motivation

Yesterday's post with my project list was excellent motivation to get started! I made a chair cover with this cute owl flannel. I think I might use it as a special motivator or for a star student... not sure yet.

Here's a close-up of the fabric... I think it's so cute! Hubby asked me if I was "going to make one for the boys" but I think (at least I hope) that all of my five year old Kindergartners will love it.

I also started my denim apron. I got the idea from several sites (My Byrd House has several, and this one is my favorite), but ultimately I decided to use a pattern from Sew Simple, a magazine I bought a while back. Can I post a picture of the picture in the magazine? Not sure if that's legal.

Anyway, I cut the legs off an old pair of jeans and opened them up, then sewed them together like this:

Next I'll use this fabric to make the waistband and ties, and sew the pockets to the front. The old belt loops will make a holster for scissors.

Pretty good progress on my list!

project list

Soooo.... I need to make a list. I have a gazillion projects floating around in my head and I figured if I put them here for all the world to see that I might actually hold myself accountable to starting AND finishing them.

*Deep breath*... here goes:

• use cute brown fabric to make a skirt
• turn plaid dress into skirt
• chair cover for classroom with owl print flannel
• finish my large size Starling bag
• punch needle owl kit
• messenger bag (I still haven't decided if I want to start all over or try to rescue the one I've already started)
• recycle an old pair of jeans into a cute apron I can wear in my classroom to hold all the things I'm constantly looking for (pen, sticky note, scissors, etc.)

Ahhh, that feels much better... now instead of these ideas floating in my head, I can actually work on them.

And, not that I want to add anymore things to my list yet, but this is so cool!

learning a new craft

I bought this kit from JoAnn.com a long time ago because I thought the owls were cute. I promptly put it in the very bottom (in the back, no less) of my craft cabinet and forgot about it. I didn't know anything about punch needle embroidery but figured I'd look at it again sometime.


That time is now! I've run across several mentions in craft blogs about Planet June's new eBook about Punch Needle. Reading about it made me remember the little kit I bought, so I dug it out and dusted it off.

Included in the kit are cotton embroidery floss, printed fabric, embroidery needle, carbon paper, and instructions. (I bought a punch needle tool and a 10 inch embroidery hoop separately.) I was completely confused as to why I needed carbon paper until I read the directions and realized it was to transfer the words to the front of the piece. I did an eye roll, labeled myself a rookie, and moved on. :)

I haven't actually been brave enough to do anything besides take pictures and write a post. I'm excited to get started, though. I think it will be fun to make and I'll get to practice some embroidery, too!

instant gratification

I wanted a small project, something I could finish in one evening. I'd been contemplating making a pin cushion and then remembered the pattern I saw over at Heather Bailey's blog. I love the fact that the pin cushion is square! So cute. I love her fabrics, too.

I left the ribbon off the cushion because I didn't want to cover up the fabric... this is one of my favorite fabrics ever and I'm almost out of it! I've used it to make a roll for my crochet hooks and a handbag so far. I've had it forever- I think I bought it as a remnant at JoAnn.

The best thing about making this pin cushion is that I learned a new skill! I had never learned how to do the slip stitch (aka blind stitch) before. I promptly Googled it and jumped around to a few sites before finding this tutorial... it was by far the most clear and concise for me. Yay for pin cushions and learning something new!

Pink Button Side:

Green Button Side:

Complete with pins!

My apologies for the bad lighting... it's quarter of ten and I couldn't wait to post!

scary stuff, good trips, and crafty fun

Have you seen this? Eek. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Hubby and I went to Colorado Springs last weekend to celebrate his birthday. We played golf and went to Garden of the Gods... it was absolutely beautiful! This is a view of southwest Colorado Springs from the top of a nearby hill. The big building directly in the center of the photo is the resort we stayed at.


This is one of the gargantuan rocks in Garden of the Gods.


These are the huge storm clouds that chased us out of Garden of the Gods... complete with thunder and lightning that was THIS CLOSE. The number of fools who stayed to hike and move closer to get a better look at lightning strikes amazed me. Fools.


Despite the weather, we had a great time. I played a full golf course for the first time... I completely sucked, but it was fun. I got hubby a set of irons for his b-day (he picked them out) and he really seems to like them.

And now for crafty fun! I think I've said before that I go through crafty phases... I'll work hard on different projects for a period of time and then have a dry spell that could last anywhere from days to weeks to months. Luckily, I am currently in the "on" portion of my on again- off again life as a crafter. I've been sewing a lot lately and recently finished these:




Give up yet? They are chair covers for birthday boys and girls! I plan to use them in my classroom. If you need a visual, go here. I like mine much better. :)

I'm also working on the bag you see below. It may look done but I am SO not happy with it. I used an interfacing that was too heavy on the lining and the bag itself feels too big and bulky. I may just put the whole thing aside and make a new one or I might rip out the lining and redo it.

My next project is to turn this dress into a skirt. I really like the idea of wearing a mid century style plaid skirt with a twinset in the classroom. :)


All photos are courtesy of my brand new Kodak EasyShare M320. Comes complete with 9.2 megapixels for your viewing pleasure. :)

spotty internet, concerts, and rafting... oh my!

Ack! My internet provider was down for almost two days and I thought I'd go crazy! Hubby resorted to reading tiny websites on his Blueberry last night, and he gets internet at work! Thank goodness it came back up.

Tonight is the big concert! I am so excited... I love Keith Urban and Sugarland, and seeing them together is a double bonus! Plus, I think I'm going to see Brad Paisley in September! I can't stop using exclamation points today!

I went white water rafting with some family on Monday afternoon. It was the same trip I did with my sister in June but WAY more bumpy. I saw our guide fall (hard) off the bus and I think he was so mad/embarrassed about that he decided to take it out on our raft and put us through some major bumps... like, people went flying across the raft bumps. Nobody went into the water except the poor guy our guide actually pushed in. I think I'm done rafting for a while. A good LONG while.

Here is a picture of my newly finished Starling bag in use and a sneak peek of my next one.

Ha! So my sneak peek is not very interesting... but the color is really beautiful. :)

finished

I finally finished (and lined!) my newest handbag. This is futuregirl's Starling Handbag in the medium size. I also added pockets inside as well as a snap. I think this one may get some good use! It's a good size for me and I really needed some sort of closure for security.

I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Charcoal for the main color. For the white band and pink variegated, I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream. I've used Lily for lots of things and it's a good yarn, but I REALLY LOVED the Cotton Ease! No splitting to deal with and it was fairly soft for a cotton yarn.

While I was in FL last week I went to a couple of yarn shops in town and found quite a variety of swanky cotton yarns. And of course, like other yarn/fiber addicts, I bought just a few skeins. I found the softest cotton yarn ever but am finding it splits pretty badly. I plan to use it anyway for a new handbag. More details on that later.

life happens

I always feel bad when I let so much time pass between posts... but I guess in the meantime life is what's happening to me. The last few weeks have been super busy! I've done lots of stuff, including:

• Finished up the school year, packed up my classroom for the summer.
• Took a two-day class on our new math curriculum implementation for next year.
• Had two golf lessons. (I'm not terrible, it turns out!)
• Had a pedicure (I only do this a couple times a year so it's a big deal for me!)
• Went to a writing curriculum planning meeting.
• Read several books (fluffy chick lit that requires little thought :) )
• Hosted my sister from Florida for a week.
• Went whitewater rafting with my sister (two half-days, so much fun!).
• Had my hair cut very differently from "the usual"... I love my new cut and I think this will be my new "usual"!
• Went to a friends' wedding (beautiful!)

It might be summer, but I'm still working... all next week I have meetings to go to for planning stuff. The week after that I'm taking another class.

One thing I haven't been doing so much of is crafting. :( I haven't worked on my black and white Futuregirl bag in several weeks and I have two sewing projects that have been sidelined. That's not actually all my fault; my sewing machine has been on the fritz and I finally bit the bullet and had it tuned and timed by a sewing machine repair pro. It was $65 that I wasn't thrilled about spending but I caved because that's still cheaper than buying a new one. I haven't had the chance to get back into the groove yet.

Off to have lunch and see Land of the Lost with Mr. Seaschell!

finished- pattern testing for futuregirl

This is the handbag I made to test Alice's handbag pattern. I love the pattern! It's very uncomplicated, which is great for crocheter like me who doesn't like complicated. :)


This is the small size- it measures (laying flat) 7 inches high (from the bottom of the bag to the bottom of the handles), 9 inches wide, and 2.5 inches deep. I used Lily Sugar n Cream... I like the structure that the cotton yarn gives the bag- it stands up well on its own.

The lining went in so easily, I thought I was surely doing something wrong... I didn't believe I could make a lining that would fit this bag so perfectly on the first try! But I did, and it looks great.


Right now I'm making the medium size, which currently measures 10.5 inches wide and 2.75 inches deep (I'll measure the height when it's finished). I'm using Lion Brand CottonEase on this bag... this is the first time I've used this yarn and I really love it! No splitting at all and it comes in lots of great colors (solids, which I tend to like better than Sugar n Cream's colorways).


Many thanks to Alice for letting me test this pattern! It's an easy pattern to get the hang of and (as evidenced by all the different bags on her blog) offers tons of flexibility for personalization.

charity bag

I have been reading Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes... what a great book! I used the information in the book to design my own bag. This is going to a friend who's running a silent auction to benefit AA. I've also started a fun messenger bag for myself (pics coming soon!)