I did that?

Back story: One of my besties (yes, I am 36 years old and should not use terms like bestie, but this is my blog and I'll write how I want to) has about-to-be 3 year old twin girls. They already have in their possession a crafty appliqued birthday dress for when their older daughter turned 3. When my friend pulled the dress out of storage for the twins, she tried to search for another dress just like it so each girl would have one to wear. No luck. Being the crafty girlfriend, she called me up and asked if I could make the dress.

The original dress ....... did I mention it had a front AND a back?!

Notice the details! The adornments! The, um ...... difficulty!


My version



Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
By the way, I did not make the actual dress. She ordered the plain denim dress and I just prettied it up.

Happy 3rd birthday S & S!!!!!!!!

let us just forget

Let us just forget:

• ...... I haven't written a new post in 15 days

• ...... I promised myself I would have more time for quiet thoughts now the kids are in school

• ...... All of the house cleaning and schedule I told myself I would keep up on (NOT MY HOUSE; but a nice reminder it could be if I don't implement my plan
  

• ...... I considered baking a new type of cookie each week for the kiddos, then reconsidered due to the 1000's of extra calories
  

Let us just remember:

• ...... I wanted to make a blanket for my new niece (hopefully not arriving until November 3rd) and, here it is!

• ...... I had plans to make my mother-in-law some more grocery bags, and, viola!

• ...... Babies are the best thing in the whole wide world; especially when they are named Freddy and are related to you (nephew)

• Those who lost and gave their lives on September 11, 2001

crafty playdate

We know a wonderful family who happens to have three kids like us, but with 2 boys and 1 girl. We decided to have a play date today with me hosting the girls and the boys all at their house. Realizing a crafty opportunity when one drops in my lap, I was quick to plan out the entire day for me, um ....... I mean the girls.

First we rode our bikes to Hancock Fabrics. The girls were instructed to pick out 2 fabrics, a coordinating zipper and some funky trim. The funniest part was listening to the girls comment on how 'cute' the fabric was or picking out something they thought the other girl would like. Lots of giggles, jumping up and down at an 'adorable' find, and matching up colors 'just so.' I can only imagine what a trip to the mall will be like in a couple of years. I'd better stock up on some earplugs and alcohol. For me, of course.

I had seen THIS pencil case tutorial on the web a couple of weeks ago and knew right away it was going to be the project for this play date. School is starting back up in a couple of weeks and what better thing to make than a unique little bag for their supplies.

After a quick stop at Subway for lunch, we made it home and started right in. Yes, I let go of my anal retentiveness for a day and allowed the girls to use my rotary cutter, ::gasp:: my really expensive iron, ::yikes:: and my trusty sewing machine. ::faint::

I have to say, each one did a might fine job. It wasn't so bad for me, either, to give up control and allow them make their own mistakes. The end results were that much sweeter.

Awwwwwwwww.

Just for the record, I do NOT plan out and organize crafts when my kiddos have a play date. This one just seemed right ...... and I needed a sewing fix.

laundry: the drying edition

How can I write a post about making your own laundry soap without speaking of the joys of line drying? The simple act of pinning sheets to the line, hearing the 'snap' as the wind whips through the clothes and the fabulous sun-warmed scent when you slip on a shirt. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Admit it ........ it's old fashioned. Some people say hanging your clothes out for the world to view is tacky, while certain neighborhood associations go so far as to forbid clothes lines. (We do not live in such a neighborhood, by the way) I say: "Who cares!"

I do have standards, however. No unmentionables on the line (i.e. underwear, cami's, socks, braziers, garter belts or thongs) and I cannot stand the feel of stiff/itchy towels that have been line dried. So my dryer is not obsolete, just getting a little lonely and feeling under appreciated. Don't worry dryer! Your warmth will be much adored during the long, cold winter months!

As for my method, of course I have one. I'm nerdy that way.

• shirts hang upside down, loosely, as to allow the wind to billow through them
  
• pants are hung by their waistline (no more dryer-shrunk jeans!!!!!)
• sheets are pinned top hem to bottom hem. Again ....... the billowing effect
• my clothesline is ALWAYS retracted after use. Tacky if not. HeHe
• never leave your clothes to hang overnight. I don't trust nocturnal animals.
• always wear an apron with deep enough pockets to hold your clothespins IN when you bend over to grab the next item from the basket

Let me know if you want me to make one for you. Really, they're very sexy.

Watching sheets dry is my idea of relaxing. Some people have a comfy spot on a dock to watch the soothing ripples on a lake; I have my camp chair on my deck to watch the billowing sheets.

You know what this means, don't you? Yeah ....... clean sheet night.

sneak peeks

We have had a busy weekend and I am sad to see it come to an end. You know when all your projects and ideas come together without a whole lot of mess in between? That is how it has been for the past couple of days.

Our community hosts an annual celebration called Summerfest. Three whole days of activities and things to get out as a family and enjoy. We attended the 2-hour parade and the kids came home with more candy than they did on Halloween. The afternoon was spent with Dave taking the kiddos to the carnival while I stayed home and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Well, the peace at least. I cranked up some tunes and laid carpet tiles in Madison's room.

Speaking of: Here is a sneak peek at the new flooring (story to follow later) and the painted walls. Only two of the walls are green, the other two are white. Oh, and the trim still needs to be done. And the electrical. Sheeeeeeesh

Today was spent doing yard work, running errands with Dave while Mads watched the younger ones, and some time with the sewing machine.

Sneak peek at the 'photo booth' for Ellie's party THIS Thursday!

I pieced together 7" strips of purple and blue fabric and backed it with a plain white cloth. I placed it up on our swing set's platform with double sided tape. Ellie posed so I could get a feel for how well it would work. ::check:: Another thing off my to-do list.

Snack Pouches

Sandwich Wraps

And the last sneak peek of the day is of my snack pouches and sandwich wraps. Last year the girls used SO many plastic bags for their school lunches. I'm not 'crunchy granola', but I did hate seeing all of those plastic bags being used once and then thrown away. My solution involved the sewing machine, fabric, Velcro and rip-stop nylon (flag/parachute material). Machine wash and air dry, of course.

The pouches are a cotton fabric on the outside and a water-resistant (ie, will not hold pickle slices without soaking through ........ okay, Madison?) nylon for the lining. A couple of pieces of Velcro and it is good to go. I plan to improve on these by using a zipper instead of the Velcro. Some of the snacks left messy crumbs in the hook and loops leaving them less effective at staying closed.

Next up are the sandwich wraps. One side cotton fabric and the inside lined with nylon; secured with Velcro tabs. I intended them to be dual use ........ as a wrap for a sandwich (duh) and a place mat. The theory was spot on, but the practical use not so much. The wrap is not air tight, so the bread staled. Also, if you wanted a sandwich with lots of condiments; it got messy pretty fast. I think for the next round I will just make a bigger 'snack pouch' with a zipper closure.

To round out the weekend, we are taking the kids to go and see the Summerfest Fireworks. At 10pm. On a Sunday. Hhhhmmm. What a way to take advantage of the WHOLE weekend!

sneak peak of party flag banner

Since we didn't have our annual 4th of July party to attend, our holiday was pretty laid back. Dave did some more finish work on the drywall and I worked some magic on my sewing machine.

In a previous post, I've mentioned Ellie's backyard carnival party, and this flag banner is something I have been wanting to make. All of the fabric was in my stash, so all I purchased was some bias binding ...... because I am lazy and didn't want to make my own. Have you ever made bias binding? Mind numbing I tell you. If I had a fancy tool to make it go quicker I might reconsider making it; but probably not. We plan to hang the banner over our driveway so the guests can walk underneath it to enter the festival extravaganza!


Madison and a friend finished painting the bean-bag-toss game. Dave took a piece of MDF, cut 4 holes and spray painted the whole thing white. Mads planned out the design (seals) and drew it herself. She had a little trouble with the painting ...... still a learning curve to get over.


Ellie and I made the blue bean bags you see stacked on the floor. Other than party favors, we are just about ready for her party. I hope to tie up those loose ends this week. For now, I plan to clean up the craft room and pick a soft spot on the couch to read a book. Ahhhhhhh.

the way to my other daughter's heart

is also through crafting. Go figure. Since Madison and I made her Wicked bag, Ellie has been plotting and planning out a library bag. We started the project by riding our bikes to the fabric store and picking out the trim fabric. Then, last night, we spent some time on the computer coming up with various designs. Ellie woke up this morning and told me she was ready to get started .... "Come on, Mom!". Several hours and many mistakes later, the bag was born:

I am quite frustrated with the iron-on transfer paper. We purchased a different brand, and this one does not seem to 'set' as well as the one I did for Madison. You can see the peeling on the corners of a few of the book prints. This was from ironing the inside of the bag once it was pieced together. I'm not sure how it will hold up in the long run, but Ellie certainly is pleased and is excited to take it to the library tomorrow.

I asked Ben if he would like a bag and he looked at me with his quirky little grin and asked, "why?". I think he would be more happy if I could make him a new Matchbox car ... out of metal ... and painted perfectly. Um, yeah no. I'll pick one up for 99 cents the next time I stop at the store.

Our garden is looking great and we are doing some clean-up in the yard in preparation for Ellie's carnival party in mid-July. She has already had her birthday, but we decided to hold off on the party so we could spend some time planning, making decorations and getting creative with the games. I'm sure I will be posting more about the party and all of our ideas as time get's closer. Expect loads of pictures!

the way to my daughter's heart

is through crafting. M is extremely creative and if I take the time to slow down and help her, we can make those creative thoughts come to fruition.

Last month hubby, M and I traveled to Omaha to see the musical, Wicked. Grandma B graciously gifted the tickets to us last Christmas for the May production at the Orpheum Theatre. It was a wonderful night, not just for seeing the musical, but for an opportunity to have an evening alone with M in the city hubby and I grew up in. We took her to dinner at a favorite mexican restaurant, Fernandos, and then downtown to the old theatre. I wish I would have thought to bring my camera to take a snapshot of M underneath the marquee. Hubby and I have been to the Orpheum many times, both for personal performances and for taking in a show/production. We walked the halls of the theatre and pointed out all of the wonderful architecture of the place. Remembrances of hubby as a young boy puking in the hallway, to my whorish dance makeup used when I was performing in a dance recital. Ah, memories.

M was blown away by the show and has been obsessed with all things 'Wicked' since. She wears her T-shirt often and proudly, and downloaded the soundtrack to her iPod. Yesterday she wanted to create something with the 'Wicked' theme in mind, so we sat down and formed a plan. Since she is a wiz on the computer, she designed some artwork with pictures from the show. We printed them out on iron-on-transfer paper and decided a bag would be the perfect project. We finished it this morning and both of us are thrilled with the results.

She plans to add some finishing touches ........ names of the characters and the date, place and time of the production we attended. All in Sharpie of course; her favorite writing tool.