It was one of those kind of nights....

So last night, I decide that gosh darn it, I am going to make something for myself. I've been wanting a new purse and was itching to use this lovely green fabric that I've been holding on to for quite a while.
Unfortunately the gods of craftiness were not on my side. The first snag in my plan was that my daughter, who normally has a very reasonable bedtime, refused to go to bed. Now don't get me wrong, this was no normal anti-bedtime fit. Noooo she stayed up 2 whole hours past her bedtime which ate into my precious bag making time and my patience. Finally she went to sleep only to have her little brother wake up crying. After a quick "mommy is here" and a back rub, he fell back asleep. Sadly, by this point I was so frustrated and worn out that all I wanted to do was eat a giant bowl of ice cream and sit on the couch. BUT NO! I rallied myself and started working on my bag, only to find out once again the craft gods were against me.... I didn't have enough iron-on interfacing. Did I let that stop me? NO! I simply went to my pile and pulled out a yard of washed canvas and basted my fabric to that! I could not be stopped. I would not be thwarted in my bag making endeavors. I WOULD PREVAIL!!

Luckily the crafty gods must have thought I was worthy because the rest of the bag went without a hitch.

Mostly I'm proud of it because I made it all by myself. No pattern, no book, no tutorial or instructions. I just used what I've learned and put it together on my own.

There's a certain kind of pride in that.

I have been doing something.

Not a lot but something...Putting together fabrics for a softee turtle from Bend the Rules Sewing AND cutting out the pattern pieces.

Trying to decide which would make a better lining for the brown corduroy.

Deciding between these darling prints, I like them both so much.

And thinking of what I should do with these. I've been "visiting" them at Hancock's for a while now but they finally went on sale for less than $3 a yard. I just had to buy them but I have no idea what to do with them.

So see I've been working hard.
Yep, really, really hard.
All this fabric can really wear a girl out.

A picture's worth a thousand words......

(One of the joys of being married to a photographer....all moments are documented)

So sadly, this is how I've been feeling lately, completely pooped.

But with this new school year (Maisy started Kindergarten. Woo Hoo!) I've decided to make some new resolutions.

1. I'm going to be nicer to myself. I've been really mean to myself lately and I've decided to stop. There's enough crap in this world without me making snarky comments about the size of my fat girl arms. Seriously when they are unleashed, they are a truly frightening sight. (damn, okay, last one I swear. )

2. Possibly blog more. I know I don't say all that much or anything terribly deep but I feel better when I write, I feel more connected to a community of interesting, creative, smart women and well, that's important.

3. Exercise more and eat more fruits and veggies. And I'll just let it be known that I have to get up at 5:20am to exercise. *Insert sympathy here * I swear, there's nothing like having to wear a bridesmaid's dress to motivate a girl.

Okay, that's enough for now. I don't want to get carried away and trust me, I could. Lately so many things have been weighing heavily on my mind that I decided it was time to focus. So thanks for listening and think kindly of me at 5:20am.

See, I told you so.....

*Dang art time! You are the destroyer of all shirts!!!!
(heehee, actually it all washed out. Anyways that's why I embroider cheap t-shirts, they're so easy to replace. )

One more quick picture

okay, here's one of my quick vacation projects snapped right before the girl went to school. I knew if I didn't get a picture right then I'd never get one with out a stain.

I'm trying to get excited about embroidery again and I sort of am..... I still love the end result but I'm just kind of bored with the process. Oh, well, maybe it's because embroidery is my winter project. The ones I work on when the craft room is too cold for sewing and I can curl up with a blanket, my needle & thread and just veg out to some tv. Geez, with all this horrible hot weather, winter is starting to sound really good about now.

whew, I'm back.

Okay, first things first, Please forgive the hasty and slightly crappy photos below. It was one of those times when you worked hard on gifts but finished them last minute and barely remembered to snap a photo before you gave them away. It's just crazy how I've become so insistent on documenting all of my work. ( my high school math teacher would be so proud) So here are two of the projects I've been working on.....

Appliquéing on bath towels is my new addiction. It's really easy, the terry cloth is very forgiving and you don't even have to use Wonder-under to keep everything in place. This is the second set of towels I've made and I'm still not sure how well they hold up to everyday use. But they would also be cute just as decoration.

I really wish I had gotten a better picture of this pencil roll. I'm actually pretty proud of it. It's a combination of Lori's pencil roll pattern and the color coordination from Pink Chalk Studios. It was one of those tricky homemade gifts for a man, I just never know if it's going to be seen as lame or truly appreciated. Luckily, I think my friend really liked it or at least he was nice enough to pretend he did.


Well, it sure feels good to be back. We went on an extended family vacation that was a wonderful time beginning to end. But I sure am happy to be home, especially since I cleaned the whole house before we left and I don't have to do anything this weekend. woo hoo.

Back in a Bit

Just thought I 'd show off another project in real life. This is the dress I made for Maisy's birthday. Sadly, I made it WAY too big and she has to wear an undershirt to keep things modest.
Along with her dress is the fantastic tote that Lori made for Maisy's B-day.
She loves wearing her dress and carrying her bag. She adores how everything matches.

Well, folks, that's about it for right now. I'm going to take a brief hiatus for about a week so I can get some things done. Hope you all have a lovely end of July and I'll be back soon!

Nothing Much

1.) An actually picture of the little man wearing his tie shirt. We were at a birthday party and wanted to look spiffy!



2.) For the two lovely ladies, Geri and Lightening, who were brave enough to enter the Crafty Pay It Forward, please email me with your addresses at microuse1407 at yahoo dot com
And thank you for de-lurking!! :)

3.) Now I have been working on lots of stuff, unfortunately they are all gifts for some lovely people who read my blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise. (especially since I found out my sister-in-law peeked and saw her finished bag before I gave it to her. From now on, all gift pics will be kept under lock and key!)

Well, that's about it. Hope you're all doing well and have a wonderful Monday!

okay, so I've been a little busy

But for some very good reasons.... The first is a good friend of mine celebrated her birthday today. So what do you get a woman who's not really into gifts for herself?? Why you make stuff for the darling children in her life. That's what.

First I made another comfort blanket from some of the great fabric Jenny gave away at the last blog ladies gathering I was able to attend. I also used a scallop stitch instead of a zigzag and I have to say I love the results.I also made a few shirts for her son. I couldn't resist using my sock monkey fabric to make a tie shirt.

And I threw in a train shirt and another sock monkey, because what little boy doesn't love monkeys and trains.

And while I was at it, I made another comfort blanket and matching onsie for Matt's friend who is expecting.

And a Tie Shirt for Arlo.

And I finally ironed on the Monkey Patch I won from Lori a couple of months ago. Maisy will be so excited when I show her.

Oh and speaking of Lori, I am now a part of the Crafty Pay it Forward. The first 3 people who comment on my blog will get a lovely homemade gift in the mail. The only catch is that you have to post the Crafty Pay it Forward on your blog and make 3 gifts for the first 3 commenters.
So to quote Lori "let's make this painless and please don't make me beg. :) "

Woo Hoo! It's done.

This tote is for my lovely sister in law, Erin.
She recently turned 20 and I'm only a month late with her present.

When I asked everyone what she wanted, they said a bag like the one I had made for my mother-in-law but with polka dots or stripes. Well, I had a heck of a time finding any polka dots I liked. I think I spent 30 minutes in the dot section and couldn't find anything that was just right. Giving up I started walking around and found this adorable fabric. It's the "Prints Charming" collection by Free Spirit.

I immediately snatched it up and went looking for some stripes.

And turns out, the stripes from Heather Ross' "Lightening Bugs" collection worked perfectly.

I'm sure glad it turned out well. Now I just need to make a matching zippered pouch and tissue holder, then I'll officially be done. And ready to move on to the next project......

The girl has got mad skills.

Not a lot to say today. Just wanted to show off the purse Maisy made all by herself. (well, I threaded the needle & sewed on the ribbons but she told me where.) She's been really interested in sewing so I gave her a sewing box and found a bunch of cross -stitch fabric on sale. The holes make it easier to sew and then we can work towards regular fabric. I do have to say that I love the decoration on the bag, Maisy felt it needed a "little something". And that "little something" was a picture of herself. Next is my current work in progress. Hopefully I'll get it done this week. I'm kind of excited about it because it's gonna be really pretty when it's done. (dang, hope I didn't jinx myself)

It's not stealing if you asked first.

So I haven't been working on much lately. I think it's because I have a huge list of to do's. Too many projects make me feel overwhelmed and like I'm slacking. Oh, well, a couple more nights of mindless T.V. watching (you know you've been working too hard when just sitting and watching T.V. is a novelty:) and I'll be back in the swing of things.

But here are two little gifts I've made recently and both ideas were stolen from the lovely Lori. Well, stolen is probably not the right term because she was kind enough to give me instructions for both.

This is a simple little tote for one of Maisy's friends. Have you ever worked with a fabric that you really disliked in the beginning but by the time you were done you had developed a fondness for it? That was me and this Tinker Bell fabric. It was left over from Maisy's birthday and I just wanted to get it out of the house. Now I'm kind of sad that I only have scraps left.
Also in the spirit of using what you have the other fabrics are a light purple from the birthday party and a purple gingham that used to be the crib bumper for Maisy.


Here's another project using what I had on hand, a comfort blanket. I should have put a lot more ribbon on but ran out midway through.

This was originally intended for one of Matt's friends who is expecting but then my friend, Molly told me about a darling little girl who was in the hospital and well, I sent it her way instead. (and that would be why my To do list never gets any shorter)


And since I depleted my meager supply of ribbon, I just had to go out and stock up. Right?

Little Oddities

One of the awesome things about being married is that I have really lovely In-Laws. My Brother-in-Law and his wonderful girlfriend spotted these finds at an estate sale and thought of me. So now I am a proud owner of .....A huge box of snaps.
I love it! I'm always having to run to the store for something, especially little things like snaps and now I'm set.

I also have a equally large collection of hooks.
I don't know what I'm going to do with all of them but I've been having fun thinking of all the interesting things I could make.

Now here is the neatest and oddest thing they found... An entire box of homemade belt buckles.
We just thought it was a second box of snaps and were completely surprised when we found these cuties inside.

I love them. They're kind of strange and I want to know HOW this person made them. (Also why would be a good question.)
They are just so quirky I feel that they need to be used and displayed. I'm thinking of using them as decoration on bags but after that I'm stumped. Any ideas?

Lazy, lazy, lazy

Gee, I wish that's all we'd been doing this past few weeks. But sadly, we've been running our tails off. When did summer become such a busy time?

Part 2 of 100 freakin' things about me (Let's hope I don't disappoint)

51. I shouldn't be left alone with scissors.

52. The reason for # 51 is that I'll cut my own hair. If I get frustrated or annoyed with my hair, I'll get a pair of scissors and cut away.

53. It never and I mean NEVER turns out well.

54. But sadly, I still do it.

55. Luckily my philosophy is "It'll always grow back". Thankfully it has, so far.

56. I have a bad habit of always throwing away the pizza cutter with the pizza box.

57. I'm compulsive about checking the locks on the doors at night.
Matt says I'm scared of ninjas.

58. But he's wrong. I'm scared of heavily armed men (think "Panic Room") breaking into our home to take us all hostage or possibly sell us to sex slave traders.

59. I have an escape plan all ready for when/ if that ever happens.

60. Can you tell I'm a little paranoid?

61. Actually the paranoia isn't so bad anymore. One day I took a deep breath, said "they'll either get us or they won't" and I was able to sleep at night.
It sounds so well adjusted doesn't it?
It is... sort of....just don't talk to me about Zombies.

62. I feel all women have the right to govern their own bodies. Period.

63. I believe all mothers deserve jewelery or other pretty things on their children's birthdays. We should celebrate the fact that we kept them safe and alive for another year. Even after they move out, we still deserve presents because... well, we just do.

64. I'd wear flip flops year round if the weather would let me.

65. Because my feet get claustrophobic.

66. I like to drink cheap beer. PBR or Miller High Life is just fine with me.

67. I dated a boy who was soo embarrassed that I drank cheap beer.
I could never understand why, especially since he wasn't paying for my drinks!

68. I don't understand why people are so against legalizing marriage for Lesbians and Gay men. They say it's because it lessens the meaning of marriage. How? I don't get how letting two people who are in love get married diminishes the institution of marriage. What does tarnish the meaning of commitment is watching celebrities treat marriage as if it were a tourist attraction, nice to visit but sure not going to live there.

69. Heehee, 69.

70. Yes, I do let the 15 year old out for a laugh now and then. And no judging because you all know you laughed.

71. There are few absolutes in this world. One of them is:
Never and once again I mean NEVER, let your aspiring cosmetologist roommate try to bleach your hair blond. It will turn it clown orange and damage it irrevocably.

71. Another absolute is: Never let you ex-boyfriend shave your head.

72. Because He won't do a good job, possibly on purpose.

73. and unless you are tiny and small boned, IT WILL NOT LOOK GOOD!!!!!

74. Here's the proof:
(but dang, I was skinny)

75. I am a terable speiller.

76. Okay, I exaggerated a little bit but I'm pretty bad. Thank goodness for spell check.

77. I was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider.

78. It abscessed and made a huge hole in my thigh.
It was really gross.

79. I love telling people the story and watching them turn green. :)

80. Sometimes I'm mean like that.

81. I have a over active imagination (if you couldn't tell earlier. )

82. My favorite quote is from "The Hotel New Hampshire".

83. It is: "Just when you think you're memorable, there's always someone who forgets your name. "

84. I've found that to be true many times.

85. Another absolute is: If you are a mother and wearing something nice, one or all of your children will get, wipe or drip something on you right before you walk out the door.

86. I really hate the Little Mermaid.

87. Really, really hate her. I mean, she's a freakin' princess but she only wants what she can't have. She sees a boy(doesn't even meet him just sees him) , leaves her entire family for him, gives up her voice and tries to get him to fall in love with her. UGH!!!!!! Then when it all hits the fan, she doesn't even save herself. The stupid boy has to do it for her. ACK!!!

88. Maisy loves the little mermaid. I try not to taint her joy with my "over analyzation of a stupid movie" (direct quote from the husband) but I do talk about how Ariel made some poor choices and maybe next time she shouldn't sell her soul to the devil just to get a husband. Oh, but I say it in a much nicer way. I promise.

89. I used to write bad poetry.

90. but then again, who didn't?

91. -laughing- I can't tell you that one.

92. I was a theatre geek in high school.

93. I've used the same needle for all my embroidery work for years. It has the perfect bend in it and I freak out when I have to use a different needle.

94. I don't wear make-up.

95. I've seen all of John Waters' movies. Even Pink Flamingo. It's really gross and I don't recommend it.

96. I know all the words to "Say Anything" and still dream of finding my Loyd Dobbler (sorry Matt:)

97. Some of my favorite phrases are: "Jiminy Christmas" "For the love of Pete" "Son of a Beech nut" and "If they don't stop that, I'm going to go knock them down".

98. I haven't had to knock anyone down just yet.

99. You know what i don't understand, how is it okay to say fudge instead of f-u-c-k? I mean, if the intent is the same then wouldn't fudge now become a bad word? That's just something that continually puzzles me.

100. WOO HOO! I made it. Jesh, it was like pulling teeth towards the end. And trust me, I'm never doing this again.

So you're all safe from here on out!
Thanks for baring with me and Thanks Angelina for reminding me to finish.

101. You know what's horrible, now that I'm done I keep thinking of things to add. Like that I'm an official member of the Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan club. I have a card and everything.
and.....
oh. please someone stop me!

Amy Butler, somedays I just don't know about you....

I did it! I finally made something just for me. The Chelsea Bag by Amy Butler.
And I love it, sort of...
The fabrics are awesome but I'm not a fan of the little clutch.
I should have remembered that when I started making it.

The handles were a pain in the hiney and I really should have used a thicker interfacing...
But gosh darn it, it's one pretty bag.
(Thank you Capello for talking me into it)

If you can't tell, I'm currently in love with the Heather Ross "Lightening Bugs" collection.

All in all, I'm happy with it. I do have to say it was fun walking into the local fabric store, Sarah's Fabrics, and have them all comment on my bag. Not one person asked if I made it, they just knew I had (because I bought the fabric from them) and then they stopped & talked "shop" about the pattern and everything. I was in heaven.

So, Amy Butler, I forgive you for being really wordy when you write your directions, for being confusing and I even forgive you for those damn handles even though they almost made me cry.
Just 'cause the ladies at the fabric store said I did a good job.

arggh. 100 freakin' things about me. (let's hope I don't disappoint.) Part 1

1. I work on this list when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. what does that say about me?

2. I have a myspace page and sometimes I feel dirty for having it.

3. I love to read. Mostly crap books, no "real" literature for me. If it's depressing or thought provoking, I want no part of it. The world around me is sad enough.

4. I am envious of all writers. Even bad ones.

5. I have issues with textures of foods. It can taste wonderful but if the texture is the least bit funky then I won't eat it. This bothers other people immensely. (especially my mom and husband)

6. I have 5 tattoos. and i only regret one of them.

7. I have worked with Developmentally Disabled Adults for the past 9 years. I never would have picked this career as a kid but I'm glad I did.

8. When people try to tell me how wonderful I am for working with Developmentally Disabled Adults, I become very uncomfortable. I do not view myself as a saint for working with these guys, they're awesome. Just like everyone else there are some great and not so great people. No medal is needed for working with them, just some patience.

9. If you couldn't tell, I'm a Democrat. But for the record, I feel that ALL politicians are sleazy, power hungry jerks. This may be a wild generalization but I don't think so.

10. I desperately want to win the lottery.

11. but I rarely buy a ticket.

12. Two of my tattoos are for my children. They are 3 stars , one inside another. They symbolize the fact that i love them for the person they were, the person they are and the person they will become.

13. I live within a mile of three of my ex-boyfriends. Oh, what's weird is that they all proposed but none of them had a ring so it didn't count.

14. I stopped smoking over 5 years ago on the day I found out I was pregnant with Maisy. I still really miss it. A LOT.

15. I have never left the United States.

16. I have always lived in the Midwest.

17. I did visit New York City. Not being able to see the sky without looking straight up really bothered me.

18. I love living in my semi-small town. I like walking downtown and running into someone I know. I love the community and the fact that people actually smile at one another.

19. I was raised Southern Baptist.

20. Which is the reason I'm not religious. At All.

21. I'd really like to be a Buddhist but I don't think I'm a good enough person. I can really hold a grudge.

22. I try not to be judgemental.

23. I try not to say mean things about other people.

24. I don't always succeed, that's why I'll never be a good Buddhist. -sigh-

25. I have met my true partner in crime. She lives in Tucson, Az. I miss her terribly.

26. My husband and I drank at the same bar, hung out with the same people and went to the same parties for over a year before we met each other. He has random pictures of his friends and I'm in the background.

27. I would love to have segment on This American Life. I would talk about my favorite graffiti in the bathrooms at the Replay. (it sounds lame, but trust me, it would be cool)

28. This American Life makes me cry every freakin' time.

29. I also cry at movies. It is embarrassing for the people I am with because I do not cry "nicely". Lots of loud sobs, snot, hiccups and red cheeks are involved.

30. I had a hard time telling the difference between my left and my right until I was in college.

31. Thankfully my daughter does not have this problem. At 5 years old, she can reliably tell the difference between her left and right. I am constantly amazed by this.

32. I am not a nice pregnant woman. I am mean. I have threatened to fight good friends when they teased me while pregnant. I even told Matt (poor Matt) to stop getting his "mouth breath" all over me. The poor man was just breathing.

33. I get really mad when women try to make other women feel bad for getting an epidural during labor. I have had a child with and without. They both have their pros and cons. If you ask me my opinion I'll give it but otherwise, I keep my mouth shut and strongly believe others should too.

34. I believe in having a firm handshake.

35. Being a mother was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It's not perfect and neither am I but it's better than anything else.

36. I am an only child.

37. People often say "you don't seem like an only child."

38. I have no idea what that means. Are only children normally freakish, social outcasts?

What makes us so different from others?

39. My favorite band is the Old 97's. If you've never heard of them, go out and do so. They write some of the most amazing lyrics ever. My one of my favorites would be:
"Saw her sitting at the bar you know how some girls are/
always making eyes well she wasn't making eyes/
so I saddled up beside her settled down and shouted hi there/
my name's Stuart Ransome Miller I'm a serial ladykiller/
she said I'm already dead that's exactly what she said"

40. I have a thing for Rockabilly boys. They're just too cute.

41.They would probably be horrified that a 30 yr.old mother of two finds them "cute".

42. I prefer roller skates to roller blades.

43. Don't ask me when was the last time I wore either.

44. I really wish I was a morning person.

45. I try really hard but I'm pretty horrifically unpleasant before 9am.

46. Too bad I have to be at work by 8am.

47. I am boring when it comes to food. I like it plain but good. Please don't try to take me to a fancy restaurant, I won't like it. But I will smile and pretend I did then order pizza once I get home.

48. I'm a huge sci-fi fan. Very few things are as exciting to me as talking to random people about different sci-fi / fantasy authors. Yes, I know that makes me a huge dork.

49. When something makes me really happy I'll clap. A lot. and sometimes jump up and down. and I might shove or hit you. But it's all meant nicely. People at work think I'm weird and only my true friends find this endearing. :)

50. I'm finding it hard to write 100 things about myself so I'm going to take a break. I'll be back later for part 2.

Glad you stuck around this far.

The overgrown garden revisitied

Thank goodness for lots of rain and a very mild beginning to a Kansas summer.

The front yard is OBNOXIOUSLY over grown and I love it!

You can barely see the little bits of weird yard art Matt has everywhere. There's a wire fairy-thing in there somewhere.

just because it's pretty.

I love hostas. They are one of my favorite plants. We have all different kinds all over the front and back yard.

And yes, that used to be the driveway. It's much better as a garden.
Trust me.

okay, "secret projects" may have been a little strong

Mostly they are just projects that benefit me and only me!
These fabrics are beginning of a bag that had me frustrated, irritated and almost in tears last night. But actually getting some rest and um, reading the directions helped me not hate it as much as before.

This is NOT a finished project of mine.
Nope, I did not make this Country Cutie. I borrowed it from my mom's house (or if you must know, stole it from the basement) so I could make a pattern from it. I'm hoping to create an updated version. One with a color scheme and fabrics that I like. I'm even day dreaming about an entire wall of these in various sizes and color combinations. They'll be a beautiful addition to my collection. You know, when I get the time......

oh, please. Say you still love me.

Jeez, I had no intention of being gone for an entire week. It's amazing how quickly the time goes, especially when working on such important things like birthday parties for small people.

But I am prepared to bribe my way back into your good favor......
with Favor Bags.
I got a little excited when making these drawstring bags for Maisy's party and have a few left over. So if you know any little boys who would like a train bag (I have 2) or any girls that love Tinkerbell (I have 4 of those) just send me an email and I'll send them your way.

Also here's a picture of the Mama Backpack I made for Maisy. It's just the perfect size and the drawstrings make it easy to put one of her babies in it for Farmer's Market.

The tutorial for this at HappyThings is fantastic. The directions and measurements were easy to understand and follow. I highly recommend any of her tutorials, they're all awesome.
(oh, and that's where i got the favor bags from too. )

okay, I swear and cross my heart to write much much more this week and all following weeks until Arlo's birthday (but that's not until November).
I even have a secret project that I'm working on. I'm soo excited and I'll absolutely show pictures when I'm done.