I can't believe she was ever this small.

Every once in a blue moon, I get the itch to write on my blog. Maybe someday when I'm not such a young wipper-snapper and I have more of a routine and simple life I will find the serenity to actually sit and write, and think over things more thoroughly.

It's a rainy day today, and normally these sort of days make me feel gloomy, but I am welcoming a day to stay inside and work on some things. I am pretty much out of groceries though. I have been putting off that task for some reason, and the smoothie I just made really showed how little I had in my fridge. But somehow, it is delicioussssssssss. I am out of milk, so instead I substituted a bit of an odwalla smoothie I had left in the fridge, some chobani strawberry-banana yogurt and a little bit of blueberry yogurt. The fruit I put in was a champagne mango, my last banana, a handful of blueberries, and a couple strawberries. And this smoothie is yummy!

Today if Addie is a content little toddler, I am going to work on these fabric flowers my friend who asked me to make them for her wedding. They mimic peonies, about 6 inches across, and I have had a lot of fun making them. I need to make as many as possible, so I have to get workin' because the wedding is July 9th! I am making them in berry and neutral tones in plain cotton, and I think they will turn out lovely. I think I have a photo of the first couple I made for her bridal shower!

the first step was to cut a bunch of long scalloped strips, gather them up and just start stitching them onto round pieces of felt for the petals

And here is the first one I made

I am pretty excited about how they turned out! The flowers are going to be attached to frilly fabric garlands on the walls of the barn where the reception will be held. I can't wait to see it!

Alright, enjoy this rainy day, do some thinking, work on a much procrastinated project, and have a great time!

Hello! I must say, that it has really been too long since I have posted on this blog. Lately though, I have thought blogs are such a wonderful way to share our thoughts, inspiration, fun and useful things, and especially encouragement. I don't presume that I will be a super-blogger who can post everyday, and magically crank out genius projects, but perhaps I can contribute a little in the near future. First of all, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, who just turned 1 year old this weekend, and who makes my life mostly smiles and laughter. I love her. Here she is:

This is Adelaide, whom we call Addie-girl, fondly. This is on her first birthday wearing her first princess dress ever, which I am proud to say that I made. (it took me forever! haha)

Recently I found a new blog, and came across this little survey. I filled it out for myself, and just so you can get to know me a bit, decided to share it in here! It was so much fun to fill in, and I think you will enjoy it if you do. :) Have fun!

Making : a princess dress for my little Adelaide

Cooking : old country potatoes…yum.

Drinking : French press dark roast coffee

Reading: Chemistry textbook J that’s all the time I have for reading.

Wanting: a great vintage bathing suit

Looking: for a new place to live

Playing: “I’m gonna get you” with Addie (I chase her, plain and simple, and she loves it)

Wasting: bent pins…I really could straighten them, I have done it before

Sewing: diaper covers by www.dana-made-it.com for Adelaide

Wishing: my sinuses would clear up

Enjoying: Addie’s smiles and laughs each day

Waiting: for Spring to really start

Liking: my half-marathon training schedule.

Wondering: If I have what it takes to run a half-marathon.

Loving: that Addie pats my back when I pat her back right before naptime

Hoping: my hair appointment on Friday gives me a great new short haircut that I love

Marvelling: at how quickly this first year of Addie’s life has passed, and how wonderful it has been.

Needing: the sun to come out

Smelling: Addie’s hair

Wearing: just jeans and a fitted tee

Following: the Biggest Loser

Noticing: I am really bad at getting the laundry folded

Knowing: my husband is awesome

Thinking: about how to hit these curveballs in life that have come my way recently

Bookmarking: sewing/knitting blogs. There are so many wonderful ones and they are so inspiring to me!

Opening: the circular to find some grocery deals

Giggling: about how Addie dances

Feeling: excited, and yet a little overwhelmed

Hope you enjoyed this and get the time to fill it out for yourself!

Feed the Birds

I kept noticing the empty little bird feeder on my back deck, and how little sparrows would fly up to it in hopes of food, then fly away quickly after finding nothing. It made me so sad!

 So, one day before class Karen and I made an effort to feed the birds. We found some pine cones, got out the Jiffy, we scoured my house for anything that would look appetizing to a bird, and rolled the pine cones in it. We had flax seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds, and crushed up bran flakes and cornflakes to make our tasty treats.  Then, we hung them up with red yarn, and watched an array of colorful birds happily flying to and from the deck with the feast. It was so much fun! It has also been lovely observing so many different kinds of birds.

Here are some photos to enjoy! 

Karen stringing up or bird treats

 

Painting the Roses Red

Just a simple project I did the other day - I had this awesome cutout picture frame, that I loved in white, but I needed a little more spice, so painted it red, and I love it even more now! As my grandmother says about photographs, "Why would you want black and white, when you could have color?" She is a very wise woman. 

The Elijah School

Tuesday of this week, Karen and I took our class to visit the Elijah School in Rising Sun, Maryland for a little sewing workshop. The Elijah school is a small school founded by my Mother-in-law, Marilyn Groop, geared toward students who face challenges in traditional school settings. The school asked me to come once a month and do a sewing/fashion workshop with two of the highschool girls in order to open their minds to possible interests to pursue after highschool. Bringing Karen along made it so much more fun!

We decided to remake garments that we had found in the back of our closets or Salvation Army into pieces we would actually love and wear. Here is what we did:

Beth's dress was a floor length Jessica McClintock that she found at Salvation Army that we turned into a little party dress!

It had this fantastic bow in the back

And Jenny's was a very stretchy purple dress when we began, and she ended up using the bottom of Beth's skirt to make a skirt of her own!

Karen brought this little granny nightgown, and simply hemmed it up to fit her style. The dress was really sweet when she finished!

I had plenty more photos to add, but am still a little new at this blog, so I will have to leave the before photos out for now. Anyway, we had a great time together teaching this sewing workshop, and I think the girls did as well. 

A "New" Creation

God said that the old has passed away, and now I am a new creation, completely new - created to serve a different purpose. It is a challenging thought, and amazing to BE a new creation. There is nothing completely "new" these days, we simply take old ideas, vintage pieces and remake them into newer versions of the old. 

        The Karen and Kate class starts today, and we are attempting to reinvent the old as well as create something new. We are taking pieces of clothing we found at the Salvation Army or in the back of our closets, and altering them till we have something cool and contemporary to wear. We are also focusing on making simple sewing projects to screenprint on. And hopefully through this class, I will learn to be a better blogger, and not wait an entire year between posts. Coming soon should be photos of my design ideas, the process, and finished products! I am so glad I have a Creator to imitate, who has given me a deep instinct...and deep desire to create, to attempt to create something new.