Wine

Please tell me I'm not the only person who sometimes buys wine based solely on the label!  This time, totally worth it.  And even the cork has an elephant on it.

Tada

Here it is hot off the machine.  Thank God for Mondays and the kids being at the babysitters so I can do a bit of crafting.  There is something about setting up an ironing board that seems so daunting.  I think I'll wear it to work tomorrow.  It may not be perfect, but I'm proud.

Totally Awesome...

You have to see this giant felted troll doll to believe it!  I have never felted anything, but can one have too many hobbies?  I also just found out about a sculpture garden in Dallas that isn't very far away, infact it's very close to where one of my crafting groups meet.  I think my favorite art form is sculpture, I saw my first real sculpture in 5th or 6th grade at a local museum in Vermont.  It was this huge life size craft paper bed.  It was a dying woman with an angel leaning over her, from one side it looked like the angel was comforting the woman and helping her go peacefully, from the other side the angel was menacing and the woman terrified.  I've been hooked ever since. 

This is another favorite of mine (Fyodor Kanemsky. First step), I saw it in ninth grade on an exchange trip to Russia, and it has been burned into my memory ever since.  I saw so many beautiful statues and sculptures while I was there.  I need to visit more museums.  I'm embarassed to say I never made it to the Denver Art Museum, I still hold out hope.

Night Sewing

Last night I got a little me time in, hopefully I can finish the job later this week!

Birthday Presents!

So my birthday isn't over yet.  I have the family party with the cake tomorrow, a birthday party on the Vernal Equinox?  I'd say that's a good omen for the year to come!  My wonderful husband took me out and we went to the giant Half Price Books that's down in Dallas, and then to a cute fabric store City Craft, it was small but had most of what I was looking for. 

I think I am going to use these Lizzy House prints for a dress, and maybe something for the kids!

These Anna Maria Horner Voiles will be used to make myself a tunic.  I also finally bought the School House Tunic pattern by Sew Liberated, but this is not the fabric for that...  Hope all of you have a good Equinox and enjoy the beautiful moon.

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.