New Recipe Box

I had to upgrade-

too many recipes

& they just wouldn't all fit.

Unfinished box + Heather Bailey Paper + Silhouette=

It makes me and my kitchen happy :)

Making me Smile

I got it at Anthropologie at Irvine Spectrum.

I wish my kids were there

so I could have gone on the ferris wheel.

{But then I wouldn't have gone into Anthropologie}

I should have gotten this, too.

{I can't remember why I didn't!}

The little scale is staying there.

I'm not sure what to do with the sugar dispenser.

And I need to hang that sweet recipe holder

It's got a hole on top but I don't want some

boring picture-hanging nail sticking through.

Any ideas?

{Strawberries are were from the Kula Country Farms. Divine.}

A little box of goodies from my dear Mother in Law

Fridge happiness.

My Awesome card. (found via pinterest, of course!)

My timer (which only gets used for time outs).

And my Anne Taintor magnet

(just high enough the kids can't really read it

but it makes me smile)

Crochet yellow blanket from the St. Joseph Thrift Store

with Bailey's pink knitting yarn.

My antiquing goodies combined with some

family treasures on the office book shelves.

And of course these two make me smile:

Such goof-balls there's no doubt we're related :)

Well, Hello!

Summer is just ticking away!

I went for a nice long vacation with my family

through three different states and five national parks.

I am a very proud parent of a five-time junior ranger!

After more than three weeks of bliss with our little family

my wonderful husband took the girls home &

I got to go see my Mother and Grandmother and Aunt

{in which copious amounts of antiquing was done!}

It was lovely.

I have so much to show you

but I will do my best to pace myself

as not to bore anyone to tears.

Before we left I made some accessories for Chloe's baby Isabella

I also decided Bailey needed a safe place to put her

American Girl Doll while on vacation.

So I took this backpack:
and turned it into a doll carrier:

I made the girls little sun visors for summer

I used a cute little tshirt I found thrifting.

You can get the tutorial here.

Bailey will be starting a new school this year

complete with full uniforms

She needs to wear all white socks so

to keep them separate from all her other socks I made a little

laundry bag to hang in her closet.

I needed a cover for my new date book.

{I think I'm starting school quite back-to-school-ish}

And last of all we must discuss Pinterest.

You either have no idea what I am talking about

or you have already left the me to go check on

what's recently been pinned

It is fantastical.

Look what I found:

Source: allsorts.typepad.com via Emily on Pinterest

If you would like to check out my boards

you'll need to request an invite

(email me)

or if you're already pinning you can

see my boards here.

I will warn you though, it's like computer crack.

once you've tried it there's no going back :)

Love this.

You can get one here on Etsy.

Found via Pinterest.

Countdown Board

I was inspired by this board over at eighteen25

and decided I needed to make my own

I used chalkboard paint on the bottom

so that we can countdown to whatever comes next.

What summer fun are you looking forward to?

Hello, Kitty!

On our last road trip I made the girls minky car seat covers

to plant their tushies in for 3000 miles.

Chloe has graduated to a booster seat now so I decided to cover hers in minky, too.

{because I didn't want to hear about who didn't get the fuzzy seat today}

Minky is really nice to work with for this project because it stretches

so it's easier to make a nice fit and

it's fuzzy so crooked seams don't show as much :)

I recycled the minky I had used on her large car seat and cut it for the sides

then bought a small piece of Hello Kitty Fleece for the center.

I took off the existing cover and used it as a pattern.

I sewed the center together first

then fit the outside.

Underneath is lined with a super cheap quilted cotton.

Ready to go for another 3000 miles!

Bags for my bag

Are you a purse dumper or organizer?

I am an organizer. Type A all the way.

So I made some little bags for my big bag

from the same Amy Butler book.

Oh boy, this was more confusing than the last pattern.

In this pattern she explains how to make these cute little origami bags in

six different sizes. The problem is that she gives you

all cutting instructions for the bags at the same time-

like you'll be making all six at once.

I needed copious amounts of caffeine to remember if I was doing the

small or x small or mini bags.

But I love the way she puts in the zipper-

especially with the lining.

Worth the confusion just for that lovely piece of info!

Sewing Again and a book review

I took a bit of a break from crafting.

I was organizing and cleaning out and getting the cobwebs out.

But like most crafters,

I can't stay away long.

I bought this book by Amy Butler

from my favorite sewing store

along with some fabric to make the first project.

{yes, I am in love with our proteas that are in bloom}

This book has some very cute patterns in it and I plan on making every single one.

I got right to sewing and completed the first bag:

I am so excited with it.

I did add a couple pockets on the inside

{not the large ones, but a couple small ones on the inside at the ends}

Next time I will definately interface the pockets on the inside-

you can see how the pockets "fall" into the bag because they are so large.

It's a large bag and will be perfect for our vacation this summer.

The book has very cute patterns in it.

I will probably make them all over the next year.

Amy Butler always has a simplicity about the

way she does things that makes sewing logical.

My disappointment with this book is that there are not enough pictures

and these are not the easiest pattern instructions Amy Butler has done.

Instructions are fairly clear (but I often needed to read them a few times before I got it)

and some portions would have definitely been easier with a picture at hand.

If you have not made bags before I would recommend

one of her individual patterns first

(not in a book)

those come with nice pictures and clearer instructions.

Overall, a great book for the moderate sewer.

Added to

Necklaces

Disneyland keeps my Mother young.

She goes often with my Aunt B

{often enough to have annual passes}

and they've explored every corner.

This year for Christmas I made necklaces for each of them

themed around their favorite rides.

My mother loves to sit on the Mark Twain and have coffee.

And Aunt B loves the Haunted Mansion.

I found some of the frame charms at Ben Franklin

{because we don't have Joann's OR Michael's here! *gasp*}

but you can find similar ones here.

I found the rest on Etsy.

I printed out my images on plain paper,

cut them to size,

covered them front and back with clear packing tape

(yes, clear packing tape-it protects it like lamination and is super cheap)

then put it in the frame and applied diamond glaze over it.

So easy I think I'll make one for myself :)

Chloe's Birthday Theme

Chloe has decided on a theme for her birthday party this year

{drumroll, please}

Chloe loved this ride at Disneyland

{and I must say it's one of my favorites, too}

I am making much of her party things

but found a few songs to download for the festivities.

{click to go to Amazon & listen}

this whole album is good.

love ragtime!

I know it looks cheesy

but It's a Small World on the accordion

just sounds right.

This is a cute album-

all the favorites but a little

"cooler" for the older elementary set :)

By far my most favorite.

Is there such a thing as

disneyland songs for grown-ups?

I also got some of this fabric from

Fashionable Fabrics:

If only we could go there to celebrate :)

Happy New Year!

Yes, I'm still here

still sewing and crafting

and making a big thready mess

I just haven't had much time to share :)

Over the next few weeks I hope to

catch you up on all the lovelies I made for Christmas.

In the mean time,

this is what the first couple weeks of 2011 held for me:

Living Room Pinwheels

I used Heather Bailey's free pattern

{sort of, I used a lot of hot glue which she doesn't

but mine don't need to spin}

And I made a bunch of happy pillows.

{the ruffle-y one is my favorite}

Hope you're all having a crafty New Year!