ENJOY!!

BLOG: 

This is an awesome blog and amazing resource.  I visit quite often.  Great place for a beginner sewist…

Sew 4 Home

LOVE IT: 

I was out shopping yesterday when I saw the dutch oven pictured below (but in a gorgeous orange color) on sale.  Sale price $191.00 reduced from $265.  I almost bought it on the spot but that’s still a lot of money….But I so want to make this bread and have it look just like hers…Maybe an early birthday gift.  I had the store hold one for me…actually they offered.  Which is not usually done with sale items.  I’d say that means something…maybe the universe giving me permission. Please someone give me permission!!!   It’s a Le Creuset…those don’t come cheap but I’ve heard they wear like iron (no pun intended) and are worth every penny.

CRUSTY BREAD by SIMPLY SO GOOD (picture by SimplySoGood)

Crusty Bread by Simply So Good

  TUTORIAL:

If you have checked out my boards on Pinterest you know I have a serious problem.  But I also have an excellent resource of tutorials for a ton of different things.  My two favorite boards are my quilting tutorials  and sewing tutorials.  I know you have to support the authors out there but there is so much for free it does make it hard, especially when for once you want to buy something other than fabric (I really want that dutch oven)… I can’t wait to give this one a go!  If anyone of you try it let me know.

Moda’s Half Moon Modern Sewing Room: Ironing Board Cover

Who hasn’t gone shopping for a new cover and thought how ugly they are.  Now they don’t have to be.  I’m going to make a mini version for my table top ironing board.  I love that little board and use it almost every day.  So time for a make over….

Moda’s Half Moon Modern Sewing Room: Ironing Board Cover

 Feels good to be back…Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!

As I tried to sit up, the dull ache of awareness told me it was my old buddy that hit me…”old buddy?” Yeah, LIFE, you idiot!!!

I can’t even tell you how swamped I’ve been lately and honestly just not feeling like myself.  I won’t bore you with all the details but I will say that you HAVE to make time for the things you love to do no matter how much life’s responsibilities try to pull you away from it.  I feel so lost without my online world.  It’s awful!!!! But no matter what I’m going to try to my best to “be back” even if it’s one post a week.  I missed it here.

So when last we met I’d talked about the bookcase doll house I was working on Kira and wanted to have done by her birthday (May 6).  Well, it was not finished on time…for a number of reasons.

My cousin is now living with us.  We knew that was to be part of the plan for this summer but we didn’t know the summer was to start on May 5th.  So all of a sudden Chris and I were chickens without heads trying to get the down stairs in our house turned into an apartment of sorts for a 20-year-old to be comfortable as she traveled to and from the Manhattan each day working her first internship.  It has been wonderful having her but needless to say there is just more to do with another person under your roof.

That said, the brakes were put on the doll house.  I also realized that while I was super excited about the doll house I suddenly wasn’t sure that a three-year old was going to enjoy it as much or in the way I wanted her to.  Kira is a very busy girl and loves to take things about to figure out how they work and I suddenly saw all my time and energy spent making miniature curtains going awry in a matter of minutes.  So I decided to wait.    Maybe getting ready for my cousin’s arrival was the universe’s way to saying wait another 6 months or a year. 

But I couldn’t leave her with nothing.  So I found a substitute “doll house” that for the time being will be so much more fun, portable and far less breakable.

Here’s a little peek…

Aside from working on that project I’ve also started a new quilt for one of my readers? How’d she get so lucky? Actually I now have 2 quilts going for readers who have become friends and have brand new babies (one to arrive any minute).  What sewist/quilter/knitter can resist making a gift for a new babe? Not me!!!

I’m only showing a peak of this one since she “visits” here and I don’t want to ruin the surprise completely…

You’ve seen this one already but I love it so much it’s worth an updated peak.  Most of the blocks are completed..Now it’s time to “sandwich”, quilt and bind…

I also have a quilt planned for this lovely bundle….It’s for my sister for her 40th birthday and 10 year wedding anniversary…..

I am busy just haven’t been making the time to tell you about….well guess what…..

Blogoversay post tomorrow.

To all the amazing women in my life

I wish you love and laughter today and always!!!

After much thinking Chris and I decided we wanted to get her a doll house for her birthday but after much research we learned how expensive and breakable and “designed for older girls” some doll houses can be.  Enter Pinterest….

I first saw this idea there and fell totally in love!!!  Here’s reference to it in the Land Of Nod catalog..  The Bookcase Doll house!!!  Awesome idea right?  But check out Nod’s bookcase price.  Are they nuts?  This thing is going to be covered in double-sided tape, hot glue gun glue, felt, etc… Yes, your eyes are reading correctly $279…I think not.  Just for the bookcase alone…no way.

Or you could go with the $35 model for Lowe’s.  Add  backing and you’re all set.  The bookcase, furniture and accessories still don’t add up to the above price….

Oh and the fun I”m having……

First floor…L to R, living room, dining room and kitchen

Second floor…L to R, kids room, parents room and bathroom

Scrap book paper (50 cents per sheet) for wall paper…

I got a bit excited and bought this bathroom set from Toys R Us but it’s going back.  I found much nicer/sturdier and better priced furniture online…(it’s should arrive by Thursday)

The most fun is making the accessories….I want these curtains in my bathroom….

12″ dowel, cut in 3 pieces, 4″ “curtain rod”.  6 1/2″ square of fabric cut in half, turn in the edges (I eye-balled it), sew, slide onto the rod, use a touch of glue from the hot glue gun on the back to stop the curtains from sliding off, white 1/8″ ribbon for the ties and VOILA!!!!!

CUTENESS!!!!!

Another progress report to come…stay tuned!!!!!

Here’s my Puppy Dog Tails Quilt Complete!!  (I just realized I gave two projects the same name…oh well).  Maybe because I started it so long ago.

I did a basic stipple/meander quilt design.  It’s fast and I love the effect!! Every time I try to branch out with another pattern I always come back to this one.  I’ve learned the fancier patterns and am not to bad but there is something about a stippled quilt that just makes me want to snuggle under it.  In this case I wish I had a new babe of my own to wrap up in this one…One can dream…

My favorite part is the binding fabric.  Polka dots, so perfect and classic for this quilt.  (Thank you Teri!)

I applied the binding using Pat Sloan’s tutorial.  Again, fast and easy!!!  Have to save my hands whenever I can.

This Little Rascals fabric is beyond adorable…

Here’s the required “rolled quilt” shot.  On almost every quilting blog I visit, if there is a completed quilt, there is also a picture of it rolled up.

Can’t decide which end I like better…

Baby stuff….I love it!!!!

Remember this went out last week?  Well  hubby’s co-worker wasn’t there so he brought the gift back home…JOY! I ripped off the gift wrap, ran to the sewing machine and VOILA…

Brown…got to love my earth tones.

Ripping out stitches is soooo not fun but the results of re-doing are so worth it.

Is it me or does that not look 100 times better?

Now you can actually see the design on the back.

Lesson learned…go with my gut and trust myself.    It’s such as simple and insignificant thing but it makes me so happy…and almost relieved in some strange way…

This is the kind of project you can make in about 1/2 hour.  Measure, cut, assemble, sew, edge, iron…DONE!!  It’s from a tutorial I found on Pinterest (where else)  for a Self Binding Baby Quilt.  It’s actually a receiving blanket, but so what…it’s super cute and easy.   (Gosh I sound like Jenny from the tutorial.)

Here’s a close up of the print…CUTE!! Who can resist puppies?

I used a simple decorative stitch between the print and solid fabrics.  In hind sight I probably should have used brown.  It would have “packed more punch” but oh well…It’s done and off to the family.  Next time…

See what I mean.  That white thread just gets lost on the back (and front).  But when making something for a stranger, in my mind, I’d rather err on the side of simple.

The tutorial was done by the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I like their videos/tutorials for the ideas but they are not to big on technique and exactness.  That is good and bad depending on what you are looking for.  In this case…it was just what I wanted.  A quick handmade gift without a lot of details and perfection.

Here ‘s the YouTube link…Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqwdNqMZ8Ro&feature=youtu.be

It all started on Friday morning with Brunch with my mum and sister,  then a wonderful dinner with May and her family in the evening.  Thank you so much for stopping by my friend.  Twice in two weeks…I love it!!!! Can’t wait to see you again…

Then continued on Saturday with painting eggs for the Easter egg hunt. 

As always my girl was very serious about the task at hand.

This is very hard work mummy!!

Eggs are ready and neatly stacked.  Daddy made this in about 10 mins because I tossed the egg crate in my overzealous-ness to keep things neat.

Easter Morning!!

and with Titi

And then on the hunt…

my little beauty!!

…and chasing the Easter Bunny

It was an amazing day!!!!!

Don’t get me wrong my girl and I have been quite inseparable these days, even more so than usual.  But every now and then mummy needs a little away time.  This may sound corny but it makes me a happier mum if I can do things that I love from time to time.  And while I have been working out and cooking more (both good for the body), which is time well spent it is not the same as knitting or sewing.  My soul was starting to “lack” a bit.

Here’s Very Terhi… in Bugga Yarn…In a word, HEAVEN.

I also just finished stippling a baby quilt…again so needed!!

Home Made Play Dough!!!! 

I don’t know which one of us had more fun!  A little secret of mine. I think I should have been a chemist, because I get such a kick out of alchemy-esk projects.  This one was awesome!!! Guess what all our baby/toddler friends are going to get as gifts this year?  If your child is like mine, they love play dough but every now and then a stray piece finds it way into a curious mouth.  All the ingredients here are from my kitchen and if anyone gets the munchies they’ll just be getting a super salty mouthful that I’m sure will be spit right out.  And if ingested…a tummy ache at worst.

Measuring out the ingredients…”Is it at the line Mummy?”

Stirring carefully…What’s great about this stuff is it doesn’t really get hot.  Kira lifted the spoon just as I was reaching for something and a big gulp spilled on the back of my hand.  I was braced for the pain but nothing.  It was very warm but not hot at all.  Great if the little ones spill it on themselves. or it splashes while being stirred.

I’m going to save you lots of time and maybe some taxed brain cells.  1/2 of a tablespoon = 1 1/2 teaspoons.  Maybe some of you are laughing at me right now but that took me a moment and a little help from my iPhone.  Sound familiar Mum?

Next step…KNEADING!!! Kira took this step very seriously!!

Very seriously!!! “This is hard work Mum!”

Of course we had to try pink first.  This is after about 5 mins of kneading.

A quick hand-roll into a ball and VOILA!!!!

Start to finish about 15 mins!!!  Even with Kira helping.  We can’t wait to make more.  And this project is another great “learn your colors” exercise.

Thanks again Pinterest! What did we do before you?