Blooming Where I am Planted!

And so the learning curve begins....

2012-01-29T13:07:00.000-06:00

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Two years ago I got the Janome Memory Craft 200e and after a few months was itching to upgrade to the next model so I could have a bigger hoop. Well, this is the next step up... the Janome Memory Craft 300e! I am so excited. I made myself pay for it with money I made from selling embroidered projects. It took me quite a few months to save for this. I haven't had much time to play with it but I will as soon as I can get back to regular sewing!

Originally I had planned on trading in my 200e but I decided to keep it for now. I guess this makes FOUR Janome Machines in the house! Now I need to save for a serger!

Sewing Machine Cover

2012-01-19T02:45:00.008-06:00

EEK, more than a week has gone by since my last post!
.
When my parents visited in November for Thanksgiving, my Mom admired the machine covers I have made for my embroidery machine, sewing machine and Micaela's sewing machine. After thinking about it, I realized she did not have a cover for her machine so I decided to make her one for Christmas.
.
I knew I wanted to embroider on it but I could not decide... do I embroider "Mom"- what I call her or "Nana" what Micaela calls her. After much thought I just decided I would do her real name Rita! (Mom was born on May 22 and named for St. Rita).
.
I picked out fabric in colors that would match her room and went right to work. This is what I came up with....

The colors look a little neonish in this picture but in real life they are soft pastels. It's hard to tell in this picture but the side panels are the contrasting lime green fabric in the appliqued R. I got lucky when the azalea thread I used for the Rita perfectly mached the jumbo ric rac I had on hand.
.
Thanks for stopping by, hope you are having a great day!

B is for Blanket

2012-01-11T00:10:00.005-06:00

Here's another Christmas gift I embroidered. This is one of those delicious fuzzy blankets from Macy's. I embroidered a simple B for the recipients last name. I love how this font turned out. I don't usually do large fill stitch patterns because they take so long (this took 47 minutes to stitch out) but I am so pleased with the finished product. The B is 5" tall. Hope you are staying warm this cold January day!

1st Oreo Movie

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I shared a picture of our new dog Oreo sitting handsome on his hind legs. Well, here's the video!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T00:48:00.003-06:00

May every day of the new year glow with good cheer & happiness for you and your family!

Thank you for reading my blog!

MC2F

Mini Janome in the House!

2011-12-30T00:15:00.000-06:00

There's a Mini Janome in the house! Micaela kept asking when she would get a Janome machine like mine, so guess what Mommy got her for Christmas? Yup, I got her her very own Janome. (This year we decided we- the parents would be the heros instead of Santa getting all the credit for the cool gifts). This is not a toy, its real and Micaela is thrilled. We've been super busy and have not had time to play but soon she'll be making her 'own' projects on her 'own' machine very soon. Now she says she wants a mini embroidery machine. Lord, what will it be next?

Of course, Oreo had to be in the picture. I'll post the big present from Daddy soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Embroidery

2011-12-28T00:43:00.001-06:00

Here are a few things I made to give for Christmas... I am so mad at myself for not taking pictures of everything! In some cases I was literally sewing right up until I walked out the door and in the rush did not have a chance to snap a picture.

The biggest item I made was a this set of 11 napkins and a matching runner for my mother in law & father in law. There's one napkin for each family member. It's hard to photograph 11 napkins at once clearly but I think you get the idea. These will also serve as placecards kinda sorta. I used all lower case to keep the font small. I love the white ric rac and the green trim!

I don't know of more people coming into the family anytime soon but I have some blank napkins set aside for when new members join the family (like the grandchildren getting married). The matching runner is 72 inches long but it was too hard to photograph full length. I embroidered one end with the family name, est. (for established) and my mother & father in law's wedding date. I love the ribbon 'fringe' on the ends.

Once I got all the names programed into my machine, the second set was not as difficult to make, it also helped that it's a younger family with just two children and obviously no grandchildren yet...lol. This is the set I made for my brother in law & sister in law who got married just three years ago. I did white napkins for them just so the sets would not be completely alike.
I embroidered the runner the same, just updated with their totally coool 8-8-2008 wedding date.
I was done with red and green after all of that! Now I have a year to make a set for us! Thanks for stopping by.

Oreo tricks

2011-12-15T00:46:00.006-06:00

We have discovered Oreo knows a few tricks. The cutest one is sitting on his hind legs for what seems like an eternity. I say 'discovered' because we couldn't have taught him this in the short three weeks we've had him. Check this out...
He just sits like this... we say he's sitting handsome. Thanks for stoping by!

Pinkalicious!

2011-12-12T02:53:00.004-06:00

Pinkalicious, The Musical was in town a couple of weeks ago and Micaela and I went to see it with another Mother & Daughter 'couple'. This was Micaela's FIRST time at the Eisemann Center in Richardson and she loved it.

We debated about what to wear and in the end chose a dress I purchased for her 3 years ago. I've patiently been waiting for her to grow into the dress and the day finally came. I was so glad this dress was PINK and not another color...lol. I have so many outfits I have bought way in advance of her being able to wear, I am glad the timing on this one worked out perfectly! Thanks for stopping by.

Devin B & B

2011-12-03T03:47:00.000-06:00

Here's a set I made for a new little cowboy in Nevada.

Mini Sewing Machine Cover

2011-12-01T02:15:00.001-06:00

Micaela has a tiny battery operated sewing machine that my Mom got her this summer, she loves it! She's been 'requesting' (nagging) that her machine does not have a cover like all of mine. I've been on the search for the perfect fabric for her since she's not fond of my red, black & yellow color scheme and recently while at Quilt Asylum I found some adorable "sewing theme" fabric called SEW by the Henley Studio. I knew she would love it because it's got PINK, her favorite color.

After much deliberation, we picked out a group of fabrics, ribbon and trim and went to work. After about an hour she was konked out on the day bed and I kept working until it was done. This is what we came up with! I think it turned out super cute. Sadly, I know she is going to outgrow this machine and we'll have to make another one to fit her next one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Adoption Day

2011-11-25T03:05:00.003-06:00

We have a new member of the family, meet Oreo- our new dog. We adopted him from our SPCA center over Thanksgiving and Micaela is "over the moon" excited. Oreo is an early Christmas present from my parents. He's a daschund, my family's favorite breed! Thanks for stopping by!

Soccer Party

2011-11-20T02:34:00.001-06:00

Our soccer season is over, we have our Saturday's back! We had a pizza party party to celebrate. Here's our sweets table... nothing really significant to write about except I wanted to share how I put the letters on the wall. I cut these out of felt sheets just like I did the ones on the blanket a few days ago. I 'temporary' adhered them to the wall using fabric basting spray. It was fast, easy and did not leave any residue on the wall. Thanks for stopping by!

Soccer Blanket

2011-11-18T04:31:00.000-06:00

Our daughter plays soccer and during the last few games it was really chilly. I thought it would be fun to make an extra wide blanket in the team colors with the team name on it so when the girls sit on the sidelines they can keep warm.

I bought 3 yards of fleece 60 inches wide and trimmed it down to 45 inches. I took black felt I purchased by the yard and drew on letters freehand with chalk. I cut the letters out, used some temporary basting spray adhesive to place them on the blanket and then stitched around each letter. It was a little challenging manuevering all the fabric in the machine but I think it turned out cute and most of all the girls loved it! Go Team!

Orange B&B set

2011-11-17T04:24:00.003-06:00

A customer requested an orange burp cloth and bib set for a friend. She specified orange, a non scripty font and a dragon fly. This is what I came up with.

I did not think it would turn out so cute. The dragonfly is redwork which is mimicks old fashioned embroidery, I really like the way it stitched out. Thanks for stopping by!

Meeting Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

2011-11-10T04:40:00.000-06:00

Everyone in my family is a die hard Dallas Cowboy fan! We are fortunate to have two Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in the family, my cousins Ashton & Alyssa. Before the season started a couple of months ago, we got to go to Cowboy Stadium for a Friends & Family night. Micaela was beyond thrilled to see her cousins in the actual DCC uniform and visit the enormous stadium!

Ashton is a 3 year veteran and Alyssa is a rookie. Its crazy how these girls have grown up so fast, I vividly remember going to their parents wedding and when their Mom was pregnant expecting them! This side of the family is quite large and Alyssa & Ashton had a huge group of family and friends cheering them on for the event, Micaela was so proud to hold up a sign while we sat in the stands.

Micaela had fun dancing around the field after the event was over, she asked me to take a picture of her laying on the helmet. I think we have a future cheerleader in about 15 years!

Halloween Party

2011-11-03T05:07:00.000-05:00

We had our second annual Halloween Party on Sunday! We celebrated Micaela's 6 1/2 birthday since we never got around to celebrating with friends during April. Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

The girls made a pumpkins out of old fence posts. When we replaced our gate recently, my husband thought I was crazy when I asked him to save the wood for craft projects. After much convincing, he saved a few pieces. These little pumpkins are made from the posts. Hubby cut the post into blocks, sanded them down, added a light coat of pumpkin orange paint and a little stump made out of a dowl. The girls cut faces out of felt and glued them on, it was cute and very inexpensive! Ahh, our sweets table. This is what happens when you forget to take a picture at the begining of the party before everyone arrives. Some of the letter candy dishes had already been refilled a couple of times by the time I remembered the camera. Nothing too elaborate here. I used fabric for the tablecloth, covered the drink bottles with Halloween scrapbook paper, did store bought cookies, cupcakes and a little 3 inch cake for Micaela. Most of all, I love our new letter candy dishes (I wish I could by several alphabet sets so I could spell out many words for every occassion).

The Pinata-- a total Mexican tradition! I found this cute pumpkin pinata at the party store and thought it would be fun to add an M monogram. I cut out the M with the Storybook cartridge on the Cricut, I think it turned out cute!

All in all it was a great party-- me and hubby were very tired but our little girl was happy and that is all that counts. Thanks for stopping by!

Santiago B & B

2011-10-27T03:57:00.000-05:00

This is my first international order, this is headed to Mexico! This is not the greatest picture-- I forgot to take a picture at home and this was the best my soon to be replaced iPhone could do. Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Backyard

2011-10-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

Our lawn is looking a little better now that the temperatures have stopped being in the 100's for a few weeks. We are getting ready for our annual Halloween Party in a few days, here's a quick snapshot of our backyard.
Hope you are having a great autumn day!

Heather Witch

2011-10-12T03:54:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season for witch stuff! I made this for a teacher friend for Halloween. She loves to decorate for holidays so I hope she likes this.

Three Twin Sets

2011-09-29T08:04:00.008-05:00

I had a local custom order for a set of twin girls. The buyer wanted three pairs of matching burp clothes (no bibs) for twin girls who are totally into pink and green. Here's what I came up with.
This order turned out to be alot more difficult than I expected. Gia and Gemma don't work in well all fonts that are the same size. I had to try out many to avoid using a smaller font for the longer name. Nonetheless, I am glad to get this project photographed and out the door so I can move on to the next thing!

This is one of the standard fonts I use often. I don't usually do monochrome color schemes but the machine got ahead of me on the name part and I just had to let it keep going without changing the thread. Originally I was going to do a contrasting light green.

I had been wanting to try out these scroll designs for a while. I love how simple and elegant the scroll looks with the name in a contrasting color. The scroll fabric is from a local quilting store Quilt Asylum, I purchased it to do some funky Halloween stuff originally.
This is my favorite of the three sets. I love including middle names in personalized items if I can fit it in. The scrolls with flowers are from the same designer as the scroll above. It's hard to tell in the picture but the striped fabric has a faint scroll pattern in it.
Thanks for stopping by! Happy Sewing!

Fall Gardening

2011-09-26T03:57:00.010-05:00

Our yard is in deep recovery mode from the summer heat and drought. I am focusing on keeping what I have left alive and adding a few containers for color. Trying to use what I learned at the Green Seminar on Fall Gardening I attended last week.
.
Planted all these pots myself.... Coleus in the back, orange celosia and red zinnias.. (probably too much for one pot)... we'll see in a few weeks how crowded this gets.

This is another coleus variety, I love the colors in this plant, the green and purple are so bright!

And last but not least, a Yellow chrysanthemum.

I really wanted to plant more but we are in a drought and are under Stage 2 water restrictions for our area. I don't want to go overboard with a bunch of plants that I should not be watering especially if we evolve to stage 3 water restrictions. Thanks for stopping by!

Pumpkin Barrettes

2011-09-19T22:03:00.008-05:00

Autumn is finally here. The temperatures in the DFW area are finally comfortable. To kick off the first day of fall, here are some new pumpkin barrettes I embroidered. I made these for my daughter and some of her friends, aren't they adorable! These are available in my Etsy store.

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Name Pillow

2011-09-17T05:31:00.000-05:00

Joint Mommy & Micaela sewing project. Micaela sewed the straight seams and chose the fabric, ribbon and embroidery design.
We desperately needed 'another' item for her bed! Thanks for stopping by!

Pennant Banner

2011-08-19T22:15:00.002-05:00

Here's a simple pennant banner I made for a dear friend's daughter's birthday party. Katie turned five and had a princess party.
Hope you are staying cool this summer!

Bats in Austin

2011-08-17T20:40:00.002-05:00

On our way home from Big Bend we stopped in Austin to spend the night. We arrived just in time to find our way over to the the Congress Avenue bridge in the dowtown area where 1.5 million bats live. This is the largest urban bat colony in North America.

I've heard of this place for years but was never in the area at the right time to 'observe'. People come from all over to watch this.

Bats eat several thousand insects a night! They love mosquitos! They play a key role in maintaining the balance of nature and greatly reduce the need for toxic pesticides. I now have a whole new appreciation for bats!

We arrived a little early and had time to enjoy popsicles and visiting with the other several hundred people who were there to watch the bats.

Here's a short video I took when the 1.5 million took flight for dinner, it was truly amazing to watch!

Big Bend National Park

2011-08-15T22:33:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month we took a ten day trip to Big Bend National Park with my parents in their new motorhome. We had an incredible time, it was so much fun. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures!

Thanks for stopping by

Pooh Set

2011-08-07T22:19:00.002-05:00

Here's a Winnie the Pooh Burp and Bib set I made especially for the friend of a neighbor. This fabric came from my mother's stash. I was glad to use it for someone who was "into" Pooh Bear. I love the vibrant colors in the fabric, the scenes are so cute... no two burp clothes will ever be the same. Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Set for Jones

2011-07-25T23:58:00.001-05:00

This is a set I custom made for a friend of a friend. She wanted bright primary colors, I love this blue polka dot print! Jones is the the baby's first name-- it's kinda different and very distinguished!

First Sewing Lesson for Micaela

2011-07-22T22:26:00.003-05:00

It's summer and we are staying up late, especially weekends. Micaela has been bugging me to teach her to sew so tonight was her first lesson...

I am teaching her to sew EXACTLY the way my mother taught me, on ruled notebook paper!

I set the machine on turtle speed and let her go... She loves it! She got the hang of it in no time.
Now she wants to use my machine all of the time!

Sewing Room Progress

2011-07-19T23:47:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture of my sewing area in our guest room. As you can see the sewing is starting to take over the room, oh well-- we don't have guests that often anyway. The room is a work in progress as you can tell.

The black sewing cabinet is the one I painted this spring. The oak desk was my desk as a teen, I think I got it for my 13th birthday. I found the CD racks at the Habitat for Humanity store and thought they would work well for arranging fat quarters and small quantities of fabric.

More progress to come... Thanks for stopping by.

BBQ anyone

2011-06-30T01:43:00.001-05:00

I love summer and I love patriotic decorations. Embroidered this to kick off summer Memorial Day BBQ and had forgotten to post. Can't take credit for the grill portion of the embroidery, only our name. Thanks for stopping by!

Allen USA Celebration

2011-06-26T01:27:00.001-05:00

Last night we went to the Allen USA celebration. Allen is the next city south of McKinney on Hwy 75. This is a huge event that draws more than 75,000 people and what is most impressive about the event is they make it extremely green by having a ZERO WASTE policy.

Here is a picture of the bins they have throughout the park.

Here is a video of the fireworks. Thanks for stopping by!

2011-06-24T02:40:00.000-05:00

This week I had to attend the Keep Texas Beautiful annual conference in Austin. On our way back we made a quick stop at the State Capital. This was Micaela's first visit and she was VERY impressed.

Here are a few snapshots

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.

Luau Party

2011-06-08T22:12:00.016-05:00

This past Sunday I hosted a little Luau Party for our daughter and several of her friends. The last day of school was Friday and we were celebrating them all going to first grade.

It was hectic during the party and sadly this is the only picture I got of the food table. All the food was not out yet and now I notice the pineapple upside down cake was still covered and I cut off the flamingo's (centerpiece) head. Oh well, I think you will get the general idea.

I used hot pink, yellow and orange satin yardage to drape the table and used a variety of things under the fabric to make it different heights.

One of my favorite things on the table is this swimming pool & jacuzzi chip and dip set and a pair of Micaela's flip flops from when she was a baby. I purchased the flip flops (and a matching swim suit) when I was pregnant and I remember when she was 3 months old and her feet were still too small for them. Now at six she has giant feet and I am reminded of how much she is grown!

The flip flop plates on the table are plastic and a perfect size for little girls. I've had them for several years and love using them over and over without creating litter for the landfills.

Here is a close up of the flip flop cookies I decorated. These are Nutter Butter cookies with the thong piped in with icing. So cute and easy to make. I can't take credit for the idea, I found it on this blog: http://alittleloveliness.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-shoe-cookie-fits.html.

Here are some of the decorations outside as you approached the front door. Love this hula girl, only $1 at Dollar Tree.

Walking up our sidewalk to the front door, the garden flag and a flip flop sign.

Flip Flop sign on our ledge at the front door. Someone suggested I change the sign to be "Fipps Flop This Way" (to be our last name-- ).

Here's a picture of the back yard. Not everything is blooming because it's been so darn hot and windy but I still love our big flower bed.

The activities during the party included lots of beach themed music and of course-- Hula Hoops!

Fruity drinks with little umbrellas. I wasn't going to go the margarita glass route but when I found these that came apart and nested, I decided they were worth the investment. The girls loved them because they were like adult glasses and they were pink. We'll reuse these year after year...

The Limbo--

A Flamingo Pinata.

I searched high and low at many stores all over Dallas and never found a Flip Flop Pinata. After the 5th store a couple of days before the party, I settled for a pink flamingo. I just didn't want a bunch of cute little girls "beating the guts out of a flamingo" but my 6 year old assured me, it would be okay because the flamingo "was not alive!"

Towards the end I gave each girl a bottle of bubbles and they blew bubbles.

All in all it was a great party and we look forward to making it an annual tradition. A video of the actual party is in the blog post below. Thanks for stopping by...

Linking to

Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/06/summertime-beach-tablescape-welcome-to.html

A Stroll Thru Life http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/2011/06/68th-table-top-tuesday.html

Luau Party

2011-06-07T00:51:00.006-05:00

We hosted a Luau Party over the weekend, here's a little video with some of the highlights!

Garden Update

2011-06-02T08:56:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures of our yard. We've had alot of rain the last couple of months so everything is nice and green.

This is right on the sidewalk leading up to front door.

I love stakes in pots...

Star stakes as you walk up the sidewalk.

This little Uncle Sam greets you at the front door. He's made from a fence post, my cousin Dora gave him to me about 12 years ago.

Our birdbath in the backyard...

I love this little bicycle.

Thanks for stopping by!

"Little Girl" Table for Memorial Day BBQ

2011-05-30T08:49:00.002-05:00

We had a BBQ with some dear friends. Micaela decided to set a special "little girl" table. Check it out... She wrote out the placecards herself. She knows exactly where to find the right stuff, notice the flag stirers in the glasses, the little star salf & pepper, and even found a patriotic bear for the centerpiece! Love my girl!

Sewing Cabinet

2011-05-09T01:57:00.016-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted for more than a week, time is just flying by but what's new!

As you know, I have been looking for a sewing cabinet for months. I did not like any of the new laminate stuff in the stores so I was on a mission to find something old. Last month I got lucky and just happened to check Craigs List early one morning. I found one for FREE from a nice lady in Plano, just a few minutes away!!!

The bonus with the cabinet was the sewing stool, which I painted and reuphostered a few weeks ago.

Since then, I've been busy working on the sewing cabinet! It took me longer than expected to get this baby done but after a few bruises and scrapes on my legs, some paint and sand paper-- Ta Da, it's done!

Here is the before... as you can see, quite ugly but full of potential.

And now, here it is all repainted, with new hardware and looking oh so cute in the "sewing area" of our guest room.

Happily Linking to

Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

I made it without my hubby at Shanty Chic

Southern Hospitality

Another Aggie Baby

2011-04-25T10:29:00.007-05:00

Here's another Aggie Burp Cloth & Bib Set from my Etsy Store. Sorry for the bad picture, that's the best light I could get outside-- it's so hard to photograph white items on cloudy days.

This set is going to a customer in Manvel, Texas near Houston. So far all the Aggie sets I have made have been for boys. I would love to get an order for a girl set so I could use a cute girly curlz font for the letter instead of block style. Hopefully soon, I know plenty of parents who aspire for their daughters to attend Texas A & M University (I am certainly one).

Visit my Etsy Store to order a set today! Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to Made by You Monday

Sewing Stool

2011-04-25T05:18:00.003-05:00

Posting to Metamorphis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

For months I have been hunting for a sewing cabinet. I didn't like any of the new ones in the stores so I was determined to find an old one with character. A few weeks ago while browsing Craigs List I came across one that was FREE. I quickly sent the seller/giver an email to find out if it was still available. Much to my surprise, it was still available, included a matching stool and the giver was in Plano less than 20 miles away. Woo Hoo!

The cabinet and matching stool are old, (they belonged to the giver's grandmother and she was old herself)- very sturdy/heavy and not exactly pretty but I always like a challenge.

So here is what the stool looked like when I brought it home...
The first thing I did was removed the cushion and start sanding...
The next day I painted it. The day after that I upholstered the cushion with my sewing theme fabric, (Sew Now, Sew Wow by Alexander Henry) and ta da, here it is now!
A close up of the cushion.

I found some bloggers who have done very similar projects. Confessions of a Craft Addict did a massage stool, and then I found a sewing chair manufactured by Arrow (very similar to my stool covered in the fabric too), it retails for $179.99.
I feel so fortunate to have gotten this for free, thank you Mrs. Janice in Plano!

The sewing cabinet will not be as easy, I've got to take it apart, sand and paint all the different pieces, then put it back together. Look for updates soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Earth Day Giveaway

2011-04-23T07:38:00.005-05:00

Happy Belated Earth Day everyone! I am giving away a gardening apron and shovel set from my Embroidered Love Etsy Store in celebebration of Earth Day! I am doing this in partnership with Keriann at Blue Jeans and Pearls. Go to her blog to read all about the giveaway!

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T10:08:00.002-05:00

Today is the 41st Anniversary of Earth Day! Have a wonderful day!

Flip Flop Beach Towel

2011-04-19T10:31:00.001-05:00

Here's a birthday gift all ready to go! This is for one of Micaela's little soccer friends, the birthday party is this Friday and we're so excited.

I packaged it up in a bin instead of a gift bag....(makes for zero waste!).

Monogram Throw Pillow

2011-04-12T07:50:00.006-05:00

Things are moving right along in my sewing/guest room with the color scheme change. I've started to make throw pillows to match the new colors. Here is the first pillow I made with a few differnt fabric scraps and ribbon I already had in my stash. This measures about 14.5 inches stuffed, but was 19" square without stuffing. I did not follow a pattern, just made it up as I went along. First, I appliqued the M on the orange flower dot square that had fusible fleece ironed on the back. I did the M using the embroidery machine and a Hanna Montana font from 8 paws and a Claw. Then I used some temporary spray adhesive to apply it to the larger square of black polkadot fabric. To hide the edge of the orange square, I sewed on ribbon. Initially I was going to miter the corners and then figured extending the ribbon to the edge was easier. I was concerned about the ribbon moving as I pinned it on, so I held it in placed with spray adhesive and then top stiched on the very edge. I think fabric spray adhesive is one of my favorite supplies in my sewing stash. I stuffed it with filling from some pillows I have retired from service so I technically did not spend anything to make this. Woo Hoo, one pillow down and a bunch more to go! Thanks for stopping by! Linking to: Today's Creative Blog, Sew Much Ado

Embroidered Sewing Machine Cover

2011-04-05T05:25:00.014-05:00

Linking to Skip to My Lou's "Made by You Mondays" After making the embroidering machine a cover, the sewing machine got jealous so I had to make her one too. LOL, I debated about using the same fabrics and in the end decided to use different ones.

I found this tape measure fabric designed by Cosmo Cricket and manufactured by Andover at the Happiness is Quilting store here in Downtown McKinney. Of course, I had to have it. I combined it with a red and white polka dot broadcloth that I took from my mother's stash when we visited in the fall. Mom bought the red & white dot fabric when I was a little girl and never got around to making anything with it. I was glad to use it for my cover as it will always be a reminder of my Mom who made teaching me to sew (and cook) a priority while I was growing up.

I did not have a pattern so I visited a couple of blogs to figure out how to do it. I followed this Sew 4 Home tutorial and only made a few adjustments. After I was done, I thought it was a little plain, so I decided to embroider on it. After much thought (and deliberation) I decided to embroider my motto: "Sew your stress away" because that is what I try to do every time I sew!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dr. Suess Baby

2011-03-31T08:59:00.015-05:00

Every once in a while I can make something, the minute I get a request or idea. Last night was one of those times. My SIL had asked me to make something Dr. Suess for a friend's baby that was scheduled to arrive any day. I had seen this Robert Kauffman Dr Suess fabric at the store a month or two ago and was inclined to buy it but with my growing fabric stash I decided to hold off. By total coincidence yesterday I stopped by the Happiness Is Quilting in Downtown McKinney to pick up some of the fabric. Then last night my SIL emailed to let me know 'Shaun Michael" had been born at 7:17 p.m. and gave me the rest of the baby stats. Well needless to say, I got right on it immediately. Who needs sleep when you've worked 10 days in a row without a day off anyway! I piddled with different designs but in the end by 11:30 p.m. this is what I had come up with. I am so pleased. I am going to be listing this in my Etsy store soon. While the embroidery stitched out, I made the card (yes, a card) to match with a swatch of the fabric and some Heat n Bond adhesive iron on. I love making cards to coordinate with sets, it just makes everything look so complete. This card is 5.5 inches square.

I stitched the inside of the card to add a little interest. The thread looks black but its the same shade of blue/teal from the fabric.

So today, Shaun Michael is one day old and this is on it's way to Lexington, Kentucky! Thanks for stopping by, I'll be taking a nap this afternoon. Linking link parties at: Skip to my Lou Sew Much Ado Today's Creative Blog

Changing Gears... I mean Color Schemes

2011-03-30T08:18:00.011-05:00

Last month while shopping for fabric, I came across a sewing theme fabric by Alexander Henry called "Sew Now". I fell in love with it! I decided that color scheme would be perfect in my sewing area which is a portion of our guest room. So here we go changing color schemes.... So far I have made a cover for my embroidery machine and a cornice for the window in the "Sew Now" fabric. . Here's the embroidery machine cover.... My embroidery machine came with a vinyl cover so I took it apart and used it as a pattern to make one out of the fabric. To add body to the fabric, I ironed fusible fleece to the back (I love that stuff). I used a contrasting black and white polka dot for the side panels and added a black pom pom trim to the bottom. I am pleased with the results... . Now the cornice... The cornice was interesting, I had no pattern and was eager to make it quickly. I used a thin piece of plywood, covered it with batting and then covered it with fabric. I made it large so the pattern in the fabric would show. I took a major short cut by omitting side panels and just hung the board (like a picture) above the window. Yes-- major short cut but I don't think there is a cornice police that will come get me. As far as I am concerned, it works in my book! . Thats all for now, more stuff in the coming weeks. My plan is to change out the comforter, add throw pillows and make a few fun accessories for the room. This will keep me busy for the next month or so. Thanks for stopping by...

Earth Hour

2011-03-25T23:51:00.004-05:00

Earth Hour is tomorrow. If you are not familiar with Earth Hour, check out their website.

Our city is encouraging residents to participate in Lights Out McKinney! If you are local, check out the website. We're having a flashlight party at our house!

Spring Gardening

2011-03-24T08:49:00.007-05:00

I hope you are having a daffodil kind of day!These are some of the 100+ daffodil bulbs Micaela and I planted in one of our backyard flower beds. We planted these late, nearly the end of January right before the February (super bowl) snow we got in North Texas.
This is our second year to plant daffodils, last year's batch in the front yard already bloomed (and I forgot to take pictures). I did not want to miss the picture opportunity for these!
I love this little dog "statue", he's been digging in my flower beds forever. We haven't seen his head in more than 7 years-- there must be a bone buried in there somewhere! Thanks for stopping by!

Bird Pin Cushion

2011-03-23T09:45:00.007-05:00

I am a big fan of the DIY Dish. They feature Janome machines all of the time. Earlier this week, they launched their 3rd season. They always kick off each season with a pin cushion tutorial and after watching, I could not resist making one of the little birds they featured by Joel Dewberry, a fabric designer who's promoting his new book== Sewn Spaces. (I think I am going to have to get that book)

I am in the process of changing the color scheme in my sewing area and made the bird with a couple of scrap fabric pieces I had laying around. Here is the link to the tutorial. I think my bird turned out okay-- I obviously need a little practice with top stitching on the wings. I feel bad that in order to use this, I am going to have to stab it with pins- eek!

DIY Dish is having a contest to win a copy of Joel's book and some of his cool fabric, be sure to check out their website. Thanks for stopping by...

Girl Scout Cookie Bag

2011-02-28T23:51:00.013-06:00

Last month I came across some Girl Scout fabric by Robert Kaufman Fabrics and just had to buy some to make Micaela "something". Micaela became a Girl Scout this past fall and when I bought the fabric cookie selling season was about to begin.

After much thought (and deliberation), I decided to make her a bag so that when she went out to make "deliveries", she would be carrying the cookies in something cute. My first thought was a tablecloth for when the troop does sales in front of stores but at $10 a yard, I decided a bag would be much better use of the fabric.
So here is the bag... Ta Da!!!! I pretty much made it freehand without a pattern (don't recommend that).

First, I added fusible fleece to the back of the fabric and machine quilted horizontal lines, I wish I could say they are straight but you can certainly 'see' that they are NOT....lol. I had to embroider it 'somewhere' and since embroidery wouldn't really show up on such a busy pattern I decided to applique a square then do an appliqued M and name on top. The square is from GGDesigns in Australia, the M is a font from Planet Applique and the font on the name is by AKDesigns.

I made the bag gussetted by adding a brown gingham coordinating fabric to allow enough space to carry 7-8 boxes standing up.

I lined the bag in the same green gingham from the applique square and added velcro for easy closing and opening. I made the strap long and wide so it would be comfortable across the chest. I used the embroidery function on my new Janome machine to add a little personalization. Hopefully Micaela will stay in Girl Scouts for a long time and she can use this bag for delivering cookies many years to come. Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to Made by You Monday at Skip to My Lou

Soccer Bag

2011-02-21T08:56:00.000-06:00

Made this bag for our daughter to carry her soccer stuff. Her team colors are hot pink and black. I pieced together the quilt squares. This is my first bag ever and I am happy with the results. I guess it is missing a little emboirdery....

Fresh Apple Cake

2011-02-13T01:34:00.000-06:00

Fresh Apple Cake, ala Rose.
This recipe is from my Cousin Juanita, she has made this cake since I was a teenager, which is a very long time. I had not made it in years.

Fresh Apple Cake

1.5 cups oil
2 eggs

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups sugar!

3 cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

5 peeled, chopped/sliced apples

1 cup raisins (optional-- I don't add these)

Highly recommend a KitchenAid for this recipe.

Cream oil and sugar. Add all dry ingredients including pecans. Mixture will be very dry. Add apples a few at a time. As mixer mixes apples, the juice will soften the batter to normal 'cake batter consistency. Pour in tube pan and bake at 300 degrees for 90 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Happy Baking!

The Gates NYC 2005

2011-02-12T01:46:00.000-06:00

Six years ago today (Valentine's weekend), my husband and I took a Babymoon trip to New York City before our daughter was due to be born in May.

We were fortunate to be there the opening day of The Gates in Central Park, February 12, 2005. The Gates was a project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Christo & Jeanne-Claude have inspired the world with their art, which has been displayed in four continents and seen by millions. The built a reputation around the world for massive temporary art projects like wrapping Berlin's Reichstag and Paris' Pont Neuf in fabric.

The Gates were free-hanging, saffron-colored fabric panels that were suspended from gates throughout the footpaths of Central Park.

The Gates were 7500 gates, 16 feet high and lined 23 miles of footpathes in the park. It was an amazing site and I am so glad we were able to be there to experience it.

Thanks for stopping by.

New Toy

2011-02-11T09:17:00.004-06:00

Cupid made an early delivery for Valentine's Day. This is my new sewing machine, a Janome 5100. A quick glimpse at my sewing area.... Nothing fancy, the desk is the desk I got for my fourteenth birthday (almost an antique, lol). The yellow doily was made by my maternal grandmother more than 50 years ago. The flower stick person holds my pins in the belly votive. On the shelf a few favorite trinkets, the flower pot is by one of my favorite artists Angie Strauss from Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, favorite Mary Engelbreit and Karla Dornacher books, a few pictures of me as a bridesmaid with two of my closest friends, Mary Beth and Kristi and the tiny one in the pink frame is of me as a baby with my Dad when I was about a year old. The pink Longaberger basket (breast cancer edition 2002) on my white shelf hold my scissors.

Thanks for stopping by...

Valentine's Day Towel

2011-02-11T02:07:00.001-06:00

Found these Valentine's Day fingertip towels at Target. Bought a few to personalize for friends and cousins, little girls love these!

Owl Card

2011-02-07T08:54:00.003-06:00

Your eyes are seeing right, a handmade card! Last week during the snow Micaela and I dusted off the Cricut and made a few cards. We made this one for one of her little friends that had surgery recently. The owl is from the Hoot 'n' Holler Lite Cricut cartridge, all the card stock is Stampin' Up! and the card is 5.5 inches square.
Thanks for stopping by!

B & B for Laila

2011-02-07T08:40:00.005-06:00

Here's a set I made for a co-workers new baby girl. Her colors are dark pink, brown and green. I added a decorative scallop stitch to the burp cloth using my new Janome sewing machine.

At the last minute, (3am) I whipped up a card to sorta match using prefolded card stock, satin ribbon and an L made with the Alphalicious cartridge on the Cricut.

Thanks for stopping by!

Moving on to Hair Stuff...

2011-01-28T12:04:00.009-06:00

Since there are only so many shirts, towels, bags and blankets I can make for our daughter, I have started to explore other 'embroidering' opportunities. I've been purchasing hair stitch designs from my favorite designer in Australia for a while, but had not taken the time to try them out. Well, I am hooked!

These are so fun, easy, and most of all FAST. The best thing is that I can make a bunch in one hoop. Here is my first attempt at a Valentine design.

There are many designs and you can attach them to fabric covered barrettes. The possibilities are truly endless.

Miss M loved it and now she wants one to match every outfit! Now, I have plenty to do! Thanks for stopping by.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

2011-01-21T23:49:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Valentine's Day is already around the corner. There are so many cute heart embroidery and applique designs out there that I am finding myself buying everything I see. I just got this design from one of my favorite designers in Australia and had to make Micaela a sweatshirt. Hope you are staying warm, thanks for stopping by!

B & B for a Baseball Fan

2011-01-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

Made this set for a co-workers grandson that is due to arrive this March. They are doing the nursery in a baseball theme with an emphasis on St Louis Cardinal red. I could not find Cardinal fabric but thought this red baseball fabric was pretty close.

Sorry it's a poor picture, I took it when my phone before walking out the door! Thanks for stopping by!

Snowflake Tablescape

2011-01-12T10:20:00.001-06:00

After the holidays I like to continue a sparkly theme with snowflakes after all our Christmas decor comes down and before Valentine's Day decorations are up. Some years our Christmas stuff is down in time and others years it isn't. I started the process this year but after a crazy work schedule and a full week of having bad bronchitis, we are moving straight to Valentine's Day. Here's the table several years ago.It's hard to tell in the picture, but the flatware and linens have snowflakes on them. My favorite item is the placecard holders, my friend Kristi and I found those at Crate & Barrel on a lunch hour shopping mission about 12 years ago. Thanks for stopping by!

Snow for my Birthday!

2011-01-09T23:25:00.002-06:00

Snow for my birthday! Micaela loved it!

Christmas Tablescape

2010-12-19T22:52:00.000-06:00

This is our breakfast table now. I've been building on a gingerbread theme for about ten years but never had much (gb) on the table. I had a collection of the Sledding Characters dinnerware by Debbie Mumm (mentioned here) and I never got brave enough to mix other stuff with it. Most of the gingerbread accessories around were things in the kitchen. This year I added to my collection....

First, I found these snowflake salad plates at Wal-Mart of all places. I brought one home, thought they looked good and then went back for another 3. Later on I was at Pier One and found the gingerbread shaped plates, bought the last four right on the spot! Two weeks ago I was at Dillards and found the gingerbread house napkin rings, of course had to have them too. The rest of the stuff just came together.

Dinner Plates: Sledding Characters by Debbie Mumm, purchased in 2001

Snowflake Salad Plates: Wal-Mart 2010

Gingerbread Plates & Napkins: Pier One 2010

Gingerbread House napkin rings: Dillard's 2010

Big Bowl in Center: Hobby Lobby 2010

Cupcakes: Kohl's 2009

Placecard Holder: Kohl's 2009

Gingerbread Man: Kirkland's

Here are pictures of a few more things around the kitchen area:

Thanks for stopping by!

Kitchen Gingerbread Decor 2001

2010-12-14T23:57:00.001-06:00

A couple of days ago I posted pictures of my kitchen table at my Bonham house. Here are some pictures of the gingerbread stuff in my kitchen. Now remember this was back in 2001, light green and pink were my kitchen colors. Oh my how we all evolve!

I love this gingerbread train, my dear friend Debra gave it to me! The star Longaberger basket one of my favorite things too, it was from my friend Mary Beth.

I had a little tree on top of the fridge. All the ornaments were gingergread things... Corny, I know!
Oh, how I loved my Bonham House! Thanks for stopping by!

Kitchen Table 2001

2010-12-12T23:34:00.000-06:00

Here's the Kitchen Table in my Bonham house (1919 Bungalow) back in 2001. The dinnerware is Sledding Characters by Debbie Mumm. I absolutely had to have it. Remember this was 2001! I bought it piece by piece and then when I the stores ran out resorted to Ebay for more pieces. In the bidding process I met a girl who was bidding on the same stuff. I got brave and sent her an email to figure out what she wanted so we would not keep bidding against each other. (This is back when the user name on ebay was your email address and it wasn't astericks like it is today). Found out the girl was from Texas and around my age. Long story short, we became friends! She and her husband visted me that year and I visited them in 2004. We're still friends ten years later and keep up with each other on facebook. In the end, she got 12 placesettings and I got 8!

I am not as crazy about these dishes now but the story behind them touches my heart so I won't part with them. Micaela thinks they are cute and says she wants them for when she grows up! I am going to find some accessories to go with it for this year's table. I'll be sure to post what I come up with.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas in Bonham

2010-12-08T19:54:00.008-06:00

Here are pictures of my Bonham living room Christmas 2001. I had so much fun decorating this house.

This was the tree that replaced the one in my master bedroom (previous post). I had really tall ceilings in that house- 12 ft, I think. I had to use a ladder to decorate the top of the tree. Well I have to use a ladder to decorate all the trees but but this tree I had to get on the top step, lol.

Ahh, the fireplace... I always wondered about the family that originally built the house in 1919. I was told they had many children so I imagine many stockings were hung and lots of family photos were taken here. I was too scared to use the fireplace so I just filled it with lights and glittery stuff.

It was fun to decorate this mantle because it was deep. This year I put the Christmas village on there. I don't remember how many buildings and people I had but they fit pefectly in this long narrow space. I haven't used this village in 8 years, I still have it in boxed up-- maybe I will pull it out this year since Micaela is old enough to not break it.

Hope you've enjoyed my stroll through memory lane, hope you are having fun decorating your house for the holiday season. Thanks for stopping by!

Cowboy Baby Set

2010-12-08T19:45:00.003-06:00

Here's a baby set I made for a friend to give as a gift to one of her co-workers. The baby's nursery is cowboy themed and the colors are red and brown.
I love cowboy themed stuff, so much that we have our little bathroom powder room downstairs decorated in authentic western stuff. Wish the room had room for more stuff because I would make something with this red rope fabric!. Thanks for stopping by!

Flashback Christmas 2001

2010-12-04T23:39:00.007-06:00

These are pictures of my bedroom during Christmas in my Bonham house back in 2001. Please keep in mind this WAS 2001, I would not necessarily decorate like this today. I took these with my very first digital camera. I would have never dreamed of a blog back then so there is no professional staging or anything. This is a room I slept in for several years before relocating back to Dallas and eventually getting married.

I look back on my five plus years in Bonham fondly, mainly because I enjoyed living in an old 1919 bungalow so much. I had more space than I knew what to do with and filled the house with things I loved. I enjoyed every minute of it. I am going to start sharing some of those old pictures every now and then....

I always wanted a pink bedroom as a little girl and finally got one when I was 29 a few years before getting married. The color turned out darker than I anticipated and it looked very PeptoBismal when the painters were done. I had to deal with it even though it was alot darker than I wanted.

Back then I set no limits on Christmas decorations and buying stuff. One of the coolest things about my Bonham house was the fireplace in the Master Bedroom. I was too scared to use it but I had the best time decorating the mantle for the different seasons... Here it is....

This was the tree! Quite large, the diameter was six feet at the bottom branches and it was like 8 feet tall. I had this in the living room several years but when I got a bigger one, I could not bare to part with this one so I put it in the master since I had plenty of room.

I wish I had close up of the ornaments, the balls were all different shades of pink, pearl white and green. The door behind the tree lead to a screened in sun room. I had access to the sunroom from the living room so I blocked this door for the holiday season.

This was the other side of the room facing the dresser. I only had a double bed at the time-- The canvas above my bed is by Angie Strauss from Niagara on the Lake Ontario. It is signed by the artist, it was my five year anniversary gift from the company I worked for at the time. I have that print in our guest room/sewing room now.

This was the other side of the room. I bought those chairs at Goodwill for $9 each and recovered them myself. I also made the curtains.
Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed my flashback to 2001!

Princess Stocking

2010-11-27T00:47:00.002-06:00

Found this adorable stocking and just had to get it for Micaela. It matches her bedroom perfectly. Of course I wanted to embroider it. The tricky part was I had to take it apart, embroider the cuff, and then re-sew it. It took alot longer than I expected but I was pleased with the result.

Hope you are having fun decorating for Christmas!

Santa Towel

2010-11-26T23:50:00.004-06:00

Here's a Santa Dishtowel, I embroidered with of course our daughters name on it. I am making these for everyone I know...neighbors, teachers and friends... LOL. These are available in my Etsy store.

Thanksgiving Table

2010-11-26T00:07:00.000-06:00

Just barely managed to take a quick picture of the table before packing up all of the fall decor and pulling out Christmas. Sorry it's just a placesetting picture, the rest was already packed before I realized I never took a picture this year...

Big Mix of dishes here....

The chargers are embossed with fall leaves, new-- got them this year.
The red scrolly plates are actually oversized dinner plates I got about 13 years ago when I was setting up my first townhouse in 1997. Only have four, wish I had at least 8. They were $20 at the time and I only managed 4 and a large serving bowl before the store sold out.
The bone china with gold rim is from my Dad's 2nd Mom and is nearly 100 years old. It's Pope Gosser China manufactured in the US in the early 1900's. The pattern is Washtonton and the back says "coin gold"-- something I have never seen before. My Dad says these were some of Mrs. MacDaniel's favorite plates and I am happy to have them.
The embossed plates are from Hobby Lobby... I have had them for about 10 years and luckly have several serving pieces in the same pattern.
The individual covered soup bowls I have had for about 10 years. I love these on the table and enjoy using them every year. I had the matching toureen and it broke during a move-- still recovering from that :(.

Thanks for stopping by....

Thanksgiving Program

2010-11-21T00:55:00.000-06:00

Friday we had Micaela's Thanksgiving Program at school. Here's a snapshot of 120-something Native American Kindergarteners and 6+ Pilgrim teachers singing Thanksgiving songs...

Our Little Native American, we are so thankful!

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Daisy Scouts

2010-11-18T01:07:00.000-06:00

Micaela is now a Daisy Scout, we are excited. I think I am more excited than she is. When I was little my Mom did not let me join Girl Scouts because she just didn't understand the concept, the language etc... I've been looking forward to this for a long time because part of my job involves presenting to Daisies, Brownies and Girl Scouts. Just listening to the girls recite their pledge brings tears to my eyes-- I am such a sap!

So anyway, Micaela just joined and I volunteered to embroider the girls names on the tunics.

Pop Monkey Yet Again

2010-11-10T01:36:00.000-06:00

This is the most popular of all the sets I have made, available in my Etsy Store.

B & B for Noah

2010-11-07T01:46:00.001-05:00

Made this for a co-workers new baby boy Noah. This is the first time I do two fabrics on a set.

Aggie Burp & Bib Set

2010-11-01T21:31:00.005-05:00

A very special little Aggie named Reid was born recently. He had a difficult time during his arrival and first few days but Praise God he made it and is doing quite well. I thought he needed a very special burp cloth and bib for his feedings so I went on a hunt to find Aggie fabric. Luckily, I did not have to go far, I found some at Happiness is... Quilting in downtown McKinney. Sending this to a friend of a friend. Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to Skip to My Lou's Made by You Mondays

Halloween Witch Dish Towel #2

2010-10-26T01:58:00.004-05:00

Here's another witch towel I embroidered. The first one is posted here. These are so fun and easy to do, I have enjoyed making every single one!
Linking to Made by You Mondays at Skip to My Lou.

Backyard Evolution Continues...

2010-10-25T23:47:00.008-05:00

As I have mentioned before, our back yard is a work in progress. The latest thing we added was some wood posts and hanging baskets. I saw something similar in a magazine and decided to adapt it to our back yard.

We started with two 4x4x12 foot cedar posts. My husband dug a 2 foot hole into the ground and set the posts in 140 lbs. of concrete. We used bricks to hold the posts in place while the concrete set.

After the posts were set in the concrete, we stained them with the same stain we used on the fence. I then purchased some wrought iron hooks to hang plants from. Troy drilled holes and hung the hooks. Next was the hunt for hanging baskets. I went to several nurseries looking for premade baskets but did not like any because they were in those plastic pots with plastic hangers- yuk! For a couple of weeks, we just had a lonely pumpkin chime hanging on one of the hooks.

So I had to go the long route to get the hanging baskets. I purchased empty wrought iron baskets with coco fiber liners and a bunch of plants and put the baskets together myself. I kept reminding myself about what I learned at a container garden seminar... gotta have three types of plant in a container: tall plant to "thrill", another plant to "fill" and a third plant to "spill". Because the pots were only 12 inches, I went with good ole marigolds to "thrill" and and pansies in different colors to "spill".

The baskets have been hanging ten days and seem to be thriving in our beautiful autumn weather. I hope this inspires you to dig a hole, plant a post, drill in some hooks and hang a beautiful basket, thanks for stopping by.

Linking to:

Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Mother & Daughter Halloween Party

2010-10-25T03:19:00.000-05:00

During my single days I used to host a Halloween Party for girlfriends. After I got married and had a baby it was difficult to continue the tradition. After much thought and consideration (plus some encouragement from my friend Virginia) we decided to bring the tradition back with a twist by making make it a Mother Daughter Party. Here are some of the highlights!

The backyard was somewhat decorated already. The morning of the party we added tables and chairs to the back yard. Here's what it looked like before everyone arrived

Here's what it looked like as everyone was arriving. Needless to say the weather was picture perfect and everyone enjoyed the back yard. I found out 35 people very comfortable fit in our back yard.
Here's a picture of a grandma witch and aunt witch.

Here's a picture of more cute mothers and daughters.

Some of my girlfriends brought treats to share... My friend Jennifer made these super cute monster squares, the cake part was pumpkin and chocolate chips, they were really yummy.

These are some of the treats on the kitchen bar. I forgot to take a picture of the food table!

Here is the picture of the super gorgeous cake my friend & co host Virginia purchased. It was giant, we could have fed another 35 people. She ordered it from The Cake Stand in historical downtown McKinney, it was incredibley delicious.

Here's a cute picture of a few of the girls having a good time on the swing set!

All in all the party was a huge success, could those little girls look any happier? We definitely will have another party next year! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful Halloween!

Halloween Witch Dish Towel

2010-10-25T00:34:00.001-05:00

Here is a dishtowel I embroidered. I purchased these and added only the embroidery, I thought about duplicating them but figured it out was more cost effective to buy them already made. . I made nearly 15 of these for teacher gifts, friend gifts and even sold a couple.
Linking to Made by You Mondays at Skip to my Lou

College Day Shirt

2010-10-22T03:11:00.004-05:00

Our daughter had College Day at school last week. From the moment I heard about it, I knew I had to make the drive to my old college town to get her a shirt (about 35 miles away). Time just got away from me and I never had the chance to make the trip so the evening before I sat down and made her a shirt using my embroidery machine.

This was my 'first' attempt at a shirt. Shirts are harder than just plain flat items because you are working with the shirt inside out on a hoop. This took me several hours. In the end I could have made several trips back and forth to Denton in the time in took me to make this but I was very pleased with the way it turned out.

I love it but I won't be mass producing these anytime soon! Thanks for stopping by

Phase II Fall Decorating

2010-10-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

Once mid October comes around, I start putting out the Halloween decoratings. I am especially fond of cute witches. With a Mother & Daughter Halloween Party around the corner here's some snapshots...

Move over birdies, the bird bath is going to be a pedestal for a pumpkin.

Garden Witch keeping Croton company...

I hung my garden flags on the fence...

Another Croton in the front porch.

I love fun wood signs...

I'll keep adding pictures, thanks for stopping by.

Halloween Apron

2010-10-14T09:24:00.002-05:00

Here's a Halloween Apron I made for a teacher, Mrs. Stober. Her favorite color is purple and she loves Halloween. You can see a close up of the embroiderly and what the full apron looks like. I have more of these if anyone is interested.

Phase I Fall Decorating

2010-09-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

I decorate for Fall in phases. Phase I starts right after September 16 (Mexican Independence Day)and is just the regular fall stuff..

Here are pictures of a few things....

New plants by the front door... Celosias and Marigolds. Never had Celosias before so we'll see how they do. I could not resist the bright orange color. Thought the frog was cute at Ross and just had to have it. My favorite Aunt on my Mom's side of the family always likes frog things so it's a cute reminder of her. The other pot... Owls on this side. The big one was from my MIL, thought he needed company so got the little one, reminds me of my Aunt Bettye who collects owls...

Fall leaf wreath for the door...

This guy has been hanging out on my porch for the last ten or so autumns, need to figure out what his name is... I've had him longer than I have known my husband!

First new mum...

Have been wanting a monogram door mat for a long time but it's hard to find a good legible F. Finally saw this one at Kirklands and had to have it!

Then I saw Fall Monogram F Flag and of course had to have it too...

Still have some spring and summer zinnias that look good so stuck the pumpkin in the middle of them...

Front flower bed...

Ok Autumn temperatures, Hurry Up and Get HERE!

B & B for Chloe

2010-09-19T11:49:00.002-05:00

Here's another Burp & Bib set I made for the new grand daughter of some dear friends in the valley. I just love this fabric, found it at a darling quilt store here in McKinney.
.
This is headed to Houston in tomorrow's mail. Hope you are having a great Sunday!

B & B for Ana Victoria

2010-09-18T06:37:00.002-05:00

Made this set for my friend Irma's "great" neice. Ana Victoria is schedule to arrive on December 23rd. You know this new Mom of soon to be 3 is planning ahead, we didn't have our baby name picked out that early much less have personalized items ready for her.I love this brown and pink dot fabric! Hope you have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!

Aprons for Teachers

2010-09-09T08:55:00.008-05:00

Here are three aprons I made for the new teachers at Micaela's preschool alma mater. Miss Yulanda is in the Lovely Ladybugs class and Miss Kari & Lilly are in the Playful Puppies class. Sorry about the bad pictures, I could not get my lighting right, it's been raining for several days and natural light is just about nil.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!

2010-09-08T13:23:00.003-05:00

I have been a stamp collector since I was a kid, I always buy commemorative stamps when I can. So happy to learn about the release of this one a couple of days ago.

The U.S. Postal Service® recognizes Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. The stamp features a portait of Mother Teresa painted by award–winning artist Thomas Blackshear, II of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Instead of standing in line at the post office you can order these online through the US Postal Service.

The stamp was issued on September 5, 2010, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™. It was designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC.

Pop Monkey Again...

2010-09-08T04:11:00.003-05:00

This is the only color scheme and theme I have ever repeated in all my sewing projects so far. I can't believe how popular this is. I added ricrac to change things up a bit. Sending this to a local friend who recently had a baby boy and this is the theme in his nursery. Welcome to the world little Will.

Thanks for stopping by!

A little girl lives here...

2010-09-05T08:39:00.000-05:00

I went to check on Micaela last night after putting her to bed and found this on the floor next to her bed. She has cribs for her baby dolls but I guess the triplets didn't all fit together so this is what she did....That blanket was her favorite when she was a baby. Hope you have a great day!

Set for Sweet Ginger

2010-09-03T00:18:00.008-05:00

This is a set for my California Cousin's new baby girl Ginger. Isn't that an adorable name for a Hollywood girl? I really love this rosebud design.

I've been meaning to mail this for a while and kept holding off because I needed a card. So tonight I was trying to whip up a card really quick and decided to try to embroider a monogram right on the cardstock. I think it turned out pretty cute.Thanks for stopping by! Buenas Noches!

B & B for Elin

2010-09-02T08:39:00.004-05:00

Made this for another friends new grand-daughter Elin. This gift is in transit to Maryland, hope she likes it!

This font is called Fat Cat and I love the style of the letters, it's a fill stitch so it takes a little longer to embroder but I love how smooth and shiney the thread looks. IRL, the greens match.

The card is prefolded DCWV card stock, I die cut the flowers using the Layered Flowers Sizzix Die. The solid cardstock is SU.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great day!

Dozen Aprons

2010-08-18T09:03:00.009-05:00

This was my project last night, one dozen aprons. These are for a friend's daughter's cooking birthday party- The boys are getting black and girls pink. It was kind of a last minute thing so we opted for just the first initial, otherwise I probably would have stayed up all night. Had to get creative to take the picture-- wished for a clothes line and a breeze (you know for the "Pottery Barn Kids" catalog look) but settled for a curtain rod on our ledge! I am off to drop them off, have a great day! Linking to Just Something I Whipped Up & Sew Much Ado.

Lady Bug B & B

2010-08-13T21:32:00.004-05:00

Made this for a friend's new granddaughter. The theme in her nursery is ladybugs with a pink & green color scheme. I almost embroidered something totally different then I remembered I had the ladybug font.I love the name Amelia. By total coincidence, I have had two requests for items with the name Amelia within the last two weeks. I am still working on the other set and will post in the next few days. I love making these for new babies! Thanks for stopping by!

Snack Bag

2010-08-09T08:16:00.003-05:00

Kindergarten is around the corner for us. In reading the 'handbook", parents are asked to pack a seperate daily snack for the kids. To make things easier, the teacher suggested packing five snacks at a time in a plastic bag on Mondays and refilling the bag every week. Since I try very hard NOT to use plastic bags, I made this draw string bag to pack Micaela's snacks for school.

Of course I had to make it pink & purple, her favorite colors! I did not use a pattern for this, just made it up as I went along. It's hard to tell in the picture but it's actually larger than a sheet of paper. When you pull the ribbons on both ends it cinches closed. This was a fun and easy project, hopefully given time, I will make seasonal ones for her. Thanks for stopping by. Linking to Made by You Mondays.

Another Birthday Gift

2010-08-09T08:07:00.004-05:00

Here's another birthday beach towel I made for Micaela's friend Paige. Her favorite colors are pink, purple and green. Our beach towel days are numbered, cute beach towels are getting harder and harder to find. I found a clearance sale the other day and bought everything they had but I know it's not going to get me through the fall & winter birthdays.... I am on the search for a cute fall & winter item.

I forgot to photograph the package before going to the party-- I used a hot pink plastic caddy and tied a bow around the handles.

Birthday Gift

2010-08-02T05:09:00.009-05:00

Since our daughter Micaela has attended two different preschools for the last two plus years, we know alot of little girls and get invited to MANY birthday parties. Sometimes, it's more than one a weekend. I used to really over-think the birthday gift, it drove me nuts. Does anybody else do that or is it just me?

Now that I embroider, we do a personalized item and Ta Da, done! This season we've done beach towels for all the parties we've been to. I've posted several here. Here's one I did this past weekend for her little friend Isabella.This towel is from Kohl's and it's so cute. You can see the whole towel design on the label.

As much as I like to wrap boxes and do fluffy tissue flowing out of gift bags, I am really trying to make the packaging of the gifts we give as 'green' as possible. We either reuse a gift bag we've received before or we package in something the recipient can reuse again.

We packaged Isabella's beach towel in a plastic container with a lid. These hot pink boxes are available at Wal-Mart and are $5-- yes more than a gift bag but way more useful!
I 'refrained' (very painful) from adding tissue to the inside (gotta think about those trees), placed the handmade card inside (so it wouldn't get lost) and tied a simple satin bow.
I know Isabella will find something like Barbies or Little Ponies to put in the box and hopefully she'll reuse the ribbon too. Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to Made by You Mondays, Making the World Cuter.

Gasp-- A Card!

2010-08-02T03:46:00.000-05:00

Yes, a card! I have not given up paper crafting entirely, just gotten a little side tracked with sewing and embroidery. Here's the card Micaela and I made for her friend Isabella. Super simple and quick, just a very glittery FIVE and some retired SU designer paper that just happened to coordinate with the beach towel (above). We made the 5 with the Cricut, used the Alphalicious cartridge.