Sometimes I still do crafty stuff. . . . .

. . . and my husband thinks I'm crazy, but I like to share what I finish!!!
I recently finished a quilt that has been years in the making. Here was the start to it I had several scraps left over from "stuff" and I loved them, and so I put them together and made a funky quilt. When it was all done and quilted and bound and washed my husband asked me what it was for. What kind of a question is that?!? It's to show off my favorite fabrics. It's art, it's what I like to do.



Here is Steve. Our pet desert tortoise who doesn't know he is a turtle. He is so social and friendly. He follows you around like a little dog. I was taking these pictures and . . . there he was! Always has to check out what's going on!






I also made some little pouches to give to the teachers with gift certificates inside of them for end of the year gifts. I also had a few leftover for grad gifts/gift cards.

Pictures tell a story !

Have you seen [framed] yet?!? Each week they post a new video featuring an inspiring photographer who is in love with his/her job. It teaches and it inspires all who watch! Go to the link above to watch each episode and to become a fan on facebook or twitter! I've loved each episode.
This week for the giveaway they are asking for pictures that tell stories. I could not narrow it down to just one, so I decided to post several (random) photographs that I've taken over the last few years. :)

This first one was taken in Brugge, Belgium. It depicts a typical day there on this touristy street.


I LOVE this next one! It's one of my favorite pictures ever taken. It was taken in Venice last summer. As we were walking I stopped, turned around and saw these two women arm in arm. I waited until they approached that strip of light, and then took a few pictures.


This was taken at a family reunion in Yellowstone. The big 'ol group was all posed and ready and the RAIN HIT!!!! :) I love it!


This next one was at the same family reunion and shows us all caravaning together to some old family property in Idaho. The property is endearing to all with many fond and loving memories.



A mother and her son, walking down the aisle :).
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This one. . . . . haha. This one I'll leave it up to you to tell the story! This was taken in Antwerp Belgium last summer.

Quilted Fabric Growth Chart

I was recently invited to a baby shower for two friends :) Sister in laws. They are both expecting baby girls this early spring. I could have easily gone out and bought them something cute, but I sew. For some reason I got in my head I wanted to make them growth charts. Someone made one for me years ago and and I just love it.
I perused etsy and blogs for some ideas and this is what I came up with from all the cute ideas I saw out there. The crazy me made four of them. Two for gifts for the baby shower and two extras. . . . just because!! There is always a baby shower to go to and or a sister having a babay :)

For the hanging growth chart I basically put a bunch four wonky log cabin blocks together, added a white strip along the edge for the inch markings. They were written on with a fabric marker. I added them AFTER I washed and dried the quilt so the fabrics would shrink before adding the measurement ticks and thus stay accurate. Then I added a loop along the top for the dowel to sit in and for hanging. On the back I added a pocket to hold a fabric marker so that it is always there when you need it!

Why stop at one post

Well I havn't posted (or crafted much) in a year or so. So why stop at one post. Here is something else I made for Valentines Day. I got the idea from this blog. A super cute blog by the way!!
I bought a heart wreath and wrapped that. I wish it was bigger, but it was the biggest one they had at Beverlys. It is only about 12" wide. I guess that would be a lot of wrapping if it was any bigger though.

I want to be "crafty" again!!!!!!

I really really want to enter a new phase of life where I am sewy and crafty again. I can't even recall exactly why I havn't been but it probably went something like this. Found out I was expecting new baby. Baby needed the third bedroom ie. my sewing room. I had no where to sew or craft except my small bedroom. I got busy with new baby and busy older boys. I started taking more and more pictures. I started my photography business and well that was pretty much the end of my sewing career. I have often drooled over my sisters crafty blog. I keep telling myself, "someday"!
We have since moved into a little bit bigger house, still only three bedrooms, but the extra eating/kitchen nook has been assigned my sewing space since we also have a dining room that is the best place for the kitchen table.
I kindof had a bad year doing photography - I was super super busy but for some reason most of my clients were the ones that didn't actually want to spend any money. That has made it frustrating for me to want to put any extra time into it right now and with the high school season over I have some time to. . . . . . . . SEW!!! Plus being in the new house has made me start thinking about things I cold do to decorate and spruce it up a bit with some crafty projects.
I had some time to spend all by myself at Beverly's the other night. It was heavenly! It was the first time I've been in there in what seems like years! I came home with the supplies to make a family rules canvas that I have seen around lately.
I actually FINISHED it in about two days time. It is up on the shelf and has added a lot to the little wall with shelves and not much else.

Now let's see if I can even remember how to post pictures. . . .

Flannel board story give away

Go see edeenut to be inspired with her cute flannel board stories!! She is also giving away a flannel board story to help you get your collection started, or add to an existing :)

Feeling lucky :)

I hardly remember, but apparantly I made a comment on a giveaway over at sew mama
sew. Turns out I WON!! I was so surprised to get the email in my inbox. I couldn't even remember making the comment. I must have figured I WOULD NEVER WIN :). But I did - I won one of five prizes. Mine was a $20 gift card to their online store. Man did I have fun shopping over there. I havn't bought really cool quilting cotton in a LONG time. The Katie Jump Rope line by Denyse Schmidt caught my eye and bought nine 3/8 yard cuts (on sale) and only paid for shipping. I am looking forward to making a quilt top with it. I have this whirlygig pattern in mind, we'll see what happens :).

This is something I've been working on. It only needs snaps (I've never done snaps before) and some finishing around the neck and sleeves. I may try some of my new FOE (fold over elastic) that I just got from Sewzannes :) That stuff is so cool. Not as easy to put on as I'd have liked but it is still cool. I may just add some ribbing - I'm good at that. I'm still wondering whether or not to put in the feet or leave the legs opened. hmmm. It is summer, but it cools down in the evenings and babies never leave their blankets on. . . I'll probably leave it open.

Oh I love this

This post is kindof like a "bookmark" for myself. To remind myself that I LOVE THIS and really want to make it.
I found a whole bunch of cool puppets from the dollar store a couple years ago and I need to pull them out of the box and use them more - this would be cute!! The boys love the puppet shows and it is a fun/creative NON COMPUTER activity for them :) yeah!! My friend says this is "A DOOR A BLE" and it's late enough that it's funny!

This reminds me that I really want to make a card table tent? Have you seen those? It is a fabric tent that you slip over the top of a card table and it makes and instant fort or tent or princess castle or whatever you want it to be. I want to make a princess castle with windows and doors and some fun applique on the sides of flowers or something.

fabric birthday banner #2

Fabric Birthday Banner #2 and I think I'm done with birthday banners for a while. Although I think they would be fun birthday presents for some of my friends? Or sisters? OOH - maybe I'll make one for the annual sister's gift exchange this year???? SHHHH :)
Anyway, I like how this one turned out. I LOVE the fabrics together. It is very festive. I made sure this time to put a darker plain fabric on the back side so that if hung up against a window the pattern on the back wouldn't come through and distract from the pattern on the front. I made the individual flags 7" accross and 10" deep. I pinked around the edges, made button holes in each corner and used ribbon through the button holes to secure the flags next to each other. More on the process here.

Recycled dusting mitt

ARE THESE COOL or WHAT?!?
I love them and am going to make some :). I think my kids will really want to dust with these - especially if it's made from one of their old shirts or something :)
They look super quick and easy to make - There is a great tutorial here:
http://wewilsons.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-cleaning-dust-mitt-tutorial.html

Fabric Birthday Banner

I have finished one and a half birthday banners!!!! This is something I have wanted to make for years and recently my sister inspired me to JUST DO IT!! This first one I made is very girly and for my daughter . . . and I suppose I could hang it up on my birthday too. The second one I made is more gender neutral with blue, red, green and yellow print fabrics :) I will share pictures when I'm finished with it :).
This first one is a little bigger than I had expected. Each flag is 10" across the top and then the top to the bottom point is 13". You never know until you get all the flags together just how big it will be - I made the second one a tad bit smaller (7"X10").
The process was quite simple if you want to make one. I cut out 32 flags/triangles - 16 for the front and 16 for the back. They were 10" across the top and 13" deep. I appliqued letters onto the front using heat and bond and the directions are on the package or you can find wonderful tutorials online. Then I stitched the flags wrong sides together, pinked the edges with my pinking shears, made a button hole in each corner and tied the flags together with ribbon through the button holes. The two ends have longer strands of ribbon for hanging. There are SO MANY ways you could make these. This just happened to be the way that worked well for me :).

The other one. . .

I took picture of the other (my favorite) little toy I made.
It is a combination of all of the toys on the pattern pictured below and some of my own additions. I put a jingly bell in it and some crinkly stuff in the skirt. Yep, there are things I could have done better and I had good intentions of re-making it to make everything perfect but the chances of that happening are unlikely.

The End. . . . .

. . . of a LONG sewing slumber. Stacy's theme thursday for the week is THE END.
It had been a long time since I'd heard the humming of my sewing maching creating odds and ends. I finally put the silence to an end - even if it was just five minutes here and 20 minutes there - I started some new projects!!!! I made some little toys for Sierra :). The other toy I made (my favorite) is in her room where she is napping so I'll take pictures of it another time.
I've also been making little shoes for her!!! I LOVE THEM. I modified the original pattern a bit. They are FUN!
I also used up some of my favorite knits on a baby blanket for a nephew to be born this summer :).
YEA!!! It feels good to sew again :)

Photo camp :)

I somehow convinced my husband that we needed to take the kids out of school for a couple of days to go see family in Utah. Of course I talked him into going the same weekend as Photo Camp Ut. My brother had told me about the event and the $10 registration fee for a full day of workshops and speakers. This was the first annual Photo Camp and I think it turned out awesome! I hope to see it again next year and the year after that. . . . My favorites from the day: 1- the workshop of posing people presented by BellaOra Studios. 2- the presentation given by the chief photographer at the Salt Lake Tribune. 3- The concluding Ignite presentations from eight truly inspiring photographers.

Some shots (dragging the shutter) of my brother and another of the crowd. See me on the right standing up?