Friday, June 10, 2011

Ambition

Honestly, sometimes I surprise myself. 

I am not an experienced sewer.

At all.

I want to be, so sometimes I pretend I am.  You know, I'm using the think system.  (Fast forward 6 (5:55) minutes in to this clip.  It's not the best link, but it was the best I could find!  Hopefully, you get what I'm talking about.)

Still, I know I have a lot to learn, so it surprises me when I look at something like this...

...and think, "Hey, I can take that cover off and make a pattern to recover it!"

I can?  Really?

I guess we'll see.

Here's where I'm at:  I've got a pile of foam (labeled so I know how to put it back together again) and a dissembled cover. 

I've also got a 3-year-old who is dying to sit on her new couch.  I sure hope I can do this!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Three for Thursday Link-Up!


Haha!  I Googled "3 image" because I wanted to be fancy and put a cool picture on my post.  It doesn't get much cooler than the Amigos, does it?  

Three favorite items of clothing.
1.  My red sweats.
2.  My striped sweater.
3.  My carpenter pants that I got on clearance at Old Navy.

Three things in my house that I wish were self-cleaning.
1.  The floors.
2.  The toilets.
3.  The kids.

Three favorite summertime lunches.
1.  BLTs with cheese.
2.  Macaroni salad.
3.  Ritz crackers with peanut butter and BBQ chips.
(Who am I kidding...I'll eat all of these whether it is summer or not!)

Three things that my children say that they picked up from me:
1.  You know.
2.  Delicious.
3.  Oh yeah, Oh yeah, I peed in the toilet!  (It goes with a dance.  You've gotta see it!)

Three good movie recommendations (It should be noted that I am a movie lover.  These are just a few that come to mind, but I'm filled with recommendations.  Just ask.  =))
1.  Stardust.

Three inexpensive date night ideas.
1.  Picnic in the living room (if you have the time and energy, hang Christmas lights and go "stargazing" after dinner.)
2.  Go to a park and play.
3.  Our classic is to Redbox a movie and cuddle while we watch.  

Three favorite flowers.
1.  Lilacs.
2.  Roses.
3.  Lilies.

Three places I'd like to visit.
1.  Australia.
2.  Paris.
3.  Scotland.

Three good habits that I practice.
1.  I drink a lot of water.
2.  I (try to) exercise almost daily.
3.  Starting today, I have a weekly no-housework day.

Three pictures:

O had to get an echocardiogram because the doctor heard a murmur that she hasn't heard before.  For those who are curious, her heart is normal except for a small fistula.  We are waiting for an appointment with a cardiologist to look into that more.  We are hoping that it will be something minor and not a problem.



So, we have this puddle in our driveway.  It comes and goes depending on how much rain and/or sun we are getting.  After a few weeks of nearly constant rain, it was pretty large.  One evening, after the rain, I could hear frogs croaking rather loudly outside, but I didn't think anything of it until Mister came in and said, "Our puddle is filled with frogs!"  The next day, the puddle was covered with frog eggs and a few days later packed to the brim with tadpoles.  It quickly became a source of fascination for all of us and we were feeling pretty sad for our tadpoles when it started getting hot and the puddle started to evaporate.  So, we went to a pond and brought back some water for them.  



Geese from the pond.  They are running from my kids.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I-Spy Fabric Swap!

Hey friends!

Mrs. Sassy Crafter has opened her I-Spy fabric swap!  I have been looking forward to this since she announced it a few weeks ago.



WooHoo!

Here's the idea.  Each participant in the swap will cut 20 4-inch squares from 10 different pieces of fabric and send it to Mrs. Sassy Crafter (by July 1st).  She will then put all the pieces she receives together, divide them amongst the participants, and send them back out.  By July 18th, we will receive 200 squares to create an I-Spy quilt with!  How fun is that!?

Slots are limited...only 19 available.  You can sign up here where you can also get full details and rules.  So, hurry over and sign up!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Hoo Are You #43

NightOwlCrafting

1.  How often do you wash your vehicle?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!  I don't.  I may have once or twice before, but it is just not something I think of.  If my car or van looks particularly dirty, I might spray it with a hose, but that's about as fancy as I get.  I do try to clean the interior at least once a month though...you know, to control the clutter.

2.  When riding in a car with someone, who usually drives, them or you?

It depends on whose car it is.  Or if it is the Mister and I, I usually let him drive so I can take a nap.  If it is me and my kids, I drive.  =)  If it is me and a friend in my car, I drive; if we are in their car, I let them drive.  Also, when I'm pregnant, I like to drive so I don't get carsick...unless I'm in labor.  Then the Mister drives. 

3.  How many states have you traveled through or to?

Wow.  A lot.  I have been in most of the west coast states:  Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana....I think that's all.  I have driven across the country twice, once across the bottom states and once across the top states.  I live now in West Virginia and I lived once in Florida.  I've been around!

4.  What kind of music do you listen to the most?

Anything I can sing to.  That can include Broadway (lots of Broadway), country, Adele, Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, Regina Spektor, Debbie Gibson, Gloria Estefan...and those are just the ones that come to mind quickly.  If I can sing to it, I'll listen to it.  

5.  Do you prefer the window down or air conditioning?

I love driving with the window down.  But, if it is too hot the air conditioner is pretty nice to have.  Also, I don't like the noise of the wind blowing when I am on the highway so use the air conditioner then too.  

Monday, June 6, 2011

Pillow and Blanket Tutorial

I made this pillow and blanket set using a no-sew fleece blanket kit from Joann's.  (Why would I want to not sew something?  It's a crazy thought!)  This would work with any fleece you may have on hand, though.  The length and width is dependent upon how big you want the pillow and blanket to be.  I didn't do a whole lot of measuring, so I can't tell you how big my final blankets and pillows were.  

Using the blanket kit, the first thing I did was cut 24 inches of length off of the bottom of both fabrics and used that for the pillow.  The larger pieces were used for the blanket.

Pillow:  

The first thing you are going to need is a circle.  The first one I did was a 6 inch circle, but I wanted this one to be a little bigger, so I went with an 8 inch circle.

I took a piece of paper, folded it in quarters and, from the corner of the fold, I measured out 4 inches.

Then I just moved my ruler a little bit, keeping the end at the corner, and continued to mark it in an arc.


 Cut on the lines, unfold, and there you have a circle!

  That was my pattern to cut out 2 circles from the fleece.

 Now, to determine the circumference of the circle...I had to Google it.  The formula is diameter x pi.  So, in my case 8 inches x 3.14 = 25.12.  I rounded up to 25.5 and cut that length from my contrasting fleece.

 Now, fold that in half (Watch out for little baby feet that assume you laid the cutting mat out for her to dance on!) and sew the ends together.  That should leave you with a tube.

Take one of your circles and match it up (right sides in) as best as you can and pin it in.  
Do the same with the opposite end.

Now, sew that circle in.  I found the best way to keep it aligned was just to go slowly and keep the sides always matched up.  
I know.  My technical knowledge and skill is blowing you away.  Have I mentioned I'm pretty much a beginning sewer?  You'd never guess!

Anyway....remember to leave an opening in one end so that you can turn it and stuff it.


 Stuff it good and full.  
Little hands like this work, though they slow it down considerably.  Still, what else could you be doing, right?
Please note how I have the vacuum out where people can see it when they walk in the door.  That way they think they I've been busy cleaning.  It's a good trick.

Once it is stuffed, sew it closed and *bing* you've got an awesome little pillow.

Note:  I seem to have trouble stuffing my pillows evenly.  No worries, though.  As it has been laid on and loved, those lumps have evened out and it looks normal now.


Blanket:


Now, um....I seem to have forgotten that I was doing a tutorial.  But, the blanket was pretty simple.  Take the larger pieces, put them together (right sides out, wrong sides together), and topstitch all the way around.  I left and edge of probably about 3 inches.  

After sewing them together, cut the corners off.  Then, cut a fringe by cutting 2 inch slits, 1 inches apart all the way around.  

I got a pretty good picture of that.

Your blanket, with matching pillow, is complete!

O is in heaven with hers! 

It's good for "sleeping."
Shhhhh, we're resting.

It's good for cuddling... 

...and hugging... 

...and kissing! 

What more could you want from a pillow and blanket?

Linking up:

Friday, June 3, 2011

Three for Thursday...on Saturday. =)

Hello, friends!  I am alive, I think.  I'm in the process of getting my blogging mojo started up.  I'm making plans, I'm taking pictures, I'm thinking happy thoughts.  Stay with me, K?  I'll be back soon!!!!

Here's Thursday's three:

Three of my favorite Pandora.com stations:
1.  Veggie Tales.  Seriously, a nice mix of some good music with some fun kids songs thrown in...for the kids.
2.  Adele.  This is my newest favorite.  I'm loving her more and more every day!
3.  Wicked...Broadway...for when I'm cooking..and singing...and dancing.

Three lessons learned since I have graduated high school:
1.  Life very rarely ends up according to plan.
2.  Life usually ends up better than planned.
3.  I'll always belong with the friends I made in high school and I always have room for more friends.

Three people I was remembering on Memorial Day.
More than 3.  I feel bad picking just a few of them.  I was remembering a lot of ancestors and friends.

Three favorite YouTube videos:
1.  Kid History (all 4 episodes)
2.  Literal Harry Potter  
3.  Hallelujah Chorus Flash Mob (I would have joined right in with them!)

Three Bad Habits:
1.  Staying up way too late.  I know I have to get up early with the kids...Why won't I go to sleep?
2.  Looking in the mirror and focusing on every flaw to the point of over exaggerating them.
3.  Procrastinating.

Three foods I will never put in my mouth:  K--it should be known that I am a fairly picky eater.  I'll taste new things sometimes (if my husband coaxes me enough--and winks and talks sweetly), but I am by no means an adventurous eater.  The list in my head of things I won't eat just keeps getting longer.  Here's a selection:
1.  Escargot.  Snails.  Really?  Why?
2.  Coffee.  I don't like the smell.  I can't really handle caffeine anyway.  It's just not going to happen.
3.  Caviar.  Blech.

Three things that sounded like a good idea at the time.
I can't think of anything.  I'm sure I've had some good not-so-good ideas in my lifetime, but I'm struggling to remember them.

Three plans for Father's Day 2011
1.  A special breakfast.
2.  A 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, and some paint (woohoo!)
3.  A man who will hopefully feel loved.

Three things that make me a "mean" mom (aka a GOOD mom)
1.  I sit them in the corner when rules are broken.
2.  You don't get what want by throwing a tantrum.
3.  Veggies before fruit.  Fruit before dessert.

Three pictures: