The Showoff Bag

Made by Rae just added a new pattern to her shop-The Showoff Bag. I ordered it last week and made this bag for my mom, to replace her old one.  The pattern is great, and overall it's a quick sew.  I used Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush Velveteen called Woodcut in Crimson for the base of the bag and a washed black denim for the top.   

My folks at the Dallas Arboretum. 

Thanks for the visit, Mom and Dad-love you both!

ps.  i added photos to the showoff bag flickr pool.  
i love seeing all the different variations of the same pattern, don't you?  

Mini Quilt Monday: A Mini Quilt in a Week

Monday:  Find inspiration on flickr...this seriously makes me want to join a quilting bee.  Rumage through stash.

Tuesday: Cut, piece, sew, repeat.

Wednesday: Add backing and quilt.

Thursday:  Bind mindlessly while watching a movie you've already seen. (Pulp Fiction is now streaming on Netflix?  Sure, let's just watch a few minutes.)

Friday: Find a good hanging stick.

Saturday: Try it out all over our house and still never seem to find it's home...it's in the schoolroom for the now...

What are you working on this week?

ps, i'm linking this up to Fresh Lemons Quilts' Mini Quilt Monday party and TCB's Get Your Craft On.

American Girl Doll Jeans Pattern

Molly's home from the American Girl Doll Hospital after both legs were amputated.  She was returned as good as new, then Brother gave her a nice haircut.  I am not sending her back though.  But a simple wardrobe update, I can do.

I found a great site for printable doll patterns-Liberty Jane.  Several are free, but I bought a denim pattern for $3.99.  It was very easy to follow with pictures for every step.

And I put the pattern in one of Belle's workboxes this week-so she cut the pattern pieces out for me. 

I hope my Belle knows she is loved after an afternoon of sewing little pants.  I don't remember if I realized the work (and love) my mom put into my dolls and their clothes, but I see it now.  

How to Make a Quilt Without Actually Quilting

or how to use a long arm quilter to do the work for you.

For my first quilt, and I'm sure for my next, I had a long arm quilter finish my quilt.  It was very simple and affordable and I'm so pleased to have a finished quilt.

Find your local quilter's guild for long arm quilters who take in business.   Call for rates and compare.  The first person I called lived in my neighborhood, charged $0.03/ sq in but had a 3 month turnaround time.  The second quilter lived about 5 miles away, charged $0.02 sq in and finished it in 3 weeks.

Prepare top and back.  Finish your top, making sure seams are pressed and loose threads are clipped.  For the back, find out how much larger they want your backing to be.  My quilter asked that the back be 4 inches larger than the top in each direction.

Choose your pattern.  My quilter had a notebook of patterns, or pantographs.  I chose a meandering one and really love how simple it is.

Wait.  The hard part.

Trim and bind.  This is how it looked when I picked it up.

Enjoy.  

For those wondering about how affordable it is-here's the breakdown on my quilt:

Quilting was $.02/sq inch.  It came to $81. The batting was $16, and provided by the quilter.  And there was a $3 thread fee.  So worth it.

Have you used a quilting service before?

London Stamp Set

Just got this cute stamp set from Yellow Owl Workshop for a project I'm finishing up...

So I put the stamps to use for an anniversary card for my parents-who will someday soon get back to the beautiful city.

Happy Anniversary, Mom + Dad!

My Valentine Quilt

It's done!  My New Years Resolution can officially be checked off.  It is official when you've blogged about it, right?

Or I could change my goal, and quilt a few quilts this year...yes, that is my new goal.

I love it-and the feeling of having made it yourself...with some help. 

I'll post about the help soon. 

Any other quilters out there? 

Our Custom Father's Day Card Idea + How we celebrate Mother's/Father's Day

 above: as a frame-able print

below: as a greeting card

I don't think either one of us have actually said, "well, you're not my _______(father, mother)."  

But the first few years, it really seemed like we were owed the world 

for the sleepless nights and thankless days.  

Our expectations were high and disappointments were inevitable. 

I'm not sure when we let it go, but I'm so glad we did.  It's not that we don't do anything for each other, but the Days are much more about encouraging the kids to honor us.

This year, Father's Day is most likely going to look like a special breakfast, and lots of hugs and kisses and Happy Father's Day wishes from the kids.  We'll also give him these cards -one from each of the kids, with three things they love about their Dad.   And hopefully a good photo of all four kids for his desk at work.  Something like this one...minus the letters.  

If you'd like to use ours as a template to print card or print your own, I'd be happy to email it to you!

How do you celebrate the Days?

I'm linking this up to Today's Creative Blog.

Valentine Sugar Pop Quilt Progress

  

This week I pieced the 42 squares together.  Overall, it was a very satisfying feeling.  But so tricky-even though this pattern was labeled "For the confident beginner."  I read that this week and it made me laugh.  I'm way too confident for a beginner, and my corners show it.  

I plan to have someone local quilt it with a long arm machine.  This is me being realistic.

When I actually "quilt" something, I'll start with a potholder, I think.  

Look at that corner (the one on the right side).  The quilters are gonna laugh, aren't they?

Anyone have any experience with quilting services?  Any advice?

Dyeing Paper

We're always looking for some fun ideas to keep us busy.  All this month, Aimee at HomeSpun Threads is hosting a Summer Soiree-31 Days of Indoor Ideas to ready us for the heat of the summer. 

A Craft Camp for Kids, if you will.  

Today, I'm sharing our tissue paper dyeing fun!  We had everything on hand, and the hardest part was waiting for them to dry.  Stop by and check out all the cool ideas.  

What do you make with tissue paper?

Make a Coloring Book With Your Photos

Almost every day, I put a coloring page in the boys' workboxes.  How fun would it be for them to find a coloring page of someone they love?  (in this case, their doggy cousin-my brother's pup, Bentley)

I came across an old tutorial from fototiller for turning your photos into coloring pages in 3 photoshop steps.  Don't have photoshop?  Try their Corel Paint Shop Pro pdf tutorial.

Do you use workboxes?  What are some staple fun items you use?

Spice Jar Favors

Our Life Group learned of a couple who for a long time thought they couldn't afford a wedding.  So we decided to give them one.  I took over the favors-because that's what I like to do:  take over things and make stuff.  :)

The bride works for Saltgrass Steakhouse here in Dallas.  

The wedding will also be catered by Saltgrass, so I figured their steak seasoning would make a perfectly fine favor.  

What do you think?  Think the bride will agree? 

I ordered the labels here and the bottles here.  

The seasoning I got right from Saltgrass, where it truly pays to know people.  

Sunday's the big day!  What are your weekend plans?

Christ Centered Easter Crafts

Have you noticed all the eggs?  I honestly don't know how the egg and bunny tradition started, but I found some cool true Easter crafts and thought I'd share:

Tomb and Garden Rock Garden at Impress Your Kids

Empty Tomb Resurrection Rolls at tsj photogrpahy

Free Easter Lapbook link via Molding Minds Homeschool 

Paint Chip Easter Garland at Modern Parents Messy Kids--yes, i know, totally not a Christ-centered craft-it's even an egg craft, but i loved it. 

Are you making anything special for Easter?

Block Prints with Soap

Block prints are a really cool way to teach positive and negative images and relief.  And using soap makes for a kid-friendly and cheap art project.

I'm blogging over at Homegrown Mom today, with an easy soap block tutorial-please stop by.  If you've never read Homegrown Mom, here are a few of my favorite posts:

• Workboxes 
• Your Husband Picked You
• 10 Days of Homeschooling Girls

Hope you're having a beautiful week!

Cardboard Dollhouse Furniture Instructions

We just got the April issue of Family Fun.  Do you guys get Family Fun?  It's loaded with fun stuff to make with your kids.  Like the doll house with furniture in this month's issue.

source

My kids poured over the pages of furniture instructions, which are also available as pdf's online.

Do you and your kids subscribe to any magazines?  Which ones?

4 Sewing Gifts I Had to Buy Myself This Year

Actually, it happened quite innocently.  This past Christmas my family decided to make it easier on everyone, and we each agreed to each buy ourselves a $60 gift.  We were to buy it, wrap it and put it away to open with each other at Christmas.  Really, it was cool to see what each other picked out for themselves when given the freedom.

Like my brother-- who bought himself an axe.  An axe.  I really didn't see that coming.

Well, on my 40 Before 40 list (formerly 30 Before 30) is: Make a Quilt.

I thought I should get on that, and I bought myself The Practical Guide to Modern Patchwork and a Moda Jelly Roll (Sugar Pop).  If you're not familiar with fabric, a jelly roll is a roll of fabric strips precut for you.  That was $64 since I went to a swanky boutique downtown.  That was Gift 1 & Gift 2, if you are keeping count.

I picked out one of the quilt patterns in the book and started working.  Thankfully, I already had a rotary and small self healing mat.  But half way into my quilt, I thought how much easier and fun this project would be with the right tools.

So this month, I bought myself 2 more presents.  I'm welcome.

A larger self healing cutting mat and a 10 inch acrylic template.   Gift 3 & Gift 4.  I heart them.  And now I am excited about finishing my quilt.

Here you can see the Sugar Pop collection and 18 squares of the quilt.

By the way, if you're wondering how I find time to quilt-- because that's what I always wonder when I visit prolific quilters' blogs -- I'll let you in on my secret: I set a mini goal. The quilt I am working on is full-size and made up of 48 squares.   I told myself, "Self, just make 1 square a day."  Even on really busy days, I can sneak upstairs after bedtime and get one done.  And most days, 2 is doable.  The progress is contagious.

Have you bought any tools that make your goals easier this year?

Duck Tape Wallets

We were invited to a birthday play-date for a homeschool buddy who turned 8 last weekend.  

His mother said no gifts, just come.  

I totally get that, and when we do friend birthday parties, I say the same thing.  But it still feels kind of lame to show up empty handed.  Since this was one of Belle's friends, I thought she could bring him something she had made.  

So we made him a duct tape wallet and then made a couple more.
  

We used Duck Tape Brand tape that we picked up from Target. 

There are loads of tutorials out there.  But we used Crafts by Amanda's, which was made by kids and had plenty of pictures.  

What do you do when the invitation says, "No gifts, please"?

I'm linking up to TCB's Get Your Craft On-thanks for hosting, Kim!

How I Keep My Kids Still

Baby has had one ear infection after another, on top of another.  Tubes are in her near future.  All that means is we've had a few doctor's appointments lately.  

And what I don't like about doctor's appointments is taking the other, healthy, kids along, where 

they touch germ-y things and pick up new illnesses that bring us back to the doctors.   

So I tell them, "Don't touch ANYTHING." 

except our drawing bag.  

It's the second bag I made a few weeks ago.  It's filled with sketch pads, step-by-step drawing books, colored pencils and crayons.   I keep it in the car, for whenever we need to go somewhere and be still and not touch anything.  You know those errands.  

Remember the other bag we keep in the car?  What do you keep in your car? 

And what do you do to keep your kids still?

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While you're here, can I  tell you about my friend Rachel?  She has been a writer all her life and is now writing at Every Day's Best where she talks about God's big shoulders, His trustworthiness, hope and forgiveness.  Because of a real personal loss, she knows what she is talking about. She's hosting a give away today and also guest posting at (in)courage.me today, so please stop by.  That is all.  Thanks!

Simple Draw-string Bag for Toys

On my to-do list last week was to make two tote bags.  One I will post later, but one I will share now.  

The kids got these really cool magnet toys -Magformers- for Christmas.  And they really are cool.  But there are about eleventy hundred of them.  So, they needed a draw string bag to contain themselves.  Since the kids build things with the magnets, I chose this tool print from Robert Kauffman fabrics, via Hawthorne Threads-my favorite online fabric store.

  

It's a very simple drawstring bag, with doubled up hemp twine as the thread, because I have tons of it.

Like the Magformers, the bag gets a lot of use.   

On this weeks to-do list: 

sell the headboard, 

host a game night with 4 of our neighbors  

and maybe clean the house. maybe. 

How's your week going?  What's on your list?