Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Crafty Sewer + Space Geek= Super Cool Nerd!

I remember 
as a child 
my father waking me up in the middle of the night
and taking us outside
to look at fabulous things in the sky.

At times
we would just sleep out there
{perhaps it was easier than dragging us out of bed}

Dad would show us
craters in the moon
or stars millions of miles away
in his home made telescope


It took me a long time before I realized that 
dragging your children out of bed in
the middle of the night wasn't
a normal suburbia occurrence.


Along with that realization was the
epiphany that our family is made up of nerds.
Serious nerds, every one.


So now you know my secret,
I am a genetic nerd.
And I love to sew.
Which is why I am now in love with

She just won first prize in the 
Hubble Pop Culture Contest.
Yes, she mixed cross stitch with Hubble.
Nerd heaven.
Her cross stitch has a wonderful story behind it,


And check this out:
I think I'm in love.

People have even sent her space jewelry.
Check out her Space Shuttle bracelet.
My sister Laura works at Boeing.
Perhaps I could make her one
with a picture of a B-52

or a Hornet
File:FA-18F-USN-RedRippers-20070406.jpg


oh a B-24 would be perfect!
(I know, not Boeing
but it's vintage and our Grandfather  helped design it)

What do you think, Laura?

Of course,
Rachel over at Average Jane also made 
these fantastic bags
Laura,  I can so picture you using one of these.

Rachel is my new favorite nerd-inspiration.

Are you a nerd, too?


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Chocolate Cloud

Happy Birthday to my lovely Aunt Brenda!
I made her one of these in a yummy chocolate brown
Image of Cloud Cascade Scarf

It's nice and easy to crochet
and I love the way it falls.


I made a matching little scrappy flower pin
to decorate it with.
You can also wear it all ruffled around your neck.
{I love the way it frames the face and peaks out from a coat}

I made the same scarf in a cream color for my sister last year
but sadly I did not take a picture of it.

So here's a picture of me and my sister (and my big girl) instead.



Happy weekend!





Wednesday, July 28, 2010

No, I'm not sewing.

No sewing.
{or knitting or painting or crafting}

I was recovering from
4 nights of camping
{partially from a lack of sleep
and partially from having to remove myself
from such an incredible place}




and now I am enjoying my last week
with two little girls who will 
be starting school next week.


See ya soon!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Finds

Some of my recent thrifting goodies:

A Dressmaking book from the 60s
dust jacket is falling apart 
but the rest of the book is in great condition



This cookbook:

My mother has this book and
it holds some of my earliest childhood cooking memories (:


Another cookbook:

I almost didn't pick it up
because I couldn't really see any of the cover decoration
{Yes I choose books by their cover}
But luckily I opened it and found this:
Recipes hand written in every available space.
The book was written in 1906.
I love it.
And I paid a dollar for it.


The Complete Book of Sewing, 1943

I have a thing for sewing books and cook books. Can you tell?


And I got an assortment of children's books
for the kids' school/craft room.



And this is our new pet.


Chloe found him at a thrift store
and would not leave him.
She totes him around
and feeds him
and has dropped him on her toe.
And she loves to say "SQUIRREL!"
All for only a quarter.


Tomorrow we will be heading out
to my favorite camping spot
where we will spend the weekend
eating smores
and playing cards
and exploring the wonderful nature around us.


And in one of our most favorite places
with our closest of friends
we will celebrate 10 years of
a most wonderful marriage.

See you next week!

Friday, July 16, 2010

On My Mind

So as with all my vacations 
I've come back with a fresh perspective.
Does that happen to you?
A change of scenery does me so well.
Especially when the scenery looks like this.


So I've got a few {thousand} thoughts swirling around
and organizing these thoughts is paramount for
accomplishing anything creatively.


This is my brain clutter
{You may stop reading if you like.
No offense.
My brain is quite crowded.}

I have signed up at our local Community College.
Chloe is going off to preschool this year
and I will be heading to school as well.
To play with fabric.
What could be better?!


I am mapping out an online store in my head.
Scribbling notes on what to stock it with.
And hope to be up and running in November.



I have washed a suitcase full of fabric 
and am dreading ironing it.



Thinking about Toy Story 3 and
wishing my children didn't think it was "Too Boyish" for them.
(Am I too old to watch cartoons on my own?)


Thinking I should get a bigger garden going.
(it's not too late here)
Vegetable Garden


Loving the Etsy finds from Inspired Results.


I am wishing winters here were colder so
 I could make this in the summer.
summer recipe | blackberry cobbler

Perhaps I will just live vicariously through Bonnie. 
I love her blog, Going Home to Roost.

And while reading comments on Bonnie's blog, 
I came across a comment that linked to the most fun ice cube tray ever.
{I am not particularly fond of shaped ice cube trays.
They take up too much space when you're not using them
and I can never remember to use them anyway.}
But this I would buy.
Ice cubes in the shape of coffee beans for iced coffee.
Because that would make me smile.
{And really I drink coffee to be happy}



So I was curious about who found such fun-ness
and followed Amanda Joy to her blog

And now I'd follow her anywhere
{especially to her Etsy shop}
Look at these cute clocks she makes





Then I somehow ended up at
and I am smitten again.
She has lovely taste.




Which reminds me of Jessica and her lovely taste.
Isn't Grace's room adorable?
Go vote for Grace's room over at
{it really is the cutest room there}



I have vintage family photos to be scanned



and a kid's craft area to finish
using some of these
  



And Alicia over at Posie Gets Cozy
has put together a children's reading list.
Booklist1
(click the picture to go to her blog and then the list)
And I have the sudden urge to complete this list with my girls.
Today.
{Okay, not today, but you get the point}



and the girls' bedroom with a mind full
of projects that I can't wait to get done



Christmas gifts to work on




We have a camping trip next week
to one of my most favorite camping spots,
Polipoli



and last 
{and best of all}
a sweet little nephew on the way
who is demanding a pile of cute little boy gifts
when he arrives in November.
{of course, I will oblige!}
Vintage Red International Metal Farm Tractor
Vintage Toy Tractor


and I can't leave out the new big sister
because this will be her sister-anniversary for years to come
Big Sister shirt


And later this week I shall tell you about my thrifting finds
and our new pet squirrel.



Saturday, July 10, 2010

In One Piece

We are back.

I am reading a box full of emails
and catching up on all of your lovely blogs
{I can't wait to see what you all have been up to}
while skillfully avoiding unpacking the 7 suitcases and boxes we brought home
{each weighing 49.999 lbs}

We had a lovely time.

And with impeccable timing
Chloe got a fever this morning
and not ten minutes from getting out of auntie Dana's car
she was in bed
and throwing up.

So I will update you all soon
with the fun ideas I had while traveling.

After I finish washing all the sheets.
And maybe unpacking.


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

PS

Just to prove how my brain is already on vacation
I completely forgot about the goodbye post I had pre-posted
{my story of neglect-which wasn't riveting enough for the author to even remember!}
and made an entirely new one
{with pics!}
So you got goodbye twice.
Because I think of y'all twice as much as you think I do.

Neglect: A Story {with a happy ending}

This is a story of neglect.

The neglect of a 
{very small, but sort of sweet}
blog 
and a dog

You see,
the blog's blogger Em was going on vacation
a very long, overdue vacation in which much fun would be had by all
and wives would see their husbands for wonderfully long periods of time.

But the blog would be neglected.
No posts pre-posted.
No excitement.
For three weeks.

And the dog
well he would be left in very capable and sweet hands
But his people were leaving him
and to him, that constitutes neglect.




The happy ending?
In August there will be an empty house
with all children being in school
and one very antsy blogger
excited to craft and create and share again
with a very loyal dog at her feet.






Wish us well!
I'll be thinking of you!










PS
in case you were considering raiding our house while we were gone
a warning:
our lovely dog sitter
{who is my husband's cousins' wife's mother-follow that!}
will be taking herself a vacation 
and staying at our house
{and spoiling our first furry baby}
and if the dog doesn't eat you first
{because though he loves us, he's not very nice}
she knows how to get into our gun safe.
Don't say I didn't warn you.

See ya laters aligators

We'll be going here:


And then Visiting these guys:






and doing lots of fun things with
some of our wonderful family.


Don't tell my kids but
after all that fun
we'll be going here:



See you in 3 weeks!