Giveaway

Lila Tueller (fab fabric designer and pattern-er!) is having a giveaway on her blog for a jelly roll and layer cake. I love all her fabric and NEED more for my projects:-) How about you ignore that I mentioned this so I have a better chance of winning...

http://www.lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

Cupcake Anyone?

My in-laws got me this beautiful cupcake stand for my birthday, and we couldn't wait to try it out. With help from my little bakers, we whipped up these beauties. I almost don't want to eat them- they look so pretty (but I'm sure the kids won't go for that:-)).

Unpleasant Surprise

This is what sneaked up on me the other night in my bathroom...! (click on the photo to enlarge to actual size!) I thought I was safe on the 2nd floor from all things creepy and crawly (that's what the basement is for, right?). After it scurried across the floor I got my husbands handy shoe (use mine? I don't think so:-)) and after one miss and a squash, I got him. Man that little bugger is fast! I can only guess how he got in there, yikes! Hope I'm not sleeping with any spiders tonight!

Easy Apron for $1!!!!

I bought this $1 fat quarter of fabric at Wal-Mart, thinking of doing a church tie for D-Roo. But he informed me he wasn't interested in what I thought were "manly colored flowers." I guess I see his point:-) So, I had an old plastic ripped up kids apron I'd been saving in my sewing box, and it was the perfect size pattern for the fat quarter. I simply laid on the old one, cut around it leaving a 1/2" seam allowance, hemmed the edges, measure the neck straps to make sure it would fit over L's head, sewed up some waist ties and sewed on the pocket. Super easy. I think it maybe took me 45 min. And that includes all the time Little L and me spent discussing what fabric scrap she thought would be "cute" for the pocket.
Right after it was finished she informed me we had to go bake something. While mixing up our Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, she enjoyed telling our cooking show audience (refrigerator) the important recipe instructions. I love having a little girl:-)
I'd probably put dark brown or coordinating trim around the hems and a ruffle bottom, and separate the pockets if I make another one, but hey, for $1, not bad!


Here's my FAVORITE recipe from my Grandma MC:

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup karo syrup

mix and slowly bring to a boil

remove from heat and add

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 cups Rice Krispie Cereal


butter your hands and roll into balls while warm--YUM!

Wonder of Wonder!

....Miracle of Miracles!

My purple coneflower actually produced 1 bloom. I don't know what possessed the bunnies to leave it alone for the last month, but they did. Maybe it will come back next year (after I put mini fences around each of my plants!).

Here's a little photo of some of my patio pots, I want to do more next year (maybe that will motivate me to get back into the schedule of morning waterings). Mainly I did some purple coleus on the right and some lime/yellow coleus on the left with begonias. I got the Pink Peony from Costco no longer in bloom, and some pink geraniums. I got the petunias at Home depot, and brought them back from the dead after a vacation of missed waterings! I am going to plan my seedlings for potting next year, so they won't turn into a delicious salad for my furry woodland friends.

The Hooter Hider

I ordered more Amy Butler fabric and made myself this Hooter Hider/nursing cover, since I'm so tired of those darn blankets falling off, and I like my privacy! I figure I better do my sewing now because after I have a newborn, I don't imagine I'll be getting much done for who knows how long! I got this free pattern here, and it only took an hour and a half. It has corset boning in the neck to make it stiff. I also made a matching burp rag out of this old cloth diaper. My cute SIL Lindsay made some of these for her baby, and I found this great tutorial here, and it was soo stinkin easy, why would anyone use something that is not cute when they can have these? I used Amy Butlers fabric that came in fat quarters, they are the perfect size to make the front and back coverings for the burp rags. I had more fabric left over from L's skirt, so I made a few more.

Front and Back Views

Strip Skirt

There's nothing like giving up an old hobby to master a new one. Well, maybe not so much master as tinker around with one. After my bunny fiasco I have foregone gardening for the rest of the year (although I have pondered planting daffodil bulbs since they were the only thing that didn't get eaten) and turned on my sewing machine. I ordered some cute Amy Butler fabric on etsy, and got this Pink Fig girls stripwork skirt pattern and went to work. I wish I would have timed the project, but I'd probably say somewhere around 5 hours, since I had finished all the edges (so it wasn't "scratchy" and my daughter might actually wear it) and I'm a pretty slow, novice sewer. It actually turned out really cute (and she was happy to wear it to church- success!)

I've also gotten addicted to so many cute crafty blogs, and have been inspired. Hopefully I'll have more projects to post soon.

New Beginnings

What a fun summer we've had. Now its time we settle in for our routine for fall. Lil L started her first year of soccer, and Kindergarten! She really enjoys both, especially being on a team, and is a great sport. Also, while its a little tough to get up early for school, she informed me that half day "wasn't long enough". Well, just wait a few years and that will change:-) Anyhoo, I feel very blessed to live here and enjoy this beautiful weather (before winter hits), I actually love the humidity. I also look forward to wearing sweaters again- I love fall. The trees are so pretty in the metroparks, even driving past them on the freeway. I love looking at the woods in our backyard, I have to get another bird feeder, so I can check on all the little birdies while I'm doing the dishes. We've got all kinds of birds, including cardinals and some cute yellow ones that I'll have to look up. When we found out we were moving here about a year ago, who woulda thought this state would be so nice?