Found in this book.  I thought he would make a great embroidery.  He is supposed to be an illustration of a toy that children can make out of buttons, seeds and thread.  I really want to stitch him but don’t think I’ll have any free stitching time between now and November, so I figured I had better share him!!  If you stitch him up, please shoot me a picture, I would love to see it.

Took a little gander into Mesa today and found a little treat for the shop.  Could it be any cuter?

My trip to Mesa also included a business meeting….there are some exciting things cooking here…things I am nearly bursting at the seams to tell you.  I want to wait until all my “eggs hatch” before I say too much (but some hints are ok i guess).

Cake:
1c sugar
1/4c butter
2 eggs
1/2c milk
1 1/2c flour
2tsp. baking powder
1t vanilla

Combine all ingredients, pour into a dish a bit smaller than a 9×13″ (read, I am too lazy to get up and measure my pan). Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-30 min at 375.

Top with fresh strawberries, raspberries or whatever berry is in season and fresh (the real stuff) whipped cream.

Thank you for all the encouragement you passed on regarding the Boden dress, I ear marked some $$ and decided I was going to buy it.  That is until I found myself at Marshalls last night.  I found this darling dress last night and *gasp* it was on clearance for $10!  I promptly snapped it up and wore it to church today.

Also wanted to share the last 2 books I’ve finished; And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander.  Think of it as Jane Austin meets Sherlock Holmes, it was a real page turner and I enjoyed it very much.

“So when Emily’s dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek. Emily’s intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband’s favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries.”

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John & Elizabeth Sherill.  An amazing account of one woman’s experience in occupied Holland.  She and her sister use their house as a safe place for Jews and helped them find refuge with other families in the country.  They are later sent to multiple concentrations camps.  This is written in Corrie’s own words and is a gripping read.  Anyone who appreciated Elie Wiesel’s Night will also be interested in this account.

School started Monday and we’ve already had an invite to a birthday party.  In pondering what to get this little girl, I remembered a post that JC Handmade  wrote about a birthday gift idea.  She made a tote, some barrettes (do I have enough time before 3 o’clock to whip up some barrettes???) and filled the tote with books/games.  I loved the idea for so many reasons, no plastic toys that will be thrown out or added to landfills in a few months, I get to use my sewing machine and the games/books promoted learning.

I was pleased with how it turned out, although I think the handles might be a bit long.  It is lined with the same AH fruit print and I put the two books in the bag.  I really have no idea what reading level the girl is at, or what little girls read these days.  I’m more focused on boy literature- just got an abridged version of Treasure Island yesterday.   What kind of books would you recommend for a beginning male reader, I really want my son to love reading and am struggling to find books that aren’t boring and girly to him.

Over the last 10 years my husband and I have been hauling around a lot of junk, mostly because I am too lazy to go through it and because he is a pack rat.  I’ve finally started going through a lot of the stuff we had- our hall closet now looks lovely and has *gasp* empty space!

Part of the reason for the massive house purging is that I am coming to terms with the fact that our house has only 1225sqft and that I need to use that space wisely since there are 4 people living here.  This means getting rid of pieces that are purely aesthetic- they hold no purpose other than looking pretty.

Enter pretty hutch.

All it does is display china and look pretty- the china could easily be stored in my massive pantry, so I’ve decided this piece has got to go (if you are local and interested in it- shoot me and email).

 I’m thinking of creating a reading nook in the dining/family room where the hutch currently resides. I have this piece that my mom and I found out in rural kansas years ago (she refinished it).  See all those lovely drawers for STORAGE?

Maybe even hang a few of the china pieces on the wall above it and a pretty lamp?  I’m thinking this chair will go well in the corner where the kids little table is.

oh, and the chair needs cushions (in addition to a good cleaning!), Jen gave me the name of a great upholsterer, but I still have to pick a fabric (which you think would be easy for me, but no).  I want to add some color pop to the room…any suggestions?

Also in need of some help?  My mantle.  What on earth can I put up here?  I’m totally open to loosing the mirror. See more of my whole dining room here.

Some people simply live to rearrange and redecorate spaces, me I shake in fear at making choices for my home.  I’m afraid of things not looking good together, or looking boring, or outdated, or not being functional enough, not using the space wisely etc, the list goes on.  Please, please send tips and links.  I would really love some feedback.  Feel free to link back here if you have readers who love to redecorate and want to share ideas!

thanks bunches!

…started preschool today, wearing a little messenger bag that I made for her.

When I picked her up she was so excited to tell me about what she did and show me the things she made.  I took her out for a special lunch after class and really enjoyed every single minute with her.  I can’t believe though that I will have 4 hours a week to myself, I’m almost dizzy with the possibilities!

By popular demand here is how to make your own skirt using vintage sheets (or pillow cases if your girl is little enough).

Here is What You’ll Need:
1 vintage sheet/pillow case
1.5-2yards of coordinating pom pom trim
1/2″ or 3/4″ wide braided elastic
safety pin
measuring tape
everything is sewn with a 1/4″ seam allowance

First- go get your tape measure, you’ll need a waist measurement and a length measurement (how long you want the skirt to be).

You’ll need to wash, iron (enjoy the smell of 30 years of different fabric softeners) and square up your sheet.  Then cut 2 rectangles, each rectangle should be Waist Measurement Wide by (Length Measurement)+ 2inches long.  So, if your waist measurement was 20 inches and your length measurement was 15 inches then you would need 2 rectangles each one being 20inches wide by 17inches long.

With right sides together sew the side seams up, don’t forget to finsh them (serge or zig zag).  Iron the seams flat.

To create your waist casing fold over a 1/4″ and press at the top of the skirt.  Fold over again a whole inch and press (see below).

Your going to stitch you casing closed- stitching as close to the bottom edge as possible.  I always like to leave my opening in the center back, so when I close it I can stitch the tag in at the same time.

When inserting the elastic I like to use a safety pin, I find it easier to guide the elastic around, I pin the tail end with a straight pin at the opening.  After you’ve threaded the elastic be sure to stitch it securely closed, I always sew over the elastic a few times, be sure to close the casing when you are done.

With right side up pin pom trim 1/2″ from the edge of skirt- the poms should be facing the waist band.  I used a zipper foot for this part, you want to stitch as close as you can to the pom edge of the trim (see pic).

When you get the pom trim sewn on, your skirt should look like this.

Next your going to flip the skirt inside out and iron the poms back, as close as you can to your seam.

(i should have clipped my threads before taking this pic)

Your going to create a  hem  here by ironing the raw edge over into the trim, like this:

See how the bottom edge of the pic has the hem folded into the trim edge?  Once you’ve pressed it all under your going to stitch as close to the top of the pom trim as possible.

Now, be sure to send me pics of your cute daughters, neighbors, nieces etc wearing the skirt!

Not the best shot I know, but it is for friends so I can’t cut into it.  I licked the spoon after making it so I know it will taste good (oh, come on you know you lick the spoon too!).  Best part- I’m sharing the recipe (it was my grandmothers) and it is SUPER easy.

My weekend goal is to post the Vintage Sheet Skirt tutorial, so be sure to come back on Monday! Have a great weekend!

When I come home from a vacation I always feel that the race of life begins again before I can even unpack the first bag, this vacation is no exception.  Car is unpacked, load of darks are in the wash and the hum of life has begun again.  Slowly sorting through the mail and emails.  School starts in less than a week and teachers need to be met, clothes need to be bought and preschool back packs need to be sewn.

We had a wonderful time in Alpine, it was so nice to feel cold again!  The weather was wonderful and the area was simply beautiful; we hope to go back in the fall. It was so nice to not have computer access or cell phones- we really left everything behind in an attempt to enjoy our time together as a family.

will be adding more photos to flickr as time allows if you are interested.