Slew of projects to come.

Sunday, while we were at Dennis and Nona’s, we got to go look through Nona’s family house.  Her uncle had been living there for years, but he can no longer take care of himself.  It’s heart breaking to see how he was living and then to see such a beautiful house in such a shape.   Dennis and Brian went while I had fallen asleep with Zoey (sweet to actually get to cuddle with my girl for once!) and brought back 2 chairs for Zoey’s table.  Once I found out where they had been I wanted to go back.  Now that I have found a new found love for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I am going to be even more busier!  Note: A post about my new obsession coming soon!

 

 

 

Two chairs for Zoey’s table Mer gave us.  There are two more, we just didn’t have room for them due to we were in Brian’s car.  I have been wanting a kid table for Zoey and a friend gave us one for me to paint.  I had started looking at chairs Saturday for it, but hadn’t ordered any yet.  Good thing I didn’t since we found these! 

 

 

Nona wanted Dennis to get all the sliver out when we went back the second time.  She and I went through it and she gave me this set!  I LOVE IT.  I will be working my arm muscles getting it polished.  It is going to be beautiful when I’m done.  I was trying not to be over excited by this!

 

 

I found these beauties laying around.  A iron pot and a iron chicken fryer!  I know, who actually  makes home made fried chicken these days, but still it will be great for other things. 

 

 

Either baby spoons or medicine spoons.  I got to take them with me.

 

 

Have you ever seen a spoon with a fly on it?  Fly in my soup spoon!  Brian wanted this.  I think it’ silver too due to the tarnish on it.  I hope I can clean it up.  Crazy.

 

We took pictures of several other pieces we want so we can check with Krista, Brian’s sister, to see if she wants any of it.  She said she doesn’t, so I’m pumped!  There is a bedroom suite I want for Zoey.  I wasn’t going to do one for her yet, but this is a pretty one.  I hope it’s manageable and usable once we get it out of the house.  Looks like several before and after projects are in my future!!

Busy little bee

Whew!  What a busy late summer and early fall it has been.  I have been cranking out blankets and door hangers right and left!  Throw in there I made a quick quilt as well.  Now I’m hunkering down and working hard to finish Zoey’s Christmas stocking.  Add to that I need to start working on her first birthday as well.

Here are a few of the crafts I have been busy completing.  I am officially on a knitting strike until after the new year! I forgot to take a picture of Lydia’s blanket but just imagine a pretty pale pink lace one.

Bib, burp cloth, & onesie for Jack; Katie & Talmadge’s little boy.

Bib, onesie, & burp cloth for Avery; Amber & Brandon’s little girl.

Door hanger for Lisa; Lydia Grace Burr

Door Hanger for Allie; Collins Thomas West

Collin’s blanket.

Mary Leighton’s blanket

First big quilt top.  At the quilters now!

Shirts for Lydia

Help Wanted.

As many know, I’m an avid crafter.  I always have about 10 projects (or so it feels) going on at once.  No exception now either; I have 3 in the works and need to start one more ASAP.  I honestly need a better way to manage all my projects and be able to complete them on time. Sadly most of them need to be completed now or right after each other and soon!!  I also have so many other projects waiting in the wings and will be so tempting come this fall.  Oh, those holiday crafts will tempt me sooo much starting next month.  I just know it.

I’m sure you are sitting there thinking, where is she going with this.  Honestly I’m not sure; just rambling right now.  Maybe I’m hoping that by putting all this down and creating a list of things I want to accomplish it will help me.  I know the top 4 will get done, but my main issue is, I get bored with those projects that take awhile to finish.  This is the main reason I have so many going at once.  Anyone have suggestions on how to continue to work on multiple projects without getting too bored with them?  I need something to help me along.  Oh, don’t forget I do have limited time to work on them due to a sweet little girl.

This weekend my sweet, thoughtful husband said I needed a Red Rooster trip.  Oh how I wish I could have this ASAP!!! My mom and sister have been going on these trips for a few years now.  Each go for different “reasons”.  Mom goes with her quilting guild for a few days of nothing but quilting while my sister goes with her friends for a few days of nothing but scrapbooking.  I have so much going on craft wise that I would love for something like this where I can stay up as late as I want working on items and not have to worry about Zoey or Brian.  Brian has planned for me to have this next weekend, but at home.  He will be gone Friday night, so he has asked his parents to keep Zoey so I can stay up late doing which ever craft I choose.  I’m torn a bit due to not spending time with my sweet girl.  Maybe I can convince him that she only needs to do this Friday night not both Friday & Saturday night.

On a different note, anyone up for getting a group together for next year to go to the Red Rooster? They have the Snowbird which is for smaller groups.  Everyone could just bring whatever they choose to work on for a few days of fun and crafting!!

The blanket

There is no greater gift than one which is handmade. As most of you know, I come from a crafty family. My Mom can make just about anything, my sister as well, and now my oldest niece has joined the ranks.

Before Zoey was born, Emma designed a blanket for her. She wanted to sew it herself with the help of Granny. For Christmas she asked Mom for a sewing machine. She has been wanting to learn to sew for a bit now. Emma wanted her first sewing project to be the blanket for Zoey. She did an amazing job for it to be her first time to ever sew ANYTHING. Mom helped her with the cutting, pinning, and all, but the actual sewing, she did herself. Mom did do the embroidery part of course. Emma was so proud of it (and I am too!)! We use it every day and I hope that as Zoey gets older she will love this blanket as much.

Emma with the blanket.  Gotta love Emma’s crazy look.:)   Close up of the embroidery; each one is a different scene from the life of Christ.  Emma picked it out.  Love it.

She put her name and her birthday in the middle. 

On the back of it, Mom put who made it and when it was made.  I wish I had a picture of that on hand, but I don’t.  It’s made of flannel so it’s soft and warm.  I love using it as her blanket on the floor for when she is doing tummy time due to when she moves around, it doesn’t bunch up.

Zoey’s Quiet Book

Before Zoey was born (I think even before I got pregnant), I started looking for ideas for quiet books.  I have seen so many (mainly felt) ideas and love each one.  While I have been off work, I decided to start on hers.  I decided to go a different route for now.  Instead of doing a felt one, I am doing a “scrapbook” one.  Yesterday I completed “phrase 1” of her book.
I used a 6x6 scrapbook, so it’s small enough to carry and her to hold as she gets older.

I started out doing numbers.  I really enjoyed getting to really use my Cricut for this project. 

“Phrase 2” will be colors.  I plan on doing the alphabet, days of the week, months, important people in her life, and whatever else comes to mind!  This will be a continuing project as she grows and starts to learn more.  I might add in a few traditional quiet book pages too.

Fall is around the corner!

I have been in the crafty mood lately.  I have been sewing for Zoey, planning some fall/Halloween/Christmas décor ideas, and actually doing them!  I found this gem on Pinterest and decide to give my hand at it.  It looked simple easy to make and not much time involved.  I did make a few changes on it.  Instead of using burlap on the flowers, I used felt and no buttons for the center. Oh, I used a grape vine wreath instead of foam due to the foam one was smaller than I was looking for, but still think it turned out great!  I love it!  Just a simple fall wreath.

Sunni thought the burlap was for him when I laid on the table to cut the strips.  He went nuts over it.  If he would actually lay on it, I would make him a burlap blanket or bed.

A little sewing.

The past couple of months I have done a little sewing for Zoey.  There is still so much I wish I could make for her or have time to whip up.  Here are my recent finished projects.  All taken with my new camera!  I’m not sure you can really tell a difference between the new and old, but I like to think you can.

Pocket bib.  One of the first times (other than the botch job on the lunch bag) I have use oil cloth.  I still have a lot of this left.

Burp cloths with monograms.   It’s crazy burp cloths like these can run anywhere from $10-$20.  I have more that I plan on just putting fabric down the center panel.

Stroller blanket.  Not the greatest work I have done, but it works. Adding the blanket binding was a pill.

A little sewing going on.

This month I have spent a lot of time sewing.  I am really enjoying learning how to do more things while sewing.  One of my goals for this year is to make several projects out of my Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts (MSFSFC).  I can’t wait to share with you what I make from it.

Back before Christmas I picked up fabric and a pattern to make pj pants for B and I .  During Christmas I had Mom help me work on B’s due to I wasn’t confident to work on them alone.  With her helping and showing me a few things, B’s pants turned out well.  This past weekend I cut out and sewed my pair.  I love them!  They are super soft (we both picked out flannel for the winter) and comfy.  I look forward to making light weight cotton ones for us this spring/summer.  I think I might try to modify the pattern some next time around.  Wish me luck! 

About a week or more ago I 99% completed my first project from MSFSFC; an oilcloth lunch bag.  Sure I didn’t really need it, but I was dying to use oilcloth and who doesn’t need a cute new lunch bag.  All I lack on the bag is topstitching it, but I’m not sure how to start on it.  In a couple of weeks when Mom, Dad, DeAnne, Daniel, and the girls come to town I’m going to get Mom to help me on this.  I didn’t do so hot on the first try, but I will be making more of these. I really enjoyed working with oilcloth and am looking for ideas of things to make from it.  There is a child’s apron that I might just have to make for the girls and then those pocket bibs for my dream of an Etsy shop. :)

I learned how to make a couple of new things over the past 2 weeks. I have always wanted to learn how to appliqué.  There are so many cute dishtowels, pillows, towels, shirts, bags, etc. I see in all shops but have a hard time paying when I know I could sit down and do it myself.  It seems so hard, but in reality it’s not at all.  Mom showed me the basics over Christmas to help me get started.  Last week or so, I gathered up the supplies I needed to try out appliquéing myself. The first attempt was a heart dishtowel for Valentine’s Day.  I made a few mistakes and learned what not to do next time, but all in all it turned out fine.  I also made a heart hand towel too.  I don’t have a picture of it on hand, but I’ll try to remember to take one to share later.  The waffle dishtowel did cause a little problem when stitching around the heart.  It would catch and just stay in place instead of gliding alone.  With practice, I should be able to master using this type of towel since I do love how it soaks up water.  I plan on doing a shamrock and Easter egg one for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. Maybe one day I will be able to make the gorgeous towels I see in all the stores! 

The second technique I learned this week is making my own bias tape.  Who knew it was this easy to make your own!  Bias tape allows for a quick clean finish on items instead of having to hem everything. I use bias tape on all the aprons I have made so far.  For Christmas, I got a 1/2” bias tape maker in my stocking and I picked up a 1” maker the other day.  I learned my lesson on this one too.  It’s not like the pretty double folded bias tape I have been buying; it is single fold.  I first made the 1/2” bias tape without really realizing that it’s not going to work for me like I was expecting.  Now I need to think of fun projects that I can appliqué using blue bias tape!  Last night I finished making 1” bias tape that I can fold in half to make my double folded 1/2” bias tape which is needed for my current project. I know it’s not as crisp as bought, but it’s sure is fun to make and adds more care and love to a project. 

On another note, I’m ready for SPRING!  All this cold, rain, snow is getting to me.  I’m ready to enjoy a spring day!

Stockings

I was so happy when I finished our stockings.  I hope these pictures give you a little more detail on them.  I cross-stitched them and Mom sewed them together for me.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more on the mantel!

Deck the Halls

I have finally got around to taking a few shots of the decorations around the house. 

 The tree in the living room.

Dining room set for Christmas Dinner.

Tree in the dining room.  One of my new favorites this year!

  Stocking hung with care! (I’ll take more detail pictures of them later to share.)

Another new addition-12 Days of Christmas garland.

Another view of the dining room. 

Living room.

More new firsts

Remember when I posted about these fabrics?  I finally was able to complete one of the two projects yesterday.  I had another new first for me, cutting out a project with a “real” pattern.  I can’t tell you how many times I have watched my Mom do this.  It was quite fun.

I couldn’t wait to share this with y’all that I just snapped a quick picture of the finished project running out the door.  I plan on “modeling” this for the full affect.  This was a SUPER easy project. I will admit, I was nervous about making something “real” without my Mom watching me.

Apron for DeAnne (Christmas gift)

I thoroughly enjoyed sewing this project.  It was great being able to start and finish this in just a few hours.  I had no idea how long it would take me make it.  I was please to see I could make these in just a couple of hours.  Krista is getting one as well for Christmas, in the other fabric.  I think I might make Mom one too after learning how quickly I can whip it up.  So much fun!

In my last post, I mentioned a new first for me, to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving as well as be in charge of the meal.  Well, guess what.  I learned Saturday afternoon, not only will I be cooking the meal, it will be at our house!  Yikes!  This is good and bad.  I’m glad I don’t have to travel with everything I was going to make and try to cook in someone else’s kitchen that I do not know my way around, but it’s going to be harder to leave for Hartselle when we want to that evening.  Wish me luck!  I’m already thinking about this 24/7!   

Got Candy Corn?

I have been meaning to post pictures of my latest Halloween decorations. 

Candy Corn Garland.  I think I will pull it up in the middle next year.  Turned out better than I expected.

Candy Corn Wreath:  I really hope the candy corns last till next year.  I sprayed them with polyurethane.  

A little blanket

Tonight I actually started and completed a project.  Shocking, right?!  I whipped up a swaddling blanket for Claire, Laurie’s little one on the way.

(My camera did not take a good picture.  The yellow is a pale yellow, instead of bright as the left picture shows.)

While I was sewing, Sunni was keeping me company.