Don't Forget ...

... I've moved my blog over here.

Please update your bookmarks, feed readers, etc..., and stop by for a visit! I've written a number of new posts about all the stuff I've been working on!

I've been busy!

Movin' On Up ...

Do you remember this post? You know ... the one where I confessed my love for the color red by showing you the new checkbook cover that I made for my new business checkbook? And, remember when I promised to share more on that new business later? Well, today is the day, folks!

I started a business.


It's called Red Owl Designs. Primarily, it is a way for me to sell (on etsy.com) my handmade creations (like these and these, and maybe some of these), but I also do custom sewing for the home (ie, pillows and curtains and such). I mean, I figured that I spend enough time in my studio already ... I may as well try to make it profitable, right?

So I guess I'm going on a fun new adventure. At first I was scared about it (you know, the normal what-am-I-doing?!? kinds of feelings), but now I'm kind of excited to see what happens with it and where God wants to take it!

So ... that said, I have decided to move my blog and connect it more to my business ... from now on, I'll be blogging over at www.redowldesigns.blogspot.com ... so, please change your bookmarks and your google reader settings, and anything else you need to update, and come join me! Oh - and in case you are wondering ... nothing will change about my blog - I will still post about what I am working on (both personal sewing projects and business-related projects) ... it will just be in a different location, so that I don't go out of my mind trying to keep up with 15 different usernames, passwords, web addresses, etc... It's enough to make me crazy!

ps - anyone know how to automatically re-direct this site to my new blog??

A Gift and a Haircut

The girl who cuts my hair just had a baby girl, and so when I recently went in to get my hair cut, I brought her a gift for little Avery (isn't that a great name?) ...

I'm into customizing things with names recently ...
Don't believe me? See Exhibits A, B, C & D.

Here is a full shot of it ... including the cutie shoes I had to take off to climb on the chair in order to take the photo. I know it's a bad photo, but I'm having trouble figuring out how best to take pictures of blankets. I'm thinking a clothesline might work well?
Suggestions are welcome ...

The back is full of cutie pink and yellow and blue birds.
It's all flannel, so it's soft and cozy!

What I didn't tell my hairdresser is that the gift was really a means of getting on her good side ... just before I asked her to cut 10 inches off and give me some sassy short hair.

What do you think?

By the way ... if you can, you should cut your hair (at least 8 inches) and donate
to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. They make wigs for women with cancer.
Do it!

Comfy Camera Strap Cover

My friend Deb is a photographer. Well ... maybe not professionally, but she ALWAYS has her Canon Rebel xTi attached to her hip, and is constantly pulling it out to "capture the moment," as they say. She is actually the reason that I opted for the Rebel when I purchased my camera last year.

Anyway ... anyone who owns a Rebel knows that the strap it comes with is super-uncomfortable. Mine is constantly scratching the back of my neck ... so much so that I have stopped putting the strap over my head. One of these days I'm going to drop the thing because I refused to have the strap touching me!

For Deb's birthday recently, I decided to be kind to her neck and make her a camera strap cover. Here it is ...

The padded strap just wraps around the thick portion of the camera strap.
It's quilted and cushy.
I love this blue and green fabric ... I had to buy it and make something out of it!

It's completely reversible ... this side has Deb's name on it. (of course!)

A little close-up.
I love velcro ... makes things SO easy!

A New Spring Project

Last weekend, I took a short trip to Atlanta with the women of the family to celebrate my niece's 4th birthday at the American Girl Store. To conserve gas, I piled into the mom-mobile with my sister-in-law and her mom, along with my niece and a friend of hers. Of course, we had to leave one of the van's seats at home so that we could fit our luggage, complete with all three American Girl dolls (which turned into 5 dolls and a llama on the way home ...). It's a good thing we left room, too, because we also made a stop at the nicest Jo-Ann fabric store I've ever seen while we were in Atlanta. Needless to say, we did some shopping!

Anyway ... you need to know that I get horribly carsick on road-trips ... so much so that I really would much rather take a plane and suffer through connecting flights and layovers and the ears popping and such. I do not enjoy being in the car. But, most of all, I hate that I end up wasting so many hours of precious time just sitting there doing nothing! Reading makes me sick. Sewing makes me sick. Playing games makes me sick. Sometimes having in-depth conversations makes me sick. BUT ... there is ONE thing that I've found does NOT make me sick on road-trips (besides sleeping!) ... crocheting! It's weird, but it's actually kinda soothing for me, as long as the car is on cruise control and we're not in heavy traffic.

SO ... because Atlanta is a 6-hour car ride away, I decided to take along a new crochet project so that I could make the most of my time. I figured if I started it on the trip, I would be able to stretch it out over the whole course of the trip and have a finished product by the time we arrived home on Sunday night. Sure enough ... here are the fruits of my labor ...

Super-fun yarn!

I love the colors ... it's fun to see the mixture of all the different colors,
and how different parts take on different looks.

Here is my project hanging on a hook at home ... I can't wait to wear it!

So, do you know what it is yet?

I'll give you a clue ... even though I started it on the first day of Spring, think WINTER! :o)

(This is me doing my best to model it without getting in the way of the picture ... apparently, I had trouble getting it just right, but you get the idea!)

It's a fun ruffle scarf!
My friend Andrea got one of these for Christmas from a co-worker, and I asked her to hunt down the pattern for me. I love how girly it is.
And it's so stinkin' easy to make! Hmmm ... these would make great gifts!

My next project ... a fun jacket.
This might be a little ambitious, but I'm going to try it anyway.
Why not, right?

Ladybugs for the Little Lady

My oldest niece turns 4 today. I can hardly believe it. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting outside the hospital room for her arrival! Time sure does fly right by, doesn't it?

In celebration of Anneliese's birthday, I told her that I would take her to the fabric store so that she could pick out some fabric for a new dress for her and her American Girl doll. She eventually saw a purple fabric and said "Auntie Sara, that purple fabric is BEAUTIFUL!" I figured with that kind of enthusiasm, we had a winner!

So, yesterday, I set to work making her dresses, so that they would be ready for her birthday celebration tonight. (There's nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?)

Disclaimer : Please forgive my pictures ... I took them last night, and the lighting wasn't great in this corner of my studio. Also, I was having trouble coming up with a creative place to hang the dresses, and in the end the thread racks won out. Ugly, I know ... but I was tired and my head hurt. Sorry.

I got the pattern for the dress from Suzanne ... it's a completely reversible A-Line. Really simple to put together ... only took me a couple of hours (that is, if I don't count the 3 - yes THREE - times I had to sew the buttons on, because I kept doing them wrong! Don't ask.)

Don't you just love the matching doll dress? It's so cute!

I *had* to include a close-up of this adorable fabric ... LOVE the green ladybugs.

I added a little green ladybug to the hem of the purple side, just to give it more character.
Suzanne reminded me that I always draw ladybugs with Anneliese when we color together (probably because I stink at drawing, and they are one of the few things that are simple enough to be recognizable when I draw them!)

Happy Birthday, Anneliese! Yay for being 4!

Color Me Happy

My very best friend from college and her family were visiting from Philly, and I decided it would be nice to make her children a gift for when they arrive. (In reality, I was just trying to buy their affection ... I was afraid they wouldn't like me!!)

Anyway ... I went to the fabric store and picked out some happy Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics (and some others that I don't remember the name of), and set to work ...

Don't the colors in these fabrics just make you happy??

I decided to keep it simple and make the same thing for all three children.
Again ... I wanted them to like me. And, how could they like me if they were disapponted that their brother or sister got a cooler gift than they did?
(Of course, I didn't consider the possibility that they might all three dislike their gifts ...)

Have you guessed what they are yet??

Crayon Rolls!!!
Suzanne let me borrow a quilting magazine that had the directions,
and I tweaked them a little bit to fit what I was wanting to do.
Pay no attention to how sad my crayons look ... I didn't have time to run to the store and buy brand new pointy crayons for the photo shoot. Just consider them well-loved and much-used!
Mary's children love to draw in their nature books, so I thought they might each appreciate having their own portable crayon holder to carry with them.

This one reminds me of ice cream. Yum.



This is the one I made for their son ... I figured it was boyish enough.
(at least I hope it is!)


And, the best part of the whole project ...
I personalized them!
They each have their names appliqued on the back!
I always LOVED having things with my name on them when I was growing up, and I thought it would make for a more special gift.

I'll let you know how they liked them after their visit!