This month’s give away is for a “tea towel embroidery kit”. The kit includes 1-pre stamped flour sack towel (with the design of your choice), 1-gold eye needle (my fav.’s), and enough skeins of floss to complete the project (and if I’m feeling crafty this weekend, I might make a needle case).

I’ve rummaged through my stash of patterns to pull out three options for you. I’ve hunted through flickr and I don’t believe these workbasket patterns have been posted before. However, if you’ve seen me use a pattern before that you simply adore more than these…I’m willing to stamp the towel with another pattern for you.

#1

#2

#3

each image is slightly incomplete on purpose to prevent theft. If you are looking for a summer project leave me a comment and tell me which pattern is your favorite! Extra entries (as always) for sharing the link on your blog. Comments will be open until I go to bed on Saturday (17th) night!

You’re going to want some tart and tangy lemonade when you are done reading this. I’ve been busy sewing for my daughter this week, I’m still working on the twirly skirt to go with the shirt.

Simplicity 3511

 Taken this morning in the back door of our room.  I love our french doors (they helped sell me on the house, them and the hardwood floors), but thanks to them we sleep with the loudest cricket on the planet.  He has some how managed to sneak into the door frame of the doors and rubs his little legs all night long.  All we can do it wack the door frame to get him to stop for a few seconds.  Anyhoo, just wanted to share that little whine with the internet.

What have you been sewing lately?

I’ve been meaning to get a softie together for Softies For Mirabel to ship off to Pip for a few weeks now. I printed off Teresa Levy’s mouse pattern and gave it a wack. The results were awful (the pattern was great, it was my sewing that were the problem), the mouse looked like it had suffered a stroke. Thankfully my daughter isn’t very critical and is happy to haul mr. squeak around with her.

I decided to make my own pattern, a softie that wasn’t so small and that allowed for more hand sewing. Internet, please meet my new friend Ollie.

Best of all? I’m sharing the pattern. If someone would like to clean it up, please let me know, I’m struggling through illustrator. I did my best to explain how I pieced him together, but if my instructions aren’t clear please email me and I’ll try and help you.

I don’t know how to transition this but I know some of you are wondering how Saturday went. It went very well. Blissful Living is a studio that offers classes such as basic sewing, jewelry making, home storage, home decorating, digital scrapbooking, and personal style. The Personal Style class really appealed to me, believe it or not I am horrible about pairing clothes/shoes together. I’m trying to do all my shopping at J.Crew in an attempt to create a mixable wardrobe.

Heather Bailey was there and she had a few pieces from her new fabric collection. Swoon! She aptly described it as “spicy”, there are a few great reds in the mix. She was very friendly and so easy to talk with, she explained that her new collection should be in stores about July. Be sure to keep watching her blog though, she has LOTS of exciting things happening in the next few months.

somehow it seems silly to post today about the simple pleasures of crafting when there is such great suffering today in the world. I don’t know if it is because there were so many children involved, or the sheer volume of people killed or injured; but my heart is heavy today for the people of China. These sorts of events in the world make me want to hold my children closer and protect them.

I’ll be back to crafting soon, but I just wanted to publicly acknowledge this tragic event.

I need help picking a design. I am really leaning towards #4. Please tell me which one you like/don’t like and why.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Well, the Tea Party seemed to be a hit. My daughter was a typical 3yo and had a bit of trouble sharing, but all in all I think the girls really enjoyed themselves. I had more activities planned than we needed- dress up, hat decorating, cookie frosting (this was a big hit) and “home made salt molding dough”!

Next on the agenda is to design and print new business cards…just in case…  I am planning on attending the open house for Blissful Living, this Saturday.  Really excited to meet so many talented local people.  If you are in the neighborhood you should come!

Will be holding May’s give-away sometime next week.  Don’t know what it will be yet, but I promise it will be good! Make sure to swing by so you don’t miss it.

Tonight is a girlfriends baby shower, I finished her quilt yesterday. This was my first foray into machine quilting, and probably my last! I swear I pinned and pulled and pinned some more but the fabrics bunched and shifted. One thing I did learn…always machine quilt from the same direction!

I think it will still be functional for the baby though…I’m hoping my friend will turn a blind eye to the flaws.

I need to be cutting up fruit for the baby shower, or folding laundry, or deciding whether or not to wax the floors for tomorrows Tea Party, or cutting up fake flowers, or vacuuming…the list of things to do before tonight and tomorrow at 11am is getting longer and longer! This is what usually happens when I entertain, I start to panic that I will forget something. This time though, I am planning ahead. I made the cookies today and will store them so they are ready for the girls to frost tomorrow.

Tonight after the kids are in bed I will make the pink play-doh (I have no idea what to call it, though I know play-doh is a brand name) and go through the dress up clothes.

must clean kitchen now….

Anyone have any ides for my daughters tea party on thursday. I like to entertain but I am not very good at it, I need some ideas on how to keep four 3 and 4yo’s busy. I was thinking of thrifting some plastic easter style hats and letting them glue fake flowers on them…but that is where the ideas end. Help.

just a quick pop in to tell you to check out this awesome scarf made by Ric Rac out of fabric selvage.  Isn’t that just the coolest?!  Also love the key ring!

Today started early for our family, my poor husband was up at 4:30am for work and used the last of the milk for breakfast. By the time the rest of us got up at 7 we realized there was nothing in the house for breakfast even if we had milk. After quickly getting everyone ready for the day we ate breakfast at Einstein Bagels, and barely made it to school on time!

After dropping the boy off at school I noticed an “Estate Sale” sign and decided to stop. Thankfully I had some cash (I rarely carry any), because I found some GREAT stuff. Here is just a small amount of what I found.

I don’t really have an interest in this needlepoint book, I thought it said “needlework” when I bought it (that’s what happens when you are wandering around a backyard with an unfenced swimming pool and a 3yo in tow). So…I would be willing to swap it for some other craft books or vintage transfers if anyone is interested….email me or leave me a comment.  The vintage buttons on the book…those I have plans for!

Anyhoo, life has been really busy lately-hence the sparse postings. I’m working on a quilt this weekend for a baby shower next week (it seems the whole month of May is packed with baby showers), so hopefully I will have some pictures on Monday.

Have a great weekend! You know what I’ll be doing!