Scrap Blanket

Well maybe not a scrap blanket but more so a blanket made from scraps.
Do you save every scrap of fabric? Is your fabric storage area overflowing?
This is starting to sound like an infomercial.
Maybe I'm the only crazy who has a hard time parting with fabric scraps. I am turning into my grandma more and more everyday. At least she has an excuse, she lived through the depression when being frugal and resourceful was a matter of survival.
Anyway, back to my blanket.

I decided enough was enough. I have fabric invading every space in my craft closet and I wasn't going to take it anymore. I started cutting 5X5 inch squares and never looked back.
This little project has been kind of therapeutic.
The cutting, the sewing little squares in to long strips and sewing the long strips together has made for a very relaxing time.
It's mindless, repetitive sewing. I never really realized how relaxing sewing can be. I usually sew because it is fun to create, but not usually because I need to just relax.
So now my bins of fabric can close and we have a new blanket made from a bunch of different material from many different projects and it is somewhat of a memory quilt.
As I was cutting the fabric, I began thinking back on the many different little blankets, dresses, bedding, dolls, toys, etc that was originally made from the various fabrics and it made me happy to put it all together in a little quilt for our family.

I haven't quite finished it yet. I still need to go get some batting. I was just trying it on Ella's bed for size. I plan on just hand tying it because machine quilting it would just take too long and really I just suck at it.
Here is our new little friend Saylor. Isn't she cute?
I like her.
She likes me.
She fell asleep in my arms...twice. I still have the touch...this will only be useful for friends babies since our family of five is at max capacity.

the possibilities

Since I started my challenge for the year of no buying (new) clothes, I am actually getting really excited about the possibilities. I have found some lovely fabric at the fabric shop I love in their $1.69 aisles. I just need to find some cute patterns.

I also love this idea over at Lune Vintage. It's a thrifted dress that has been altered so beautifully. She also dyes slips and they turn out so amazing. I am definitely going to try one.
I found a slip, just need the dye.

a someday doll house

I finally finished Ella's granny square blanket. Yeah!!!! It turns out 9 squares makes the perfect size blanket...or maybe I was just really over it and didn't want to make any more, hummm?

I do have high hopes of making one for my room out of small squares. I think I will first give myself a little break.

Someday...
I want to make a little doll house with all handmade furniture and accessories. When I saw these pics here, I wanted to start right away, but then I remembered how easily even large items are lost by 2 and 4 yr olds., so I figured I could wait a couple more years. This one is so adorable. It even has a little flag garland strung across.
a tiny phone
Too cute!

Weekend Photos

Yoshi is home! That is seriously one of the most pathetic pictures. The surgery went well and she is doing okay. The challenge will be in keeping this active dog restricted from all activity for the next 2 weeks and then progressively introducing a little bit of activity.

The sun and blue skies showed their faces today to help welcome Yosh home.

This is what happens when you have an older sister who likes to get creative with her stamping. The only problem is when people think your child has bruises all over his face.

We will be laying low the remainder of this weekend, and week for that matter, keeping a close eye on and tending to our little patient.

Happy weekend!

Boat Bed

We found a boat bed for the little man!

Well, not exactly we. Andy has all the luck with the good finds.

These little guys could not wait for daddy to get it out of the back of his truck before they went exploring.
It's a real boat that somebody crafted into a bed. It looks like a platform was built inside the boat and all the interior and exterior wood was sanded smooth and vanished.

I don't even know how we got it into his room. We were maneuvering the bed down the hall through a couple of really tight squeezes and turns when I just could not hold it any longer. It weighs a ton. Andy managed on his own and we only sustained one scratch in the wall.
We still need to get the mattress made for the bed. It's a twin with two corners cut off. We are filling the gap around his crib mattress with blankets and as you can see from the picture someone has had a great deal of fun jumping around and making blanket soup. I think that little someone is hiding behind his desk in the corner.

So here's the second great find by Andy in the last two weeks. An old school desk. It goes perfect in his room. I think I may eventually paint it.
Any opinions on this matter?

Yoshi's BIG day

Today is the big day for our girl. She is in surgery as I write this. This morning when I dropped her off I felt like one of those crazy animal people as a few tears slid down my cheek as the assistant at the vet walked her to the back room. Yoshi and I locked eyes as she tried with all her might, with her 3 strong legs, to stay with us. She had the most helpless look in her eyes. I knew she was scared and I felt like I had just betrayed her. A few more tears fell and I realized I needed to pull myself together before I completely lost it.

Yoshi as a young pup.

Baby Ella and Yo bonding.
The kids were having a hard time seeing her off also and I'm sure my tears didn't help.

"Why did we leave Yoshi there, mama?" Julian asked as we got back into the car.

The cold rainy day matched my heart for our sweet girl.
I just wish she knew what was going on.

Soon you will be home and we will smother you with our love.

We love you Yosh!

zucchini soup recipe

I love soups and I love my blender. When these two loves can come together I get really happy.

Zucchini Soup

*2 Tbs olive oil

*1 onion, chopped

*10 sliced zucchini

*1 c chicken broth

*1 Boursin cheese

*1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in lg sauce pan. Add onion and cook slowly for about 5 mins., until soft. 

2. Add zucchini and oregano, with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook stirring frequently for about 10 mins. 

3. Place zucchini mixture and all other ingredients into blender and blend in batches.

YUM!!

This recipe is kind of a combo from 2 different recipes. One is from a friend of a friend and the other is a zucchini soup from The Soup Bible. Both recipes are so yummy on their own, but for some reason this is a little easier for me and it comes out perfect. This was perfect the other day when it was cold and raining outside. 

On a completely different topic...These days are over. Although we had been planning to get a big boy bed for Julian and I felt completely prepared and a little excited to move on to the next stage, I am a little sad to see it go.  The baby stage that had so encompassed our lives the last 4 years is over. No more babies. I also think about this fact with some enthusiasm.

a little fabric magic

I started this project a little while back...months ago. I wanted to try to do a real embroidery picture. Read - an embroidery picture that will take a long, looooooong, long time. The bottom one in the picture above did not take long at all. I started next on the bird. WOW! Those women who used to do huge embroidery pictures are insane. Way too much work for me. I'm more of a small project, instant gratification type of girl.
So this lonely bird sat unfinished on my wall. Everytime I would think about finishing it I would find something else to do. Believe me, those times I would even think about it were pretty much, uh, never after months of avoiding it. I hate feeling like I'm avoiding a craft project. I craft because I love it and have fun while doing it.

Well for some unknown reason yesterday, I walked in the door and all I could see was my lonely bird. I was over the embroidery. My solution - fabric. I LOVE FABRIC!!!

A couple of leaves cut from some fabric I love and my sad, forgotten project was done.

Done!!!

Goals Part 3...this is a big one

So I have undertaken a new challenge for the year 2010. Last year my husband did not buy any clothes, new or old, for himself and would not let me but him anything either. Why, you may ask. Well, we are a society of excess. Everyone has enough clothes to probably last 10 years...as long as there is no drastic change in size, pregnancy, eating a lot of donuts, etc. It was a personal challenge for himself and I am going to join in this year. OK, so I already bought a pair of pants, but that's it. That's it. I am committed now. I will make a little exception to the rule though. Handmade and thrift stores are not off limits. I am actually a little excited thinking about it. I have been wanting to sew more clothes for myself, so this will push me to reach that goal. They go hand in hand. I was also challenged by dottie angel's personal challenge. I just can't commit to that undertaking quite yet. For now I will spend the next eleven and a half months having fun in thrift stores and sewing up some cute little number...hopefully. I will also continue to look at these pretty little things from Anthropologie.

Now I need to go work on this project I started a while back and still have not completed. Christmas has come and gone and my 9 squares still sit waiting for their friends. I have finally figured out how to connect them. Thanks dottie angel.