You spin me right 'round baby... like a record baby...

...but not in the way you'd think...

It's just the way I am feeling lately! SOoooooo many projects, so much of a messy house, so many activities, so much on my mind, so overwhelmed. I feel like a crazy record (yes I am dating myself here by not saying CD) that is on a continuous loop because it's scratched! But as I am spinning out of control - I also like to think that I truly AM accomplishing things. It will just take awhile. What's that saying? "It has to get worse before it gets better..." - hmmmm I think they say that with me as their example. Whoever they are!?

OK... the last few days in review... via photos (wish me luck... I've been procrastinating uploading):

Crocheted a pun'kin hat for the sweetest 2 yr old!

Made an antique doorknob hook (w/my g-ma's knobs) for my aprons

the 'Great Sorting of Chris' mom's fabric (w/help from my pups)

New FABRIC for aprons to sell!

Working with my lil' company FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Finished Pun'kin hat!

1 apron done for festival/Art show i am in in Nov.

2nd apron for festival/to display at Art show

At Terra Ceia festival selling my handmade bird domes with helper Boo (in tree)

Made Sweetpea her giraffe blankie

Finally some family time! HOLE IN 1! YAH BABEEeee

love my girls

utter concentration

Chris' happy dance (hole in 1 grrrr)

Another hole in 1 & I WON FOR FIRST TIME EVER!!!

lettin' lizard go

A fine porcelain pendant i made

Another fine porcelain pendant i made

I made Christmas prezzies for teachers

 

Playin with my new RUFFLER foot! SO STOKED!

Apron hook COMPLETE!! How'd i do?

The "Great Fabric Sorting" just about complete!

Baking w/ my girls (wearing aprons I made for them)!

Cleaned off top shelves (more throwing away) and fabric's new home

Mending clothes (new buttonholes)

Mending

too tight sleeves...

Mended! YES! More use out of it now!

So much to still do... I am...

EXHAUSTED!!!

Pun'kins, Pun'kins Every where!

I am so excited for Fall... It's one of my favorite times of the year! Last year I didn't really get to decorate much due to my spinal surgery! I wanted to do another little project with my girls and I found a really neat project online. It was EXACTLY what I was looking to do (thanks Fern Creek)!

We got plastic pumpkins from Wally World, brown acrylic paint, I had some crackle medium and ivory acrylic paint already.

Sweetpea very intent on getting it all covered

 My little ones and I painted all the pumpkins the brown color - painting each pumpkin a few coats. Then we spread the crackle very thickly on each pumpkin and let the crackle get tacky. Once it was tacky, we painted the pumpkins again - one coat of the ivory! VOILA! Shabby chic looking pun'kins!!!

Painting the orange pun'kin brown!!

 My girls were very intrigued by the paint "crackling"! It really is a neat process and the project took less than an hour - with most of the time waiting for the paint to dry/get tacky!

I got to do a big 'un!

 Here's the final product! Aren't they neat?!

ALL DONE!

I am so excited for Fall! These reminded me of a little song we used to sing in ELEMENTARY school - I won't even tell you how LONG ago that was...

FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS SITTING ON A GATE...

THE FIRST ONE SAID "OH MY IT'S GETTING LATE""

THE SECOND ONE SAID "THERE ARE WITCHES IN THE AIR"

THE THIRD ONE SAID "BUT WEEEE DON'T CARE"

THE FOURTH ONE SAID "LET'S RUN AND RUN AND RUN"

THE FIFTH ONE SAID "I'M READY FOR SOME FUN"

OOOOOooooooo WENT THE WIND AND out WENT THE LIGHTS...

AND THE FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS ROLLED OUTTA SIGHT!!!

I am really starting to feel better...HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!

Projects, projects everywhere...

It seems that I just cannot focus and get one thing accomplished. I work on my house and sorting Grammie San's things falter, as do the many projects I want to finish to start building up some "inventory". Conversely if I work on the house I don't get things unpacked, the house/garage is still a wreck and I am no closer to setting up a studio to get projects done.

I was explaining this to two of my friends... the best I could describe it as was "the domino effect". In this house - I need to find that one domino that will start all the others to topple over. If I could just get the one task complete that would start the flow for everything else... I could get things ACCOMPLISHED in this house. Does that even make sense?

This weekend Mr Safety-Man was gone alllll weekend long. The week I had had before with behavior of my babes made me cringe at the thought of dealing with them alone this weekend... HOWEVER what a shock I received!!

We had the BEST weekend all together. And we did some fun, crafty projects together - which meant a lot to me!! We watched a movie at the theater - GIRL's NIGHT OUT, we had a double feature actually. Sweetpea got to have some quality momma/biggest girl time and we went anywhere she wanted to go! 1. Books-a-million (twist my arm... NOT!), 2. Walk around Toys 'r Us (just to look at things "to see what the little ones think is cool" she says! HA!), 3. Hancock Fabric (for material to finish making her cousins their Christmas gifts from her to them)!! She is bound and determined to make her cousins' Christmas special - even with losing their dear, sweet brother. I am SO, SO, SOoooooooooo proud of her. And today both girls worked on sewing projects!! We had dueling sewing machines going!!!

The projects that are a result are: Sweetpea - a cool stuffed animal lizard with crazy button eyes (her OWN design and pattern, sewing etc...), a polar fleeced with puppy dogs on it - guitar shaped pillow (complete with pocket and strap to hold on your back (all her own design/pattern), and soon to make a square pillow with giraffe print. BooBooBear - a pink fabric with kitties on it - made in to a cat's face for a pillow. Such wonderful imaginations! I am so pleased with how everything turned out. I loved doing the teaching and helping on the projects, I loved spending time with both my girls, I loved how they were thirsty with knowledge on how to sew
(machine and hand), how to pick out fabric and for what (loved watching BBB rubbing fabric over her face to ensure it was comfey to lie upon), loved seeing their creative juices just boil over with what they wanted to do for each part.

So all the mundane, boring projects didn't get touched (well except MOUNDS of laundry) nor did my fun projects that I wanted to work on. But spending fun time, quality time, IMPORTANT time doing my girls' projects with them... now that was where I needed to be. It was necessary. It was gratifying and it filled me up.

Proud Momma project photos to follow soon!!!

Funky, Fun Aprons oh my!

I had a lot of fun with these two projects! I know many people thought my fabric choices were kind of crazy (but I am! so there!) - but I had a FANTABULOUS time picking out fabric with my eldest Sweetpea. We mix & matched like two goofy girls! I could have spent probably another 2 hours PLUS in the fabric store (however limited it is here in Western FL...GAWRSH I miss Logan's fabric stores!!!) but Sweetpea reeeeeally (said with a bit of a whine) wanted to go and get her craft to do while I was sewing - from Michael's... so off we went.

It really was a lot of fun to ooooo & ahhhhhhh over different textile wonders. I loved all the different prints. I did write earlier how obsessed I am of fabric now right?! If I didn't have at least SEVEN totes filled with fabrics from Gramma San...

Sooo we start with my oldest's apron... She surprised me with picking a French-ish theme for her main fabric! But she added her usual pizazz with a funky, retro-striped, swirl for the ruffle, waisteband and pockets and a flashy purple, multi-colored polkadot for the straps!

main fabric, waistband, & ties



the dreaded placement of the pocket

(ratsin, fratsin thing took me 45 min to place... darn perfectionism - at least that's what i am calling it)

The colors complimented each other really nicely - I was initially concerned about the 'busy-ness' of it. We also used the same fabric for the front panel and the back panel - so she could wear it with or without pockets - depending on how she wears it.

final product - complete with 2 pockets!

My youngest, Boo Boo Bear, loves yellow. EVERYTHING has to be yellow. It is her all time FAVORITE! But I didn't want to do every single fabric choice for her apron in yellow. I wanted to incorporate some whimsical design in to her apron. With help from my eldest Sweetpea... we came up with these four designs:They were funky and fun, still adding the element of yellow, and birdies were a major theme this summer for us - so it added a neat character into the mix. The striped fabric became the ruffle (it's colors going so well with both the main fabrics). The yellow on yellow, tiny daisies - became the apron ties and the two birdie fabrics became the front and back panels (yes folks... a REVERSIBLE apron). Also the carrot/bird fabric was the waistband!

I even learned how to do some new stitching on the pockets! Mr Safety-Man said that they even looked like little birdie steps! Aaaaaaaa they do!!!! I was pretty proud and it gave the pocket a little element of SNAAZZZZY-ness!

Finished product...
This one has one big pocket - off-center on left side of photo (she's right-handed so would work better for her).

BOTH girls were overjoyed with them and truly were excited (which made my day!). BooBooBear kept asking me when hers was going to be finished (which was after she went to bed last night). So I put it on her chair for breakfast and she was so excited she brought it to school to show her teachers! AAaaaaaa! I didn't get a photo of the little one in her apron - but will today.
Here's a shot of Sweetpea in her apron...

Fabric, Fabric everywhere...

I have become obsessed with fabric! I just wish I had the financial status to back-up this new obsession! I LOVE beautiful fabric. I love to figure out what I want to make with fabric. I love coming up with ideas on how to incorporate different fabrics in to gifts for people... And let me put it this way my dear friends... (and I mean that specifically... Dear Friends...) I am making much of the Christmas prezzies this year! Oh yes! And feel free to make things for us... because I LOVE HOMEMADE!

I have found TOO many sewing sites, knitting sites, crochet sites, CRAFTING sites... many of them blogs I read. And I can get lost for HOURS looking and reading and noting different projects but I really need to get my back part of my family room in to a STUDIO before that happens! Sigh... It seems everything is hinged upon something else happening before it - like a domino effect - in order to get where I want to be. But to get things organized, put away, and in order... I have to figure out what that first step is and go from there... that is the tricky part.

I am still unpacking boxes and FINALLY found the 5-7 TOTES of FABRICCCCcccccc (Can We YELL Yay?!?!?). Sooooo why do I go and purchase MORE fabric I ask you?! Well I think I hit the needle on the pin cushion by saying I am truly obsessed.

I found over 100 patterns from Chris' mom! OH BOY they are fun... some from the 50's, 60's and early 70's! LOVE IT! Can we say VINTAGE?! hahahaha So currently I am working on 2 aprons for my 2 sweetpeas... They are SURE funky material in a hodgepodge kinda way - but I think they go and they CERTAINLY match my girls personalities.

Next projects will be to finish knitting my nephew his sweater and while I am doing that working on 2 skirts for my girls... ruffles galore! I cannot wait!!!!

My goal is to get this studio up and running for my pottery, sewing, & crafts so that I can start producing things in order to open a small shop... I am dreaming... And someday I hope it to come true...

Maybe I can sell some AWESOME fabric in this store too!!
Ahhhhhhhh fabric... got a package just yesterday... it's washed and ironed just ready to be created in to something beautiful!!!!

musings on beautiful fabric and all the prezzies and things i can do ALL BY MYSELF!

Something to be excited about...

With all the stress and all the craziness over the last few weeks I figured out that I was not only down but wasn't really happy about anything. I mean don't get me wrong... I love my family to the moon & stars and back again... but I have just been doing MUNDANE things since we got back from Maine. I've been keeping busy, sure. And it's helped keep my mind occupied - for the most part. These chores and things I have had to do - have actually started to stress me out and have taken over my life.

Then I got to thinking... why am i so stressed? besides the obvious reason with Mr Safety-Man's mom so sick... why do i feel an overwhelming sense of no accomplishments, no highlights, no happiness. Heck it's been hard to even make myself get out of the house... BUT "I've been busy". Then it hit me... perhaps i feel this way because i am doing nothing with my creative outlet. And that always helps me maintain balance... especially in times of stress. It is an outpouring of emotion for me.

BOOM! I felt some of the weight release from my shoulders. I have been missing creating my jewelry- anything for that matter - out of clay, I have been missing making things. I miss sewing. I miss doing wonderful things for my girls. I miss being creative. It is not enough just to do chores, errands, cook, clean, etc.

I knitted a pillow for my MiL. I felt so good. I had a purpose. My girls wanted one to match their Grammy San's. What better tribute to their Grammy San. So while in Blue Hill, ME at her house - we got Alpaca wool yarn for them...I started one for Ky and finally finished it this week! I have started Boo's...now as well. That has helped... with the creative flow.

But it didn't seem enough. I wanted to tackle a really BIG project. A fun, challenging one. So a good friend of mine has been doing some new, fun stuff with fabric & sewing and we got talking at our book club... and it hit me. I want to get back to sewing again. I felt inspired to make pretty things. To make thing for my girls... aaaaahhh yes. I want to turn the back part of my family room in to a studio. A studio to do our clay, to do my sewing, scrapbooking. WHATEVER - but somewhere where I can have all my creative stuff in one area.

Boo's birthday is coming in July - and instead of waiting until last minute - where there would be no time - I found this awesome fabric and a voice in my head said 'go! you can do it - make her a dress'. Unfortunately, the designer of the fabric also made awesome patterns - but only to size 7. Too small. After much looking around etc. I e-mailed the DESIGNER herself, and she actually e-mailed me back and helped me out tremendously - like she was a friend next door. I found a wonderful woman who sold the fabric and when we started to discuss patterns... she told me she had a wonderful group of patterns that went up to size 10/12!! "PERFECT" i said... and looked at them.

I fell in LOVE. They were exactly my little girls' (yes both of them) styles. They WERE absolutely PERFECT. But then deciding on just one - would not do. So I chose three (but wanted more...).


Here is the dress I decided on... It is called the Lydia dress. It will be a challenge that is for sure - for the shirring in the bodice looks difficult. But a challenge I wanted... a challenge I received.

(all photos are from MATERIALGAL - go see her etsy shot (link below) she's fantastic)

This next one is an adorable skirt. But when I saw the name... I knew things were happening for a reason. There seemed to be Divine presence with me. See, I follow this blog about a young mother who was involved in a plane crash with her husband. I have been reading this blog for a long time - pulling for, praying with her and for her. Well her nickname happens to be NieNie... and so does the name of the skirt... The Nienie skirt. As I read further part of the proceeds go to help Nienie with her constant health costs. I KNEW that I had been sent here for a reason. That this is EXACTLY what I needed to be doing - sewing things for my girls!! To follow where I was lead was to help myself and to help in a small way Nienie. I couldn't believe it.
Isn't the skirt just darlin'??
That skirt name and what it represented just sold me (literally i bought it hehehe) - that I was doing the right thing, that this is what I should be doing. I was lead here and I followed. I was given an idea... it was popped in to my head... and I faithfully went for it.

And then I saw the shirts... fun, funky, different... SO my girls!!! These are the Juliet shirts... and I fell in love. I chose which girl would have what... and funny enough Ky chose the same way I did. She loves the one left and she thinks Boo will like the one on the right... YES!!! I think Boo will love that for her birthday!! (Shhhhhh she doesn't know of course...) So how cute are they? Right?!?!

So I picked out some patterns from PINK FIG. And the material... ahhhhhhhhhhh the material... a beautiful array from a designer named Patty Young. And it is ALL different palettes. The reason I fell in love - 1 palette is the mustard palette. ALL different yellows (Boo's favorite color) and one of the fabrics is DANDELION (Boo's favorite flower). The Flora & Fauna collection has butterflies, birds, bees, flowers (both girls love nature). It has a raspberry palette (Ky's favorite color is pink and purple and this is kind of a mix of both!!!). It is just wonderful. Here's a little sampling of some of the fabrics. I got the image from the etsy store I bought the patterns and material - MATERIALGAL!!! Just gorgeous! SO different than what I would normally choose!! I LOVE it! BEAUTIFUL! I am starting these shirts first... I cannot wait!!

I have to say thank you to Patty Young... designer of the fabric & the help she gave me to find her mustard palette fabric. And Stephanie at MATERIALGAL (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaterialGal) for her tirelessly answering SO many of my questions and her kindness!!! She's a dream to work with and I suggest you see her online etsy store - she has got a TON of fabric!!