Is March Really Over?

The month started so well...I was making progress on lots of projects, and had the whole month ahead of me to sew...what happened?

After thinking about it a while I realized I have actually been keeping pretty busy - just doing more planning than sewing the last couple weeks.

So, what have I been thinking about working on?

Here's a sneak peek at a project I can't say much about yet, but am SUPER excited about.  (It's hard to see in this picture, but the bottom right fabric is actually dark gray with black polka dots.)

I'm also really, really excited to start working with my Little Folks fabrics.  I hope I have enough fabric for all of projects I want to make with these!

And I bet you can't wait to see what I have in store for my pile of Nicey Jane:

As you can tell, I have a LOT of sewing to do!  Here's my dilemma:  Sewing night is next week, and I can't decide which project to work on.  So, I'm taking a poll:  Which fabrics would you like to see in a finished project first?  Leave a comment to help me choose! :)

Ada's Version of Being Green

She must have known it was St. Patrick's Day. 

Green peas were smeared all over her face, clothes, in her ears, all over the high chair, some on the carpet and some on Mama.

From there we went directly to the tub, where lots of splashing ensued, and out came one happy and cleaned-up baby.

This was the clearest shot I could get tonight.  She had so much energy and just could not sit still. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Progress

Had a great day at home on Friday.  It started with a bowl of Lucky Charms (I know, I know - totally not organic, but we couldn't resist the throwback packaging - just one box), and the latest Land of Nod catalog...more on that later - it deserves a post of its own.

The rest of the day was mostly spent scrapbooking.

An in-progress shot; took me a while to figure out how to finish it.

And a look at my very, very messy desk.  I kept being torn between cleaning the mess up and getting some layouts done.  (I chose the latter.) :)

Here's the first layout I finished.

And a close-up of the journaling.

 

I really like how this one turned out.

I also wrapped up another scrapbooking project and finally got started on my Project 365 for this year. (More on that in a separate post as well; hopefully in the next week or two.)

The rest of the weekend was pretty busy.  Saturday morning my sister, Ada, and I went to Archiver's to check out the Basic Grey showcase they were having; basically they put some of the new stuff out on the counter.  They didn't even have any samples layouts or cards...nothing.  And the sneak peek at the two new lines that will be coming out soon consisted of a 2'x2' poster.  I have to say I was pretty disappointed after they'd been advertising it like crazy.  Fortunately the two new lines are really cute. :)  I'm especially loving the Green at Heart collection:

It's definitely starting to feel like spring! :)

We also stopped at one of the shops downtown on the way home where I picked up a great chair for my craft room that I had been eyeing when I was there on Thursday, and it was a steal at only $8.50!  (The others I've seen, including the other three they had there are all marked at $20 or more.)  I'll have to post a pic later this week.

Saturday night we met up with friends for a surprise birthday party at Chin's Kitchen in St. Paul.  The food was fabulous.  They had the biggest egg rolls I've ever seen, and the fried rice was sooo good.

Then today Ada hung out with my sister while Chris and I went to Mitch and Katie's for a Sealab marathon...and pigged out on way too much junk food.

That's all for now.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Sew Excited!

After being sick the first couple weeks of the year, and then crazy busy with work for the last month, it finally feels like life is getting back normal around here.  And that means having time to SEW! :)  There's been lots of father-daughter time around here while I've been at the quilt shop catching up on some projects.  I'm feeling like one lucky mama after getting to sew all day Saturday and for several hours Tues. night.  It feels so good to be finishing things.

Here's a sneak peek at the first quilt top I finished:

and the second (at least I think this is done...I might add another border):

I'm also trying out a couple new things.  Last week I took my first machine quilting class.  The class was great; relaxed, with plenty of practice time, and lots of great information and tips.  Here are my first couple attempts during class:

Loops

Meandering / puzzle - you're not supposed to cross over

any of your lines of stitching...still working on that :)

And a new fabric pencil I'm trying out.  I tested one at the shop and it was NICE.  Can't wait to use it here at home.

And a few final fabrics to add to the Baby Floss pile.  So, so cute.

I'd post a picture of my progress on that one, but my tiny pinwheels are best left seen at a distance. :)

The best part of this week?  I got to leave work early this afternoon and went to all the antique shops downtown, and I have tomorrow off!!!  Having a "me" day.  Sew, sew excited!!  I'm planning on sewing and scrapbooking all day, so hopefully I'll have more pics to share tomorrow! :)

To close I'll share two more things that have been making me happy lately:

This lovely stack of fabric that's been sitting on my desk.

It's just too pretty to put in the closet!

And this soon-to-be-published book by Anna Marie Horner that I can't wait to get my hands on; Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby.  No, we're not expecting, but the book has lots of flexible projects; dresses that can be modified for maternity or nursing (or neither), quilts for little ones, and so many sweet projects that would make wonderful gifts.  Just watch the video on Amazon; you'll see what I mean.  I hope it comes out soon!!

If that's not inspiring enough, it's National Craft Month.  So far I am loving March.  Happy Crafting! :)

The Home & Garden Show

It's become a tradition for my mom, sister and me to head to the Home & Garden show in Minneapolis each spring.  We love oohing and aahing over flooring, tile, cabinets...and coming home with lots of remodeling ideas to add to our wishlists. :)

Ada & Grandma trying out a super comfy Adirondack chair.

LOVE this green & blue tile.  The picture does not do it justice.  So pretty.

Love the shirt.  Love her.  Love watching her explore the world around her.

I think this one might be my favorite from today. :)

Huge, amazingly cool windmill.  Wouldn't this look great in my backyard?

Yes!  Another booth selling those great Adirondack chairs.  There are several brands now being made out of recycled milk jugs, but this brand was by far the most comfortable.  I couldn't resist posing for the camera. :)  (PS - Note who's not taking a nap in this picture...)  She was so good today, despite waking up super early and then refusing to sleep for most of the day because she didn't want to miss anything. :)

Taking Time to Play

Love being silly with this sweet girl.

Favorite Things

This is the first in a series of posts on things that I'm currently loving.  There have been so many things inspiring me and making me happy lately that I just have to share!!

First up - new scrapbooking products.

With the latest CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) show just over, new product is flooding the marketplace, and I am drooling.  Here are some of my favorites that have been released so far:

Cosmo Cricket has done it again - so in love with:
Tiny Type Letter Stickers
Material Girl Papercrafting Kit
and their new Garden Variety line, especially:
Sweet Pea paper
Sunshine paper
Elements

Cardstock from Prima, especially these:
Apricot Tree Shabby Chic
Love Letter Pastiche
and their new stickers, especially these:
Strawberry Cardstock Stickers

Pink Vintage Sew On Buttons by Jenni Bowlin
(and the cream ones, the green ones, and the red ones too!!)

Isabelle paper by Anna Griffin

Spinach Honey Puffy Thickers by American Crafts

Botanique Lovely Flair Embellishments by American Crafts

Sugar Rush Take Note by Basic Grey

Origins White Tracery Doilies Paper by Basic Grey

If that's not inspiring enough to get scrapping (or shopping...), check out May Flaum's CHA favorites here:
Trinkets & Treasures
Paper & Stickers
Ribbons & Trims
Tools & Things

Happy crafting!