Back From Hiatus!!

Hello Friends! Whew....sometimes life comes at ya so fast there just is not a way to manage everything. So, in the spirit of self preservation I took a leave of absence from this here blog and sadly, haven't been in the studio much either. However, I am still alive and well and I've been missing my little piece of cyber real estate.

I've held back a lot of of my personal situation on this blog but now I'm feeling like I am ready to start sharing the full picture of who/what/how I am. I work full time in a dental office and my husband has been full time student for the last three years. We juggle two great kids, schedules, sports, etc! Hubby is currently beginning what we are hoping is his LAST TERM of school!!!!!! This will mean a lot of things for our family and highest on my list is getting to cut back a lot of work hours. I can not wait to trade them in for working at home hours!!

I've reached the one year anniversary of my blog and that makes me happy. Each and every post on here has been something I've created in the wee hours (usually) while the two kiddos sleep and I can let myself explore in the sewing studio. We live way out in the country without internet access so all of my posts have been done on my lunch hour. It is truly not the most convenient method but it works. Even though I had my recent break I am still happy to reach my one year point as a blogger. I love this format and am looking forward to sharing more projects/dreams/family craziness with you! So thanks for stopping by and rest assured I AM STILL ALIVE!!!!!!!!! And, wouldn't you know it, thanks to some technical difficulties I could not get my new pics on here today. So please enjoy a bright and cheery photo from my trip to Holland last fall and I will be back shortly!

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Monday Morning Musings

 Happy Monday! I got up early today (about 4:45) to get in some creative time before the day began. I just cleaned the studio this weekend and it feels fresh and wonderful again. It was the perfect place to have my tea and look for some inspiration in past issues of Apronology magazine. I think I may use this type of flower on an upcoming sweatshirt restyle for my mom.

 I've been dabbling in zentangle lately. It is really fun and I can't wait to incorporate it into my sewing. On the right is a purse restyle that will go on Etsy - it is in the middle of the process and will be shared later in the week!

Here is some ink and fabric paint stamped on another bag that will also become one of my Gifts With Heart. I'm not sure yet how it will come together but I thought I would give you a little sneak peak into my early Monday musings. Hope its a great week!!

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December Reflections - A Blog Circle

Hello! My normal posts are about my crafts, but today I am part of a Blog Circle - a group of amazing women bloggers who are doing incredible things with their talents. I hope you will take few minutes to follow the links through this circle.

A snowman made from my son's kindergarten hand print.

As a child each year I made a point to sit near the Christmas tree when the house was quiet and just enjoy its beauty with all the lights turned out. I could just stare at it, entranced, absorbing the peace. This time of year it is easy to become busy, especially now that I'm an adult and a mommy to my own children, but I realized now more than ever I need to slow down and savor the beauty around me.

I got to looking at our family Christmas tree and realized its a collection of our life stories and beautiful memories. Little trinkets and those most precious hand-made, straight-from-school ornaments. They are literally priceless.

A sparkly nutcracker for the tree.

As my children grow I am becoming more aware how fleeting their time at home, in our care and under our shelter, will be. There is so much to teach them, so much I am still learning myself. I find things that they love, like our collection of nutcrackers on the mantel, takes on special meaning because when we get them out I get to experience their uninhibited joy. It is a gift each and every time it bubbles over in the form of that sweet laughter and those funny expressions.

Santa on the Eiffel Tower - I got to visit family in Europe with my son this year.

As I make time to sit and reflect I am thankful for the gifts I have been given. A wonderful husband, two sweet children and all of the fingerprinted, misspelled mementos they offer so proudly. How could my heart not overflow with love and gratitude?

A hand-crafted gift box.

Like so many parents I have struggled in the last week. Trying to make sense of life in a seemingly crazy world. Navigating the delicate terrain of explaining excruciating topics in age appropriate ways. Hugging harder and snuggling more and trying to keep my own roller coaster emotions in check. Being a grown up is hard sometimes and its funny that these little people we raise have no idea how much comfort they can bring on a quiet night, when they are tucked into bed, and mommy sits in the dark by the tree and reflects.

One of my favorite keepsakes - a word that expressed something special to my preschooler.

Please enjoy my blog circle link to Juniper Goods.Pin It

And the Stockings Were Hung...

A few years ago I found this flannel fabric on sale after Christmas and just had to have it! I bought enough to make four stockings, even though we didn't yet have a second child and weren't sure if we would. (Just call it a hopeful hunch!)

The pattern is by Terri Staats of Sweet Treasures, a designer who taught locally at the time.

I loved putting these cozy fabrics together and accenting with purple embroidery. These were quilted with a meandering stitch, also in purple, but it doesn't show up well in the photo. A zig-zag stitch accents the toe and heel of the stocking.

As a mommy, there is something extra special about hanging up handmade stockings each year and our family was thrilled to make use of that fourth one in 2009!!



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Ugly Monster Doll - College Edition

If you saw the Ugly Monster Doll I made for my daughter a couple weeks ago you will notice this one is different. My son is a monster University of Oregon Ducks fan (pun intended!) and he asked for a Ducks theme for his little monster. This time I made my own pattern which was fun - I'm definitely going to start doing more of my own patterns!

I sketched the "O" after looking at one of his football posters and made my own applique.

The back side is my son's other love - John Deere - which just happens to sport the same colors and U of O! That makes it easy for mom!!

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DIY Capri's - UPDATE

Some of you asked to get another look at the owl Capri's once the cuff had frayed. I'm happy with the results after just one wash/dry cycle and I imagine it will get even better over time.
Thanks so much for looking!!

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DIY Restyled Capri Jeans Tutorial

As promised, I restyled some "too short" jeans into a funky pair of Capri's with a little whimsy. Here's how I did it.

I took my current favorite pair of Capri's and placed them on top of the Goodwill jeans to get a similar length. I marked where the fold and the cuff should go, double checking to make sure both legs were even.

I used my quilt ruler and rotary cutter to get the length even on the legs when I cut off the bottom.

Before deciding which decorative stitch I wanted I tested some on a strip of cut off denim. I didn't want any surprises on the pants. Then I ran the stitch around each cuff, using a thick zigzag stitch. I am hoping the top will fray over time and the stitch will keep it from going too far.

After stitching I folded the cuff up and tacked the side seams to keep it in place.

Then, for fun, I fussy cut two flannel owls out of some leftover fabric in my stash. I stitched them to the outside edge of each cuff for a whimsical accent. An easy way to do this is using the needle down option on the sewing machine and just spinning the pants when you reach the corner.

Since the owls and the side seams were holding the cuff in place I decided to try some Iron-On Fusing Web I'd had sitting around to see what I thought about it.

I cut a strip and placed it on the inside of the cuffs, front and back and ironed according to the instructions. It seemed to hold well and I figured if it comes apart later I will just stitch the pants.

Since these are something I will keep for myself its a good time to check out a new-to-me product.

Finally, I pulled two buttons from my collection and placed them on each side seam next to the owl. I adhered them with E-6000 glue, another experiment, to see how it holds up on a project like this. I can't wait to wash these a few times and get that frayed look at the top of the cuff.

I hope you found this helpful and are

inspired to try your own restyle!



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Polka Dot Pin Cushion

I saw the sweetest tea cup pincushion while cruising the blogosphere. Katie, the crafty gal at Punk Projects (http://punkprojects.blogspot.com/) hosted a guest tutorial on this project and I was inspired to give it a try. I wanted a brighter, less formal look for mine and this is how it turned out!

Found this cute little bowl at a flea market and instead of using batting I decided to cover an old school tomato cushion that was in my junk drawer.

I sewed together two bright strips left over from a long ago quilt project, then wrapped it around the cushion and used a hair band to secure it on the bottom.

To hold it in place I used my ever-trusty E-6000 glue to adhere the fabric to the bowl. It was all worth it when I gave it to my awesome, seamstress aunt who loved it! A super quick, easy and fun little project with endless options! Have fun if you try one and let me know what you think!

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