Black and white baby shower

Made this garland for baby Giana's room, and it's a perfect shower decoration!

Sweet Sofia

For those of you who can't view the link... It breaks with some browsers

Another wrap

So I have been knitting this randomly in spurts for a while now and I haven't known who I was making it for, but I took it over to my sister Victory's in-laws who are adopted grandparents for our kids (my hubby has known them his whole life practically)... We have a miraculously close family... And Cindy, aka YAYA, was loving it, so she is my happy recipient. Her birthday is in October, so she gets it just in time for the fall weather to set in at her house on the beach!

Scrap skirt #6

It looks a little shapeless on my mannequin, but this skirt is pretty. I've taken votes around here, and so far everyone is coaching me to not embellish the skirt. They say it's elegant on it's own... I'm still thinking...

superpower

my friend, Christy, emailed me and a few others of our friends today, asking us what our favorite superpower would be to possess...

I liked thinking about this. This is what I emailed back to her. What would yours be?
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Though Christy makes a great case for the flying superpower... I think I my superpower would be to be able to stop time when I wanted... and maybe even have the ability to go back about a minute for do-overs, too.
I could catch up on sleep, have long quiet times, do as much artwork as I wanted and not feel guilty. I could enjoy a specific moment longer - a sunset, seeing my kids in a cute moment or just snuggling with Jay on the couch. I could use my time to think of the best thing to say when I get my toungue tied - I could even work through my anger over a situation before answering a difficult situation.
There are lots of times that I wish I could freeze a moment, or bottle it up and revisit it... but I guess I'd just most want the ability to savor moments better.

Can't leave well enough alone (yoyo embellished dress)

Ah... I bought this dress at "Tar-jeh" (Target) a few months ago. Fell in love with the almost drab grey and bought it in a Large, since it was the last one. Oh no! I wore it out on a date with J, hoping he'd find me smokin' (in a 50s kind of way). Hmrph... The dress was too big and slipped off my shoulders all night and J said he'd like it better with some embellishment. "too plain for you". He knows my style well.
I trust him and we usually agree.
So its been in the project pile all summer. Tonight, I decided to fix it. I shortened the sleeve circumference and added a whole mess of yoyos (I know, the yoyo police are going to come soon and take me away for overkill.) I love yoyos, though, and shamelessly used my favorites
all over this dress.
I asked J his opinion on the ribbon belt. He disagrees with my choice of the 2" satin; voted for the 7/8" grosgrain, but here we are. Can you believe I have such a tolerant husband? Seriously! I'm blessed and lucky.
And this dress is perfect for church tomorrow morning.

Scrap skirt #5

So I need a friend who is a true size 12 or maybe 14 to try on this beauty, because I didn't measure it when sewing tonight and I just had so much fun making it... And it doesn't fit me.
But it's so super cute. With an elastic waistband that makes it really a no-brainer as far as ease.
I'm just loving it.
And it's all scraps.

Oh happy day. (scrap skirt #4)

After weeks of not being able to sew due to back pain, I was able to sew last night.
(I recommend not having a 40lb 2 year old... 2 year olds still need to be held, and I'm starting to think I need a weight trainer just to advise me on how to do this. Believe me, I still use my sling when I can, because it's the only thing that helps.)

Anyhow, back to the happiness...
Dear reader Catherine, commissioned me to make a little girl spinny skirt for her darlin' to match her momma's new CLASSIC patterned skirt, and here it is!!! I'm so pleased with how much easier it was to make this time and I think it turned out even better than the first 3!
And the vintage yoyo was just for happy kicks. Tori, of Tori Higa stationery, sent me a batch of vintage yoyos she boughtfor me at Estate of Grace- which I also need to blog about...
I just had to pass on the sharefest and this morning's happy project.
Now I'm off to preschool orientation...

More Japanese book inspiration

So, If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you've likely seen my recent confession about obsessing over craft books and mags in different languages. I've been subscribed to Marie Claire Idees for a few years now (published in French, of which I know none) - renewing the subscription is itself an adventure (though my hyperlink just taught me I could have ordered it through amazon!)... but the ideas there are way more creative and geared into my personal aesthetic (a little sweeter and lighter than some of the craft mags around that try to navigate craftiness without cheese - I think they sometimes end up a little jaded)
So, I pore over the magazine, carrying it with me everywhere for a few weeks, saving the issues and pulling them out a few seasons or years later. I just love them.

Well - last week, I stumbled into a Japanese bookstore that had a whole crafter's section. Wow. Talk about a whole new realm. I'm not super into the polished/perfect/plastic side of the Japanese aesthetic - but there is another school of Japanese design called Wabi Sabi that I studied a little in my Milliken days - one that loves vintage, the hand of the designer, and appreciates wear on designed items. This is probably what is feeding the sweet books that I picked up at this store. It took a while, but I settled on three. (None of which I can read the titles). They are simply delicious. Fresh, pale, clean, sweet - with an affinity for American craft, but with a definite Japanese hand.
I'm in love.

Momma's thinking...

"Good thinking, momma!"
If I do say so myself... The kids are starting to get into one of my avorite activities as a little kid, sewing cards with laces. After spending some money about a year ago on some lacing cards, I realized I'd wasted my money... So I have been making my own from postcards and cereal boxes and the kids love them...Today, Z even tried doing them...