half way there

my brother L, asked me to make him a queen size quilt for his bed. he wanted something that was urban and modern with shades of black, grey and white. he left the design and color combination up to me. i decided to try a new technique with this quilt, paper pieced string blocks. the final quilt will consist of a combination of solid blocks and string blocks. in order to make this happen, i need to make 40 string blocks.

as of this afternoon, i have 20 more blocks to make. thankfully, i have figured out how to sew these blocks while baby wearing,

this is what each string block will look like when sewn together. i love the way this looks and can definitely see another string block quilt in my future.

stay tuned to see how this quilt progresses.......

the beans room..the details

here are the final decorating details of the bean's room. some items were gifts, some items i made, and some items were cooper's that we wanted the bean to have. i ordered fabric to match the bedding to make curtains and a pillow for the rocking chair. and no, i did not knit the car, santa left that under the xmas tree for the bean.

a quilt for the bean

i cant wait to see the bean loving his new quilt. i am very happy with the way it turned out. its a little bigger than a typical "baby" quilt. its 60x60, but he will be able to use it for a long time.

show and tell

amy butler "love" fabric and anna maria horner "little folks" fabric. don't know what i am going to make but just HAD to have it.

fabric from scarlet fig. i couldn't resist the donkeys wearing wellies.

the beginning of luke's quilt. 3 string blocks down, 37 more to go. it's a labor of love.

my newest hat design, dimples. made with 100% pure cashmere. hat and pattern will soon be in etsy shop.

the beans room..the closet

i don't think this needs much explanation. the bean has an obscene amount of clothing. he takes after his mother and his pappous ( this is the greek word for grandfather, which is what we are calling my dad, just an fyi) . i will say that i have looked far and wide, thanks to the internet, to find clothes for him that are unique, different and donut scream baby.

bean's room... the artwork

here is your second peak into the bean's room. when i started thinking about how i wanted to transform the nursery, i knew i wanted to have the walls full of artwork. we did not have artwork on the walls for cooper, not sure why, and filling the walls with fun, whimsical art would help to make the space new and different. i spent alot of time online searching for the perfect prints. the goal was to find pieces that were kid friendly but sophisticated at the same time. prints that could grow with the bean.

the classic story of the tortoise and the hare with a modern twist by ink and wit

the giraffe ( seen here) and the snail (in the first picture) can be found here. and the "c is for chatterbox" print is from this great shop.

these two prints are from olli and lime, the place where i purchased the bedding. i couldn't resist these.

there is one more piece of artwork, perhaps my favorite, but i cant show you until the bean is born. it has his name on it, but i can tell you that it came from this shop.

and if you are observant, you will notice that i did give you the bean's initials. only 3 more weeks till you know his name.

2 for 1

i am not found of writing on onesies or bibs for wee ones. sayings like "grandma loves me" or "what happens at grandma's stays at grandmas'" or "mommy's little cutie" or "here comes trouble" or........ i could go on and on about the sayings that companies put on baby clothing and accessories that make me cringe. seriously, it make my skin crawl. just because babies are cute, small and snugly doesn't mean they cant have some style. i know some people like it or they wouldnt make them, but its not my thing.

that being said, i am very picky about what i buy for the bean, but don't feel bad for him, he has a plethora of clothes and will be a very well dressed child or at least while i have control over it. i was this way with cooper as well, but did let some things slide. this time, not so much.

as you know, i needed another project, so i decided to make some bibs for him. i am not ready to commit to another quilt. i do; however, have some ideas brewing in my head for a new quilt. and it seems that my brother would also like one. but for now, i am making bibs. they were simple enough and very quick to make up. and my brain started turning in the middle of the night of how i can make these my own and put them up in the shop. that is what i am working on today. better yet, i figured out how to install snaps, with a little help for precious husband.

this bib is my favorite of the bunch. it was made with a left over log cabin square from the bean's quilt. so you have a sneak peak of what his quilt will look like, or at least the fabric i used. it should be finished this week, so stay tuned...

bean's room... the crib

i thought over the next several weeks i would share with you the bean's room, as we await his arrival. 4 more weeks! can you believe it....

the goal with designing this space was to use existing furniture and wall colors to create a whole new look and feel, essentially to reinvent the space. cooper did not spend a whole lot of time in his room when he was alive. he preferred to be held, and since the doctors did not want him to get upset, he pretty much got his way. this being said, i did not have a whole lot of strong emotional attachments to cooper's room, but knew that i needed to create a whole new space for the bean. it is only fair.

i am not a fan of traditional nursery's or colors and i tend to like to play with different color combinations. you will either like the color combo or you wont. thats ok. i happen to love it!

i found the bedding here. they had all kinds of accessories to match the bedding, but i wanted a more eclectic look and feel. i am not a huge fan of stuffed animals, but managed to get quite a few as gifts. i think they work. the bean has two blankets, one on each end of the crib. one is the one i knit for him and the other one is a cashmere blanket his yaya bought him. i swear the kid owns as much cashmere as his mother. the bedding set did come with a matching quilt, it is tucked away in the drawer at the bottom of the crib.

stay tuned for more glimpses of the bean's room......

its official

i believe you can never have too many tubes of lip gloss.

i used to be a lipstick girl, back when i was teaching and had a regular 9-4 job. i would collect different shades of "stick," as i called it. i am not sure why i loved it so, maybe because i didn't have to reapply a million times during the course of the day. or maybe it made me feel older. or more sophisticated. we had a pretty good run, my lipstick and i. and then one day, we just stopped talking and needing each other.

ok, lets be honest. i cheated. i discovered stila lip glaze and was in love. it was an instant love affair. i was drawn in by the packaging, the colors, and the way it sparkled on my lips. with names like plum fairy and pinkle twinkle whats not to love?

so its official, i am now and forever a lip gloss girl. i don't think i even own a tube of lipstick anymore. lip gloss has the power to make me feel younger, not so made up and it has the ability to change my attitude about myself.

tell me, are you a lipstick girl or a lip gloss girl?

stretched

no, this is not a post about how my skin has stretched beyond comprehension, during the final weeks of pregnancy, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.

it is a post about in the last two days i have stretched my sewing skills.

up until recently, i have been fairly comfortable with sewing in straight lines. in fact, i have become quite proficient at sewing in straight lines and have been perfectly content letting someone else quilt the 4 quilts that i have managed to make since june.

but i got this design idea in my head, and it has my brain working on over time. i cant share it yet, as it is not perfected, but not to worry, its almost there. being the perfectionist that i am this idea has implored me to the following in the last 48 hours.

** buy a darning foot for my machine, so that i can attempt to free motion quilt.

** learn how to make a button hole on my machine.

** teach myself how to sew in a zipper.

** and become acquainted with the fancy stitches on my machine.

by last night my brain was on over load and i realized that free motion quilting is really hard, sewing in zippers is not as scary as i thought it would be and technology/ electronics really suck sometimes. my machine and i had a knock down drag out fight over the button holes. i finally won. and that despite my frustration yesterday, i am proud of myself for pressing on and figuring it out. it will serve my creative mind well.

now, i have to get back to that design idea......

wearing shades

i have a thing for sunglasses. they bring out my inner celebrity. there is something about a fabulous pair of sunglasses that can make you feel like a rock star, even if you are simply going grocery shopping.

unfortunately, like many things in my life, i have expensive taste in sunglasses. and not to be a brand whore, but prada sunglasses are my eye accessory of choice. ok, who i am kidding, i am a bit a of brand whore. i have two pairs, one i bought several years ago, i think i used grocery money, because i had to have them (don't worry i was single and could afford to skip a few meals) and the second pair i got a few summers ago in greece ( they are much cheaper in europe, even with the awful exchange rate). i love both pairs equally. and would like to add this pair to my little sunglasses family.

today, for the first time this year, i wore my sunglasses because the sun was out and it was bright (the grey skies have returned). when you live in a place where the winters are long and grey you rejoice when you have to wear your sunglasses. it is a happy day when the sun glares into your eyes off the white snow. and somehow, when the sun is shining the cold does not seem so bad. and for a brief moment i was a rock star, or at least i was in my head.

a sweater and a winner

yesterday i finished the bean's first sweater, i figure i should knit as many as i can before he decides that they are not cool. and yes i know i have some time......i used the spud and chloe sweater yarn, which is great for babies and kids because it is machine washable and it is a blend of wool and cotton. i think it is around a 6-9 month size. i say think because i played with the gauge a bit to make it bigger, eliminating the need to redo the knitting math.

i think it is as cute as can be.

and yes, this was photographed in the bean's room, so you have a little sneak peek of the wall color.

__________________________________________________________

and now for the winner of the pure knits book giveaway.

precious husband picked a random number and the comment that corresponded with that number belonged to bonnie m. yay bonnie! so bonnie, send me your mailing address so i can send you your book.

and if i don't hear from bonnie, by the end of the weekend, i will have precious husband pick another random number.

Pure Knits Book Giveaway

remember this post? and this one?

well, when my mom was here in october, we were at the bookstore and bought a copy of pure knits.

this evening, the ups truck delivered another copy of said book to my doorstep, compliments of the publisher. and well, since i don't need two copies of this book ( despite my belief that one can never have too many books), i decided to do a little give away.

if you would like your own copy of pure knits, leave a comment by midnight on friday. precious husband will pick a number on saturday. who knows it could be you.....

this is really a great book with projects for all levels of knitters.

happy commenting.....

and two for the bean

this weekend while watching football, i made two hats for the bean. i used my knot baby hat pattern and played with the stripe pattern. i really like the vertical stripes. i think that will be his "coming home from the hospital" hat. both hats were made with spud and chloe yarn, which is great for little ones because it is machine washable.

perfect stocking stuffer

Purl is one of my favorite knitting shops and their blog, the purlbee is a great source on inspiration for all things creative. i was thrilled to see that they have created a calendar. perfect for one's crafting space.

you can purchase it here.

and santa, if you are reading this, i would really really like this in my stocking.

just added

just added to the etsy shop... and a few other last minute gift ideas

may you catch lots of trout

all the men in my family, going back generations, fly-fish. fly fishing is a right of passage, a defining moment in one's upbringing, a thread that connects the generations, a time to celebrate family and the outdoors, an excuse to travel, a reason to spin wild tales and of course worship the almighty trout.

my cousin, ben, contacted me right before thanksgiving and asked if i would design him a trout hat to wear while fishing. he is a fly fishing guide in santa fe and needs to keep his ears and head warm while showing his clients a good time. i had great fun creating this hat for ben. i have a feeling i am going to get some requests from other family members, in particular my youngest brother, sam.

and ben, may you catch lots of trout while sporting this hat.

the stockings were hung

in weatherford oklahoma. a few weeks ago i received a request from a friend, would i knit her 3 christmas stockings? i told her i thought i would be able to pull it off in time for christmas. she gave me a color scheme, but gave me free reign on design ( a designer's dream client). i finished them over thanksgiving and they arrived at their new home last week. she loves them! i can just picture them hanging in her home, i have not seen her home, but the house she grew up in was always so festive and embodied holiday cheer. i expect her house is no different.

for jiles

for shef

and for brad

after many attempts

you all know how much i heart any fabric from heather ross. well, before i even knew how to turn on a sewing machine i bought her book, weekend sewing. i loved everything in the book, but was particularly smitten with the lucy kimono.

i tried to make it very early on in my sewing career for alli and baby charlie, but failed miserably several times, each attempt ended up in the trash can. when my mom was here in october she gave me a binding lesson, now i was ready to tackle the kimono. or so i thought. it took me ripping out many times, alot of four letter words and walking away several times, but i finished it today. i cant wait to see it on the bean. i think i will take it to the hospital.

today, i learned that i should listen to my inner voice. usually i am pretty good at that, but not with sewing. there was something about the pattern that just wasn't making sense and each time i ripped out and did exactly what the pattern said, it was wrong. i finally, listened to myself, approached the little garment intuitively and it worked; i believe the way that ms.ross intended. i then added the extra binding to the bottom edge.

i am ready to order some more fabric and make a few more for the bean. i think they will be perfectly adorable over a white onesie. hopefully, it wont take me all afternoon the second time around.

second storie

this past saturday i went to the second storie indie market, not that i needed to buy anything, but i wanted to check it out and support handmade.

i was really impressed with the quality of work. i did buy a few items, but resisted the urge to purchase anything for myself. it was tempting since all of my holiday gifts are finished.

i bought this darling poster for the bean's room. and bought a few gifts for loved ones. my mom just had back surgery so i am her elf this holiday season.

i collected a large stack of cards. here are some of my favorite finds.

**letter press cards by pearlmarmalade. i am particularly fond of this one.

**letter press posters by inkandwit.

** vintage fabric buttons by secret pocket.

** quilted ring by smallbird.

i heart handmade!