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?

Red, My French Parents, and The Big Apple

Two weeks ago, I was presented with an opportunity to take a quick trip to New York City on Valentine's weekend, to see the parents of the family I lived with when I was studying in Paris. Ordinarily, my everything-needs-to-be-planned-months-in-advance self would have shuddered at the thought of throwing caution to the wind and buying a plane ticket a week in advance without knowing where I would stay, how I would get around, or what I would do when I was there. But, I have deemed 2009 to be the year when I live OUTSIDE of my box ... and so far I have to say that I have not regretted it.

SO ... last Friday, I hopped a plane to Washington, DC and met up with my dear friend Ann and her friend Joy, who were my traveling buddies on our adventure to Manahattan. Because of the Big Bad Recession, we tried to do this trip on-the-cheap. So, we set off in the car for West Point, NY, about an hour outside the Big Apple, where Joy had a good friend who would let us stay overnight. Despite the rush hour traffic in Washington and the crazy toll booths on the New Jersey Turnpike, it was a really fun drive, and a great time to catch up with Ann & Joy. We were exhausted by the time we pulled into West Point, so it was good to have a warm bed to sleep in ... and even better that it was decked out in red and white polka dotted sheets.

Yes, I took pictures.

I - needless to say - felt right at home in my room.


I mean ... look at these pillows. Have you ever seen happier pillows???
Whew ... it's a good thing I didn't leave my new checkbook cover on the bed ... It might have gotten lost in the polka dots!!!

OK ... enough about my love for obsession with the color red.

We woke up early Saturday morning and drove into Manahattan to see my french parents. It was a fun drive ... there is nothing like driving right through Times Square to get you excited about being back in New York. Seriously ... nothing like it. I mean ... just look at it!!

These pictures were taken later in the day (probably more like evening-time).

I love that there is no want of things to grab your attention in Times Square.
It's overwhelming!
I mean ... let's face it. I grew up on an island. Times Square is unreal to me.

Anyway ... back to my story. So, Virginie & Daniel didn't have much free time in their schedule, so we met them at their hotel and had a lovely breakfast together. They are just as warm and friendly as they always were, and it seemed like we picked right back up where we left off the last time I saw them (four years ago, when I was in Paris for the Paris Marathon). They are the kind of people that you want to introduce all your friends to, because you just can't stand that someone you care about doesn't know them. You know what I mean? Do you know people like that? I do ... and it was SO good to see them again.

Here we are after breakfast.
Maybe I should work on getting out of my black-clothing box in 2009 ...

There's more to the NYC trip than just this, but this post is getting pretty long, so I think I'll end with one thought, and continue with the rest in another post ... As much as I would love to be married and have children right now, I will say that the freedom afforded by singleness is really quite nice. Many of my married friends have often reminded me that I should take full advantage of my single years, since they are only for a season, and with the blessing of marriage comes responsibility and commitment and a surrendering of one's own needs & desires for the benefit of others. So, as much as I plead with the Lord for a husband and a family of my own, I am thankful to Him in my singleness for providing this opportunity to take off for the weekend and see dear friends on an adventure in NYC! Yay! More to come ...

Little People

We had Brett's birthday party over the weekend, and I think the little house went over well (as well as can be expected for a gift that has nothing to do with Yo Gabba Gabba, right?). I definitely was prepared for her to look at it in disgust and set it aside in favor of other store-bought gifts. But, she actually took time to play with it after she opened it, and that made me happy.

The house wouldn't have been complete without dolls to play in it, so I made a family of little people to go inside ... I figured there aren't many dolls small enough to fit in the house, and I wanted her to be able to play with it right away. SO ... I went to A.C. Moore and found these fun little wooden people shapes. They are only about an inch an a half tall. So cute ... and yet so tedious to paint! I painted them for each member of Brett's immediate family ... her mommy, daddy, sister, and brother, as well as one of herself. Mama (Brett's grandma) promptly asked where her doll was ... I guess I have to make a set of "extended family" dolls now ... with Gram, Pops, Mimi, and of course Auntie Sara. Maybe I can get that done before Christmas!



I love this picture ... it makes me laugh that the window is bigger than the dolls ... I wasn't really thinking about proportion when I made everything. ha!


Five little dolls, all in a row. I'm hoping that you won't be able to see how the eyelashes are smeared on the purple doll. I accidentally got too close with the clear spray stuff. Oops!

Brett's House

For Brett's birthday, I decided to try something new ... I found a tutorial for this fun little portable doll house made out of fabric. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I found the tutorial ... no doubt on one of the blogs I read regularly ... I just printed out the instructions and forgot to list where I found it! aargh. If I figure it out, I'll update this post with the link to the tutorial.

*** updated ... here is a link to the tutorial online ... http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html THANKS Jen! ***

Anyway ... here it is :

Do you think I'm trying to subtly nudge Brett to love black & red as much as I do???

The house measures about 6 inches wide by 4 inches deep and maybe 7 inches high ... it's I guess about the size of a small lunchbox? Perfect for a little kiddo.

Button closures to hold it together ... I'm sure mommy will have to help with that at first, but it shouldn't be too hard.

Here's the button at the top, just below the handles ... a vintage button from my mom's collection. Love it.

And - of course - when you open it up, you can see the fun red "wallpaper" on the walls and the blue "tile" floor. I also used a green striped fabric to simulate the lawn, in case Brett wanted to pretend her dolls were playing outside. I'm sure I could have gone crazy with embellishments and stuff, but I prefer to leave all that to Brett's imagination. :o)

It wouldn't be complete without a label on it!

This was a whole lot easier to make than I thought it would be, and I'm happy with the way it came out. Now I just have to figure out how to make dolls small enough to fit in there, so that Brett can play with it!

A Doll for Faith

My friend Emily's niece, Faith, needed a new doll for her birthday, and I was happy to make one for her. Emily picked out the fabric ... a happy blue with little white daisies. Lovely. I love how bright and cheery she turned out. Here are some pictures ...

I used a vintage button from my mom's stash to embellish her collar.

She has soft flannel skin and hair, and a cotton dress. Her face is hand-stitched.

I admit I'm a little jealous of her yellow shoes ... too much fun.

Black & White

My friend Jodi asked me to make some reusable bags recently. She wasn't sure what fabric she wanted, so I told her we could go to the fabric store and pick some out especially for her. Of course, neither of us knew how dangerous that would be. You see, Jodi & I live in a black & white world. Color very seldom enters into our existence, except - of course - for the red that appears regularly in my life. Seriously, though .... The other day, Jodi was getting ready for a date and asked which top she should wear ... the black long sleeve sweater, the black button down, or the fun frilly black top. Black is our go-to color. Black is the new black, right?

Anyway ... the point is that we came out of Hancock's with - yes, you guessed it - black and white fabric!!! But, how could we resist??? Just look at the fun reusable bags I made out of it!!!


This is the outside ... fun white swirlies (is that a word?) on a black background. I mean, really ... this fabric was just calling our names from the shelf!! How could we walk out of the store without it??


Here's the inside ... little white dots in stripe formation. Love it. Almost like pinstripes. I love that it's more formal than the whimsical outside. Opposites attract.


Here it is, modeling with some books inside.


I added snaps to the handles so that it will be completely reversible. That way, if Jodi (or her sister in law, who received one as a birthday gift) wants to change it up every now and then, she can do it with ease.

Of course, there still won't be color, but that's ok ... baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Foofa

I have a niece who loves is INFATUATED with Yo Gabba Gabba. I have no idea why. I have tried - many times - to sit down and watch this show with her, looking for some kind of redeeming qualities in it that would explain why she jumps up and down and squeals with delight at the sight of it, but I can't come up with anything. It's just plain weird. The characters are weird. The songs are weird. The dancing children are weird. And, what does "Yo Gabba Gabba" mean, anyway??? Weird.

But ... I will admit that one of the characters on the show ... Foofa ... is actually kind of cute. She's pink ... with a daisy on her head. Very girly. And Brett likes her. A lot. I was coloring with her the other day, and I made a very rough drawing of Foofa with pink markers on a plain sheet of paper. When I gave it to her, you'd have thought I gave the kid a whole tub of candy or something ... she was so excited and played with it - yes, the paper drawing - for the rest of the time I was there. Amazing.

SO ... I was racking my brain trying to come up with a fun gift for Brett for Christmas, when it dawned on me ... she would love a Foofa doll! They carry them at Target, I hear, but I have yet to see one on the shelves. And, with Christmas around the corner, I decided it was time to break down and MAKE one for her ... yes, I said MAKE one for her. I know I must have had a lapse of judgment when I made that decision, because let me tell you ... it wasn't easy. I had to HAND-DRAW the pattern, and I'm no artist - believe me


Here she is ... I think the final result came out pretty well. I definitely think the body is a little wonky, but Brett is 2 ... she won't care. She'll be happy that she has her very own Foofa, and that's all that matters, right?

Be Stylish While You Save the Planet!

So, I've been trying to be more "green" lately. I mean, it IS the responsible thing to do, and we must take care of this beautiful earth that God has given us. I have to admit that changing things up after this many years of routine has been hard (Yes - Ani - I admit that I still have a long way to go), but I have found that a motivating factor has been making things that are FUN and STYLISH while still being environmentally friendly! Baby steps, people.

My first step was the coaster I made for my desk in place of the 723 cocktail napkins that I would use under my drink every day. Ani told me once that paper napkins are the worst offender when it comes to being wasteful and environmentally unfriendly. I was pretty proud of myself when I made this step.

The next step I took was creating a whole assortment of coffee cozies, which I use faithfully in place of the cardboard sleeves they give you at Starbucks these days. And, you know, with my addiction to Starbucks, I figure I probably save at least 150 sleeves a year (plus the ones that my friends are saving since they received a coffee cozy from me ... like this one and this one). That's got to count for something!

SO ... naturally, when I was looking for another earth-friendly project, I decided to make these super-fun REVERSIBLE grocery bags!!!


I love them. I actually look forward to going to the grocery store just so I can carry one of these bags with me. They are designed just exactly like a regular plastic grocery bag. In fact, I just took an Earthfare bag and cut it apart and used it as a pattern. Easy as pie. AND ... the cashiers at Publix and Walmart don't scowl at me, because my bags fit right into their little plastic bag holder while they are filling them with food ... unlike the normal canvas bags you can buy at tons of stores these days.


The hardest part was figuring out how to make them reversible. In the end, I got to use my little metal snap tool. I had been intimidated by it before, but not anymore ... it's so easy to use! By the way ... I made the switch to organic milk about 6 months ago, and I don't ever want to go back. It's so tasty, and SO MUCH better for you than regular milk!!!


I made two more, too ... one with pink flowers on it and the other with blue paisley (the same as my new purse).

What do you think? Would you use these, or are they too flashy? I was also thinking they'd be fun out of linen.

My New Purse

So ... I had some leftover fabric from making my super-cute re-useable grocery bags (which I will have to post about later, because I don't have any pictures yet!), and I got the crazy idea to use it to make a fun purse. Not that I don't have a TON of other projects that I need to be working on, or anything! Maybe this was my way of procrastinating taking a little creative breather.

So, I made up this simple pattern for a one-handle "sling" looking bag. I really like it a lot. So much so that I've been wearing it instead of my trusty red purse for the past 2 days. I even changed my outfit both days so it would match. I know ... I'm a freak. It's ok.

Once I got the pattern down, this purse took no time at all to put together. I even put a little magnetic snap at the top to keep it closed. My first one ever. I can't believe I was so afraid of them before! They are SOOO simple to use! I'm thinking that I would like one of these purses in every color!

You know you need to eat healthier when ...

... you find this birthday gift on your desk after lunch.

It's a bad sign when people think of me when they see a pile of Doritoes. Hysterical.

My brush with fame

Yesterday, I was meeting with my mentor, Sue, at our local Schlotzsky's deli (which - by the way - is so yummy. Why don't I remember to go there more often??) ... Sue and I are going through the book War of Words by Paul David Tripp. Great book. Highly recommend it. Seriously. Go to your nearest Barnes & Noble and buy it. It will change your life. Another book that will change your life is Forgiveness by John Arnott.

Anyway... before this post becomes one long list of books to add to your reading list ... let me continue ... so, as I'm eating my smoked turkey sandwich on sourdough with a side of salt & vinegar chips, I see him. I had to do a double-take, because, as we all know, people rarely look the same in person as they do on TV. In fact, he looked thinner in real life, and taller than I had imagined, and younger, too. In general, he looked even better than he does on TV, which I happen to think is darn near impossible, since he is so handsome already.

Before you get to assuming who this man is, let me just curb your expectations a little ... it wasn't Michael Vartan or Keith Urban or even Michael Phelps. Although, I can see where you might have thought I was talking about any one of these men, since they would definitely fit the description I gave above. And, certainly if I ran into them in my local Schlotzsky's, it would definitely be a blog-worthy event.

No, I'm talking about a local celebrity. More of a small-town guy. You know, more down-to-earth, right? Yeah, he was meeting some friends for lunch. I literally froze in place as he walked toward us, and sat at the table right next to us. I couldn't concentrate. I had to apologize to Sue a number of times, and then finally went ahead and confessed my long-time crush to her (which, for some reason, made her practically spit out her drink in amusement). I wanted to say hi to him, but could I seriously expect my mouth to form coherent words in this condition?? So, sadly, I just sat there minding my own business while I ate my lunch, and he ate his just 2 feet away, and then he got up and left. I wish I had a better ending to the story ... really, I do.

Well, have you guessed who it is yet? I'll give you a hint ... I watch him on the news every morning as I am working out. I mean, I feel like we are practically best friends with the amount of time we spend "together." That's right, folks ... I'm talking about cutie Brad Franko.

I might be in love.

(Yes, I know I'm a dork.)

The Sewing Retreat

As promised, here are some pictures from our sewing retreat over the weekend ...

This is the view from the back porch of the cabin ... isn't it glorious? The waterfall is actually just a little water trickle right now, because of the drought, but it is still just beautiful to look at! And the weather was incredible! So much cooler than on the coast, and no humidity! What a nice change ...


We all brought our sewing machines and various projects with us and took over the entire cabin. It was fantastic. I mean ... we literally had 5 sewing machines around the dining room table. It was a blast!


The really funny thing was that everyone had the same sewing machine, except me. I felt like the odd-man-out.


Here is Suzanne working on Christopher's quilt. She ended up finishing two quilt tops and one doll quilt top!


I don't think Stephanie was happy with me for taking this picture, do you? This might be my favorite picture from the entire weekend ... cracks me up every time I look at it!



My dad's wife was the star of the weekend ... she's a beginner at sewing, and she tackled her first big project ... making a seat cushion for a window nook. I was so impressed with how it turned out ... this is her showing off her hard work!



This is a shot of the whole kitchen / dining room area as we were working. The kitchen island served as a fantastic cutting station. Even though Suzanne's mom wouldn't let me take a picture of her, I managed to catch her here ... hard at work ironing one of the two quilt tops she finished while we were there.


And here I am ... with my first attempt at a pencil case for my drawing pencils. Well, actually, if I'm honest, this is my second attempt. My first attempt revealed my severe lack of pattern-making skills. Let's just say that I had to make some major adjustments to the finished size of the case ... but it didn't take me long before I was pleased with this final result. More on this project in a future post ...

Overall, we each got a lot accomplished, and had a lot of fun chatting and laughing and bonding. I think we'll make a habit of it!

oh yeah ... and GO OBAMA!!!!! *

* does not in any way indicate support of Barack Obama for president. I seriously don't know who I'm going to vote for (I might like to try my friend Cheryl's approach), but this was our motto for the weekend, after hearing of a friend's HILARIOUS encounter with a staunch Obama supporter.

I FARTed over the weekend.

That's right. I admit it. I FARTed.

This past weekend, my sister in law, her mom, her best friend from college, my dad's wife, and I went on a Fabric Acquisition Road Trip (or FART, as we like to call it).

Wait ... you didn't actually think that I was talking about the kind of farting that schoolboys talk about, did you?? Heavens no ... I would never think of proclaiming that from my blogging rooftop. ;o)

Anyway ... so, as I was saying ... the "girls" went up to my dad's mountain cabin for a fun-filled sewing retreat. We drove up on Thursday afternoon and returned on Sunday afternoon. It was definitely a much-needed break from our daily lives. Especially for my sister-in-law, who left her three young children with my brother and never looked back!

I'll post soon about our whole weekend in the cabin, but for now, let's just talk about the fun fabric that we "acquired" during our road trip. The famous Mary Jo's Cloth Store is about a 90 minute drive from the cabin, so we - of course - drove down there for a little shopping on Friday.

Yes ... this is my sister-in-law and I standing by the Mary Jo's sign. We know we're freaks.

I tried to capture the enormity of the store with these pictures, but I seriously didn't do it justice. Let me tell you ... if you haven't been to Mary Jo's, it's well worth the trip. It's like a huge fabric warehouse ... they have high quality fabrics of all types, and their prices are very very reasonable. And there is SO MUCH to choose from! We try to make the trip there once or twice a year. I wish it were more often ... mostly because of the fantastic selection of reproduction fabrics from the civil war and the 1930's. Suzanne and I were like giddy little school girls picking out all the different fabrics that we wanted to have cut. At home, we would have to pay over $9 a yard for these prints, but up there, they averaged under $5 a yard. WELL worth the effort.


Again, I know I'm a freak. And yes ... I was kissing my fabric. That's how much I love love love these 1930's prints. I mean just look at the colors! How can you NOT want to kiss them??!!?? I took some better pictures of all our fabric purchases below ... YUMMY colors!!!! I have some BIG plans for these fabrics!


And, do you want to know what the best part of the whole trip was??!!?? Suzanne and I made a new friend ... We met good 'ole Mary Jo herself. She was VERY gracious to let us take a picture with her ... such a nice woman. I'm sure I saw a thought bubble above her head while we were taking this picture that said "silly girls ..."


That's right ... it's our new BFF Mary Jo. Love it.

The not-so-itsy-bitsy spider

So, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a spider spinning its web outside my office window. I really don't like spiders at all, but I figured that as long as it was on the other side of the glass, it wouldn't bother me. I didn't worry about it, because I'm not in the habit of opening my windows at work. Plus, it was kind of fun to be able to watch it do whatever spiders do from the comfort of my office chair. I made a habit of looking for it every morning and checking on its activities during each day. I watched it as it grew into quite a sizable spider. I even named it ... Charlotte, of course. We bonded.

But then, our on-staff horticulturist (i know, right?) observed a suspicious red marking on this spider's belly, and notified me that my sweet little innocent Charlotte was actually a poisonous brown widow. YIPES!!!

So, I had to say goodbye to my little big spider friend ... she didn't last long after the area was sprayed with spider spray, but I did manage to snap a couple of pictures to remember her by.