6th Finish

Happy Anniversary

I Woke up this morning to a TON of snow. I made an executive decision to keep Sloan home from school. Her poor joints are all swollen & it seems like her flair ups are getting closer & closer together. Bless her little heart. She is my sweet little pumpkin, however when her flare ups hit she makes life miserable for everyone. Well she tries. I've been working with her on making better choices even if you aren't feeling well. It's tough. I know how hard it is for me to be happy when I'm feeling lousy. 

Most of the afternoon was spent with a super nice repair man from Charter. Our Internet has been acting up since Christmas. At first it was a little & now it's all the time. It's gotten to the point that we are unable to watch steaming video of any sort. I took our Mac to the Apple store & they said it wasn't the computer. We will be buying an external hard drive next week so we can back up this puppy & then take it in for a better look, just in case. Charter seems to think it's something to do with the old cables. They mentioned a whole lot of computer/tech terms that I didn't understand. It all boils down to one point, it is something on their end & they plan on fixing it. They are coming to change out the old wiring tomorrow or Tuesday. Hopefully that will remedy the situation. Seriously, I'm really missing all my Hulu shows.

Due to all the computer shenanigans I am a little late in posting the finished card. This is my 6th finish of the year. Woohoo! However I need to play a little catchup if I'm going to fit in all 52 projects that I hope to finish. I love seeing all the projects that you guys are finishing. So much talent! Well I'm getting ready to watch a movie while I cut out some patterns. It's too late to start my next illustration that I've sketched out. So I'll work on some sewing until tomorrow. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

::6 down 46 to go::

Stitched Card Tutorial

I thought it would be fun to share a little tutorial on how I make my stitched illustrations. I shared a tutorial a couple years back & I tried to find it but I couldn't. So here goes. First I select the papers to use & I map out the illustration.

Of course every illustration starts out as a sketch. 

The tools you will need for this project are a hammer,scissors, double sided tape, pencil, cutting mat, nail, needle, & embroidery thread.

Next I sketch out the saying. In this case it's "Happy Anniversary". Sometimes this step takes me a little while to get the lettering just right. I don't use templates & always freehand but you could print out some lovely fonts from online & trace them using tracing paper.

For the next step I add a tiny amount of double back tape to the piece of paper. Then I lay the lettering down in the correct spot. When everything is in place I take my nail and tap my hammer to create holes along the letters. Take your time with this step. Allow similar spacing of holes for a more cohesive look when it comes to the stitching part of your illustration.

I had already started to stitch this one but I thought I'd show you what the back will look like. Sometimes I get lost when stitching my letters. When this happens I look at my sketch & can always figure out where I am. 

The front will look like this. I'll share the finished card with you tomorrow. Update:: Just added the finished picture so you can see the whole process. I really wanted to finish this up last night but Aris woke up from her nap with a high fever. No biggie until she threw up. Ugh. Poor little thing wanted to be held all.......night.......long.........

until the Tylenol set in and then she was running around on a medicine high. Thankfully she only threw up once & so far everyone else seems to be staying healthy. She's still running a fever but no barf today. Should I knock on wood here?

Check back here tomorrow for the finished illustration. You can download my past love card illustrations for free

::here::

and give one to your sweetie.

On My Work Table

I've been working on this little illustration for the last two nights. It's almost finished & I hope to share it with you tomorrow. It's the last card for Simply Sweet Marriage. I really wanted this card to look like something you would find in your grandmothers trunk amongst old papers and photos. It will say "Happy Anniversary" when finished. I like how it's turning out.

A month or two ago I found this vintage Star Wars sheet. I almost passed it up but knew if I did I'd kick myself for not buying it. So I forked out the $1.75, steep, I know ;) & brought it home. I figured I'd find something to do with it eventually.

Boy did I ever! I can't even tell you how excited I am to finally have an excuse to buy Star Wars things now that I have a little boy. I decided to make him his very own Star Wars quilt. Shouldn't every little boy have one? I purchased the gold fabric at Joanns, the funky retro pattern from an online store that was going out of business, & the very last print from an amazing local quilting store. I also purchased a grey solid fabric that I will be using also but it's not pictured. The fabric will be used on the front of the quilt & the sheet will become the backing for the quilt. 

This is what I have in mind for the front. I've never tried a quilt like this before. I want it to have that chevron pattern look. I think it will fit very well with the vintage look of the sheet. I am pretty much learning to quilt as I go. I kinda guess at how things work when it comes to quilting. I look at the pattern of a quilt as I do art. Then I dissect what I see & try to figure out how it works. What I have guessed is that I should probably sew the strips in a row & then cut them at the angle I need. I could be wrong but I really am hoping that this is actually how it's all done. It could prove to be a very disastrous quilting mess. We shall see.

Speaking of disastrous messes........Someone needs to clean their art area. In my defense, once that pile of fabric finds a home it won't look quite so horrible, right? Right? (insert nervous giggle here)

Thimble Summer Quilt Top

I had never even heard of a tumbler quilt until a couple months ago. I loved how simple and charming they all looked. Like little cups stacked in neat rows. I had purchased Moda's Punctuation charm pack so that I could add it to the American Jane charm pack I had bought a couple years back. Sadly I still haven't found my box of unfinished sewing projects. In that box is the fabric I've been trying to find to no avail. I decided to go ahead and start the quilt anyway. 

I have always had such a love and curiosity for "old things". I love all things retro and my home is filled with many vintage things from days gone by. There is something magical in owning things from the past. They have a story to tell. A history to share of simpler times. Even though this is a new quilt I love it's vintage feel. I have been reading a lot of quilting books lately & I love how each quilt has a story behind it. So I starting thinking, what is this quilts story?

Last year I read this book with my oldest daughter & fell in love with the sweet story about the adventures of a little girl named Garnet. She is spunky and has a great imagination. Although the story is a work of fiction I am guessing it pulled from real life in the 1930's. At one point in the book it tells about Garnet's adventure to the city all by herself. She kind of ran off without anyone noticing. On her way home she hitchhiked with all sorts of colorful characters. Something a child would hopefully never do in this day & age. Back then it was not a scary thing to do at all.

Although it's been a little over a year since I've read Thimble Summer I thought of it constantly while I worked on this quilt top.

So I present to you my "Thimble Summer" quilt. Sorry it's not the greatest picture. The wind was blowing like crazy today. I was in a panic the whole time it hung in those branches. It might be hard to see but there was a whole patch of mud right below. I kept waiting for it to fall into that mushy pile of mud. I have big plans for this quilt. I'm going to reread the story this week & then sketch out the back of the quilt. I'm thinking a fun little silhouette of Garnet & some of the key parts of her sweet story would be a perfect way to finish off the quilt. 

This is my first official quilt top too. I'd love to hear some constructive criticism or words of advice. I'm all ears. I have so much to learn when it comes to quilting but I'm loving every minute of it.

And So It Begins........

 What the heck?

Is around my neck!!!

Poor little guy doesn't stand a chance with three older sisters.

 He's their real live doll. I think the scarf sort of makes him look like the Red Baron. At least it wasn't a dress, yet ;)

My Work Table/Work Floor

Is full of this.....

& a whole lotta this.

I quilted all evening yesterday. My dear friend Kirsten was kind enough to join in my escapades to the local fabric shop & even bought me a new cutting mat & clear cutting ruler. She offered to buy them if I could make something for her daughter in the next couple weeks. I jumped at the chance. She was a little overwhelmed by the fabric store, me a kid in a candy store. Last night when I was cutting out all my awkward looking cup shapes I kept sending out a silent thank you to my sweet friend. My old warped cutting mat & a piece of cardboard for an edge just wasn't cutting it anymore. I'm not joking about the cardboard. It was super sad. I zipped through a whole pile of squares in a matter of minutes with my new tools. 

I worked on the quilt top until the wee hours of the morning, almost finished, I heard a cry. It was my little Oblio. Poor little man had a very high fever & was breathing fast. I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish up until the morning. I've spent the better part of today helping out my little guy & taking a much needed nap. He's doing better right now. We'll see what the night brings.

I should be able to sew the last 4 rows together once the kids go to bed & then I'll be working on a paper illustration. It feels so good to be working on projects that I love. No more hiding behind a pile of "to do" I'm getting things done!

Sewing Summit

Have I mentioned that I'm going to this?

Well I am.

You can find out more about it

::here::

Every Aspect

Zoe' "Indian Cheep"

Aris' "Indian Cheep"

Indian Cheep=Indian Chief

I guess you could say there is a small Peter Pan obsession around our house. Here are the photos to prove it. 

Happy Valentines Day

Hope you all have a very
 Happy Valentines 
Day!

5th Finish

1 Blanket 

 6 doggie taggies

2 burp cloths 

Together as a little baby shower gift 

4 monster taggies 

1 stack of ribbony goodness

=

My 5th finish

I would like to take a moment to explain why it has taken me so long to finish this latest project. The baby shower items were finished in one evening. The taggies themselves are easy peasy to make. However cutting and attaching the ribbon to 9 taggies in a row took me a couple nights of working on this project. I think it's safe to say I could do this in my sleep. Why did I make so many you might be asking yourself? I wanted to make sure I had one for all of my friends that are having babies right now. I have a LOT of pregnant friends or friends that have just had a baby. Thankfully pregnancy isn't catching! 

I'm hoping to do a tutorial in the next week or so. Would you like to see how to make these? I'm sure there are other tutorials online but I would love to share my tricks that make the project sew easy. No matter how many you decide to make;) The other thing that I love about my pattern is the size. They are much larger than some of the taggies I have seen in stores. Makes them a little harder to lose & much easier for little hands to hold onto.

Thanks to my sweet friend Lori of Morning Glories & Moonflowers I'm a little obsessed with taggies. She sent me the sweetest package for my little guy & gals when Oblio was first born. Included was the most adorable handmade taggie. My little guy plays with it all the time. What's the first thing babies play with when they get a toy? Usually the tag! My little man is no different. I find him sucking on his little taggie to his hearts content. Lori I adore you & thank you so much for such a great toy!

5 down, 47 to go

Wake Up Sissy

Mae & Oblio

My sweet cousin Pam has been visiting from Canada. I love it when she comes for a visit. She's adventurous & super talented. You can read her blog Spunky Girl Monologues ::here::

Did I mention that she's an amazing photographer? So very thankful that she caught this shot of Oblio waking up his big sister. This is a favorite ritual around here. I get some pretty grumpy attitudes when I wake the girls up. Somehow smiles & giggles ensue when Omri does the job. Guess it helps to be little & cute.

I'm hoping Pam is able to take a few more photos of us before she leaves. I'm even going to brave being in front of the camera. Only from the head up of course. If you saw me right now you'd understand why. You might think I'm pregnant again. Nope. Not at all. Just 50 pounds overweight. Working on this issue though. Maybe next year I'll look a little more like my younger self. Let's hope so.

7 Months

7 Months

Little Mister I adore you more than you will ever know. You are the cutie in patootie! You have just started to do the army crawl. Which now means I need to baby proof the house. It also means you have a penchant for markers that the girls leave on the floor. You like to color on the walls, floor, & yourself. You pretty much have markers on your face & hands 24/7 these days. Even when I put the markers up you somehow find them. Thankfully for the walls & floors they are washable. Unfortunately for you they don't come off quite as nicely. 

You are now eating peaches, pears, apples, peas, string beans, carrots, & rice cereal. I'm so happy that I have been able to make all of your baby food. Yes you are a healthy eater. I guess that is why you weigh 21 pounds. You love to smile & laugh. You love your sisters & when your dad is home you watch him & smile. You are a watcher & studier of things. Even Zoe has noticed this. I think you are fascinated by everything new around you.

You also have become very verbal. You can say Dada & Momma. You love to make all sorts of sounds. You can also wave. I don't think you know what it means yet, but it's still super cute.

Oh my sweet little Oblio, I love you so very much! 

Like Father, Like Son

My two favorite guys