i'm back...

Where have I been? I've been a very bad blogger, but a very busy person! Travis and I have been busy redoing our guest bedroom to make way for our baby. We had drop tile ceilings to remove and sheet rocking to do. Painting, trim replacing, and new carpet to install. We did not end there...we have slowly been creeping into the kitchen to get that finished up too.

I've also been busy trying to find the perfect things for the baby's room. I hit some rummages and found some really nice things to revamp. I do it mostly for fun, but it's also a great way to put my signature on things. My parents have been spoiling me left and right lately. They repainted the crib that was once mine and Dad has been busy getting his old high chair ready for his first grandchild. I feel so honored that my child will get to use something that was once my fathers!

Mom has been so kind to quilt my baby quilt for me, sew up my tiny little "devil scotties", and help with whatever it is I've needed....and I can't forget my sister Robyn, she got herself a serger and has been practicing making me recieving blankets....who could ask for more?

I thought I would share the little project I got done tonight. I searched for an old mobile to use for guts and then had mom help make the little scotties that was made from a pattern from AllSorts. I crafted some pom-poms and some mini yo-yo's...curtesy of my yo-yo maker (the smartest new invention!!)

Here's my before:

And now, the after...

need to get motivated..

I haven't been too productive lately, but did get all my blocks pieced for the baby quilt. I ordered the rest of my fabric, and I started working on a scrapbook for the baby.

I need to add an inch border and then a five inch outer border yet, but you get the idea.

Instead of getting a baby book I decided to just work on a scrap book. I'm using my baby book to get an idea of the sorts of things that need added. So far I have a page on "how we found out"..doctor visits, baby's firsts, and some random pages for pictures. I look forward to adding to the book over the years!

beam me up scottie...

This weekend held a whirlwind of events. Friday night dinner date with Travis, rummage sale excursion, quilt guild, severe weather, and Sunday afternoon quilting. I'm happy to say that I'm back in the swing of sewing mode, so now it's time to get some stuff accomplished. I worked on my baby quilt for the nursery and have about 60% of it done. I have all the blocks cut out and all the scotties appliqued on. This week I have a goal of getting it all pieced together and ready for quilting..."no pressure". I need to finish a mother's day gift and work some more on my brother-in-law's wedding quilt, but I'm just happy that I'm not too stressed over any of it.


I had some luck rummaging and found my mobile guts so I can start making my custom scottie dog mobile. I found some mirrors that I plan to paint with some funky color for the walls in the baby's room and I also stumbled across the cutest antique child's chair. I think I will keep the finish as is, but I think I will jazz it up with a cushion to match the crib bedding, quilt, and rocking chair pads. I'm so excited that everything is coming together for all of it. Next weekend is demo time for the baby's room. I need to get all my quilting stuff cleared out and wallpaper taken down along with shelving and drop ceiling.


Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Near I-90 after tornado went through.

Scottie dog blocks for baby quilt.

Cute child's chair

something to work on...

My microscope slides finally arrived today! I needed something to practice on so I decided to make a pin for our secretary at work. Tomorrow is her 50th, and since I have been yaking her ear off about how I really want to try this soldering stuff, I thought I would whip up something for her. It definitely doesn't look as good as Roxanne's stuff, but hopefully with some more practice I will get a little better. I think the hardest part was scoring and breaking the glass. I might need to get some tips on this. My main problem was getting the slides broke so that they lined up evenly. I guess it leaves me something to work on!

things on my mind...

I feel 100% better! The morning sickness still comes and goes, but I'm just lucky that it is something that doesn't keep me from going to work. I get home and I'm definitely see a change in my energy. I can now stay up until 10pm!! That's quite a feat as before it was only 8..didn't leave me much time for cleaning, cooking, or quilting! I hate using pregnancy as an excuse for not doing much, but I guess I have no other choice on that one.



I was inspired by Laura's pick on colors for her baby room, so I decided to use the same color scheme. I just love it. We think we will find out what the baby is when the time comes, but like most mothers you are never 100% sure, so this will be a safe choice. If we do have a girl I can priss it up with some bows.

Here's what I got so far:

I definitely had to throw in some Oh So Soft Minky! I love this green color and thank Mom for picking it up for me!! I can't wait to get starting on all this sewing! I still am in search for some aqua and lime fabric, but I still have time for my search. I also want to make my mobile, so this summer I will be hitting the garage sales in search of a mobile just so I can use the guts! I'm sad to let my sewing room go, but I plan to keep my counter top and change the skirt on that to match the babies bedding. I think that way I can cut back on the changing table and just make a pad so diaper duty won't be as hard. I love the counter top as it is the perfect height for doing any standing work, so I am happy to utilize that great thing I have!

Since this is my parent's first grandchild it's so fun to see the excitement they have, I've already been spoiled as mom and dad are quick to offer a hand and offer any furniture they have! My mom has a rocking chair that she is giving me. They are going to get it painted white for me and then I plan to us Anna Maria's great idea and jazz it up like this.

So, thanks to Roxanne, I have this huge want-ability to get into making jewelry with solder and microscope slides. I have all I need except for the microscope slides, for the past few days I have felt like such a school child anticipating the mail's arrival. Once they get here I plan to dive right in, I can't wait!!!

while I got some stuff accomplished...

I took a very fun class this weekend! It was a machine quilting class. I made a quilt with 25 5" inch squares and then learned 25 new quilt designs for each square. While some of them never did make it to the quilt I did enjoy some of the variations of others. It was nice to get a quilt done and fun to learn so many new things! I think I will use this little quilt as an extra in the car or wherever.

I also completed a cute little table runner for some color on our little sofa table. The sofa table is actually a revamped little children's dresser that was mine when I was younger then sent to my aunts for her use...when she asked if I would like it back I couldn't pass up the storage that I knew would go along with it. I love the yo-yo runner..it just adds a little bit of me too it!!

I'm slowly regaining some energy and quite happy about that!! Hopefully in no time I will be back to my full time quilting and crafting!!

well, I'll let the cat out of the bag...

So this past weekend's baby shower went great. It's always fun to catch up with the girls. Baby Holden has gotten so big..hard to believe he was only five pounds the last time I saw him.

I got my carrot cake with cream cheese frosting all made and decorated. It was a hit and I didn't even have to bring any home!

Sarah got a ton of neat things! She had a huge load to haul home!

So remember how I've been super distant from blogging, real tired, and not accomplishing a whole lot?? Well, there is a big reason! Travis and I are expecting a baby!! I'm so excited, nervous, happy, impatient, and thrilled all at the same time. I'm two months along and am still in for quite a wait. So far my pregnancy has been a good one. Just a lot of exhaustion and head aches. We are so excited for the new addition to our family! I've really been wanting to share it with you all for some time now, but figured I would wait til I couldn't wait anymore. Only 4 more weeks till I'm out of my 1st trimester..seems so far away, but I'm sure time will fly!!

finished party stuff...

I finished a couple decorations for my friends baby shower. I wanted something that she could use and something she could hang on to. Since her baby room is done in Classic Pooh I thought of doing the cute penant banner in that theme, but also adding Holden's name. I think it actually turned out a lot better than I thought it would. Sometimes I don't have such high hopes for myself!

I think the diaper cake also turned out quite cute! It was super easy to do and what new mom couldn't use the diapers after the party? I didn't add any baby toys to the cake, but figured less is more in this case.

Tomorrow night I have a cake to make, and friday one to decorate...I hope to post some pictures of the finished product!

long time gone...

Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. I've been busy working on some orders and overcome by exhaustion! Thank you for your sweet comments on the pin cushion. I hope to do some more of them for some of you other blog friends! They work great when I have leftover scraps from purses or quilts, so hopefully I will keep them coming!

Here is a purse I finished for an order for a little girl. I don't know the girl, but I did know that she loved purple, so I threw a dash of pink in just to break up some of the purple overload.

This week I will be busy planning for a baby shower, but I will post some of my creations for that.

here's to you...

I have taken a little break for a while since I've been so famished! Now I'm back to the swing of things and have been working on some purses and other projects. I thought I would share this with you all. My love for pincushions grow daily, and I made this guy especially for Andi, since she posted this. I just couldn't resist. I wanted to find some fun lip fabric, but no luck. This is going in the mail on monday, so be on the look Andi!

finished this guy...

Here's one of the custom bags I made this afternoon. It's funny cause when my coworker order these purses she said she wanted them exactly like this one. So that's what she getting. Of course I am doing various flowers, just to jazz them up a bit.

I also used a elastic hair pony and a covered button for the closure. I will be making coin pouches to go along with the bags, so that's what I will tackle tonight. I just can't miss SNL, cause my man is on, YAY!!

little tips mean the most...

One of my favorite parts of quilt guild are the times when we share our show and tell, or the times we give tips and demonstrations. Since I share most of my projects here I thought I might also throw in a couple tips.

Now, I am the type of person that LOVES buying new fabric and fat quarters, but I also have problems cutting into it right away too! There is something about a full piece of fabric that I find hard to just slice into. I try not to be stingy with my fabric, but I DO tend to be with my thread. Maybe it's the fact that it's been pounded into my head to not use cheap thread by my father (who repairs sewing machines) and my mother (who sells machines). So when I pay 9 dollars for a spool of thread I don't like clipping the inches of ends off stitched blocks just to throw away. Now I introduce the Thread Saver...the next best thing to sliced bread!! It might sound pretty flashy, but it's not. It's something you all have in your possession right now! It's just a tiny piece of fabric folded in half and ran through the machine before and after you piece your fabric. You would be surprised how much thread snipping time this saves you! I don't sew without them ever!! It also helps me not to forget to snip the excess thread off!

My next discovery is the Wonder Wall..and no, I'm not talking about the catchy song by Oasis. It's also a handy item to have next to you sewing machine. It reminds me of those felt boards that our kindergarten teachers used. Your fabric and blocks stick to them like magic so your pieces can't get disheveled on your sometimes messy work table! If you can't find one of these things, you can also use one of those plasticy vinyl table clothes with the felty side on the back. Just turn it to the back and tape it to the wall. I've also found that fleece pellon (what I use for interfacing of my purses) works great too!

Well, now it's time for me to get back to it.

a warm weekend at home..

Since we are supposed be getting another round of winter this weekend, I am going to knock out some purses. I started a little early tonight and whipped this guy up for my shop.

Hopefully this weekend I can slip in a few blogs here and there!

i really need a breather...

Sorry there has been major lack of blogging lately! I got an order from a lady at work to make 6 handbags for gifts!! I feel some stress coming on!! I enjoy making them, but with working 40 hrs a week, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of my husband there some times is a lack of sewing time. I guess that's what happens. I'm just thrilled that I have the business. This is why I plan to only sell in stock items on etsy for now. I figure when the time comes I will be able to at home full time, but until then I have to keep movin' on!!

i'm back...

I'm back from the cities and now trying to get things all organized. I'm excited as I just added 3 things to my etsy store. Tonight I plan to work on some more of my ideas. I already have 2 custom orders, so I'm sure I won't have a problem keeping busy!! Happy Tuesday to all!!

my first swap...

I partook in my first swap courtesy of onehourcraft.com and received 2 awesome bags!! Alecia did a great job on the one I received.. This is what I sent her:

This is what she sent me...minus the chocolate! I LOVE the Amy Butler fabrics used!!

they arrived...

My very first labels just arrived today in the mail, which made me super happy!! Thanks to everyone for their sweet comments on my table runner (mom loved it!!) and my pin cushion. I completed my hand bag for this weekends shopping excursion! I can't to spend the weekend with dear friends!! Some of you have commented that I am very precise with my quilting, I don't know if I would call it that, but I do use A LOT of pins to hold my pieces together, and I find that really helps me! I'm not that seasoned of a quilter, but I (like many others) find some peace and comfort in just sewing blocks together...it's free therapy for me!!

snowy day...

I really felt the coldness today! After about 4 inches of snow I knew I was going to buckle down by my machine in my warm sewing room. I started working on a purse to use this weekend and then decided to make a little pin cushion out of the same fabric. The pin cushion is inspired by the one my mom had made me. I really think they are cute and plan on making a ton of them for my etsy shop. I will be adding items to my shop upon my return from this weekend getaway!

happy birthday mom...

Happy Birthday Mom!

It's almost time to head to my parents for cake and homemade ice cream, so I thought I would quick add the picture of her gift. I made a table runner for her. It's a nice enough size so that she can keep it on the table even if she has a quick project to whip up or a newspaper to read. I hope she enjoys it!!

one more time...

No, you're not seeing double vision. I couldn't resist, so I whipped up one more of these guys. Perfect for tv watching!! Happy weekend!!

fast little accomplishments...

Thank you for all the sweet comments on my little pin cushion, and the birthday wishes for Travis! He also says, "thank you!"

I've been quite sluggish each night, not taking on too big of a project and making quick simple things. Tonight wasn't any different. I made a cutsie little pin for my mom..she has a birthday coming up and since I know she checks my blog I didn't want to give too much away, so until it's safe to post pics of her other gift I will only share this little bobkin!

a new sewing friend...

I made this little guy a couple days ago. I think I made because I wanted something super fast to complete..it only took about 15 minutes, so it worked for me at the time. I think he will sit on my sewing machine and keep me company on those lonely afternoons while I'm by myself.

HAPPY 30th Birthday to my super loving craft and quilt supporting husband!! I love all that you do for me and all that you are!! I hope you have the greatest day of all!!

cute little finds...

Since I had quilt guild on saturday it was also a fun day spent with mom shopping around town. We usually just plan on guild days as a time to run places that the guys never like going.. We browsed through Ben Franklin Crafts and I was lucky enough to find these cute mini clothes pins in the bargain area. Of course mom thought they would be better if they were wood, but I just loved the various colors. I think they will come in handy when making garlands, or just clipping patterns or inspirations pieces in my sewing room!

super bowl project...

I decided to do another project from my Denyse Schmidt Quilt-It Kit...I picked up some vinyl at Wal-Mart and got to sewing this mid-morning. The project was fun and went quite fast. I think this bag will be nice to use when I head to the twin cities in 2 weekends!

This was my first time sewing with vinyl and was pretty fun! I like the fact that vinyl doesn't fray, so you can have some raw edges here and there.

Since I have some left over vinyl I might try some other hand bags!

i tried...

Since we opted for a soft ottoman to go in our living room instead of a coffee table I always wanted one of those nifty little trays to hold the remote and maybe a coaster or two. We had searched through target for just a plain jane tray that I could jazz up, but we had no such luck. We found dozens of trendy (expensive) marbled, glass, tile, etc...but didn't want to shell out the coin for those. I decided I would try to my own. I had an old frame sitting in the basement and a set of drawer pulls so I used some scraps here and there and made this:

Not sure it's really what I had in mind, but it will work for awhile...and if all else fails I think it would look cute just hanging on the wall!