Well, Jack can no longer be Jack.

 

My daughter had named him that and after hearing it a couple of times we all thought it was sort of cute in it’s own way, but after a few days of saying it my husband is completely wore out, exhausted I tell ya. It sounds like Dad from a distance or in another room and when the kids would say Jack, they would get “What?” from Dad, so to honor his request we are trying to come up with a new name.

Any suggestions?

I’ve also been working on making some super simple curtains for my bedroom something. I really love what we have now, blue toile ones but you can’t shut them and our blinds that I pulled shut every night has broke. So I though I’d go with a bright white and super frugile approach. I took a thick thrift store cotton sheet, doubled it, pressed a straight seem down the middle, folded it, sewed the edges and twice down the middle about a 1/4″ on each side of the pressed seam, cut straight down the middle, turned it and then sewed on the ties like this curtain. The ties are just a vintage damask napkin cut into strips. I got 2 curtains out of the sheet. One fits my window perfect. The other one has nothing in front of the window so a longer curtain would be nice. I’m thinking a strip of fabric along the bottom about 10 inches long and attached with several big white buttons.

If you haven’t read Ullam’s Big brown bug story, go do that. It was very inspiring.

Loved this bag,  enjoyed the very helpful tips and tutorials here,  cute little picture, which curling up under a blanket is what I’m going to go do, Boy is it cold!

The sun came out today and here is the finished personalized toy tote. This is also the view I see when I’m at my dinning room table slash craft table. Please excuse the unfinished trim on the windows that is nicely proped in the corner waiting for dear hubby. I love how our winding path looks covered in snow and couldn’t resist using this picture. When looking or walking through this arbor, the view is lined up with the same winding path.  Don’t you just love to go into gardens that give you an almost fairy tale mysterious effect, that right around the corner just has to be a hidden fairy land, maybe a white rabbit or at least makes you feel like a kid again and the urge to run and twirl and laugh is hard to contain.  Speaking of feeling like a kid again….. Doesn’t he just make your heart  skip a beat?

He is the new guy in the house and we are so so pleased with him. Some of you may remember when we got this cutie, who turned into a beautiful dog.   After working with him and talking with some people and following my motherly instincts we found him a home without small children, where he was best suited.   Thats how the road to finding this little non-sheding cute patootie came to find a home in our hearts.  We temperment tested them and 2 made the final cut, this little guy and a cute black girl. I was leaning more toward the black little girl when he picked us while the little girl went into the other room and just seem to loose interest of us. 

Can you believe it, he is already house broken. Yeah! He goes to the door and everything! He has a sweet personality and so relaxed. You can carry him around like a baby and he acts like there’s not a care in the world. He follows my 2 year old around and whines for her when I put her down for a nap. And that face! It speaks for itself. I want to make a new blog banner with him in it. I little bird told me that I may be getting a new camera for my birthday which is next month and this will be a fun thing to practice using it on. I think we will make some of those peanut butter and bird seed treats for that little bird to nibble on during these cold winter days. I got to keep on that little birds good side, ya know!

I almost forgot about the tote. It actually started with me making a quilt block for Penelope. I was asked to make a yellow one. I had started to make a cute cat block from this book. Then I realized it was to complicated for being my first time. So I moved on to this carefree, no measuring type of block. No measuring and just doing is my style but then I got to thinking, this is a real quilt, that is very special, important quilt and will be put together by someone who know what they are doing so I put aside my second quilt block that was not all lined up and put together a simple block that when finished, I was pleased with and I would like if I was a 4 year old. Sorry, no picture. When doing something so touching your thoughts are humbled and many things fill your mind. Thank you for letting me be a part it.

I was left with the second rejected quilt block, so I altered it and made a personalized toy tote, in my little girls favorite color, Ello as she calls it. Now I just need to make some toys to go in it.

The sun actually came out yesterday so I took a few snap shots of what I’m working on before it hid again behind those thick cold cold clouds.

I need some new front window curtains so these were appealing. Simple, White and no fuss.  Thats what 2007 is all about in the homemaking area for me.

I really like this quilted back pack, found in this book. It has some other great projects as well. All though with it being so dreary lately some bright happy fun cheerful colors would be a much better match.

Something along the lines of this (pic below) …….  a Work in progress bag which has further progressed since the picture was taken. Soon as the sun comes out again I shall show you guys. Have a great weekend.  We will be spending ours working on some fun project for this little girl in the miniswap.

 

I was invited to a tea party today at Risa’s.

And it was just the thing to brighten ones day, as the sun has been totally hidden this rainy day. I’m drinking black spice chai (my favorite) with a little milk and a squeeze of honey.  I think later I will enjoy a raspberry & white tea to go with the mouse Vanessa has offered me. 

It been a long time for me and sadly I’ve been out of touch from the blog world for a spell. Only checking in here and there. I hope for that to end soon as some projects I’m working on are coming to a nearly finished end and I’m jumping toward improving in the new year.  Please excuse the poor quality of pictures, 2007 has to be the year for a new camera. There is so much I didn’t share in 2006 because the pictures didn’t turn out and that’s what blogging is all about sharing, enjoy each other, support and encouragement and since we can’t sit down with tea or run over to each others house to show our new finished project, we share with small words and Pictures, which they say are worth a thousand words.

I always thought it was nice when people would mark there childrens height on the wall but I didn’t much like the pencil markings on the wall, as I had enough of them from my children. So I decided to add a little personal touch to them. By each line I have wrote the childs name and painted a small picture of what best describe them or what they liked best that year. My son liked robots, daughter loved dogs and my little one was coloring and drawing on any surface she could find. I’m hoping to soon measure my kids again and paint there lines for this year. 

 

Thank You MJK!

 The amazing package of GREAT magazines has been a delight to look through, Now all I need to do is learn to speak DUTCh and I will be set. I am very much inspired by there simplicity with white but bold colors in other things. The magazine of miniatures was a nice surprise, and WOW a kids clothing magazine with patterns!!!   Thank YOU, Thank YOU!!!

Blair these pictures are for you, Deer.

 

I don’t know if you can tell in the picture but these are stuffed toys deer heads!!!!

This is not a deer, but I like and THAT dress!

You can see more pictures from the wonderful magazines HERE.

 

Happy Happy New Year everyone!!

New Begins feel good to me. Thank you to everyone that stops by and says Hi or not. I’ve enjoyed you both. All though a comment does put a smile on our faces, not to mention we get to explore a new blog.  2006 has been wonderful and as always it flew by, don’t you think? I can not predict what the next hour may hold but at this moment, I have a good feeling and excitment about 2007. Grand Adventure awaits us.

 

This little guy is the reindeer my daughter had design, cut and even sewed herself (with a little help here and there).  She did run out of go go juice and so he was left earless, hornless and she still hasn’t put a scarf on him.  Now the Christmas break is ending, no snow has fallen, and the tree is coming down, I’m afraid he will probably be packed away in this shape. I don’t want to push her to much, and in turn, push away from crafting and using her artistic side which she has but doesn’t seem to have the attention span to hold onto a project for very long. But with the flip side is it good habit, to finish what you start. I’m really bad at it myself, but improving. How do you other mommy crafters deal with this fine line? So maybe making him some antlers, and custom scarf will be a nice project for her to take on next year. We will stick to quick and simple projects through the rest of the year till we meet red nose again.

I also like what Roz has done, theme for each year to help her keep focused on her goals.