Sewing for a New Niece
My little sister had her first baby this week, a teensy little girl who makes Creamie look like she’s five. Little A was just barely over 6 pounds when she was born, but that is big enough to deserve some sewing of her own. So this week all my sewing was for Liesl and her new little one. (It was supposed to be done last week, before she was born but those life events got in the way.) But after a few late nights (and a self imposed facebook and google reader ban) it was all ready when little A came home from the hospital. And I got to surprise her parents, which was also awesome.
First up I made a car seat cover. This isn’t just any car seat cover, this one is dual purpose! I made a removable strap so it can also be used as a reversible nursing cover. Brilliant, no? I really wish I had made myself one of these. It was so easy and it would have been so handy. There are plenty of tutorials out there to make one, but I didn’t really follow anything. I just told myself “it’s a square, how hard could it be?” Answer? not hard. An hour max. My sister bought the same carseat that Creamie had, so I asked Scott to go dig it out of the storage unit so I could get a perfect fit. If I was making this for myself I would have added some ric rac trim and some big flowers or buttons up there on top, but Liesl didn’t want anything like that. I do love the green that she picked out though.
Next up was a bedding set. Liesl is pretty particular about what she likes (as am I) and she just couldn’t like anything in the “affordable” range. So we went shopping to pick out something I could make. You can’t really tell from the pictures, but the fitted sheet is a teeny little pink and white stripe. I love how this turned out, sweet and girly but not too frilly. I didn’t use a pattern for this one either, just my measuring tape and a ruler (again, it’s just a bunch of squares). It is pretty much the same as Creamie’s nursery, and the second time around it was MUCH easier and a lot faster. I didn’t get a picture of the bedskirt, but it’s a sassy pleated little number in the baby pink stripe with that geometric flowery/polka dotty border. I managed to sneak in their house and get it all set up while they were still at the hospital so they were surprised when they came home. I love a good surprise! I’ve got a few scraps left that I’m going to try and do something with. I don’t think I have enough to make a quilt/blanket… but maybe.
Here is Creamie and her new little cousin. She didn’t quite know what to think, but she really wanted to hold her and point out her hair and ears and little nose. So sweet. Welcome to the world Baby A! Now just get a little bigger so Creamie can play with you.
I’m adding these projects to Sew+Tell at Amy’s. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had something finished. Next week I am going to be hosting Sew+Tell for Amy. She has a beensy little baby herself and is moving. I’ll be posting the tutorial for this skirt and maybe a few more goodies as well. Happy Long Weekend!
Notes from the Car Pool Lane
I’ve been picking up my twin nephews from kindergarten a few days a week this year. They are hilarious and adorable and say the funniest things. Now that school is over I am going to miss those boys and all those things they say. I wish I had written more of them down, because six year olds are seriously funny. But, hilarity aside, I have noticed a strange phenomonon as I wait in the carpool line outside the school each day.
[ I thought it would be creepy to take a picture of the carpool line, so I borrowed one. image ]
There are probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 cars in line each day to pick up their kindergarteners (not these cars… this isn’t an all mercedes kindergarten) And every day, without fail the first 13 cars are either white or another light non color (light gray/silver/pale tan/champagne). Every day. No reds, blacks, dark grays or blues at the front. Ever. I’m not sure what that means about punctuality and personality type and how that fits into a ratio about most desired car color, but it’s strange really…
I’m so Thrifty
I’ve been hitting the thrift stores a lot lately. It’s pretty cheap retail therapy. Here a few of my recent interesting finds.
I’m not sure what this is exactly… some kind of puzzle. There are 35 colored balls, no two the same color and there are 36 spots. So you have one empty spot to manipulate. I think it’s like some sort of much more complicated Rubix cube. There are six columns, and I think the plan is to put one color in each column. I think. There are six yellow balls in six shades of yellow, and after quite some time I got them all lined up. And now I’m stuck. This could keep me busy for a long time. The best part about it? It was free. The thrift store lady gave it to Creamie to play with and told me to just take it. Awesome!
I wish I had more walls in my house, most of our main living space is arches and windows. Not that I am complaining, but it leaves very little space to hang this up in my kitchen. Like none. But at a dollar I couldn’t pass it up.
This was another $1 find. It’s a beautiful vintage crewel pillow cover (click image to see bigger). It came with a pillow insert but that is definitely in the trash. The emboidery is all done by hand and it is absolutely perfect. There isn’t a stitch out of place. I absolutely love it and it will look perfect on the chair in my bedroom. Or maybe I’ll leave the pillow part out of it and just hang it on the wall. I love it. I just love it. Probably my best $1 find ever. Like ever.
I’ve been sewing like mad this week. I’ll hopefully be done enough to show you some pictures tomorrow. Yay!
A Pile of Pretty
Don’t forget…
If you are still looking to get your own stack of washi tape (and you should, so you can do your own photoshoot with them if nothing else) the supper sweet free shipping offer from sugarbsupplies ends this Saturday the 29th. Click here for more details (code is all the way at the end of the post). And if washi tape isn’t your thing she has lots of other great stationary supplies as well.
I will be sewing like mad this week. I’m way behind and I’ve got plenty of projects that are due on or before June 1st (sounds mysterious, doesn’t it). Hopefully I’ll get the two big one’s done this week. Cross your fingers!
The Kindness of Friends
I have a few things to share with you that have contributed to the silver lining that has come from our recent big storm. I’ve mentioned before that Scott is a Scout leader. He loves working with those teenage boys and teaching them how to be responsible adults who know how to fish and camp and make their own snowshoes. Last week those teenagers brought us a cake. This cake.
They made it themselves. Can you tell? When they came by to drop it off Scott read it aloud. “THANKS. B.S.” “It’s not as bad as it sounds” they said. Oh, really? Then they explained that B.S. stands for “Best Scout Leader .” I know. That wasn’t what first came to my mind either. But whatever it said, who knew that teenage boys could be so sweet and thoughtful. (For all the cake’s “charm” it actually tasted really good. Thank you to the mothers and/or sisters of these boys that helped that to happen.)
I also just received a cute little care package from my internet friend Maylee.. She has an etsy shop that I just love, it’s full of beautiful Japanese paper supplies and washi tape. I nearly cried when I opened this package it was just so thoughtful and sweet. I just met Maylee a few weeks ago and we’ve only talked through email. And yet she went out of her way to send a little happiness over to my house, and to spread a little sunshine just as those clouds were covering up the whole sky. I want to be one of those people that scatter little bits of sunshine in the lives of everyone they meet. I want to be like her. Our world needs more people like her.
The little kindness’s that are sprinkled across our lives by friends or strangers can do more than turn a bad day around. It is sometimes those small things, an email, a plate of cookies, dinner, a wonderful “I’m thinking of you” package, or a “THANKS. B.S.” cake that can make all the difference. You may never know how the little things you say and do effect the people in your life. So do good. Say good. Be kinder than necessary, you may never know the battles others are facing.
Thank you my dear friends.
Trafalgar’s Square
I discovered the magical art of Kit Chase a few weeks ago. It was a particularly mundane night and out of the corner of my Etsy eye I caught site of something pretty. And it turned out to be one of those moments that changes the way you view the world. You know those moments where something catches your eye and you start to look a little bit more, and give it a tug and another little tug and then all at once you are down the rabbit hole and in another world full of beauty and magic? Kit Chase creates one of those places. Her etsy shop Trafalgar’s Square is full of beautiful illustrations that will take you into another world.
Hers is a world of magic tea parties.
One where all the animals are kind and soft and lovable.
A world where hedgie’s travel about by balloon through a polka dotted sky.
It’s a world that I thought only existed in dreams and fairy tales.
Or one that you could only reach by wishing upon a star.
It’s one of those places you used to read about in your secret clubhouse with your friends.
And one of those places you wished you could write books about when you grew up.
Sigh. Everything in her her shop is so pretty. Her work reminds me of a time when children played with handmade dolls and little toy soldiers. And that somehow just seems nicer, doesn’t it? I’m on the tailend of a pretty rough patch, and I have loved the little bit of time I’ve spent in Kit’s make believe world the past few weeks. It’s been a little breath of fresh air. A few minutes where I don’t have to think about all the things that are going on in the real world, because I am caught up in her beautiful world of make believe.
It’s like an afternoon in the swing with your sweetheart.
Go visit Trafalgar’s Square. Kit has hundreds of beautiful things to look at and choose from. And she just opened a new stationary shop a few weeks ago where you can order personalized stationary or invitations or badges. And if you are like me and need even more ways to stalk the brilliant Kit Chase, her blog LullaLoo is adorable as well. Go visit, it’ll perk your Monday right up.
*All images belong to Kit Chase and are used with permission
Blue Skies
First I want to say Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails and notes and thoughts and prayers about Scott’s dad. Last week was hard. But there was a silver lining. There is always a silver lining. Sometimes at first glance that little bit of silver just seems like another layer of gray. But if you give it time and wait for just a little bit, the sun will come out and it will start to glitter, and it will reflect light and hope to parts of your life you never expected it to reach. And with time, blue skies will start to creep back into view.
[ Photo by my friend Ivan Makarov. You can check out his blog here, or see ALL his absolutely amazing images here . And you should go look, he is an incredible photographer. And when you find something you love (which I am sure you will) you can order prints here.]
I’ve been spending a lot of time this week at my desk with my paper and my scraps and my glue. Making stuff helps me deal with stress and gives me a great outlet for all those emotions. I am thankful that I have my art journal class right now. I’ve been able to deal with a lot of emotions in a new way and it’s been really good for me. I am not going to post everything I’ve been working on, some of it is just for me, but I do want to show you this page I made.
That faded and yellowed postcard was sent in 1909. The other side has a great picture of a girl at the beach. Awesome, no? This page also has scraps of paper for the pear and the ice cream cone and the old map is from an atlas I got at the thrift store. You probably can’t really tell, but that is a map of Western Russian and the Baltic States. I have a crush on that part of the world too. So that box is a two for one. The more pages I make the more I realize just how much I love maps, and lined paper, and things in every color. And pink typewriters. Of course, who doesn’t love a pink typewriter?
I’ve spent a good chunk of time this week looking at pretty stuff trying to get my mind off of my mind. (Does that make sense?) I found some absolutely beautiful things, which I have saved up for Monday. Happy Weekend! I’m going to go see what I can find at the thrift store. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
I don’t know how to break bad news.
Last weekend turned out a lot differently than anyone had planned. This is LT, Scott’s Dad. On Thursday he was at work. Friday he didn’t feel good and Friday night he went to the hospital. By Saturday afternoon he was gone.
I wish someone would find a better way to break bad news. There isn’t one. It’s always sad, and sometimes awkward. Bad news is a terrible ice breaker, and it’s not a great conversation starter either. And so I’m not going to go into details here, it feels weird.
[ Three generations: Grandpa who just turned 95, Scott and his Dad on our wedding day. 2003 ]
I do want to say how thankful I am to have my family close by right now. I am so thankful for Scott’s family, I couldn’t have hoped to marry into a better group of people. I am thankful for all those who have showed so much love and concern for us these last few days. I am thankful for my faith, and prayer, and for the peace that I feel in my heart. I am so grateful for my sweet husband and the incredible man that he is. I am grateful that I have my daughter. She brings such a wonderful sweetness and joy to my life.
I know that there is a reason we are here, and I know that all those trials we have are for a reason. We learn valuable lessons dealing with all those hard things. Lessons that can help us throughout our lives to be better people. Lessons that will help us to help those around us who are facing similar trials. Trials give us empathy. They make us humble. Trials are a great source of growth. Trials force you to realize that you can’t do everything on your own. We need each other. I can’t do it all on my own, and I am grateful for the people in my life who lift me up and carry me through those really bad days. Sometimes it’s just a few words, or a much needed few hours of babysitting. Sometimes it’s warm apple crisp, or a cup of sugar. Sometimes it really is as simple as a smile- an acknowledgment that you know I am here, that you are thinking about me. To all of you- Thank you.
Change of Plans
[ image by simpletess on flickr found via weheartit ]
I had big plans for this next week. And today those all changed. I’m going to be a little short on posting the next little while. I’m just going to pretend I’m going on a mini vacation. With pink luggage. I’ll be back soon.
A New Art Journal
A few weeks ago I won a giveaway over at The Paper Phantom. It was for a new art journal that Spooky made herself to my specific specifications. It came in the mail the other day and I love it. Awesome, no? Yes. It’s awesome.
It’s full of a bunch of different kinds of paper, some old book illustrations and maps and sheet music, and other awesome stuff- like a pocket. When has something not been improved by adding pockets? And as if it wasn’t already super great due to the winning involved, but she worked with me to design everything. From the cover to the kinds of paper inside, right down to the color of the spiral binding. The cover underneath all that pretty paint is an old book page and some piano music. So awesome. And the little yellow thing on the right is a tag from a tea bag, or something. But I am calling it my ticket to adventure. Cute, right? Right. I love it. I can’t wait to fill it up with awesome new stuff. If you want to work with Spooky to get your own journal (which you totally should) email her at sparkpress(dot)store (at) gmail(dot)com. She’s got a few great opportunities on the horizon and I wish her all the best of luck.
So I know I’ve talked a little bit about my Art Journal class I’m taking. Can I just tell you how much I love it? I can? I LOVE it. A year ago I hadn’t even heard of art journals. And now I have four art journals hanging out on my desk. A girl’s gotta have options, you know. I’ve got my big class journal, the brand new one from Spooky, this old black one, a new little black one that is filling up with the cute little things that Creamie says and does. I’ve never been much of a traditional journal keeper. I always get so intimidated trying to think of something monumental to say, so I end up saying nothing. Having a leather bound book with my name embossed on the front and full of empty lines gives me the creeps. It makes me feel like I’m already dead. Like I’m my own progeny perusing the trunks in the attic. Or something creepy like that. Anyway, art journaling is so much more fun for me. It takes off all the pressure. Who cares if I can’t staple in a straight line. Who cares if I squished my letters too close together. Who cares if I got paint somewhere I hadn’t intended to be covered with paint. Who cares if I don’t go in chronological order, or if I skip around in the book willy nilly. Or if I randomly pick a different book each day to play with (I mean, I do have four you know). Or if I leave blank pages. Who cares if it’s not protected in a plastic sleeve. Who cares if I end up hating it and staple all the pages together. Who cares if I use tacky glue and wonder-under and washi tape all together. And then I smear my writing. I’ll tell you who, not me.
(If you want to see more of my pages click here)
One day a few weeks ago I was outside sitting on the grass doing some painting and one of my friends driving by stopped to chat and she said something I couldn’t get out of my mind. She asked if I HAD to do something creative everyday. That got me to thinking. Do I? Yes. Yes I do. Some people have to exercise (blah), or flip the lights on and off 37 times. But I have to get glue on my fingers, or marker on my shirt, or cover the floor with scraps of fabric and bits of thread. I have to. I have been trying to work on at least one little project a day and it makes me a MUCH happier person. When Creamie is asleep and I have some time to myself I spread out my scraps and sit in the quiet nighttime and make stuff until Scott tells me it’s past my bedtime. And that my friends makes me happy.
Moral of this story: Try something new. You might surprise yourself with the results. And you might end up with glue on your pants and paint in your hair. And there isn’t much that makes me happier.
pinksuedeshoe 