Family Dolls

Thanks for all the great ideas on what to name my dolls! Several of you suggested your own Grandmother's names and the I thought "duh, I have grandmother's too!" So I decided to name this doll Peggy and my more mischevious ones (which I have yet to make) Cecelia after my grandmothers. Peggy is my mother's mother and was a PE teacher and librarian before having eight (yup. eight.) kids and staying home. When her kids were younger she taught piano until about 5 years ago, when she retired (somewhat reluctantly).

Cecelia is my father's mother and when she was young (and now) she had amazing movie star looks, and a mischevious side. As a young bride she had a crochet string bikini, which she swears she never actually wore in public. She was very trendy and had all the latest styles. Her dresses from the 50's were to die for! It was her amazing 1955 all lace wedding dress that I wore when I got married. Oh how I loved that dress.

So, this little Peggy Doll has a plaid skirt, sweet angora sweater, button flower in her hair and a flower brooch given to her by an admirer. This surely is during her librarian days, I'll have to make a PE teacher Peggy next. But first I am going to make a baby and boy doll for my kids then a Cecelia doll. Because they are all hand embroidered they take awhile to make. I actually started this one on Saturday at the Maker Faire and finished the embroidery last night. I probably won't sew her up until I finish some more.

Oh, and I might give her some cat-eye glasses. I haven't decided yet.

Maker Faire

The Maker Fair/Bazaar Bizarre was this weekend and I went on Saturday to keep Missy company, who had a booth for Mohair Circus. It was so fun and there were so many cool things to see. Unfortunately the only pictures I took all day are the ones here, but Missy, Bethany, Michelle, Sonya and many others have tons to make up for my deficiency. Good thing-we wouldn't want anyone to feel like they missed out!

I met bunches of cool people, Jenny from Sew Darn Cute, Michelle from Green Kitchen, Sonya from Knit Sonya and blog reader, Cori, to name a few *Hi Girls!* They were all very very sweet.
Baz Biz was in a huge room where there were booths and demos where you could make your own jewlery, screenprints, lamps, vases, paper...you name it, it was there. I didn't really get to see everything, which was a bummer. Maybe next year!

Lola

I finished my embroidered doll (really she is more of a softie/stuffie) the other day. I would have posted pics of her sooner, but Monkey found her and has been playing with her ever since. He has even requested a boy doll for him and a baby doll for peanut girl, saying that there needs to be a "family" for him and peanut to play with. Needless to say I am very happy to oblige and soon there will be a mister and a baby for Lola.

Lola is all dressed and ready to do her housework, duster at the ready. I think if I ever make this particular doll again I'll try to make her a real apron. I made her with no arms and legs on purpose, I was going for the Russian stacking dolls look, though I do have an arms-and-legs version in the pipes. It will be a good long while before I have an arms-and-legs Lola to show, because, frankly, I am just not that good at this stuff yet. Regardless, I love her in all her housewifery glory.

Though, I do have to say that a family gal isn't quite what I had in mind for Lola. I may have to change her name to something more domestic. Any ideas? When I originally drew out the dolls I included a bikini-clad Lola and a violin case-toting mafia Lola. Somehow a husband and child don't fit in with the bad girl image I was going for. Maybe she'll stay Lola and hve an alter-ego "Lolita". Yeah, I like that. Lola the sweet, family girl by day and my night "Lolita" the mafia crime boss. Don't you love how I ask your opinion on names and then before the paragraph is even over I have decided not to change her name and give her an alter-ego instead?

Add a 5th cute and endearing thing about me: I make dolls and then name them and give them alter-egos. That's downright weird. Fun, yes, but weird. Oh well. I'm ok with it.

On a completely different note, I watched my tivo'd Gilmore Girls last night. All in all I liked the series finale. It was my favorite show ever, but it was time to be done. Ugly Betty has been capturing my attention lately, so it softens the blow a bit. I did think it felt rushed, but it was always a show that left me wanting more at the end of the episode, so I guess I'm used to it. I like how L & L quietly made up, loved that Rory went off on the campaign trail and that Lorelai will be at dinner with the Gilmores friday night.

I was falling out of my seat laughing at Emily trying to lend Lorelai more money, and if Aaron wasn't sitting next to me I would have cried buckets when Richard told Lorelai what a great mother and person she was. I think I would hve liked to see Logan again, not because I liked him (I cheered when Rory said "no") but because if they loved each other so much I just think he would have been around a teeny bit because you just don't go from a proposal to nothing like that.

And on to the 6th cute and endearing thing about me: I have invested waaay to much time in a television show. But thank goodness I am not alone. They are too.

WIP and a Bright Idea

She is a doll that I will hopefully have done by Baz Biz. I drew up 4 or 5 different designs earlier this week and she is the one I decided to embroider first. Embroidery is my favorite craft. It knocked crochet of its crafty throne. I think I like it so much because a little embroidery makes even the simplest (or crappiest) of drawings look sweet. Lord knows I am not much of a drawer (is that a word? doubtful) but when I embroider up one of my chicken scratchings it just looks so special.

I have also been saving the kids drawings with the hopes of embroidering some of them. I think it will be a cool way to incorporate peices of them and me into cool artwork for the house. Once I finish Lola here, I'll get started on some of monkey's works of art.

It's a lovely day outside. We should be out enjoying it, but the bug I have been fighting off the last week or so finally decided to catch up with me, so out comes the Gilmore Girls Season 3, the kleenex box and embroidery work. Peanut looks to be working on the same bug and naturally Monkey boy is a ball of energy. He'll get to spend some time in the backyard while us girls nurse our runny noses.

I made these coasters not too long ago out of a charm pack. They are perfect for making criss-cross coasters. I liked the allsorts pattern just fine, but I really wanted to add my own twist so I folded my squares diagonally rather than straight. I think they turned out pretty cute. And now I have reason to but millions of charm packs. I love me some charm packs.

Speaking of charm packs, look what this whiz is doing with them. She even got herself a covershot! Monica is offically a covergirl! Congratulations, Monica!

P.S. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments about HP and starting the little lovelies handmade shop. I really really wish blogger would figger out a way so we can respond to each of them! Psssst Blogger powers that be!! Are you listening???

I Had To...

I had to get more floral wire.

I had to get it today.

I had to get it at Michaels.

I was good and didn't buy anything. This time. I just got what I needed and took a little look-see. I like what Martha has to offer, but I think I am more excited about the packaging and color scheme, than the products themselves. That crazy Martha knows how to sell something and how to get the crafty community all in a tizzy.

I know that I'll buy her products because there will be time where it will just be easier, but when push comes to shove, I think I like getting my craft supplies online from independent retailers and other crafters. Of course, I say this now. We'll see how my resolve holds up the next time I'm standing in the ailse, salivating over glitter and glue....

*ps, thanks so much for all your encouragement for HP! I have my list all divided out by day and what needs to get done for that day, and I must say it has worked out nicely so far.

Nine Days.

Till Handmade Parade and do you think I'm ready? Not so much. There are piles of fabric, thread, paper, buttons everywhere. I work well under pressure and the pressure is on. I have notebooks, picture frames, keepsake boxes, Mothers Day brooches, little lovelies dolls and so much more to finish. Not to mention make some homemade munchies and spiffy up the backyard...

In. Nine. Days.

Do I have a prayer?

Birdie - 0, Whale - 1

I made a few appliques yesterday (soooo fun!) and sewed one to an old tshirt I had. I have a feeling that all my clothes will be getting the treatment soon... Anyway, I asked hubs what he thought of my shirt and he said "Cute Whale!"

Humpf. Too bad we were going for bird, which I pointed out to him and he said "Oh yeah, I can tell its a bird." Lies. From a distance it really does look like a whale. Good thing it was an experiment. Bad thing I sewed a bird-whale to a perfectly good tshirt.

Back to Life, Back to Reality...

Anyone else hear this song in their head when they read the post title? No? Oh well, it's a good one for getting stuck in your head alright. At any rate, back to reality for me. I got to spend tons of time in the craft room last night and made or finished or started several projects. I made some magnets, cards and pincushions, finished cutting out my pattern ladies, so they are all ready to go on whatever my heart desires this week. I'm thinking trays and picture frames, but I am known to change my mind only eighty bajillion times, so we'll see what comes to fruition. I also started work on mini notebooks, but haven't finished them yet. I think I need to stare at them awhile before I really know what to do with them.

I did just look around my desk and count all the WIP (sounds so much nicer than "abandoned", no? But that is what they are...) and I have about eight. That I can see anyway. Some of them are pending trips to JoAnns for missing parts and pieces, and some I got bored with and needed a break from. All of them need to get finished soon, though. I just need them done so I can move on to bigger and better things.

Like getting ready for Handmade Parade, May 5. We are going to be busy between now and then! It really is just around the corner. Missy and I are also hoping to have a booth at Baz Biz May 25, for the Maker Faire, so we'll see if that works out. It would be so cool to be there. If HP isn't there Missy and I will go with the Sacramento Craft Mafia, who is also hoping to have a booth. In June I'll be at Sellout Buyout as a part of Second Saturday's Artwalk in Midtown and Downtown Sac.

So there will be lots of craftin' going down here. It is good that the youth group at church is partaking in a Media Fast during the month of April. It is just a really cool time to focus on our relationships with God and each other and really think about the things we watch and listen to. At the end of the 30 days we come away feeling refreshed and excited to serve our church and community anyway we can. I love that this is something a group of teenagers are choosing to be a part of! How cool is that?

On April 1, I will take a 30 day break from blogging and Flickr, but I will be updating the HP blog with our crafter profiles and returning emails and posting to the Media Fast journal. You'll still be able to get the info you need on HP from me or Missy. But, there are still 2 weeks before my fast!

Oh, and I drew a name for a pink pin from my post the other day and it was Heidi at Everyday Cookies! Yay! I'll drop it in the mail for ya!

No More Coma

Well, the camera is out of its coma. I finally remembered to get new batteries, so I can now post my own pics. I have been crafty lately, I made myself a little shop apron, which I am in love with. I put it on to take some pics and I haven't taken it off yet. I used a vintage fabric that was in my husband's grandma's stash that my MIL passed on to me (or maybe it was in her stash...) and a bunch of scraps I had in my own stash. It turned out pretty cute, I think. Very bright and a teeny tiny bit garish, but hey, that's me!

Yesterday I whipped up monkey boy a little totebag to take his baby Bible and an emergency clothes change in for when we go to church. Was that a run on sentence? I can't get it to sound right...anyway, he likes it and immediately filled it with trains and cars. We'll see if we ever get his church stuff into it.

And today I have been crafting with a cause! I made little welcome kits for the people who sign up to be on my team for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk. Which has a name now-Team G.I.R.L.S - Griping Is Really Lame Stuff. We are not great at coming up with catchy names and really aren't the type to have 'hooters', 'knockers', or 'boobs' in the name, so we came up with that. It's cute and catchy and should remind up not to whine no matter how much our feet get torn up. Or at least to whine under our breath. The welc0me kits have little water bottles and mini-first aid kits from the dollar store. I just added my own little touches to them. After I finish this entry I'll be making log books to track our walks in and make sure we are on the right track.

Tonight, after the munchkins are asleep, Aaron and I are going to be working on some things for a church toothbrush drive we are doing for people in Romania. We have a friend who goes there on a mission trip each year and he brought it to the church's attention that there is a great need for toothbrushes and toothpaste there. In the poor parts of Romania oral hygene is not of great importance and as a result people are getting very sick. They are hoping to collect 10,000 toothbrushes and toothpastes by May 1st. They will then be boxed up and shipped out to Romania to be distributed. A tall order, but we think it can be done, especially since you can get 4 toothbrushes for a dollar at the dollar store (Who knew!).

We are placing a toothbrush and a little write up on the needs in the service packets for the Bible Study Groups that meet each week at church. My high school girls bible study has also decided to do that for their service project this semester and have some really cute ideas on how to get their fellow students to contribute. I am pretty excited to see how the girls get the other students involved in this.

I love crafting, but I am really jazzed about doing my crafty stuff for a good cause. I know that I am planning on making some special items to sell to benefit Team G.I.R.L.S. and am really looking forward to showing the stuff to everyone!

Happy Hooking

I have always liked the granny square. There is something modern in its simplicity. I think anyway. I'm certainly not that last word (or any word...) on what is cool or modern, but it is something that seems to translate well in all sorts of styles. I was never a huge Rosanne fan as a kid, I wouldn't even say I am a fan now, but one thing I always thought was cool was the granny square blanket on the back of their couch. It was so homey and normal, but not really something that I thought would work in my world. It wasn't till I noticed the granny square blanket on the couch in Rory's dorm room, on Gilmore Girls (yes, I watch too much TV, shut up) that I realized I could totally make granny squares work for me. Hers was done in rainbow yarn, which was a major 'duh' moment. Most of the blankets I had seen had the colored squares, bordered in black. While cool, not quite for me. Fun, bright colors-totally for me!

I am not always one to follow the rules for my crafts, but for some reason it just never occured to me to make a GS blanket in anything other than bright colors, bordered by black. Probably because part of me really does like that look, I'm just not sure that I want to live with it. The photo above is the yarn I am using, all from my stash. I wasn't sure that I would like the way they came together, but as you can see below, they are darling and completely fun!

I forgot how long it takes to make a granny square. I made these three last night while watching Tivo'd tv with the hubs. I made three more this morning and now my Monkey boy wants to learn how to make a blankie. I had started out this project thinking I'm make a blanket for the back of the couches in our living room, but now I'm thinking maybe I'll try to make little coverlets for each of the kids beds in their room. The colors are pretty much exactly what I am doing their room in when we get to it. Won't they be darling with one bordered in pink and one in blue on each of their little beds? And I'll make them each little Stichette pillows...

Oh and check out all the granny square love...

Alicia - hers is all minty and lovely.

Posy - explore her whole blog, she has several granny square blankets and all are gorgeous!

Flickr - Join us if you want to Crochet along! Or if you have made a granny square in the past and want to show off your work.

Busy Busy Day

I left the house at a quarter to 8 this morning and got back at around 3:45. My kids had follow up drs appointments at 8:30 am ( yay! no more flu or pnuemonia!), checked out a new thrift store where I got this lovely stash above - all for $9. We went to lunch and went shopping for baby shower stuff.

It is a co-ed shower in the evening, so its a dessert shower. We are making cupcakes and having everyone decorate their own. Then we'll have prizes for creativity etc. We got oodles of cake mix and candy. There will also be a chocolate fountain and all sorts of fun things to dip into the chocolate. I'm pretty excited about it! I'll have loooots of pics as I am making stuff for the shower.

Thanks for all your sweet comments about the flowers I made! A few of then will be in the shop next week. Most of them are hopefully going to be sold at a shop here in town. I need to take samples of my stuff to the owner on Monday and hopefully she'll love it all and want to sell it! If not, it will all end up in the etsy shop, lol! If you saw something you liked email me and I'll put it in the etsy shop for ya!

Gimme Some Lovin'

I set out to be productive and productive I was. I was able to get oodles done despite a fruitless trip to the hardware store and a late breakfast out at Pancake Circus (I took the camera and got some good pics! I'll blog about it in the mornin). I finished up my Valentines for the Flickr Valentine Swap. I started out hand embroidering them all and well, that got old real fast, so I put my sewing gals to good use. They turned out pretty cute considering I changed my plan halfway through. A few lucky peeps will still get a hand embroidered one. Next time I'll start earlier!

Then I moved on to my collages.


I picked my girlies and played around with colors and vintage buttons and seam binding....

...and came up with these! I am really happy with how they turned out. Especially this one down here. I'm a bright color kinda gal and I think she really fits the bill, don'tcha think?

I like these gals, too, but I think next time I'll put some patterned paper under the pattern tissue. I really like the textures on this one. I mod podged the tissue to the plaque, which gave it a cool wrinkly effect and then I used spray adhesive for the girls to keep them smooth. It feels really cool to touch! I wasn't sure I was going to like the plaques over canvas, but I think they turned out quite nice. I still want to try some with canvas, but I think I'm going to favor the plaques.

I'm going to call the collages Kae Collages after my husband's grandma. She turns 90 this year! In the 60s decoupage was pretty hot and she was a decoupaging fool. She made all sorts of cool pictures, most are 3 D, and pretty fab. Whenever I pull out the Mod Podge I think of her. The next time I go to my inlaws I'll have to go around the house and take pictures of her stuff. My mother in law must have at least 10 around the house. It is really great how timeless they are.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

What a fun Mail day it was for me yesterday! Not only did my order come in from Amanda, (who is quickly becoming my very favorite person to shop with) but I also got a sweet little brooch from Heidi at Everyday Cookies. It is so fun to open up the mailbox and have sweet little treats like that. Miss Amanda even threw in some extra goodies for me - her storybook cards (they made the trip quite well, dear!) and a pattern for my little girl. I cannot wait to sew it up!

On Friday over at Inspire Co., Amy posted these bon bons she made for a friend. As soon as I saw them I knew I needed to make some! I went a bit crizazay doing them and made like a dozen of them. These are the ones I am going to keep for my decorations. I am sending a couple with some swaps I'm in. I think I might use a few as pincushions. They are pretty perfect for that, I think. They have also inspired me to try to make some that look like muffins and cupcakes, so I might try some of those later this week.

I have a HUGE list of things I want/need to make right now! I am finishing up my valentines for the Vday Postcard swap on Flickr and the thank you's for the brooch swap. I want to mail them out Tuesday. I also picked up a few Vintage pattern catalogs at an antique store yesterday and have been painstakingly cutting out the beauties to make collages and cards from.

Since it is a three day weekend, my lovely amazing husband will be home and I'll get a full day to craft, while he can help with the kiddos. Soooo, that makes my goals for this weekend pretty lofty- finish up those Valentines, the thank yous, make a couple collages and a few cards. I think it can happen! We'll see. Shockingly the kids prefer me to Aaron with boo boos and general sickness and since both kids are still getting over being sick, that means lots of whining for mommy.

Not that I don't want to take care of the kids, but sometimes Mommy needs a break, right?

When It Rains It Pours...

When we do something round here we like to go big. Especially when it comes to illness and baby births and stuff like that. When I had my peanut girl we were taking care of my little sis while my mother was on a dream vacation to Italy. She was to be gone three weeks. No big thing. I still had six weeks till my kiddo was born. Week 1 sister comes home with a memo from teacher saying that the class had a "ringworm" epidemic. Luckeee. We took all the necessary precautions and avoided it. Week 2 my peanut girl decided she wanted to come early, but since it was too early I was put on bed rest for a week. Did it and the day they let me off bed rest I went into labor and well...So week 3 rolls around and I have a new baby a two year old a 7 year old and my poor sister comes home with the dreaded ringworm. By the way, my mother in law deserves a medal for helping us while I was in the hospital. She bore the brunt of the drama on the homefront and plenty of drama there was.

In the true spirit of us doing things big, this week I am recovering from the aforementioned kidney infection (of which I am pretty much fully recovered), but my kids didn't want me to feel bad being the only one sick and all. Soooo. Monkey boy had the flu and Peanut girl has pneumonia.

I think he is pretty much recovered because he is back to being all snotty to his sister today. Of course, she being sick has made the slightest touch from her brother absolutely deadly. She is also basically fine just a yucky cough. It all just adds to the chaos that is our life. Bedtime is interesting right now. We sit the kiddos on the counter in the kitchen and assembly line the meds and graham cracker bribes until the deed is done. They are good sports about it. But they also think graham crackers are cookies.

All the sickness has led to longer naptimes which equals slightly longer craft time for me. Can't complain about that! So I have been making my little swappy thank you gifts for the gals who participated in my swap. It has been really really fun! I would show you, but I'm pretty sure my readership basically consists of these gals and it would spoil the surprise and we really can't have that, now can we? Sadly the pics will have to wait till next week, after they have been mailed out and hopefully arrived. I'll post next week fo sho' gals!

Oh and thanks for the logo love! I went with D after much agony. I'll show you the site that it was for when I get the go ahead to show the public!

Vintage Sewing

I have just started buying vintage patterns. So far I have mostly bought little girls patterns because I hope to make my peanut girl her clothes when she is a bit older. Little girls clothes in the 50s and early 60s are so sweet! The adult patterns I intend to make some collages with and frame some for my sewing room. In my head the collages look really cute, I hope they translate as cute on paper.

The two patterns on the ends are from Amanda. Thanks, honey!

How cute are these sailor suits?? I promise not to make

one for my son. That would be awful!

I also just signed up to participate in Tie One On, which I am so excited about! I found a couple patterns I want to try and my "valentiney" fabric, so I am ready to go. I choose the cherries fabric because I didn't see any Valentine fabric at my Joann's store that wasn't cheezy. And my kitchen is done with vintage cherries and fruit, so I thought the cherry fabric would be kinda cute.

PS. All you experienced sewers out there-should I trace the vintage patterns onto new pattern tissue or should I try to use what is in the envelopes? The sizes aren't a big deal because she'll need to grow into all of them.

Flowery Pins

This stack of yummy fabrics became pins yesterday. Well, almost. I still need to add leaves to them, but mostly they are done.

I like to use them as gift toppers on presents and the recipient gets to have an extra goodie. They are also great on purses and denim jackets. Or any jacket, really. I like having them for swaps, too. I did a brooch swap on Swap Bot that was so fun. People made such creative brooches! I'm done with Swap Bot (too many no sends) but maybe I'll host a swap on here...Would you all be interested in a handmade Brooch Swap? A girl can't have too many brooches, right? If you think I should host one drop me a line and let me know you are interested.

Also, don't forget to de-lurk! Say hi! I might even extend my de-lurking week into next week and have a giveaway at the end of next week...hmmm there's an idea...

A Girly Chandelier



One of the chandeliers I made yesterday was destined for my friend's daughter. Stacey was kind enough to take pictures of it and send them to me so I could post them. Her pictures are so much better than mine!

WIP

Embroidered Euro Shams for our bedroom. These are going to be flowers when all is said and done. I'm not using a pattern, just going for it. I like the random, organic feel of these flowers. I'll add stems and leaves, and centers to them later.

Crafty Day

I had a lovely crafty day yesterday just as I wanted. I didn't do as much as I would have liked, kids being underfoot and all, but once they were in bed, the glue gun came out and the real fun started. What is it about glue guns that make me want to glue everything in sight? I had to really restrain myself after I finished my Valentines. I made a few buttony Valentines to send to friends who have inspired me or that I just really love. I only made a few yesterday, there are many more to be made. I didn't realise how many buttons each would take, so I'll be trolling ebay for more soon. After I was done with those, I just wasn't ready to put the gun down, so I made a bunch of snowman and fruit cards to use as thank you cards for the Christmas love we had.

Now. I also made some ribbony chandeliers and I must warn you, they aren't as grand as they sound. Once the sweet people who commented yesterday said they were interested in seeing them I had a little performance anxiety and I feel like they will be disappointed. So here are the chandeliers, photographed in our messy winter backyard. They don't photograph that well, but I'm told they are adorable and friends ask me for them, so they really must be cute, right? OK. just look at the pic and judge for yourself. I can't keep backpedaling about why you might be disappointed. The picture really doesn't do them justice. Little girls see them and beg me for them!

Ugh. I need to clean the backyard.