail from my swap partner today letting me know that she had recieved her parcel. all items were very well recieved for which I am glad. I always worry when I do these swaps that the person on the other end will not like what I have made. Such was not the case. I did not get a decent photo of what I made, but if you check out Synnoeve's blog she will be posting about what she received tomorrow.

My Angel Swapper Revealed

Today I recieved a finaly parcel from my angel swapper and with it the reveal of who this amazing woman is. I have so enjoyed getting to know her a bit as she emailed me to get to know me. She was very helpful with some advice she had given me on some odd behavior our beloved Annie was displaying back in August. I jumped right on here to see her blog once I opened the card that came with my little treasures. WOW! What a fun blog and such a talented lady. Head over to Marina's, you'll enjoy the trip.

And another huge thank you to Marina. I absolutely love the pin cushion and the yo-yos are fabulous. I will have fun putting them to use. I have never used yo-yos before and have wanted to give them a try. Your generosity has been much appreciated, I feel so spoiled and love it.

Balloon Ball

A friend of mine recently received one of these at her baby shower and I was totally smitten with the idea.


So, I snagged her's and brought it home to make a pattern with the promise to her two boys that I would bring each of them one of their very own. They pretty much just follow a basic fabric ball design and then you add a button hole in one end. You then insert a balloon through the button hole and blow up the balloon. I made both of my girls one today in about 45 minutes and they are now enjoying loads of fun with their balloon balls. Course, Annie, our corgi is enjoying the fun too as she chases their "Balls" down the hallway or across the living room.
These are great for children of all ages, even my ten year old is having fun with them. They are intended more for babies and toddlers though as they can have the fun of playing with a balloon without the worry of them biting the balloon and putting it in their mouth.

Spoiled Rotten

My partner for the Stitcher's Angel swap is spoiling me rotten, and I LOVE it. I received another parcel in the post yesterday from her and it was filled with some more wonderful items. She does the most amazing stitches and her work is gorgeous. I am just tickled with all that she has sent. After being totally stood up on two of the last three swaps I've participated, in this has been so wonderful. She has done each item using Fig Tree fabrics which are perhaps my most favorite fabrics. Whenever I am asked what my favorite color is I alway think of this designer as there are so many wonderful fabrics by her.  I thought I would know with this parcel the identity of my angel swapper but she was too clever and has left me in suspense a tad longer. Another big THANK YOU to you, whom ever you are....and a huge hug to you as well. You made my day.
                                    

I love this needle case she made for me with all it's little pockets

And this mat for my sewing machine is fabulous. I have been admiring the ones I've seen here and there on blogs and was a tad sad that I had no one to make one for (always forget that I can do one for me, but I don't) and now I have the best one right under my machine.

Rippling Stripes

Ahhh... I love that feeling of accomplishment. I have just finished up the  baby afghan I started last week for a friend of mine's baby shower that will take place this next Saturday. This is to be her third little boy and I really struggled with coming up with just the right thing for her. After three other attempts I am satisfied that this is just perfect and that she will love it.

In the Post

There was much excitement today when the postman arrived with a parcel from Australia. All four kiddos crowded around to see what could be in this bundle.

I have really enjoyed doing the Stitcher's Angel swap and the added ellement of doing "secret" e-mails with our partners. It has been so fun getting to know not only the individual I am sending to but also the one who has sent these wonderful treasures. I feel like the luckiest woman in this swap, this bag and journal are fabulous and the colors perfect. I love Fig Tree fabrics....there has never been on that I did not like. My partner has promised another installment in the future at which time I am sure I will learn her identity and I can't wait. I look  forward to the opportunity to give her a personal "Thank You". She has been a gem.

Poochie Obsession

Think I am starting to have a bit of an obsession with Happy Zombie's Poochie tote. I put together another one the other day and love the colors. It will be a gift for someone but my head keeps thinking of others I should make one for. I did change it up a tad by adding batting to it.

Did I mention that I LOVE these fabrics. From the moment they came out last year I knew I just had to have some. I have some tucked away for a quilt that I plan to make after the holidays.

Kitties for Kate

The daughter of my good friend Misty is turning 7 in a few days. She absolutely loves cats and so I think she will love this pillowcase.

For Baby Boy #3

A friend of mine is expecting her 3rd little boy in two months and after several attempts at finding just the right gift to make, I think I have. She put a striped blanket on her gift registery at Target and I took inspiration from it to start this blanket/afghan. Now I am just hopeful to have it done in time for the shower on Sat.

Just a look at a couple things I completed this week. The star burst baby afghan is from a kit I ordered from Mary Maxim and was really quick to crochet.
The tote is a new free tutorial from Happy Zombie. I did add in the stichery on the pocket from May Britt's design for the Stitchers Angel Swap. Love the way it turned out.
In addition to these I was able to finish up half of the kitchen cabinets. Now I just have to get the other half .

Book Worm

Tuesday my friend Jessica handed me the newest Suzanne Collins' book, Catching Fire. I promised myself I would not open it's cover until after I completed a couple of projects. I knew that if it was as good as Hunger Games I would not put the darn book down until I had it finished and such was the case today. As soon as I returned home this morning from step arobics I cracked the cover and the house has fallen apart around me as the kiddos ran amuck. This new book was just a good as the first and I don't think I can hold out for as long as it will take Suzanne Collins to write the third book which is due out sometime in 2010. These are no a type of book I would have origanally have select to read but Jessica had raved about it after reading the first and it was on the list for our book club a few months out. So I broke down and read it last spring and am totally hooked. I am not one for buying books as I only read them once (already know what happens and so the suspense is no longer there) but I am so tempted to purchase these two. I am sure the boys would like them once they are a tad older.
I did manage to complete those projects and will share those later this weekend.

Quick Gifts

Thursday was a pretty productive day. I received an invitation to a baby shower in the post on Wednesday for a shower on friday night. Feeling a slight twinge of panic at the late notice I hunted through my fabric stash. I had made this same outfit for a friend a little over a year ago for her little girl and had just enough fabric remaining to put together another for this shower. I love this pattern as it is so cute and super quick to put together when you need something in a hurray. The new mom to be was very pleased with it. In addition to that Ivy had been invited to a party for a little friend from church and needed a gift. Another quick gift idea is the crayola roll. With the remaning fabric I was able to make a little purse to go with it. What little girl does not like a purse, and it is even better when there is something in it. I might get hooked on this pattern from Bitty Bits and Pieces for Moda Bakeshop. A quick fun project to put together. I do plan to do an applique on the front, just not the one Kim used in her tutorial. When complete it will go along with other items in the Angel Swap. I hope your week left you feeling productive as well. If not, I am still working on repainting my kitchen cabinates and would love some help. Almost half way through with that project. Had I known what a big undertaking it would be I might have waited for my husband to return...it will get done though and he will return to a "new" house. New in that almost all the walls have been repainted, new carpet and tile put in and now the kitchen.

Summertime Mini Quilt

Finally got the top of the quilt done for the Summertime Mini Quilt Swap. Hope to have it quilted on Tuesday and ready for the post on Wednesday. The colors are not a very summery color but the name of the fabric to me was perfect for summer, Dandelion Girl by Joanna Figueroa. This particular line is a couple of years pass but I had a bunch on hand and decided to use some for this swap. I have yet to find a group of fabric by Joanna Figueroa that I do not like. I also find the pinwheel design to have a summery feel to it as well and so I choose that design for the quilt.

New Carpet

After seven years of waiting we have finally been able to put in new carpet in our living room and hallway. What a difference! It's like having a new house. This photo is the best representation of the color however the hallway was not do at this point.