Three Dancing Magpies

Pillow Talk Swap . . . Love this Swap

2012-01-27T20:51:00.004-05:00

Dear Partner in Pillow Talk Swap Round 7,

Hello and happy stalking (my favorite part)! Since blog posts seem a thing of the past for me, I thought I might use this space . . .

Inspiration Mosaic for this round. I think what I notice when I look at my favs, pinterest or mosaics I have made for the last 7 rounds of this wonderful swap is . . . I love patchwork of any kind with bright colors, jewel tones or graphic prints mixed with a neutral (linen or cotton). I used to be fussy with fabric lines I like and now I realize, I really like every line. If you throw in a little hand-stitching I might just faint!

Most important for me, is for you partner to make something that inspires you. So if you are dying to try something, go for it! A special size or shape, I am game. We are easy to please and very appreciative of anything you make.

The we in our house is one lovely husband, a nine-year old boy, and a dynamic four year old duo - one girl and one boy, oh and me! I am your somewhat typical 45 year old mom who can't say no. My days are filled with running our two little kids from activity to activity, being the PTA president of son's grade school and driving all three kids from activity to activity every night. We are way over-scheduled and over committed and this is the year I plan to slow it all down. I try and carve out time for me and have found time recently at the gym and in my sewing room. Flickr is a great place for me to dream and on occasion I actually sew things! I apologize for all the Blythe craziness you will have to weed through in my stream . . . I got a bit carried away and now am trying to downsize the hobby. Part of the fun is sharing it with my daughter who loves playing dolls and then we have a family project going, we are building a dollhouse. The kids have really loved being creative and having fun with this silly family project. We are slowly making progress! Okay back to pillows . . .

After making the mosaic above I realized that my likes seemed a bit narrow, so I gathered some of my all time favorite pillows since really joining into the flickr fun and came up with this mosaic.

(the first pillow in the upper left is a pillow I lusted after and ended up doing a private swap with Amanda. I now snuggle with a very similar pillow on our sofa each night!)

Also partner to make your stalking more streamlined, here is a link to a previous pillow post where I reference other past pillow posts and this one describes places where pillows might hang out in our home (the kids have grown by two years but rooms are the same!)

Thanks in advance for all your efforts!

Pocket and Petal Pillow Pattern- My test run and a chance to win a copy of this pattern for yourself!

2011-12-07T16:42:00.011-05:00

Okay, I made something to keep at our house and I think I am in love. It even made me come out of blog hiding! It is made from this awesome new pattern, available here.

Pocket and Petal Pillow Pattern, say that three times fast . . .

I love flickr and all the wonderful online friends I have made in the past four plus years through online swaps and bees. One of my favorite parts of swaps are getting to know people you have been partnered with. The little bit of stalking to determine their likes and personality often brings you close. I have been super lucky to have been partnered with some amazing people. I have even been partnered with a Modern Quilting Rock Star or two . . .

I had the opportunity to make some Urban Home Goods items for one said Amazing Quilting Godess and Star, Nova. Over the last two years we have shown each other lots of flickr love and have had fun getting to know each other. Her first Pocket Pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap really tickled my fancy. In the pocket she made a little boy and girl. I crushed hard on that pillow and in my mind decided it was made for me! I have three wonderful children, including a toddler boy and girl, who at the time were three. The fact that a little boy and girl lived in the pillow made it mine. You can imagine my surprise when someone else received it!

So when Nova asked me to be a pattern tester for her new pattern, based on one of my all time favorite pillows, I said YES!!!! I am by no means a expert seamstress and with two toddlers, a 9 year old and a ton of commitments, I don't sew as much as I would like to. Really the perfect person to test her pattern. The pattern is great. Tons of photos, great explanations and lots of room to change things up or make exactly as shown. Nova has found her calling, she has a knack for making things simple and straightforward. I give this pattern a big thumbs up and plan to make some more!

Check out Amber's, Kerry's and Kelly's test runs, they are fabulous and really show how fun and versitale this pattern is. Here is one Nova made that I also went crazy for.

I have a couple in the works for holiday gifts, but here is my first finished pillow. We love a good holiday pillow and one with a pocket has the kids over the top excited!

Here is a close-up on my favorite parts of this one!

A few details on my pillow. I used lots of my holiday favorites and my all time favorite red striped fabric, cut straight for the pocket and back trim and on the bias for a candy cane effect on the binding. Cut into my all time favorite Spoonflower home dec fabric by Mummy Sam (who I hope to meet, she lives a half hour away). I paired it on the pillow back with some wool felt yardage I just bought for another holiday project. I quickly ran some stitching over it and love the look, texture and feel! Finally a little of my very favorite red and white check gingham ribbon!

My little kids have been showing the pillow lots of love, but at a 20 inch square size it is hard to see Ellie behind it! I love a big pillow and this one is sure to please!

Nova was very generous and is allowing me to giveaway a copy of this awesome pattern. Just leave me a comment on your favorite holiday tradition or just say hi! I am gearing up for our favorite tradition, making and decorating gingerbread houses. Each kid (and if I have success when baking the houses- the adults) decorate their own house on Christmas Eve. For the past two years we have been making our own,

details on my friend Stacy's blog, who helped me transition from the kits to making our own!

I will keep the giveaway open until mid-night eastern time on Saturday.

Frogs, Pillows, Photo Shoots and a Lazy Sunday - Keeping my promise to play with kids for at least 2 hours each day

2011-10-09T13:07:00.004-04:00

Am going to try and blog a bit more often . . .

Have gotten up early with Ellie the last few days and we have been busy. She helped me take some photos of the pillows I finished last night. They are both for swaps. The first one is paper pieced and has lots of curves. Not something I would try without a bit of a push. When I saw my partner's mosaic, I ordered Alex Anderson's book right away and set to give it a try. I was surprised at how I got the hang of it, once I actually started to sew.

Got a bit carried away with the hand stitching. One of those things that once you start you just can't stop. She asked for colors of the sea, I think these are perfect! I will ship it to it's new home soon!

I am having a big love affair with Japanese test fabrics from Suzeko Koseki. Paired with the scrappy Japanese X&+ blocks I am in total love. I started this pillow before the swap partner names were handed out. It doesn't fit any of the requirements my partner mentioned or does it resemble anything in the mosaic she did, which will teach me to jump the gun! But it is really a happy accident, because I worked on them both in stages and will have to do that will all pillow making from now on. Making a second, really doesn't take double the time. You are in the zone and a pillow is the perfect project. Piece one or add an hour and piece another. Quilt one or quilt two, you have the machine out and ready! Make one back panel with a zipper, why not do a second. It was really a time saver!

Red, black, aqua, grey and cream . . . a favorite combo for me for sure! I love binding pillows and the touch of red and white stripe makes it perfect to me.

Since Leah had on a matching dress, I couldn't resist getting a shot of her.

While I was taking photos of pillows, Ellie set up her dolls and busted out the Hello Kitty camera. I have been making a point of sitting down with her and playing dolls, games, etc each day. We had a blast dressing dolls, taking photos and giggling all morning.

We got this wonderful outfit, Devout Dolls, and had to put it on Casper. She is such a cute Brownie and now is ready for Halloween.

Sam woke up and it started frog fest. The two of them started small, by catching one and it lead to 12 captured and relocated frogs. They took their work seriously and soon climbed into the window well to rescue the frogs stuck between the window and screen.

Hope you are having a great day. We are enjoying this fall weather and having lots of fun!

Bl♥ved - Stars and Stripes 34/365

2011-07-03T23:04:00.001-04:00

Bl♥ved - Stars and Stripes 34/365, originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Pillow Talk Swap 5 . . . aka "the quickie"

2011-05-22T21:09:00.012-04:00

Pillow Talk Swap 5 . . . aka "the quickie", originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

Here is the mosaic for round five. I also thought it might be helpful for you to see my thoughts around this swap since the beginning. I still love all the pillows in old mosaics, but those fav'd photos are hidden in my crazy amount of things I favorite right now!

Here are some old related posts:

Mosaics made for rounds 1-4

and a very random, hard to read yet packed with details on color where pillows might live in our house!

Here are the pillows I have sent in rounds 1-4

Here are the pillows I received for rounds 1-4

Can you believe all the great pillows that have been sent and received in this swap? Every time I look at the flickr pool, I just am in awe. I find myself looking at the four I have received and holding them close . . . way to much to be normal! This is such a great swap and I want to thank Kelly and her sister for taking on the organizing this round. Also for all the angel pillows they have made . . . THANKS!

Spring Kids Clothing Week Challenge

2011-05-15T12:19:00.005-04:00

Okay, I started out strong . . . the first four days I was able to make something! My free time doesn't seem to happen anymore around here until at least 8 pm and each day it got later. The fourth night I started my project at 10:30 and finished around 1 am. I was just too tired by Friday to keep going and I figured I got four things done!

Meg on her blog, Elsie Marley, started a challenge last spring. Spend one hour each day for a week and see what you could get accomplished sewing clothes for kids. Now the group is over 400 members strong with lots of kids outfits under our collective belts. The flickr group is a great place to go for inspiration if you have any kids sewing to do.

This year I decided to play late Sunday night, so I didn't have the luxury of thinking through the projects, getting the patterns and fabric ready, etc. I just decided to wing it. Also I concentrated on clothes for Ellie only. Let's face it, the boy stuff I made last year was kind of ugly and they didn't wear the items much, where Ellie wore her skirts and dresses so much they are really worn out. Girls stuff is also a lot more fun to sew. I know my two boys feel a bit left out, but I pulled out a ton of old dino shirts of Max's for Sam and he was thrilled and Max got a couple new Under Armour shorts and tops and he thinks he is the stud of all 8 year old boys. So it is all good.

Day One - Started after 10 pm, so went with the Simple Skirt in Sherbet Pips for Moda! Love Aneela's line for both quilts and kids clothes! Used a great tutorial, www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-simple-skirt.html

Day 2 - Still needs elastic in the sleeves and the neck elastic secured, but needed to wait until she woke up to measure and try on. Sorry for the bad photo, this one is still not done and I have forgotten the pattern I used. Will post about it later. Looks cuter than the photo!

Day 3 - Used Scraps from making her big girl bed quilt to make this fun sun dress.

Used this pattern, www.etsy.com/listing/61524690/carol-jane-dresses.

Day 4 -

Pattern from Whole Grain Baby, Little Mod dress. Used a fun Kokka Cotton Canvas print. The heavyweight of the main fabric, adds to the look of the dress I think. The pattern recommended a home dec weight. Love how this one came out, but a bit hard to attach the yoke to the dress.

As I write this post, I am thinking I might attempt either an Ice Cream Social Shirt from Oliver & S or perhaps a quick shirred sundress. We will see! Either way it has been a great week and Ellie has some new outfits to show for it!

Potholder Pass 7

2011-05-09T20:35:00.003-04:00

Instead of dwelling on the fact that I have taken a break . . . I decided to just get back into it! I have become a bit obsessed with Blythe Dolls, started and finished my sons elementary school yearbook and am focused on trying to get in shape. So before I sew, blog or even look at crafty stuff, I have to work out.

Love the Potholder Pass Round 7 which included making a re-usable grocery bag and also two non-round potholders. I just sent my package off today. When I posted the photo to flickr quickly, I posted the wrong one, showing the extra's I sent. I am sure my partner figured out it was for her when she saw two pieces of HTF and OOP fabric from her very short ISO list. Oh well, she lives really close, so I am guessing the box will arrive in the am! Here is what I sent:

A Jane Market Bag sewn with Echino Oilcloth on both the inside and outside. I made one for us and my husband loves it, he can wipe it down quickly and then keep it in his car. Not to mention I used a more manly Echino print. I hope she likes it.

Then you can see the round pot holder, which is from this book. A little dishtowel with a fun large hexie patch sewn on, some handmade fancy pins and then some fabrics. You can't see the long potholder that is hidden under the rest of the loot. Here it is.

Of course as I was looking up her address to print the label this am, I noticed I had read the colors she wanted and left one off. She asked for grey, orange and aqua. Oops, forgot the aqua, but I am hoping she will forgive me, this fabric combo in my view is awesome!

On the topic of forgiveness . . . I must admit I sent a bit of my very small remaining piece of grey flea market fancy seeds and split my remaining HY of AMH Cathedrals in dusk, as a sort of bribe for my sloppy stitches and quilting. If I had the time, I would have re-made this stretched out potholder, but time ran out. I figured a potholder gets trashed after one messy meal, so it was probably all good!

Today I was thrilled when I pulled these two babies out of the padded mailer! For some reason I thought it was some fabric I just ordered from a Canadian ETSY fabric seller, so it came as a big, happy surprise! My partner Val made the perfect bag for me. I LOVE it!

It is from Penny, Sew Take a Hike's pattern. You can find it here. I purchased this pattern and can't wait to give it a go!

Here is the non-round potholder Val made. It is the perfect colors for me, natural linen, brown, cream and red. Love the fun prints. Isn't it fab!

Okay so I promise I won't be gone so long . . .

Here are a few other little things I have worked on in the last week or so.

Pillow top in Pepper's favorite colors for a friend.

A miniature sized Bento Box pillow in the fun new DS Quilts fabric.

A miniature house pillow made for the Modern Blythe Swap and a wonderful hat made just for my partner by Maidensuit. I am finishing up items for that swap and hope to have it on its way soon.

Third Grade Writing Assignment too funny not to capture

2011-03-10T10:41:00.006-05:00

The teacher asked the kids to write a persuasive letter that asked for something outrageous. Here is what Max came up with. He is 8 and a half right now. (mom, click on the letter to enlarge it)

Here was our response to the request.

Thank you for your letter asking for a mansion. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide such a grand home because of the expense. Instead we plan to save our money to allow you to go to college and one day buy your own mansion!

We're happy to address your need for more privacy in our current home as well as becoming better organized so you can have enough storage space. Also, we LOVE your suggestion of cleaning up after play dates. A large mansion is not a requirement for such an act, however.

Lastly, we love spending all our time with you. If we lived in a mansion so you can "stay out of our way", we'd never see you! Have a great day in school and we LOVE you!

With Love-

Mom and Dad

We thought we were pretty clever with our response. He came home and said he had to read it aloud in the class and everyone thought it was funny . . . but him! His response, "nice try on the cleaning up after myself front". And yes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree . . .

What happened to February? Oops forgot to blog!

2011-03-01T17:59:00.003-05:00

I am really not sure what I have been doing . . . I think I will blame it on the LONG, COLD and very SNOWY winter we are having. Then I always have the two three year old excuse, they have both been a bit on the needy side lately. I have also gone a bit mad for Blythe dolls and have been making clothes for them, buying little miniature items, little photo shoots and the most fun part, playing on the floor with Ellie and Sam and using our imagination with the girls. Ellie's enthusiasm has only spurred me on, and lets face it, it really didn't take much.

This is Ellie with Trixie, she brought her to pre-school for her show and tell letter D day.

I finished and shipped my items for the Urban Home Goods Swap. This round has amazing and it is really a swap not to be missed. Make sure to check out the items so far on flickr. I loved my partner's mosaic, isn't it wonderful with all the natural linen and mustard tones.

I ordered a bunch of mustard solids and some worked together and some not so much. In the end I used one solid and then all the mustard prints in my stash, which is sadly a colorway I am lacking. Here is the pillow I made. It was based on this one, a tutorial Heather made for Sew Mama Sew.

Pillow front

pillow back and yes, it is sporting a zipper!

I am nothing if not predictable and made a Jane Market Bag. I really love this pattern and must make a few for us soon. My local quilt shop, KC Custom Fabrics is carrying a few rolls Echino Laminate and it is awesome. The market tote really has a great feel with the laminate.

I also spent a day at KC taking a workshop by Amy Bradley. I learned lots of fun tips on machine applique and the new workshop space at KC is amazing. The best place to take a class. A huge space, with tons of table space, light and a great lunch room. With all the fabric downstairs and also the sewing machine store under one roof is great if you need anything! I finished three blocks and turned one into a pillow for Ellie's room.

Pillow front from Hoots Pattern Pillow back with zipper!

Although I have been eyeing the Blythe posts for a couple years (and had one in the 70's as a young girl), having a daughter to play with pushed me to the edge. The Modern Blythe Lovers group and its first swap pushed me over. Here are some of the items I made for my partner. I ended up sending a lot of small items I purchased because little is just plain fun! I didn't take a photo of the package before sending it . . . oops.

I received a great swap package from Jessie, Yarntini, but will save it for a post in the next couple of days. It is so special it deserves its own post. Thanks again Jessie!

Finally I will leave you with a few shots of our girls, aren't they lovely? I have done a lot of knitting for them and it is fun to get the needles out again. I love sewing for the kids, since it is quick and easy . . . miniature sewing for Blythe will take some practice, but it is almost instant gratification!

The lovely Rory . . . I really adore this girl!

Miss Trixie has stole our heart and her pink hair makes her officially Ellie's doll. Everything pink in our house is automatically claimed.

Our cool chick, Crickette

Cristina, natural beauty

Sam, our first girl, and oh so sweet. She will go to the spa sometime soon. She is lovely.

Obsessed with all things small and cute

2011-01-22T12:13:00.005-05:00

I love little things. I especially like sewing and knitting for little people. The cuteness factor is high and the time involved low - what a great combination! Another mom at Skidmore pre-school, had an adorable baby boy, just before the holidays. With all the Christmas madness and family visiting, I just didn't pull a gift together.

Enter snow days, lots of them. Finally a little time to sew. I had had these cut out forever, but finally decided to sew them together. The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings Book and they couldn't be easier. Also they are reversible, which when out with a little one could be very handy! I was in such a hurry to get them off, that I failed to take a photo of the reverse. Inside one pair is a cute print of Paris and the other features bikes. Very fun!

The flickr world has really been inspiring to me. I must admit I have been drawn into things that I probably don't have the time or money to even be considering. But the call of lovely photos and all the fun friends are having . . . was just too hard to resist. Also I have logged hundreds of hours with Ellie dressing princess girls, barbies and now little Pet Shop Blythe dolls. So I decided why not step it up a notch and then entered Megan of Lucy and Norman. She got the Blythe bug a while ago and quickly had lots of dolls. She offered up a couple of her girls for adoption and it just seemed like they were destined for Ellie and I. (I know shameless to blame it on almost four year old)

So without any further ado . . .

meet Sam and Astrid. They will be coming to live with us soon. We can't wait!

At the same time we were finalizing the adoption, I found out a gift was on its way to Ellie and I. They left Japan on Wednesday . . .

I am still very much in the learning stage of all things Blythe, but I figure the more the merrier!

Also one of the first people I met when we moved to Saratoga 5 plus years ago has had a neglected Blythe and we plan to have a bunch of fun together. Here is Becky's Blythe, Ameila, and her awesome blog.

I started to make a sweater and have ordered a few pairs of tights, shoes, etc for the girls. This weekend Ellie and I plan to hit our sewing studio and get busy making them some clothes! Ellie and I created a new corner for her to iron, sew and fondle fabric alongside Mommy. She often wears her veil while sewing, which is a key accessory as far as Ellie is concerned.

Ellie's sewing corner

OKAY, Now for my other dirty little secret . . . I have always thought that doll, bear, barbie collections were a bit crazy. I am a little worried about being the grown woman that plays with dolls, you know, the silly doll lady. BUT in the end, I have decided to go for it and enjoy! So if you think I have gone a bit nutty . . . you are probably right, but don't bug me because I will be playing with my dolls!

Check out just a few of the thousands of wonderful photos of Blythe, here is one of my favorite groups of photos.

Urban Home Goods Time . . .

2011-01-12T18:13:00.002-05:00

In coming up with a mosaic and filling out the form to join the latest round of the Urban Home Goods Swap, I realized a couple of things:

1. My likes and ideas are all over the map.

2. I am not sure if I had myself as a partner that all the colors, ideas and random thoughts would help me to pick an item or two to make.

So partner if you are reading this . . . I love swaps when I am given so many ideas that I usually find one or two that really excite me. Also I find it hard when someone is too specific or gives you one fabric line, etc. I feel compelled to make what they want and go and buy the exact fabric they want in order to please them. I am not that person. I really want someone to make something for me, that is fun for them to make. So really I would like ANYTHING and I pretty much like ANY fabric. Okay, that being said . . . here is a mosaic of some things I like and some of the past mosaics. I also included a bit of a history of this swap so I would have it all in one place. Thanks in advance for spending your time making something for me!

Here are my inspiration mosaics from the first two swaps:

Round Two

First Round

This has been such a fun swap. Here are some of the items I have received . . .

sewing machine cover received from Lisa, lpinette

Received from Colette at The Threaded Nest

Tablerunner in red and aqua, clutch I have used everyday since I got it and really need to replace it has gotten that much use! and a initial iphone case which has also got too much use and is almost threadbare!

I have also had tons of fun making stuff for this swap. The first time around I made some placemats and a grocery tote for Leslie of lesleyandsara.

The second time around, I made items for Nova and had a lot of fun creating for her. Her is what I came up with.

Here is a blog post written for my partner before round 2.

The flea market fancy pillow of my dreams and a New Year's sewing resolution

2011-01-09T10:17:00.005-05:00

This is what I received from Amisha. By far this is my favorite holiday gift. All my favorite fabrics sewn together by hand and with all the white space, the fabrics just shine. Thanks so much Amisha, I LOVE IT!

Sometimes I think to push the envelope and really have fun, we all strive to come up with very elaborate pillows, quilts, etc. I marvel at the construction and work that go into all these fantastic pillows. They are works of art! Swaps have been a wonderful way to have a WOW piece come into the house. I am not sure I would take the time to make myself such a showcase piece like the Flea Market Fancy Cathedral Window Pillow Amisha made for me.

As I often struggle to come up with new ideas for gifts or when making something for us, I realized recently that a few simple pieces allow the few WOW pieces to really stand out! Simple allows me to actually make something, and when I get too crazy I tend not to finish what I start. (unless it is for a swap with a deadline!) The wonderful fabrics that I obsess over tend to stand out more when they are featured in a simple design.

So I have decided to embrace simple for a few months and actually make some things for us. Every time I finish a swap, Steve or the kids always ask why I rarely make things for us. That is going to change this year. I am going to set more realistic project goals for the items I make for home.

Yesterday I actually put this new approach into action. I cast some stitches around mid-day, quilted and felted during naptime and sewed it all together after everyone went to bed. It was a few hours worth of work in total.

I challenged myself to take a fabric I love and pair it with some texture. Varying the fabric for me adds depth and layers to a project, it gives it life. First I took out the knitting needles and created a striped square with a wool/mohair blend. Then I felted the wool and blocked the "fabric". I quilted the Echino bus fabric with two layers of batting in a simple line pattern with contracting thread. Cut the felted fabric and sewed the two pieces together. A little topstitching to hold the two together, a simple envelope backing, using the pattern of the fabric to make an interesting back.

And Viola, a new, fun pillow! I LOVE the combination of the felted wool and the canvas print.

I must admit I was feeling a bit homesick for Seattle last night as we watched the Seahawks beat the Saints. The game was fun to watch and the shots of the city, as predictable as they were . . . throwing fish at Pike's Place, a barista at the original Starbucks in the market, a shot across the water looking at downtown from West Seattle and then looking down on the city from the crest of Queen Anne. It looked like a great day and scenes of Seattle always make me miss home!

Ellie is still in the New Year's spirit. She loves the tiara my sister got her in NYC and has worn it for the last week straight. She is also still trying on new outfits with glee. This is a little number that Grandma Sue had under the tree for her, minus the sunglasses, tiara and hot pink shoes.

I am off to clean the pink nail polish off the floor, chair, etc from the pedicure Ellie gave Sam this am. I tried to take the polish off of Sam's toes (really his whole foot) but he insists on keeping it on!

Happy New Years and a little meltdown!

2011-01-02T14:33:00.010-05:00

I was just about to write a lovely post with photos of all the wonderful traditions and fun things we did. But to be honest . . . I am just too tired! We did have a WONDERFUL holiday. My mom, sister, brother-in-law and my niece joined us from Seattle and my Steve's brother and mom spent as much time with us as they could. It was great! I made three gingerbread houses that we decorated Christmas Eve. Wonderful meals were made. We had a little snow storm with just enough snow. We drank so much wine that my friend at the recycling center asked how many parties we had . . . The kids loved being with family and just hanging out! On New Year's Eve we had a great family time . . . and celebrated Steve's birthday which happens to be the 31st!

The last 48 hours however have been a disaster. The stomach flu came to our house and has not been pleasant. If not sick myself . . . I have been holding, cleaning or caring for a sick child. We have ran out of sheets, towels and plastic bags. Then just now when I was starting to claw my way out of the laundry mess . . . disaster struck.

We have an upstairs laundry . . . which is really a bad idea. I found a blanket that I didn't realize had been violated by last nights sick kids and I brought it up for a good soak in the utility sink. I started the water and walked away. My mom called to tell me they arrived in Seattle safely. We started to talk . . . soon Steve started to yell and yes . . . water was overflowing from the sink and going into the kitchen below.

Now if this was the first time that this had happened . . . I wouldn't be quite as upset, but you see I have gone down this road now THREE times in the last five years. It always happens when I am so tired I can't take it anymore . . . So instead of a wonderful, meaningful post . . . my new year's resolution might be a simple one - either move the laundry room or not use the sink. Enjoy the random assortment of New Year's/Steve's birthday shots and who knows I might get around to a holiday wrap-up or 2010 wrap up sometime in February. For the time being I will be replacing drywall on our kitchen ceiling or maybe just finishing off the bottle of champagne!

Does anyone know a good handyman that also happens to be a plumber?

Sister Karyn and Max ringing in the New Year

Ellie enjoying her favorite gift, a princess dress and the tea party set

Little outside fun in the park on New Year's Eve

Ellie blinged out and cuddling with Uncle Eric on New Years

(just before she got sick)

Fun in the park

Uncle Tony, Steve, Max and Uncle Eric at mid-night

Happy Birthday Steve

Living room on New Year's Eve

Ellie dressing Fancy . . . Aunt Karyn gave her the tiara and she put the rest together.

She loves metallics this season!

My sister Karyn, Mom and I at midnight and after many a cocktail

This elf is running out of pixie dust . . .

2010-12-17T20:09:00.004-05:00

I love it when this . . . .

turns into something like this . . . Ellie's "A Big Girl Bed Needs a Big Girl Quilt" quilt is quilted, bound, washed and crinkled to perfection. It is wrapped and ready to go under the tree. My only mishap was this cute label . . . is now almost a complete washout. I will have to recreate it and sew over the top of the old one.

I also have finished this one for my mom, I was in such a rush to get it under the tree I didn't even take a photo . . . it is big squares of Figgy Pudding from last year and this year with a scrappy binding and fun pieced back, sashed in medium grey kona. I really thought I took a photo, but sadly did not!

Another small quilt for a new baby on our street, that was such a rush, I failed to photograph it as well . . .

The fourth and final quilt made since Thanksgiving, is one I am still working on. I joined Cara in her awesome Urban Lattice Quilt-a-long. It was the perfect quilt to tackle as time on my quilting for x-mas time was fading away. Check out all the great ones made in the quilt-along here.

Here it is before it was quilted. It is now quilted and needs to be squared up, bound and washed. I am just not feeling up to it . . . I think maybe a glass of wine and my flannel pj's and cozy slippers might help me find my mojo. Or at least put me to sleep and I can stop worrying about it.

Here is the front-

and this is the back

I am going to bind it in the solid sage green. I can't wait to get this one done!

Like all little elves this time of year . . . the list is long. For sure I need to make finish (start) four more pillows to go with the two I have already sent to Seattle. All the Meyer/Ott cousins will have matching pillows made by mom/aunt kirsten under the tree! Here are the two for my brother's girls: (okay it looks like I didn't take photos of the two I sent, just this one photo which shows most of the Rosie pillow . . .)

So the question I ask myself every December when the holiday burn-out begins and I am not even half-way through my to do list is, why don't I start this madness months earlier?

Okay off to get busy in the workshop now that the little people in the house are fast asleep!

Starting the Preparations!

2010-12-05T14:51:00.003-05:00

December 5th and we decided to turn on the holiday in our house. We are a bit slow at pulling the full Christmas decor rip cord . . . but we started with a few basics today. Outside lights, the kitchen and placing of the general christmas chatskies! We are waiting until next week to trek to VT for a tree, we are expecting some snow next week to make it a little more special.

Holiday cards get me a little nutty. This year I was going to be better. I ordered them ages ago and of course haven't started to write notes or address them. I so wish I took the time to catch up with dear friends with personal letters. Oh well, I guess there is always next year and now at least there is facebook! I do love the cards this year . . .

Here is a little holiday eye candy for you! We were lucky enough to be a vendor sharing a side with the very talented papier moon primitives at the Saratoga City Center Craft show. After sneaking peeks all day, I had to pick up a few . . . doesn't this look lovely on the kitchen shelf?

and then of course an aqua santa could not be overlooked!

Although primitive is not my usual cup of tea . . . I really am loving these and the work she puts into them is amazing! It was lots of fun to get to know the artist and learn all the work and talent she puts into each piece. She recently opened an ETSY shop and I have a feeling it is going to be a big success!

Pillow Swap Four - Cozy Winter Pillow

2010-11-23T07:07:00.003-05:00

I must admit I have a love/hate relationship with winter. The kids still need to get from place A to B and I am not a fan of driving in the snow. Driving the 45 minutes back from Max's weekly soccer game last night, I realized soon I would be doing it on snow covered roads. The morning shuffle to school for all three kids is a bit more crazy when you add hats, coats, gloves and boots into the mix.

But for all challenges the snow brings I love snuggling in for the season. Sitting together as a family with a roaring fire, the little kids playing with blocks with Daddy and Max and I on the couch me knitting/hand sewing and him reading/small electronic device is just heaven. For this whole to work for me, I require cozy pillows and quilts to complete the picture. So when the velveteen came into one of my favorite fabric shops I knew that I had new plans for the pillow swap.

My partner asked for a pillow with lots of negative space, but other than that she was pretty open. She has young children and I thought a big cozy pillow would be fun. Anna Maria Horner's new Innocent Crush in the velveteen is amazing, buttery soft and so tactile. The colors are amazing and in my book it makes for one luxurious pillow. I hope my partner feels the same. I worry when I don't make a crazy over the top pillow, but I love the less is more approach and I am fairly certain looking a her blog and flickr stream this pillow will be right up her alley.

The music has stopped and our game of bedroom bingo is officially over!

2010-11-14T07:29:00.007-05:00

The cast is off and I can sort of type again! The good news is sewing doesn't hurt much! So in honor of my fingers freedom, a quick blog post!

Remember the game of musical chairs from childhood? We have been playing that game for the last three plus years at our house and I think either we are going to move into a house that is just one huge bedroom and put two king sized beds together or finally declare a game over! Max was so excited when Ellie and Sam were finally born and each brought home from the hospital after our years of infertility struggles and adoption hurdles that he wanted all three of them to share a room or at least he and Sam could be roomies. From there for various reasons over the past three years we have worked through all the combinations from all three together to all three apart and everything in between. They have also been in all three of the rooms, including taking over a guest room and making another room for our guests.

Finally everyone is happy and in their own rooms. A few months ago this included saying good-bye to the cribs and purchasing big girl bed for Ellie, Sam inheriting Max's bunk bed's and Max getting a new larger bed. We are also starting to decorate each space and for me that includes making them each a quilt or in Sam's case a set for their beds. The boys bed's have bedding that will work for a bit, but Ellie has only random blankets, so I started with hers. For now the walls are a spring green from when we didn't now whether we would be blessed with a boy or a girl (it worked great when we found ourselves parents to one of each!) I plan to paint it a aqua blue perhaps someday soon, but made a fun quilt that will work with anything. I must say I love paper piecing a string quilt, but it does seem to take forever!

It was so fun working with all my favorite scraps and gathering a few new ones! Here is a closer look

Using Ashley's wonderful String Block tutorial found here. Also lots of fun examples of string quilts on flickr here and here.

I am almost done with the back and it will be off to Courtney at KC to be quilted. After the new year I will start on quilts for Max and Sam. Next up for me on the quilt list should really be a quilt for my mom for Christmas, but before starting that I think I am going to take on a quick one for my brother-in-law for the holidays. Along with my husband and their mom, they have had a hard few months since their dad unexpectedly passed away this summer. I thought maybe a special quilt would keep him warm and cozy. He is a big guy and needs a manly quilt. I feel in love by this awesome quilt from Cara and since she is nice enough to start a quilt along . . .

Check it out and join in the fun. I love the thought of this one and think it will come together pretty quick. At this time of year a quick check off the list is a good thing! I hope to get started a bit today!

Note to my children if they ever read this later in life . . . I love you all so much, but please stay in your beds all night. Last night dad and I ended up getting out of bed and going downstairs to the guest room when you all ended up in our bed around 2 am. Is it really that lonely in your own rooms?

Pillow Talk Swap Mosaics

2010-10-23T23:19:00.002-04:00

I thought it would be fun to look at the photos I have put into mosaics for this swap the past four times. It shows that yes I tend to love the same pillows and the same styles, but also that I just am so inspired by everything made by this fun group.

Round 4 Mosaic

Round 3 Inspiration

I love all these pillows!

Round 2

Round 1

As I add these photo to the post I LOVE all these, especially the two in the bottom row corners. The fresh white gets me every time!

Thanks Heather and Kerri for this swap . . . it has been a fun one to take part in. The inspiration is fantastic and really makes this whole sewing/flickr addiction FUN!

Short and Sweet

2010-10-17T20:46:00.003-04:00

Three weeks into my cast on arm induced blogging, sewing and creative break . . . missing everyone! Since I am typing with one finger, I will keep this short . . . here is what I was able to finish with the help of my kids and a friend . . .

Tree skirt for the Savvy Seasons swap using the new Moda Bliss. It is a great line and a understated take on the holidays . . . my partner suggested she would love this for holiday decor and I think it will be right up her alley. I plan to use this fabric on some upcoming projects myself.

I had plans to make a bunch of little items and had an stitching project half done . . . so switching gears I decided to let the fabrics help me make a bold statement and I must say I love the outcome . . . I hope my partner will like it, with little kids in her life I think it will be great. My kids wanted to keep it and love all things holiday.

I even cut into my favorite Shinzi Katoh holiday prints . . .

I will have to write a much longer post about how much I have come to appreciate on-line friends both new and old. Two great swap packages came my way in the last couple weeks.

A mug rug and fun goodies from Sue -

How can someone read your blog and look at your flickr photos and just know what you will love. This is such a fun and perfect mug rug for me! The stitching is fab and the whole thing is so fun! Thanks again Sue!

Then I was lucky to matched with a online friend who has been so wonderful to get to know over the last year. She was partnered with me and was supposed to make a couple of potholders . . . well lets just say the potholders brought friends! LOOK at this package, I am still fondling everything and making sure no one spills on the potholder or coasters!

Thanks Linda, I am crazy for everything and just LOVE the farmdale prints!

Okay I want to try and add links to this, but I am off to take a pain killer . . . perhaps trying this wasn't such a great idea, just wanted to say thanks and I am still around and miss everyone!

Have a great rest of October! We are getting ready for a visit from some dear friends from the UK and then my college roomate and her son. It will be fun having guests the rest of the month, I love a full house!

Tina Given's Sent me a little package!

2010-10-02T21:48:00.005-04:00

Look what arrived on my doorstop a few days ago . . . a wonderful package from Tina Givens. No, not just her fabric from a store, but an actual package from Tina with a note to me! I was planning on participating again in the Kids Clothing Week Challenge (check out all the great kids clothing items people made) this fall, it was awesome all the stuff I made the kids during the Spring. I had seven full days of projects ready to go, pattern and fabrics . . . when I injured myself (more on that later). Tina had a post on her blog about the challenge and she generously offered a pattern and fabric to people who were taking it on and sewing one hour a day making clothing for their kids.

I think the hand written note from Tina was my fav! By the way I have got to get some of her stationary, it is so fresh and fun!

I have pre-ordered her new book, Sew Tina, and was anxious to give the zigzag girl dress a try. I love the crossover bodice and have been looking for a pattern. I mentioned in the note on her blog and it showed up with fabric to make one!

With a little help from my eight year old son . . . he did the cutting for me! Here is the fruits of our labor in just about an hour. It is a great pattern and a fun little dress. I can't wait until Ellie wakes up to try it on her and finish up the sleeves and hem!

The reasons I haven't been on flickr much, sewing or taking part in the kids clothing challenge-

(sorry for the patching style of this post, but I had to cut and paste parts of this because my hand is starting to swell and throb from typing)

For a couple of months I noticed when waking up that my hands were still asleep. Then it got worse last week and I started to feel tingling, burning, and numbness in my hands and sometimes up my arms. I freaked out. Tons of things ran through my mind - heart attack, stroke, MS, etc. I moved up my yearly dr's appointment and found out . . . I have a bad case of carpal tunnel in my right hand and moderate case in my left.

Without realizing it, I have had a mild case for years, finally have started working out every day lifting weights stressed it to the breaking point. I had no idea carpal tunnel could be this painful- the brace is helping and most of the numbness, etc is gone.

So . . . for six weeks I am not to type, sew or really do anything I enjoy. Hope to finish little projects, but hand work will be out! Ughhhh. Typing is out, but I can use the touchscreen on the ipad to keep up with my flickr and fb obsessions. Guessing not a lot of blog posts, but hey what else is new.

I promise lots to show the next time I post!

Falling into line

2010-09-24T13:09:00.005-04:00

This week we finally got into the groove. Ellie and Sam had their first full week of activities and pre-school and Max is going strong. All three of them are busy, which in turn keeps me crazy busy. I am thinking about picking up my needles and making some hats and gloves for the kids, since I find my time sitting at their activities a lot and could be moving my hands! Also I just ordered the sequel to my favorite knitting book, Last Minute Handmade Gifts, from Purl. I thought it was a signed copy, but sadly it wasn't. It did allow me to order some of the new embrodery thread Purl is carrying! Super excited to make a few things from the new book!

all time fav knitting book!

new book!

The little kids had a very happy week and one day were so in the zone I had to take some photos. I love when they are being nice to each other . . .

after pick-up on their first full day of Skidmore College pre-school - Sept 2010

Ellie put this little number together herself, minus the coat and I couldn't get over how cute she looked (I know I am a bit biased) but how fun when things you pick up from different stores and even from different years, come together to a fun outfit! The dress I bought when she was an infant at a going out of business sale and held onto it for three years, together with tights bought on a whim due to a love of stripes and then her new school shoes and coat . . . together so fun!

The Savvy Seasons swap has been keeping me busy. I get so crazed with finishing the swaps so I can not have to worry . . . that I don't get any other sewing done. So I am trying to finish it up this week. A great week with new TV shows to sit and stitch binding. This week I quilted a bit each night, then made the scrappy binding strips and last night started to hand stitch the binding. I have a night or two left and it will be done! I LOVE the Bliss line and am thrilled at how this is coming out. I took it with me to KC Fabrics last night for our Thirsty Thursday stitching night and my peeps have me really wanting to keep it! I always promise that I will make the same item for us . . . and this time I mean it (unless of course I get one from my swap partner!) Here is a quick peek of how it is looking.

Also so excited to get some Heather Ross prints that Amber and I ordered from Spoonflower in the Sateen. I am thrilled we choose to go for it, the prints look wonderful!

Okay off to help in Max's class . . . we are making applesauce.

Christmas in September? 1970's addition

2010-09-19T15:34:00.007-04:00

The Savvy Seasons swap and all the holiday fabrics have me in the holiday decor crafting phase. I love the holidays and just can't resist all the fun projects centered around them. This year I plan to make a holiday quilt for us and maybe a pillow or two.

The swap has got me thinking about my favorite decorations from years past and trying to recreate them. My partner was pretty specific in her requests and she is also one of what I refer to as the flickr elite. Anyone who reads this little blog knows that I get a little worried about my sewing ability when sewing for others. The quilt blocks this person makes are A M A Z I N G and since I know I can't create any complicated piecing jobs . . . I am relying on color sense and fabric choices. Through some stalking of my partner's blog I found out that the new Bliss line is a favorite. So off I went in search of some and let me tell you . . . it is a great line.

Here is where I stalled out. I could not find a pattern I loved for a tree skirt, so I decided to create my own from my favorite tree skirt we used growing up. It is not the traditional rounded skirt, but a quilted skirt with 8 blades if you will. I traced the skirt and have pieced together the top so far. I am loving it and now just need to decided how to quilt it. I am leaning toward straight organic lines. This skirt I love is a really awful 70's print that really wasn't all that festive, I just really loved the shape!

sorry for the random sneak peak! I have pieced with the jelly roll every other fan of the tree skirt and then used the print shown in red or the same print in green on the alternating one.

The exercise of decided what I liked from years past also got me thinking of ornaments. My mom made amazing stuff in the 70's. I really loved two sets . . . she did dough art for all of us and painted them in great little sports outfits or really whatever we were into. It was a ton of fun and they really felt special. Then she made some felt ornaments from a kit, that I just LOVE. A fellow flickr user posted a photo of the set recently and my quest began to find them. I had checked on Ebay before with no luck . . . but today I found them! I am keeping my fingers crossed I will win the auction!

Finally I have been playing around with some another idea of three nesting baskets in some fun holiday colors to go with the tree skirt. Here is my first prototype and I will tweak it a bit. I need to find something else to use as the base. I think I will make one for us to store the cards that come in. Maybe even as a gift to give to the neighbors with a few goodies tucked inside. Here is the smallest size and what I have so far! Loving the new spoonflower design from Laurie Wisburn . . . could it be printed as a Kaufman print next fall? We can only hope!

the inside looks like this

Before the partner assignments I started to work on a little hoop . . . not sure if I will use it, but will keep going on it. It is from Annie Oakleaves that I bought last year, but now it is easy to get them from Kerri at SewDeerlyLoved.

Have you started any holiday crafting? It will be here before we know it . . .

Love the Urban Home Goods Swap

2010-09-17T07:29:00.004-04:00

My favorite part of the swap is waiting for the partner I made for to receive the package. Upon awaking this am, I saw that over in Australia a little package arrived for my fabulous swap partner, Miss Nova . . . and she loved it! Her blog, a cuppa and a catch up, has been a staple of creative inspiration for me. I must admit I was a little worried about my abilities when making for one of the flickr rockstars, but after posting a few photos in the pool, Nova was always one of the first people to jump in with sweet comments and she even *favored* a few of the items. So I decided I am at least a flickr solid karaoke singer and I wouldn't fret, but just have fun!

Isn't it great participating in these swaps and knowing that unlike your critical mother-in-law or pregnant friend who you are pretty sure would rather have a gift from a store, you are making something special for someone who appreciates it? I love that part of the swaps!

So Nova mentioned she liked gray, blue, green with a touch of red . . . which is a favorite combo for me as well. I had so much fun breaking out some fabric that often sits on the sidelines and watches . . . grey and blue seeds and some large blue bouquet. I even cut into a Aunt Cookie panel. It made me want to sew with fabrics I love more often and really I have been the last couple weeks! I vow to continue and it is Sew with your FMF month, as proclaimed by Amy of Badskirt.

Here is what I sent to Nova.

The craft or craft show apron, tea cozy, mug rug and a bunting with her name. The cream and sugar set is my personal tea time favorite and I found another set at a fun new kitchen store . . . so thought it had to be sent as well.

here is a full view of the bunting

and a complete view of the tea cozy. I used a pattern by Retromama and will be making a few more cozy's, it is a great pattern. She is even having a contest to win the pattern! It fits over my trusty chantal tea pot and keeps the tea nice and warm!

Later today I will take some photos of the wonderful items I received in the swap from Colette and the fun story behind it. Off to photograph hat day at school for the yearbook and then to soccer and swim class with the little kids. So this will be a partial post for now!

Rocky start but good outcome

2010-09-08T20:19:00.004-04:00

Now that we are entering third grade, we are old hat at first days of school. He did wake up early and came into our room dressed and ready for the day! What a change from sleeping in all summer long. He was excited to tackle the day and see all his friends.

The little kids didn't feel the same way . . . they didn't want to lose their best buddy for the day. All day long they wanted to know when Max would be home!

The ever popular backpack photo.

This year is a bit different in the fashion, music and just general attitude. He is an eight year old who is influenced by older kids in the neighborhood, on sports teams and at camps he attended. We went to the mall last week for shoes and he really wanted to pick out some "fancy" t-shirts that weren't his usual sports teams. He asked to go into Aeropostale and he picked out some t-shirts, a hat and a lovely chain with a dog tag on it. I was proud of myself for keeping my lack of enthusiasm for the fake chain in check. He knows he can't wear it to school, so really it didn't do much harm. I am learning with the music choices to pick my battles for the ones I can't live with losing.

Here he is from the weekend with the new hat and he is feeling very stylish and cool.

I need to dig out the first day photos I have taken in front of this lamp post since pre-school. He is really getting tall!

I took a couple shots of our bus stop to use in the yearbook for school this year. It is a job I took on with a friend last year and lets just say . . . tons of work! This year I vow to keep up with it throughout the year so it won't be so much work in the last couple weeks.

I love this shot from oldest to the youngest kids. We have 6 Kindergarten kids on our street this year, three at our bus stop! What fun! The only problem today was the bus didn't really show up! It broke down earlier in the route and a new bus was sent. Not a great way to start the year. We ended up driving the kids and just as we were leaving the neighborhood with minutes until school started, the bus sped onto our street. Lets hope Friday the whole thing goes a little better. Yes you heard me, we had a day of school and now we have a day off for the Jewish holidays. Not sure why we didn't wait for Friday or Monday to be the first day . . .

Max is a rule follower and our house is actually its own bus stop. We often get lonely and go and hang with the neighbors a few doors down. Max always feels like he is breaking the rules and he didn't want to break them on this first day. Ellie and Sam always wait with him. I was waiting to get the shot of them waiting and the bus pulling onto the street, but this year that didn't happen.

True to form, we didn't get many details. Looking forward to chatty Ellie's school days and actually knowing what goes on. I did learn that - he likes his teacher, she is nice, lots of his favorite peeps are in his class and his favorite part of the day was learning that one of his best buddies, himself and the teacher are the only three Red Sox fans in a sea of Yankee loving New Yorkers. He is quite anxious to learn to write in cursive and is thrilled that they will learn slowly.

Have a great year Max - we are thrilled, proud and expecting you to try your best!

P.S. I started writing this post around 8:30 and Max was fast asleep . . . the first day of school is draining!

When a virtual face becomes a real one - Pool Day with Miesmama and Mamalovestoread

2010-09-03T10:28:00.005-04:00

What a wonderful experience flickr has been for me. To have an outlet for creativity and to be truly inspired by others. The swaps have pushed me out of my comfort zone sewing wise and also I actually finish things in a timely manor, that if I was making it for us . . . lets face it, projects probably wouldn't get finished.

The other real fun part is meeting new people that you tend to have a lot in common with. Becky, Miesmama and I have been friends for almost five years when our oldest attended a co-op pre-school together for two years. We started a knitting group of a few of the pre-school moms and when the kids were in school, once per week we would knit in the library. It was a lot of fun to teach friends to knit and we all became close. For me that is the best reward of getting together to stitch . . . often not much stitching gets done! I think after the yarn shop and years of knitting, sewing was something brand new and inspiring to me. Flickr and the fabric swap group had a ton to do with fueling my new obsession. Becky got me into flickr to begin with, although she had yet to join in on the quilting swaps. I suggested a few groups and she jumped right in about a year ago and is gone swap mad like the rest of us . . . and is loving it!

We have been getting together the last few weeks and stitching while our kids swam. They have been lovely days by the pool with the kids content, allowing us hours to catch up, stitch a little and swim. On a whim I thought about Colette, mamalovestoread, and knew although she lives 30-45 min away . . . perhaps she might have a reason to come into Saratoga and want to get in on the fun.

Colette and her lovely nine year old daughter came this week and we had a wonderful time. It was like the three of us had known each other for years. We had a lot of fun discussing all the various swaps and the fun we have been having. It was great fun and we plan to all get together on a regular basis!

I didn't get much stitching done, but I did manage to get the binding on the fourth and final project for the UHG . . . and as a jumper onto every crafty bandwagon that comes my way

my first mug rug! It measures a little shy of 6 x 11 and I am really not sure how I ever lived without a coaster/placemat for a mug and a treat. I will for sure be making a few for the winter around here to put the kids hot cocoa and cookies on! I joined the scrappy mug rug swap group and am looking forward to seeing what I receive to put my coffee and tea on.

I was so thrilled with this little rug . . . I had to test drive it with the bunting I made for my partner and explore all its potential. I think it makes a great trivet for a tea pot, placemat for cream and sugar with room for spoons, works with big mugs, expresso cups or just regular sized coffee cups. Such a versatile little piece of patchwork!

Thanks again Becky and Colette for a lovely day!

Simple things make me smile . . . bunting edition

2010-08-30T15:04:00.005-04:00

Natural linen, aqua/red/grey, flea market fancy and bunting . . . as the song goes, these are a few of my favorite things. Making this little bunting was so fun and it really makes me happy just looking at it all cute and festive. I have a feeling we are going to have a few open surfaces sporting some bunting in the upcoming months.

I am thinking Happy Birthday Bunting, Happy Valentine's Day, Earth Day, Happy Holidays, Happy Halloween, maybe even a few silly ones . . . Santa, Noel, Ho/Ho/Ho . . . how about the kids names on some for their rooms, or the word play, explore, go wild in the playroom. Brace yourself family this house is about to become buntalicious. We will see how long it lasts, I think one of my favorite parts of the bunting I just finished was the scrappy bias tape paired with the linen and the fact it was made using my favorite HTF/OOP fabrics might make it hard to duplicate.

Okay enough of the bunting crazy talk . . . here is a sneak peak of the bunting made for my Urban Home Goods partner. I am pretty sure she might now I am her partner, but if I showed the linen side of the bunting, it would be a dead giveaway! So here are some random bunting shots!

This little project really only took a few hours to complete and I think the cutting and ironing took longer than the sewing. It was fun to practice poppy treffrey style coloring on fabric in making the designs and letters. I can see where one could become addicted to drawing with thread!

The main thing I worked on late last week and over the weekend were my blocks for the 3 x 6 bee. Most of them are in the mail and here are all 6 together. The block is based upon this tutorial from Twin Fibers. It is a wonderful block and would make a great pillow, wall hanging, etc . . . with something special in the center square.

The best part is they are all in the mail and I can breath a sigh of relief, that another deadline has been met!

Okay off to make some more bunting . . . the kids loved it and I promised them!

Bee Blocks on the brain

2010-08-27T12:26:00.003-04:00

Okay so I have spent WAY TOO much time stressing and working on this quarter's bee blocks. I have no idea why it went south . . . but I think now it is just me not paying attention!

I was determined to learn to paper piece and do a 10 point star. I spent HOURS working on four blocks and only one really came out good enough to send someone. I did learn a little and I promise when I am not under the gun time wise, I will go back and master this block. Here are some photos of the good, the bad and the ugly.

the good

the bad

and the UGLY!

Needless to say I was stressed, I didn't want to give up . . . but I just don't have two hours to work on a block and then have it crash and burn when sewing the two pieces together. I was blog surfing and cam across this lovely tutorial from Twin Fibers and decided to change course.

I have now made four of these and when loading the images into flickr I realized for one, I added a color in that the was not requested. At this point I am banging my head against the wall. So I am back to 3 down and 3 to go, with one lovely block for me to use at a later date!

Here are the three I have so far. This block takes me about 2 hours to finish as well (including fabric cutting) but at least when I am done, I know it is something I can send!

Block for Karie, she asked for blue, orange and white or gray.

Block for Marianne, she asked for lime green, soft pink and grey.

Block for Valerie, she asked for purple, grey and white.

I hope to get these finished this weekend and then I will be in a good position to get all swaps mailed and delivered on time. I look forward to getting back to the Urban Home Goods Swap!

I have two projects basically done and want to work on a few small fun items!

This morning the kids and I reviewed our list we made in June of fun things to do this summer. After finishing his cereal Max pushed the chair back and told us it was time to "sieze the day" and check a few items off our list! Too funny. I am getting ready to leave on our adventure, but not sure I have the right seize the day clothes!

Rainy Sunday and 360 degrees of chaos

2010-08-22T16:46:00.004-04:00

This lazy rainy Sunday started out to be so ideal. We woke up and all hung out this am, I finished some hand-stitching on project 2 for the Urban Swap and had great expectations for the day! We got the kids ready and went to our favorite diner for breakfast. The place was so crowded with tourist on their way to the Saratoga racetrack, but we waited our turn and enjoyed ourselves despite the crowd! Then we took a wonderful drive to extend the outing. Driving in the rain is peaceful! Finally the natives were restless and we knew we had to bring them home and enjoy and inside day. I was hopeful to get some sewing in . . .

I got my second project (can't tell you yet, it is a secret swap) done for the Urban Swap with the exception of the binding, which should get done tonight. So I started feeling that good feeling of checking things off the list and making something I feel good about sending to someone . . . So I decide to take my chances and let the kids continue to play on Steve's watch (he sits on the couch watching sports and surfing his favorite Boston sports blogs . . . ) and keep sewing.

So onto the 3 x 6 Bee blocks . . . which I am the caretaker for our hive and have yet to start! I kept waiting to find the perfect block. I also want to try stuff I haven't done before. I decided to tackle a 10 point star and try paper piecing for the first time. I was able to sneak off to Staples and enlarge a template I found on-line. They couldn't get it quite big enough for a 12.5 inch block, but I wanted to add a border anyway . . . so off I went.

It started off great. Picked fabrics quickly and got to work. Then failure, I couldn't get the center points to match . . . at all! I ripped the seam three times and finally decided to finish, just so I could see if I really wanted the border. Here is what I ended up with

The top and the bottom halves are not centered right, no points match, the points on the bottom got lost and it is just an all over disaster. I plan to keep trying tonight and work hard to see if I can get it right. I really think that is the beauty of this bee to get out of your comfort zone and learn something new.

While I was sewing this is what was happening around me. It will take days to recover from the mess three kids and one husband made in a couple of hours . . . not to mention the sewing mess I have been making for weeks, it is much worse than anything the kids could do! I stood up from the sewing machine and took photos as I turned around in circle. Here is the 360 degrees of mess (including opening one sewing closet).

Ellie fighting the humidity today Mess on the dining room table

Mess on the sideboard Steve's spot on the couch with remote and laptop

Sam's fleet all lined up One of Ellie's piles that is everywhere

fabrics in the closet from recent projects or newly purchased that need put away

Under my sewing table that just got thrown under when the doorbell rang today and some friends stopped by!

So friends is it worth checking out for a whole day and just relaxing . . . I think so, even though my block was a bust, we all enjoyed the day and I like cleaning big messes for days to come!

Happy Sunday night!

When all else fails . . . semi-naked painting

2010-08-21T07:41:00.002-04:00

Okay so it is getting close to the end of summer, a few weeks until activities start up again, a couple mornings a week of pre-school and Max will enter third grade. I have had to try a little harder to entertain. Dropped Max at camp in the morning and he was picked up and went to a friends house for an overnight. Ellie and Sam miss him and get bored when he is gone all day.

Late in the day I had played all the princess girls I could muster and zoomed cars with Sam for hours . . . I had to resort to taking the clothes off and getting out the paints. It kept them entertained for at least 45 minutes, which was long enough for me to crack a beer and get dinner started . . .

Once I had found my calm again, I gave them a quick wash with the hose and was able to make it through the rest of the night until bedtime. I have to say it was a good night after a VERY LONG day! It is getting easier and I remind myself that I will miss these days at some point . . . but for now sometimes I just have to find a way to make it through the day!

Happy Blog-a-versary Megan!

2010-08-20T20:45:00.003-04:00

Happy One Year of Blogging to one of my favorite on-line peeps! Thanks for inspiring me with all your wonderful projects, stories and photos of your wonderful red wines! I feel lucky to get a glimpse into your life. This is quite the generous giveaway, check it out and take a peek at Megan's blog if you haven't visited before. She has produced some amazing quilts this year. Here are a few of my favs:

fmf

little folks

drunkard's path in bohemian

While you are looking around here blog, you might just want to wish her a big Happy Blog-a-versary and enter her generous giveaway for an amazing rainbow of OOP and HTF gems!

Thanks again Megan for a great giveaway!

Megan just sent me a little care package to brighten my day and let me just say . . . THANKS! You are a great friend and very generous, I really appreciate the sweet note and helping me get my sewing mojo back!

Hustle Award

2010-08-17T22:07:00.005-04:00

Max has a great basketball shirt with a slogan that reads "hustle never rides the pine". I think it is perhaps a slogan I try and live by. I might not always be the smartest, most talented, etc . . . but always know I try hard and am trying to instill that in our children. So I must tell you Hawthorne Threads just really blew me away. Usually I give one of the kids my hustle award for the week, but this week it has to go to Charlie and Lindsay.

I was drawn in my their wonderful newsletter showing me eye candy I could just not pass on . . . I think I placed the order around 3 pm on Monday and it arrived in my mailbox at noon today. Granted we live about 45 minutes north of their location, and the USPS should get some credit . . . but they cut, packaged and got that order on its way! Thanks so much and all I can say is you have made the starting line-up in my book! Here is what they sent me . . . yummy, huh?

The scale of the elephants is great and they are really CUTE, even cutier in person.

This one speaks for itself and says . . . WOWZA! Leicen

New AH and so close to their old Downtown Dot that I really loved, but love these colors even more!

The black with the fall color apples is fantastic. I think some clothes for Ellie in this for sure!

Loving these two and my new favorite color, grey. It is my new black . . .

I think this grouping might be my favorite and the colors are so wonderful!

Started working on the second project for the Urban Home Goods swap and of course the iron spit up a bit on the fabric and it looked like a little rust . . . ughhhh! A quick hand wash and it is all good I hope! I think I am gonna love this project and who knows if it will actually leave our house!

Posted a question on irons and how to solve my dilema on flickr and had some suggestions of trying a clean with vinegar. It was not a fun task, steaming vinegar through the iron, but it did get out some rusty looking bits. I am going to give it a go in the am and if it doesn't work . . . off to buy a new iron. I love this cheap little number, but maybe will need to upgrade.

Cutting into the Good Stuff!

2010-08-15T09:04:00.003-04:00

A stack of my favorite fabrics, quick skinny dip in the pool at mid-night, time to myself and staying up way too late . . . priceless! Starting to get a little spring in my step and some sewing mojo back and loving it! I had a fabulous Saturday night both with the family and after they went to bed. I think I just needed a little time without my three (okay we can add Steve to the mix as well) so four whinny demanding peeps in my head! Wow has life changed that I find staying up four hours later than everyone on a Saturday night and sewing bliss . . . but it was!

I cut out fabric when the little kids napped and got the patchwork almost done for this Urban Swap project. We had a picnic dinner out in the yard and Max directed his brother and sister in a crazy little dinner show. The fish tacos were a big hit and they were dancing across the yard, eating their tacos and having a wild time. Max begged for a fire and some s-mores, so it turned into a party. Being the all-star mom that I am, I brushed their teeth but failed to wash their sticky faces before sending them off to bed. Steve, Max and I played a few games until the fire went out and then they went into bed just before mid-night and I decided to have some fun!

Here is what I came up with as Project 1 for my partner in the Urban Home Goods Swap - a craft and/or vendor apron. I am in love! It is inspired by Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki.

The patchwork ties are for sure a new obsession. I think any time you sew bits of fabric together, iron, fold, iron, sew again . . . and you get this magic- I am in! The ties are way too long, but I love to wrap ties a couple of times around to get the cool vendor look going . . .

Started off with boring canvas and decided to use the good stuff. I ordered this on ETSY from Japan, but now that you can find it at Hawthorne's and even though I can't drive the half- hour to Albany any more to pick it up from them, it is a one day delivery! They are out of it right now, but I can wait patiently for the restock! I love the elephants with the patchwork and hope my partner does too!

Have had a couple of Aunt Cookie panels for about a year now and have decided to start using them. They are so fun and I think add that perfect touch to this project. Also this grouping of four really sums up my partner for me. It has been so fun stalking her blog and flickr and I have been an admirer of her sewing for a year now. I said to my swap mama how I was a little nervous making stuff for a sewing rock star, she of course said all the right things, but in the end my sewing is a bit on the karaoke side . . . but it is the effort that counts right? The inspiration from this group is off the chart, check out the flickr pool if you have a moment!

Finally I have a pledge to make . . . I will cut into and start sewing with my favorite fabrics. If I run out . . . who cares! It was so fun using my favorite fabrics on this and it just makes me smile. I was smiling sewing with them, cutting them, ironing them . . . I just L O V E Flea Market Fancy Large Blue Bouquet and Grey Seeds together. Add in the red ovals from Blank Textiles and the Aunt Cookie panel and I am in heaven. How about you partner?

How do you break a slump?

2010-08-10T15:28:00.004-04:00

Ughhh. Since going on a wonderful vacation in April, life around here has not been a bowl of cherries and I have found myself in a big slump. A slump as a mother, wife, and my creative side as well. I think the slump started with Steve's infection he picked up in Mexico. We struggle to stay ahead of the kids and our commitments on a good day, but when we added a hospital stay, crutches, visiting nurses into the mix . . . life got away from us.

Fast forward six weeks and the sudden death of Steve's father and especially for Steve, the slump continued. I am not sure which is worse, battling a slump of your own or helping those you love with one they face? Having my mom to talk to and around with us the last 10 days really helped me to realize that it is time for me to step up a little more. I have taken on tons of extra stuff that Steve handles and that coupled with him sleeping downstairs in the hospital room we have created . . . has me missing him a bit. Also I miss seeing him smile. The kids miss having happy parents. Pretty sure we have passed our slump onto them a bit. They wonder when Grandpa is going to come down from the sky with his new friend Kevin (when people have told them Grandpa is up in Heaven, they understand it as his friend Kevin) I think we actually have turned things around for the kids, getting them back to their routine and spending lots of time with them. Much harder on Max then the two three year olds, but at 8 you tend to bounce back pretty quick and also he has the whole ability to think for himself thing going on. So here is where the silver lining of this story comes in and a feeling I needed to make sure I captured in print . . . what I learned from an 8 year old and little league baseball.

Max has had the opportunity this spring and summer to play on a baseball all-star team. He loves baseball and has been thrilled to be a part of this special team. They had a cinderella season and became the team that just kept going. Sports in Max's young life has always pretty much gone his way. He is a bigger kid and gifted with some athletic talent and some brains, a good combination. This experience for him was the story of the little fish in a pond of some much larger, more experienced and a little older fish. In short, Max made solid contributions to the team, but for the first time in his young life he was not one of the team leaders. He struggled a bit to find his way. He along with a few other kids on the team were moved up from the Bantam group, where they faced a batting machine instead of live pitching. He started off hitting okay, but as the team kept advancing and the pitchers faced got stronger . . . Max struggled with confidence. He started to come to the plate a bit defeated. It was so hard to watch our always confident and positive kid struggling. (note to max if this is ever read later in life- tons of great hits and plays did happen both in the state tournament and the mid-atlantic championships, you had a great experience) In two recent games however, he struck out five times in a row. He was in a slump.

Here is the fun part of the story. He realized after those two games that the only way to get out of his batting slump was to face what was going on. On the way home from the second game, he asked me and some others, how he could shake this thing. Then he thought about it and realized that it really was a confidence thing, he knew how to swing and just needed to think positive. He needed to swing the bat and have some fun. So he did. An older brother of a friend on the team, took the boys out the afternoon before the last game and he shook off the curse. Or at least he changed his outlook. They ended up losing the game by one run and not advancing to the finals, but it was a heck of a battle and great game. Also they were the first team in the history of our town to even get to a regional tourney and to tie for first in the pool, they did great! He ended on a positive note and is committed to practicing hitting all year, so he will be able to make the transition to the new league without having to face another slump. In the car going home, he told me that HE had to decide for himself to break the slump and it was in his head. You just have to shake these things off.

I actually think the kid is on to something. I have decided to change my mindset and get out of my funk. I am hoping it will be contagious and help Steve as well. My day with the two little ones has been great. Getting back to being a boy enjoying summer has been great for Max. He is attending real old fashion swim, games, hike, etc. kind of camps in the woods the next two weeks. He mentions he misses Grandpa, but that getting back to life has helped. Just like the batting mom, you have to put it out of your head for awhile. Smart kid, huh? So Mom is going to get Dad back in his groove and we are going to find our mojo. I don't know about you, but being happy and positive is really such a better way to spend the day.

From a creative front, it did work for me today. I am a bit over committed in flickr swaps and decided to take care of a few. A sense of accomplishment is a great feeling and I love the items I made. First I finished a clutch for the gather clutch swap and I think it is fun and great. I hope my partner feels the same. Had a hard time getting a sense of what fabrics she would like and what I had that might have a vintage feel. In the end, I just had to go for it and stop worrying. I think it was a solid double.

Then I finished this am with my two little helpers a pair of potholders and a fun little towel. I am not sure if I will use them for the Potholder Pass or the Urban Homegoods swap. I think I will see if either of my partners remark on them or perhaps make a second similar set. I love this fabric grouping from Robert Kaufman and paired with linen, black, white and red just can't be beat.

So friends, how do you get out of your head and break the slumps in life you face?

Eight Years

2010-07-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

So hard to believe that Max is 8 today. In someways it seems like only yesterday he arrived on the scene and then on the other hand it seems that he has always been in my life. Can't imagine life without him and am so proud and blessed to be his mother. We had a wonderful pool day with some of our friends - his and mine- and Grandma Sue visiting from Seattle. Five boys, three moms and a few younger siblings thrown in . .. the perfect day and we all had a great time. We had pizza and cake and Max really enjoyed himself. Love this new low key approach and the impromptu birthday party.

After dinner tonight, we had a small family celebration with a cupcake and sparkler candles. These candles make every party lots of fun! Max loved it!

He is such a sweet, fun, loving and often wild boy. Every day he attacks with a energy and zest for life. Steve and I are proud to be his parents.

Looking at this photo taken tonight, I must admit I almost don't recognize him as my baby. He is growing up so fast and I often think . . . he can't be just 8! Then we are often reminded how sweet, young and innocent he is!

Happy Birthday to Max. We love you like crazy!

Inspiration for Urban Home Goods Swap - II

2010-07-28T08:04:00.002-04:00

Inspiration for Urban Home Goods Swap - II, originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

Swaps, swaps, swaps - how I love you! Five years ago when we lived in Bellingham, WA and we just had Max (he was 2-3) I had the most fun in all the mother's groups I joined because I had found some crafty people to hang with. I realize it should have been about the kids, but a lot of the fun was the part meant just for the moms! Every 3 months we did a Secret Partner kind of thing and you did fun little surprises, most of them were cute cards, little gifts, etc. This group got crafty and it was so fun! The best part was really seeing what everyone else made and have people appreciate your hand-made efforts. I loved it! Fast forward 5 years and the world of flickr and the wonderful swaps has recreated that fun feeling and creative community for me. I have a hard time passing up any swap and am so happy to participate in them. My two favorite swaps are the pillow talk and this one. Kerri and Heather know how to throw a party and these swaps are over the top fun. The creativity and artistry from this group is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Check out the pool and you will be blown away. Another thing that blows me away is the "to make" list that I have going, it is huge. I could sew every day for the next year and not make every project I have bookmarked, gathered supplies for and dream of when I can't sleep at night. So partner here is my list and I would be so happy with anything on it or anything else you can dream up!

TO MAKE LIST i-pad cozy, birhtday banner, holiday banner, plastic bag holder, market bag for grocery store or farmer's market, new trade show apron, wall pocket/organizer, a patchwork bath mat, wall art, a fabric box in any size, placemats, tea cozy, a table runner, linen napkins, iphone holder, small camera cozy, anything with hexies, pouches, laundry door mini-quilt, patchwork table cloth

Quilter's Bum? I'm getting mine moving with a little help from my friends . . .

2010-07-26T08:33:00.004-04:00

I have loved learning to sew the past two years and get excited to spend any free time working on projects . . . the biggest problem is that sitting and sewing is not exactly an aerobic activity. I tell myself no sewing until I visit the treadmill, but we all know how that goes . . .

If you need a little motivation and want to join in the fun, jump over to Katie or Jacquie's blogs for more information and then lets get moving!

Fabric Dreams . . . the Liberty series

2010-07-23T18:02:00.004-04:00

A very good friend asked if she could bring me anything from the UK . . . I asked for a few of my favorite simple items from Boots and a package of my favorite digestive biscuit.

Then when sleeping last night I started to dream of this . . .

Liberty cushion

wonderful new Liberty print

a few I have had my eye on for a while

especially this one . . .

and then when I woke up I had a small swatch of this beauty on my bedside table. I actually cut into the small piece I had of this one last week and made a hexagon. I just love this one!

Go to Pre-school Aged Gift - Toddler Sized Library Totes

2010-07-20T14:24:00.006-04:00

Now that Ellie and Sam have turned three and go to school/camp/dance class/gym class/etc . . . they are developing a crazy little social life. Having two that are invited to parties is great in lots of ways but hard on the wallet. We usually make a extra special gift when it is being given by two. After trying a few handmade items, I think we have found our gift! A lovely tote, with a matching book and a small Borders gift certificate. It is perfect!

A week ago Sunday the kids were invited to a pair of boy/girl twins party. I ended up staying up half the night before making them for the party the next day. They were quick and easy to make and I think my favorite part is using Heather Ross fabric on both! The new Far Far Away 2 Line is just perfect for this project. Canvas in a heavier weight so no interfacing is needed and the design is picture perfect! We ended up going with old favorites, Richard Scary collections of stories because finding the stories from the fabrics was not to be done in Saratoga Springs, NY the day before the party. My kids and I do love the Richard Scary collection of Fairy Tales.

Boy version is the Race car and Rabbits prints and the Far Far Away 2 - both Heather Ross printed by Kokka.

Have since found a copy of Rapunzel at Amazon and have a few on hand for the next toddler girl birthday we attend. I love having happy birthday cards that a friend made to add quickly to gifts and having the kids names on them is perfect!

I am almost out of this fun race car print and plan the next boy library tote to be in The Owl and the Pussycat print from Far Far Away 2 and pair it with this book.

Thanks for all the warm wishes. We did have a tough week with the loss of Steve's Dad and the best father-in-law and Grandfather anyone could ask for. The night Rein died I talked to him right when I started cutting these totes out and then got the call from Steve's mom after she found him just after I finished sewing them. He told me a fun Rapunzel story and he planned to go with me to take the kids to the bounce house party the next day when they visited. I plan to make one for Ellie and also find a copy of the German version of the story he spoke of.

Services for Reinhold Maximilian Ott

2010-07-13T10:55:00.008-04:00

Calling Hours

Friday, July 16, 2010 at the Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home from 4 to 7 pm.

The Funeral Home is located at 521 West Main Street, North Adams, MA 01247. (413) 663-6523.

Memorial Service

Saturday July 17, 2010 at Saint Patrick's Church at 9 am with a reception to follow at the adjacent parish center.

St. Patrick's is located at 54 Southworth Street, Williamstown, MA 01267. (413) 458-3053.

Memorial Fund and Family Contact Information

A Memorial Fund is in place, American Diabetes Association.

Contact Info for the Family Carole & Eric 151 Thornliebank Road Williamstown, MA 01267 Steve & Kirsten 19 Liz Ann Drive Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

I will print and pass on all e-mails to Carole and the boys - threedancingmagpies@mac.com. Please use this e-mail for donations, Carole would like to thank everyone for their kindness.

With a very heavy heart, I am trying to make us smile

2010-07-11T06:32:00.004-04:00

Steve's father Rein passed away last night. Not sure of the details, but as I was up staring at the wall after Steve and his brother Eric left our house last night, I went through recent photos of Grandpa Rein with the kids. It makes me feel just a little better to have them to look at.

If you knew this wonderful man, you know that he was kind, nice, positive, loving, proud and hardworking. He loved his family and we loved him. We will have a huge hole in our hearts.

Better late than never? Pre-school teacher gifts done!

2010-07-08T14:50:00.003-04:00

The end of the school year came crashing down on me this year like a freight train. Steve was just getting back on his feet, baseball was in high gear and I just really dropped the ball in terms of thank-you to Ellie and Sam's three Friday pre-school teachers. I knew that we would be seeing all three of them this summer, at least for the first week of summer pre-school- so I put it off a bit.

These first two weeks of summer vacation have flown by and all of the sudden yesterday I realized that today would be the day to give the teachers a little something at the end of week one of camp. So with my feet to the fire so to speak . . . I finally got busy.

Love this gathered clutch pattern from Noodleheads, you can purchase it here and it is full of great information! I cut the fabric, found some zippers and set on the clutch making path. I think aside from the cutting, it didn't take much more time to do three than it took me to make one. So with an assembly line in place, I churned out these.

Cosmo Cricket Early Bird

another Cosmo Cricket Early Bird clutch

Nicey Jane with my all time favorite stripe!

One of the teacher's daughters in hanging out all four weeks with her mom and doing it for free . . . so she had to have a cute little something with her own Target gift card. Anyone who will look after my two little people deserves a rest and a big THANK-YOU!

I love clutches, they are quick to make and lots of fun. We always try and give teachers a gift card to a place we know they love and all three of these ladies we have run into at Target . . . so when they actually peek into their clutch, they will find a little red bullseye goodness ready and waiting . . .

Few notes to myself or anyone making the gathered clutch. You really need to cut the zipper at least a half inch - I like an inch- shorter than the pouch, so when you turn it, the sides look neat. I used zippers I had and didn't trim them down since they were very close to the size I needed. I thought it would be okay and it is . . . but I would have liked the look a lot more, if I had stayed true to how I made them in the past. I also think I like the strap now, but am going to try adding a D ring and making it a little fancier!

Thanks again Penny for starting the Gathered Clutch Swap and Anna of Noodlehead for being so generous with your talents. All your tutorials are wonderful!

Donkey's in Wellies, Birds in Chairs and a crinkled quilt top

2010-07-06T14:28:00.004-04:00

It just makes me giddy with excitement to look at these journals. Giddy. Who would not love to write their inner-most thoughts or mundane to-do list in a journal with a donkey wearing super cute wellies? Just brilliant! The birds on the chairs, well they are pretty cute as well!

I picked these up from Laurie Wisburn's ETSY shop, Scarlet Fig, and must say they will be hard to let go of. I had intended to use them as gifts and now I am sure at least one is a gift to my favorite person, me! So stinking CUTE.

It is H - O - T . . . HOT today here in Upstate New York. At noon the temp gauge on the car read 101 and I failed to mention it is humid too. I am really missing the Pacific Northwest on days like today! We have been in the pool for days and when not actually in the pool, thinking of when we can jump back in. Sewing has been a stolen moment here or there.

Here is what I have been working on. This is the quilted side that we will sit on and the other side is a cotton laminated Nicey Jane print. I am not sure how practical this picnic throw/quilt will be, but it sure is going to look cute! My idea is for one side to be wipeable and can go on the grass and then we will sit on the cozy soft quilted side.

I have the cotton laminate cut and squared. Just finished sewing the strips to make up the quilted side together and then quilted diagonal lines going both ways. Then I washed it to get that puckered quilted goodness going . . . next up is layering the two sides and sewing on the binding and then finishing it off by hand.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up. Although you can wash laminated cotton in a washing machine, many advise against it. I am hoping I can always just wipe down the laminated side and not spill anything on the quilted side . . . if I end up having to wash it, then I will cross that bridge . . . Washing is said to cause wrinkles in the laminated cotton and they can be relaxed by warming the product in the sun or using a low heat iron on the cotton side.

I hope to have it finished in time for a Teddy Bear picnic at camp later this week and will get some photos!

The kids and I have been loving the pool the last few days, I even grabbed the camera for a bit!

Hope if you are facing the heat, you find some cool shade, a nice breeze or some water to cool off in!

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T08:12:00.002-04:00

Happy Holiday Weekend!, originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

I have declared my independence this weekend and we are staying home for the first fourth of July in years! We are relaxing and having simple meals at home and have been ignoring all chores until the weekend is over! We watched Max's baseball game in the morning, relaxed at the pool all afternoon, had a BBQ with neighbors for dinner and then went to the local fireworks. On tap for today more pool, a visit from grandma and grandpa, grilled chicken and corn, a trip to our favorite ice cream cone and the big firework show tonight.

I am off to sew a bit before the grandparents show-up . . . I should really be cleaning up a bit for their visit, but staying true to my quest for independence from the oppression of housework this weekend!

Happy Birthday America!

We had a need and my sewing machine and I filled it!

2010-07-03T15:05:00.004-04:00

This first week off from school was lots of fun! I did realize that I was not completely prepared with all the summer essentials however. As I cleaned the trunk out this weekend, I came face to face with a few days worth of wet bathing suits!

After looking around for our wetbag, I realized it was very gross and ugly, so into the donation box it went. I had some scraps of lovely Heather Bailey laminated cotton that I am making a picnic blanket with and thought how about I right this no wet bag wrong immediately.

So I cut four pieces of laminate 14 x 14, 2 x 2 piece of cotton fabric for tabs, grabbed a zipper and set out on the wet bag making path.

30 minutes later and we have a wonderfully cute bag to store our wet bathing suits in . . .

I love the outside almost as much as the fun stripe on the inside

This is a great simple project and oh so useful. I have made them in the past and have found that putting zipper tabs and making the zipper an inch or so smaller than the bag dimensions will leave space on either side of the tab and the side seam for air to get in and moisture to get out.

I need to make one for the boys, but first need to find a fun cotton laminate boyish print. If not maybe they won't mind a few pink stripes . . .

Another summer issue came up this week as well, the bees. Even though we just sprayed and had the bug guy check for nests, a bee stung Ellie mid-week. I wasn't prepared with our emergency sting, boo-boo, etc kit and had to scramble a bit to get my act together under pressure with her screaming and crying. I think I have everything assembled and am ready to take on the bugs, sun and scrapes that will come our way. What is in your kit of tricks for the summer bumps and bruises that come your way? I have found having after bite, ice packs, bandages in all flavors, bug spray, sun screen, bendryl, and neosporin at the ready helps us combat most situations.

Fun Sunday at The Clark

2010-06-27T21:14:00.003-04:00

A few times a year The Clark Art Institute does a family day and it is not to be missed. This summer's event was no exception. It was centered around the art of Picasso and Degas. Art stations for kids were set-up everywhere where you could learn to sculpt with clay, create a Cubist cube, Mirror mosaic or make a flip book. Activities included riding a mechanical bull, swinging from a harness, helping to paint the mural, cooling off in the sprinkler park and more. We watched Flamenco Dancers, the Albany Berkshire Ballet, a ice sculptor, and the Boston Circus Guild build human towers.

Our two little budding artists really loved to paint.

Sam used lots of paint and like his coloring went for the big bold strokes with lots of movement

Ellie painted small and precise, which is how she usually colors and paints. She did break out a bit and had some big strokes when she found an open spot on the canvas

Family Fun Day at the Clark Art in Williamstown, MA.

Max loved the acrobats. They built all kinds of human towers! At the end of the day while they were waiting for their bus back to Boston, they included the kids in some fun. Great group!

We enjoyed the ice sculptures a lot and went to the gallery to look at the original. It gave Max an idea for his clay project. We should really take the kids more often, they are surprisingly well behaved in the galleries.

Loved cooling off from the heat with the ice and also at the "water park" that was set-up to cool people off. Lots of fun!

I wish I could always hear the back and forth between the two of them. They have their own little language. When we are someplace new, they often head out together now, ready to take on whatever awaits. They were in the zone today . . .

Swim Lesson with Miss Katie this Summer

2010-06-27T08:54:00.009-04:00

Dates:

Week One: Monday July 12th, Wednesday July 14th, and Thursday July 15th

Week Two: Monday July 19th, Wednesday July 21st, and Thursday July 22nd

Times:

Afternoons starting probably at 1 and ending by 4 this year. The times of each class will be set after seeing how many kids we will have this summer and the ages.

Classes:

Half hour class for 3's and 4's just learning, parents might have

to be in the pool. Ellie and Sam will attempt this one

Half hour for the 4's and 5's (Evan and Connor from last year)

45 minutes for the 6, 7, 8's learning strokes, etc. (Ned, Ethan and Olivia's group from last year)

45-1 hour for the stroke development (Max, Julian, Ryan, Sean, Alex group from last year)

Cost:

$40 per week (3 days) per child. Can do one week or two but payment by the week only this year, not by the day/class.

Julian, Alex, Ryan and Max two summer's ago

Ned, Olivia and Eli two summers ago

First summer Max took lessons from Miss Katie he was five and the lessons were with the KT crew hosted by the Hecks

Pillow Talk Swap Sent and a Peanut Problem . . .

2010-06-25T07:20:00.006-04:00

Okay I know we all sometimes say this about a new project . . . but I really do LOVE how this turned out! The Linen with the Little Folks by Anna Maria Horner is a great match and the fun relaxed feel I have when I think of my partner in this swap. I don't want to giveaway who my partner was since the package just left town yesterday am for its new destination . . . but she is one cool chick and I have really enjoyed getting to know her over the last year. This on-line sewing community is a lot of fun!

In addition to this pillow, I made a few more with . . . but I think I will wait until next week when she receives the package to spill the beans here.

Like all the pillow swaps, I learned a lot with this one. My first time using the quilt binding method to finish off the pillow. I actually had to pull out the seam ripper the first time I put it together because I didn't like how the binding was pulling. I cut wider stripes to accomodate the thick "quilt sandwich" and make the binding more prominent.

I kept the back simple as well. The last swap I added a zipper, so this time I wanted to try buttonholes. Also I think the design added a little zing to the pillow. The buttonholes were pretty easy to do, I just measured where I wanted them, put the buttonhole foot on and hit the foot pedal. A couple of snips with the scissors and it was good to go. Next time I will adjust the buttonholes a bit bigger so I could have used a bigger button. The scale of the size 36 was good, but I think I would have liked them a size or two bigger. I got my buttons from my favorite supply shop on ETSY, very convenient to be able to shop at this great little shop by walking into our basement! You can access our supply shop through the link on the top navigation bar on this new blog layout!

Along with this main pillow I sent my partner a whole bunch of fun! I will do another post once she gets the package to tell you all about it. I am always so happy when a swap package is on its way. HOWEVER, after dropping this one off yesterday . . .

Max and I had a rough first day of summer event. The two little kids were at camp, so I told Max after we sent my swap package we would have a little fun. One of our favorite bagel bakeries is right next to the UPS store, so after mailing the package we went in to get a bagel. They usually have bagels to taste on the counter, but yesterday they had cookies. Max has a severe peanut allergy and we are always very careful. Maybe it was the whole carefree first day of summer . . . but he asked if he could try it and I asked the clerk if it was nut free, she said yes, so I told him okay. As soon as he put it on his tongue, he said "it tastes like peanut butter"

She said, oh it is peanut butter . . . you asked about nuts . . .

He didn't swallow and I quickly wiped out his mouth. I gave him two benadryl and also had him drink water within a minute of the event. His tongue got a little fuzzy and a couple of hives popped up on his face. Our hearts were racing. We were near a hospital and I had the epi-pen and other medicine on hand. I drove to the parking lot of the hospital and sat and watched him. I called the allergist and made sure I knew what to look for and how quickly he would react. If he would have ingested it, we would have had a much bigger problem.

Max and I both remained fairly calm, but it was a big scare. I think all the education and training from the allergist helped a ton. We have been ready for this since he was just 9 months old. He did tell me, "Mom, we need to be more careful". I told him how much I love him and how sorry I was. He told me, "it is okay, we all make mistakes" I felt so bad.

Here is to hoping that the rest of the summer will be uneventful! He has been safe at school for three years where peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are on the menu every day and his first day home for the summer and he gets exposed before 10 am! Ughhhhhh.

We are hosting a end of the season party for Max's baseball team that Steve coached this season. So much to do and Steve has been traveling since Monday am. I am a little crazed at this point, but will somehow make it through. No sewing today for sure . . . but I will be cleaning the house and pool, baking a cake, shopping for food and drink and in my spare time taking care of three wild children! Enjoy your Friday!

Last Day of Sam & Ellie's first year of school

2010-06-19T22:46:00.004-04:00

Okay so they will be actually going to "school" more this summer then they went all year . . . but it is in the form of summer camp and they do have 2 weeks off! But for the record books, Sam and Ellie finished their first year of school. They attended the YMCA of Saratoga Springs every Friday am from 9:45 to 11:45.

The year got off to a rocky start with Sam crying every time I tried to leave him. Ellie was fine the first few classes, but as she watched Sam get attention each week . . . she decided to cry and hold my other leg. We worked through it and as time went by, they got better and better letting go of me. So glad we signed up. The teachers are great and it got them used to the idea, that when Mom leaves she always comes back.

I remember Max at 2 year old pre-school actually threw up after I left the first few times and he continued to cry and cry. I was called out of the MOPS meetings quite a few times after one of his incidents and was known as the mom who's kids throws up . . . not a great way to meet new friends! Anyway a wonderful teacher stuck with Max and after the first few weeks he was fine and really never looked back when being left by me for the rest of pre-school and when he started kindergarten. That is my hope for this experience with Sam and Ellie . . . time will tell! Because they are going to quite a few "camps" read "summer pre-school" I am hoping the fall will be an easy transition since they will never really got out of the "going to school habit".

Max and I started to sing the Mommy always comes back song (same song I sang to him 5 years ago) to them each Friday am. I thought it would put Sam at ease, but most days it just got him more nervous. When I was heading to the door, he would tell Miss Claire . . . my mommy's coming back, she always comes back, she never would forget me . . .

So highlights of the year for them both - painting, painting and more painting. Both kids love to paint and school gave them their start. They attended a yoga class, had fun with music, went on walks in the fall, a halloween parade through the Y, fun in the gym when it was too cold to play outside, lots of fun on the playground, all kinds of stories and dancing, teddy bear picnics . . . it was a great class and they had a great time.

Also it was their first time with friends other than each other. They did for the most part stick together most Fridays. Or they would play with others and then always check back in with each other.

The best part of the experience by far was Miss Lisa and Miss Claire. They were great first teachers and so sweet and loving to the kids. When Sam had trouble leaving me, they always had a painting project at the ready to distract him . . . he cast me aside for painting every time.

Ellie hugging Miss Claire

Sam hugging Miss Claire

Saying thank-you to Miss Lisa

Cubbies and backpacks

Classroom

Playground

Thanks for a great year and we will see you M-W- Fri all July and then again in September!

Gathered Clutch Inspiration

2010-06-19T08:13:00.003-04:00

Very Random Gathered Clutch Inspiration, originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

Dear Partner:

I am a go with the flow kind of girl. I LOVE all fabrics and really am easy to please. That being said, I find it hard to make something for someone in a swap when they say, "surprise me" or "I love anything". So here is what I am crazy for right now in pictures.

Linen and jewel tones, like AMH Bohemian and Little Folks lines, make my heart skip a beat. Love all Heather Ross, but her Mendocino line has stole my heart. Echino is always a favorite for all the bold graphic and rich color pallete. Laurie Wisburn's new Tufted Tweets has me swooning in so many ways, especially the colors and the graphic prints. Again all this might be helpful, but oh how I love all fabrics. All things Sandi, Joel, Denyse, Anna, both Heathers, etc.

Thanks in advance for creating something for me. It will be put to good use straight away. Three children have created a crazy little life for us right now and I am a grab and go kind of gal. This little clutch will be a great addition to the racing out the door lifestyle we have embraced! I think if I have my Starbucks card in hand and a few dollars I can take on anything the day has to throw my way!

Homefun? Last homework of the year was almost enjoyable.

2010-06-16T19:50:00.006-04:00

The last days of the school year, friend or foe? I have to say I am just not sure. The hustle and bustle. Party after party. All the thank-you gifts, my head is spinning. It would be so nice if it could all wind down nice and slow. Instead at my son's school the end of the year stuff starts in mid-may. By the time the last week comes all the kids, teachers and parents are just done.

Last week Max asked to practice his spelling words. My response is if you can find them, I will read them to you. I just don't care anymore, make it end! At the start of the year when we went to open house and the teacher called homework, "homefun" I really had to chuckle. I thought the kids were too smart to fall for such a silly catch phrase.

Although that is exactly what Max called it all year. When he would say, "I have to go finish my homefun" I would often snicker under my breath. Not much about the little bit of homework a 2nd grader brings home and getting him to do it, never was much fun. I really digress, but wanted to remember years later how excited he was to actually be of an age where he had homework.

So although I hate this lame duck period when the kids go to school to basically hang out, watch movies and enjoy some serious recess time . . . I was thrilled for him to complete his last "homeFUN" project of the year. The kids were each given a classmate to make a year end award for. They were to write down words that describe their classmate and then pick one to use for the theme of an award. The award could take on any form.

Max was given his friend Sophia. He described her as friendly, sweet, nice and positive. He decided that the word Sunny really summed her up and included all the descriptive words. She is just fun to be around. He wanted to make the award useful and we did some brainstorming. I think all the pillow swaps I have been participating in gave him the idea. It was fun to see his creative wheels turning and see his ideas take form.

Once he had Sunny Sophia . . . the rest just came together. He thinks that purple, bikes and hearts are her favorite things. Well we had fabric that represented the first two. So here is what he came up with.

The proud pillow artisian displaying his creation

The picture of Sophia and the lined fabric print added a lot of whimsy and made the project quick and easy! Love this Cosmo Cricket fabric.

Actually surprised how easy the fabric printer sheets were to use. Max ran it under cold water to set the inks and dried it between two paper towels. The images came out bright and fun! Super easy to do.

Love the crooked circle and how his zig zag did a little more zag than zig. We did use some fusing under the circle and he stitched all over everything, so it should stay put.

The back was the worst trauma of the project and had to be ripped out partially and redone. We pinned the envelope flaps in the wrong order, which is a trend for me with every pillow I make. It looks like I teach others the same way . . . Another picture with a quick note to Sophia made it personal. Who knows maybe they will end up best buddies years from now and this will be something they can laugh over.

Last homework project done, check. Play-off baseball game on Thursday. Field day on Friday. Mayor's Cup Saturday. Father's Day on Sunday. Class Picnic on Tuesday. Then school is out for summer next Wednesday!

Favorite ETSY fabric shop has a wonderful giveaway

2010-06-15T21:37:00.004-04:00

Seriously, how cute is this fabric? Head on over to Kerri at Sew Deerly Loved for a chance to win some fabric created by her newly commissioned artwork by the talented Ariel.

Head on over to Kerri's blog for a chance to win. You might want to check out her ETSY fabric store, the prices are great and the selection is divine! Not to mention every order from Sew Deerly Loved comes folded so nicely, wrapped with lovely twine and a sweet card. Every order is a wonderful experience and I look to her shop prior to purchasing anywhere else.

Good Luck!

A year of practice and about a minute of dancing . . . lots of looking cute though!

2010-06-14T14:30:00.004-04:00

Ellie started taking dance lessons this year when she was about two and a half. It started off with the older girls in her class (4-5 year olds) leading her around the classroom like their cute little doll. Finally she started to get the hang of it and started to actually dance. She loves it! She usually belts out the songs and wildly swings her leg as she works her big step - heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe.

They started practicing for the recital in about January on their routine to "There ain't nobody here but us chickens" . I really thought that we would need to not attend the recital and that it was too much for a three year old. However, it soon became apparent that she loved it and that she wanted to be a part of the big number! Even that night I thought that she might be a little too scared . . . not at all! She sat backstage with all the other girls and took it all in. She shared her lip gloss and proudly applied it before going on stage. It was a riot. When I had to leave and she left to actually go onstage, she seemed a little nervous, but held the helpers hand and went right out. We were sitting on the floor right in front of the stage, so she relaxed as soon as she saw us. Max gave her the thumbs up and she blew us kisses, yelled "hi, mommy" and was good to go. (over 500 tickets were sold for the event and it is held in a big auditorium.

Here are the photos, you can see she started off looking around and then began to dance.

Backstage waiting for their turn to dance

Was checking out the stage when they first came onstage

then looked out at all the people, over 500 tickets were sold and it was pretty full, scary for a three year old . . . then she saw us right in front of the stage on the floor watching and you could see the tension leave her . . .

Maggie and Ellie danced next to one another and they spent a lot of time smiling to each other and looking around at the start of the routine

her favorite move . . . heel, toe, heel, toe, heel, toe!

then some loud kicks (she loves this part!)

a little attitude and sass!

the big finish, they crouch down and then jump up with hands in the air (didn't get that shot!)

thrilled to have flowers from her brothers - loved them

leaving with their new umbrellas

sam didn't want to leave all the girls and loved playing with his umbrella

Max was very sweet to his sister. He told her how great she did, how pretty she looked and that he loved her. It was a proud moment for her to get her brother's thumbs up!

waiting for Sam who was having lots of fun in the puddles and rain! This was Steve's first big day off the couch and he was sporting some stylish footwear - lose the black sock grandpa!

Damp and Tired, but a fun day!

2010-06-12T19:42:00.007-04:00

Exhausted from being in the rain all day at an Arts Festival, but it was worth it, our best show ever sales wise and we still have all day Sunday! We sold a crazy amount of scrabble tile pendants

and sterling silver hand stamped initials and design discs.

Peace signs seemed to be our most popular item today and we never seem to make enough of them. Even though neither Darcy and I have enough energy to get out the hammer and silver tools tonight . . . we might have to get busy.

I brought my camera today, but sadly didn't bring a jacket or umbrella so I did not get out of our booth to take photos of other artists creations. Will have to remedy that on Sunday.

Here are a few of our newer items that are super cute and so fun to wear. (I guess I am a little biased, these also sold great today)

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We are selling the sterling silver hammered disc and chain for $25

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Keishe pearl wire wrapped on a sterling silver chain $25

Lots of wire wrapped semi-precious stones we just got from India. I think my favorite is the rutilated quartz with the wire wrapping. The mossy amethyst is a close second!

Our scrabble tile pendants on a sterling silver chain for $15 have become a favorite in the area for teacher's gifts.

I will be glazing new tiles for the coming weeks since we have sold out of most of our inventory and need to restock at the local stores that have been carrying our stuff.

Love my Birthday Presents . . . I really know what I like

2010-06-10T11:03:00.005-04:00

After 43 years of life, I think I have this whole birthday thing down. Surround yourself with people you love and pick out your own presents! Don't get me wrong, who doesn't love an ugly t-shirt bedazzled with "World's Greatest Mom" (how could you ever let the kids pick that one out?), but this year I did the picking and wow, I LOVE everything!

So here is a little eye candy of my fabric shopping spree and while I was at the garden center, my dear husband did have a surprise waiting for me . . . check out this lovely arrangement! I guess he listens to me after all these years, "isn't it great that peonies, hydrangeas and all my favorite english garden flowers are in bloom for my birthday" - you have come along way from the grocery store spray painted carnations!

Thanks Steve!

Tufted Tweets - even better in person. I am ordering more for sure!

Such cute bikes!

Some boy stuff

Some lovelies I have had in my cart at Pink Chalk forever!

Some Kona and Linen

Our little tap dancing star from the big show last night (post to come on this soon, want to remember all the funny things she did and said)

Leaving the performance, Steve is doing great without the crutches

all three kids got new umbrella's and boots, they were thrilled for the rain last night

Feeling the LOVE . . . pretty lucky huh?

2010-06-09T15:38:00.004-04:00

Have you ever had that feeling that you were about to open up a package and it was gonna be good. really, really good. I rushed in the door this afternoon with a million things on the to do list . . . and then I saw the package, a package from Portugal. I knew I just hit the pillow swap lottery!

Then I opened up this little beauty.

Jealous? Really, really jealous, right! I told you, I knew it was going to be good, really, really GOOD.

Everything about this is awesome. The color, the shape, the colors, the tree, the faces . . . the thought and work that went into this pillow is amazing. Look at the faces and the tree . . .

then when I think I took it all in, I look again and see another detail that just makes me smile.

and just like my favorite movie line, "you had me at hello" this pillow stole my heart when upon opening the first thing I saw was the back. Amazing, huh!

Isabel, thank you so much. The one word of Portuguese I know sums this pillow up for me - Maravilhoso. I think maybe I need to say it three times . . . maravilhoso, maravilhoso, maravilhoso.

Check out all the amazing work of Isabel on her flickr stream here.

Her etsy shop is here.

Her blog is here.

Facebook fan page is here.

Feeling Lucky? Check out this giveaway

2010-06-08T07:51:00.002-04:00

Amy's Creative Side: AccuQuilt - Go! Cutter Giveaway!

Scrabble Tile Tutorial

2010-06-07T14:11:00.004-04:00

We are getting ready to launch a new look to our blog. We needed to get this tutorial listed and will add photos soon. Here are our basic directions we send out with our kits. More to follow soon.

HOW TO MAKE A SCRABBLE TILE PENDANT

1. Apply glue (modge podge or craft glue) to the back of the paper.

2. Place paper gently on the back (flat side) of scrabble tile. Hold up to light to check placement of paper. When the paper is where you want it, slowly press down firmly. Let it dry according to instructions on glue.

3. Turn tile over so paper side is down on a piece of cardboard or cutting mat. Using an exacto knife, trim off excess paper as close to the tile as possible.

4. Apply modge podge to the top and sides of the tile and let it dry for a few hours.

5. Lay the tile flat, paper side up, and apply a border of diamond glaze around the outer edge of the top of the tile. Fill in the center.

6. To keep out bubbles, darken the lights in the room and shine a desk lamp on the tile. The bubbles will show up as a shadow. Using a pin, either scoop the bubble out or pop it with the tip. I like to keep a small paper towel handy to push the bubble off the tile surface and onto the tile.

7. Let the tile dry for a day under a box top or something else that will keep lint from landing on the surface.

8. To attach the bail, apply a small amount of epoxy to the flat, textured surface and put on the letter side of the tile, centering it by sight. We use E-6000, an all purpose expoxy. We sell sample sizes in our shop.

9. Let epoxy dry and string pendant on a cord.

Ponytail Tutorial

2010-06-06T13:12:00.007-04:00

Lets get started. I will make this a little more exciting as time goes on, but I would like to get you started with this one. Please excuse the photos, it is hard to hold the camera and make buttons at the same time!

Cover buttons come in many sizes, here is a list of the various sizes. We also sell the buttons in your choice of a back - wire back or a flat back. The wire version is your traditional shank button that would be used in a sewing application. Flat backs are great for magnet and other glued applications. For the purpose of making a ponytail, we will use a wire backed button. The main reason is so we can use the holes to secure the hair elastic.

You will need to remove, we use wire cutters, to access the holes and remove the button shank from the back.

a quick snip with wire cutters does the trick.

then using a simple craft wire, available at all craft stores and some hardware stores. Snip off some wire to work with. I use about four inches to start with.

Attach the elastic to the button back with the wire as shown above. Pull the wire through to the back and make sure the wire is snug to the button back.

About 5 or 6 twists of the wire to secure and then snip off the end leaving 3/4's of an inch tail.

You will need to see what is comfortable for you, I have never had one come unattached. If you leave a bigger tail, just smush it flat . . . it will be hidden by the button.

We use elastics that we find at Target, Walmart, drug stores or often our grocery store has great prices. We like the version that doesn't have the metal connection. Often called "ouchless" or "no damage". We use a bigger elastic for size 45 and 60 buttons to make ponytails and smaller size elastics and size 30 and 36 buttons to make pairs of pigtails.

Take your fabric scrap and set it print side down into the pusher tool (you need a tool for each size button you use) and then set the button in with the domed side facing down and the bowl side facing you.

snip the excess fabric and trace around the button. This is a trial and error kind of operation, we leave different amounts of fabric depending on the fabric type. For quilting or regular cotton, we leave about a half-inch.

It will look like this when trimmed and ready to attach the button

Tuck the fabric into the center of the button shell.

Insert the back into the button shell with the elastic side facing out and the side with the wire twisted into the button. Using the pusher tool as shown in the photo push the back into the button, you will feel it snap into place.

Remove the button from the tool and you will have yourself a ponytail!

The back will look like this

The finished ponytail will look like this!

THREE - Sam is three and needs three things to make a party

2010-06-01T21:14:00.003-04:00

Three. Sam is three. My baby is three and is officially no longer a baby. He was so thrilled that it was his birthday. It doesn't take much to make this little dude happy. A little love, someone to throw him pitches to hit and a few essentials for his birthday. Actually THREE essentials for his birthday. I wish life was as simple as it is for Sam and that his life will always be ruled by his current code . . . for Sam everything is an adventure and going to be fun and he likes things simple.

To make a birthday a party, Sam needs

1. CAKE

2. Balloons

3. Singing Card (Elmo doing the singing is a big bonus)

He had a wonderful time and it was great to slow down for a bit and forget about our recent health scare with Steve. He was able to relax with his family and some friends. It was a great day.

Max singing Eye of the Tiger

Sam and I spent hours in the pool. He was turning purple, but was so excited to be swimming again, he insisted he wasn't cold . . . just sugaring!

Our little rock star went from the pool to the play station to sing all afternoon

Finding a new normal and some sewing!

2010-05-31T22:07:00.005-04:00

Life has been a lot out of control the last two weeks. It all seems to be calming down and getting to a new normal for us. We are dealing with the after effects of the infection that made its way from our vacation in Mexico into the bone on Steve's big toe. He will be home for a couple more weeks recovery and giving his foot time to heal. Spending a week plus with him in the hospital has been hard on all of us. The laundry has piled up. The kids haven't been getting the attention they deserve. I have had to learn to cook, mow the lawn, take care of the pool (including fishing out dead mice) and the list goes on and on. The good news is we know that Steve has diabetes and catching it early is great. Both his parents are diabetic and although he is often tested, Dr's always doubt he has it, since he was never really overweight. Well he has lost about 20 lbs. in the last two weeks . . . and yes he officially has diabetes and neuropathy in his feet. We will deal with all of these things and they are our new normal.

The first half of the weekend was spent with a great friend who was in town from Chicago to watch her high school daughter compete in the National Scholastic rowing competition. They made it to the finals and placed 5th in the country. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed my time with my friend.

Sunday afternoon finally came to be time for me! I have been itching to sew for weeks and finally got the chance. First up was starting and finishing the 3 x 6 blocks. This was actually my third attempt and with the stress I was starting to feel, I decided to create a block that wasn't overly complicated and find a less is more kind of feel. The blocks being made are amazing, sewn with persision. At first I tried a Dresdan and it was a bad failure, they just didn't lie flat. Then I attemped a flying geese and they just didn't well . . . fly. I pulled out the blocks I received from the last round and decided that if I was making a sample quilt for myself, that I would make some blocks with a big piece of solid and some splashes of color. My eyes sometimes just need a rest! With that in mind this is what I created for five of my blocks.

The last block I made I decided to try a little something different, because Tasha had asked for a block with some woodland animals . . . the fabrics I wanted to use wouldn't be showing their stuff on the 2 inch blades of the windmill portion of the block, so I did an improv block instead. I think I will also make a block to match the others, but here is the improv block. I have never made one before and loved the go with the flow kind of feel!

We finished off the weekend with a trip to see Steve's parents in Williamstown, MA and we pulled off celebrating my baby's turning three. Happy Birthday Sam! I will post all about his big day and pictures of my sweet little guy in action. He had a great day and loved his party. He is easy to please and we had his three party musts - CAKE - BALLOONS - and singing cards. What a joy and wonderful little person he is!

Sewtakeahike and superbuzzy - check out their party

2010-05-21T16:36:00.002-04:00

Penny has a new sponsor on her awesome blog and they are throwing a party that you don't want to miss. $60 gift certificate to one awesome shop, I must admit packages from Superbuzzy are not a rare event at this house. They stock some of my favorite Japanese fabrics and have a GREAT selection of fun trim, really fun trim. The magazine and Japanese craft books are fantastic and such fun inspiration. Check it out, it is one giveaway not to miss. Details here.

While you are visiting, check out all of Penny's fun projects and tutorials. She has been a source of great inspiration for my sewing. I love her ETSY shop. Her flickr stream is a ton of fun to look at. The Quilt as you go quilt-along is one I wish I had time to participate in. It is on my list when time allows.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner

2010-05-20T11:13:00.004-04:00

Congrats to Colette, comment number 24. We will contact you shortly. This giveaway event was a lot of fun and we will participate in the future. The info in the comments was great. As soon as our blog is redesigned, we will get some tutorials up. The first up will be a scrabble tutorial, some things to do with cover buttons and then some fun magnet crafts.

Look for some fun giveaways soon, I am thinking cover buttons and fun fabric scraps to go with them. Also maybe so fun out of print fabrics I have been hoarding forever!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:24Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Time - Cover Buttons, Magnets, Bails, Oh My!

2010-05-16T19:45:00.006-04:00

We were hoping to have our new blog design and links to both our ETSY hand-stamped sterling silver jewelry shop and also our supply store, in time for the Sew Mama Sew giveaway . . . but good things take time! Instead of waiting, Darcy and I decided to go forward anyway and giveaway $75 in supplies.

We are getting ready for the summer craft show season here in Upstate NY and will have some fun new mother's jewelry back in the shop soon!

So for the giveaway we will be giving away and assortment of cover buttons in size 30, 36 and 45, the cover buttons tools, rare earth magnets and some aanraku bails in both the leaf design and the new heart design. With these supplies your DIY options will be endless. Cover button magnets, cover button pendants, cover button ponytail and pigtails and anything else you can think of to make with a cover button. You might even want a few to use as say BUTTONS!

50 rare earth magnets and sample tube of E6000

50 size 45 buttons with your choice of flat or wire backs

Our favorite size for Ponytails

5 medium heart bails and 5 small leaf bails both Aanraku

(perfect for making scrabble tile, glass tile or covered button pendants)

50 size 36 cover buttons, your choice of flat or wire backs

this is a great size for pigtails or magnets

And 50 Size 30 buttons with your choice of wire or flat backs

this is our favorite size for magnets, especially with small scale fabric prints

(fabric in photo is not part of the giveaway, just a little fun eye candy)

All three button sizes will come with the cover tool and in our fun and functional labeled muslin bags, so you can keep those buttons straight!

TO ENTER:

Please leave a comment with a way for us to get in touch with you and also a comment letting us know what types of tutorials you would find helpful relating to the supplies we carry in our shop. We have a bunch ready to go including a scrabble tile tutorial, cover button ponytails, and cover button magnets. We are happy to ship domestic or international. The winner will be selected on May 20th at random. Thanks for checking us out!

Kids sewing week challenge :: final days - first project from Japanese Pattern Book under my belt

2010-05-15T09:10:00.004-04:00

I am just giddy with the fact that I am sewing every night! Amazing how great it feels to do a little something for myself each day. We are half-way through the potty training (Ellie in big girl pants and Sam is trying) and I must say just being out of the bathroom for a straight hour is a relief and when you add sewing . . . BRILLIANT

Last night's project for the challenge was a kind of spur of the moment project. Once the kids were down I started looking through a few Japanese Pattern books and I quickly choose a style I thought would be a breeze . . . it was! I am drawn to Japanese pattern books and fabric . . . I purchase them both and then . . . . just look at the books and fondle the fabrics. Well that all changed today. I am no longer a Japanese pattern book virgin! I can't wait to start in on all of the projects I have marked. Facing my fears is great, no matter how ridiculous they are!

This photo of her in day five's project is a little stiff, she looked so cute in it on our picnic at the park today.

This is the book I used, the top is pattern J.

I think Friday night's sewing will round our the challenge for me. It was a great night, sewing by myself and watching It's Complicated on-demand. Life is good. When I thought it couldn't get any better, my dear husband brought me a beer and hung out for a bit. The best part of the night was the results however . . . check this out, is it me or is this simple dress AWESOME?

Kids Sewing Week Challenge Day 6

This little dress is so simple and fun to make- total love! I first noticed the pattern in a issue of Sew Hip, a magazine I get from the UK. The pattern is also available on the Oliver and S website here. The aqua fabric is linen and the bodice and straps are cake rock beach dots from my stash. I am running out of it and debated before using it and having to cut the ties on the bias of my final yard of this! I think it was worth it!

I think Ellie realized this was the last day of her fun week of modeling, she gave me lots of cute extras. Here are some of the shots!

This week was also exciting on the potty training front. Ellie went all week without wearing diapers (pull-up at night) and has had no accidents! She even made it through pre-school on Friday! She loves when I get a pedicure and is always asking for me to paint her toes. So to celebrate the big week, we had a girls night at the nail salon. She was beaming and giggling the whole time and LOVES her pretty toes. We even had them paint a flower on each big toe.

kids sewing week challenge :: day four

2010-05-13T07:58:00.005-04:00

kids sewing week challenge :: day four, originally uploaded by threedancingmagpies.

Who says boy clothes can't be cute? Maybe I have been missing the boat only sewing clothes for Ellie . . . had fun the last two days making something for my two favorite guys. Being the youngest and having an older brother who I went a little wild shopping for, a lot of Sam's wardrobe is hand-me-downs from Max/friends or my favorite kids consignment sale. Every summer I had fun linen pants for Max to wear at this age and I have searched high and low and realized I must have passed them on to someone or sold them at the sale. Before going on vacation this spring, I looked for something just like this and was disappointed not to find them.

What was I thinking? This took less than an hour, about a yard of linen fabric and the results are so fun . . . this challenge really has me wondering why I never actually use the fabric I squirrel away? I can't wait to make more pants for Sam, he is a wonderful recipient of the fruits of my labor.

he sees Ellie modeling for me and he knew just what to do

Wondering why Sam is wearing colorful rubber bands on his wrist? This is the latest craze hitting our household and for that matter all the elementary schools in this neck of the woods. I am guessing we are not alone in this silly bandz mania . . . It cracks me up that a week ago Max didn't even know what they were and this week it is all I have heard about. All of the stores in our area are out of them. AC Moore had a shipment of 500 packages on Friday and they sold out that day. CRAZY. Am I missing something? Colorful rubber bands in shapes? Once you put them around something the shape is round . . . the packaging tagline reads FUNctional. Who thinks of these simple ideas and why isn't it me? Instead I am the crazy mom checking at various stores looking for these! I ended up adding a couple of packages to my Amazon book order and for this Max has proclaimed me "the very best mother ever" and told me "I used to love you, but now my love for you has just gone SILLY, thats how much I love you". Not sure if that was a good $10 spent or not . . .

the blurred band is actually a very cute hedgehog . . . it is Max's favorite. I asked why and loved his answer, "who doesn't love a good hedgie" Well said my boy!

kids sewing week challenge :: day three and day 1 one in action

2010-05-12T11:32:00.004-04:00

The kids week sewing challenge has been tons of fun so far. It is great to feel a sense of accomplishment, especially as a mother of small children. Just feeding them and doing a load of laundry some days seems like a big success.

I have stayed on track and made something each day. (first two days) Today's item was started after bed-time last night and was done in just under an hour. Max had mentioned he wanted to be included in the fun and would love some lounge pants. So I took his favorite pair, made a quick pattern on freezer paper, raided my stash and a less than an hour later - a new pair of lounge pants!

day 3

Wednesday mornings are big around this house. It is the weekly dance class for Ellie and then both Ellie and Sam have gym class. The big dance performance is in about a month and Ellie is starting to get excited. The parents got to come into the class and watch today, so I managed to snap a few photos of our little tap dancing star in action!

As we were getting ready for class and I had her in her tights and leotard, she went and grabbed her new skirt. It actually was the perfect skirt for class, much more fun than any tutu! I must say it was a great feeling to see a skirt finished just this Monday in action on Wednesday am!

This sewing challenge has been just the thing to get me going each day and although it isn't much of a dent in the old stash, it has made me feel great to use fabrics that I love and feels even better to see the kids dancing around in them! Shot of Sam surrounded by all the girls at the start of the gym class portion of the class. He loves all the girls!