Greener Beginnings

Chevron (Zig Zag) Quilt

2012-01-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

I always say it but this may be my favorite quilt yet!

As chevrons seem to be all the rage right now, I thought I'd make a chevron quilt. I didn't follow any specific pattern, but this is a good tutorial on making a chevron quilt. I made 5 inch squares, so the finished quilt is 43 x 43 inches.

I used the Sherbet Pips fabric collection by Aneela Hoey for Moda. I have loved this fabric for quite awhile now (and have had this fabric in my stash for awhile), so I'm glad I waited to use it for this quilt.

The back of the quilt. I put two rows of charms through the back for a little visual interest.

The finished quilt.

I've put this up for sale in my Etsy shop.

Pillow Cover

2012-01-12T18:52:00.001-05:00

Here is a pillow cover I made for a friend just using some scraps I had on hand.

The fabric is from the Wonderland (or Alice in Wonderland) line from MoMo by Moda. I doubt you can find it anymore because I've had this lying around FOREVER. I love it though because it's so whimsical.

It's an envelope style pillow with button closures. I love this easy-to-follow tutorial for the cover.

Just another up close of the fabric.

I'm getting my crafting back on folks! Hold on!

Another Quilt

2012-01-12T18:39:00.001-05:00

Here is a special order quilt I made for a friend. I LOVE the fabric choice- pinks, reds, blacks and grays. It is the "Lost and Found" line by Riley Blake Designs. I used an entire layer cake for this quilt. It's a generous size- 47 x 48. Perfect for a growing baby.

(such a sophisticated line)

(classic stacked coin quilt)

(red binding to tie it all together)

I love how it turned out- simple, elegant, clean.

One of my many ongoing crafts

2012-01-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

I've loved cross stitching since I was about 12 years old. I know, it's such a fuddy-duddy thing to do (no offense to anyone, I'm one of you), but there is something relaxing to making tiny, little x's all over the place (exes, xs?) I can't even display my cross stitching creations because they just don't go with the decor of my house (way to countrified for my taste)! But, I thought, a photo that is cross stitched may have some place on my hallway, so I went in search of a program that turned pictures into a cross stitch pattern.

I found one for free on the web (but I'm not going to link to it yet because I thought the shading came out a little wrong). I found it at the same time that I was doing a secret sister exchange, so I thought I would try this out by doing a cross stitch of my secret sister's kids. I thought, overall, that it turned out great. But, the shading the program picked out was not like the picture at all (my one complaint).

I'm now doing one of Coraline and it is still in the process of being completed. I used a different program and paid $7 for this one, so I want to see if the shading comes out better. So far, she's looking a little orange. I'll make sure to show you the before picture and the completed cross stitch so you can compare yourself. Did I mention cross stitching takes forever!! It may be awhile before that post comes out!

Santa Claus

2012-01-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

It went about how I thought it would go--

She refused to sit or stand near him, but she didn't cry. She just had a death grip on me. Same picture different setting with the Santa Claus at the mall.

However, she would stand by the tree if I gave her a cookie. She just refused to look at the camera.

We'll try again next year!

Hats

2012-01-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

I just think it's funny that she loves hats- but only for about 10 minutes!

Stroller Ice Skating

2012-01-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

Coraline and I went stroller ice skating a few weeks ago with some friends from our mom's group. I think this is such a fun, novel idea. The rink opens for an hour on a certain day and allows moms with strollers on the ice. It was a funny day weather-wise-- I think it was around 70 degrees. So, I'm ice skating outside in December in 70 degree weather. I actually broke a sweat! Only in North Carolina, I tell ya.

Coraline did great and had fun, I guess. She was more interested in eating, but that is nothing new!

Pregnancy Update

2012-01-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

My last entry on pregnancy was when I shared that we were pregnant and now, 6 months later, I'm giving you an update (I'm such a slacker)!

This pregnancy is going very well. It has been different from the last in that I actually did experience morning sickness. I never got sick but felt nauseous a lot of the time. I also have been experiencing heartburn almost constantly and since the beginning of the pregnancy. This baby better have a head full of hair! But other than those mild complaints, everything has been great. I felt the baby move at 16 weeks so that has been very reassuring. Baby L2 likes to be active at night which concerns me because apparently their pattern in the womb is their pattern when they are born. Hmm. We'll have to talk about that one Baby L2.

I've really started showing recently, so I'll have to get a few pictures up. It took a while for people to realize I was pregnant which really is a good thing when you think about it! I'm just glad to be past the "chubby" stage!

I'm still dancing and am on the treadmill quite a bit during the week. I want to be in the best shape possible to have this baby and have the energy needed for two when s/he is born. We are planning on having a natural birth again at the Birthing Center. So far, everything looks good. I pray the baby likes that plan too!

I'm trying to prepare Coraline for the baby as much as a 19 month old can comprehend. I really think she has no idea what's going on but we read books, play with her baby and talk about the baby in "mommy's tummy." She's such a sweet girl and loves babies and toddlers that I really think she'll be fine. I can see her getting mad when she wants me to read to her and I'm nursing or something like that but I'm sure every child goes through a jealousy stage. We are also going to move her to a big girl bed soon so we can have the crib for the baby. I was so nervous about this but just today she started trying to climb out of the crib which is a great indicator that they are ready to move out of it. Hopefully, that move will go smoothly!

Here is a shot of me at 14 weeks. I have more recent shots (24 weeks) I just have to download them from my camera (talk about lazy)!

Pigtails

2011-11-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love this picture of her! She is growing up so fast and is turning into a little girl before my eyes! This is a picture of her first "real" pigtails. What can I say, I love having a little girl!

Halloween

2011-11-03T14:28:00.000-04:00

I had great intentions this halloween to make another homemade costume but could not find a yellow rain jacket or rain boots (you'll just have to wait and see who she'll be next year)! So, we decided to revamp last year's costume--

a hot fudge sundae

Imagine, if you will, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a large drizzle of hot chocolate (which pools at the bottom of the bowl) along with whip cream and a cherry on top!

The hot fudge drizzle is an old shirt of mine that I took in and cut to create "drizzles." Although you can't see it, I weighted the drizzles with some brown beads so the material wouldn't curl up. The tutu is about as simple to make as they come- I used this tutorial. The whip cream hair clip is my own creation- I made a tube of white material, stuffed the front part of it with batting and curled it around itself (like a snake) to create the whip cream. I used red felt and a little brown ribbon for the cherry. Really easy. Paired with a white onesie and brown pants, this costume cost me about $5.00 (for the beads and tulle).

Ever seen a hot fudge sundae go down a slide-- well, now you have!

She's a girly girl

2011-11-03T14:16:00.000-04:00

for sure! I love how she has (on her own) found a love for shoes and accessories! I like to put a little thought into her clothes, but have never emphasized shoes or bows. She takes it upon herself to do that now. One of her first words was "shoe."

Every time we go to her room she runs for her closet of shoes and tries to put them all on. She even asks for bows in her hair (although they rarely stay in there long). She cracks me up this girl.

She has accessorized herself with bows and bracelets!

Hello out there.

2011-10-30T12:52:00.001-04:00

Sorry, I've been MIA for awhile. No excuses really. Just haven't had much too blog about.

I haven't been crafting too much lately. Although, there is one project that I'm dying to share with you-- I receive the Martha Stewart magazine and they had this neat article on creating a cross stitch portrait of your family. I used to cross stitch all the time and thought a family portrait would make an adorable wall hanging. So, I got out the graph paper and started drawing our family. . .

Here is the finished product--

Oh, yes, you've noticed the little addition in yellow-- he/she will be here sometime in April! I shall call him/her Baby L2. I guess that little one may have prevented me from crafting and blogging recently. We will have to do better Baby L2 if we want any readers!

Definitely more crafting to come!

Special Baby Quilt

2011-09-26T14:09:00.001-04:00

Although, I've taken a small break from quilting I was able to create a very special quilt for a friend recently. I used fabric from two of her baby blankets to produce a new quilt for her little girl. I will admit that I was nervous taking someone's special treasures and cutting them apart, but I knew I could do it and create something really special in the process.

The finished product.

Her little girl's name surrounded by applique flowers from her baby blankets.

The center piece was an applique elephant that was the primary focus of one of her baby blankets. I made it the center of this quilt as well.

I used pink gingham and the light pink bunny fabric from her original baby blankets and filled in with other coordinating fabric. I did get some help from the ladies at the quilt shop and found them to be very helpful. If you ever have questions about scale and color, ask the workers. They know what they are talking about and it was very reassuring to get their advice.

I love the back print because it incorporates all the colors of the quilt. The mom-to-be's designing the nursery in pink and brown and her baby blankets had light pink, yellow and turquoise colors. I wanted to make sure all the colors were represented.

I also got new tags from here. Super reasonable and very nice quality!

What do you all think?

Hello

2011-09-26T13:51:00.000-04:00

Uh, yeah, so it's been awhile since I've updated. Let's see, not a whole lot has happened lately except I ran the 10K MS Mud Run this past Saturday. It was a blast!! I think we were all super nervous the whole time because we just didn't know what to expect, but it was a blast and I would definitely do it again.

Here we are all clean and shiny. Our team was the "Muddy Mamas . . . It's Our Turn to Make a Mess." Note the bows!

I'm wearing the orange bow and sliding down the mud hill.

Jumping off a 10 foot platform into muddy water. . . fun!

One of the obstacles.

6.2 miles and around 40 obstacles later . . . Here we come (I'm the one in the back waving)! We made it!

People are still uploading pictures, so I'm sure there will be a few more to show.

Sorry for the long lapse. I'm alive and I'll do better!

Our First Protest

2011-08-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Coraline and I experienced our first protest last month. Without getting into too many details, my beloved Alma Mater, Peace College, which has a 154 year history of being a women's school has decided to change the name of the school and become co-educational. I am very disappointed in the direction the college will be taking and feel very misled by the Board of Trustees.

About 150 alumna decided to "peacefully protest" the changes by circling around the fountain, singing the Alma Mater and throwing a red rose into the fountain (a very old graduation tradition). Tame enough for a 15 month old to attend!

She's got her red rose ready.

Here is a picture from the N&O- I'm in there, but my head is turned away.

Here we are singing the Alma Mater around the broken fountain and throwing in the roses.

So beautiful!

Got my Peace gear on and ready to throw the rose in.

My little protester!

Me and my friend, Susan, around the fountain.

Then it started pouring down rain. She was totally into it!

It was so bittersweet to be on the campus and to know that it will never be the same again. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it's hard to understand unless you went there.

Preserve Peace College's Legacy!!!

Laird's Quilt

2011-08-28T19:47:00.000-04:00

Here is another quilt for Mr. Laird. He's a very lucky boy to get two quilts! One for summer/fall and one for winter/spring. Remember this one?

Alex, Laird's mom, picked out the fabric. I think she's got great taste! Super modern, great colors and very boy-like. This one had cars, surfboards, ducks and ukulele's. Most of the fabric is from the Monaluna Circa 60 Beach Mod for Birch Fabric line and a little Joel Dewberry and Timeless Treasures.

We kept the back of the quilt very simple with a single strip of 8 x 8 fabric squares running through the back.

Some of the fabric up close.

It's another big quilt (51 x 51) so he'll be able to use it for a long time!

2011-08-28T19:37:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what I've been doing lately that prevents me from blogging, but I sure am keeping busy around here. I've joined a playdate meetup group and Coraline and I have been busy several times a week walking around the lake, meeting new friends, swimming and going to gymnastics! It's been a fun summer.

(on the balance beam)

(in the foam pit)

(this was her favorite- the trampoline)

(at the pool)

I have been sewing some too. I finished two quilts and some baby treats for a friend's baby girl, so I will post pictures in another post.

Hope I still have some readers left!!

New Outfit

2011-08-13T21:09:00.001-04:00

I wanted to tackle a few of the cute tops that I have collected on my Pinterest site for Coraline. There are so many cute ones to choose from! I found this material at Joann's and thought it was perfect for her.

Here is the link to the top. I found it very easy to construct. I followed her pattern which is for a 12-18 month size, but it was a little snug on my 15 month old, so I tried it again and added 1/4 inch all the way around the pattern and it came out to be a much better fit for her. I made it a top, but you could easily add some length and make it a dress.

I've gotten some compliments on it, so I think it's a winner!

The bloomers are my own pattern- hopefully, I can make a tutorial for you on that soon. However, you could do a search for bloomers or diaper covers and come up with lots of tutorials.

Happy sewing everyone!

10K Mud Run

2011-08-06T13:45:00.000-04:00

Call me crazy, but I'm doing something totally out of my comfort zone- a 10K Mud Run! A 6.2 mile run + mud + military style obstacles = crazy me. It's a wonderful fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis and a great challenge for me! What am I thinking!

A group of mommies are forming the group "Muddy Mamas-Its our turn to make a mess." We will be doing some training together and will participate on September 24, 2011. Not much time to train, but we are in the mere mortals division which is not a timed competition- the goal is to just finish!

I think this will be hilarious and challenging!

We, as individuals, need to raise at least $100 for the cause. I'm putting my personal page information here- if you would like to donate anything, it would be greatly appreciated! No donation is too small or insignificant!

Wish me luck!

Coraline's Jungle Gym

2011-07-21T09:28:00.000-04:00

Gymnast perhaps?

Oh, and yes, it is 2011 and I've just discovered the awesomness of Youtube.

If I Should Fall Behind

2011-07-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I don't know what to think of myself! I have never been able to pinpoit my music style. There are very few things I actually like to listen too and much prefer to listen to books on tape when I'm in my car. I never know what to pick on the music on demand channels because most of the stuff I don't like. It's frustrating to say the least! I have a strange, eclectic assortment of songs on my mp3 player (which, sadly, doesn't get used as much as it should).

With that said . . . there is one person/band that I love and have always loved and will always love since I was 5 years old.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I have my dad to thank for that. He would blast Born in the USA while he had me and my sister in the back of his jeep (with all the windows down) driving to Waimea. I will never forget how "big" I felt listening to his music. Rhea and I only remembered the line "Born in the USA" but we sang it proudly! I have that CD and occasionally roll all the windows down in my jeep and blast the CD- it's great!

Here is a song that my dad found-- I LOVE the message and the lyrics.

Summertime Bucket Hat

2011-07-16T22:06:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to make a bucket hat for Coraline for awhile. I think they're adorable and perfect for keeping that head covered during the summer. The problem is that she won't wear a hat (or any hair accessories) right now. Oh well, I had some extra fabric, so I went for it anyway. It's a two-in-one hat (reversible). It's a little big because I followed her pattern which is for a 2T. But, I figured if she wouldn't wear it now she may in the future.

Here is the tutorial I followed. Very easy. I did include one side of interfacing to stiffen it up a bit and I did do 1/4 inch seams all the way up the brim.

Since I just used boring old white fabric for the inside (more of a liner), I may add straps so she'll keep it on. This will take away the reversibility function.

Oh how much fun I could have with this pattern!

What to do . . .

2011-07-12T20:46:00.000-04:00

When your baby has a diaper rash that needs a little airing out but it is too blazin' hot to go outside and besides said baby likes to eat handfuls of dirt.

* * *

Why you bring the pool indoors (minus the water) and let her have at it. BTW, it did help the diaper rash.

Culotte Tutorial

2011-07-04T22:16:00.003-04:00

My niece is going to her first overnight camp this week and they require that the girls wear culottes. According to my sister, culottes can run around $25 a pair. That's a bit much for some fabric and elastic, so she asked me to make her some. My niece got to pick out her favorite fabrics and we were off! After looking at the construction of a culotte, I realized that it is a pretty simple construction.

Some interesting facts about culottes- they are supposed to look like a skirt, but really are "baggy" shorts and they are to have an elastic band (no zippers or buttons).

My niece is a children's size 6, but you could easily make this smaller, larger, longer, etc. to fit the size of your child.

You'll need:

1 yard of fabric
22 inches of 1 inch elastic
basic sewing materials

First, I took a pair of her culottes and made my own pattern out of it. Here are the dimensions that I used:

Skirt/Short part. Place the long side (14 inches) on the fold of the fabric.

Basically you want to start out with a rectangle. Measure in 8 inches from the top and make a mark. Measure 6.5 inches down and make a mark. Now you are going to cut a "J" (this is the crotch). Bottom notch is similar. Measure 3 inches up from the bottom and make a mark and measure 5.5 inches from the left and make a mark. Cut an angle. This is part of the bottom of the culottes.

Waistband. You will want a total of two pieces.

You have a total of two pieces. This will be the skirt/short part.

Place the right side of the fabric together and, using a 1/4 inch seam, sew along the long side (14 inch) and the inseam (4.5 inch). You will want to serge or use a zig-zag stitch on the raw edges so it won't fray.

One part of the culotte done.

This is what it looks like when you turn it right side out.

Now, pin the two legs together and sew using a 1/4 inch seam- this will be the crotch part. Set these aside for now.

Onto the waistband. You should have two pieces.

Place right side together and sew along the short sides (6.5 inches) and create a tube.

Now we are going to create the tube for the elastic. Fold down 1.5 inches, and then fold the raw edge under another 1/4 inch to create a tube for the elastic.

Sew right on the edge of the bottom fold. Make sure to leave a space to thread your elastic through. Set this aside for now.

Now on to the pleats of the culotte part. I put three pleats onto each leg of the culotte. One at 2 inch, one at 6.5 inch and one at 11 inch. My pleats lines were marked at 1.25 inches apart.

You will want to overlap the third pleat on each culotte (front and back) so that it hides the shorts part of the culotte. This is the step that makes it look like a skirt. If you look at the picture above, I've put the pleat on the left side of the culotte over the crotch seam.

Now, I've placed the third pleat on the right side over the third pleat of the left side, so that you can't see the left side pleat anymore.

This is what it will look like after you pin it. (Looks like a total of 5 pleats, but really it is 6 because one pleat is hidden).

Now, make sure your waistband matches up to your culottes (you may need to adjust your pleat sizes) and then place your waistband over the culottes (right sides together), pin and sew together.

When you are done, it will look like this.

I topstich the waistband into place. It looks cleaner to me.

Now, time to thread your elastic into the waistband. Sew together elastic and then sew the opening shut.

On to the hem. Make this whatever size you need too. Mine ended up being 1/4 inch hem.

Finished!!

I made four culottes in a span of two days.

A good view of the shorts part.

See how it resembles a skirt when layed out.

That little cut out in the leg helps the hem stay all the same length and makes it look like a skirt. Without it, that piece hangs lower than the rest of the hem.

This is my first tutorial and I apologize in advance for anything that doesn't make sense. Please ask me any questions.

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-04T19:36:00.000-04:00

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday celebrating our great country!

We had an early BBQ with the family and am now waiting for the fireworks to start (on tv). I'm not sure Miss C would appreciate fireworks this year. Maybe next year!

Bags

2011-06-25T20:20:00.001-04:00

Here are some pics of the bags I've made recently. I'm loving the idea of bags! I have a few more that I want to accomplish. There are so many great tutorials out there!

This is a really cute handbag. Here is the link to the pattern. I used the bright pink fabric because it was all I had on hand, but I would probably prefer it in a more muted tone. I think I may add interfacing next time too, to make it a little more sturdy.

I love the pleats!

The lining was soooo easy! I love how professional and clean it makes it look!

Here is the makeup bag. Here is the link. I love how she includes batting in the middle, so that you can add a little visual appeal to the bag by quilting it as well as making it sturdy. You could easily skip this step or put interfacing in between.

I was very proud of my zipper until I tried to zip it up and realized that I sewed the seams a little too close to the teeth. Oh well, lesson learned.

And lastly, a cute little clutch. Here is the link. This is perfect if you want to take just the essentials to dinner. It's hard to see the gathers in the picture, but they are very becoming.

Another zipper. I did this one right, though! Yay! I'm still not perfect at zippers, but I think it will only take a few more tries.

These were all easy tutorials to follow, so I feel confident recommending them to people.

Upon Second Glance . . .

2011-06-23T20:34:00.001-04:00

this picture is not as cute as I thought it would be.

I shall call her Zombie Baby . . .

Soft and Sweet Quilt

2011-06-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

Another quilt finished- I call it the Lily & Will II (Moda) Baby Patchwork Quilt.

I really fell in love with the soft looking quality of this fabric. The colors are great and the designs are subtle and sweet. I thought it would make a nice gender-neutral quilt.

Patchwork style quilt.

The back of the quilt.

I just love the colors!

It's in my Etsy shop if you are interested.

Treasure Island

2011-06-20T14:42:00.000-04:00

I finished two books recently- Treasure Island and Sense and Sensibility. I can only add one to my list though (Sense and Sensibility was for fun).

Well, Treasure Island is what I describe a "boy book." Full of pirates and fighting and treasure. It was a fun novel, but somewhat hard to follow since there was so much ship talk. You almost need to know a little about boats to follow. It started out good but sort of came to a hasty conclusion, in my opinion. Bonus- at least I know where the name Long John Silver comes from!

Sense and Sensibility was awesome. A definite "girl book". It was almost as good as Pride and Prejudice. Nicely developed characters and story line. Jane Austen had definitely grown on me. I also love the movie.

I'm reading Bleak House now. It was slow to start, but I'm definitely warming up to it now.

Have you noticed I'm just reading from the BBC list now? It's because I can download a lot of the classics for free to my Kindle. I've got quite a few on my Kindle now, so I'll be tackling those before I go back to the Time's List (which I'll have to request from the library).

Dirt

2011-06-17T11:13:00.000-04:00

My child likes to eat dirt. All. the. time. And I'm not talking about a little piece but a good handful of the stuff. I really don't even to like to go outside much (well that and the 90 degree weather) because all she does is eat potting soil. Hones in on the stuff. Really? It can't taste good.

Here is a little proof.

Going for it.

Feels so good in my hands.

Uh-oh, mom caught me- better drop this handful.

I'll try it again, since she's busy with the camera.

Triumph (this is not the usual handful like previously mentioned).

Ahhh, tastes so good.

Sew, Sew, Sewing

2011-06-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

Can you take one guess as to what I have been doing these past couple of days?

Did you guess sewing? Really?

Oh my goodness, you are correct! I've been browsing around Pinterest looking at all the neat sewing tutorials around. There are so many good ones, it's hard to narrow them down. For some reason, I've fallen in love with bags. I've made three bags in the past two days. These bags were all sewn together during nap times or after she went to bed (all this to say, they come together really fast). I was able to use fabrics that I had on hand and with the exception of a magnet closure had all the other stuff on hand as well.

Here are the links to the bags I've done: Buttercup Bag, Zipper Pouch Bag, Gathered Clutch Bag. I'll post pictures of what I've made as soon as I load them on to the computer (sigh).

I have to tell you that these picture tutorials make the world of difference for me. I CAN NOT read a typical pattern to save my life. That's why so much of what I've created in the past has been patternless. But when you give me pictures and instructions, I CAN DO it! I guess in this respect, I'm a visual learner. I encourage anyone who has ever been scared of patterns to give a tutorial a try. You will probably be amazed at how much more sense it makes.

That's it for now!

2011-06-10T19:35:00.001-04:00

I came across the neatest website the other day- Pinterest. It's a site that allows you to to save your favorite web ideas to one place where you can then organize and sort them. The idea is that you "pin" your favorite ideas to different categorized boards (that you create).

I don't know about you, but my favorites folder houses a lot of tutorial links and things that I want to be able to go back to. It's a bit out of control. But Pinterest allows me to organize them in a sensible way, see the picture of the item and then click to get back to the original web page. Awesome. And you can have as many boards as you like- things for books, recipes, furniture, party ideas, paper crafts, sewing techniques, etc.

You can also follow people whose taste you admire. The site is also a WONDERFUL search tool for anything you want to find. Think patterns and tutorials galore!

I've put a little button on the side of my blog (below my Etsy stuff) so you can see my pin boards and get a better idea of what Pinterest is. It's a little sparse right now but I plan to fill it up in no time!

Tea Party Time

2011-06-08T12:41:00.000-04:00

My friend, Yvonne, and I decided that we must do a tea party together before she leaves for Florida. We both love tea and any excuse to eat cucumber sandwiches is okay by me. I've been in an English mood lately with all this Jane Austen and the Royal Wedding stuff.

We even went to a tea store and bought special "tea party" tea. We had a great time as we always do.

Here are some pictures of the day.

Here are the girls playing.

Our set up. We had raspberry scones (I substituted raspberries for blueberries), devonshire cream and some cucumber finger sandwiches.

Almost done. Delicious.

Yvonne and Miss C even dressed up for the occasion.

What a fun play date!

Oh Mr. Darcy . . .

2011-06-08T12:27:00.000-04:00

I can absolutely see your appeal. I finished Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and can say, with absolute certainty, that it is my favorite Jane Austen book. I can't even answer why it is so appealing, but I could not put it down and I even know how it ends. Mr. Darcy is not even that likable of a character for the first 2/3 of the book, but you root for him anyway! That, my friends, is a good author. I was impressed- Ms. Austen has won me over. So much so that I'm reading Sense and Sensibility right now- you know, just for fun.

Black Beauty and Others

2011-06-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted anything about what I've read. I'm really trying to keep the t.v. off during the day and there's not much else I can do when we are both downstairs together. She's in that stage where she moves really fast and still likes to put everything in her mouth, so I don't dare try to sew or clean when she's awake and at play! Not much left to do except read. But that's not a bad thing!

I finished Emma by Jane Austen. This book was the easiest to read of Jane Austen's work for me (so far). Since I knew the movie so well it probably helped me to keep the characters straight, which, you know, is kind of important when you read. Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I liked the characters and I understood what was going on. I have never read Pride and Prejudice (gasp), so I'm reading that now. I'm finding that it is also easier to read and understand. I don't know if it's because I know the story so well or am getting used to Austen's style.

I also read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Super easy read. I didn't think the story was very well developed but it was certainly enjoyable. I guess that's it on that one.

My favorite recently has been Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Wow, that is a beautiful book to read! If there are any animal lovers (especially horse lovers) out there, you MUST read this book. It's told from the horse's perspective. A reoccurring theme (for the humans) was to stand up to injustice. Stand up for those who don't have a voice. Much easier said than done, I know. Besides that, it emphasized how kindness and gentleness were the best ways to treat horses. I've never trained horses, but I can imagine that is very true and extends to other animals. I was so afraid it would have a bad ending, but it doesn't. Thank goodness. Anyway, it's a fabulous, easy read.

That's it so far!

Coraline models

2011-05-26T22:02:00.004-04:00

I'll admit the downloading of pictures from the camera to the computer and from the computer to this blog drives me insane and is definitely the reason why this blog lacks post. I will have to do better if I expect anyone to read this!

I made another "Abbey Dress" for Coraline. Same fabric as before but in a bigger size. I added 1.5 inches to every dimension she lists in her pattern.

Coraline shows off the back of her dress and bloomers.

The front of the dress.

The bloomers were a new pattern for me and soooooo easy to do. I recommend it to anyone and everyone for its simplicity and cuteness factor. Here is the link to the pattern.

She was not interested in standing and showing everything off for me, so she is holding on to her pink blankie so she'll be still. But you get an idea of what it would look like.

The completed outfit.

How on Earth

2011-05-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

did this sweet, tiny little thing . . .

turn into this mobile, climbing, squealing, singing, dirt-eating, food-loving, gosh darn cute slightly bigger thing?

I'm telling you- this was the fastest 365 days of my life! And I loved every minute (almost every minute)!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

New Toy

2011-05-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

This new toy has been taking up my time lately!

A Brother CS-6000i sewing machine.

I'm so excited to actually own a new sewing machine (that has a LCD screen mind you). Now, it is by no means the top of the line, but it is faster and has more options than my old one. However, my old one is near and dear to my heart, because I got it when I was 12 years old and it is a solid piece of Singer machinery. I can't ever let it go.

My tension in the old machine kept getting wonky when I would quilt and I was getting so frustrated with it (who likes to pull stitches), but so far this new one has done a great job of keeping the tension steady.

What was kind of special about this machine is that I bought it with money I earned from selling my quilts on Etsy. Money well spent.

So far I've quilted (and sold) a quilt, made a stroller blanket (to be added soon to Etsy) and made a dress for Coraline. Time and money well spent.

Appliqued owl quilt

2011-05-09T21:00:00.001-04:00

What a pretty quilt this turned out to be! A sweet mommy-to-be contacted me because she wanted to have something special made for her little girl. She picked the fabric and told me what she wanted and this is what I came up with.

I love how the appliqued owl on a branch turned out.

This quilt style of basic squares is turning out to be quite popular- probably because of how well it highlights the fabrics.

This is another larger quilt (47 x 47). I'm loving this size quilt- it's so thick and luxurious feeling. It will certainly last through toddler hood and a little beyond.

Alright folks, onto the next quilt.

A fine day indeed . . .

2011-05-08T21:21:00.000-04:00

It's a good day to be a mother.

My loves got me a fun basket filled with little treats. And my mom left a little surprise on my door. Everything was food or food related. Wow, my family knows me well.

This is my first Mother's Day. This year has been wonderful. Who knew being a mother would be this great?! Little Miss C has rocked my world (for the better, of course) and I am thankful she has. I wouldn't trade a single day with her. I hope the next year is just as great!

Love her. And I love Grant for making it a special day for me!

Garden Adventure

2011-05-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

We've been having some beautiful weather here lately. A friend and I decided that a visit to a garden was in definite order. And wow, Duke Gardens is beautiful! I have wanted to go for awhile and it definitely did not disappoint.

They have some of the most interesting flowers. This one looked like a firework.

Miss C enjoyed herself. She wanted to pick the flowers, naturally.

I let her eat a leaf instead.

We got to sit down and let the girls play on the grass while the grownups got to enjoy some pineapple tea. It's the small things that make me so happy! A beautiful day with friends and sweet (but not too sweet) pineapple tea! Perfect.

It's a Hoot (again).

2011-04-27T15:37:00.001-04:00

I love the look of stacked coin quilts. Super easy to make and a fun way to highlight fabric colors. I have found that this fabric line is very popular on Etsy (this is my third quilt with this fabric). I have just enough fabric to make another quilt and will be making a special order quilt with it as well. If you like it, you better hurry and get it because I'm finding that shops are starting to sell out! It's the "It's a Hoot" fabric collection by MoMo for Moda.

This line has so many fun fabrics that are perfect for the backs of quilts.

Here's another great one! Cute little owls in trees.

Stacked coins. Can't get much easier than this!

This one is in my Etsy shop.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We had pretty weather over here and were able to celebrate with both Grant and my family. It was a busy day for us, but Miss C did pretty well. She got to wear not one, but two pretty Easter dresses! Lucky girl!

Family picture.

Her first (and only) egg!

Fast and Easy Pillows

2011-04-20T19:33:00.001-04:00

Pillows are one of the easiest sewing projects to make, but I have always made mine with loose batting and, consequently, they usually turn lumpy pretty fast. I had come across an envelope style pillow tutorial and put it in the back of my mind for the next time I needed to sew a pillow. Well, I finally got a reason to try out this new style. My friend wanted me to make matching quilts and pillows for her soon-to-be-here nephews (twins) with an owl theme. Perfect!

I appliqued the owls onto the pillow case.

It's hard to see the envelope part of the pillow in this picture (towards the bottom), but it's there. I also wanted to add a little color in the back so I added the yellow and orange fabric.

This is the cleanest, neatest, crispest (word?) pillow cover. I followed her math using a 14 x 14 pillow. Oh my goodness y'all (that's the southern speaking), it's so tailored looking. I will always do pillows like this from now on!

Hope the tutorial helps someone!

Chic Baby Quilt

2011-04-11T19:32:00.002-04:00

My blog is turning into a quilt show! I'm sure most of you don't mind though!

Here is a special order I did for Alex and her very soon-to-be-here baby boy. She picked the main fabric and we were able to find a nice fat quarter bundle on Etsy. Most of the fabric is from Michael Miller's Retro Mod collection in Lagoon. I adore this fabric and this may very well be my favorite quilt so far!

(the colors *swoon*)

Alex wanted a simple design with lots of white so it would be easy on the eye and highlight the fabric. Wow, the colors just pop against all that white. This was the biggest quilt I've made so far- 49 x 48 inches. It's real thick and luxurious- perfect for cooler weather.

(love the simple design)

(back of quilt with a line of charms running through it. Simple and fun.)

I'm loving it!

Quilting

2011-03-30T19:53:00.001-04:00

Wow, I've been busy quilting these past couple of weeks. I've got three special orders going on and I can't wait to get the fabric in so I can get started. Each one has got their loved one's special touch added to it too. It's fun working with others and having them select their favorite fabric and designing it according to their tastes.

In the meantime, here are two more quilts added to my Etsy site.

This one is definitely for the sophisticated mommy and baby!

I adore the backing on this quilt. The fabric is divine! I used the Fandango collection by Kate Spain for Moda.

I'm really loving this block pattern. It makes the colors in the fabric pop.

Here's another quilt using the Riley Blake "All Star" collection. I used what I had left from the two other quilts and pieced this together.

The backing is kind of fun too- not part of the Riley Blake line though.

Off to quilt some more!

A Day of Green

2011-03-17T21:15:00.000-04:00

Coraline says Happy St. Patrick's Day . . .

TO YOU!

Turquoise and Gray Quilt using Michael Miller's "Retro Mod" Collection

2011-03-14T16:30:00.002-04:00

Oh my, I'm in love with this fabric! The colors are so fantastic! Gray is a very hot color right now in the quilting world! This fabric is from the Michael Miller "Retro Mod" line. Look closely and you'll see elephants, giraffes and hippos.

I used a basic patchwork style.

Love, love, love the animals. I used the gray/turquoise polka dots for the back of the quilt and the binding.

So cute!

It's on Etsy if anyone is interested.

Clothes for Coraline

2011-03-13T11:35:00.000-04:00

This post is long overdue. I made this dress about 4 months ago and am just now blogging about it! My friend, Jan, sent me a tutorial on how to make a very easy and adorable dress.

I'm very nervous with clothes construction (can't read a pattern to save my life); I think I do better with visuals. So, this tutorial was made for me- easy to follow and I was able to make this dress in one evening.

I did find that this dress runs small. It won't fit my daughter even as a shirt (the armholes and neck are to small), but all I need to do is add an inch to the bodice and I think I'll be fine. Also, I needed to increase the slit in the back of the dress so it fit over her head (found that out the hard way).

This is definitely a 0-6 month size.

My favorite part of the dress are the pleats.

My second favorite part are the covered buttons.

Unfortunately, this does not fit her anymore, so no pictures of her in it. I did make another one with piping, but it needs a little tweaking. Once it's ready, I'll blog about that one.

Baby Bieber

2011-03-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

Baby, baby, baby ohhh

Like baby, baby, baby noo

I don't know anything more about Justin Bieber except for his hair and those lines in that one song. Really.

Homemade Butter . . . really.

2011-03-06T11:36:00.001-05:00

My friend, Krystal, posted the neatest link on how to make your own butter. I've always wanted to try it, but never got around to it. After seeing how easy it is, I decided to give it a go. I happened to have heavy whipping cream in the fridge (doesn't everyone keep that as a staple?!), so I poured about a 1/3 of a quart into my chilled mixing bowl.

After about 7 minutes on high, I realized that my mixing bowl wasn't scraping the edges properly to form butter, so I switched it to a mini food processor (just like in the video).

It took about 30 seconds for the butter to separate and form.

Then I put it through two cold water rinses (see the video link). I added a touch of salt and mixed it some more. Then I transferred to a small dish and squeezed the excess water out with a spoon.

It was so easy and it really does taste so much better than store bought butter- much creamier. I don't know what the cost analysis is yet, but it may be worth it in the end. In any event, it tastes divine.

This is one super easy and super tasty treat that is sure to impress people at your next dinner!

Quilt part 3

2011-02-20T11:34:00.001-05:00

It's a quilt making month around here. And I promise you- I only quilt when the baby is sleeping at night!

So this one is a first for me- I used a walking foot to quilt this together. I do like the pattern I created. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be though. After some thought, I think I still like free hand quilting better. I did, however, use a really neat trick to quilt this- 2 inch wide painter's tape. Here is a link on how to do that. I love this trick- it seems foolproof to me.

Most of the fabric is from the "All Star" collection by Riley Blake.

Pinwheel top.

I like the back of this quilt.

Can you see the pattern I created with the walking foot?

It's on my Etsy site if anyone is interested. I'm also linking up to Tea Rose Home Link Party!

Black and White

2011-02-13T19:46:00.000-05:00

My Favorite Quilt so Far

2011-02-13T19:30:00.002-05:00

I love this quilt! I love the colors. I love the pattern. I love the print. I LOVE IT! I used It's a Hoot fabric by MoMo for Moda.

This is not an original pattern, but it's one I discovered on my own by cutting the squares diagonally and arranging them in a way that looked good to me. I love how the arrangement makes the fabric brighter.

I usually back my quilts with flannel, but this fabric line is so fantastic that I wanted to use as much of it as I could. This particular fabric was so big and bold that it just screamed to be on the back of this quilt.

This quilt was a lot of fun to make. I'm sure it's a pattern you'll see me use again. It's on Etsy if anyone is interested!

Also linking it up to Tea Rose Home Link Party! Check it out to see other handmade goodies!

Cason

2011-02-08T12:31:00.000-05:00

And here is the finished quilt with Mr. Cason's name appliqued on it! It's on its way to its new owner!

Stars and Stripes Quilt

2011-02-07T19:53:00.001-05:00

Every time I sell a quilt on Etsy, I have a major itch to sew another one. So here is my "other one." This quilt top took me a long time to finish, not because of complications, but because I forgot about it and then had a baby, and then forgot about it again. So, it is finally done. I love the fabric. It's called All Star by Riley Blake. It's definitely boy inspired!

Here is the back of the quilt. I love how the charms pop against the white. However, I have learned my lesson- I can't have a dark quilt top and white backing, because it's too hard to make the thread work with both (I don't like using two different color threads because if the tension is off on my machine you can see it in the back.) Lesson learned.

Aren't the colors great!

And this just in-- My cousin is going to buy this quilt for her little boy Cason! I'm going to applique his name on the bottom- will have to get a picture of it when it is done.

So, since this one just sold I will get another one up soon! I'm working on the top part right now!

Linking it up to Tea Rose Home Link Party- check it out- lots of homemade goodies!

Love

2011-02-06T19:06:00.000-05:00

How I spend (some) of my days--

Umm . . . Yes, Please.

2011-02-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

Cupcake Wars. Enough said. The show, despite the annoying, sarcastic, want-to-seriously-slap-him host, makes me want to don a frilly apron and get to work. Oh my, I could eat cupcakes all day long. I went in search of a caramel cupcake and stumbled upon this recipe. You've got to check out her site-everything looks delicious!

This is a triple salted caramel cupcake. It is a brown sugar, buttermilk cake with homemade caramel in the center of the cupcake. Look at that folks- caramel in the cupcake!

And a delicious caramel buttercream frosting with caramel drizzle on top. OH. MY. WORD!

It's worth it folks. It is definitely worth it.

Little Women

2011-01-28T18:37:00.000-05:00

I loved, loved, loved this book! I mean, seriously, how did I not read this when I was little?! It's incredibly sweet, charming and full of wisdom. Yes, it's a little too sweet at times- did anybody else feel an urge to slap one or more of the characters at some point for being too good?! No, just me.

Sigh . . . I always wanted a "Laurie" in my life.

Seriously, it's a great book and full of great pieces of wisdom which are still relevant today. This is a book I look forward to reading to Coraline or having her read when she can.

I've already put the movie Little Women on my Netflix queue- the one with Christian Bale, because he's the perfect Laurie and I think he's super cute. And, yes, I know I'm 30.

Quilt Idea

2011-01-20T11:05:00.000-05:00

I want to try something a little different quilt-wise. Obviously, I LOVE the look of quilts. But sometimes they are a little stiff and unforgiving. With time and many washes quilts become softer. But I want to create a quilt/blanket that is soft and cuddly right away. Right now Coraline doesn't sleep with a blanket, but I would like to have one ready for her when the time is right.

I saw a post about using a flannel blanket as the batting and not quilting the piece together. I'm not sure how she put it together, but my guess was she did a tie quilt. I think something like that would create a very movable, soft quilt.

I think that will be my next project. My creativity juices are starting to flow again!

The Woman in White

2011-01-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

I finished two novels on the BBC list- The Woman in White and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Both were really good reads.

I especially liked The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It was written in 1859. I was nervous that it would be a long, cumbersome read but it was anything but. The novel is divided up into different sections and penned by different characters. It's actually considered one of the first mystery novels. Naturally, I loved it.

I loved the female character of Marian who was depicted as strong, competent (but plain) woman. I really disliked the character of Laura who was weak, stupid and beautiful. Of course, Laura got all the boys.

Both were fun reads. I would recommend both!

My little foodie

2011-01-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

I can't help but be impressed with my little girl and her eating habits. She has eaten everything I've offered her! Absolutely everything. I really wanted to start her out with a variety of tasty foods so, hopefully, she won't be too picky of an eater as she gets older.

She eats two meals a day- lunch and dinner. I try to offer her three different things, so she has a little variety. We also give her a sippy cup so she can get used to drinking water.

Some of the (stranger) things I've given her is grape leaves (Lebanese), tzatziki sauce (with fresh garlic and mint), beets, kale and butternut squash soup, peas and quinoa, meatloaf, chicken casserole and a ton of veges and fruits. I try to give her a meat or protein and a combination of two veges or fruits at every meal. I like to add herbs/spices and a fat (olive oil, butter or coconut oil) to the veges.

Here she is with her sippy cup.

Looking all cute and messy!

Not related to the post- but here I am with my food (probably around 13 or 14 months)!

Snowy days

2011-01-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

I believe it has been the snowiest December since I've lived here! We might even see more snow next week! Crazy. The pictures below are when we had about 7 to 8 inches.

I was not sure how Miss C would do in it, but we had to bundle her up and try. She did remarkably well. She didn't freak out at all (she whimpered a bit at first). I wouldn't say that she loved it, but it certainly was fun to watch her experience something completely new!

I just plopped her right down- unmatching outfit and all!

We had to taste some of it.

Taking it all in.

Reading shall commence once again

2011-01-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

Grant got me a Kindle for Christmas this year. I did not ask for it- he came up with the idea all by himself. After scoffing about the whole idea of it for a year I am here to publicly eat my words! I thought the whole thing was ridiculous- really, you can't just read a book. Well, yes, you can most definitely read a book, but believe it or not the Kindle makes it so much easier to read a book!

I can't read a book and watch Coraline at the same time. There is something about holding the book and turning pages that I can't do while on the ground playing or while nursing her. But the Kindle is flat, so I literally just have to use one hand (or none, just a finger) to read. The difference it makes is amazing. It has previously taken me weeks to finish a book (with Coraline here), but now I can finish them in no time (I've read 4 books in the span of 1.5 weeks).

Awesome.

I think I can work on my Time's and BBC list again.

If you ever thought about getting one (but just thought it was ridiculous), I can wholeheartedly recommend it!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-31T18:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a fun filled Christmas this has been for us. Sorry for the lack of posting- I blame my camera and the length of time to upload photos to blogger!

We had a great time at our church's Christmas service-they did such a fabulous job decorating and making everything fun, worshipful and accessible! Here is one of the only family shots we got this season (it was way past her bedtime, so Miss C wasn't in the mood to smile).

Having Coraline made Christmas morning so much fun for us this year. We started the morning with homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and then let Coraline enjoy her Christmas gifts.

Here she is with her gifts from Santa. She got a few toys and some outfits.

She found that eating wrapping paper was much more fun than opening the gifts- be careful Grant your finger is almost in the way!

In addition to eating the paper, she found that eating the gifts was much more fun too!

We had so much fun with our families. We ate like kings. We got some neat stuff (I got a Kindle- woo hoo- reading has commenced again)!

I would have uploaded more photos, but I don't have 30 extra minutes to sit and wait! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too. I promise to be a better blogger this year!

Coraline Meets Santa's Beard

2010-12-15T11:11:00.000-05:00

I love going back to my Alma mater, Peace College, any time I can. That place houses so many good memories for me. So, I jumped at the chance to take Coraline there for a fun, free event-- Christmas story time and a chance to meet Santa himself!

I love Peace at Christmas! This is the main building (I lived on the third floor my junior year).

Cute and sweet librarian, Anne, reading the kids two stories- can you spot me (Coraline got covered up by the book page)?

And Miss C meets the jolly man himself, but was distracted by his beard, which she found quite entertaining!

Peas and Carrots

2010-12-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

Miss C has started solids. According to her, her world will never be the same! If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably realize that I'm not very traditional. Well, after reading this book--

I decided to skip the rice cereal route all together and just dive right in to real foods. And so we did. She's had bananas, yogurt and cinnamon, kefir, peas, carrots, green beans, pears, apples, white beans and turkey. All with a little pat of butter or coconut oil and some mild spices. One of the take home messages from the book that I've really taken to heart- babies like food to taste good too! If it's bland to you, it will probably be bland for baby. I haven't pureed the heck out of the food either- a little chunkiness is not harmful.

(Yum, turkey, peas and carrots)

(She LOVES her food- she has yet to reject anything I've given her)

One of the things I've found extremely helpful in preparing her food is this little workhorse- the Beaba Babycook. It steams, reheats and chops food. Sure, you can make baby food without it, but it sure is easier to have one little machine do it all and within 15 minutes or so.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-20T15:02:00.001-05:00

I love a good handmade Christmas card, but this year I’m going to do something different. I am going to break from tradition and send out photo cards. What can I say, you know all the relatives really just want to see a picture of Coraline’s cute face wishing them Christmas cheer.

I’m going to use Shutterfly because they have so many fantastic, fun, traditional, nontraditional, elegant and whimsy cards to choose from (click here to see them all) and because I used them for Coraline’s birth announcement and the cards turned out FABULOUS! I love how easy it is to search for the perfect card (you can easily narrow your options) and the finished product is a high quality card.

There are so many amazing Christmas cards, but I love a good damask like this one or I may decide to be whimsy and go with this one.

There are so many things to choose from and although it is a little early to start thinking about first birthday invitations perhaps this one should be in the running? or this one? Only time will tell my friends!

Check them out. You won’t be disappointed!

My little girl

2010-11-15T19:25:00.000-05:00

I decided to bust out the nice camera and get some pictures of her this past week. She is growing so fast and I want to make sure that I have some good pictures of her to remember this fun age (5 almost 6 months).

She's a very serious girl. She's not quick to smile at strangers (or the camera), but will give them out once she gets to know you.

She's not a huge fan of tummy time. She can roll over (both ways) and can sit up now.

She absolutely LOVES the cats and blowing raspberries. She grabs those kitties' ears and won't let go. The cats are absolute angels- they totally let her grab and yank on them. Sadie especially likes her.

I just can't get enough of her!

Another Upcyle- Baby Skirt

2010-11-09T16:34:00.002-05:00

I'm having too much fun- can you tell? I love the idea of taking old clothes and remaking them into something else (preferably one my daughter can wear)! I went to the goodwill to stock up on some womens' corduroys and other pants to transform into skirts for Coraline to use during the winter.

I did not take a picture of the pants, but it was a women's velvety gray pair of pants. I was inspired by this pattern. I needed more material than the pattern called for, so I thought a ruffle in the middle of the skirt would be cute. I had some Moda fabric left over from a quilt and it had that perfect touch of gray in it. I took a 2 1/4 inch strip (twice as long as the skirt) and created a double ruffle (my own term)- basically I just put a baste stitch on the top and bottom of the material and pulled the string to create a ruffle.

I have decided that I love the way this waist is done- creating a space for the elastic so that it ruffles at the top. It looks so much more "finished" to me then without it. It will look much cuter with onesies too!

Here's a close up of the ruffle.

I would never pair the shirt with this skirt, but I wanted to get a picture of her in it for the blog. I do like it with the leggings though!

It's a Hoot Baby Quilt

2010-11-04T11:26:00.001-04:00

I love the new line by MoMo for Moda called It's a Hoot. The colors are so lovely and bright. I wanted to make a simple patchwork quilt to really showcase the charms.

I quilted using the free hand meandering style.

I just love the bright colors!

This quilt is on sale at my Etsy shop.

I'm linking up to Tea Rose Home- check it out!

Hot Fudge Sundae . . . with Sprinkles

2010-11-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

And here she is in her ensemble. A hot fudge sundae (with sprinkles) indeed.

Miss C and her cousins decided to make the rounds in our neighborhood. The kids racked up- I spotted a full size snickers bar and chips.

I love this picture of Cousin E giving Coraline a fist bump. She looks very intent on doing it right. Also, this is a good view of her skirt and leggings.

All in all, we had a great night with the family. My dad and I made baklava so the adults were sufficiently sugared up as well as the kids! Hope you all had a happy halloween!

Sweater Upcycle

2010-10-27T11:06:00.001-04:00

I keep coming across the neatest blog posts about upcyling or reinventing things from other items. I've done a few things in the past, but wanted to do something a bit more dramatic! So, into my closet I went. I found the softest sweater that just never fit right. I thought this could be turned into a cute sweater for Coraline.

(Super soft adult sweater)

I cut the sleeves and the sweater part below the bodice off. I used the wrist part of the long sleeve and made it a short sleeve. I put a box pleat in the back to make it fit a 5 month old. I also finished the sweater with a ribbon on the hem and a button to close the sweater. It turned out quite cute. I get lots of compliments on it when Miss C wears it.

(the front)

(the back with the box pleat)

(the model)

I'm linking it up to Tea Rose Home- go and check it out!

A Sneak Peek

2010-10-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up we always had to make our own Halloween costumes. It was fun trying to be creative and finding things around the house to use. I think I"m going to try to keep that tradition with Coraline. So, in that spirit, here is a sneak peek at Coraline's costume. So far the total cost has been $3.00 (for the tulle) and about 45 minutes worth of time.

(Can you guess what that is)

(I've always wanted to make a tulle skirt)

(Just a few parts of the costume)

Our Afternoon Walks

2010-10-24T20:08:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love walking around this lake. Every part of the trail has a beautiful view. Coraline loves it too. She is always wide-eyed and observant as we walk. We are taking advantage of the nice weather here and visiting it as often as we can. We even had a family picnic last week.

(Pretty view)

(She's closing her eyes, because the sun was in them)

(Family picnic time)

They have discovered each other

2010-10-10T18:58:00.000-04:00

And it is quite cute.

T-Shirt into Dance Pants

2010-10-07T14:48:00.005-04:00

I think this project is soooo cool. I mean really, who thinks of these things? I got this tutorial idea from my friend, Jan, who has the YouTube link on her blog post. You've got to check out the YouTube tutorial to see how easy this really is.

I've done two pants. For both, I've used an XL t-shirt. It's a little big, but you can always tailor it to fit your body (large t-shirts are too small for me).

Here are some of the things I discovered along the way:

* This is my great discovery- use a long sleeve t-shirt instead of a short sleeve t-shirt. You can use the sleeve as your waistband instead of cutting up another t-shirt (like the tutorial suggests). Fold the sleeve in half lengthwise and cut (the sleeve provides a natural tapering, just like the tutorial suggests). You will have two pieces now. Sew them together to create your waistband (sew it in a way that the two pieces create a tube, so you can pass your drawstring through).

(long sleeve folded in half- see the natural tapering of material)

(now cut the sleeve in half- you will have two pieces)

* I created a much smaller tube for my drawstring by sewing a 1/2 inch down the waistband. This helped the drawstring stay in place and not bunch up so much.

(I put the pen at the place where I sewed)

* If you have a serger, serge your pants. This will help keep the fray down. However, they are dance pants so if you don't have a serger you will be just fine.

Old T-Shirt

New Dance Pants

Awesome!

I'm posting this link to the Tea Rose Home Link Party, because although this is not my idea, I think it is too cool not too share!

Look at me!

2010-10-02T10:58:00.000-04:00

I'm cute as can be!

So, here is a picture of some of the things I've been creating lately-- a denim skirt and birdie onesie.

I used a great tutorial by Homemade by Jill for her denim skirt. Super easy to make. I plan on making black and gray corduroy skirts for her to wear this winter. Because she wears cloth diapers it is hard for her to wear pants that fit correctly. But a skirt paired with some tights will work great and are pretty cute.

I was all set to do the much blogged about freezer paper stencil for her onesie- except halfway through I found out that wax paper is not the same as freezer paper (has to do with the wax being on one side with freezer paper)! So, instead, I went old school and traced a stencil onto the onesie and then painted it free hand with fabric paint. I think it turned out pretty cute, but it would have been sharper with the freezer paper. Have no fear, I bought freezer paper on my next store outing and have enough to stencil my family's entire wardrobe. If you want to try this project just type in "freezer paper stencil" and you'll get a million tutorials.

These are incredibly easy projects and can usually be accomplished during her nap time.

Oh, and her hair is growing so fast. I can actually put a little bow in it now! Despite the tights, dresses and pink people still ask if she's a boy or girl- the bow should help out with that, right?

Nom nom nom nom

2010-09-24T09:58:00.000-04:00

So, we went to Coraline's cousin's second birthday party a few weeks ago. And we both had a great time except she realized she couldn't eat the cake or the hot dogs or swim in the pool, so she decided to take matters into her own hands-- by eating her own dress. . . the entire time we were there (despite the fact that she had toys).

Here she is with her great-grandmother. Maw-maw thought it was pretty funny too.

Yum.

Sock Monkey Quilt

2010-09-15T15:59:00.001-04:00

This quilt was a long time coming! I had made the top months and months ago but never got around to quilting it until this month. I love the fabric. It's the Goodnight Monkey fabric by Erin Michael for Moda. The "jersey knit" fabric is the most fun fabric- looks just like a knitted piece of material.

free hand quilted

love the contrast of the binding

I've posted it on Etsy, but this may be a good quilt (or at least inspiration) for a certain cousin of mine who is due any day!

Like making bread?

2010-09-13T14:04:00.001-04:00

Then you must get this book-- Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. Every thing I have ever made out of this book turns out fabulous and delicious. The best part is there is no kneading or proofing involved. It's so simple! And you always have some dough left over to refrigerate or freeze for later.

We made french toast out of this Challah loaf- delicious!

She's talking

2010-09-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

Coraline has just started "talking" to her toys. For some reason, I find it hilarious.

Fabric Flowers

2010-08-28T12:49:00.003-04:00

Fabric flowers are super easy to make and very chic right now.

1. Just cut a strip of material about 28 inches long and 2 or 3 inches wide (you can play around with length and width for different size flowers). You can cut the material in straight lines or put a little wave in it for added texture.

2. Fold your strip in half

3. Start wrapping your flower. Put some scrunch into it to create some body.

4. Sew the bottom of the flower together as you go. Each wrap/layer will need to be sewn together. Continue wrapping and sewing until you reach the end of the fabric. You are done!

One alternative is to create a ruffle with your fabric. Use your sewing machine and sew down the middle of the fabric with your largest stitch setting. Pull one of the ends of the thread to create a ruffle. Use the same colored thread as your material (I used black for illustrative purposes).

Continue with step 2 above-- fold material in half, wrap your flower (you don't have to add any scrunch because that is what the ruffle does) and sew all the layers together.

Done! You've got a cute accessory now. Sew it on a shirt or put a hair clip on the bottom for a cute hairpiece.

These are hair clips I've created. Same technique but I used cotton t-shirt material for the white flower and a gauzy material for the beige flower. You can hot glue or sew a button or sequin in the middle of the flower for extra bling!

***

UPDATE: To make a hair clip- I trace the bottom of the flower onto a piece of felt and cut it out (make sure the felt is slightly smaller than the bottom of the flower).

Hot glue the felt to the bottom of the flower- the felt gives it some stability, a finished look and seals up any frays. Then I took an alligator clip and hot glued it to the felt.

Note: You have to open up the alligator clip and put a small strip of felt in between the clips so that the hot glue doesn't glue the whole clip together.

See how the felt is smaller than the flower (this is a crocheted flower, but it is the same idea with fabric flowers)

Hard to see, but there is a strip of felt in between the clips of the alligator clip to prevent the hot glue from gluing the metal clips together.

Any questions? Just let me know.

Refashioned outfit

2010-08-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

I've seen a lot of neat blog posts on refashioning t-shirts and other clothes. I've been wanting to try my hand at something like that but had to wait until I had the right pieces. Well, not too long ago I got two pieces of clothing that I would just never wear out in public. One was a Banana Republic skirt, so I hated for quality material to go to waste. Refashioning was the only option!

I hate long skirts- I look like a pilgrim or something.

So I took the bottom layer, cut it off and sewed it to the liner so that it hit me right above the knee.

End result.

Next I took a rather large and unflattering shirt that had pretty lace details and took various parts of it to create fabric flowers. (Someone gave this shirt to me for free- I have never worn this in public)!

I got a pretty but plain tank top from H&M- it needed to be spiced up a bit. I attached the three flowers and a bit of lace to the H&M tank.

(tank top with flowers attached)

Finished product!

Coraline Quilt

2010-08-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

So, I finally got around to making a quilt for Coraline. I love how it turned out. I really fell in love with the pattern when I saw it at the Moda Bake Shop. A very simple pattern that really shows off the fabric. I used the Wonderland series by Momo for Moda Fabric. I've had this fabric for awhile and am glad I got to use it. I have another quilt in the works with some of the remainder of the fabric.

Her new tummy time blanket!

I think she likes it.

My baby has huge

2010-08-17T10:22:00.000-04:00

EYES.

She looks a little like an anime cartoon.

I love summer

2010-08-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

Especially lazy days by the pool . . .

Eating watermelon . . .

with family (and rootbeer).

Nothing could be better!

Hair

2010-08-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

Coraline . . . with hair.

The windblown look--

(It's Andrea's hair- so she really could look like that one day)!

Cantaloupe

2010-08-05T12:52:00.000-04:00

This cantaloupe, by far, has been the most fulfilling thing we've grown in our garden. There's just something about it that makes me happy!

It was pretty good too!

And this is why God gave me a girl. . .

2010-07-31T22:04:00.000-04:00

So that I can teach myself to crochet for the mere purpose of creating this adorable little number.

I loosely followed these instructions. I say loosely because I couldn't understand half of it and sort of did my own thing (right or wrong, I have no idea).

It's not perfect, but it's a good start.

I thought the flower turned out nicely.

Poor thing- she has no idea what's in store for her!

College girl

2010-07-30T14:16:00.000-04:00

I went to an all girls' college and loved every single minute of it. I kind of hope my girl will go there one day too! Peace College hopes so too. They send these cute bibs to all babies born to alum with a little welcome to the family letter. Of course, we have a few years to decide, but in the meantime . . .

Her daddy may want her to go to NC State though . . .

Baby Leggies

2010-07-26T14:55:00.004-04:00

I love baby leggings. I think they are so adorable (and functional). I made a few for Coraline using women's knee socks from Target. There are so many tutorials out there, but I used this one.

Aren't they cute?!

Garden Stuff

2010-07-21T12:47:00.007-04:00

We have had great success with our garden this year. It's been super exciting to have fresh vegetables to use every night. Of course, now I'm running out of ideas on how to prepare zucchini.

A walk down memory lane if you will--

You might remember our garden looking like this:

It now looks like this (who knew cantaloupes were fence climbers?):

Our fresh produce looks like this:

Grant cutting up our first cucumber looks like this:

Photo shoot

2010-07-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

She's just starting to smile- so cute!

I love my Moby Wrap

2010-07-17T12:36:00.006-04:00

The moby wrap is awesome. Whenever Coraline needs to be held (but I've got things to do) I put her in it. She instantly quiets down and eventually falls asleep. I can then finish dinner or vacuum or finish whatever else needs to be done.

I was so intimidated by it when I was doing research on slings (it is one long piece of fabric), but the manager at the boutique walked me through it and it really couldn't be easier. There are detailed instructions that come with the wrap, so I won't go into detail here.

Too sweet

2010-07-17T12:33:00.001-04:00

Isn't this quilt adorable! I think it will be my next project for Coraline. Detailed instructions can be found at the Moda Bake shop.

Cloth Diapers

2010-07-14T15:24:00.005-04:00

(Coraline in an AIO cloth diaper)

I love being able to cloth diaper Coraline. We save lots of money and we are helping the environment! To start our stash off, I bought a lot of different covers, pocket diapers and all in ones, since I didn't know what would work for us. But through trial and error, I have finally found the system that works for us.

Grant and I both love the BumGenius All in Ones (AIO). Essentially AIO are treated just like disposable diapers except you put them in the washing machine instead of the trash. They fit her well, they are easy to put on and they contain blow outs well! So, I like to have 10 AIO and I also will continue to have two Thirsties diaper covers and prefold cloth diapers on hand. With this stash, I do diaper laundry every other day.

I'm thrilled that we are able to cloth diaper her at night with no leakage. The AIO allow for inserts to be put into the diaper, so you get more protection at night.

(diaper laundry)

(another cute cloth diaper and baby legs shot)

Fourth of July Skirt

2010-07-13T15:14:00.004-04:00

In an attempt to be festive (and since it is Coraline's first holiday) I wanted to make a Fourth of July skirt for her to wear to our family barbecue.

Without spending any money I wanted to use things I had in the house. Unbelievably I did not have any red or blue fabric that would work from my quilt scraps, so I went to the pile of clothes that are slated to go to the church's yard sale and found the perfect material- one of Grant's old work shirts. It was red, white and blue! Perfect. I added a little red ribbon to the bottom, so she would stand out in a crowd. If I had more time I would have freezer stenciled something on to her white onesie. Oh well, next holiday!

(Grant's old work shirt)

(her festive skirt)

(she was thrilled- can't you tell?)

Father's Day

2010-07-12T13:45:00.006-04:00

We finally got our new computer in, so I need to play catch up big time!

Grant had a fun first Father's Day this year.

We started the day with french toast (with fresh bread from Panera), bacon and mangoes. Yummy!

Miss C got her daddy some real Kona Coffee. You know, for all those early mornings he spends with her! He appreciated it very much.

He had to go to work that day, but when he got home we were able to go to his parent's house for a fun dinner.

Miss C sure does love her daddy!

Happy first Father's Day Grant!

Our Birth Story

2010-07-07T14:48:00.014-04:00

After being in complete denial that I was in labor, I realize that our birth story begins on Monday, May 17 (2 weeks before she was due). I remember talking to my sister in the morning and telling her that I was feeling, what was most likely, braxton hicks contractions. I felt a very mild tightening in my lower abdomen that wrapped all the way around to my back. I had not had braxton hicks contractions at all during my pregnancy, so I just assumed that was what I was feeling. This tightening sensation continued all throughout the day at about 20-30 min. intervals. I continued on with my day- walking a mile on the treadmill and hanging out at the house.

I remember on Monday night being woken up once or twice by these contractions. They were so mild and unimpressive, so I was sure they were still braxton hicks. Tuesday came and I was still having them (about 20 min. apart). They were so mild, so Grant and I went about our day. I had a checklist of things I still wanted to get done before the baby was born, so we went to Lowe's to get a carpet steam cleaner and proceeded to steam clean the whole house! Can we say serious nesting here! All the while these contractions were happening at a steady consistency. Still in denial here. Well, that night Grant and Marty installed all our new kitchen appliances. I remember about 8:00 or so going downstairs and telling Grant that the contractions were still happening, but assured him that we were not going to have the baby any time soon.

Right after Marty left the contractions got stronger. They were about 7 min. apart. Now I started feeling the pain! I tried to go to sleep that night, but it was like a switch had gone on and they were real contractions. I still didn't believe that I was in labor. I thought I would be feeling this way for the next two weeks! (I was in denial, because the contractions were in my back- I no longer felt anything in my abdomen). Around midnight, Grant and I decided that we needed to clean the kitchen. If this was the real thing, then we wanted to come home to a clean kitchen. So we cleaned. Around 1:00 that morning, I still couldn't sleep (not from excitement, but from pain), so I tossed and turned for a few more hours. At 3:00 I got up and went to play around on the computer (looking up real labor vs. false labor, of all things). The contractions were 6-7 min. apart. I remember the pain was so intense in my back that I would have to get out of the seat and lean on it to get through it. I also infected our computer with a nasty virus, causing the computer to freeze on itself and never answering my questions about real vs. false labor! Go figure. I never went to bed that night. We weren't too concerned yet, because we had an appointment with the midwives at 8:00 on Wednesday morning.

Well, Wednesday morning came and we packed ourselves up and went to Chapel Hill for our appointment. I thought it might be wise to go ahead and pack our birth bag- you know, in case this was real labor! Well, we got to to the Birth Center and went ahead and got myself checked to see if this was real labor. I was 2 cm. dilated. She said we would probably have a baby later that night or tomorrow. I was in shock. Complete shock. I naively thought this was still braxton hicks and we would have a few more weeks of this. (I know, I'm a genius). The midwife suggested going home, getting a massage and taking a nap.

I happened to have a scheduled massage that day so I went ahead and had that done. My good friend, Meridith, did the massage and she knew some trigger points to get labor going. Sweet! So after that, I went home and took a "nap." Side note: there is no sleeping through contractions! There is resting, but no sleeping! The rest of the day went by with contractions staying consistent and getting closer together. I think that's when it hit me that this was really happening. I tried to sleep that night, but it just wasn't happening. The back labor was so intense. When I laid down the contractions were around 4-6 min. apart. When I was walking they got to 2-3 min. apart. I thought it would be wise to walk around in the middle of the night to get things going (another side note: when it is night time, you try to sleep- you don't keep yourself up)! I remember eating peanut butter sandwiches and bananas. Grant was insistent that I keep myself well fed and hydrated, so I would have all the energy I needed (we learned this in the Bradley classes).

Around 2:30 in the morning we called the Birth Center and told them that our contractions were 2-3 min. apart and they told us to come on in. We got there around 3:30 in the morning (I-40 was a breeze at that time in the morning)! She checked me when we got there and we were 4 cm., so we could be admitted. The only thing we could do at that time was try to sleep. She offered me Nubane or Morphine, but I declined, so she gave me some Tylenol PM and let us "sleep" for a few hours! My sister, Rhea, came in shortly after 3:30. Another thing they let me use was the Tens unit for my back labor. It had four probes that are taped to your back and sends out electrical pulses that I could control with a remote. It was an amazing device and helped my back labor so much. It never took the contraction pain away but helped in between the contractions.

None of us really got any sleep, but we were "awake" and ready to go around 7:00 on Thursday morning. Labor was continuing and it never stopped. I continued to use the Tens unit throughout the morning. I remember trying different laboring positions, with my favorite being standing up and leaning on the bed. I walked around the room a lot and took a shower around mid-afternoon. My contractions never got worse during this period- they always stayed about the same intensity (which was seriously intense, for the record), so we could never figure out when transition actually happened. At first, I didn't want to know how many centimeters I was dilated, but the Midwife was smiling and said it was good news, so we went ahead and found out that we were 9 cm and very stretchy. This was around 12:30 and she said we could go ahead and start our pushing- practice pushing she called it. She also suggested getting into the tub as that might help with the back labor. I remember debating with myself about the tub vs. the Tens unit. I finally decided to get into the water and give it a shot.

(Grant and I after we find out I am 9 cm.)

So, I got into the tub and started pushing. The water was nice, but the back labor was still so intense! The midwife then suggested a sterile water injection in my back. She said that it helps in 75% of women and could take away back pain up to an hour. The payoff is that the needle injection stings like a *&^% (and, yes, for the record it did sting like that). I decided to give it a try because the thought of pushing with the back pain was starting to scare me. They gave me five injections (one injection didn't take the first time) and, amazingly, the back pain immediately subsided. Enough for me to push comfortably. I tried a few positions in the tub and even got out for a few pushes. My water broke somewhat shortly after I got in the tub. I got another set of sterile water injections, so I could get through the next hour of pushing. She was finally born at 2:30 in the afternoon. She came fast and took one look at me and started crying (but just for an minute), because she was very calm after that. I am actually the one that grabbed her and I got to hold her for at least 15 minutes before I got out of the tub. Because we didn't know the sex of the baby, Grant was able to be the one to announce it to everyone. She was able to nurse immediately and was a champ! We were able to leave the birth center around 12:30 that night.

(Our room at the birth center)

(She's here)

(Going home from the birth center)

It really was a wonderful experience. I never once "lost control" (seriously, ask Grant), never wanted any drugs, and never thought I couldn't do it. It was a challenge to say the least (41 hours of hard, "take your breath away" contractions), but I was determined to do this naturally.

The midwives were awesome and respected our birth plan and wishes. They really let Grant and Rhea do all the coaching. And Grant and Rhea were amazing coaches. They never stopped massaging my back, giving me food and water and words of encouragement.

I am so glad that things happened the way they did. Miss C is a beautiful baby and was so calm and alert after the birth. It was truly a great experience.