Fidget got a darling little dress from one of her grandparents recently. I was a bad daughter-in-law because I didn't put it on her before yesterday... I was saving it for the holiday. But what a mistake! In a hurry yesterday I pulled this over her head to replace the blueberry-stained ensemble I had just removed...
Those are all separate circle-skirt layers! How cute is that? This is going in the idea pile, for sure.
Do you need special characters when you're typing? I bet you know there are lots of html characters out there, but you just don't know what the number codes are for them. I can't remember them all.
Here's a cheat sheet. I printed out the table and keep it for handy reference.
I especially like:
#9829 ( ♥)
#233 ( é )
#224 ( à )
#169 ( © )
#188 ( ¼)
#189 ( ½ )
#190 ( ¾ )
And how is THIS for inspiration from hostessblog.com???? Gorgeous! I have a preggo friend who is having a shower in August, and we had already planned on these colors, but WOW! Now I know exactly what direction we're gonna go!
photo by Jennifer Skog Photography
Be inspired!
Monday really hadn't been a good day. Hormones, crazy schedules, ridiculous heat and detours-everywhere-I-turned had rendered me one frustrated momma by dinnertime. Monday was also our anniversary, which only made me feel worse, because I felt like it should be something extra special and instead was a hodge podge of ickiness. I was one crabby lady. Ack.
So... imagine my surprise when The Older One went out to get the mail and came back in with not only the book I had been waiting for, but my Lila Apron kit wrapped up in a sweet little pink box. Wow! What a pick-me-up! (Should it bother me that it was this -- and not my dear husband and sweet children -- that perked me up? )
After washing the gorgeous fabric, I decided to cut into it last night. Why is that so hard? It's more than the fear of a mis-cut. Fabric itself is so pretty. I just like to fold and refold it. Smooth it out on the table and feel it's soft cotton-y goodness. Anyway, I did eventually cut. (Thank goodness for my rotary cutter. It is so clean and fast. Kind of like ripping off a band-aid.)
And then I spent about an hour ruffling some tulle. (Which makes me think that I need a ruffler for my machine in the worst way.) But the tulle ruffle is DARLING and so worth it.
You can see the rest of the fabric in the box, waiting to jump in and join the fun. I'll probably finish her tonight. My mom is visiting and she wants to see the end result!
Be happy!
Well this post certainly isn't revolutionary. I'm a little late to blogging about how great aprons are. But I have one to post, so, here goes. (Skip to the pretty picture if you don't want to hear my prattling on about how great aprons are and blah blah blah. If you're here, you know that already!! LOL )
Aprons are so useful. From shielding your clothes, to dusting something really quick, to drying your hands, and the tears of Little One who just bonked her head for the nth time on the corner of your desk. Aprons never had to be pretty. But they are. And I'm so glad!
When I wear one I feel a little more feminine. And I think I'm a little bit nicer, too. Aprons definitely channel my inner June Cleaver. I have a few vintage ones and I just got my new Lila apron kit. So my little collection is growing...
I picked up this one last week on my thrifting expedition with the Older One. After washing and pressing, it's good to go! (worn here by The Older One)
I've never seen a pocket like that before, but I love it. The rick rack on the bottom is sweet, even though it scrunches up there in the middle. It might seem funny that someone who bothered to design a fancy pocket like this one couldn't be bothered to attach the rick rack straight, but it's fine by me. I rush through a lot of projects with the same results sometimes. When I slow down (which, btw, is what Amy Karol stresses in her new book) the results are always so much better. I like to think that the lady who made my pink and blue butterfly apron was a bit like me, and rushed this one. Maybe her Little One was waking up. Maybe her cupcakes were getting ready to *ding* in the oven. Maybe she just didn't feel like pinning it down or measuring. ;) Anyway, the imperfection is perfect. ♥
Last night I took on a silly little project. Fidget (The little one) discovered the Older One's old doll stroller, which was a mess. I don't know why we still had it. (I bought it last minute one year for Christmas for $6 when Toys R Us screwed up my order and didn't tell me until the 23rd that NONE of her presents were coming!)
At any rate, after years of (ab)use, it was stained and sad looking. The original fabric is cheap and not washable. So I kind of deconstructed the seat and made a new one. The bottom of the storage basket was a mess too. But rather than completely pull it apart (it was 11pm and I wasn't up to it) I made a false bottom out of a fabric pocket and some cardboard and slipped it in the bottom. The umbrella part was ok, so I didn't change anything there.
Now it looks fresh and clean and ready to roll! Unfortch, the stroller spent the morning on my kitchen table, because Fidget finds great fun in atagonizing the dog with it by chasing her through the house and running her over with it. Hmmm.
MR Pink came home last night with a lovely bunch of my favorites... gerbera (or gerber, whatever!) daisies. They are so bright and simple. We had fucshia ones in our wedding. And I love that he remembers. :) Especially on our anniversary. Nevermind that the stems usually go limp within a day or two, or that I have never really mastered arranging them in a vase. They're so pretty!
(Well, my first and/or last name, I guess. Take your pick.)
I love monograms. I haven't used them in a long time, but there is definitely a schoolgirl prepster in me that yearns for them more than ever... I used to have monogrammed sweaters, bags, pillows, etc, back in the early 80s when I lived on the east coast. When I moved to the midwest it wasn't so much of a popular thing. My monograms went buh-bye, and I filled my closets with big belts, chunky sweaters and pointy toe-d boots. And tapered jeans. But we won't go there. It was pretty bad. And most of it included big Bangs. Huge Bangs that had a zip code of their own. [MR Pink and I went to high school together, remembers the bangs (and the jeans) and he still married me. In fact, it's our anniversary today. *sigh*]
So to make up for all the monograms lost, I made a huge french knot C the other day. And then I stuck it on a 20x20 inch pillow front. The first new pillow for the sewing room.
Wow. That's big. The picture doesn't really do it justice, though. It looks much nicer in person I think. Not so in your face...
This one kind of is though:
At any rate, monograms are back, baby. :)
Fidget was tired of mommy checking her email. So what does she do?
Bet you can't guess. She drags the newly inflated pool (which just left mommy breathless and wheezing) into the foyer. In this picture, she is running toward me, like 'look what that crazy dog just did?!?!!!"
Once she saw me laughing, she got back in it. Looks like she brought some other toys along for the ride.
I think she believes this is some kind of new pull toy. (Maybe because I dragged her around in it for a minute after blowing it up??)
She might be kind of sad when we take it outside and actually put water in it.
I tried really hard. I was so overwhelmed with the excitement of having a new machine that (gulp) sews a straight line without me having to hold my breath for fear of the tension getting all screwed up and whatnot, that I could not concentrate and come up with a project to work on. I had promised the Bigger One that I would make her a tunic top out of some of that Amy Butler Chrysanthemum fabric, but I forgot that I was out of interfacing and couldn't finish the neckline.
And then I thought I would try my hand at bermuda bag covers, only to realize that the pattern I bought for my new handles does not include instructions on how to affix the darned buttons and lining to the handles first... only how to make slipcovers. So, in the always appropriate words of Bill the Cat, ppphhhhffffbbbbbllllt.
I stood over my fabric trunk and freaked out Mr Pink.
MR Pink: "You okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
MR Pink: "But you're just standing there."
"I know, it feels weird. I'm not used to being still."
MR Pink: "You have a weird look on your face."
"Well, I want to work on something really bad. I want to sit down and make something beautiful, but I feel like I am one supply short of every project I want to do."
[MR Pink lets this one slide. It's just too easy.]
MissChris stumbles upon a white placemat in the trunk.
"I know! I'll turn this placemat into a tote bag! That will be fast!"
MR Pink: "Err. OK. Because you need another bag..."
...
Whatever. I can always use bags. And so...
Voila. 20 minutes later. Perfect for our upcoming Hawaii holiday. Even MR Pink said so.
hee hee. Just realized that I used this lotus fabric on the last project I posted. Wow. I look like a creepy serial AB crafter or something.
