Happy St. Patricks!

Found a bakery I didn't know about today, they make cute cakes and cupcakes.  Hope you had a fun green filled day!

Et Tu Brute

So this week of March, it's pretty full of stuff.  First we start out with the 13th, Daylight savings time, then Pi day, and now the Ides!  We get a small break on the 16th, and then off to St. Patrick's day. Then my birthday, quickly followed by St. Joseph's day on the 19th.  Let's round this all off with the Spring Equinox on the 20th!  As Martha would say "That's a good thing."
More crafts coming.  I promise, but for now I will eat cake.

Corners of my Home: Remembering

Soulemama has been doing corners of my home on her blog for many years, and I find it delightful to see her house and how it is set up.  I guess I'm a little bit of a voyeur.  I love looking at magazines too, but there's something much more, hmmmm... scrumptious(?), about a real lived in space that reflects its inhabitants.  I don't really have a space of my own right now as we are staying with family.  But here is a picture of my bedroom in the old house.  It was the very first time I picked out a color for a room and actually got to paint it that color.  I'm very proud that it turned out exactly as I wanted it.  Here's to new beginnings and the knowledge that another wonderful room is waiting for me in the future.

Old Files

Do you ever go through the folders on your computer because you can't remember what's in them?  I just did and discovered several pictures of me pregnant and some scanned in family photos.  But I think my favorite random photo is this one: 

About 5 years ago I made my sister a family recipe/photo album for Christmas.  This is one of them.  My mother sold Tupperware on and off throughout my life and this is a recipe that used to be printed on the pastry mat.  It's the easiest pie crust ever and a family secret, so don't go spreading this around okay?

A Spring Walk

What a beautiful day. The trees are blooming, the wind is blowing and my little boy has rediscovered his cape.

Inspiration! Where are you?

Have you heard of TOMS shoes?  They are a really great company that helps to provide shoes for underpriviledged children.  Anyway the store where I work carries them, and right now in the Dallas area they are all the rage.  You should have seen the teenage frenzy around Christmas!  But I digress.  We just received our new shipment yesterday and I helped unpack them.  Each pair comes with a flag or a bag with the TOMS logo, and being crafty I volunteered myself to make a flag for the display.  I had all these great ideas and left with a shoe box full of flags.  Then real life hit me, I played with the kids, ate dinner, cleaned up, put the kids to bed, then I went to bed.  So tonight I realized I needed to make something to give them, maybe inspiration will hit on my days off.  So here it is the marvelous display flag...  Don't worry I have plenty for when I think of something cool to do.

Easter Bunnies...Coming Soon!

So, for the last few years I've been making Easter Bunnies for the kids (okay so maybe my daughter has only been around for 1 Easter, but my son is about to have his fourth) and plan to continue doing this.  The thing is if I don't start things early, like ridiculously early, nothing will get done.  I've found a cute tutorial and plan to use some of my girl's outgrown dresses, how fast they grow!  Plus, I'm really starting to love working with jersey. This way I get to make them a bunny, and I can stick to my resolutions about not spending money.  Speaking of not spending money have you seen Heather Ross's fabric collection at Spoonflower?  I'm asking for Spoonflower gift certificates for my birthday, cause it doesn't count as spending that way!

Walking in a High Speed World

I am very sad to have received the last issue of Mothering magazine, ever.   They are going to continue their website but not the magazine.  It makes me feel like the world is changing too fast, and just when I want to slow down.  I'm ready to get rid of my television (although I don't think my husband feels that way), and just listen to radio programs, but the government wants to stop funding NPR.  I'm not very fufilled with my work right now, I was thinking about going back to a bookstore, but they are all going bankrupt.   I'm just thinking a lot today, about the world I grew up in (rural Vermont) and the world my children are growing up in (suburban Texas).  It's not just the actual geographical changes, but this technology that lets us connect with family all over but keeps us inside so we don't know who lives next door. 

I guess I am once again longing for a community, and maybe that doesn't happen anymore unless one makes it.  I want to know my neighbors, I want to see people walking their dogs and know who the dogs are.  I guess I want my childhood back.

Another Alabama Skirt

I am still working on my beaded skirt, and probably will be for at least a year to come, I am very slow at beading, and it's not exactly a child friendly craft, all those tiny beads, the sharp needle and all.  I did start on another skirt inspired by the bloomers skirt in The Alabama Stitch Book.  I used the bloomers stencil that comes with the book.  I used an extra large t-shirt (I work for a company that loves to give away shirts, they also always end up with only extra larges by the time I get mine...), I traced a skirt that I love and then sewed a felled seam by hand as instructed in the above mentioned book!  I used the reverse applique method, but instead of having two layers (like the book instructs) my yellow t-shirt was not wide enough so I just cut out pieces for the reverse applique (see photo).  I still have one more stencil to sew and cut, but I'm pretty happy with it!

Sock Update

I think I'm really liking this sock thing.  The first sock kept me needle bound straight through.  I found it interesting to watch it take shape, it was a totally new knitting experience for me!  The second sock though... I'm finding tougher to work on, because it's not new, I've already made one, and there are so many other projects calling to me.  I am good at eventually finishing projects, there are very few that remain completely unfinished.  I'm just really into sewing right now, hand sewing ala Alabama Chanin, but more on that later.  Please forgive my terrible photography, but here are the socks right now: