A Summer of Being (or Rationalizing Lazy!)

Last spring, when I was scheduling our summer and discussing options with the kids for camps and other things, my oldest told me that he didn't want to do too much this summer.  I think he specifically said, "I just want to relax."  Well, relax we did.

We also sewed, watched movies, spent time at our neighborhood pool, and hung out with friends...

Visited family, participated in a few summer camps and workshops, did more sewing, and went to a drive-in...

Made our own games, visited museums, swam, kayaked, sampled many kinds of ice cream, and slept in late...

Spent time with cousins, and more time with friends.  We had a fun-filled, but also a lazy summer.  Just the way it should be, I suppose.  Or at least that's what I told myself when I was feeling guilty for not updating the blog ALL summer.  These years of being able to really spend time with my kids are limited; I'm grateful for this time just being together.

I'm also ready for school to start again on Monday; for us all to be back on a schedule and to be able to accomplish my own tasks.  But, man, what a lovely, lazy summer!

Itty bitty baby clothes

My new baby niece is scheduled to arrive in this world tomorrow!!  I'm so excited to have a teeny tiny baby in the family again for many reasons, but top among them is the excuse to sew adorable little clothes.  Of course I'm also completely excited for my sister's expanding family and all that other awesome stuff, including the idea of getting to know a brand new person, and smelling the sweet baby smell on the top of her little head.  But, well, sewing tiny clothes is pretty fun, too, right?!

My daughter and I found this cute infant-sized embroidered and smocked top on sale, but we couldn't find any bottoms to go with it.  So I made these little bitty blue jeans.  Okay, they're not really technically jeans.  I used denim-colored linen/cotton (not actual denim) and I didn't add pockets or any type of "jean" detailing.  They kind of look like jeans, though, because of the color and texture, so that's what I'm calling them.  I designed the appliqued knee patches to go with the embroidery motif of the top, but I also wanted it to be simple and graphic, 'cause that's kind of my sewing style.  Hopefully the knee patches are where her actual knees will be -- hard to tell without her here to try them on!

Fabric:  Essex yarn dyed linen/cotton in Denim
Pattern:  Basic newborn pant pattern and tutorial from Made by Rae.

And I made this dress.  I had been toying with different fabrics from my stash for the dress, then I found this orange print from Denyse Schmidt's DS Quilts collection at Joann's.  I like the retro feel and the soft orange color of the print.  It just blows me away that there will soon be this tiny, fragile and amazing person who will (hopefully) be able to fit into this dress.  (I can't quite seem to remember when my kids where that small anymore!)  It has an applique of an asterisk because I like that symbol... and it's part of my business name... and, well, I couldn't really think of anything else except a bird or a butterfly, and those just didn't seem quite right to me.

Fabric:  an orange print from the DS Quilts collection (There's no specific print name on the selvage and I couldn't even find an image on Google in order to identify it.)
Pattern:  Infant peasant dress pattern and tutorial from Sew Much Ado.

I'll be sending these off later this week.  Welcome to the world, little girl!  I can't wait to meet you.

Do I hear an echo??

Someone once told me that if you have a blog but don't post, you don't really have a blog.  Embarrassingly, it's been more than a month since I last shared anything here...  Anyone out there??  I think I can here an echo... Can you hear it, too?  Oh, wait, you're not there to hear it, are you??

Ok, I hope this isn't completely true (although I think it is a little bit!).  So before I vanish into nothingness, I'd better get on with things.

Since I was here last, I appliqued some t-shirts to match pj pants for my kiddos.

I made a gnome and monster softie for my niece and nephew.*

I worked on a really cool bear project that made me both sad and happy.  (More on that soon.)

And my family and I played in the snow, and with cousins, and friends... while I played with photo apps on my brand new iPhone.  Yes, I stepped out of the dark ages, and left my ancient flip phone behind!

Back soon.  I promise!  Oh, and Happy New Year!

*I followed a pattern for the gnome (Woodsy Gnome Doll) found in the book Stash Happy Applique, by Cynthia Shaffer.  The monster softie is my own creation, although based roughly on an ugly doll.

back to school

My kids started school last week.  Third grade for Henry, and Kindergarten for Ellie.  This is a big deal for Ellie (and me!) as it's her first time being in school for a full day.  I felt pretty lost and out of sorts the first day(s) without my cheerful, talkative little girl to keep me company -- she handled it much better than me!  But this week I've settled into a working routine and I'm really enjoying it.  I'm finishing up a couple of projects for publication in a book.  That's right, a book!  My very first.  I'm really excited, and I'm not sure how much information I can share yet, so I'll just leave it at that for now.  Next week I hope to get in a regular routine of blog postings and other sewing, printing, and design projects...  Maybe even an overhaul of my Etsy shop...  The possibilities are endless!

In the meantime, I thought I'd share this back-to-school project with you.  On our school supply list for Kindergarten is an "art smock."  Three years ago, I made a felt applique and applied it to an inexpensive IKEA smock for Henry.  I offered to give that one to Ellie, now that Henry doesn't need one anymore, but she wanted her own.  So, on the morning before the first day of school, I sewed up this dolphin patch for Ellie.

Then I stitched it to another IKEA smock -- you can see from the paint splatters that this smock was already broken in!

Here's Ellie's new patch and Henry's old one.  These were (and will be) used well, and should serve as nice keepsakes to remember the first year of primary school.

Back to Blogland

Have I really not posted since the beginning of June?!  Geez.  I guess I've been on a bit of an unplanned summer hiatus.  I didn't plan to stop posting -- it just kind of happened.  I also lost my camera (!) and had to purchase a new laptop (after my daughter accidentally spilled an entire glass of water on the old one!!).  That might have something to do with it... Other than that, I've been hanging out with my kids and trying to stay cool, mostly.  Then we went on a real vacation last week... to a family lake house.  It was a relaxing week full of cousin-bonding, lake swimming, fishing, catching frogs and other wildlife, more hot and humid weather, yummy late dinners of fresh local food, and even later bedtimes.

It was fun and refreshing.  And now I'm getting back to work.  I've got new stuff to work on and old stuff to tell you about.  For one, near the end of June I sent off my hand-printed fat quarters for the Maze and Vale fabric swap -- and received some really awesome ones in return.  More on that soon.  These are my prints, pictured below.

A few days later, my kids and I watched a crazy storm roll in.  There was this amazing dark cloud that looked like a giant ocean wave in the sky -- and it was moving fast.  In just a matter of minutes, we watched it roll over us and then out of view.  My son said it looked like a horizontal tornado.  None of us had ever seen anything like it.  I can't even remember now if it actually rained or not.  If it did, it only lasted for a few minutes.  Have you seen this type of cloud formation before?  Or a similarly wild one?  Do you know if it has a name?

Random moments

Feeling like I have a lot to post about, and at the same time, very little.  Really there's just so much going on around here -- it's hard to catch my breath sometimes... or have a complete thought.  Mostly, in a good way.  Work has become less crazy for the husband and more crazy for me.  The kids are finishing up their school year -- Ellie has one more week, Henry has two.  We're all looking forward to Summer and, in the meantime, enjoying this amazing Spring weather!  Just wanting to document some of this life... right now.

The entire student body at Henry's school making a giant sun on the "playground" as part of an ongoing effort to raise money for new green space to replace their blacktop.  Pretty awesome, don't you think?!

Making mini chocolate chip cookies (one chip each!) with Henry, just because.  Ellie wanting me to french braid her hair, despite the pinching and pulling, and me trying to do it as quickly and neatly as possible.

Making beer.  The husband, not me.  I just cheer him on and drink it when it's ready!

Sewing (and screenprinting) bags and many other objects.  Me, not the husband.  Getting ready for an art fair next weekend and, two weeks later, one of my favorite craft fairs ever!  See the side bar for more info.

Pretty, happy eggs

I love coloring Easter eggs.  I always have.  I love the way a simple white egg is transformed into something so bright and lovely, so evocative of spring.  As a kid I remember drawing elaborate patterns with crayon on eggs, before dipping them into the dye.  And I remember my dad drawing each of our portraits (yes, on the eggs), then trying to color them just long enough in pink dye to look kind of like our pink skin.  Often, they looked instead like we had been out in the sun too long!  But we loved the effort he put into each careful drawing, my sister and I giggling over the results.

On Sunday afternoon, my son and daughter and I sat down to dye eggs.  My son is careful and meticulous like me.  My daughter loves the transformation, throwing eggs into dye baths with abandon, just to see the surprising results.  This time we used washi tape (regular masking tape would work fine, too), rubber bands, round stickers, and a white crayon to decorate our eggs.  I especially liked the unexpected results, such as the way the pink dye (only the pink!) created a speckled finish for some unknown reason, and the way the color seeped behind the stickers and some of the tape for a tie-dye effect.  My son was pretty disappointed about the latter, since he had a fully formed idea of how he wanted his polka-dot egg to look!

Now my daughter asks every day if we can dye eggs again.  I promised we'd do it again tonight, and I expect we'll find another time, too, before Easter arrives.  It's a good thing my family likes hard-boiled eggs!

P.S.:  My overall favorite is the asterisk egg!  I dyed it in pink first (to get the speckle effect), then in yellow (for a nice warm shade of orange -- my favorite color!).  But, really, I love them all.

2012 Goals

New year, new lists.  I love the potential that comes with a brand new year.  And I'm really good at writing lists, although not always so good with the follow through.  I suppose it would help if I actually looked at the lists again after writing them.  I started this one yesterday and thought it might be best to record it here.  Then it's official, right?  I'll now be bound to it more so than if I just keep it to myself, and, heck, maybe I'll inspire you to write your list, too.  So in lieu of resolutions for the new year, these are my official goals for 2012.  This is not by any means exhaustive, and I'm sure I'll add to it in the coming days... and months.

Blog regularly.
Make my first quilt -- something simple, so I'll actually finish it.
Create a better, more organized, work space for myself.
Learn a brand new skill.  Not sure what this will be yet.  Maybe learning to use a serger... or perhaps a business or computer skill.
Make homemade bagels AND cream cheese.
Be accepted as a vendor at Renegade.
*Finally hang the prints and photos I've been collecting since last March for a wall 'o' art in my living room.
Try some new local restaurants (and have more "date nights" with my hubby!).
Get more projects/patterns published.
Continue to grow my business.
Make enough in profits so I can afford to buy Abode Illustrator.
Write and post a tutorial here... on this blog.
Design a chicken softie and make a bunch for the shop.

*I started this one today -- just need a few more frames from IKEA to finish it up!

I'd also love to hear your goals for the next year, if you care to share them.

Cheers and happy 2012!

Etch A Sketch Masterpiece

Ok, so it may not be a masterpiece, exactly... but this temporary miniature objet d'art did warm my heart.  My four year old daughter was drawing on her Etch A Sketch recently, when she exclaimed, "Mom, look!  I made a sewing machine."

I love that that's the object she pictured when she looked at this drawing.  A sewing machine.  Of course it is.  I'm so proud!

Gifts

The kids and I had an impromptu party last night.  After all, who doesn't have an It's-Sunday-Night-And-Tomorrow-Is-President's-Day-Which-Means-No-School-Plus-We've-Been-Stuck-Inside-All-Day-Because-It's-Cold-And-Rainy party?!  The hubby left to catch up on work at the office and, so, missed out.  (We were happy to have him home for most of the weekend, though.)

I think Ellie had the idea first -- to set up for a party in her room.  Then Henry suggested we all make presents for each other.  This is the best part of these parties.  With me helping occasionally (and working on a surprise of my own), the kids worked diligently on their presents for a good 45 minutes.  Ellie made a card for Henry and they each made artwork for me.  For my art from Ellie, Henry, in his teacherly way, drew an outline in pencil for Ellie to trace and color in, then he added some final details that she couldn't draw herself. 

For Henry's gift, I suggested a holder for his markers (after all, it's been kind of driving me crazy to find them in piles on the floor all the time!).  I cut off the bottom of an empty orange juice carton, Ellie picked out some colorful wrapping paper, then we glued the paper onto the container together.  Henry had some trouble coming up with an idea for his gift to Ellie, until she reminded him that she likes pirates... and Scooby-Doo.  Then he got to work.  He asked me to sew some felt into a pouch, but he made the rest himself.  He even added a little handle for pulling the "treasure" out of the pouch.  My surprise was two "Busy Bee" awards, made with medallion-shaped graphics cut from honey-flavored yogurt packaging (noticed while I was carrying it to the recycling pile), some colored construction paper, and safety pins.

The party itself didn't last long.  It began with a short awards ceremony.  Then there was a bit of dancing, some puzzle construction, and several games of tic-tac-toe.  Finally, we exchanged our gifts.  Henry and Ellie both LOVED the presents they received from each other.  The best gift for me was the joy on their lovely faces, watching the two of them working together, and, of course, seeing all the creative juices flowing!

The kids proudly wearing their badges.  And Henry's marker holder.



Ellie's pirate Scooby-Doo treasure and pouch.



Art for me, by the kids.

Finally, I have to share one last thing.  Henry asked me to help him make marble runs with our favorite wooden blocks this weekend.  This photo makes me smile.