Happiness Comes in a Box From Amazon!

I joined the knit and crochet community, Ravelry, and fell in love instantly. There is so much inspiration to be had on this site that I was really overwhelmed! A cool part of the site is seeing other people's projects and where the pattern came from. I immediately got on Amazon and ordered a couple of crochet books that were referenced on Ravelry. I needed to reach a certain amount to qualify for free shipping so I decided to finally get a couple of Amy Butler books too. I have been so impressed with your projects, Katie and Melissa, that I had to see where these great things came from.

I also bought two books from Jo Ann this weekend, The Impatient Embroiderer and a book on appliques. My craft library is getting a little out of control seeing that I have not even attempted much of what is in these books. It is time that I quit buying and start creating! I guess I just want to be prepared for anything!

This is my latest project. It is a full-size ripple afghan for the family room. I just love this simple pattern and I have wanted an afghan for me for a long time. I have been scared to start such a big project worried that I would give up in the middle but I am 2 days in and making pretty good progress. I am hoping to have this completed in a couple of weeks.

We are Ready for the Beach!

I finally booked our week at the lake this summer. It has been tough finding a place that has everything we want and is in budget but I think I found just the place. It is in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. It is on the beach and sleeps all 12 of us (Ry and Jay and family, Lindsey and Mom are joining us). Historically we have gone to the Michigan side of the lake but my dad suggested we check out Wisconsin and it seems like a pretty good deal. I'll report back after our trip!


I honor of this exciting vacation development, I went to work on a summer hat for the girls. Here is what I came up with. It is really light and airy. That was a concern because I want Ella and Grace to keep them on while in the sun. I, of course, had to add a little strawberry Belli to match the edging. Ella graciously agreed to model for me so here it is.




And the Belli is a barrette so here Ella is wearing it on a headband. So fun!

Crochet Bag: Completed

Its not perfect but I am happy with my first bag. I think the next one will flow quite easily. It is a sweet little summer bag!

Yay...More Handles!

Here is the second set. A little bit different shape and a chunkier feel than the others. I love them both!!

The girls and I popped into JoAnn this morning and I grabbed a couple of fabric options for the lining. Can't wait to get this done but I will not lie, I am nervous about the assembly. Oh well, so much of learning can only be done through experience. I'm off to crochet and watch a little boob-tube while the kiddos nap. Toodles!

The First Set of Handles Have Arrived

I am really happy with these new handles. They are much smaller but they are just lovely.

I think I have the pattern re-worked for this new size. This will be more of a handbag than a big purse but I think it will be the perfect little summer bag. I am thinking about making it deeper to get more space. I also think that a longer bag may look better than the original.

I have another set of handles coming that are a more rounded shape. I can't wait to see them! Hopefully this turns out well and then I can make lots more!

Status Report on Projects in Process

Crochet Bag
Had to be taken apart after hours of work because it was going to be too wide for the purse handles. Other issue, I bought what I thought was a set of purse handles from JoAnn.com and recieved ONE handle. What is anyone going to do with ONE handle?? It wasn't cheap either! It was not the quality I had wanted so I am going to return it. Good news: I got on ebay and much to my good fortune, an old purse making shop was purchased and a bunch of beautiful, antique purse handles were found in the attic. I "won" 6 sets of antique wood handles for less that it would have cost me to get 2 crap-o-la sets from JoAnn. Now I just have to get them so I can re-configure the pattern to fit the new handles.

Needle Point
Can't go into much detail (its supposed to be a gift). This is going to probably take me the rest of my life so I don't want to let anyone down if I fail to complete it. We'll see.

Diaper Pouches
Completed 2 but I have a few more to make. Too bad I didn't write down the pattern I came up with. Back to the drawing board with me - bummer and not so smart!

Drapes for the Office
Haven't even found a fabric I like. I have been looking but nothing is jumping out. I am willing to be patient.

Girls Room
Obvioulsy finished.

New Projects to Add to the List

Second dress for the girls
Twins are an absolute blast but one down side is that if I complete one item, I have to make a second. I cannot simply check that box and move on. Actually it is a good thing that I am making a second dress because I have already forgotten much of what I learned on the first one...sad I know.

Embroidered Tea Towels
I have a little tutorial on this in my learning to sew book. I should really get the name of the book for you because I just love it! It suggests I make a few tea towels to practice stitches. I don't really need to practice machine stitching at this point but I would love to practice embroidery.

Pay it Forwards (3)
I am so excited to get going on my PIFs! I just want to get a couple of my new things going and see if that is what I want to give my lucky recipients.


So there you have it. All of my current projects and a couple to add. Helps me keep it all straight to talk out loud a bit. Thanks for listening!

The Girls' Room is Finished!

Mom and I were sewing these drapes until the moment we had to leave for the airport. She made sure that I had detailed instructions for the few things that needed to be completed. I am thrilled with the outcome! The only snafu is that we miss calculated the length of the closet panels. I have to take them down and drop the hem but other than that, I am in love with them! Thanks Mom!

Before

After

This room feels just dreamy. I like to sit in here and enjoy its sweet, sleepy vibes! The other thing Brian and I love to do in this room is rock our baby girls and look out the window at the pond. Can't wait for summer when the full moon shines down on the water's ripples. Who knew a retention pond could be so lovely?

I Officially Have Craft ADD

There is no end to my crafter's ADD. Just as soon as I begin to feel comfortable with one thing, I come across something else that I must try. Please refer to the quote I just added to the sidebar. Describes how I feel to a T. I feel like I have to be learning constantly. Too bad I didn't have this feeling in high school. If I see something that I don't know how to do, I want to learn. It feels almost insatiable. And I don't want to do in later, I want to do it NOW! Is this normal or am I out of my mind? Maybe once I put all of these pieces together, I am going to come up with something great. In the meantime, I am going to follow the insanity and hope it leads me somewhere. Life is an adventure after all!

I am desperate to start embroidering. I mean desperate. Mom, where are you when I need you? Do you know how much I could accomplish with both your expertise AND childcare abilities?! I "met" Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching a few weeks ago while perusing the Internet looking for info on embroidery. I came across a tutorial by her for beginner embroidery students. Her story is so cool like so many other contemporary crafters. I love these young, hip people reinventing things that are commonly thought of as grandmotherly. Her designs are amazing and fun and I am so excited to give it a go! Just ordered her craft pad and it can't possibly come soon enough!

Sammy's New Patchwork Pants

I found this fabric a week or so ago and I just had to have some! I know there is a lot of patchwork out there in kids clothes right now but I just loved this pattern. I knew that my Sammy-Boy needed a pair of pants made of this fabric.

Whipped these out at nap time and I am really happy with the outcome. Imagine warm weather, a "vintage" tee and some flip flops...too cool!

So Cool! Great Book!

I just popped by a blog that I read, Posey Gets Cozy, and found that she took part in the new crochet book that I ADORE! A few of you have asked about the white bag that I am making, it is from this book. I am dieing to make everything in it! Truly ALL of the patterns are fantastic and the photos are just gorgeous. If you crochet you must have this book!

To be honest, I got a little antsy with my crocheting and wanted to branch out and do other things too. I still want to learn other needle crafts but this book gave me back my passion for crochet!

Fun Little Project: Diaper Pouches

With my sister-in-law being ready to give birth at any moment, I have found myself working on little projects for her. She found a diaper pouch on Etsy and really wanted one. I took one look and decided that I would give making one a go. The first turned out pretty well but I had a fabric that suited Meredith more. Here are the two little pouches I made. They are big enough to hold quite a few diapers, some butt paste, and perhaps a changing pad.

Tutu Time

The tutus were a big hit with the girlies. They danced and twirled in them and had a ball. I think all little girls should have a tutu and be a ballerina every once in a while!

Grace

Ella

This is a VERY easy little project. I used the Tutu Tutorial from Plumtickled and I am, well...plumtickled!

Little Cherry Dress

Thank goodness my mom came to town because she helped me work out the kinks in my little cherry dress. I guess I should tell you that I have never taken a sewing class and I really thought that I could just teach myself. I bought my machine last fall and sat for 2 days trying to figure out how to thread it. Not the most effective way to spend my time I realize. I have learned quite a bit on my own but there are just some things that require a real live teacher! Just having my mom show me basic techniques makes me feel like I can do so much more!

Here is the finished dress on my little Ella girl. I made her a headband to match. I am pretty happy with my first clothing project. I am ready to move on to the next thing. I plan to suck the life out of my mom while she is here so I am off to Jo Ann to get some more fabric!





All of the little ones wanted in on the photo shoot so here they are.