Happy Baby!

I went to a baby shower last weekend that I was really excited about. I can't stop making things for this child. I wanted to whip up something that her parents didn't already know about, so I found some onesies to play with. Freezer paper stencils, embroidery and applique. I think the freezer papered "L" is my favorite. I could use some sprucing up on my embroidery skills, though. I'm out of practice. I wish I could say I made the box. Found it at Hobby Lobby. Might have to go get another for my house.

Creatively (Un)Organized.

I am in a perpetual state of trying to get my left brain to function. It works, kind of. Sort of like a flickering light bulb. It might be the my right brain is generally so out of control that it can't catch up. I make lists and then lose them. Or doodle all over them. I think this might be an extrapolation of that concept, but hey, I'm trying. Right?

This is my new sewing organizer. It's a weighted pincushion, so that hopefully I can decrease the amount of stray pins that fall to the floor and get stepped on. It has a pocket organizer for things like scissors, my marking pen, the ever-important seam ripper, etc. Hopefully now I can cut down on my time spent wildly searching for these things. My favorite feature is the detachable scrap bag. Sometimes my sewing area looks like Pigpen (from Peanuts) paid a visit. Stray thread and bits of trimmed seams and corners end up everywhere. This is supposed to help rein them in. Gives them a place to belong.

We'll see. I'm hopeful. It might work. If nothing else, I found another use for the cool fabric I used for Rory's sheets/pillowcase. So, you know, that counts.


Cool (and free!) pattern from the very cool blog, Sew Mama, Sew!

Hooray for Harvest

Despite the fact that our tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos have yet to take off, we have some produce that has already, well, produced. Andrew planted several well-past-their-prime potatoes for mulching purposes and we were surprised when a hearty plant showed up this season. Pretty cool. We also have (out of control) lettuce (who wants salad?), snow and sugar snap peas, and purple beans (think green beans, just purple). The squash and broccoli aren't looking too shabby, either.

For what we don't grow (or can't, or haven't been brave enough to try yet), we visit Wal-Mart (really, is there another place to buy things?). I took the next step from using reusable grocery bags and made my own produce bags. I got tired of having the thin plastic ones collect in the bottom of my veggie drawers. (Somehow they couldn't make it the fifteen feet to the trash can. I know, weird.) I used green tulle (it was on sale) and made drawstring bags. They work perfectly and so far every time I used them, it sparks a discussion in the produce aisle and at the checkout. Not sure if they are something I should try to sell on Etsy- I'd love to hear opinions.

A Little of Everything.

I made these aqua flower clips as a custom listing for a bride through Etsy. They're for her "itty bitty flower girl brigade". I love it. I couldn't find felt in the aqua color that she needed, so I used flannel and treated the edges to prevent fraying. I really like her wedding colors.

I'm currently making bedding and accessories for Baby G, who will arrive in June. I did a test run of the crib sheet pattern for Rory's new toddler bed and gave myself a forehead slap for not attempting the pattern sooner. Super easy! The crib mattress fits in the toddler bed, so we have sheets, but I've had several fabric crushes for a while now and couldn't resist making a sheet and pillowcase set that is less "baby" and more "what else can I make with this fabric because I love it so much?".

I found some Elmo fabric in the scrap bin at Walmart (I might be addicted to the scrap bin.) and figured I'd make Rory some pajamas with it. I finally got around to making them and really like the pattern. Spongebob Squarepants ("Popo Pairpants") jammies are now in the craft queue.

Andrew's Grandmother turns 90 in a few weeks and I got to design the party invitations. I've had ideas bouncing around my head for a while for that as well as invitations for Rory's 2nd birthday party and finally made them concrete the past several days. I'm happy with the way both turned out and now (bonus!) I have a little more unoccupied space in my brain. For the next ten minutes anyway...