ABC's for Sage

Long before Sage was even a twinkle in my eye, my mom had given me a hand embroidered panel of the alphabet in pink. My grandmother embroidered it and gave it to my mom for me when I was a girl. My mom never did anything with it and passed it on to me several years ago. I found it in my fabric stash recently and decided that I had to do something with it. So I backed it with some iron on interfacing to give it a little body and I "framed" it in with fabric. I finished it by threading a ribbon through a dowel to hang it. The colors fit perfectly with the scheme of Sage's room and it looks perfect in there.

A closer look.

Wall Organizer

We have this problem around here. I can't seem to keep track of bills and receipts. They are always being put in different locations, then found a little late or not entered into the checkbook, etc, etc. Please tell me I'm not the only one with this problem?

Anywho - I figured a little organization was in order, as well as a resolution from me to be more diligent in this department (it's just that it's so not fun and I'd rather be sewing or something.) So I made this little mail organizer that hangs right next to my desk and we've decided that all important mail and receipts will be deposited into the little pockets for me to look at everyday. This little thing has just a tiny bit of sewing - the seam on the front to be exact. Otherwise I used my trusty hot glue gun.

(Yes I know I spelled receipts wrong, it's been fixed!)

Quick Change Trousers

Like everything else I've made lately, I've been eying this pattern for a while. Again, it's from Anna Maria Horner's Handemade Beginnings book, which I LOVE (have I said that before?) These Quick Change Trousers are reversible and sew up so nice. And of course, they are oh so cute on my little girl!

Pincushion Inspiration

I've had this pattern in my "to-do" folder for far too long. It's Heather Bailey's Square Deal Pincushion. My old pincushion was bursting at the seems and had definitely seen better days. I decided that since I was making one, I might as well make two. So my friend, who is just getting into sewing, is getting a new pincushion too. I'm hoping that this pincushion, that sits on my desk, will bring me inspiration every time I see it. How could it not - it's got a little bit of Anna Maria Horner (my favorite fabric designer), a little Amy Butler and those cute little owls.

Snuggie Wrap Blanket for Baby W

Our friends are quickly approaching the arrival of Baby W. So for the special occasion I made this adorable Snuggie Wrap Blanket from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I'm hoping he likes it and stays nice and warm! Thank you Mr. Bear for being my model.

Bathroom Re-do

Our bathrooms have kind of been a mess since we moved in due to the fact that we have 1 bathroom out of order (the master bath). So the other 2 bathrooms have accumulated stuff that doesn't necessarily belong. The downstairs 1/2 bath for example had a shelf that didn't really go with the bathroom at all that got put there when we moved in and never left. I figured after 3 months it was time to start putting things where they belong. I was also motivated by some of my new fabric! This bathroom has this awkward looking cubby that is great for storing stuff but not so great to look at. So I decided to sew up a quick little curtain to hide my unsightly stuff.

Before: After:

It still needs something else. I'm not quite sure yet what it will be, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Don't get me wrong, I still have lots of stuff I'd like to re-do in this bathroom but I think this little cosmetic fix and a little rearranging is a vast improvement from before.

Stash addition

I got some new fabric and the ideas are brewing... Here is a sneak peak - stay tuned to see what these lovely new fabrics become. Oh - and did you know that Ty Pennington (from Extreme Home Makeover) has his own line of fabric?? That blue one with the orange flowers is his...

Nap time Messanger Bag

This bag was so easy to whip up that I started and finished the entire thing in one nap time (and I even had some spare time to start dinner!). I got the tutorial here and modified it a bit so it would be better suited for a little girl. My embellishment on the front flap is a piece of chalkboard fabric. A special little girl I know is turning 3 and I figured a little sewing was in order. So I whipped up this bag and have some goodies to fill it up with. I hope she likes it - I can't wait to see it slung over one of her shoulders.

My not-so-willing model:

I added this last-minute little loop to hang this adorable little key chain.

Brainmonster

Somehow after all has been unpacked in our new house I still can't seem to find any of the hats that I knit for Wyatt. Where on earth did they go??? Regardless, I decided it was time, past time even, for mama to knit him a new hat. And then I stumbled on this pattern from Ravelry and knew immediatly that this was the hat I had to knit for my boy. The best part about this new hat is how much he likes it. Every time he puts it on he Rarrrrs at me like a little monster!

A clutch for me

I've been eying this tutorial for quite a while now and I finally decided it was time to make one for me. I'm thinking this will be my go-to gift for the new year. They are quick to whip up, so cute and the options are endless.

New Year, New Resolution

One of my biggest New Year's resolutions is to sew more. And I have to say that I'm off to a good start. I feel a little guilty because I feel like my resolution should be to spend more time with my kids or exercise more but really all I want to do is sew. Now that the pressure of Christmas gift-giving is off I have a long list of projects waiting for me. Hopefully my desire to sew will last all year and not wither away in a few weeks, cause my list is long! Ever since I got Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings for my birthday I've been wanting to make the Baby-in-the-hood Jacket. I even had all of the fabric sitting neatly in a stack taunting me every time I sat down in my "sewing room." The week after Christmas I literally hibernated in my sewing room and got busy. I made Sage her jacket and love, love, LOVE how it turned out:

And just because this perfectly describes my daughter: