Beauty Shots {Red and White Striped Knit Ruffles}

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

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

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

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

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}.