Love the Urban Home Goods Swap

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!

Rainy Sunday and 360 degrees of chaos

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!

Hustle Award

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!

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?

Inspiration for Urban Home Goods Swap - II

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

{Urban} Goods Swap - One Project Down, relief in this crazy life

Linen and Anna Maria Horner designs equal LOVE. Such a simple to make item, why haven't I been making placemats and napkins for our home, friends and family? Heather and Kerri organized another swap, {Urban} Home Goods as a follow-up to the Pillow Swap 1 and 2 to switch things up a bit. I have had such a great experience with the Designer Fabric Swaps and the Pillow Swap, so what a great opportunity to branch out a bit.

I almost passed on this one due to the vacation we just took and my horrible habit of not saying NO when asked to help out with things. As an individual I am WAY too overcommitted right now. Then enter the three kids - crazy. Max has a sporting game or practice EVERY night and day this week . . . he is SEVEN. We really try to not over schedule and then it gets away from us. Steve is traveling a bunch, coaching Max's baseball team and is busy himself. Then add in the two little kids . . . Ellie just turned three and Sam will be three at the end of May and they are CRAZY to take care of right now. If up to them I would be playing outside 24 hours a day with them or playing kitchen, dressing princess girl dolls in silly tight plastic outfits or in Sam's case making him oatmeal.

Okay back on track, but I must say just writing it down makes me feel better. Good thing no one really reads this blog . . . rumor has it my mom does, but she never comments so silent stalkers don't really get a say. The reality in this crazy life is being creative makes me happy. Yes I need to take time to exercise, play with the kids, make the occasional dinner . . . but flickr and these swaps make me happy. It is fun to think about things you can actually finish. Somehow I need the same fun pressure on myself to make things for us, exercise and just get things done.

How about the photos of the first project and then I guess I need to get back to the yearbook project since it looks like my happy hour (really it is almost three hours- naptime) is over. I hear Sam's sweet voice telling me he is awake and ready to party (read eat something, hard to believe the kid is so skinny - all he ever does is eat or ask to eat)

Check these out, fun huh? Mom is you are reading this, would you enjoy some simple placemats in these colors for Mother's Day? Karyn I know you are not reading . . . but what do you think?

Note to self: I think I would make them a tad wider next time. They are actually the size of all the placemats we have, but they could stand to be a little wider.

Note to husband: I love our Polish Pottery and boy would it be fun to have some more for my upcoming birthday.