Spring is in the air

I am happy to say I finished up my Easter craft before Easter, though just barely. I took a few sewing classes with a friend and one of the projects was these Easter egg placemats. They were pretty simple and used a quilt-as-you-go technique. I liked it. All 4 of them are scrappy and different and add some nice color to our white table.



I also made another blanket for that special girl in my life. I was honestly scared of the minky/satin combination and the slippery, stretchy nature of those two fabrics, especially paired with each other. Thank God for my walking foot is all I can say. It was a lifesaver and made the project a lot less stressful. This was also my first time doing mitered corners and I was pretty pleased with how the whole thing turned out. Everything would have looked more "crisp" if I would have made it out of a material like flannel, but this little girl much prefers the softness of minky and satin. I can't say I blame her. She immediately snuggled up to it when I gave it to her and it made my heart melt yet again. I used this tutorial from Melanie at Fabric Family Fun and it was great.



I was told this was crafty too so I thought I would include it as well (even though my toes are grossing me out the longer I look at the picture). I bought a package of stylus tools for $3.99 (before the 40% off coupon) at Hobby Lobby. And used them to create some nail art for my toes. The nail art is always my favorite part about having a pedicure (the 2 times in my life I've had one) but darn is it expensive! So I experimented until I could come up with something I could do myself. A simple google search provides some tutorials for different designs as well.





And there you have it. I hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

Catching up

I've decided I'm just not that good at blogging right now. Life has been busy, and I was pretty sick for a while and I just haven't been crafting all that much. It's past due time to catch up a little though.

I made this cupcake ribbon blanket for a special little girl in my life right now. It makes me so happy every time I see her snuggle up with it. I used a soft, fluffy fabric I have never used before on the back instead of minky, and I have to say I really like it.

My grandma saw a purse she really liked in a catalog, but it was much bigger than she wanted it. She asked if I could replicate it in the size she wanted using a "springy" fabric. This is what I came up with. I also made a matching checkbook cover and coin purse with the left over fabric. I shipped it to her last week and was glad to hear she absolutely loved it.


I have always wanted to try using either laminated fabric or fusible vinyl, so when I saw this tutorial by Homemade By Jill for a changing pad I decided to give it a try. It has cotton with fusible vinyl on the inside and corduroy on the outside. It folds up and velcros closed and I added my own pocket on it to hold diapers and wipes.




I've been working on a couple more projects as well but they still need some finishing touches before I take pictures. One of them is an easter project, so I am hoping to find the time and motivation to finish them in time!

Giveaway Time!

Want to win one of my collars?



My friend Amy was kind enough to feature me on her blog, and there is a free collar up for grabs!

Head on over for your chance to win! Thanks Amy!

The beautiful picture of Bailey is courtesy of DreamMaker Images. Thanks Shelly!

The contest ends Sunday, March 7th. Good luck!

Trouble

This is the kind of trouble you can get into when you go to a quilt show...

More on that later.

Life Happens

So I've been a horrible blogger lately. And my blog is boring. It happens right? I've been taking on a gigantic project of decrapifying, (thanks Sarah) decluttering, cleaning and reorganizing. I'm a keeper, I don't like to get rid of stuff, but lately I've been feeling like I'm suffocating. I have too much stuff and too little space. I've surprised even myself though and done a really good job of getting rid of things I just don't need. Since it's hard for me to do this, once I get in the mood I'm afraid to stop, thus I've had some 3 am bedtimes lately. I sill have a lot more to do, but I already feel less stressed.

Because I've been busy with that projct I haven't done a whole lot of sewing lately. Here are a couple projects I worked on recently.

First, I made this shopping bag. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's the same size and shape as a Target bag.



The best part? It folds up into itself and becomes this little pouch that I can throw in my car or purse. I got the idea here.


My mom bought this fabric several months ago and asked me to make her 8 pillows with piping. Quite frankly I was pretty threatened by the extremely stretchy, slippery stuff and it took me forever to actually start the project. They aren't my favorite, and I hope no one looks at them too closely, but I guess they look ok in pictures, haha.

I also finally cut into my fabric for my quilt and now I can't wait to get sewing on that! I haven't even finished my first quilt and I already have a stash going and ideas for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Guess that's what I get for not believing people when they told me quilting was addicting.

I'm in the process of posting about 20 new collar designs in my shop, so check back for that soon!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Happy 2010! I have BIG plans for this year, and am trying to stay as optimistic and excited as I can. I have big ideas and goals both for my personal life and for my sewing life/business.

So I rang in the New Year by sewing a stuffed Christmas tree. It's still not too late right? Haha.

Here is the horrible picture I took of it before packing it up with all the other Christmas decorations (so sad).

Here's to a fresh clean slate and hopes of a great year ahead of us!

Where did Christmas go?

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? Although we missed having several of our out of town family members with us for our festivities again this year, my parents and I enjoyed a nice, though quiet, day at home. I enjoyed giving my family some home-made gifts this year, and really liked hearing how much they loved them. I’m also excited about the sewing-related gifts that I got: quilt magazines, Gingher scissors, pinking shears, hem clips, a gift card to Joann’s, and best of all some large clear plastic tubs to store all my fabric in. My make-shift sewing area looks so much better already!

Ok, now to catch up on some pictures. There will be quite a few of them for this post, you were warned!

First, I just thought this was funny, I had to take Dad to pick up his car at the shop, and Joann’s just happens to be on the way, haha. So I made dad stop there with me and guess what happens? He falls in love with this and ends up spending more there than I did.

I kept myself very busy for a while, helping my friend Shealynn with her shop *Shey*[B]. She had several Christmas orders for her camera strap covers, and I was glad I was able to help her out. Needless to say I still have some Christmas decorations that I have yet to make. Maybe I will get them all done in time to pack the decorations up for the year.

I also had some of my own Christmas orders to fulfill, both for dog collars, and also for a baby gift. It was nice to sew something different after sewing so many dog collars for a while. I think I need to make and sell more baby items now. Especially since I just organized all my fabric in my new bins and I have seen how much baby fabric I really have. Anyway, here is the baby gift I made for a friend of mine to give to her friend. I really like the color combination and how it turned out. I’m glad to hear that she loves it too! It’s so affirming to hear such positive feedback from paying customers!


I believe it was Christmas Eve by the time I finally got around to finishing this wreath that I had planned for the longest time. I fell in love with Just A Girl’s version, and became a major copy cat by buying the exact same ornaments that she did. I just love the color combination! It was a major pain in the butt trying to make what was supposed to be a very simple wreath (I will spare you the play by play details) but in the end I LOVE it. I think it is gorgeous! I want to keep it up all year!



Now on to some of the Christmas presents I made for my family. It all started with wanting to make these oven mitts for my grandmothers and my mom. I got the idea from Amy at The Idea Room.


My dad got an ipod over the summer, and had been talking about how much he wanted a case to take it to work in, but he didn’t like how much the ones he saw cost. I remembered a tutorial I had seen by Make It and Love It and told him that I could make one for him. He requested Wisconsin colors, so this is what I came up with.

Since the grandmas were getting hand-made gifts, I decided I didn’t want the grandpas to feel left out, but had the hardest time thinking of something that I could make for men. I ended up making them felt ornaments that had to do with an interest of theirs. One grandpa got a saxophone and the other got a billiard ball. There is a back story to why I chose an 8 ball, but suffice it to say it is a family memory that makes us laugh whenever someone mentions it.

Of course I had to make something for my dog then, and yes I am one of those people who puts clothes on my dog. If any of you knew her though you would know how she is a wimp when she thinks she is cold and how needy and annoying she can get when she is. (I still love her though!) Therefore, I decided it would be a good idea to make her a hoodie. I followed a pattern that was absolutely horrible and I ended up having to make lots of modifications, but in the end I think she looks really cute in it.



Finally, today I went to Michaels and hit up their 70% off section. I ended up getting some things I never imagined getting before I walked into the store, but ended up making this wreath tonight. Who cares if it’s after Christmas? Haha. I had no idea what I was doing. I have never made a wreath before, or even really paid attention to other wreaths that are already made. What do you think? I didn't like it so much at first, but now I think it's pretty. Oh and this picture just doesn't do the glittery parts justice.


I think that catches you all up on just about everything I can think of at the moment. I still have at least 3 more Christmas decorations that I wanted to finish this year, and 2 or so more (plus a Christmas quilt) that I may just pack up and make next year.

How was your Christmas?