TaDa! Creations

A new lampshade for my boy

2012-01-16T08:58:00.009-06:00

I completely fell in love with these lampshades and knew I had to have one like it somewhere in my home.

Source: Shannon Berrey Design and Designing Domesticity

I had a very productive week-end and Sam's room got three additions. The lamp, a new frame and a hook. Just wait until you see what else we did. It was a great week-end and I'm feeling very caught up.

I first tried cutting out the letters with just my paper template sitting on the felt (like in the tutorials linked above). But I used my good Dollie felt, not craftstore felt, and it was too limp/soft. I had to re-draw the monogram (since I had cut out my original) and trace it on to heat-n-bond. Then I ironed it to the felt and cut it out like I do for appliques. See sidebar > for a tutorial on how to applique. Be sure to trace the backside or your letters will be backwards. I just removed the backing and was able to hot glue it right to the shade. And of course I used my signature red and white striped ribbon. ;)

I also hung the final matching sailboat photo in his room (it used to hang right outside at the end of the hallway). The other three are over his bed.

And now he has a hook for his robe, a hook for his backpack and a hook for his fireman hat, just like Scupper's The Sailor Dog (my favorite Little Golden Book).

I found this fun hook made from an old wagon side at Mama's Happy last month.

Enjoy your completed room Sam!

To see the rest of his big boy room click {here}.

I'm linking up with:

i heart garlands

2012-01-13T22:43:00.012-06:00

I spent a fun afternoon with my girls making heart garlands today. After seeing Jenn's craftiness I was smitten and drove to my nearest crafty store for my very own jumbo heart punch. I am now addicted to punches and have been dreaming up oodles of other garland opportunities. Although they may not be necessary as these might just stay up all year.

Just punch and sew them all in a row.

(I started by pulling my upper and bobbin thread through to make a long tail. Then made sure my needle was in the center position. Laid one heart down just in front of the needle and sewed a couple stitches, then back-stitched and sewed down the length of the heart. When you near the end, just place your next heart down and feed it in right after the first one. I backstitched at the end too and left a long tail. Turns out I didn't need the tails though, since I didn't tie mine (except downstairs I tied together 2 shorter strands for the length of my window). Have fun!)

I even broke out my Amy Butler scrapbooking papers for this project. My total cost was free since I used a 40% off coupon and had a gift card that covered the $9 punch. Hard to beat that!

I wish I had made more double hearts. Just stack 2 hearts when sewing. Then, when you fold them in half you end up with a 4-sided heart. Double sided paper works well for these cuties. I also found that a lot of my filler papers were white on the back and because of the nature of this garland they spin around a lot so you can't control whether you are seeing the front or the back. Oh and there's the mirror too. Once it occurred to me, I tarted sewing 2 hearts at a time with their white sides together to ensure the most color. I did make hearts out of just white paper too. My favorite color addition are the browns. A last minute decision that really worked.

This was also the perfect excuse to spruce up the buffet. It was looking a little bare after putting away our Christmas decorations. I adore this little owl music box. It had been a gift to my grandparents long ago and I'm so glad to have it in my home.

This just makes me smile.

And now that colder temps have arrived (below zero wind chills here),

it adds sunshine to my day.

Oh Hai! How do you like my new apron?

It's from Anna Maria Horner's ready-made line.

I have a matching dish towel too.

Merry Christmas to me!

How about a look around the room a bit?

This is always a good reminder...

I went for it! A added a large chalkboard vinyl to my cupboard door. I used it for a grocery list the first couple of weeks. But "pepper" and "napkins" isn't very fun to look at. ;)

I tell ya what, I measured and measured that thing and then measured it some more and it still ended up crooked. Grr... I think it would have been a snap if I had peeled off the backing from left to right instead of top to bottom. Oh well. You can't win them all. Maybe someday I'll just paint a chalkboard on there. We'll see...

I've still got more garland to sew. Seems we overdid it with the hearts and there is still a pile on my sewing desk. There are lots of other places that would look lovely with this little addition. Hmm, like my sewing area...

I'm linking up with Skip to My Lou's

An Original Belle
and, Toys in the Dryer

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:44:00.005-06:00

Favorite quote of the day...

David: "Sam, what is Christmas about?"

Sam: "Jesus"

David: "And what did Jesus do?"

Sam: "Blow out candles."

Jewelry boxes from Grandpa prompted a sprucing up of their dresser.

*Favorite green chair, $22 from Mama's Happy

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

Fun was had by all...

2011-12-21T20:42:00.005-06:00

Tonight, a good 40 of us got together to go caroling through the neighborhood.

There was a lot of traipsing through the streets in a not so orderly (or quiet) fashion.

There were new neighbors to welcome.

And a sweet woman who had just been told today by her oncology Dr. that she has a reason to celebrate. Her bone marrow test showed no sign of disease. She was excited to tell one of her nurses that was caroling with us. She took a photo of us and passed out candy canes to the kids.

All in all everyone had a wonderful time.

We can't wait to do it again next year.

A little Christmas decorating...{Part III}

2011-12-21T10:59:00.003-06:00

I'm in love with the new baskets in place of doors on my hutch. I've always wanted a convenient place to store potatoes and onions. It's the simple things that make a girl happy sometimes.

Ahhh...The hutch that still needs a paint color. Black? White? Turquoise? I love the idea of black, but worry that it will be too dark when I'm trying to lighten up the place. Turquoise was my first choice, but when I put out my Christmas stuff, I don't know again. Maybe if I just lost the green dishes and the yellow/orangey platter it would still work and I wouldn't get sick of it year round. But then I start wishing I hadn't sanded it in the first place and just left it brown. Hey, who said that? Was that really me? Although the finish was pretty bad and the bottom of the hutch part has some water damage to it, so it at least needs refinishing. *sigh* What's a girl to do?

Here is my favorite view in the whole house. Standing here always makes me look up and just enjoy it. It won't be quite as pretty once the tree is gone. Since we are still waiting for our white Christmas, we for sure need to keep it up until it finally snows.

I love the nativity on top of the cake pedestal this year. Just a little bit further away from tiny hands.

And I can't beleive that our Christmas cards have stayed here this long without wandering away. These little slots have been empty for the past six years (with the exception of the occasional Little Pony) and now I envision them full of cute stationary this spring.

Three more days! As my kids keep reminding me. Are you ready?

Hollidazzle Parade

2011-12-17T14:52:00.005-06:00

We finally took our kids to see the Hollidazzle parade downtown Minneapolis.
We've decided that we need to do this every year.

Thankful for no snow this week as we froze our bottoms to the curb. It was only 20-some degrees.

Let the parade begin!

The kids loved touching all the characters that came by.

We knew a band was coming and I couldn't figure out how anyone could blow on an instrument in the cold. Turns out, they don't. Glad to see it was just a drum core.

Only the backside of Hansel and Gretel, because the front had a HUGE scary witch on it. Yikes!

Three huge pigs, Little Red and her wolf.

The view down Nicollet Mall.

Downtown is gorgeous at night.

Thank you Target for putting on the Hollidazzle parade, giving us a fun family night out.

Hooray for Baby Jesus!

2011-12-17T06:00:00.004-06:00

*Please excuse my photos. We were sitting halfway back and the only way to take pics at all was to take them of the tv monitors on either side of the platform.

You put 60 plus four to six year-olds up on stage for a Christmas concert and you never know what you'll get.

Waving furiously at Daddy because she had been so worried she wouldn't be able to find us.

Singing at the top of her lungs. Yes, the one that was louder than all the rest. That's my girl.

Mesmerized by the giant screens on either side of them. Afterall, isn't it more fun to watch yourself on tv than pay attention to your director? Of course it is.

Now you see her, now you don't. Both girls kept sitting down between songs and even verses. But I heard from another parent that her little one did the same thing.

And here, Emily had actually moved down to the riser in front of her because a boy behind her had said something mean. Watching it happen, we were wondering what she was thinking. She want back to her spot less than a minute later. I guess she was over it by then.
Never a dull moment.

The did have a lot of fun learning all their songs. And since everyone got a practice cd to play at home, Sam knows most of them as well.

We stayed for the big kid choirs and their musical called "Dude, you hear what I hear?" It was super cute. We are excited for the girls to graduate to the full fledged choir next year.

I hope you get to hear the sweet voices of children singing praises this Christmas.

A little Christmas decorating...{Part II}

2011-12-16T05:52:00.002-06:00

Another fun find from Mama's Happy.
A Jell-o mold wreath with sheet music roses.
Perfect in my kitchen!
I think this can stay up all year. What do you think?

And these beauties came in the mail just yesterday. Five in all for $15, and already made. I had been stalking this kit to make them myself, but it's been $45 for a good year now. I kept hoping I'd find it cheaper. And when I did, I thought there was no way I'd win this set. I turned out to be the only bidder!!!

Merry Christmas to me!

A little Christmas decorating...{Part I}

2011-12-15T13:16:00.003-06:00

This is a nativity set that my mother had painted for her mother-in-law, about 1973. My grandma recently passed it on to me. This is my first year putting it out now that the kids are older.

My little felt and sequin tree skirt makes for a fun table topper at the end of the hall.

And a new piece for the dining room that my mom picked up for me at Mama's Happy a couple week-ends ago. Thanks mom!

I'm thinking I'll swap out the plaid ribbon for turquoise velvet. Yum!

A dear friend had given me a gift certificate to Mama's Happy for my birthday and my mom and I had fun checking out this fun, new-to-us, spot. Kim thought this store would be right up my alley and boy was she right! It's like a mini Junk Bonanza, that's only open one week-end a month. I saw prints there from this favorite Etsy seller too. I had forgotten she was local until I saw them on display.

I have 3 more pieces from here to share with you.

MY wreath is fixed...my wreath is fixed!

2011-12-11T14:45:00.005-06:00

My first attempt kept nagging at the perfectionist in me. I just had to fix it.

See all those uneven, big ends?

It looks heaps better now, don't ya think?

I finally figured out how to roll them to a tiny point.

Then I added another layer, closing that center gap by half and covering up all those big ends I had before.

Before:

After:

What a difference!

Around here...

2011-12-06T23:04:00.004-06:00

Handmade gifts are being checked off the list,

and just getting started (doll quilts),

and teeth are falling out left and right.

He loves being three!

2011-11-22T08:00:00.003-06:00

And we enjoyed celebrating with him.

Happy birthday little man.
May God bless you with many many more birthdays to celebrate.

Getting ready...

2011-11-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

...for Sam I Am's Dr. Seuss party.

The house has been spruced up.

Home Goods lamps for my birthday really helped.

Mercury glass hurricane's from Michael's will move to make room for all the sweets we'll be making. This is my grandmother's buffet that has been sanded and is now waiting a fresh coat of black paint and the original drawer pulls. I'm 99% sure the mirror frame will go turquoise at some point too. No, not before the party, silly. ;)

I thought this Seuss quote was fitting for the goodie bag table. Why, yes! Yes, that is indeed my old Rooster hutch. Thank you for asking. My house is finally de-roostered (with the exception of a few plates that will stay). The door came off and four new baskets from Target fit perfectly to hold overflow pantry items. This will likely be painted black as well, but I'm in no hurry. I love that it's the perfect size for the end of that little hallway.

I'll be back Monday with a Happy 3rd Birthday recap.
Hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

Christmas Stocking {Tutorial}

2011-11-18T08:17:00.003-06:00

I had the pleasure of creating some one of a kind Christmas goodies for a special customer recently. So I thought I'd show you how to make your very own Christmas stocking with ruffle cuff and coordinating pillowcases to go with them. I hope you enjoy this free tutorial this year or start now for next Christmas. ;)

I happened to already have the outline of what I consider to be the perfect shape for a stocking. About 18" high, with a slightly bent toe/ankle. You can free hand draw yours or even buy a cheap stocking at the dollar store to make a pattern from.

I just traced my felt stocking piece and then added a 1/2" seam allowance all around.

It wasn't until later that I realized I needed a non-curved top in order to add a cuff to it. So I just made a straight line across the top two corners. I also added a straight line 4" down from the top cut line (this includes seam allowances) for the cuff piece. The cuff will be cut 4" tall, but when sewn it will measure 3" tall (this is without a ruffle).

Next you'll cut 2 stocking outer pieces and 2 lining pieces. Be sure to flip your pattern, or cut both at once with the fabric folded. The lining not only makes it pretty, but it's functional as well. It helps take some of the stress off of the outer fabric's seam. Especially if your Santa likes to weigh those stockings down. ;)

With right sides together, stitch up the stocking with a 1/2" seam allowance. Be sure to leave the top open. ;) I actually stitched the lining pieces with a slightly larger seam allowance so it would lay flat inside the outer stocking. Start at the top with the same 1/2" s.a. and about 2" down gradually switch to a 5/8" seam allowance. I then trimmed the seam allowance with pinking shears so the fabric wouldn't fray inside. you could probably skip this step since these aren't likely to be washed often (if ever). I do it to avoid seeing strings inside the lining later.

Next I made the loop for hanging. I chose a coordinating fabric, but it would also be fun to substitute grosgrain ribbon instead. Or maybe ribbon sewn on top of a fabric loop. I cut a small strip of fabric that measured about 2"x7". I folded it in half lengthwise and sewed up the long side with a 1/2" s.a. You could also just make double fold bias tape and in hindsight that would have been a lot easier (fold it in half and iron a crease, open up and fold both outer edges in to the middle and iron those creases, fold in half again and then stitch up the open outside edge). Instead I made mine the hard way!

I trimmed a tiny bit off the seam allowance. My goal was to have the loop fully lined so it would have the sturdy thickness of 4 layers of fabric. So this is why I didn't trim my seam more.

You need it to be a tube, but turning it inside out is difficult with such a skinny piece. So I used my pal Amy's trick and also stitched up one short end so I could use this awesome turning tool.

I removed the seam at the short end and ironed them really well.

Now iron it in half and set aside.

Next, I fit the lining inside the stocking with wrong sides together and smoothed it all out, pressing well. Then I trimmed any excess that the lining stuck out past the outer fabric and basted both pieces together at the top.

***If you don't want to add a cuff to your stocking, you could instead layer the stockings with right sides together and sew around the top, leaving a 2" gap for turning it inside out. But first, you should follow the ric rac and loop step that is next (just do it with the stockings inside out instead). Then top-stitch the top edge closed.

Now for the cuff version. Right now the stocking looks like it will look in the end, just the top edges are unfinished. Don't worry, this is correct because your top seam will end up underneath the cuff. Sneaky, eh?

For my top seam, even though I added 1/2" for the seam allowance, I ended up sewing it with a 3/8" s.a. just to make the embedded ric rac edge easier to achieve. Now there is no pinning needed. I could just butt the edge of the ric rac up to the top edge of the inside of the stocking and it would be perfectly on center later.

Heat seal your ric rac ends and start and stop them on the same corner that has the heel of the stocking (where your loop will go).

Then (within a 3/8 s.a.) stitch the loop in place like this. Remember, this is on the inside of the stocking.

Set stocking aside and cut out 4 or 6 cuff pieces, depending. Because I was using a white cuff that would sit on top of a pretty vibrant print I needed to line the inside of the cuff or I could still see through it to the fabric underneath. If you are just using a contrasting print that you can not see through, then you only need to cut 4 pieces (a top and bottom for both front and back). Stitch up the side seams (right sides together) of each set of two, with a 1/2" s.a. and iron seams open.

***This is when I embroidered the names on the cuffs, paying attention to center it without the top and bottom seam allowances. See my tutorial on hand embroidery if you'd like to try this. And scroll down to the coordinating pillow cases to see how I got the fun font.

I also stacked my seam allowances so it would be a little less bulky for sewing. Hopefully you can tell here that one was not trimmed, one was trimmed about hald and the other almost to the stitching.

Next I assembled my cuff pieces in this order.

And basted both the top and bottom edges.

It is now quite stiff.

Next I made the thin candy cane strip. You could of course leave this step off. I cut 2 pieces that were 1.75"x the width of my cuff pattern piece. Stitch up the side seams with a 1/2" s.a. Press seams open and then the whole length in half (right sides together). Now pin this in the round, along the bottom edge of the cuff. With the open edges of the strip along the bottom edge of the cuff. You can either baste this now and remove the pins, or just leave the pins in and proceed to add the ruffle on top of it, that's what I do.

Next I cut 2 strips for the ruffle. My ruffle measures 1.5" finished, so I cut 2 strips 4" x twice the width of the cuff pattern piece. I'm not giving you specific length measurements, because the stocking shape/size that you have drawn for yourself will be different than mine was. Now sew up the short side seams of the ruffle, iron them open and then fold the whole thing in half again and iron it (just like with the thin strip ^). You can use this tutorial on gathering a ruffle. Now pin that on top of the pinned candy cane strip, matching side seems. It should look like this now.

Sew a 1/2" seam around the bottom, remove pins, serge the raw edges (or use a tight zig zag along edges with your regular machine), flip, iron flat.

They will be very stiff now. Aren't they cute? They look like little hats. When you top-stitch 1/8" above the little strip, you''ll want to increase your stitch length more than normal (I bumped mine up from 3.0 to 3.5 here) because with all those layers of fabric, your normal width will look too tiny. A denim needle could help get through the side seams easier too. I didn't switch my needle and got lucky that it didn't break. But I did break a serger needle later on. Oops! Not to self - buy denim needles.

Now you are ready to attach your cuff to the stocking. Hang in there, you are almost finished!

To make sure I had my stocking facing the correct direction (toe pointing to the right like Pottery Barn makes theirs), I slid the cuff over the stocking the way it should look in the end. I then folded the top edges inward and pinned it so when I turned it inside out I wouldn't get disoriented and forget how to put them together for sewing.

Here it is with the cuff safely tucked inside and ready to have the top seam finished. Line up the side seems and pin it evenly all the way around the top.

Remember now, I'm using a 3/8" seam allowance so the seam would be down the center of the ric rac. Then turn the cuff back out so you can make sure the ric rac looks good. Make any adjustments needed by ripping out a portion and re-stitching if needed. Now you can serge that top seam or you could trim it close to the seam with pinking shears (this is the step that I broke a needle on, it is extremely thick at those side seams). You probably won't get much fraying after top-stitching anyway.

Now you can fold the cuff back out and down over the top of the stocking. Iron the top edge really well, tugging on the ric rac making sure it's not hiding in that seam. Top stitch around the top edge with a wider stitch than normal because of all those layers. And you are done!

Pat yourself on the back. You just made a beautiful Christmas stocking from scratch!

For stocking inspiration, check out Pinterest.
I think these would be lovely out of burlap or linen with a white cuff and ruffle.

I also made those sweet girls coordinating pillowcases.

I basically followed Jona G's tutorial, but added a folded in half ruffle to the edge.

I'll share a few tips below.

After adding the little strip and white portion for their names, I tucked in some jumbo ric rac and stitched it down.

Then I printed out a name sample in Braroque font from {here}. Just type the name/words you want then copy and paste it into word and print. Re-size if necessary. I slipped the paper under the pillowcase and traced it with a water-soluble pen. Stitch it and admire it's beauty.

*can you see the paper under there?

I've got one one more order to finish up and then I can move on to my 3 yards of this fun fabric from JoAnn. Matryoshka nativity! I know! I'm not sure yet if this should be Christmas pillowcases or cookie baking aprons. What would you do?

My first Sheet Music Wreath!

2011-11-17T18:15:00.004-06:00

I have been looking forward to making a sheet music wreath for months. Today I realized I had everything on hand that I needed, to make it. Score! I thought I had to go rummage around an antique store to find old sheet music to use. Nope! I just opened my piano bench and found several books of Christian music from the 80's. I actually prefer that the pages are pretty white because they stand out more against our khaki wall. I also had been thinking that I needed really large sized books to make a big wreath. Hello, they stick out on both sides, so 8.5x11 pages are plenty tall enough. Earth to Angel. And the good news is I still have plenty more pages to make several more. I'm rethinking my Christmas crafting list. (but don't tell anyone...shhhhh).

I don't play our piano very often, but when I do, these aren't the books I open first. I figure if I ever really miss them, I can always buy them again. But for today I was super excited for the "free" crafting time and checking another thing off of my wishlist. Yay me!

Don't worry, I didn't touch my vintage books. Don't they just make you happy to look at them?

So while I broke out into song and burned myself with hot glue approximately 1,583 times, I put this big fella together in just over an hour today. I even stuck some subliminal messages in there too.

This wreath took about 50 pages to make.

I still need to perfect this craft. I found it difficult to roll the cones to get a tiny end and mine certainly does not look as lovely as Miss Mustard Seed's. But that's ok. I followed this tute first and then found this one when I had trouble making my first cone. Using her technique, I had the page numbers on the side closest to me so they would be inside the cone and not noticeable on the wreath.

Coming Soon...A Chrstmas Stocking Tutorial

2011-11-14T13:27:00.003-06:00

I'm almost done with one of my final custom orders for the year. And it was just too fun (and timely) not to make a tutorial out of it. Especially since I figured it out as I went along. ;)

Those are some of the most fun projects. Right?

And I'll share a few little tips on how I made the matching pillow cases too.

All these little beauties will be on their way to Italy, hopefully tomorrow.

Enjoy your sneak peek, Jen!

She's leabing...

2011-11-14T08:12:00.001-06:00

Happy Haloweeeeeeeeen!

2011-10-31T17:54:00.007-05:00

This was the first time I've ever made Halloween costumes for my kids. I'm so glad I did! I hope to never do store-bought again. It was a whirl-wind of 2 days but now I am "that mom".

Since no one was going to look very closely at these and I had so little time to make them, I skimped a lot on workmanship. Sam's vest took all of 20 minutes and I drew it on the back of the fabric with a sharpie first, based on a sweater vest from his closet. His hat came from the dollar store last year.

Allison's started as a $12 shirt from Sears' boy department. It took me forever to find a plain white shirt to work with. I love that she has red sequin trim on her shirt and that it matches the fun hat we found at Target. I though about hot gluing the trim on, for about 3 seconds, and then realized I had to hand-sew it on so it could be machine washable. These clothes will stand up to lots of dress-up play. I have no doubt they will get a lot of use.

The cow print has been in my stash for years. I think I was going to recover an ottoman at one point and I don't even have an ottoman. LOL

Emily's bonnet we already had, I just added red velvet ribbon and bows to tie it in with the red dress. I forgot when we were picking out fabric that it needed to go with her already pink bonnet. Oops! I ran out of time making an over dress for her, so it turned into a 10 minute apron instead. No top-stitching here! And everyone has room to wear a sweater under their costume. We got lucky in that it wont' be too cold tonight. Love the metal pail I picked up at Home Depot too. She loves her outfit and next year wants to be Mary Ingalls instead of Laura.

Sam's shirt was found at a used kids clothing store for $3. I just took a red sharpie to draw in the lines to make it look more like the real deal.

Do you remember last year when we came home from vacation to find our neighbors willow tree had fallen down? Well that was after the leaves were already gone. So imagine our surprise this year to find a beautiful red tree gracing our new view.

What a gift. Love it!

And so the trick-or-treating begins. Hope you all had a fun night!

2011-10-28T15:44:00.001-05:00

School Girls

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

First, here is the view as I wait in the pick-up line. The actual school is off to my right. These are condos that were built after they sold off part of what used to be parking lot.

Kind of makes me want to get there earlier than necessary. ;)

They are loving school so far. Both of them have had nothing but good things to say about their days. With the exception of the bus ride taking too long. But that will get shorter after Christmas break, when they move to the upper campus and take away my gorgeous view. ;)

Silly girls striking their own poses.

Plaid skirts and knee socks. *swoon* I was worried they would be around their ankles all day. but they did a great job. These are from Lands End, if you are looking for cute cabled ones that really stay up, find them {here}.

On the first day I got to witness Allison who was already standing in line, greet her sister with a tackle of a hug when Emily came out of the building. Totally made my day. They played really well together the rest of that day too. Having such a long break from each other does wonders for their relationship.

Second, First Day of School

2011-10-24T08:59:00.003-05:00

They were off at 7:15 today and it was still dark outside. I can't wait for noon to get here so I can pick them up and find out how their first day went. Again.

Girls, I am praying for a wonderful first day for you. That you would find everything you need, make new friends, obey your teacher and enjoy your big day.

Fall Party and a Farewell

2011-10-20T19:50:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was the girls' last day at their first school. While we really loved this school, and they had a wonderful teacher there and a fun classroom, we still made the decision to switch them. I'm feeling a little sad about it tonight because it really is a great school. When we first told the girls about the switch they cried. Which of course made us feel terrible and question if we were doing the right thing. But over the past week we've seen several little confirmations that this is the right thing to do.

So why the switch? Well, we originally had our hearts set on a charter school in our same school district but didn't get in. First we were number 80 and later number 40 on the wait list. But then 2 weeks ago we got a notice that they had room for both girls for this school year. I had to read it several times to make sure it really said this year and not next year. The girls could either be in the same or separate classrooms. We were thrilled and of course we chose separate classrooms which wasn't even an option at their old school this year. I had already put them on the wait list for next year, but we knew it would be better to switch them now, in the middle, than wait again to see if we'd get in next year. Now was our chance and we took it. Even their current teacher thought it was best to move them now.

The main benefits to their new school is the traditional, classical education they will receive and the much smaller environment. It's a K-12 school with only 50-60 students per grade. It's considered a college prep school. They learn Latin and wear uniforms. Oh and did I mention that it's a "public" school so it costs us nothing? Well, if you don't count the uniforms that is. And yes that wasn't easy to fork over the money after I had already bought their fall/winter wardrobes for this year. And not a single pair of their shoes match their uniforms. C'est la vie!

This school also uses a systematic and sequential approach to teaching. When they study a certain time period in history, they will also study that same time period in every subject they are taking, across the board (geography, science, Latin, literature, grammar, math, music and art). Doesn't that makes perfect sense? They still offer other languages like Spanish in the upper grades and they combine with another charter school for sports (soccer, basketball, golf, volleyball). They also have drama and an orchestra where the kids can play whatever instrument they want. We were worried about it being such a small school that they wouldn't have enough of the same opportunities as the rest of the district.

Did I tell you that we live in the city that Money Magazine said last year was the best place to live in the entire country? We have fabulous schools and our high school football program is highly sought after. But I feel confident they won't be missing out since they are in dance and we have a piano they will learn. They'll stay in community sports, soccer for now, and hopefully start violin at a music center in a few years too. And of course there will be swimming lessons too. They will definitely be well-rounded kids and hopefully more confident at school because of the smaller more intimate environment.

I personally love that they won't ever change schools at different grade levels too. There is no separate middle school, junior high or high school. It's all in one soon-to-be renovated building just 9 minutes from us. K-6 is still meeting in our old church building one city over from us until their portion of the new building is ready at Christmas. We toured there with the girls last week and it was fun to show them where we were married and to see David's dad's old office. Brought back a lot of memories.

I grew up in Minneapolis which is a HUGE school district. We were moved from one school to another every 2-3 years. And guess what. Every.single.time. all of my friends went off to the other school in our area, never the same one I was going to. I should have interviewed them first. "I can be your friend as long as you are moving on to the same next school with me." So, I was basically the new kid 6 times in my school career. It's no wonder I never had a best friend throughout my school days. Being that it's a charter school and you can live anywhere and still go there, now we can choose to live in a less expensive area and not worry about changing schools too.

So, on to their Fall party. They both came home saying that they got to hi-five everyone as they left that day. So glad their teacher made it fun for them right up to the last minute. She really is a sweetheart.

With their favorite friend from school, who they've also played against in soccer this fall. I'm sure we'll see her again through community sports. Would it kill them to give me a smile?

Pumpkin bowling was a huge hit. Those pumpkins took a beating and had to be covered in masking tape by the time they were done.

Bat B I N G O

Making necklaces.

Enjoying a fun snack of apple pie and hot cider. Cutest, easy dessert ever. The kids got to scoop out their own pie filling and we added the whipped cream.

Since we forgot to bring back our library books I'll need to visit the school again. That gave me time to run out and buy the book "Oh the Places You'll Go". When I go back to their school next week I'll ask their teacher to sign a book for each of them. Then I'll continue to do that every year, without them knowing of course, and we can give them the books at graduation. Thank you Pinterest for that idea!

By the way, if you are looking for a great book to read, I highly recommend "Secure Daughters Confident Sons". I'm half way through and it's really good.

New in the shop {Ric Rac Ruffles}

2011-10-19T20:22:00.001-05:00

Find them {here}.

My Budding Designer

2011-10-19T07:41:00.003-05:00

Emily wants to be a "Shop Girl" just like me. When I was sewing our Christmas samples, she was stuck like glue to me for at least an hour, watching everything I did.

She asked if she could use my scraps and a box of pins to make her own creation.

She spent time laboring over the design.

Then made the top.

And the pants.

Sweet, sweet girl, I will teach you to sew very soon.

I love that my girl wants to be creative just like her mom. Makes my heart smile. :)

Fall color and a fun family

2011-10-12T19:37:00.007-05:00

Though the trees here don't have spectacular color, these little red-heads do. ;) I was thrilled when my friend Kathleen asked me to take photos of her family. She is the sweetest, most gentle person you could ever meet. And her New Zealand accent is really fun to listen to.

Cute kid alert!

I especially love this side view of Big Sister's hair color. Isn't it gorgeous? Do you see all the natural variety in there?

And Miss Middle is completely full of spunk. She reminds me so much of my cousin's little girl. I had to catch myself from calling her the wrong name several times.

Ok, so far the frame idea hasn't worked out quite as I envisioned. Love the idea, but it's hard to get the cooperation of all the little kids at once, so we have a phantom hand instead. Hehe...

Who can resist a sweet sister pose?

Todd and Kathleen, you have a beautiful family.

It was a joy to capture all the fun in your little family.

So glad we didn't let these moments pass us by.

Waiting for the leaves to fall...

And of course I'm not spilling the beans on your Christmas photo. But I think you will be very happy. :)

I think I'll have to do a post just on Christmas cards after the big day. They are too cute not to share!

A Beautiful Family

2011-10-08T08:29:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege of taking photos for one of my favorite families last night. They are very special to us. We've been in Bible study together for over 6 years now. And I know it's rare to have friends where both the husbands and the wives hit it off so well.

Kim, you are beautiful inside and out. And your little man is absolutely precious.

I love these photos of pure joy on your sweet son's face. When the days get difficult, I hope these will bring a smile and remind you of what a joy and privilege it is to raise such precious children. You guys are doing an amazing job!

And Little Miss is so full of spunk and personality. My girls can't wait for the next play date.

Autumn in Minnesota is truly a beautiful thing. I'm so glad we have great friends here to share it with.

I love that God choose you for each other. You are such a great fit and a blessing in our lives.

I think I should hire you to write on all my chalkboards for ever and ever. ;)

I'm not going to spoil your Christmas card photo here...but I think we got it. Yay!

My chalkboard is up!

2011-10-07T07:06:00.004-05:00

Yay! It fits perfectly at the end of the hall where I get to see it a dozen times a day. In fact I find myself looking down there just to see all it's lovliness. Now I just need to work on my penmanship. I thought when I was making this, "Wow, this is HUGE, I'll be able to fit a ton of words on it." Apparently not. I'll need to adjust my writing style. But I'm super excited to try the new chalk pen my sweet friend gave me for my birthday last night. Does she know me, or what?

Love all the detail on this frame. It's quite heavy too. And you can't get better than free...thanks Mom! Here she is in her former life. I was able to save the painting itself and bring it to Goodwill.

I found this fun cross-stitch on eBay and snatched it up for just $18. I had another place in mind, but until a new table lamp (hopefully for my birthday *wink*wink*) gets decided first, it will sit right here for now.

Ballet and Tap

2011-10-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

The girls are taking tap and ballet all year and will have a recital this spring. I'm SO excited for them! They love it so far and it's fun to see how much they've learned so quickly already.

Happy Fall!

2011-10-05T15:45:00.003-05:00

It's a gorgeous 88* here today and fall is in full swing. We have a week of rain coming soon so we are enjoying this weather as best we can right now. Tonight I get to scout out one of my favorite spots, looking for the perfect family photo backgrounds. It's the perfect night for a walk and preparation for taking photos for one of my favorite families this Friday. I'm praying that the scattered thunderstorms they moved up a day, stay away.

Sam actually asked me to take his picture. It was so nice to have a willing subject.

And I just finished up a teensy-tiny blouse in size 12/18. It was quite fun to make this along side of a size 7 at the same time.

Happy fall y'all!

Finding Solutions {Owl Growth Chart}

2011-10-03T13:55:00.006-05:00

In our house I find I do a lot of decorating just to cover up the silly design flaws of who ever built this house. Our house is so tiny that there is absolutely no need for an intercom system. But the builders jumped on the 80's bandwagon anyway. To change out the system to white would cost about $800. And since we aren't willing to tackle a larger hole, sheetrock patch job ourselves, the only answer right now is to cover them up. Of course we'll have to do something proper with them if we ever move. Imagine seeing a house you like only to find big holes in the wall when the previous family moves out. Yikes! Either way, they are an eye-sore. You've already seen how I covered the one in our bedroom and the electrical panel in Sam's room. And pretty soon I'll get to show you the command panel in the kitchen. It's a doozy of a hole. I still have yet to come up with a solution for the one by Sam's lightswitch. I fear there is no solution right now, but I'll never stop thinking about it.

So today I waved my magic wand in the girls room, and this is how it turned out. ;)

Remember these wall stickers from Target ,that were in the girls' old room? They were a bit much in there, but now they are perfect in their new room.

Now you see it!

Now you don't!

TaDa! A little woodland themed, totem pole inspired, growth chart.

Wall stickers, a pine 1 x 12 x 4', white paint and a green paint pen and perfect painting weather makes me a happy girl.

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

2011-10-02T22:16:00.004-05:00

New for Christmas...

In Red

Or Pink

Find them {here}

"S" is for Sam

2011-09-28T13:48:00.005-05:00

Come on in!

Paint is Sherwin Williams Urban Putty, same as the rest of the house.

Here is the {before} when it was pink and girlie. ;) And in case you were wondering...we swapped rooms to give the girls more floor-space and a large dresser that was desperately needed. And Sam's old room was the only one that could accommodate bunk beds.

And here is my $128 vintage school map from Junk Bonanza. I would have paid at least $25-50 more for one on Etsy, so I still think it was a great purchase. It definitely makes the room. David especially likes that all we have to do is spring it back up to have access to the electrical panel that's behind it. I'm also telling myself that the $35 maps I saw as I was leaving JB, were rolled up for a reason. There had to have been some major flaws on them. At least that's what I tell myself. Jessica's mom was right, once you buy it you can't look at any more like it. Oops!

I love the colors.

And the frayed edges of the fabric.

And even the darkening in the Gulf of Mexico, from all the fingers that have touched it since 1977.

And my first globe purchase, from Junk Bonanza too. I'm so glad I found the top 3 things on my list at JB (the third is a scale that's in my kitchen, will share later). I could still use about 5 more globes in varying sizes so I'm still on the hunt.

Love that this one is a little darker than what you usually see. The colors really pop!

I could look at this globe all. day. long.

Love the free dresser from my uncle. Perfect for our growing little boy. No paint necessary!

And the $30 Craigslist bed with it's own patina.

Here is Sam's spring/summer quilt. The original "nautical" theme we went with from Pottery Barn Kids.

And here is his fall/winter look. Only because I hate to see this beautiful quilt, that used to hang in our living room, just get folded up on a shelf. It fits in here too.

And I still love these sailboat photos in San Francisco bay, that I took for David's office 10 years ago. Back when you had to actually buy black and white film and get 8x10 prints made from negatives. That seems like ages ago, doesn't it?

And this chippy magnetic board I found for $5 at a garage sale this summer. It matches the map perfectly. Though I'm not sure if I should hang it to the right of the window, or behind his door with a red peg hook row underneath it.

This desk makes for a good nightstand and he loves sitting at it. Now I just need to find the perfect lamp for it.

That's it for Sam's room.

I repainted the wall above the piano yesterday and now the Raleigh Tavern looks much nicer up there. This wall was green for a while, but felt out of place.

Now for a sneak peek of the girls new room.

Fewer wall stickers makes it less busy. I'm using my second set to make a fun growth chart. Can't wait to jump on that project next week.

I hate to admit it, but I'm actually not minding that we didn't have time to paint their bunks white. This looks nice too.

But I really super duper love the lighter pink wall color. I'll share the rest with you when I get their finishing touches done.

Gotta run, I promised the kiddos we'd make chocolate chip cookies this afternoon...

It's s bird!

2011-09-27T21:13:00.004-05:00

And a nest!

Inspired by this cute project.

I finally put something in these frames that hung here, empty for far too long. The little black bird is from Target and came in a set of 20-something. If I can find the link to them I'll add it later. I'm looking forward to adding them here and there around the house.

I've been on a roll these past few weeks, getting some long dreamt about projects done. I'm calling it therapy. The kids just swapped rooms which meant new paint and bunk-beds were assembled.

Next up, Sam's room. I think it's my most favorite room in the whole house. For reals.

Not just flowers...

2011-09-21T19:49:00.008-05:00

but, exquisite beauty.

We were blessed to receive this beautiful arrangement last week. It's from a family that is very close to my uncle. And since this one stayed at their house, I went over yesterday morning to capture it's beauty. It took about an hour (I had 300 photos to download) but it was time very well spent. Many of these photos will be framed and become a beautiful gallery wall for my aunt. And I think my mom and grandma need some of these printed for them too.

Before I show you all it's gorgeousness let me first share it this way.
It stands at least three feet tall and has got to weigh 50 pounds. It touches the chandelier when sitting in the middle of the table. I couldn't even budge it to try to show you. ;)

Sure, it's pretty, but this photo does not do it justice. You can't just stand back to take it all in. You really have to get your face in there to appreciate all it's beauty.

Weren't those colors just exquisite? And no, I didn't saturate any of the coloring with editing.
I wish you could have smelled them too.

Thank you Pohlad family for your generosity. My dad would have loved them.
And thank you Arts & Flowers for being the best at what you do.
My camera loves you!

How do you like them apples?

2011-09-20T13:56:00.005-05:00

On Friday, we stole away for an afternoon at the apple orchard. My mom came with us this time and I think the fresh air and fun with the grand-kids did her some good. I know it did my heart good to know that I could still laugh and have fun and not feel guilty for enjoying life.

Emma Krumbees was a great choice for lunch and some fall fun.

Look at all those kids!

A pair of goofy girls.

They were SO ready to run and play with each other.
And it helped that we practically had the place to ourselves.

They had fun playing "pirate" on the big wooden pirate ship.
Here is Sam yelling "the pirates are coming!"

Then it was time for a wagon ride around the orchard.

Next a little train ride.

Then off to see the goats.

And of course there was the scarecrow contest. This little scene was my favorite.

Then it was time for a little tri-cycle riding.

Betcha didn't see this one coming!

We all got to act like kids again. :)

Then it was time to pick apples.

The only thing that could have made this day any better would have been a little golden sunshine through those trees.

A little ray of sunshine

2011-09-20T13:28:00.005-05:00

In the midst of one of the most difficult weeks of my life, a little ray of sunshine arrived from the South, in the form of Jessica and her family. I'm so glad I was able to take a couple hours out of the day last Thursday to attend the Junk Bonanza with my friends. I had bought my ticket months ago and had been looking forward to Jessica and crew coming for weeks.

Here is a little glimpse at one of the beautiful booths we saw.

Very Miss Mustard Seed, don't ya think?

Loved how they turned this shutter into a jewelry holder.
I have two tall shutters at home just waiting for a new life. I'm thinking my girls need one in their room for necklaces and the other should hold photos somewhere upstairs.

Amy joined up with us too, but of course she managed to avoid the camera. She's all stealthy like that. But she can't hide for long. ;)

And then, after a few text messages, we had what felt to me like a celebrity sighting. We got to meet-up and chat with Jenn for a bit. I tell ya she is every bit as sweet and genuine as you expect her to be if you read her lovely blog.

And as if that all weren't enough, I also found and bought the top three items on my "junk" list. A vintage globe, food scale and old schoolroom pull-down map of the USA. It's HUGE, and a dream come true. I'll share them as soon as I do a little decorating/rearranging around here.

Next up, a day at the apple orchard and THE most beautiful flower arrangement I have ever seen. I spent an hour this morning photographing it. Yes, I may be a little nuts.

No longer in my arms...

2011-09-14T10:49:00.002-05:00

but walking streets of gold with his Lord and Savior.

January 29th 1947 - September 14th 2011

I love you Daddy and miss you terribly.

This past week...

2011-09-13T22:54:00.006-05:00

...one of our sweet TaDollie's traveled home to hold a spot for a brand new babe that will one day make his/her way halfway around the world.

I am praying for you R family!

This big guy celebrated a birthday.

(that's 37 +1 to grow on)

He also ~~risked his life~~ finished painting the living room with me.

My $15 auction piece got it's face-lift.

I sanded the top down to bare wood and re-stained it a dark walnut and used ~~my new love~~ paste wax as a finish on the entire piece. The rest is painted with Benjamin Moore's White Dove, but mixed at Home Depot in Behr's Premium paint and primer in one.

Added shelves for the necessities, where drawers used to be.

A basket underneath to hold all the excess cords. Genius!

And a chippy finish that David still hasn't warmed up to, but I adore. Now I won't mind so much when my kids abuse this piece. Because, as we all know, that will happen.

I'm so glad to finally have a piece of furniture turn out just as I had envisioned.
Thank you Miss Mustard Seed for the great tutorial!

(The feet on this piece were all missing the wood wheels, but thankfully the ones from the old table I had in the corner were a perfect fit. Now I can take my time finding replacements for the table we are not using right now. Whew!)

My beloved secretary got a new look and a more prominent home.
Good-bye black and white toile!

Windows got new white curtains that still need to be shortened. And will soon have bamboo roman shades as well.

My favorite lamp became a twin and so did my favorite pillow. The wall is still begging for art, preferably something like this used in a collage of some sort.

This room was my inspiration. Especially for the windows and I'd love to swap out our coffee table for their less-heavy look. But I tell ya, it's difficult to make a room full of leather and wood, look good for more than just the fall season. I am trying my hardest though. I'm being very purposeful about everything I put back in here and the wall over the couch can make or break that effort. Wish me luck!

*paint: Urban Putty by Sherwin Williams

And tomorrow I get to meet this sweet family at the airport. Then we all get to meet up with this friend in person (finally!) at the Junk Bonanza on Thursday. Can't wait to hug y'all!

p.s. I would covet your prayers for my dad and our family. He is in his final days and though it's been expected it's not one bit easier going through it. He seems very peaceful at home and I am spending every minute I can over there. Tonight he gave me a big smile when I held his hand and told him I was there. And when I said I was going home to get some sleep he said "Good". His only word to me today. My brother was able to visit with me this afternoon and when we left I asked what he was going to do next. He said "I'm going to go find my boy and give him a hug." Awe...I love you Jason.

Thank you Lord for the comfort you give us in the form of hugs from little ones so small. For they are some of life's biggest blessings.

I'm linking up to Miss Mustard Seed and Primitive and Proper.

You're off to Great Places!

2011-09-07T09:37:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful morning it was to send our sweet girls off to big-kid school for the very first time.

Everyone was happy and not a tear was shed.

The dress I finished for Allison last night. With one of my favoirte lines from the book "Oh the Places You'll Go!"

I hope she has a terrific first day today. I can't wait to hear all about it over lunch.

Emily was a little bit timid about it, but we answered all of her questions and reassured her that she'll do great.

This little guy's excitement is from hearing the choo-choo trains off in the distance. Of course I'd like to think he's also excited about all the one-on-one time he'll get with me while the girls are off learning. ;)

They look so ready for their big day.

Their backpacks have lots of room for all this year with bring home.

Special Daddy snuggles just before heading to the bus stop which is just across the street. ;)

This pose is all Sam's doing. He can't wait for his turn.

We have a very busy stop!

Neighborhood friends.

And then it came.

And this is the best shot I got of them getting on. They couldn't hear us yelling to turn around. I'm sure they were very focused on what to do next. And I didn't have time to change my camera settings. :(

Whew...they found a seat together. And David said he could see Emily already talking to a friend across the isle, as they drove away.

Shouldn't looking for new mail always be this fun?

Can't wait to see you ladies in just 2 more hours!

Falling in love with my house again. One curtain at a time.

2011-09-04T20:22:00.006-05:00

How can our days not start out sunny with these new curtains?

I dare someone to stay crabby over their bowl of oatmeal.

I found these fun curtains at Ikea a while back and have been dreaming about them for a long time. But I'll admit I was pretty worried they would be too over-the-top with such a bold graphic print. It also helped to see them in Edie's home too. ;) Having lived with floral and toile curtains for 12 years I was ready to go all white in the whole house. But my heart was really saying "Do it!" And I'm so glad that when Amy came over she said "Do it!" too. I love them even more now that they are hung.

So here is how I hung them up...

I didn't know this until I opened them, but these have gathering tape already attached to the back and are lined too. I'm sure by next spring I'll need to add black out lining too since this west side of our house gets super hot from 4-7pm. But since fall is here we don't need that so much in the winter and I'm ready to move on to another project.

Back to the curtains. I used these little metal hooks and placed them at the height that looked good once they were hanging. But I also made sure that that was below some extra stitching. On our last curtains I made them from scratch and reinforced the stitching along that line. But even with that some of the stitching pulled out from all the opening and closing these get to control light throughout the year.

(Please note that the two hooks in the middle are just there to show you what they look like.)

I used nine hooks per panel. Just make sure you use an odd number so all you have to do is keep finding the middle. No measuring. Gotta love that!

Next I pulled on the gathering strings to shorten the width of the panels to the size needed.

I still need to shorten them so I just left them to puddle on the floor until tomorrow.

So...what do you think? Am I a little nuts for loving these?

We will be replacing our table and chairs this week with my mom's set. It's in perfect condition, unlike ours that is falling apart. It's oak like our floor, oval with a double pedestal base and has 3 leaves that store inside it. At it's smallest size, it's the same length but 6" wider. The chairs are very similar but the legs are straight instead of turned. We'll place it in the opposite direction and I'm no longer adding a buffet below the mirror.

Now to decide what color to paint the table and chairs. Black or white?

And what color to paint the mirror frame next to it. Red or aqua?

One piece down,

2011-09-03T18:38:00.007-05:00

and four more to go.

I thought David's nightstand could use a more masculine look. Well, as much as french provincial can look masculine that is. ;) I even scraped all the white paint off of the drawer pull for him. I had originally painted this when i was in high school and you can see {here} what it looked like before.

I watched these tutorials {here} and {here}. I used black semi-gloss spray paint, decided not to distress it and then used SC Johnson's paste wax which I found in the cleaning isle at Home Depot. It looks great in person.

I'm almost done with our tv stand and should be able to show that off on Monday. David walked into the garage and said "Wow! That looks like something from a blog." Why yes, yes it does...and pretty soon it will be something from my blog. ;)

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed and Primitive and Proper.

This is the BESt birthday EVER!

2011-09-02T22:12:00.006-05:00

We heard that quite a bit today. The girls started their 6th year off right. Cinnamon roles and OJ for breakfast. A bath and then I curled their hair, which didn't last long because of the humidity. Then we picked up Daddy from work at 11am. Next it was off to lunch at Five Guys.

We had no idea that they cook their fries in peanut oil until after about his 10th fry, we noticed Sam scratching his blotchy face (you can see it starting on his cheek below). I of course freaked out, knowing that each exposure could mean a more severe reaction for someone with a peanut allergy. Don't think we'll be going back there again. He was pretty traumatized when we had to tell him he couldn't have any more fries. He sure loves french fries.

Next, we headed to the Zoo.

And enjoyed the new penguin exhibit.

And the farm. We hadn't been here for about a year. Now that we've renewed our membership I plan to take the kids after school at least once a month. We are finally stroller free at the zoo!

Doesn't he make the cutest little chicken? He loves to say "I speak Chicken. Bok, bok, bok..."

Proof that I was there. ;)

The tiger was hot too. We thought it was supposed to be a cool day, but it was still 79*.

Then dinner at Rainforest.

And time for the BIG surprise. The girls have been making their beds every day and showing us they know how to take care of their dolls by keeping their Barbie's hair in good condition. So...it was time for American Girl Dolls. They have been asking for them for about a year now. We opted to get them each their favorite doll in lieu of a friend birthday party this year.

Finding out.

Woo hoo!

Let's go!

I missed it, but when I walked inside, the girls were hugging each other and jumping up and down.

Kanani is Allison's favorite.

And Emily is Emily's favorite. ;)

Back home for cake and more presents. And Daddy played Happy Birthday on the guitar.

It was the BEST birthday EVER! And I think they will be very busy tomorrow while we finish painting the living room. ;)

Move over Craigslist!

2011-09-02T09:24:00.003-05:00

I found the dresser and hutch of my dreams at the Goodwill for just $30. Doesn't this look like it could be the perfect addition to my sewing area, in the perfect shade of aqua? But I've always wanted it for my kitchen in black. Decisions, decisions...

And here is the $15 dresser I bought at auction that we are turning into our new tv stand. I'll put a wicker basket underneath it to hold all the cords that are necessary behind. We are also considering mounting the tv on the wall instead of just setting it on the dresser. The top has been sanded and is ready for a dark walnut stain and the bottom will be painted Benjamin Moore's White Dove, then distressed and waxed. we turned the top two drawer spots into shelves to house the components. They will fit perfectly! That meant I was able to swap hardware around and have 4 working handles and 2 metal key plates for the 2 drawers that are left. It needs a few nails to keep the bottom together and some glue behind some of the veneer. But I can see it finished and pretty in my head already.

And here are some more projects we are working on. Bunk beds for the girls soon to be painted white and my sweet husband is building me an Adirondack chair. Love that guy! Next summer I plan to order 4 more from him. ;)

fast approaching...6 and kindergarten

2011-08-31T15:50:00.003-05:00

Happy almost 6th birthday Allison

Happy almost 6th birthday Emily

On Friday my girls will turn six and in just one week they start kindy. And much to our surprise they will be in the same classroom (as there is only one a.m. kindy class) this year. Oh dear!

To my sweet, sweet girls,

My how you have grown so quickly! I hope that you flourish in kindergarten and that you make lots of new friends.

Please be kind to each other and listen to your teacher. That is a life-long lesson that will serve you well.

I pray that your friendship will stand the test of class together and that you each blossom and grow by leaps and bounds this year.

And don't pick up too much bad stuff on the school bus from those older kids.

Love,
Mom

It's project city around here

2011-08-29T11:17:00.004-05:00

Gone is the red and I'm asking myself why I waited so long to do it. I'm hoping that winter won't feel quite so long and dark this year. Although now our ceiling and cabinets look at little dingy next to all that sunny yellow. There is never an end to all that could be done...

Pretty soon I'll be painting our dining table and chairs black. I just love how this yellow looks against black and there is already a lot of white with the cabinets.

I am seriously giddy about being able to cover up this old 1980's intercom system that has been haunting me for 12 years.

My chalkboard is ready to be assembled and hung, but first I need to make sure it should really stay yellow.

I painted it a while ago when I had planned to hang it in a different room. But now that it's going here, should I change the color? I think the yellow on yellow is kind of nice but I'm not 100% sold on it. The dresser below is just a stand in until I get my grandma's old buffet repaired and painted black.

Then I'll hang red letters vertically {E A T} to the left of it to mask the lopsidedness that's necessary for covering the intercom hole. The {S} is going in Sam's room.

So the frame could go white, aqua or red. I would love opinions...

Switching gears...David and the kiddos all camped in the yard last night. I stayed in to finish the painting, but did make it out to enjoy s'mores with them. Yum!

And...there are exactly three beautiful pumpkins growing in Mrs. Deb's garden. She's been growing them just for our kids to pick this fall. We love her!

Now I'm off to work some more on an Adoption TaDollie.

And tonight we start painting the living room.

Are you having a productive Monday too?

So long red...

2011-08-27T22:46:00.002-05:00

...hello yellow!

Teeny Tiny

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

How cute are these little darlings?

I got to mail out this custom request, in size 6-12 mos, just yesterday.

Sure made me wish I still had a little one at home to dress.

*sigh*

I'm sure they will get lots of love.

So long little ones. I hope you bring lots of sweet smiles from a little girl delighted by the pretty birdies on her legs

New in the Shop {Brown Stripe Knit Ruffles}

2011-08-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

I think these are possibly my favorite pants in our fall wardrobe this year. When I asked Emily to model them for me she said jumping up and down "Oh, goody, I love wearing this dress. It's my favorite!" She loved the pants too. :)

Find them {here}.

Beauty

2011-08-24T22:04:00.004-05:00

I have the sweetest friends!

Amber sent me this adorable mug rug and I wish my pictures could do it justice. It's beautiful! My girls keep trying to take it to use as a doll blanket so I've got it kept in a special spot now. It was the perfect pick-me-up just as she intended and came with a heart-felt card. I will treasure it always. Thank you Amber!

Today the stars aligned and I had not one, not two, but three very ripe bananas at the same time. That's pretty rare here since bananas are usually gobbled up in 2 days, so of course I had to make a banana cake.

What!? Don't you put lilac frosting on your banana cake? ;) Allison thought that plain cream cheese frosting was too boring. How can you disagree with that?

Fall is just around the corner. Even my new burning bush thinks so. I can't wait to see this little guy completely dressed in red.

But until then, I'll keep enjoying the rest of the garden.

This week...

2011-08-22T18:48:00.005-05:00

Good news! My new camera is finally here and I love it. I hope to get my blogging groove back soon.

I was outside the majority of the day, painting. Giving David's nightstand a more masculine look, and freshening up some end tables and painting the chalkboard portion of my new giant chalkboard. I can't wait for that to be done! No pics until it's finished. But let's just say our front yard looks like we are having a yard-sale and I'm sure our neighbors are thrilled. I should be out there right now cleaning up.

The girls had fun with playdoh while Sam napped today.

This little guy got to join in right at the end.

He is getting to be such a big boy these days. And evidently we tell him that a lot too. If you ask him what his name is, he'll say "Big Boy" and if you ask what his whole name is he'll say "Big Boy Samuel Avid Deagen" (middle=David, last=Eagen). He can carry on complete conversations and I understand every single word, though other people still need me to translate occasionally.

The girls start school in just 16 days, though they will get to meet their teachers a week from Thursday. They couldn't be more excited. I'd be very surprised if there is any fear or sadness on their first day, they are just plain ready. But I do know there will be tears from the little man when he realizes that he's not going to ride that big school bus too. I'm really looking forward to some extra time with just me and my boy.

Yesterday my parents celebrated their 30th anniversary. I brought them dinner from my dad's favorite restaurant and the same type of cake from the same bakery that made their wedding cake 30 years ago (it was carrot from Wuollet if you are wondering). I also bought a collection of frames to make a gallery wall and printed up the best photos from our little shoot in June, as their gift. They loved it all and it was a nice quiet little celebration of their 30 years together. Please keep him in your prayers. His white cells are at virtually zero now and that is unlikely to change. He uses oxygen all the time and is very tired, but he still looks the same. We had to tell the kids last week that he's sick again since he needs to wear a face-mask with visitors again. He's nervous about pain, and so far hasn't had any so that may be a good sign. But we really just don't know what to expect. We just want him to be comfortable. He is at peace with it all. No fear, just trusting Jesus, his Lord and savior.

I'll be back tomorrow to introduce a little something new for {the shop}. And we should have our new Christmas dresses in the shop next week. There is lots happening behind the scenes I tell ya and I would usually give you a sneak peak by now, but I don't want to spoil the unveiling. ;)

p.s. Our new favorite dinner recipes as of late are {here} and {here}. Seriously good! And did you see that PW's new show starts this Saturday? I've already got my DVR set.

Dear Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie 'n Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar,

2011-07-29T16:17:00.011-05:00

I think I hate you. But in a good way.
Love, Me

On Monday I made these, and my life will never be the same.

Um yeah. Thankfully milk was on sale this week. Nough said.

{recipe and photo here}

From now on I'm staying away from this category on Pinterest.

My hips can't take anymore.

What crazy things have you
been up to this summer?

Halloween Puppy {New in the Shop}

2011-07-15T09:06:00.002-05:00

The perfect not-so-scary Halloween set for your puppy lovin' girl.

just $44

find it {here}

How do you keep them busy?

2011-07-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

Summer can mean lots of waiting for one sibling, while the other one is at sports practice, music or swimming lessons. And it's not uncommon to see that child entertained with a Nintendo DS or games on an iphone.

But wouldn't it be more rewarding to supply them with a hands-on project that teaches them a new skill? One that could come in handy throughout their life? One that can bring joy to the face of a great-grandma at her 99th birthday party?

Well, that's just what Amy did with her 6 year old daughter.

Lil' Miss did all the stitching in one day while Amy tied the knots for her on the backside. Great-grandma Ruda loved her personalized tea towel. Now Lil' Miss says she can't wait to make more.

Wouldn't it be fun to start making tea towels for those on your Christmas list, today? That's what I plan to do with my girls. You can find my tutorial on hand embroidery {here} to get you started. They can be as elaborate or as easy as you like. You can draw your own design or use a {kit}. You can pick up tea towels, aka flour sack towels at JoAnn or even Mill's Fleet Farm and I'm sure Hobby Lobby or Michael's has them too. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

Apple for the Teacher

2011-07-14T09:17:00.003-05:00

We have just enough fabric to make two more of our back to school sets.

One in the lime colorway and one in the chocolate.

Find them {here}.

A cheery cherry sundress

2011-07-07T17:24:00.005-05:00

Amy dreamt up this darling dress for her almost 1st grader.

It's the perfect amount of embroidery for the older girl.

Not over-the-top-cute...just the right amount of sweetness.

It was also the perfect time for me to sit down and show Amy how to embroider.

I think she's hooked! And so is her daughter, but that's for a later post. ;)

We loved mixing and matching these different prints to give it a classic cherry pickin' vibe.

I love that the red accents don't overwhelm the dress. There is just enough!

This easy halter style would layer well over our {go with everything} blouse.

She even carried the sweet french knots to the end of the ties.

No detail was missed!

And while we were at it, I snapped some photos of 'Lil Miss and Big Brother.

Love those matching dimples!

You can find the dress {here}.

"H" for Happy

2011-06-30T14:44:00.002-05:00

When I was little I asked my mom what the H was for in my dad's name. William H Bierbaum. She told me it was "H" for Happy.

William "H" for Happy Bierbaum.

I fully believed this for years. And how fitting because my dad indeed is a happy guy. I thought I'd share a few more photos of his "happy" personality. We all know this side of him very well and it's one of the parts I love about him the most.

He is such a goofball! :)

Thank you Dad for all the laughs.

Boppa

2011-06-30T12:51:00.005-05:00

I am so thankful for the opportunity this morning, to take photos of my dad. His stamina has gone way down in the last week or so. We felt like we better do that as soon as possible. He naps quite a bit and doesn't make it out of the house much so to have him over here was a special treat. Thank you Lord for blessing us with this extra time with Boppa and that our family now has some wonderful photos to look back on.

Lord willing, my parents will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on August 14th.
Please pray that they get that chance.

I love you Daddy!

Camping {Split Rock Lighthouse & Gooseberry Falls}

2011-06-27T13:28:00.005-05:00

We had THE best time camping with our kids. David and I used to go all the time, but it's been 7 years. This was our kids' first time at a real campground and we look forward to making this an annual trip. Split Rock is only a 4 hour drive north. We stayed at their campgrounds, but I think next time we'll try the grounds at Gooseberry Falls. Carting all our stuff in the 2.5 blocks was no pic nic. Tear-down took us 2 hours and we were hurrying. I can see the benefit of owning a little camper trailer now.

We had a fun site that was very private and the kids loved climbing up the rocky hill behind us to go on their adventures.

I panicked a little as we were leaving because we didn't pack games or activities to keep them occupied. Silly me! Who needs toys when you have rocks to throw, trails to hike, ropes to swing on and chipmonks, squirrels and butterflies to chase. They played better with each other this week-end, than they do at home. Proving that you don't need "stuff."

Is another garage sale in my future? ;) I just made $500 at one last week-end. I'm still giddy about that.

"Look at Mom and smile everyone..."

...works a little better after you have them give their brother a smooch. Though still not perfect, it did get their little bodies and heads closer. I'll have to try this one again soon.

Well...at least it made Brother smile.

In an effort to not come home with pockets full of rocks, I announced that they could only bring home a rock if it was heart-shaped (thinking that would never happen). Not two minutes later and Allison had found this one. Which of course lead to everyone needing to find one so it was fair. We ended up with 5 of them, though none as perfect as that first one.

The reason we came...

The view up here is pretty amazing.

It's no wonder Split Rock is the most visited lighthouse in the world.

Once the lighthouse was built, in 1910, not a single ship has been lost since. Just 5 years before, 29 ships had been wrecked in one giant storm. Lake Superior, the largest lake in the world (in surface area), actually gets hurricanes with 30' high waves. The first 2 assistant lighthouse keepers died just taking their boats up the coast to get the mail. There were no roads up here at all, everything came by ship.

Silly photo with closed eyes, wind and barbed wire. But at least I was there, right? ;)

We are going back this fall and I'll have my new camera by then. Can't wait!

My favorite people all in a row.

I think he got a little tired of me telling them all how to line up. I thought it would never happen.

"Just let me enjoy the view Mom!"

Happier just throwing rocks.

"Are you still taking pictures?"

The girls are really into "Bible Study" lately. They always want to stay up late and say "Hi" to our friends that come for Bible study on Thursdays. We now officially need a babysitter to get them to bed so I can stop missing the group. So, Allison made sure Daddy packed their Bible so they could have their own Bible study while camping. Oh how I love these girls!

The next day we visited Gooseberry Falls. I'm going to figure out which of these photos to duplicate every year so we can see an age progression.

Love this gnarled tree.

What is this??? At least I was there though, right? ;)

That's better!

Can't wait until they get older and we can all take our shoes off and walk across the rocks below. I'm thinking when they're 20 sounds good. ;)

I was amazed at how many little kids were running around so freely. I of course kept my eye on them like a Mother Hen. Playing different scenarios in my mind of how I would save them from going over a cliff or floating down the river. The water was so loud there, would anyone hear my screaming for more help? Am I weird, or do you do the same thing?

David was surprised that I didn't have any photos of him with the kids when he walked right up to the base of the Falls with them one at a time. I had to explain that I was busy saving everyone else in my head and didn't have time to take pics, so this is the best I got. ;)

Sam could barely keep his eyes off the swirling water below him. Wonder what was going through his mind? I'm sure he felt very safe in his daddy's arms.

My brave girls! What fun memories we are making with them.

This little man is all boy!

Such good friends.

She would have slept with binoculars around her neck if we let her.

Ooooo...this could be a fun one to duplicate! By the time they are teenagers (or sooner) I'm sure I'll be sitting on the ground. ;)

Tonight David and I are taking in a Twins game (this is actually what our view will be, we are in that section). Tomorrow the kids and I are going to make snow cones while playing in the backyard. Then Wednesday we are heading out early to pick strawberries with friends, we'll make jam in the evening and and then see Cars 2 on thursday. Also taking photos with my dad sometime this week too. Busy...busy...busy!

Show and Tell

2011-06-26T15:00:00.001-05:00

Right about now, we are on our way back home from a week-end of camping. We likely have tons of mosquito bites, tired kids and smell like a campfire. And we've gotten to show our kids some of our favorite places in northern MN.

Split Rock Lighthouse

and Gooseberry Falls

In the meantime, I have a few things to share with you.

Did I ever tell you that I painted our front door black last summer? I don't think I did and it looks pretty cute so I wanted to show you. I used spray paint and so far it's holding up very nicely.

Last week I did something I've never done before. On my way to Amy's I passed a treasure on the side of the road. I was going over to give her a quick tute on hand embroidery for a dress she's making her daughter and along the way I saw that her neighbors were getting rid of an old patio set (4 chairs and a round table). It just needs some sprucing up. So when I walked in, she greeting me with pizza and I greeted her with a "would you be terribly embarrassed if I went out and loaded up your neighbors trash into my truck?" Classy, huh? I think they will be perfect in our new backyard but I can't decide if they want to be white or black. What do you think?

Eeek! I'm so excited to share this next treasure with you. But actually, I'll save it until the end, because anything after that will seem like such a let down. Instead, here is my $25 craigslist table I picked up last year. It will be getting a fresh coat of white paint, some distressing and lots of poly so it can be used outside year round. I envision it serving as a buffet table for outdoor birthday parties this fall and at our front door the rest of the year, with a table cloth and a vignette that changes with the seasons on it and a chalk board made from an old window (that I hope to find at the Junk Bonanza this year) hanging above it to welcome people. I think she's got a serious case of the cuties. What do you think?

I don't think I ever showed you the flower bed I made at the front corner of our property, last year. Before this, all that was here was that giant rock and the world's ugliest tree (the leaves are practically black). Now that I've tied them together it looks more like it was meant to be and the tree doesn't bother me quite as much.

Oh! Who's cute shoes are those?

This next little table has been in my parents home for years. I've always loved it. So when I asked my mom if they were using it, she was happy to let me have it. Thanks Mom! I'm still looking for the perfectly shaped wingback chair to slipcover that will make up a new reading nook in our bedroom. The nook will include this table, this lamp (I've already bought one for the living room) and a black bookshelf on the wall filled with little gold and silver framed silhouettes . I was thinking of painting the table black, but will wait until the rest is done and see if I like it just the way it is more. It's even got a leather top which is embossed with a little edge design. Can't wait to get going on that corner. I can see it in my mind plain as day.

Now for the last piece. Are you ready?

TaDa!!!

Ok, so David and I are having a little disagreement about this one. He actually wants to keep the painting. But I only like it for the frame. My mom bought it for a few bucks at an auction and is tired of it so she was happy to give it to me. The painting itself is pretty until you look at the spokes of the windmill, those are pretty off. I love it for the HUGE chunky, deep frame and that it's a stretched canvas. My plan is to paint the frame a fun color like turquoise and distress it. Then paint over the painting itself with black chalkboard paint. I want to use it for things like this and I have the perfect spot to hang it. Am I crazy or a genius? My husband thinks about the painter and how sad they would feel if they knew their painting had been painted over. What a sweet guy! But I say my idea is better. I need a chalkboard, not a windmill painting.

I love thrifting, and next to Pinterest and gardening, it's my new favorite thing to do. How about you? Have you found anything fun lately? I'd love to hear about it.

Custom Dress {Vintage Circus}

2011-06-24T10:33:00.005-05:00

We've never actually had a design your own oufit, custom listing in the shop. I guess it's because we've always had enough new business to keep us as busy as we'd like to be (sometimes even more than that). I just finished up this sweet dress for a vintage circus birthday and love it.

We were so lucky to find one of what must be only 5 yards left of this fabric in all of the internets. And Moda's Hullabaloo was the perfect compliment to it. Kudos to Amy for sleuthing that one out.

The buttons are a dark steel gray/blue and are just lovely in person (not as dark as they seem in the shade here).

We won't be able to make any more design-your-own customs this summer, but our goal in the fall is to put up a listing in the shop for just that.

Hope you all have a sunny week-end!

Backyard

2011-06-23T23:59:00.006-05:00

For the past month I've been landscaping our backyard. We've lived here for almost 12 years and until now the back of our house had a huge pile of rock next to the foundation, that had been dumped there by the builders and was probably meant to be spread out for planting beds like the other sides of the house had. I never did take a before photo because it was such an eyesore. I am so glad to finally have that gone and to have the beginnings of a beautiful backyard.

Here, let me show you around...

First, we'll work our way up the hill from the neighbors behind us.

I'll be adding burning bush lilacs and hydrangea along the ravine so we'll have a nice backdrop for photos spring, summer and fall.

We are also planning on adding a garden off the back of the playset, extending down the hill about 10 feet. We'll do that this fall so it's ready for planting in the spring. We gave up our old garden for the playset a couple years ago and we've really missed it.

I love that I can see some of this when I look out our back windows. It's so much nicer to step outside and see this everyday and David really loves not mowing that hill under the crabapple tree too. You can barely see the retaining wall David built for this areas too. That huge pile of rock used to be right there. Did I mention that I'm super excited to see that gone? Oh, I did? I'll try not to bring it up again.

A burning bush will be planted along our property line behind the new bench as well. Makes me excited for fall already.

I still need to dig the stepping stones in so they are level with the mulch.

There's still lots more to do. A few plants to move around (my clematis and more black-eyed susans from the front yard), more to buy (hollyhocks, honeysuckle vine, Japanese lilac tree for the side yard) and trellis' to hang, but most of the hard labor is basically done. Two weeks, 23 bags of mulch, 12 split hostas from a friend and a gazillion edging stone slater, and I've lost 5 pounds. I guess getting off the couch and away from the fridge really does help. ;)

Now we love the view from David's new hammock. Happy Father's Day Honey!

The sole reason for getting this project done was to have this bench here for my dad to sit on with my kids all around him while I snap some photos of them together. We'll finally get to do that next week. Yay!

This little guy couldn't wait to be outside with me.

Until I started snapping photos of him. Then he wanted nothing to do with me and ran back inside. But that's ok, it gave me a chance to show off my new spring jacket from Tarjet that I found for $20. Which was a perfect find this week since it's only been in the 60's. Where is summer!?!?

Still checking me out. He came in and out about 10 times that funny boy.

One of our next projects is to plant all along this crazy hill that's also no fun to mow. But first we need to figure out how to add stairs in front of the new retaining wall that David built last year. Oh and we can't forget to paint those siding pieces that he replaced last year too. Hmmm...that reminds me of something "...and miles to go before I sleep..."

So, there you have it, our new backyard. I'll be back soon with more fun things to show you.

Pinterest love

2011-06-22T12:07:00.004-05:00

My new ~~time-waster~~ errr love, is Pinterest. I'm sure you've all been "pinning" for some time now, but just in case you haven't discovered it, you really need to try it out. It's like bookmarks, for all the pretty stuff on the internets, only better. I used to save photos that I loved, to my laptop, only to realize later that I couldn't for the life of me remember where it came from. Pinterest solves that by letting you "pin" any photo from the net and then it keeps the link back to the site, for you. So go sign up and get started pinning, you'll love it. If you like, you can view my pins too, I'm under Angel Eagen. Warning: it's highly addictive.

Here are my favorite finds as of late...

And if you haven't yet read the book "The Help", please please please put that on your summer reading list. You'll thank me. ;)

Girls Getaway

2011-06-06T15:34:00.004-05:00

{Lisa K, Mindi, Stephanie S , Kathleen, Stephanie K and Lisa L}
*missing, me and Heidi

I had the privilege of being invited on a wonderful girls week-end away by a dear friend. Lisa K spent the last year ridding her body of cancer and now has a clean bill of health. Praise the Lord! We are so thankful to the Lord for carrying them through this terrible year and bringing them closer to Him in the process. She and her husband have been such an inspiration to me personally. They are also in our couples Bible study that meets at our house. We were thrilled to have them join our little group. This week-end was one that Lisa had been looking forward to for some time. She knew she wanted to celebrate being done and give herself a much needed break with girlfriends. Thank you Lisa for inviting us and we can't wait to do it again in the fall.

Would you like a tour? Be prepared, it's a loooong one.

Care-taker's house

Road leading up to the old farmhouse.

LOVE the HUGE screened porch!

This "retreat center/farm" was donated to our church by a family that just didn't use it enough anymore since their kids are older now.

This table would seat 5 on each side, easily.

The front hall, the railing is actually lower than what we are used to now days.

Parlor

Living room

Kitchen, the HUGE island came from the old Grain Exchange building in downtown Minneapolis, from the 1800's.

Top of the stairs. There are five bedrooms, in addition to this sleeping space. Only one bathroom though, it is an old farmhouse after all. I should have taking a pic of the gorgeous clawfoot tub in there. :(

I chose this room because it has the same bedding that I used to have. ;)

Loved the chippy blue dresser in here.

Next to our room.

And across the hall.

Another favorite spot. Past the clothesline, there was a greenhouse and beautiful garden.

Next to that, the "new" barn with 4-wheelers, a work-out gym and an office.

And across from the house is a horse barn that no longer has horses in it. But it still smells like it does. ;)

Stalls are downstairs.

The backside.

A short ride behind the stables is the bunkhouse and gym.

With a pool...

a rock-climbing wall inside a silo...

with two bunk-rooms like this that each sleep 10...

and a gym.

Right outside is the tennis court, soccer and baseball fields.

And a tubing hill with a toe-rope that you can hook to your tube and pulls you right back up. It's quite steep which you can't tell from this pic.

Beyond that is their own chapel. A wedding with 50 guest was here last summer.

Then along a very long, winding, hilly, rocky road you come to the paintball fields and shooting range with archery and clay pigeons.

And on top of the highest hill is a very rustic cabin they built, but no one has ever actually stayed here. The view is pretty amazing though, with a valley down below it.

A little further, ok a lot further LOL you get to the grass air-field that we had fun racing up and down.

On the way back from our tour, we stopped at the Cottage.

{Lisa K and me}

My what big eyes you have!

Another beautiful porch.

The next day, we drove in to Stockholm, WI which isn't far from Red Wing, MN. I grew up driving here in the fall, with my parents. Love this place! Evidently it's pretty popular with motorcyclists too.

Thank you Lisa, for such a fun week-end!

New for summer! {embroidered apron dress}

2011-06-03T13:58:00.004-05:00

Oh dear, are you in for a treat!

This is our second favorite dress...EVER!
Seriously, only Raggedy Ann can beat this little beauty.

See for yourself...

White eyelet...our new favorite embellishment.

*swoon*

A great big thank you to our dear friend, Jessica, for asking us to
design a dress around the vintage ribbon she found.

And wouldn't ya know, she pairs perfectly with
our red and white striped knit ruffles too. ;)

Find this beauty in our {shop}.

Beauty Shots {Red and White Striped Knit Ruffles}

2011-05-27T18:00:00.005-05:00

We are slowly but surely getting samples made and photographed, of our striped knit ruffles. We are thrilled with how popular they are. And just think, we still have six more colors/stripes in our stash that you haven't seen yet. Eeek!!!

Here is the red and white you can find in {our shop}. Perfect with Raggedy Ann for the 4th of July.

The narrower stripes are more difficult to line up perfectly at the ruffle and the leg seams, but Amy nailed it again. So proud of that girl!

I think I would have a heart-attack if I had to line these up. So I'll stick to the embroidery...for now.

Also, a quick note to say that my dad's leukemia is back and he is on hospice which means his white blood cells are basically non-existent, his platelets are dangerously low and he has chosen no further treatment. Prayers are greatly appreciated.

So I have no idea what this summer will look like. I'm leaving our days wide open and available for impromptu visits and giving him as many opportunities to spend time with us as he can handle. Just yesterday he and mom sat in my yard and watched the kids and I plant some annuals. He ate popsicles with us and had enough stamina to walk around to the back and let me explain all the landscaping I'm doing in the backyard. He adores gardening and had plenty of tips and advice to share. I hope I can get it all done in time for him to enjoy it too. I'd love to have a little photoshoot with "Boppa" and his grandkids in front of our new hydrangea filled backdrop.

Amy and I aren't exactly sure what our next designs will be or how much we will have to offer that's new for summer. We have a couple of things we'd like to make real soon but we also wonder if we shouldn't just get a jump on Christmas designs now, since we skipped that last year. So you'll have to wait and be surprised with whatever is next. :)

The shop is open and filled with as much as we can handle, so if we are open, feel free to keep shopping. If we are temporarily closed, then we needed a break to catch up. This is when I am so thankful to have an awesome partner to work with. We are both able to pick up the slack whenever the other needs it. That is priceless!

beauty

2011-05-17T15:53:00.001-05:00

beauty is all around us.

1. my son's sweet face while sleeping in the car
2. warm sunshine on my face while having lunch with my parents on their deck
3. new pretties to plant: 2 lilacs, 1 annabelle hydrangea, 1 blueberry bush
4. ice cream sandwiches in the backyard after mowing
5. orders in the mail
6. a girl's week-end planned and a family camping trip planned
7. God's continual grace in my life, while i continue to not deserve it
8. cool spring breezes flowing through the house
9. laundry that's caught up
10. girl's reading in bed, after lights-out, with flashlights

what's on your list?

The Silver Penguins

2011-05-09T20:27:00.003-05:00

We are finally old enough for organized sports! Yay!!!

It's fun to see Allison get that ball and just run with it. Ahead of the pack and no one can catch her.

They love it and I think there is no better sport than soccer at this age. I'm impressed with how they really listen to their coach and do what he says. They are learning so quickly and growing up so fast.

The only girls on the team and now those boys can tell them apart.

Girls, we hope you have lots of fun and continue to enjoy soccer for years to come.

My new space

2011-05-06T16:11:00.007-05:00

Cutting out patterns on the floor in our bedroom was getting really old. Never being able to get away from "work" was wearing on me. The hum of the sewing machine at midnight (and later), although he could sleep through it, just wasn't how I wanted to treat my husband. So I kicked myself out and hijacked {the playroom}. And I love it!

I love turning the corner and seeing this everyday. The framed print on the top shelf is cleverly hiding the heat vent that was such an eye sore on that big blank wall.

Finally...a place for everything, plus room to grow. I've got my eye on a second set of shelves to go over the project table. Those white squares are dry-erase stickers I found at Target. Now I just need to buy the right black marker and then I can stop trying to track down the post-it notes my ~~little theives~~ kids are always running off with.

I even have a cutting/project table. It's covered in a fun polka dot oilcloth and will be getting a skirt of some sort, attached with velcro, in the future.

Now I don't have to rummage through my dark closet in search of the perfect applique fabric.

This is the dresser I painted for Sam's room last summer. We've rearranged his room to accommodate David's tall childhood dresser, a desk and a bedframe for him instead. Now it makes a great place to store my fabric. Two small drawers are just patterns and the rest is packed with fabric.

I bought $7 bulletin boards at Ikea and will be hanging them soon. But first I want to cover them in fabric (still waiting for the perfect one to jump out at me) and add picture molding on top of the edging to frame it out larger. I've longed for an "inspiration" board for for-evah!

*I've hung my {alphabet wall} plans here. I'm very close to getting it finished. Just need 4 more letters a canvas, spray paint and some fabric.

We still have a train table in the middle of the floor and all the toys are along the opposite walls. We will be building a pull out drawer for under Sam's bed to hold the trainset and then I'll have room to lay out my upcoming curtain projects on the floor. Think large horizontal stripes, taking after the {Nester} of course.

For those of you that were following Baby Lily's heart surgery, she is doing very well. Click {over here} to see her celebrating her 1st birthday!

P e o n y S t r i p e s

2011-05-03T17:23:00.005-05:00

A warm, sunny day, perfect for outdoor photos.

To show off Amy's beautiful handiwork. This girl rocks the knit ruffles.

Look at those gorgeous stripes all lined up,
and the perfect coverstitching at the waistband and ruffle hem.

Available in full or capri length.

Find them in our shop {here}.

Today

2011-04-28T16:31:00.004-05:00

I know, such original blog titles lately. I'm blaming it on the weather and lack of sunshine lately. Does anyone else suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? The past two years have me convinced that I have it. And I've got David about 50% convinced we should move to Ashville, NC which is a huge feat considering he would never have even entertained the idea before.

Anyway, what I came over to tell you was...I found THE perfect lamps! I need to go back and pick up a matching one for my side table. I found it at Bed Bath & Beyond today and after coupon it was $26. It has a khaki colored linen shade. And our room will be going khaki from yellow soonish. I'll either paint his table black or find one with drawers (to paint black) so he has a place to store his junk. This one is pretty girlie for my manly man, or so he tells me. ;)

Crossing my fingers that the twin bed we just called about will still be there after we make the 2 hour drive (both ways!) on Sunday. Eeek! Are we crazy to think that $30 is worth the leisurely Sunday drive? Or...maybe just a little desperate. I'm not going to show you until it's in my garage. I've also inquired about a wing back chair for $25 that I'll make a drop cloth slipcover for, a la Miss Mustard Seed style.

I tell ya, I'm on a thrifting kick lately. This is fun!

This week...

2011-04-27T15:12:00.003-05:00

1. On Sunday, we spent Easter at my aunt and uncle's house. A truly fun time. I looked around and realized that in just a few short years all the noise of little ones will be replaced with quiet boardgames (like Monopoly and Clue) on the floor. I'm looking forward to that part too, but reminded myself to savor them being so young right now.

The littlest ones got a head start which was a good thing. The 3 big girls are quite good at this by now and always a step ahead of the rest.

This one just got caught making a clean sweep of the front yard by herself.

My dad is still hanging in there. Had a little scare 2 week ago when his platelet numbers dipped way down, but they came back up so we are blessed with more time. Thank you Lord!

2. Recently I removed two of my cabinet doors and I'm loving it. Now that I know for sure they are staying off I'm going to trim out the opening to cover up the hinge holes. Just yesterday I removed all the serving pieces I had on display above the cabinets. I'm enjoying a less cluttered look around here. Now I just need to decide if the red should change to yellow or khaki.

3. I'm also slowly putting things back on the walls. I figure I better decide where I want things now, instead of after we repaint. My walls are pretty much swiss cheese by now and I'd rather not have to patch holes after the painting is done. I'm feeling like my whole house should go khaki. Still thinking...

This print is from Jones Design Company. I bought the $10 frame at Ikea (with mat), but it could definitely use a contrasting paper behind it instead. I need to get out and look for something.

Here's another one of Emily's prints. It was meant for my sewing area, but the reminder each morning and night will be a good thing here too.

And my favorites from The Wheatfield. These are even more pretty in person. Thinking they need different frames though. But I'll live with them here for a while until I'm sure what to do.

4. Thanks for all the bike-riding training tips, in the comments of {this} post. Can't wait to try taking off the pedals and start with the balancing first.

Oh and from that same post about the awesome Craigslist finds...well the lady sold the twin bed out from under us, even though we had an appointment to buy it that night. Why can't people play fair? Grrr...

5. Coming soon...some sewing room love and a fun giveaway.

Dear Craigslist,

2011-04-25T13:41:00.004-05:00

I know I haven't been so nice to you in the past, but I've changed my tune. My husband will be picking up this twin bed frame for my littlest, tonight for just $20. And it's only 2 miles from home. I'm excited to paint it and finally get his room finished.

And I've already been using this awesome drafting table in my new sewing "studio". It's been a wonderful cutting table. No longer do I spend hours on the floor. My knees thank you very much.

And we found matching Schwinn bikes for our girls at just $25 ea (no training wheels!!!). How perfect that even though the listing didn't say they had two, we found out they had twins when we got there. The girls love them and didn't bat an eye about having second-hand. Now if I could just find a listing for "I'll teach your kid to ride a bike", as this mama is going to have a hard time letting them fall.

Love,
Me

O Glorious Day

2011-04-24T09:13:00.003-05:00

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

Easter cookies

2011-04-21T15:44:00.007-05:00

We had four hours of cookie baking and decorating fun this morning.

It was really fun to let the girls do their own thing. Allison got right in there and did every part herself. Emily was a little more timid and enjoyed telling me how to make hers for her. Funny how they are so different.

I used {this icing} and {this cookie recipe}.

Up next, are these sweet bird nests, confetti bars, strawberry pretzel dessert (where the pretzel's are on top).

Are you creating something sweet in your kitchen this week-end?

p.s. I've been drooling over {this kitchen} all day! And I made {these rolls} this morning and they are wonderful. I'm thinking they are also my new hamburger bun recipe.

Stripe Knit Ruffles {new in the shop}

2011-04-19T13:12:00.004-05:00

We just received a nice supply of gorgeous knit fabrics (we've got more coming too!). We are so excited about them that we had to show you before we even take time to make samples. I've added listings in our {shop} for both colors and if you are ready to get a jump on spring, you might want to order early. Request capri or full length when checking out. Now for the colors!

Love this gorgeous tone on tone pink, wide stripe. It matches our Sweet Tweet collection perfectly.

It's the same wide stripe as the lime ruffles we offered earlier.

And how fun would the red and white stripe be with our Raggedy Ann collection? Or with our Paris Paws pieces...or...the 4th of July...or...order the next size up for Christmas if you're a planner. ;)

Oh the cuteness!!!

2011-04-19T13:01:00.003-05:00

This little cutie is on her way to the Easter bunny.

{hop hop hop}

I hope we get to make more TaDollies with glasses.

She was super fun to make.

p.s. Her mom sent us the gorgeous Matilda Jane {scarf} to use for her dress.

Friday Fun

2011-04-15T09:47:00.003-05:00

I came downstairs to see that Emily had filled her mini cupcake tin with Little People. They just looked so cute there all lined up. Made me smile.

I'm working on a fun project using red polka dot oil cloth and I can't wait to reveal it next week. I'll just say that my sewing area has been moved and greatly improved.

Sam may or may not be running around the house kicking a soccer ball, yelling "I got 4 points!", all while wearing his sister's polka dot swimsuit.

Happy F R I D A Y !!!

Come sew with us, just 3 spots left!

2011-04-15T08:52:00.007-05:00

I was so excited when the Eagle Creek Almanac showed up in my mailbox last week. The girls really enjoyed seeing themselves in the "newspaper" too.

Amy and I are teaching a class on how to make the Claire dress, with step by step instructions, this May. If you learn best with hands-on help and like asking questions as you go, this beginner class may be just the right fit for you. But you better sign up quickly. Our class is already half full. Call Eagle Creek today, 952-233-3774, to reserve your spot. There is only space for 3 more! We will be making "view A" which is the peasant dress with attached apron, like our sample shown below. We'll show you how to add some easy appliqued flowers on the apron too.

Feel free to e-mail us any questions you have, tadacreations(at)gmail.com.

Books, trees and butterflies and swings

2011-04-08T15:20:00.004-05:00

1. This week was spring break. I took the kids to the library and came home with 18 books. That's a first for me, since I've never been a library kind of person, but I'm hooked now.

I would love to know your favorites.

Our loot...

2. Our neighbors have decorated for Easter. The kiddos loved seeing this from our yard. There are three trees filled with these.

3. That same neighbor lost their willow tree in a storm last fall.

Our view has changed considerably.

That was a very sad day for me. Gone is the dreamy light that streamed through it's branches at about 7pm all summer long. *sniff*sniff*

4. I couldn't resist one more piece. I didn't see this at our store the first time, but another city had it and it had to be mine. we are having my parents over for breakfast tomorrow to celebrate my mom's birthday and I'm excited to use it all. Happy half birthday to me too!

5. Lots of sunshine and 60* means play-set time. This guy has been learning some new tricks from his big sister.

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a great week-end!

p.s. My ebay listings just ended and how fun that I was able to make $0.31 more than I needed, to buy the girls new bikes this summer. You know, the ones they'll learn to ride without training wheels. I'm SO excited! Thanks to any of you that bid and possibly won. We appreciate it!

Spring cleaning on eBay

2011-04-01T16:15:00.006-05:00

Sizes range from 2T to 4T, and include this very special piece.

I purchased this piece from Jenn Cooper, who bought it from Nicole Owen's Sweet Tea Shoppe. BTW, Nic has had some really beautiful blog posts lately, as always, and I hope you are a reader. Nic was/is raising money for their adoption from Ethiopia, so when Jenn was selling it and said that the proceeds would be given back to Nic I jumped on it. My girls wore it maybe 4 times and it is still in excellent condition. You can see Nic's original photos {here} and Jenn's {here}. This is the top that keeps on giving...as the proceeds will again be given back to Nic. :)

You can find all of my girls' summer resales {here}.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Back in the Shop {Raggedy Ann}

2011-03-30T15:10:00.005-05:00

Raggedy Ann

red/pink check fabric is out
see description for the easy substitution
the blouse now comes with a pieced hem just like the jeans

find them all {here}

This week...

2011-03-29T14:03:00.004-05:00

...we made what is quite possibly our most favorite Pop Garden TaDollie to date.

We love all the different textures, velvet and satin ribbons, corduroy and of course the felt.

Do you suffer from the what-ever-I-just-made-is-my-most-favoriteist-thing-ever-itis?

Me too. Welcome to the club.

I love how her mom described her daughter as having eyes like Hershey's Kisses.

Hmmm...are Hershey's Kisses tax deductible?

Because I think I consumed a few too many, all in the name of research. ;)

Another lovely name.

And another sweet outfit.

This time to match a sweet TaDollie and her apron.

And "Happy Spring" to me!

I just love these melamine pieces and tablecloth from Target. My kitchen is going yellow this spring and I can't wait to use these for a get together shortly after. I didn't have enough will power to resist all those scalloped edges. The small plates and bowls are meant to be used as place settings, but they will all be serving pieces for me. And a great deal for around $2 each (the platter is $15). I can just see that platter filled with cupcakes or little sandwiches and a plate and bowl as some sort of dip combo. The aqua striped bowls will be perfect for Sam's Dr. Seuss birthday this fall too.

Is it starting to look like spring at your house?

The Fashion Show

2011-03-26T08:19:00.003-05:00

We had such a great time with the Fashion Show. Lots of planning went in to it. And of course like any big event, it flew right by. Before I new it, we were done. So glad to have even just a few photos to get an idea of what everyone else saw. Look at Allison striking a pose. That was all her, we didn't practice that.

Emily being a little shy and Allison completely enjoying herself. I think all the giggles from the audience made it easier. Amy was so smart to prep the girls with "if people laugh, just remember that they aren't laughing at you. They are just having a really good time." Later, her daughter said "Mom everyone is having a really, really good time!"

Love that you can also see the back of my bff, Sara's, head in this next one.
Thanks to so many for coming out to support us!

And if you would be so kind, please become a fan of Eagle Creek Quilt Shop on facebook (and TaDa! Creations while you're at it too). They need to get enough "likes" so they can officially have a page before their next newsletter goes to print. And wouldn't you know? Amy and I will be in their next newsletter too. :) We are teaching a sewing class at ECQS in May. More details to come...

Right before my eyes

2011-03-25T16:08:00.004-05:00

these little girls

grew up.

And don't worry, she's not really staring daggers at me. This is her "I just woke up from a nap I didn't intend to take" look. And she's probably cold too (though she'd never admit it) from insisting on wearing summer clothes when it's still just 30* outside.

We are ready...bring on S U M M E R!

Update

2011-03-22T19:44:00.006-05:00

1. A great big thank you to everyone that helped sew kimono's for Lilly. Her surgery was today and went very well. You can read more about it here. And remember, there is still time to mail your kimono's for Josie Mae too. Her family flies out next Monday for her surgery next week. Please keep both of these sweet babes in your prayers as they recover from these major surgeries. You can read more about kimono's for heart babies here.

2. I just had to share this photo with you. I adore how this little name, of one of the sweetest little customers ever, turned out. This right here is my favorite part of sewing. We hope she loves her TaDollie and matching outfit!

3. And...did you know that your TaDollie can come with glasses too? We are more than happy to embroider a pair of glasses (to match your photo) at no extra charge. How cute is she going to be? I know!

4. My mom retired last week and we are so excited for her (Congratulations, Mom!). The kids and I especially are looking forward to spending a lot more time with her during the week. Sam already had his own special day with Boppa and Kiki while the girls were at school. He even claimed his own bed at their house and when Kiki offered to lay down and help him take his nap he said "No, I sleep alone, Kiki." Hmm...why doesn't that work at my house?

5. Why do we even own a single non-washable crayon? Oh, I know! It must have been so Sam could add his artwork to our bedroom walls.

6. This Easter Bunny now has two bags of candy in her closet. Oh dear! But I just couldn't pass up the rare opportunity to shop alone, so I went for it. Who knows when I'd get another chance to do that and I didn't want to find myself shopping at the last minute when all the Cadbury eggs are sold out. Ahem...not that I've ever done that. Nope, not happening this year.

7. The snow is almost gone. In fact, it's completely gone from our backyard. It feels like I can breath a big sigh of relief. Does winter have that effect on you too?

8. I took Sam in for a haircut and the girls begged to have their hair cut short. I caved. They are both now sporting cute little angled bobs. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow. They look SO grown up! *sniff*sniff*