WIP: sweater season

the past few days it has felt like fall. gray mornings with rain and clouds that held on all day. it was wonderful i longed for sweaters and wool skirts. it was a bit depressing when i realized that there was not a sweater in site and i was unable to locate the box they had been packed away in. i was sent into a tail spin looking through all of my clothing thinking how i either did not like any of it or it did not fit right. i get this way every now and then but this time the thought of going into a store to try things on was quickly refuted by the thought of trying to keep Miss. A entertained. memories of my last trip to buy bras was quite enough to deter any such venture.

so instead of going and buying a whole new wardrobe or ripping open every box in the house to find sweaters i settled on knitting. i opened my knitting box and found a sweater i believe was started before getting pregnant. actually it is so close to being finished that it is quite sad. everything but the neck has been knit up and the neck i had attempted and taken out quite a few times. it is quite a simple task but you knit it separately and then attach it at the end. the hard part is following the repeating pattern because i would always stop in the middle and forget where i was when i picked it up again. so now i am determined to get somewhere with this. it will be finished by the time the real fall weather comes around or at least before a second child is born. something that is not planned for the near future....

finished work

i love making gifts for others because in some ways it insures that projects get done. in others it is just such a wonderful feeling to know that you are making an object that others may enjoy. i had been working on a few wedding gifts for some friends getting married and was able to push through to the end without cutting out intended projects. it seems as if these days i envision more things than i can finish but with this one it was complete. during the process of sewing the floor mat and aprons i was thinking of this couple and wishing the best for them. the labor of love was truly poured out during this whole process. i had given myself enough time to finish the work and in doing so i was able to enjoy the production and not just the end result.

the wedding was wonderful. small and beautifully put together. the intimate size of the event made it even that much more special knowing that a select few were chosen to help celebrate the event. i wish the newly weds many blessings and adventures in this new life together.

{a year ago today}

it is amazing how fast time passes. the other evening a good friend and i were talking about our kids and how they grow so fast, her son is almost exactly a year younger then Miss. A. i then started to look at photos of Miss. A a year ago and had the desire to start posting a few every now and then. we have taken so many photos over this past year and have only processed a number of them. i hope that by posting a few it will not only allow me to look back at the year but also process more of the photos.

i miss moments like this with Miss. A. taking naps together or just snuggling was so much fun. she does not like to nap in many places other then her crib so it makes it quite hard. at times when she is really tired she will put her head on your shoulder and rest but will be looking around again in no time. she is just that way. she loves to take life in and does not want to waist the time snuggeling with others. i do hope that this will change but she has never been much for this type of things. when she was younger she wanted to be held facing out so she would not miss a thing. these are just some of the many things that just add delight to her personalty.

on another note i have been staying bust with a few things that can been seen here.

progress

there was progress on many fronts this weekend and that always feels good. as i mentioned before my father (Pop Pop) was coming up for the weekend. it so amazing to have assistance from someone who knows what they are doing. our front room was cut and painted within an hour and the transformation was staggering. previously the room was a dark red that made everything feel quite small and restricting. we went with a "light brown" (which looks like a coffee with a lot of cream) from a wonderful place that mixes recycled latex paint. they only mix about ten different colors but this color was just right for the front room and it felt good knowing that i was was helping the world out just a little bit.

while he was painting the front room i was painting the third coat on the ceiling in my studio. i could not believe how much paint it took. the ceilings were quite dirty to start with so i washed them down but it just sucked up the paint. the studio was painted just after lunch and then the rest of the evening we were able to relax talk and deal with a teething child that did not want to go down for the night.

on friday evening Daniel was away and i took the time to finish the first stage of my wedding gifts. the pillow was a lot of fun to make and i was surprised that despite all of the steps it takes to baste, back stitch and then sew together it paid off and i love the end result. i then sketched out a few more designs to crewel and got started on them over the weekend.


Miss. A was quite helpful with Pop Pop and wanted to get into all sorts of trouble with the paint. it was quite sweet on sunday morning when the two of them enjoyed a bit of reading time on the couch.

so with the weekend over there are two rooms in the house painted and continued progress on projects which feels good. i like the feeling of balance between different projects. i am excited what this week has to offer.

WIP::week4

things are getting done! it is a fine balance between house work, house projects and crafting projects. i find that during Miss. A's naps i am able to do my sewing projects and then at night i can do house things. it justified this with the fact that trying to set up and paint during a nap time would be futile. so now i don't feel so bad working on sewing a few things.

it is so nice to have my sewing stuff set up even if it is in a temporary place for the time being. right now i am working on a wedding gift that has been in the works for about two months. i picked up crewel a
few months back and started making a few throw pillows for a gift. the initial needlework part was finished almost right away and then came the blocking. i found the perfect doily blocking board at a second hand shop and it works just right. i also have been wiping up a few burp cloths for a new little baby. i feel good about doing house things as long as it can be balanced by other projects.

this weekend should be a lot of fun. my father is going to be in town to help me paint a few walls. it pays off to have an artist and painter for a father, he will be cutting all of the edges something he can do without taping the edges. something i am very excited about because that means less work for me. daniel will be out of town all weekend so it will be nice to have some extra help around here.

::Family Time::

this weekend was filled with true family time. on Saturday we were able to enjoy a full day of yard work, house chores and a trip to our new neighborhood farmers market. it is so much better doing the dishes when two of you are working on them and yard work when everyone is involved. Miss. A was able to play in the yard and eat as much dirt as she liked as a result she was warn out by the end of it all. on Sunday there was more morning yard work and then we all went to explore our new neighborhood library. it is so much fun to get to know a new area. we have done a lot before in the area but to truly get to know the places we will frequent often is another thing. during the afternoon we rearranged boxes in the den and then i set up a small sewing corner in Daniels studio space for now. i was going crazy not being able to get to projects, even to just look at my fabric makes me feel better.

in the evening we went to the park and enjoyed a picnic and free symphony and 3 leg torso with friends. what a wonderful way to finish off a relaxing weekend.

ambulatory care facility

we have a walker in our midst! Miss A has been trying to walk for some time now but the time has come for her to walk more than crawl. i was hoping that she would hold off until we were all the way in our new place but it came right at the same time as the move. she is quite proud of herself when she walks from room to room. the only problem with more walking is more falling. it is amazing how much she can fall even if we feel like we are always watching her. just the other morning as i was making breakfast and she was playing in the plastics drawer she slipped on a lid and hit her nose on the open drawer. it is so sad to see but she is quite resilient.


on friday we also went garage sales a bit before accepting the fact that we should actually be home finishing up the packing of the house. we went to this great church sale and found a few key items. i found a wonderful silver basket to objects of some sort into, a pillow case to make a dress for Miss A with, wonderful mod wood bird and the best find of all some popsicle sticks with covers so we can make some yogert pops like my mother used to make for me. when i saw these i had wonderful flashbacks to summers as a kid.


after a few garage sales we went home and tackled the house. we moved all of our things excluding the artwork to our new place on Saturday! it was quite nice to have everything moved into our new place and by 1 am we were able to fall asleep knowing that the dinning room table was in place and there were places to sit in the living room.


i also was very happy to find a wonderful package in the mail at the new house. it is always so exciting to get mail especially swap packages. inside this package from the lovely Susanover at Plays with Needles i found an amazing amount of buttons. i believe the swap suggested twelve and there are over thirty in there. each one of them is unique and beautiful in its own right. i am now trying to think about some creative ways to integrate them into my latest projects. also included in the package were trims and ribbons, labels, and wonderful hand stitched doily. there are more photos here. thank you so much Susan for making my day.

now on to unpack a few boxes. oh no that will be after our soccer game this evening, the last one of the season.

WIP::week3

it felt quite good to finish and send my Vintage Button Swap package. yesterday felt quite productive. i sent my package and changed our address then went drop off our unwanted things at Goodwill. of course since i was there i had to just stop in and see what they had. i was quite happy with my findings, photos will follow soon for that.

Miss. A was dropped off at the in-laws for the night so we were free to make a big mess at the new place once we got the keys. last night we ripped up the carpet in the livingroom, hall and bedrooms and were pleased with what we found. the bedrooms are in worse shape then the livingroom. now we are off to rip up the tack strips along the walls before Miss. A comes back this afternoon. the fun is just starting...

WIP::week2

the fun is continuing as the boxes get stacked higher. i am finding it hard to pack knowing that i will not have access to many of the items for some time. take note of the many suitcases in the top photo, they are filled with most of my fabric and i wonder when i will get into them again.


this evening i decided it was time to pack my shoes. those who know me well know the numbers of shoes i have accumulated over the years. daniel even took it upon himself to make me what he deemed the 'shoeport'. the port runs longer than the length of our bed and is not big enough to hold all of them. so this evening i packed almost all of them away only keeping out running shoes, soccer shoes, flip-flops and a few flats...thats funny i am still unable to pack away about ten pairs of shoes will i truly get around to using them? it is like packing for a plane trip i always pack about two or three more books then needed or take two knitting projects and find that i never get to more than one.

another part of WIP this weekend will be to pick out some paint colors. we are going to be painting all rooms sooner then later along with ripping up the carpets. i am thinking the kitchen will be all white with an accent wall, in the dinning area, painted a robin egg blue. the idea is still being milled around but the same shade of blue will be repeated on one wall in the bathroom.
we will see how much work actually gets done this weekend. they are forecasting 107F for Saturday so we may be seeking shelter in a nice air-conditioned place.

New House::9 more days

it is hard to believe that we only have a few more days until we get the keys to the new place. for the time being we are keeping ourselves busy packing boxes and trying to not feel overwhelmed by the lack of space. right now my work in progress (WIP) is purging and packing items. actually the amount of purging has been less then i would have thought. i think more will happen when we unpack, or at least that is my hope.

the other day i came to the sad realization that i would probably not get around to many of the projects i want to be doing and so i started packing things up. into boxes when all of my yarn, fabric, ribbons and more. i did keep my buttons out because i knew that i was participating in the Vintage Button Swap. i also kept a few bits of fabric and cut out lamb pieces in order to finish some baby gifts but we will see if i get to those.


the last time i posted i talked about a birthday gift i was in the process of making. the outcome was quite pleasing. i did some fabric applique on a shirt to match a pair of pants and then carried the pattern over into a book bag i stitched together. i also experimented with applying a freezer paper stencil on the front with the birthday girls initial. the next task i would like to make are few bags for Miss A to keep in the car, maybe hung over the front seats, in order to put books and toys in.

i am looking forward to having my very own sewing room where i can spread projects out and just close the door when done working on them. it is will be quite a change from the way it has been.

Work In Progress:: birthday:baby:big sister

it feels good to get back into some projects that have been on my list.
lambs all around::

this lamb has been a lot of fun to sew together. i am making them out of a felted wool blanket and hand sewing them together. it is so relaxing to hand-sew these days.

burp cloth::book bag

i made a few burp cloths a while back and now have reason to make a few more. the book bag is for a friend who is turing one and loves to carry books with her in the stroller.

findings purse::

a fun little purse for the new big sister. she is just two and loves to collect things. so i thought a little purse would be wonderful for putting found objects in.

i am also very excited to starting thinking about my latest swap. it is a swap of sorts but more a collaberation with like minds from all over the world. Marianne of applehead has put together a calendar swap. each individual designs one month page for a 2007 calendar and then we send a copy of our work to all other participants. in the end we will each have a calender designed from women all around the globe. my mind is racing but that project will be on going for quite some time.

WIP::or why i had not blogged in so long

::party favors::

having a birthday is a lot of fun. i was very excited to plan and make things for the event and yet it required so much of my attention. i don't believe i looked at others blogs much in the past weeks, though it was hard at times to stay away. as more and more things were made i longed to document them but would forget and move on to the next thing.
::garland::

since the party was in a park i thought it would be fun to make a garland that hung from the trees over the eating area. it was quite fun cutting out the triangles and then sewing them together. i think i will modify them a bit now and sew them closer so that they can hang in Miss A's room.
::centerpieces::

the pinwheels we a lot of fun to make as well. with a bit of finagling on Daniels part we were able to construct them so that they were both baby proof and able to spin. not an easy task at first but in the end they worked.

happy birthday little one

it is so hard to believe that a year ago today Miss A was born. the first day was filled with sleeplessness and joy but we were ready to take on the world. each minute and hour was fresh in our mind we could recall how many diapers she had used and how often she ate even a week later.

some how we made it through the sleepless nights. we no longer keep track of how many diapers she uses but instead try to remember to write down the milestones as she reaches them. once so helpless she is now already showing us how independent she thinks she is. for her birthday she recieved a little push bike and she has already learned to get both on and off all by herself.

it is hard for me to immagine what she will be doing next year.

along with planning for her party these past weeks we have found ourselves in the middle of buying a house. i might start by saying that we were only just getting into the market when this all took place. we met with the realtor for the first time on a thursday and by tuesday we were not only looking at our first house but putting an offer down. by wednesday afternoon we had our offer accepted and friday we had the inspection. so now we are just going down the list of to-dos. it is hard to believe that by the end of this month we will be moving into our new place. i am happy to say that this new place includes a sewing room with built in shelving and sewing table. it has true 1950's charm and has not changed much since the owner moved in the early 60's. so from now until the end of the month we have our hands full but i am hoping to be a bit better about bloging and working on projects.

as for today we are enjoying a quite day at home with the birthday girl.

gocco initiation

well we used our new gocco machine over the weekend for the first time.

it was quite the adventure but a lot of fun. working with the inks reminded me of the many hours spent in the letterpress lab during colledge. working with Daniel on this project brought back memories of working well into the night on our wedding invitations, setting type, mixing inks and finagling with type no end. i find it hard to believe that we are going on five years this August. it always takes a bit of time familiarize ones self with a new product. we had a lot of fun working on this together and are now moving on to fabrics. there are just so many fun things you can do with the Gocco.

but for now i guess i should keep my focus on the party planning for now. my biggest hang up is not the decorations but the food. if any of you have suggestions as to food for a one year birthday i would love to hear them.

on a more random photo fit in of the girl who love to swing.

::color week::red

a basket of road side diner fries never tasted so good as when they are presented to you on red and white checkered paper. i love fries, they are my weaknesses, yet the amount of time they are good are far few and in between. why is that? it is like fish-n-chips. i would order them all the time when going to pubs and bars and they were never as good as they sounded. now we had a pact if i want to buy fish-n-chips Daniel will remind me that i only like them at select places and that i should not set myself up for disappointment. why has it taken me so long to realize this?

::color week::blue

army of men on the horizon or at least that is what it always looks like to me. this was taken on our road trip to visit family in Montana this past April.

::color week::black/gray

a photo montage compiled of photos of New York::Portland::Eugene. adhered to sections of steal tubing.

our old Royal that saw more use in years past but still makes a wonderful object to look at.

the old Monophone purchased five years ago on our honeymoon. no longer used because we are a cell phone only family now. gone are the days of sitting down and having a conversation on the phone. being made to just enjoy the moment of talking with another person without doing anything else. maybe we will revert back to this one day we also have a vintage Bell wall phone in the basement somewhere just waiting to be unearthed.

cornstarch/water entertainment

one of our new favorite pastimes is to play with a bowl of cornstarch and water. Ms. A had quite a bit of fun with this one the other day. i got this idea from Such Small Hands and we are going to be playing with this a lot more.

she was very excited not only to play with the stuff but i guess she thought it tasted good as well. i am thinking that there is little harm in a bit of the old starch and water getting into the system.

she was quite content until she got distracted by the other things around the house but the good news is that it is easy to clean up.