Sew Crafty Sat.: Lil' Bags

Lauren from Goody-Goody Handmade (which is one of my fav. blogs listed on the right) gave a quick and easy tutorial for these little bags using 2 fat quarters of fabric. I just love the way they turned out. I kind of played with her measurements a bit, making one set long, and thin and one set short and wide. I accidentally forgot what "cut in half" means, so I lost a few inches off the flower set, oops. Don't you just love the little hedgehogs? I think I squealed when I found them. I have no idea who made the fabric because the selvage was cut off. Unlike some of my finished projects, I actually have a plan for these little gems that I am excited about. I am thinking little girls, crayons, and restaurants.

Wee-One Wednesday: Pig Tails

Lilly was a very bald baby, so we were super excited to see the little hairs curl up on the nape of her neck. Here is her first day with pig tails. She did not like it when I put them in, but I think the end result was well worth it. She looks like such a big girl to me. The finger sticking up was her answer to my asking how old she is. I am also very proud to announce that Lilly said her very first sentence, "Where did it go?" Let me tell you, it's exciting times over here! I have also realized that 18 months does not a baby make. We have begun setting some house rules, saying no, and redirecting her unwanted behaviors. I'm starting to think that newborn sleepless nights are nothing compared to telling a toddler that she must sit in a cart, hold our hand, or that she can not write on the floor with a crayon. We will raise an upstanding member of society, I promise!

Misc. Monday: Buttons

My friend's sister decided that she was done with sewing, so she gave me her button collection. There are some beautiful vintage buttons in her stash that I had to find something to do with. Many of them are singles, so I decided to glue them onto bobby pins. Since I had the glue gun out, I also made some flower pins out of buttons. (psst...This was not an original thought). I then attached them to little tags. I think I will use them as birthday cards, and I'm sure Kathy would be happy that her buttons were put to good use.

Sew Crafty Saturday: Decoupage

I bought some Modge Podge along time ago thinking every crafter needs some in her supply, but it just sat on the shelf for months. I have seen a lot of cute decoupage crafts lately, so I decided to give it a try. Last weekend, I opened up the cute little jar for the first time. It really reminded me of a watered down version of the Elmer's glue that we use at school. Anyway, I cut some images out of scrapbook paper and stuck them onto little pieces of wood I bought from Tall Mouse. They are about 5 inches tall. Here's my first attempt at decoupage. Next time, I might paint the wood first and/or try a bigger piece of wood. I was also thinking that they could be really cute in a baby's room if they matched the theme. Yes, I am already thinking about the next time...

Wee-One Wednesday: Crayons

Lilly loves to color and it brings me joy to see her scribble away. What fun!

Misc. Monday: Pretty Prints

Dan and Lilly bought me 4 pretty prints from Sarah Jane Studios for Mother's Day. I found Sarah's blog (sarahandken listed on the right) months ago and hinted to Dan that the elephant print would be perfect for Mother's Day, but never expected him to get me 4! I have ideas for the elephants and the giraffes (who say "I love my mom/dad" in French. They will one day soon go up in our living room, but I did put up the little blond girl who loves her mama "this much" in a cool frame I picked up from Ikea. I just backed it on some fabric left over from the fabric rings I previously filled next to the desk in our room. My husband sure knows how to shop!

Sew Crafty Saturday: Aprons

I have been looking for easier ways to make cute aprons ever since I made my friend an apron for her birthday with a semi-complicated pattern. It wasn't that the pattern was too hard per say. It's just that it took too long, and I like the instant gratification of being done with a project in one sitting. This does not happen often, but when it does - boy am I excited! Here are two aprons I made using dishtowels. They were so easy because they were the right shape and the edges were already finished. I added some pleating and ricrac to the fruity one. It is a dish towel from Crate and Barrel and the wrap around apron uses a dishtowel from Target. They were fun to make. I hope I can find a good home for them some day...

Wee-One Wednesday: Sharing

Lilly shared for the first time with her friend, Quentin (Ten-tin). It was so sweet, my heart melted. He is a bit older and usually relents to her screaming demands to hold his toys. Sharing is just another sign that she is getting a clue about this life and growing up. She loves to call all children under 3 "baby," as if she is such a big girl. When you ask her how old she is, she holds up her finger and says, "one" proudly. I am amazed daily with her growing knowledge and her capacity to love.

Misc. Monday: Mother's Day

We had a lovely Mother's Day. Lilly made sure to give her mama, grandma, and grammy plenty of loves. It's funny; I always thought of Mother's Day as one of those holidays that belonged to other people. It was my mom's day. It feels a little strange and wonderful to be on the receiving end of such a special day. I still feel too young to be a mom. I guess better get over it, because I am... and I love it!

Wee-One Wednesday: Diaper Rash

Lilly has had a diaper rash for her whole life. I cannot remember a time when her bum was pretty and clear. We have tried everything, triple paste, butt paste, prescription creams, Balmex, Aquaphor, Aveeno baths, etc. We change her diaper all the time, so she is not sitting in it and she even goes without a diaper quite often to help air her parts out. At this rate, her diaper rash will go away when she is potty trained. Here she is in her diaperless glory. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Misc. Monday: Desk

Dan and I have 2 desks in our "office." One has the computer on it, and one holds my sewing machine and craft supplies. One day, this room will have to be a bedroom for a new addition to the family (no time soon), but the thought always crosses my mind. It has now become a mission of mine to get organized and see how much of the office will fit in the house somewhere. With this in mind, Dan put up some amazing storage in the laundry room and we added a desk for crafting in our bedroom. I am loving the new desk. It is not completely filled yet, but I think we are making good progress.

P.S. I stained the outside of the embroidery hoops to match our dark furniture. I loved the idea of using them as frames and I embroidered the picture in one of the hoops while watching TV on the couch. I had forgotten how relaxing embroidery can be!

Sew Craft Saturday: Achoo!

I saw the book "Cute Stuff" by Aranzi Aronzo on Amazon.com, and had to order it. The reviews were great and it looked like a lot of fun. The day it arrived, Dan had class, so after I put Lilly to bed, I made 3 cute little tissue holders. To be able to finish a project in one night - what joy! You really don't even need the book for this one, but the cute little animal appliques are so worth it. I have already given one tissue guy away. Now I can't wait for someone else to get sick or need some cheering up. Ha!