A fish in the water

A new technology affair and some quilting

2011-09-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Where have I been??

I have fallen in LOVE...with an iPad. (Yes...I realize that this may make me sound like I have my priorities out of whack....and YES, I do know that it is not a person...but I still have a deep affection for my iPad). This is the first big tech item that I have ever purchased for myself, and man is it FUN!

Also...have you discovered Pinterest yet? If you are a visual person (like me) then this is the place for you. It is essentially an on-line version of an "ideas" bulletin board. So much inspiration! You can find me on Pinterest here. The combination of the iPad and Pinterest together is deadly. It's like a time sucking vortex. You have been warned.

In spite of all of the summer time spent with my family and iPad, I have managed to complete some crafting. A long time family friend had a baby this month. I didn't know if the baby was to be a boy or girl, but I did know that her parents like colour!

Tada!
Close up (with polka dot binding):

The back (you can see that I opted for my usual favourite - straight line quilting 1/4" on either side of the seams):
This quilt definitely delivers on the colour front! I am pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope that baby Marion and her parents like it as much as I do.

Traditional blocks can do AMAZING things!

2011-03-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Being relatively new to quilting, I am not awesome at looking at a quilt and deconstructing it in my mind into little bits of fabric. I am only just starting to realize the full scope of what a quilt block can do when arranged in different ways (what a tricky little chameleon you are little half square triangle!).

(OK - so not technically made with HST, but you start with HSTs and cut them in half to get hour glasses! Plus I NEEDED to have an image.)

I just saw this amazing short film by the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) that animates some of the amazing patterns that can be made with traditional blocks. It's like watching a kaleidoscope, but with quilting synapses firing! Whoa man! Funnily enough, it's simply called Quilt.

You should watch it if you are spatially dim (but otherwise lovely) like me! You could also watch if you just want to be inspired by some pretty shapes and patterns. Y'know the stacked cubes in traditional quilts??? Made from diamond shapes! I know...AMAZING right??

(image source)

Well...amazing to me anyway...

Giving and Receiving

2011-03-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

The { Urban } HOME Goods swap is done and dusted for another round.

I must confess to feeling a fair bit of stress in making my project selection, but I was thrilled with the kind things that Alecia had to say about her sewing machine cover and cross stitch. I admire Alecia's style and really wanted to send her something that she would enjoy. No pressure!

I was so preoccupied with my project selection that I didn't give much thought to the idea that somebody out there was working on something specially made for me! As you can see from the images, I lucked out!

Meg made lovely placemats that incorporate so many elements that I love: Linen (check!), Amy Butler Love (check!), hexagons (check!).

Can you believe the beautiful hand stitching in these hexies?? I am so impressed and touched by the amount of work that Meg put into these beauties. Handstitched hexagons and hand stitched binding! I want to assure you that all of this lovely work is very much appreciated (and adored).

Meg also sent this fantastic mug rug that uses some coveted fabrics.

Hello little fella!

Meg included some extra treats in the package...I am thankful that my swap package gives me an opportunity to talk about buttons again on my blog! Do you see the sparkly and polka dot beauties in this package? Love.

In a strange twist of fate (or of organization by our swap Mama), I was placed in a 3-way (perhaps triad would be a better choice of terminology?? Get your mind out of the gutter!).

Meg received a gift from Alecia

Alecia recieved a gift from me

I received my gift from Meg.

I must really be a civil servant. I want to make a graphic representation of this for you. Shameful.

I feel very fortunate to have had the pleasure of exhanging some hand made goodness with these ladies. Somehow makes the world seem a friendlier place when you can share some crafty love.

In the Olden Days...

2011-03-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my four year old son's favourite expressions of late. Although he does have a real fascination for all old transportation equipment (I know way more about old street car systems and antique farm machines than I ever thought possible!), what he really means is anything that existed before him.

This gift for a new baby does not quite meet his definition, but it was completed early in 2011. I have just been too disorganized to actually cram him in a box and send him to his new baby owner. I have dreams of creating the perfect care package for my friend (who is now a mother of 3!). I'm all thoughts and no action these days. Good intentions at their worst.

I did however, get organized enough to make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross to assist in Japan!

This sweet elephant fellow is from Last Minute Patchwork Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. Making him really took only the 4 hours designated in the book and he was not tough to make...even for a 3D impaired lady, such as myself! Now my cute boy would like one for his very own. The highest praise indeed!

D-day

2011-03-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Time for the { Urban } HOME Goods swap mail day. I have been mostly finished for a few weeks now, but have been procrastinating with the mail out. I am super anxious that my partner like what I've made. Oi - the pressure!

I noticed that my partner (who participated in the last UHG swap) has listed a sewing machine cover twice in her list of asks. One of her comments indicated that she wanted a cover that was closed on the sides for maximum dust protection. I surfed the net and found a good tutorial at Notes from the Patch. I made a few small adjustments to suit my own purposes, but followed the instructions for the side pockets exactly. Love them. They would be a great little spot for scooping all of the little bits of sewing equipment out of the way in a hurry. BEGONE stitch ripper! BEGONE rotary cutter. I think that my partner sews in her living room, so I would imagine quick clean-up would be key.

My partner's "likes" also included turquoise and vintage. I happened to have some vintage linen with turquoise polka dots - MMmaaaaaAAAAAnnn, I hope that she doesn't dislike dots.

In an attempt to keep the scale of the swap reasonable, we were instructed that we are only allowed to add one "small" handmade treat in this swap. I had a hard time picking, until I saw a post at the Martha Crafts Dept. I am very happy with my choice. Hope that my partner is too! I opted to stretch the cross stitch over an artists canvas (again!) because I like the clean, modern look. It could easily be dropped into a frame if preferred.

Dear swap partner, I hope that you are happy with your treats. I had a great time picking, plotting and making them!

X-Stitched lemonade from a lemon

2011-02-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

I made this cross stitch at Christmas for one of my very dear and crafty friends.

I had plans to wrap the finished cross stitch over an artists canvas, as I had done with some pieces for the craft show last year. I like how it makes the cross stitch look really simple, clean and a bit more modern (cross stitch can easily walk the line into the dreaded "quaint" territory!).

The problem??? Once again my lack of planning. I thought that I was being clever in using up an end piece of aida cloth (the fabric used for cross stitch). I thought that it was just "the right size". I thought wrong - AGAIN. Hmmm...Why do I always feel the need to "feature" my crafty mistakes???

This does not make for a pretty, modern, clean edge at all. Behold...the Frankenstein of cross stitch!

I set this monstrosity aside and did not deliver in time for Christmas. I just couldn't stomach what my lovely cross-stitch had become (visualize a dramatic crafter with her had placed dramatically on her forehead here).

When I was finally ready to revisit this project, I was able to adopt a more reasonable approach. I decided to do what is done with all major flaws - cover them up!

I made a strip of fabric and wrapped it around the canvas, sort of like a quilt binding. In the end, I rather like how it turned out!

That is what I love about the hand made...It forces me to get over my "imagined" perfect ending and make the best with what I've got. From Frankenstein to an extra excuse to add fabric to a project. Hmmm....there could be a lesson for me to apply to my life in this....

PS - Martha is doing a cross-stitch feature in her March issue. Find a preview here.

Illicit knitting

2011-02-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not supposed to be knitting...Knitting is my compulsion, my soothing drug....mmmMMMmmmm.

When the world feels busy and a bit out of control some knitting will put it right. The problem? I am a worrier and the world is often a bit out of my control. So I knit. And knit. And knit and knit. I knit until I have injured my arms and wrists and my fingers go numb. I knit until I have permanently damaged nerves and tendons.

I have to stay away from knitting...but sometimes I just need a small FIX.

A new job for me and waiting for the new job for my husband to be finalized have resulted in sleepless nights. So I found myself surfing Ravelry (so dangerous!) and making an emergency trip to the yarn store.

These fingerless gloves should be complete very soon! And suddenly the world seems calm and right....OOOOhhhHHHHmmmMMMMMM. Ahhh. Knitting.

Just in case you need a fix too, the pattern can be found at JCasa *handmade.

With great power comes great responsiblity

2011-02-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Yes...my husband is a comic book geek (and the most lovely man!). My craft geek honours his comic geek with this Spiderman post title!

I was the lucky recipient of a DSLR this Christmas - a Canon EOS Rebel T1i. Fancy-dancy.

I have long hated my little point-and-shoot piece of nonsense. The quality of the pictures was so low that I was rarely taking pictures (and was frustrated with how few were usable!). It was the second point and shoot that we had purchased in as many years.

OK - the truth people??! I am just a little bit afraid of this camera. It is intimidating. Somebody who carries this kind of camera should be able to take a decent shot.

I am looking into courses. There doesn't really seem to be much for somebody who really just wants the basic "tell me aaaaall about exposure, f-stops and the like, please". Mostly they are "make me into a creative genius" courses. Maybe I just need to read a book to start??

Was anybody else intimidated by their much desired piece of technology? How did you start? Any recommendations?

I thought about not telling you all about my new exciting Christmas gift (thus the delay in posting about it - it's February!?!). I hoped that you might think I was becoming more talented with my point and shoot. ;)

The quality of images on this blog may or may not get better! In the meanwhile, bear with me. Some of my shots will be weird.

Today's the day!

2011-01-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

My partner for the {Urban} Home Goods Swap will be revealed today! Sorry that I won't be able to tell you right away who it is (sshhhhh! it's a secret!).

I participated in the first round and had such a great time (both creating and receiving!).

I know that I posted about what I received (and perhaps gushed a little bit), but I'm not certain that I was ever organized enough to post pictures of what I made (it was sent out in a rush right before my trip to Amsterdam in the Spring). I indulged in some hand stitching fun (my partner listed a preference for embroidery). I happened to have some lovely linen, which I embroidered and made into napkins. For your viewing pleasure:

As a little extra I included an ode to buttons in cross-stitch (to accompany a small collection of vintage buttons):

I'm looking forward to some more creative fun this go-round!

New Year - back to the old...

2011-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

The New Year has started - goodbye to pneumonia infested 2010 (which was a fine year otherwise)!

As I sat behind my sewing machine this weekend, I realized that I had not actually been behind my machine since October!!! How I have missed it!

My crafty plans for the new year mostly involve revisiting abandoned projects. Remember this quilt? It was intended as a gift for my husband's 40th birthday. I am now aiming to finish it during his 40th year. Ambitious? Not really, but probably more realistic.

For quality couch and new TV show time, I have pulled out another WIP. Rember these?:

I'm working on making them into this:

This project is inspired by Yvestown's crochet blanket which I have long admired. Regrettably, I bought plastic yarn (cheap acrylic). I wasn't sure that I knew how to crochet well enough to invest in nicer fiber. I regret my choice. It's just not as much fun to crochet when you are running cheap acrylic across your winter chapped hands. Blechy! Good thing the colours are enough to draw me back into the project. Perhaps these colours will help to combat the grey, dreary weather that is happening right now? Brrr.

Down for the count and the fabric flea market

2010-12-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have been around these parts. I have been down for the count over the last couple of months. Turns out that my never-ending autumn cold was pneumonia. I have mostly been sleeping over the last 6 weeks. BORING! I'm starting to return to my normal self (thank you antibiotics!) and so I hope to see much more of you around this blog. I also hope to be back into some crafty pursuits. Sleeping is not a very creative pursuit.

I wanted to share some of my happy finds from the "Fabric Flea Market" this year. I look forward to the market day like a 4-year-old looks forward to Christmas morning. The sale this year did not disappoint! Here are my acquisitions. Feel free to drool a little bit.

Hoops. A hand stitch lover can't have too many of these! (yes, I also bought the gorgeous vintage fabric underneath the hoops. I think that it is a "brocade"?? It has a texture to it - feel free to correct me if I am calling it the wrong thing).

Buttons. Yum. You may remember that I love them so.

Love:

Vintage cotton thread on wooden spools! I adore the flood of colour. Just one question....Can you actually sew with old cotton thread? I'm inclined to say yes...is that just wishful thinking on my part???

FABRIC!:

Looks like vintage sheets, but is really vintage fabric - love it!:

I think that this fabric is my favourite! Do these ladies remind you of anyone?

Don't they look like Mary Poppins???

(image source)

Lacey bits. Some seem to be vintage. I suspect that some are not. I have no idea what I will do with them, but I love them!

Last year I bought every piece of gingham that crossed my path. This year I couldn't pass up a polka dot. (Why yes! That is some Amy Butler fabric on the top of the pile.).

The fabrics have been washed, ironed and added to my stash. now I just need to come up with the perfect projects so that I have the courage to cut into them.

Creative flounder (fishy pun intended)

2010-09-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post about...and nothing to post about! I have made lots of progress on several projects with few completions to show....until now.

BEHOLD! (Another!?!) patchy baby blanket.

It's for a work colleague. She is very stylish and bohemian - a perfect fit for some fabric from the fabulous Anna Maria Horner. (Yes pink lovers, she is having a girl!).

The patchwork and quilting happens to be a repeat of a quilt that I made for another work colleague. I really love making simple patchwork quilts. Does a production of two quilts make it my trademark-go-to quilt???

I was especially happy with the back. Some vintage linen (that was purchased at the Fabric Flea Market last fall) and a tiny strip of patchwork. I do like a little "surprise" on the back of a quilt.

Now that the weather has turned colder, my thought are starting to turn to Christmas projects. Too early???! When do you start tackling your Christmas list?

Zombie stitching...

2010-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Does anybody else have their attention span just melt in the heat?

I have had to resort to super simple stitching to accomodate my lazy summer attitude.

We have spent much of the summer with a cold beverage in hand in company of friends and family. It's been a restful summer (for the most part - let's not talk about the day it "rained" in the dining room - darn you roof! Grrrr).

Back to restful, mindless, summer stitching:

I have also been taken hostage to the allure of the hexagon. I have been amassing a humongous pile. Originally I had decided that I would make an entire hexagon quilt from my Anna Maria Horner fabrics (don't they seem so bohemian, Horner fabrics and hexies???). 100s (and I DO mean 100s!) of hexagons in, I have changed my mind and decided that hexagons look best as a mish-mash of scraps of fabric. Once again I fall prey to my indecisiveness. No matter. I will need years of hexagons to ever end up with a quilt. I view this as a project that I will keep coming back to over the years.

Maybe I should sign myself up in some hexagon swaps to trade some Horner hexies for other fabrics???

In the meanwhile, I have abandoned my mindless hand work for a simple patchwork baby blanket. Can't wait to spend some time sitting behind my sewing machine. It's been a while!

Happy summer stitching to all!

Loveliness...

2010-08-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that you have heard by now that the Victoria & Albert Museum (in London) is having a quilting exhibit.

When I travelled to London a few years ago, missing the V&A was high on my list of "Oooo....I wish that I had more time so that I could have seen that!" regrets. I am practically frothing at the mouth now with all of the exciting details of the quilting exhibit!

I followed the links to the V&A on-line shop. Loveliness! I am particularly taken with these scarves, which are crocheted, not quilted, but remind me of all of the hex-y love that is happening in the quilting world.

link to scarf in the V&A shop

Close, but no cigar!

2010-07-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

I love me some hand stitching. When life gets to be stressful in the slightest I start to crave a little bit of hand stitching to slow life down and put everything into perspective. Yesterday was one of those days where I was itching to get into my pyjamas and hand stitch up a storm! OOooHHHMMmmmmm....

In preparation for my exciting evening plans, I purchased this London embroidery pattern from Comfort Stitching that I have been coveting for quite some time. I feel certain that it will make the perfect gift for my sister to memorialize the trip that she, my mom and I took to London together.

I gathered all of my material and successfully transferred the pattern onto a lovely piece of white linen that I had hanging about the house....and then I realized my problem....NO EMBROIDERY NEEDLE!! Argh. I spent the next 20 minutes pulling out all of my craft supplies because I could not believe that it could be true. Regrettably it was. Any of you out there have similar crafty tragedies befall your happy crafting night??? Any crazy rampages through your crafting supplies? Do you ever contemplate frenzied emergency trips to the supply store late at night?

Fortunately, the evening was not a complete wash. I managed to located my two baggies of vintage buttons that were missing for another project. One vintage white buttons, another vintage shell buttons. (NOTE to self: perhaps a re-org of the crafting shelves is due??? If one spends more time hunting for craft supplies than crafting, it is a problem.)

Images of how the buttons were used to follow! For now, please enjoy the pictures of the lovely roses that my husband purchased.

Gorgeous, non?!

Why we are having pizza tonight...

2010-07-12T12:44:00.001-07:00

268 - 4" hourglass squares

Half of which are currently carefully laid out on the dining room floor....

Tonight I must keep the 3-year old boy out of the dining room and off of the quilty mess. I must "randomly" lay out the rest of the squares and then create orderly little stacks to be pieced for a quilt top.

My lovely husband is celebrating his 40th birthday this year. I was so flattered when he told me that he wanted a quilt. He loves these Kaffe fabrics...and so do I!

Can I deliver this quilt by a Friday deadline? It seems doubtful. I would at least like to have the top pieced for that lovely man. It would be nice if he had an actual gift to open. I would really do almost anything to make certain that he enjoys his BIG day. He's a bit nervous about 40, and I want to make sure that the day is filled with happy, loving memories.

I love you sweetie! I'm racing to finish on time....but I know that you really know me. I'm always running late. You love that about me, right? RIGHT???

Everybody out of the dining room! No time for dinner preparation! Quilting-palooza all week at my house!

Whoopsy! Not all colour and pattern are created equal

2010-07-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

I finished this quilt for a co-worker (and friend)'s baby quite some time ago. I must confess that I was slightly embarrassed to give it to him...and I am slightly embarrassed to show it here.

As you can see, I was trying to pay homage to my friend's love of bright colour. I love it too! I also love lots of pattern. Yeeeeeaaaahhhhh....While I love almost all colour and almost all pattern, it turns out that I don't love them all together at the same time. May I suggest that you don your sunglasses? BEHOLD:

I did warn you! Bright, non? Do you see how some of the colours and some of the patterns compete? It's like they are locked in a mortal combat. Not pretty. I wonder also if it could be the battle of solid versus pattern???

While the colours and patterns are not serene, the quilting is simple and straight forward (plain ole' straight line). Good thing...your eyes might have exploded if this quilt had also had busy quilting.

Fortunately, something can be salvaged from this brutal lesson in colour and pattern...the very simple back turned out quite well. I love this recycled IKEA bedding and vintage turquoise linen together. The gingham binding makes me deliriously happy. Yeah...I know that it is weird, but I really do love gingham that much - to the point of delirium!

What do I learn from this quilting experience besides some more humility??? I need to read a bit more about colour theory. OK - true confession, when I say "read a bit more" it really means "I really should bother to read something - anything at all - about colour theory since it is clearly not innate to me". Any suggestions for reading material to hone my fabric selecting skills????

Sweet smugness

2010-06-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Look what I grew!!

Yup, after only 3 years I have managed to grow a peony. In fact, I actually grew two of them...but it has been so grey that the other flower fell apart before I got a chance to take a picture. You'll have to take my word for it...it was pretty too!

I seem to remember when I was a kid that they used to talk about the creation of "smell-o-vision". Hmmm...is my vague memory of this accurate, or do I just really wish that I could share the fabulous smell of this bloom with you??

Lucky girl...

2010-06-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

fat quarter bundle of Freebird, which is the newest line by Momo

I just found out that I won a FQ package in Film in the Fridge's second blog-iversay give-away!

Thanks Ashley for setting up such a great blog and fantastic give-away. Thanks also to Jody from the Fabric Shoppe for sponsoring the give-away.

Don't you just love how orange , brown , and blue look together?

Lucky me!

Leaving things too long...and giving thanks

2010-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Y'know when you've left something too long and it becomes harder to do the longer you leave it?? That's how it has been with blog posting. Such an unhealthy combo of guilt and procrastination. Ridonkulous.

It's been a tough few months for me. I have started a few posts and they all seemed quite whiny (which I LOATHE), so I have just not posted. Quite frankly, it's probably when I should be posting the most! Here I am now with the happiest of crafty details (at long last!).

The { Urban } HOME Goods swap wrapped up right before I left on my trips. I must brag a bit and tell you that I received! Let me start by showing off with some pictures, K? Here is what was waiting for me when I got home:

Yup, I sometimes do judge a book by it's cover. Isn't it pretty to see the care that Ann-Marie took in packaging?!

Lovely little extras. I think that Ann-Marie might have made this lovely card. It looks like some talented person did! And buttons...OoooOOH how I love buttons! If you look closely you may also see some fancy pins tucked into that bag too.

This pin cushion is BRILLIANT! I wish that I had thought to take an "in use" shot. It is packed full of pretty coloured pins. It also has a handy stitch ripper which rests permanently in cup in the middle (not that I ever have to use a stitch ripper, she says with dripping sarcasm).

And finally...the pièce de resistance:

Yup. I do know how lucky I am! Ann-Marie, I have never owned a stitch of Flea Market Fancy. I was really touched that you would be so generous and include them in my hanging. I did hang it in my BEIGE office...and it really cheers up the space!

Funny little story - one of my work colleagues (who I occasionally escape with at lunch to craft with), came into my office and spotted your work immediately. When I told her about the swap she said "Your partner got your style down exactly!". She is right. If I had been allowed to have picked out a pattern and fabric for myself - this is exactly what I would have chosen! Thanks Ann-Marie!

Here is one last shot for drooling purposes (and because I took about 15 pictures in different spots all around my house).

On the precipice...

2010-04-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am so close to finishing 4 or 5 projects. I have been working feverishly and completing nothing (thus the quiet blog).

Here is one small completion:

Donna gave me a collection of Japanese fabrics in 5X5 size. I knew that this fabric would be a big hit with a certain 3 year old who happens to a have a hole in the right knee of nearly every pair of pants that he owns. I wondered how this could be until I saw the boy dragging his right leg behind him as he pushed toy trucks up and down the sidewalk last weekend. Oooooohhhh! So that's why! All this to say - there is a cute new patch on my son's jeans. Quick "project" done!

More to come later this week, but then there will be blog silence since I will be off to Holland for 10 days! Tulip-a-palooza!

Sneaky peek

2010-04-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am participating in my very first swap - { Urban } HOME Goods - a modern swap. I must confess to being very nervous. I am really want my partner to like what I am making!

Nonetheless (just really like that word!), I am indulging in my love of hand stitching with this project. My partner did say that they like embroidery....

Once the hand stitching is finished, I'll move the my machine and stitch something up. I hope that I am on the right track!

fabric-palooza

2010-04-07T13:32:00.001-07:00

OK, so this is really just a greedy post about fabric. It looks like a LOT (and it is a LOT), but I hasten to point out that it comes from three separate purchases over the last few months (some of which were gifts). Please don't judge me harshly for my greedy fabric addiction. I am planning to join a 12-step program as soon as one is available for fabric collection.

My mom came for a visit and asked (naively and sweetly!) if there was anything that I would like her to bring. UMmmmmm...our IKEA doesn't sell any fabric, but it sure looks fun. I sent her and my sister off on an expedition to pick out their favourites and surprise me. Here is what they liked:

This is the only one that I specifically requested, I kind of like the idea of it pulled over stretcher frames as an artwork:

The the lovely Donna (have you noticed that I always call her the lovely Donna?) from Kindred Crafters was placing an order with Pink Chalk Fabrics (a great place to buy fabric!). Sometimes we pool our orders and save on international shipping! Here is what I succumbed to:

Kona solids (pomegranate and celery) and one Japanese print

Some lovely Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley in the New Day and Fiesta colour ways.

Then I decided that my birthday was coming and that I should really treat myself since there was such an AMAZING sale at Fabric.com. I bought a whack of Anna Maria Horner (Garden Party) fabrics for almost free! I believe that they worked out to around $3/yard. It would have been silly to pass them up, non?

Some random other fabrics that I picked out because they were on sale (and I liked them!) and it is always $25 for international shipping. Gotta get my $$ worth from the shipping right? The only solution? Lots of yardage. Lots. It brings down the shipping vs. yard ratio and is therefore a bargain, right? Don't you dare correct me on this delusion! ;)

Finally, some decor weight Amy Butler August Fields. Hmm...the colour is mintier than I had imagined.

And so closes my chapter in greed. I have been busily stitching for my partner in the { Urban } HOME Goods modern swap. I'll post some sneaky hint posts in the coming days.

Birthdays and breaks

2010-04-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hope that everybody had a great long weekend! Not only was it the Easter long weekend, but at our house....it was also my birthday long weekend. Yippee! I love to drag out a birthday celebration for as long as humanly possible. Much longer than is appropriate really.

It was eerily calm at our house this weekend. This was not by accident. It was one of my birthday "gifts" from my husband. You see, I have a habit of scheduling every free moment, but he organized a "non-planned, do what you want on a whim" kind of a weekend . Let me be clear - I am scheduling my life with things that I love and with people that I love, but sometimes a calm, quiet, non-scheduled weekend is just what one requires. It was strangely liberating. We spent a lot of time outside doing nothing of any importance, but full of sunshine and enjoyment!

I must confess, however, it turns out that I don't just sit still well...so I spent much of the weekend with some hexagons in my hands. This was a completely directionless and relaxing task. I'm not really sure what I will do with these hexagons. I had imagined making a wall hanging and taking it into my office at work to fight off the BEIGE. Not sure if that's what I'm going to do now. Work has been busy and sort of yucky lately (temporarily, I'm sure!). Not too sure if I want to subject my lovely hexagons to work and the beige. Is it crazy to be protective of scraps of fabric made into hexagons? Probably! Perhaps they will become a lovely cushion for home???

As you can see, my son is very keen on all of the colours. Here he is helping to model my hexagons:

Here I go...back into real life. Luckily, the weekend is not far away...

My first "swap"

2010-03-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have long wanted to participate in a crafty swap. The lovely Donna from Kindred Crafters directed me to the { Urban } HOME Goods modern swap which is being hosted Kerri (sewdeerlyloved) and Heather (a la mode fabric). I am pretty excited to be exchanging something for my home with other crafty types.

Here is the mosaic that I posted to inspire my swap partner:

1. Detail of "Spot On" Circle Quilt, 2. four little fabric buckets, 3. you totally don't gnome me!, 4. Hexagon pillow, 5. soft house street, 6. 6.365, 7. pillows, 8. Colorful Crafting with Jen: Rickie's Sashiko Pillow, 9. Engagement Gift - 4, 10. The End Result, 11. 'Strawberry Sundae' wall art, 12. "Hand Stitched" Embroidery SWAP, 13. Practice for The Pillow Talk Swap - ROUND 2, 14. Linen Zippered Bag, 15. button hole, 16. Union Jack Pillow with Liberty prints, 17. London, England, 18. sewing machine cover front, 19. Tea Cozy, 20. Untitled, 21. AMH Quilt, 22. Good Folks Quilt: Back, 23. Little House, 24. Half Square Triangle Quilt - no binding

I can't wait to share the hand-made crafty love and to show you what I receive and what I make. I really love the idea of putting together an "inspiration" mosaic. It should be good fun to try to guess at something that a total stranger will love.

There is still time to share in the swap. The registration deadline is March 22nd. Hurry and get in on the crafty-swap goodness!

EeEEEE - look what was waiting for me at home today!

2010-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I quickly tore into the package to reveal:

Check out the sweet little gnome faces!:

I will probably drop these little gnome friends into the wash fairly quickly to make sure that they don't fade on me. There has been some talk on Flickr that the fabrics aren't as colourfast as they ought to be....although it sounds like this isn't true for all colours (luckily!).

The Spoonflower colours are lovely and bright (YUM!), but the fabric is not nearly as soft as Heather Ross's fabric from Free Spirit.

They do however, have lovely gnomes and mushrooms which I was not lucky enough to purchase on their first run. Don't you just love the selvage edges of the fabric?

I had to laugh...while I was snapping pictures (under my bad dining room light because I just can't wait until daylight tomorrow morning!), my son shoved his truck onto the table. "Here Mommy" he said "Take a picture of my backhoe so that you will have a really pretty picture!".

OK Evan. Here is a "really pretty picture". Lovely Heather Ross fabrics and my son's favourite "Mighty Machine". True loveliness!

Too early to be excited?

2010-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

(source)

I believe that I have mentioned before...I llllllooooooooove me some hand stitching. Isn't it exciting that Alicia Paulson (Posie Gets Cozy herself) is releasing an embroidery book this summer?

Smarch.

2010-03-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big fan of March. Generally it is the loooooongest month. It is the month when you think winter should end, but it doesn't - generally. This month it has been bEEEeautiful! Sunny and warm and lovely.

Unfortunately, it has been a rough month in our house where the weather has not been adequately enjoyed. We spent the first week sick (again! How can that even be possible???) and just when we were on the mend our daycare provider had a serious fall. This means that we have been trying to cover full time work and full time daycare duties. MAN - it makes you really appreciate just how great our daycare provider really is (she is going to be fine BTW!).

At any rate...we are nearly out of March (SSSssmarch), our least favourite month of the year and into lovely April! C'mon April! 3 cheers for Spring! Hooray, Hoora, Yippee!

The new "schedule" has severely limited my actual crafting time, but I do have a completed project to share. It is a lovely zig-zag quilt that was started many moons ago. I had completed the top quite some time ago and it sat unfinished while I hemmed and hawed over the back. Just my usual dither until simple inspiration hits (or at least until my indecisiveness is set aside and I proceed with the project exactly how I had first planned to before indecision took hold).

This quilt is lovely and cheerful and bright - exactly everything that Spring should be!

Without further ado, I am excited to show you the finished quilt:

Back:

Close up of the back:

I don't always name my quilts, but I have decided to call this one Spring Zig, March Zag.

Bunting goodness

2010-03-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to make some bunting for my son's room for quite some time...and here it is finished and on the walls:

Cute, non?

The entire house (well nearly!) was painted this beige colour when we moved in. It was not offensive, but lately I am finding it dull, dull, dull (and then dull some more). It could be that there has been very little natural light, but it could also be that the beige is dull.

Don't these cheery little flags go a good way in brightening up the room? I suppose that I could just bite the bullet and repaint the room....but I haven't! In the meanwhile, this bunting makes the room cheery enough for a three year old again.

There is even a bit of his favourite fabric (Tot Town by Michael Miller). Yes...I had only very small scraps left so I had to add some solid in to streeeeeeeetch the Tot Town scraps far enough for 2 flags.

You may recognize that I have used this fabric before for the boy in quilt format. He insists on using the "back" as the top, because he can look a the large piece of construction machine fabric. Hmph.

He has a point though...it is nice to look at such bright colours!

Red, white and GOLD!

2010-02-28T21:46:00.001-08:00

Have you been watching the Olympics? We have!

We hadn't intended to spend the entire weekend watching the Olympics, but we did. Certain small boys have brought home (yet another!) cold. This one is miserable, and as a result, so is the boy. We curled up on the couch together and my son dozed on and off, while I stitched and his father tried not to cheer too loudly and wake him. Between rests we ate throat soothing freezies (for cold infested boys and grown up cheerers).

You know a three year old is feeling retched when he asks if he can be taken to bed now please. Poor soul!

I couldn't quite figure what had inspired me to start stitching these matryoshka dolls in red and white...but the answer is plain as day:

Red and white for Canada
Russian dolls for the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics

The Olympics must be entering my subconsciousness!

I am so proud of Vancouver. What a fantastic job they have done in hosting the games!

I hope that you had an opportunity to enjoy some red, white and gold moments over the last few weeks.

Too much temptation

2010-02-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

OK, so I was starting to loose sleep with worry....what if it was gone before I could get to it??? It's not good to live a life of stress. Not good. So here is what I did....

I went to the Spoonflower web-site just to see what Heather Ross had put together for her limited run there. Kiss of death. Here is what is coming to live with me at my house!

And this:
And finally, in all it's dotty goodness:

Perhaps it will become a baby blanket for a friend? Perhaps I won't be able to part with it! It may just end up washed, ironed, lovingly folded and stacked.

I do love the idea of doing this or this with the fabric! Any other ideas that this fabric inspires for you? Please do share!

Where art thou spring??

2010-02-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

OK, so it looks like this outside this afternoon:

Sadly, this is an improvement from this morning when there were big, wet snowflakes falling from the sky. Snow is lovely in December....and generally I love winter - truly I do, but I think that I am over winter now. So very over. Over the grey, over the snowsuits, over the mushy and mucky snow, and sooo over the flu and colds that seem to proliferate during the winter! (can you tell that I am down with another flu????).

To combat the winter that it raging outside our window, we have moved spring indoors! My lovely mother came for a visit and we spent some time at our favourite flower shop. We just couldn't resist bringing a few bits of spring loveliness home with us...

These beauties were purchased for my mother's arrival. I don't think that there is anybody who appreciates tulips more than my mother (and truly...what's not to love?!):

Isn't this little arrangement scrumptious???!:

And finally, we couldn't resist this:

Ahhhh....Spring is coming my friends! May it come very soon.

Do NOT mock the flu

2010-02-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

Remember when I said "I am a germ fighting power house"? I was wrong. I take it back. I'm sorry that I "smack" talked the flu. My bad. Call off your germ friends. I give....I give...

I have been laid out with the flu for 3 days now...3 DAYS!! Sadly too sick to even feel up to a little crafting (I know!! Too sick to craft??!).

I have missed brunch and book club (which I love so!). I did however, manage to finish the book club book, which I may not have managed without the extra sick time. It's a good book:

The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Check it out...even if you are not flu-infested.

The gimme gimmes

2010-02-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Oh dear...

Do you remember this playground song from when you were a kid?:

Gimme, gimme, never get

Don't you know your manners yet?!

Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh....that's what I hear running through my head when I see that the Heather Ross gnomes and mushrooms are being reprinted.

How the other half lives...

2010-02-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love seeing how other people decorate/live in their home?

I love looking at our local real estate website to see how people decorate their homes (let's face it, generally people are presenting their homes at their best when they are for sale). I also love this site for partly voyeuristic, partly inspirational reasons.

I was particularly taken with this inspiring house tour. I have had to go back 3 or 4 times just to admire. You may recall that I recently repainted my "oh-so-dreary-came-with-the-house" beige living room and dining room. I like to think of it as the first step to creating a space that feels at least a little bit like Christine's. (c'mon....at least a little bit!!!).

The blue looks much more grey in this picture than it is in real life (there is just no natural light in Ottawa in the winter!).

Be sure to go take an inspirational tour...then you will understand how I intend to live!

My mother is coming for a visit later this month...perhaps that will inspire me to get more organized and decorated? (hmmm....somewhat doubtful, but hope springs eternal!)

We have been with flu

2010-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hello all! January has been the month of illness in our house. Both my husband and son have been sick twice. One cold, one TERRrrrRRIBLE flu. No sickness for me, though. I must admit that I feel like a germ fighting power house!

We are back to full health and getting back into the swing of things.

I have been a focused little craft-producing machine, so I have much to share with you! (I'll try to resist the urge to show everything in a single post).

There is a baby shower for a co-worker tomorrow, so much of last weekend included this view:

Here is the finished view of the quilt for the new baby boy:

(Momo Odyssea charm pack, blue gingham (!LOVE!) flannel backing and Amy Butler Full Moon binding - yummy!). The quilting was inspired by this one from Film in the Fridge.

Another baby quilt, more cross-stitching and a project for the boy's room to follow...

little red stitches...

2010-01-21T17:02:00.001-08:00

I am so completely immersed in the loveliness of hand stitching.

Here is the last cross-stitch that I finished from a pattern found in my new favourite book:

I also have an idea that I will stitch some lovely snowflakes and sew them into ornaments for Christmas trees. YES...I do know that Christmas only ended 3 weeks ago. If you are going to look at my blog (and I am so happy that you are!), you should know that I make Christmas things year round. I like to give hand made gifts whenever possible, and my husband and I both have a relatively large number of family members and friends that we exchange gifts with. I may also participate in a Christmas craft show again this year (which reminds me...I don't think that I ever did write a wrap-up post). I digress....wouldn't these look sweet stitched into an ornament (maybe with some ric rac tucked into the seams?)?

The pictures are all a bit dismal...and will likely be until April. What can I say? It's dark when I leave the house in the morning, dark when I get home and grey for all of the hours in between! I'm a Canadian after all...

You can't see it in these pics, but there is a pretty iridescent filament blended in with the white floss.

I'm not the only one who has been busy hand stitching. Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy is inspiring me to try stitching with waste canvas. Waste canvas allows you to have the nice even grid of aida cloth (which is the fabric used for the snowflakes shown above), but the flexibility to stitch on whatever piece of fabric passes your fancy. You just baste the waste canvas to the non-aida cloth fabric, stitch away, and then the waste canvas pulls away when you are done. All that will remain are lovely (hopefully even) stitches on the fabric. No grid looking aida cloth to mess with the aesthetic of your work. Check out the links in Alicia's post. I suspect that she explains it much better than I am.

Oh the possibilities!!! I don't actually own any waste canvas, so for now I will have to dream about the possible projects. I do however, have some lovely mushroom coloured linen. No doubt more photos of cross stitches will follow...

My next marriage...

2010-01-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

....will be to this rug!

It is of course designed by a Danish company. I even looked up the price of it...y'know, just in case! If my calculations are correct, it translates to around $400 CDN for a 90cm rug and somewhere around $1000 CDN for 140cm (plus of course shipping costs). I didn't even look up the price for the bigger size. Our house was built in 1906. The living room is NOT large.

Don't worry...I'm not impulse buying a Danish rug...but it is fun to think about such a lovely bright item on a day that looks like this:

Grey...oh so grey!!!

Sara - thanks for bringing this bit of colourful loveliness to my attention (via this blog).

I stitched and stitched last night...I think that I should be done my next cross-stitch project by the end of the weekend to show...prepare yourselves to see some RED. It's another project from A Rainbow of Stitching...

Why, oh why??

2010-01-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

Am I just hyper-sensitive about privacy?? I know that in real life I tend to be a fairly guarded person until I really get to know someone. I'm friendly, but I'm guarded. I would love to be one of those people who is just more open, but not tooooo open - y'know the type of person I mean (the one who shares everything with the stranger sitting next to them on the bus).

This morning my work colleague is breaking up with her boyfriend. I am not close with this work colleague, I didn't even know that she had a boyfriend....but I am listening to her very calmly explain all of the problems in their relationship and why it no longer works for her. Really none of my business, but what can I do??? The irony - I work in an environment with closed door offices. Close your door people...close your door.

Some of my work colleagues didn't even know that I was a crafter until I "outed" myself by inviting a few the craft show that I participated in. They were kind enough to come...and it even helped spurred on a "stitch" group Tuesdays at lunch. I look forward to the restful break and shared stitching on Tuesdays. Good things (even GREAT things!) can come from being open...

here is a craft show project for your viewing enjoyment, because I hate to have an image free post!

Just need to find the balance between toooooo open (à la phone break up in the office) and tooooo closed (à la very private Holly, fish in the water).

Ahhh...the ever elusive balance. Where art thou?

PS - the break-up is no longer a calm conversation. YUCK. Am sorting out work to be done away from my desk for the next few minutes.

PPS - YES, I realize the irony of my musing about privacy in an open blog forum! Please note that I only have a few readers and please further note that I do not list my break-ups and details of my underwear on the blog either.

The GREATEST stitch book ever??!

2010-01-10T17:43:00.001-08:00

Dunno...I haven't seen every stitching book ever made, but I have seen a good number of them and this is my favourite so far!

A Rainbow of STITCHES, Embroidery and Cross-stitch basics

ISBN: 978-0-8230-1478-1 (0-8230-1478-9)

I should point out that I might be biased. I LOVE hand stitching. I learned how to cross stitch when I was 7 and only stopped recently because I couldn't find any patterns that I wasn't embarrassed to make. This book takes embroidery and cross-stitch and turns them into beautiful patterns that I would love to have around my house (in fact I have already done a pattern from the book - and I just got it on Friday night!).

Here is a close up:

I'm not totally sure if I will just pop this into a little frame to have as a little surprise somewhere on the wall, or if I will build it into a cushion for the couch. I'm open to suggestions! It was so much fun to make!

I love the idea on this page of just taking the linen and wrapping it unframed around an artist canvas. I already had a similar project in mind for my living room.

The contents of the book are separated by colour (thus the RAINBOW part of the title). I adore the vibrant and fresh colours found in the book:

GREEN

PINK

Be sure to take a look at the book and spend some time admiring the RED section!

My only complaint is with the book binding. The book doesn't really lay flat - a spiral binding would have been so much better, especially for cross-stitch patterns (you need to refer the pattern chart frequently!). I will likely just have to scan and print some of the patterns on loose leaf paper...but it is a bit of a hassle for an impatient crafter like me. A hassle, but not an insurmountable one for such a beautiful book!

Happy stitching!

Goodbye 2009...

2010-01-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Goodbye millions of woven ends...

Goodbye champagne (OK...really delicious Italian prosecco).

Goodbye 2009!

A new obsession...

2009-12-31T11:44:00.001-08:00

As you can see, I have invested NO time in weaving in the ends...but I will. It has been so much fun coming up with colour combinations from the selection of yarn that I treated myself to during my greedy post Christmas excursion (posted about here).

I have been obsessing a little bit over the idea of this afghan for quite some time now. A small search of the internet shows me that I am not alone in my obsession. There are quite a number of lovely and helpful tutorials for a beginner (like me!).

yvestown blog
1/4 of an inch
Posy (this is a lovely blog that I have followed for quite some time now - check it out!)

Don't you just love it when something is sooooo beautiful that it inspires you to try to master a new crafty skill??

I hope that you are all managing to carve out some peaceful, crafty time during the holiday. I must admit to many evenings in my pyjamas puttering through projects while watching TV. Truly enjoyable! Especially when you add in a glass of red wine and some Christmas treats.

Happy New Year one and all!

Greedy girl treat herself

2009-12-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

I travelled to the Boxing Day (week!) sales with restraint in mind. Truly not my forte if I'm honest. I had a 50% off coupon. It would have been wrong and wasteful not to use it, non?

Behold! The thing that I didn't know that I needed/wanted until I saw it:

Please don't misunderstand. I don't regret my purchase...just my lack of discipline! Please be reminded...it was HALF price!

I immediately set to work cutting all of my Christmas cards into tags so that they will be ready for next year.

Here is what I started with:

My clever new cutter even lets you "preview" where the cuts will happen.

Don't forget that there is prime tag making material on the back of the cards too!

Here is the cute little stack that resulted:

What a marvellous, non-wasteful self-serving purchase!

I was quite please with my work until my son (who is 3 years old) came into the craft room and asked why I had cut up all of his "happy cards". "I am very angry with you Mommy!" he scolded. Whoops.

Should I be ashamed to confess that I'd do it all again???

Boxing Day surprise

2009-12-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

We woke this morning to an incredible ice storm!

This was the view from the window (NO, the windows are not frosted...that is a lovely layer of ice):

We were meant to have an outdoor block party with street hockey and warm chili today. When we looked out the front door we were confronted with an empty street and ice laden trees and wires. Probably not the best day for venturing outdoors!

So instead, we stayed in and indulged in some of our favourite Christmas treats:

We spent a lot of time on the phone catching up with family. We enjoyed a glass of wine. We enjoyed racing games on the new Wii.

Most enjoyably, we spent a quiet day together in our pyjamas. Ahhh.

We will also enjoy leftover roast beef for dinner (perhaps with another glass of wine?).

Round 2 of MarioKart championships after the little one goes to bed. Bring it!

The roast...

2009-12-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

At first I worried that there wouldn't be enough roast for everybody. We were planning for 8 people at our Christmas table. One dropped off because of family responsibilities a week ago and the rest fell off the list on Christmas Day because of illness.

We tried to make the best of it and nestled in with just the three of us for a cozy dinner.

It was a great meal (if I do say so myself!)....but I must confess that I found it a bit strange with such a quiet table.

I confess to finding it a bit lonely, since we had originally thought that family would be here for Christmas (and travel plans fell through) and then we thought that we would have a large crowd of friends (and that fell through).

I realize that in the greater scheme of things this is not a big deal...it really isn't. Perhaps just not what I was expecting?

All in all there are so many greater unhappinesses and disappointments, and I know that Christmas is a difficult time of year for many people. I am lucky that my Christmases have been quite happy, and I know that my disappointment this year is a small one (I really DO know that)...

Once again, I am using my blog to work out that my life is really pretty good...and as a reminder of all that I have to be grateful for! Thank you for indulging me...

Now. Off to enjoy some of the leftover roast for dinner (and there are LOTS!).

Hope that all had an enjoyable Christmas Day. AAAAaaand, for those of you who didn't - I hope that you will remember that it is only one day, and that you will enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

Much Christmas-y love,

Holly

HoHoHo...it's on it's way!

2009-12-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

FINALLY! Finished.

Ladies and gentlemen....I present to you (drum roll please!)...the completed quilt!:

This lovely was very inspired by a quilt made by Ashley at Film in the Fridge.

I chose to straight line quilt mine. Originally I had intended to space the lines by only 1", but the Christmas deadline forced my hand and the quilting lines are 2" apart. I think that this is a happy turn of fate...I'm really happy with the quilting.

Another close up with lovely wrinkliness to enjoy:

For the hearty few that have been reading my blog since the start - you may remember that I started this quilt in JUNE. It was very held up by the back. First off, I needed some really big pieces of fabric (that is 2 yards of "Red Peonies" from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line), so I had to order. Then the top was bigger than I had anticipated (OK...truth - I hadn't actually measured. I just "guestimated"), so I needed more fabric (yummy Kona solids). Then I couldn't quite decide what design to use. This one was sort of improvised as I went along. I really like how it turned out!

My lovely husband stood out in the -30C temperatures so that I could indulge in a last minute photo session before it was shipped across the country.

The quilt is now in the hands of Canada Post (as well as $70 of my $$!!!).

Note for next year: Be more organized and send presents early to avoid very high shipping costs!

Extra note: Pay attention to this note next year! (I make myself this note every darn year...).

It feels really good to have everything shipped out. Now all there is to do is get through the next 2 days of work and sit back and enjoy the holidays!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

...which is good, because Christmas is only 1 week away!

It has most definitely snowed in Canada's Capital city (lots and lots)!:

We have trimmed our tree - and it has fallen over 3 times! Special thanks to Donna's lovely husband who came armed with equipment (a reciprocating saw and rope man!) to bail my lovely, but un-handy husband and myself out on a Saturday morning when the final collapse happened (oh the carnage!):

I have since added millions of crocheted snowflakes (ok a dozen or so - I tend to be prone to small exagerations). I am ever so obsessed with these lovelies!

I am meant to be finishing the quilt for my sister's Christmas gift, but since I am a professional time waster these days, I have taken to completing one snowflake (which I really don't need) every evening. Lovely.

I also decided that it was NECESSARY to paint most of the main floor of my house. Yes - NECESSARY! There were a few nights of painting until 2 am, but I am pleased with the results.

Before:

After:

Now just imagine the room with lovely bursts of colour inserted from (yet-to-be-completed!) crochet and quilting projects. Ahhh...all of the exciting projects for the New Year! But first...off to complete the projects that must be shipped (cross country!) this year!

Living life in FAST FORWARD

2009-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

Life has been crazy busy as of late. Work, family, personal…all crazy.

The craft show was last weekend (very fun – more on that later). The week before was travelling for work and somewhere in the middle both husband and boy landed with the flu (not ME! I am a germ fighting MACHINE!).

Perhaps many of you could cope with all of these curve balls gracefully. Perhaps you would have made good on your give-away promise, sent your mothers birthday gift and still managed to stock the house with groceries??? NOT ME! I meant to…I wanted to - truly I did. I endeavoured to complete, but somehow my entire life is at WIP stage. EVERYTHING = WIP. That’s OK…it’s really alright. The people who know and love me are used to my life being a WIP. They are used to watching me flit here and there and stop thoroughly engrossed in the task at hand, forgetting all other tasks for a time. They have watched me drop whatever I was working on completely as I realize that I am behind in another task. Sometimes I come back to the original task, sometimes it seems less important, most days I invest a LOT of time feeling guilty about all of the things that I haven’t managed to accomplish (have I mentioned the give-away, my mothers b-day gift and the stacks of thank you notes that I compose daily in my head but never put to paper????).

Have you ever noticed that some people are time benders? They seem to be able to accomplish things in the 2.5 minutes that you have thrown away as insufficient to complete any useful task. Do you know some of these people? I want to dislike them…but mostly I admire them (and am quite frankly a touch jealous of their magical time bending talent!). I am starting to see time as an elastic…long and straight, but somehow the time benders have figured out a way to SSSTTTTTeeeEEEETTCH the elastic so that there are magic little pockets of time. I know that this is PROBABLY not true. People probably aren’t secretly hiding a time bending technique from me…but I must confess that I am starting to believe hard-core in time bending magic. I truly am!

I want to be a time bender!

Happy Halloween and a button winner

2009-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Nicolemiko! I sent you an e-mail and will send on some buttons once I hear back from you...

I let my son pick a number and he selected three. I thought that this might be because he is about to turn three, but when I asked him he told me that he had selected three because it is the best truck number (???!!!). I have no clue what that means, but it made me laugh when I clicked over to Nicolemiko's blog and the most recent post is entitled "Three". Fate, I tell ya!

At any rate...thanks for playing along! Who knew that buttons are so universally loved? (I'm thinking: not by this grumpy jack!)

Oh joy! Oh bliss!

2009-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Look what was waiting for me when I got home from work today...A box full of surprises! (weeeell...not reeeeally surprises...more like impulsive Internet purchases).

Shall we take a look at all of the treasures inside?

Sorted and stacked and ready for inspection:

Fabric.com had the Denyse Schmidt "Country Fair" line on sale for $2.99/yard people! I would have jumped on the blog to share the happy find, but I discovered the sale around 11:30 pm and it was over at midnight. If you haven't had the chance to hold this fabric in your hot little hands you might not know that it is a lovely thick weight. I'm not really sure if they would call it decor weight, probably more like a linen weight?

I seem to have developed a fondness for toadstools. I believe that this fabric is from a line called "Shade Garden". It was also on a sale too amazing to pass up.

Finally, we have orange. Not on sale orange. Just orange. The fabric at the bottom is for the quilt that I am making my sister for Christmas. The other orange is going to be used for an iPod cover. There was a special request for orange...and who am I to pass up an opportunity to acquire some lovely cheerful orange for my stash?

Finally, thanks for all of the button comments. Glad to know that there are so many others out there who have such happy memories of sorting through button jars. I'll do a random draw at the end of this week. The lucky winner will get some random selection of buttons. That will be part of the fun...I'll just take a few mitt-fulls to provide some happy button sorting time for a fellow blogger.

Too many buttons and a give away

2009-10-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Finally! The new computer is all ready to go and I can show you far too many pictures of fabric and buttons. Good times. These are the promised pictures of my fabric sale loot.

Fabric scores. On the top of the pile are two pieces of vintage linen (what a find!). In looking at this picture I see that a red/turquoise and cream theme has emerged. Also, I am a bit obsessed with the idea that gingham is the ultimate Christmas print.

Some luscious threads:

Also, too many pictures of buttons. I spent a happy hour picking through to create colour/themed combinations and then taking snapshots of them:

Berry and green:

Creamy whites:

Lovely pinks:

Yellow and golds:

Greys and browns:

In deciding which button pictures to post (oh the agony of tough decisions!), I came to the realization that I may have been greedy with the buttons (gulp...is that even possible??? It's just so fun to sort through buttons!). I think that it might be a good time to try a little give away of button-y goodness. You know - share the joy and all. So if you would like some buttons please leave a comment about how you would use them, or why you love buttons, or prove that you are a bigger button geek than me (NOTE: I did have to edit down from 25 pictures of buttons. I am not healthy!).

Is it too early to be excited about handmade Christmas ornaments?

2009-10-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

I recently had the good fortune to partake in a fabulous "girls craft night in" with the lovely ladies from Kindred Crafters.

Donna and I became fast friends when I moved into her (now our!) neighbourhood. Not only do we have children the same age who love to play together, we discovered a common love of crafting! She has heavily influenced some of my new crafty pursuits and I am forever grateful for her friendship.

Donna's crafty-blog-o-sphere friend Sara has also become my crafty friend. We share a common hesitation to cut into our favourite fabric stash. It is good to know that I am not the only person who likes to fold up and admire fabric (and can do so for many happy hours each month). Donna and Sara are old friends who have been kind enough to fold me into their crafty friendship.

I had not met Sara (in person) until very recently when she travelled to Ontario. I wanted to offer her a crafty token of friendship and stitched up a Christmas-y toadstool (with holly, from Holly - so glad you got the reference Sara!!). The lovely Sara has posted some of her signature BEAUTIFUL photographs on the Kindred Crafters blog.

This gift was modeled on a tutorial found here (just in case you want to go make your own). They are good handstitching fun!

And Donna....no need to be jealous. I have one at my house waiting for the Christmas season for you...

A FABRIC SHOW - without the show & tell

2009-10-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

My friend Donna and I have gone to the local "Fabric Flea Market" every year since we discovered it 3 glorious years ago. We have both developed an unhealthy love of the fabric find. Vintage, new, sewn into something else. All fun!

This event is jam packed full of excited fabric shoppers. I didn't think to take a shot of the inside of the packed hall (I was too busy trying to stay on my feet in the throng of happy fabric hunters). The fact that this is a fund raiser for a local school and that there are mountains of fabric to be had makes it worth wading through the excited crowd.

The lovely Donna and I were seperated in the crowd, but managed to find each other and sneak off to compare our treasures over a coffee. Donna found a crochet doiley with either William Shakespeare or Sir Wilfrid Laurier (an early Canadian Prime Minister). Very funny! I'll have to ask Donna to take a picture so that we can take a poll, although I think that Donna might be right, I think that it is an image of a former Prime Minister. Can you picture this face in crochet???

What about this handsome mug in crochet form?

I would post all of my lovely finds and treasures for all to enjoy, but the computer went into "early stage system failure" last week. Don't really know exactly what this means...but essentially it turns off whenever it feels like it. Not ideal (especially for my lovely husband who works from home!). We were also running the risk of loosing everything from our hard drive, which as responsible and sensible people we have completely NOT backed up (why would I be organized about that area of my life when I am not about anything else???).

All this to say...I can't wait to show you some pictures of my lovely finds. I am MOST excited about the buttons. My husband was laughing at me this weekend...He could hear the "beep, click" of the camera over and over again as I took pictures of my treasured buttons (sorted by colour palettes, favourites, etc). Yup. I love buttons - A LOT. Laugh if you must.

Tukeyliciousness and balance

2009-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving Canadian friends!

I am the designated turkey-maker this year. I must confess that while I really like cooking, I don't really adore turkey dinners. This is why my long-suffering husband gets turkey only once a year for Thanksgiving.

I'm certain that the leftovers will be glorious, though...

This has been a very welcome long weekend. The work week has been one of my longest ever. I made it home in time to see my son only one night this week. Entirely unacceptable. It is making me re-examine my work-life balance and question whether it is acceptable. I think that maybe it is not.

I should point out that I am usually able to manage daycare pick-up and regular home times...except for in the Fall. Fall is the busy time at work when I seem to disappear from my life for 3-4 months. This has always been OK with me until last year. Now I find the travel/overtime too big of a sacrifice. What to do?? I am left in the all too familiar quandary of figuring out a balance between a career that has been cultivated through hard work and my family (who will not be young forever). I don't remotely imagine that I am alone in this quest to find balance. I think that I just imagined that I had set my life up with a lot of room for balance before my son was born. Perhaps not as balanced as I thought. Hmmm...some more thinking and balancing will be required!

All this being said, work has also interfered with my crafting somewhat. Unlike a 2-year-old, crafting can stay up late with me. I have been coming home from work, eating some dinner, and then crafting late into the night! Sleep, shmeep. I am working furiously toward a shared November 14th deadline. Hello Ottawa crafters! More about that soon...

Craft show intimidation

2009-10-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

What have I gotten myself into?? I agreed to take part in a craft show.

I think that at the time I agreed to be part of the craft show it seemed very abstract. It seemed like a good way to meet some other local crafters. Besides, I love craft shows! I think that I might mean that I love GOING to craft shows. I love to be inspired by the creations of others. Now I am intimidated...my creations are more "crafty" than inspiring. There are some real, hard-core creative people who will be selling at the Craftalicious show. YIKES! So feel free to come out and be nice to me while I sit at a table and feel somewhat intimidated (November 14th in Ottawa!).

Here is a small preview on what I am working on for the craft show:

Re-usable Christmas bags. I will have a few sizes, but most importantly one size that will fit wine bottles and another size that is perfect for video games and hardcover books.

Bird ornaments. Some in Christmas fabric, some not.

Card ornaments. These were probably the most satisfying to make. It was really fun to pick out different colour/pattern combinations. The closest to quilting that I could manage on a larger scale for a craft show.

Flea Market finds

2009-10-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at the flea market last weekend! The whole family went, but husband and son quickly retreated to the park and left me to wander on my own (OH BLISS!). There were many toy trucks at eye level and my son was starting to vibrate with excitement (and greed). I must confess that I was feeling much the same way!

Here are some of the highlights of my finds (no pictures of the BIG metal Tonka trucks because Evan has been too busy playing with them to stop for photography). Please excuse the BAD pics. It has rained ALL WEEK and I could no longer wait for natural light - I want to show my fantastic finds!

Pyrex bowl (turquoise with wheat harvest):

Pyrex bowl (avocado green!) - I just couldn't resist this one...my mother had a bowl exactly like this. It was the bowl that was used to make every cookie that came out of her kitchen (likely still is!).

I spent most of my time picking through the most fantastic box of vintage pattern books. This one was my favourite (the photographs CRACK me up!):

Notice the lovely cigarette dangling from his nonchalant hand on the cover:

Another page is an ode to pipe smoking 'gents (not sure if the second guy is holding a fishing pole or a walking stick with his non-pipe hand!):

Here are the alpine loving fellas. Don't you love that there is also a hand drawn dog on each page (with a very gentleman-of-the-manor-type description of each breed)?:

Finally, the ASCOT! The image of this sophisticate (cigarette in gloved hand) makes me giggle:

Finally, some of the vendors had some vintage Fisher Price toys. My heart begins to race at the thought of these fantastic-plastic toys. I had to really steel myself to behave. I wanted to buy them. I wanted to buy them so badly that I can still taste the greed in my mouth. I tried to rationalize that they would be a gift for my son....but I knew this would be a lie. So I walked away from the Sesame Street (with a fire hall, Mr. Hooper's store, etc), and I walked away from the garage with the elevator that dings. I am practically a saint!

I say PRACTICALLY a saint, because I did walk away with a little FP cash register that I will put away for Christmas or birthday for the boy (I do think that he will like it - so I can rationalize it!).

OK - long post over. I am slightly embarrassed by my greedy, consumption heavy post!

NOTE: the last two images are not mine (I took them from Google and neglected to make note of the source - oops!)

Just don't know where to start...

2009-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy busy lately...mostly in good ways. I have been travelling for work (boo!), but my boys (husband and son) came to meet me in Toronto by train (yay!). Evan was very excited to travel by train and behaved BEAUTIFULLY for his dad. We visited with family and went to the Toronto Zoo. Fun for everyone...and we were sure that Evan would adore the zoo. Ask him what his favourite animal is...? The truck (but of course!). At least it was a zoo-y safari truck.

The camel ride was also pretty exciting:

Doesn't Alice look lovely and gentle? (OK...I don't actually know the camel's name, but why would you name a camel anything other than Alice?).

That lovely young lady in the pictures (no...not Alice the camel - the human one), is my cousin's daughter and Evan took a total shine to her. Notice how he wouldn't let go of her hand - not even in the safari truck! That is devotion. He was pretty smitten (and cute!). I was worried that it might be too much for a 10-year old girl, but she was lovely with him. Thanks Alexandra!

We stayed at my aunt and uncle's house (where we were married!). They have a lovely house that backs onto a small forest and stream. So very relaxing. On Friday night my aunt and I sat outside by a fire (with a lovely glass of wine) while my uncle and husband admired the largest TV that I have ever seen.

I don't know how to put this (it will possibly sound very hokey)...We don't have any family in our adopted home town. Much of the time this is just fine. We have built a close community with dear friends who serve as family. We are happy. But - there is something so easy and peaceful about passing time with your family. People who know your history...maybe this means that they "get" you in a way that others can't access? Maybe the pressure is off because they HAVE to love you?? I don't really know, but there is something very easy and centering about spending time with family. (Told you it would sound hokey.)

Back into the real world routine (at top speed). I'll post about my fun flea market finds in my next post.

She did it!

2009-09-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Remember when I (in my undignified way) declared my crafty crush on Martha's fantastic ABC embroidered quilt top?

Well - UPDATE - she finished it! Go check out the gorgeousness on her blog.

The one in which I am not that smart...

2009-09-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

My crafty stories today very clearly demonstrate what a quilting novice I truly am. I wonder if when other people say "self taught" they have had to rip out the same (very high!) number of stitches that I am ripping out in my new hobby? Oh well...I see seam ripping time as time to come out of the sewing room and enjoy a bit of television.

I (FINALLY!) started quilting my zig zag quilt. I thought that I would do some straight line quilting because I really admire how clean the straight line quilting at Red Pepper Quilts looks.

I had measured the width of my walking foot and decided that I would use the edge of the foot as my guide for 3/4" spaced lines. Here is the part where I am not smart - I didn't really account for the fact that the needle travels down the centre of the 3/4" measurement. The result? Extreme busy-ness on busy-ness. Not pretty.

So....I learned something about how to measure.

I also came to the realisation that what I really liked about the quilts that I had seen at Red Pepper was exactly what my quilt is NOT! Calm, quiet, soothing and linear. This does not mean that I don't like my quilt...it is bright and bohemian. It just means that this is not the quilt with which I should try to emulate a crisp, clean style.

Here is the plain old zig zag quilting that I did (once I had finished watching some TV and ripping out the previous straight quilting):

Much cleaner stitching against all the ziggy-zagginess and the bright, bold colours and pattern.

I also enjoyed some quality time with a glass (or two!) of red wine and a movie (Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Clearly I was too into the movie (or the wine!) and I made a mistake in my ripple blanket. Can you spot it? I didn't until I was a few hours past my mistake. Boo!

I'm off for some quality time with the TV and crochet ripping out.

Quel désastre!!

2009-09-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

OK, so a summer of fabric ordering and in & out of my craft room has resulted in a MESS! I was not feeling inspired or happy facing the chaos that has taken over (somehow the chaos in the rest of the house is OK...fixing it would take too much time away from crafty pursuits!).

I saw a great tutorial on folding fabric...YEEESSSS, you read right. I really like folding fabric. I like ironing it, folding it, then I stack and re-stack it into happy little piles. I find that it clears the mind of any worries and fills it with happy pattern and bold colour instead. Mmmmm....soothing and peaceful. OOoohmmmMMMMmmmmm.

I have the world's smallest craft space. I think that it is around 7X8 (that might be generous!) and is shared with the recycling bins. It is small...but I am SO grateful for it! It's the first time that I've ever had a dedicated craft space that was mine. It is such a luxury to be able to leave the sewing machine out. It frees me up to steal a few minutes for sewing here and there (without using up all of that time hauling all of the gear out). It means that I can leave all of my crafty things out on display. It means that I have my very own little "haven". Do some of you feel similarly about the crafty space you have managed to carve out in your life???

Uh oh...

2009-09-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

Look what is coming in December! Amy Butler's new fabric. drool. I think that I feel another crafty crush coming on...

Dearest Santa,

Please bring me some pretty new fabric and many of the free hand drawn little dot fabric (which I feel certain will be perfect for all binding!).

I promise to be extra good. This morning I gave my seat on the bus to an old lady...and I will try to pet some puppies on the way home. Thank you for your kind consideration.

Love & Ho Ho Ho,

Holly

Lazy Sunday post on a Tuesday

2009-09-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ah Sundays...how I love a rainy Sunday. Sundays are usually the day when I get some quality crafting time. The rest of the week crafting is all about stolen moments between the daily routine and falling asleep...but SUNDAY! Sundays we wander to the Farmer's Market, buy something delicious for breakfast and come home to good coffee. After that my husband usually reads, my son plays with trucks and I craft. How glorious are Sunday mornings at our house?!

This Sunday Evan and one of his trucks joined me in the craft room. It was really an enjoyable way to spend a morning. It was especially nice to have his company since this is the first weekend that the cat isn't around to hang out with me...

Just when I thought that his little hands were not going to be able to resist "helping" with the scissors or the sewing machine, Evan found the amazing little box of buttons that Sara sent as an extra surprise when I bought some vintage linens from her Etsy shop. Thanks Sara! Evan and his truck were entertained for nearly an hour by the little box and all of the pretty buttons inside. What fun to sort, stack and dig little buttons.

I finally finished piecing the back to the zig zag quilt. It's not that it was complicated or even big, just that I couldn't quite decide what to do. I'll try to finish basting and quilting ASAP so that I can finally post the final pictures.

BTW - Yes, my son was still in his pyjamas after the Market and YES...that is a hockey mask on my son's pyjamas. Yes...we are a Canadian stereotype!

An ode to a kitty

2009-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog I had decided that I would only blog about things that make me happy. Kind of make it my own safe little "happy place". No blogging about work woes, the leaking roof (and it sometimes does!), disagreements with family, and all of life's normal hiccups. It is meant to be a place to remind me of some of the things that I find fulfilling in life. You may have noticed...I haven't posted much in the past few weeks.

Our cat fell suddenly ill and had to be put to sleep. It's been a tough couple of weeks watching him struggle and make difficult decisions on his behalf.

While this seems like very sad news (and IT IS - at least it has been for our family!), I have decided that it was my blog - so I can break my own rule (!) and that I would put up a few pictures and memories of Melvin-the-cat that make me happy (thereby fitting it within the "happy blog" mandate). So without further ado, here are a few shots of Melvin T. Howe. Great cat and major trouble-maker.

Melvin (like many cats, I would imagine) was quite particular about who he liked...and if he didn't like you, he let you know! He used to nip my mother in the bum while she sat for meals at our dining room table. He once tried to back an overnight guest (a grown man) out of our house. He had his group of "people" and if you weren't one of them he wasn't always very kind. HOWEVER...if you were lucky enough to be in Melvin's inner circle you were privileged. Melvin would cuddle up with you, "chat" with you and hold vigil over you if you were tired, sick or unhappy. He was also a near constant companion when I was up at nights caring for my newborn son. He often sat in the chair across from me while I was crafting - just observing the process, unless he was "helping" by sitting on whatever project I was focusing on. Here are some shots of Melvin the "craft helper":

Alright. Now that I have that out of my system, I promise to be back with a few more crafty-type posts very soon.

All hail summer!

2009-08-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Where have I been?

Well, summer has made it's brief, but GLORIOUS appearance in Canada. This means that we have been outside!

It's really the first year that we have had a yard of our own...We have always lived in the centre of our city in an apartment or garden home, which has meant that we've had no yard. Two years ago we moved to a house that has a little garden of it's own (yippee!). Unfortunately the garden was a desert when we moved in, so we spent last summer adding a bit of grass and some plants. We have much to learn (OH SO MUCH) about gardening...but for now, it is our imperfect (but perfect) garden to hang out in.

We relax and drink coffee:

We relax and make chalk drawings:

We relax and blow bubbles:

But we NEVER, NEVER get into the pool (and I mean NEVER!):

Everybody sticks to dry land pursuits:

Riding the waves...

2009-08-04T15:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the most recent quilt top completed. Mmmm...love it so!

As I was stitching everything together, I realised that I had given no consideration for the direction of the print. (You can see what I mean pretty clearly in the close up below.) I was certain that this was really going to bother me, but I must say - it doesn't really. When you step back it's all just pattern and colour loveliness!

The seams on the back seem quite thick. Have I missed a clever trick? It does lay flat when pressed.

Other than that I have been working on the crochet waves. The waves look the same as before. There are just more of them...

And so it begins...

2009-07-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Look what arrived for me in the mail today! Hooray!

I immediately set about readying this stack for quilt production (washing, drying, ironing, folding, stacking and re-stacking). I had already passed many minutes daydreaming about the sort of quilt that this fabric might become and had decided that it is destined to be a zig zag quilt for some lucky baby. Once I had the fabric in hand I couldn't resist sketching out some plans:

How does everybody else go about planning a quilt? I love this phase. It's all day dreaming and planning! I usually sketch something out. It helps me to understand how the pieces will fit together. I am often WRONG in my measurements...but I must admit that it doesn't really bother me much. I'll just add rows as needed to get to the measurement that I want in the end.

It was a really quiet night spent on my own. My son was sleeping upstairs and my husband retired to bed early to try to fight off a nasty cold that is brewing. I put my iPod on shuffle and opened the windows so I could listen to the mix of music and the fantastic thunderstorm that was brewing outside. While I listened, I cut & cut and stitched. I have always thought of myself as a very social person, but sewing has really made me value the time I get to spend on my own - a LOT!

Aaallll done!

2009-07-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

I finished the Tula Pink baby quilt. Now we just have to wait for my friend to have her baby girl! While we wait for sweet baby pictures, here are some sweet quilt pictures (you'll just have to add the cute baby to the images with your mind):

Final measurement 36X37

I really love the Tula Pink fabric that was used for the back. If you look closely, you will see turtles, sea horses and anchors in the pattern. Originally, there was supposed to be another fabric as the binding, but a fabric store mistake meant that I used the same fabric for the binding and the backing. I think that it might have been a happy mistake.

OK - this looks kind of yellow-ish because it was taken inside in bad light while it rained (AGAIN!). I wanted to show you the tone-on-tone white that was used for the sashing. I love it so...and thought that you should see it close up, so that you could love it too!

There is something really lovely about a folded quilt...so here you go!

Once I start..

2009-07-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

I found out that Pink Chalk Fabrics is having a sale. It's a good one. I had to talk myself off the ledge. While I didn't purchase everything my heart desires, I managed to pick up some fantastic deals. Now all I have to do is sit back and wait for the good mail to arrive!

I did treat myself to my very first Japanese print:

Cute, non?

I also started full force on free motion quilting my Tula Pink baby charm quilt (I will really have to come up with a better name!). I am pleased to report that I decided to "just get it done" and go with the "free motion" flow. Very challenging for me - but I discovered that after an hour (or two!) of fighting with the quilting, I really did enjoy just letting the random quilting pattern happen. It is not perfect, but I think that I am learning to be OK with that. As my good friend keeps saying "It's handmade!". I am feverishly working on the binding and will post pictures once the project is complete...stay tuned!

OK...so I caved...

2009-07-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

But isn't it so beautiful??? I love the bright colours so! Not too sure what I am going to do with it, but I am looking forward to washing, ironing, stacking, admiring and re-stacking.

Need help! Cannot possibly be of sound mind.

Does anybody else love just admiring stacks of colour and pattern in their sewing space?

Go ahead - mock if you must...

Crafty crush...

2009-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

WOW! Look at this fantastic alphabet quilt.

Embroidery, quilting, variegated floss and vintage fabric?? I think that I am in LOVE!

Martha has even (very generously!) posted the templates she has used for the alphabet embroidery. Just in case you can't resist undertaking this ENORMOUS project...

How to overcome...

2009-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Turns out that I am type A...seriously type A.

I have finished the quilt top for my friend's baby. It has even been sandwiched. I have been attempting to free motion quilt the sucker, but have pulled it out several times for the following reasons:

the quilting is too close together

the quilting is too far apart

the stitches are too long

the stitches are too short

the stitches overlap

there is a pucker in the fabric

I am seriously too type A

Perhaps you will see more crafty type posts when I overcome my personality flaws?

Rain, rain, go away...

2009-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

We awoke to heavy rain this morning and were faced with the problem: "How do you occupy a 2 (and a 1/2!) year old for an entire rainy day??!". Not necessarily easy...and I will confess to resorting to TV for part of the day (Might Machines...makes my son happy).

We also baked sour cream blueberry muffins with lemon glaze.

Not really delicious...I have the feeling that I may have missed an ingredient in my rush to keep up with my "helper" (who had taken to trying to stir the batter with a crazy straw).

After snack I set up an "arts and crafts" station in my sewing room for Evan & I. I had thought that we might create a gift for his daddy's birthday next week. Hmmm....I'm not sure that we were successful....

Exhibit A, Evan's creation:
He tells me that it is a car crusher. I'm not sure what the sparkly glued eyes are about. Perhaps a statement on "the man" watching the proletariat??? Could also be just that he liked the googly eyes and sparkly glue...

Here is my creation:

As you can see, I not only liked the sparkly glue and googly eyes...I also enjoy heavily dyed feathers.

I caught the cat examining our "creations" with a look of disgust some time later.

Everyone's a critic!!

The downpour seems to have halted for a brief moment. Must run and see if we can squeeze in a quick walk to combat the cabin fever!

I have some nerve...and Happy Belated Canada Day!

2009-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

OK...I got lost (as I am apt to do) in my vacation mode and failed to make Canada Day plans for my family. Enter the lovely and talented Donna to the rescue! She had my entire clan (lovely husband, cute boy and me - minus our evil, but cute cat) over for a relaxing and delicious meal! Not only did I partake of her fabulous meal, but I took pictures of the food that she expertly prepared to post on my blog. Hope that you don't mind Donna! Thanks again for the relaxing and delicious meal...

Salad with homemade dressing and croutons. All garlicky goodness...

My mouth still waters thinking about this dish. It is a roasted potato and summer squash casserole. Really fantastic!

My contribution were the refreshments. Beer (a Canadian classic!) and strawberry lemonade. Non alcoholic for the kids, and with a generous shot of citrus vodka for the adults. Yummy!

We also had lovely steak kabobs, roasted balsamic vegetables and a delicious cake with lemon curd filling and strawberry buttercream icing (YES - it was as delicious as it sounds!). Unfortunately I was too into the meal and vodka laced strawberry lemonades at this point to remember to photograph. Whoops!

Thanks for the wonderful meal Donna. Please thank Michel for picking the easy Canada Day quiz...

Why I love our local market...

2009-06-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Beautiful fresh berries! YUM.

I cannot take credit for the delicious scones. They were - you guessed it! - purchased at the

the market. What a great Sunday afternoon treat.

An ode to the Canadian "wilderness"

2009-06-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

We are back from the cottage and family wedding. I thought that I would share a few images from very peaceful Muskoka Ontario (in Canada). These shots are from a beautiful, sunny day by the river in Bracebridge, Ontario.

This was the view that I was lucky enough to have from our cottage window:

So pretty!

Unfortunately, the weather was not as cooperative on the wedding day. It was very rainy. The wedding took place on a boat in the middle of Lake Muskoka.

Generally, Lake Muskoka is filled with motor boats roaring around (sort of obnoxious). The rain seemed to keep all of the boaters inside, which made the lake eerily quiet. It was almost surreal with all of the rain and fog.

Even the cute 2-year olds were mesmerized into a rare calm quiet.

A new obsession...

2009-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Pretty little crochet waves...mmmmmmmMMMMmmmmm...

Much of this was completed during our summer road trip. There is something very restful about a road trip. Really there is nothing that you can do but spend the passing hours looking at the beautiful scenery, listening to music, chatting, napping...and if you're me -crocheting! You are absolved of all "responsible" tasks that you could be undertaking.

The road and scenery were absolutely hypnotic! Add repetitive crochet stitches into the mix and I was all RELAX-ED. Ahhh.

True confession - I don't really know how to crochet. I wasn't able to understand all of the instructions in the pattern. After 3 false starts I decided that this looked close enough to the pattern in the book, and most importantly - I like the way that it looks!

Still millions of little crochet stitches to complete and no more road trips planned for the summer. Sounds like the perfect excuse to watch rainy day movies and crochet or to haul the blanket into the backyard with a cool drink on sunny days!

Gotta love summer!

Crafty-cation?

2009-06-13T18:23:00.001-07:00

Does that sound really wrong??? (sounds a bit shocking to me!!). I am trying to convey that I will be on vacation for the next three weeks (so excited) and that I plan to do some crafting (sooo excited!).

The first week will be family togetherness week. My daycare is closed and we (my son, husband and I) will be at a family wedding in "cottage country" at the end of the week. Should be fun, but as with all family intensive events, it could also go terribly wrong! A very kind friend has agreed to watch my son on the evening of the wedding so that my husband and I can dance it up with the rest of the wedding people. A dressy night out? It's been a while! Should be good fun.

In preparation for the free time, I have ordered some exciting craft books to inspire me:

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia Of Crafts: An A-to-z Guide With Detailed Instructions And Endless Inspiration
Vintage Crochet: 30 Gorgeous Designs for Home, Garden, Fashion, Gifts

I don't really know how to crochet...but I fancy myself able to learn. We shall see. We shalllll see...

Stacks of happiness

2009-06-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last night the stars aligned just right to allow me a few hours of uninterrupted crafty puttering. On a school night!

Here are the happy stacks of fabric that resulted:

The stack at the front are just halved charm squares for a baby coin quilt (Neptune by Tula Pink - just in case you are keeping count!!)

The stack in the back are a fun assortment that will become a quilt inspired by this:

http://www.filminthefridge.com/2008/12/29/this-end-up-quilt/

I really love the funny story behind this quilt...such a thoughtful and personal gift from Ashley. Just what a GREAT quilt should be!

Here is a sneak peak at my "Film In the Fridge" inspired quilt. Like Ashley's quilt, it will be going to my sibling (sister) for Christmas...

My "baby" (grown up!) sister lives on the opposite end of the country. We are quite different people, not unlike other sisters in every other family! It always amazes me how two people can grow up in the same family and turn out very differently. I very much admire her sense of fun and adventure. I hope that she will love all of the beautiful, bold, fun prints and colours that I think match how I see her very well.

She's not always easy to get a hold of (so many soccer games, pub trips, movies, etc, etc). We had a nice long chat on the phone last night which was great fun! She really is funny! In thinking back on the conversation and I realize that I spent some time regaling her with stories of how great fabric is...OH DEAR! She was very patient and indulgent. I hope, dear blog reader, that if you have landed on my blog, you can share my appreciation of bright, pretty fabrics - because I do tend to go on about them. drool.

Quilts and comfort

2009-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a quilt for my son. He has a small (read LARGE!) obsession with "Mighty Machines" (trucks and construction vehicles). Where others may see traffic snarls and commuter delays Evan sees excitement and action. His yell of "Oh, Oh, OOOOOOOHHHH! MIGHTY MACHINE!!" can be heard above the rumble of the mightiest bulldozer.

I decided to combine my new-found love of quilting with his love of construction vehicles. Not really an easy combination, especially given my preference for modern, bright colours.

Here is the finished quilt made with:

Michael Miller "Tot Town" fabrics

solid from my local fabric store

Melissa Averinos - Suger Snap - Candy Dots in spring.

FRONT:

BACK:

It's so gratifying to see him curled up in the quilt that I made for him...sort of means that I can be there to comfort him, even when I'm not actually there to comfort him - you know what I mean?

Here is the little man himself curled up over the weekend. It was tough to see him feeling unwell and with a fever, but I think that the cozy quilt offered him a little comfort. And me? I was comforted to know that something I made was making him feel just a bit more comfortable.

A Sunday well spent

2009-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

My son (Evan) was sick over the weekend. This meant that dispite the GREAT weather we stuck close to home.

Evan spent most of Sunday afternoon napping, so I spent most of my afternoon crafting...pure joy!

I have been on a bit of fabric buying binge! You can see the result has been stacks of fabric all over (in fact some are falling over!).

Here is a sneak peak at some fabrics for an upcoming quilt (for a baby girl). I plan to make a coin quilt with these charm packs (Neptune by Tula Pink):

After Evan's nap (and my craft puttering) we headed to the market for cinamon buns and to the garden centre:

All in all - a Sunday well spent! Hope that your day was as enjoyable...

Now entering the blogosphere!

2009-06-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Alright! I'm just going to jump right in...the water looks fine.

I will be posting about my crafting, family and occasional musings.

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