New Year's wishes

Howdy!
Just popping in with promises of some recent sewing projects. We are visiting family and I have to get the camera, card reader and computer organized at the same time to download pictures. Later.

Here, we are getting ready to prepare the New Year's eve celebrations with family and friends. There is snow here, so the kids are liking to .... look at it? not because they've been outside playing in it. Rafael has gone out to play a bit of hockey. 1st time. and with the big boys. He couldn't understand why everyone was trying to get the ball from him and not let him score! I think we need to put him into some team sports. :}

Neve is all over the baby, playing mommy. I'm so glad we had the boy 1st. If she was the 1st born, she would have driven me nuts with the constant mommy-ing. But learning nurturing and compassion is a great life lesson.

Anyhow, much eating, relaxing, lots of cleaning up and maybe, maybe I'll get a chance to make a little something today. Went to "Club Tissus" yesterday. A sewing store. Got many notions I've been looking for for some time and some wool roving. Just little ends of balls I'm sure, but enough balls and variety to delve into something new and make my own felt beads. If time allows, I'll go back today to get some polka dot fabric I forgot to get yesterday. I like buying fabric when I'm away. When I make the item, it reminds me of where I've been.

So, to you and yours... have a Happy New Year, in what ever shape or form it may bring.

Happy New NEW
Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Car Cozy

I got this tutorial from
Handmade by Jill

Who in turn credits the idea from
My Little Gems
I made the orange cones and traffic light on my own.

I used repurposed fabric for this one. The outside was an ikea cutain in a previous life, the inside was my husband's pants. The print fabric on the bottom is a recent purchase from Fabricland.


I so love making these and have made a bunch for birthday prezzies. Please, as requested by both originators, do not make to resell.


I'm off to clean my room to play with my new to me serger! I got a grown up serger! with lots of coloured threads to boot! And i have some Ikea fabric we picked up in Portugal that I've been saving for a new choir bag. But i must clean my room first. maybe not.....

thanks for looking,
Amanda

Softee trees

And because it's not Christmas unless there is last minute making..... like up till 2am making.....





And I had a little help with this.... my body was a humming....


Happy christmas!
thanks for looking,
Amanda

fleece spotted bag

This bag was quite easy to whip up and fun to make. It started out as a vision for a scarf, but I figured the little girl who it was for probably had enough scarves. So I made a bag. you can never have too many bags! The purple fleece was a scarf from the dollar store. Pink from Fabricland.


I even lined it! A big deal for me as I don't usually like to take the time to do it, but I'm glad I did.


I got the idea for the reverse applique(?) from ....ah man, I can't remember where from. I thought it was "Sew Liberated", but now I'm not sure.... If you know, tell me. It was a brown or green skirt with leaf pattern sewn and cut.


And I'm done caroling for 2010. Yeah. I didn't get a sore throat or sick. Touch wood. Just have to get through 4 days of singing for Church. Ah, c'mon Boxing day!

Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Christmas happenings

This past week has been a blur of activity interspersed with singing gigs. can't wait until Boxing day. Always a day of rest for me.
So last weekend, we finally got our tree. A few years ago, we took a picture at the boy scout tree lot with tons of snow. This year, there were dried leaves in the Christmas trees!


When I got home from singing, the tree was up and ready for decorating. We put on the Polar Express movie, made popcorn and had hot chocolate while we decorated. The kids had such a great time. Here is the best part... topping the tree.


Later in the week, we took a visit to santa. I love this santa. Been going there since rafael was a baby. If you go after lunch, when all the big kids are in school, he talks to you forever. And you can take your own pictures. Because of that, I don't care what the "professional" photo is like. I have my own ideas for candids.

She would not look up. I had to place her on Santa's knee. She played the shy card very very well.

So then I brought her away from Santa while Rafael chatted him up. I like this picture the best. Santa is always watching. Whenever I get my desk cleared off, I will make a scrapbook page of this one.


A few days later, it was the school concert. There were so many kindergartens, they let the parents take photos for about 5 minutes before they performed. My son was a great ham.. shouting over the crowd, "Hi daddy, Hi mama, Where's Braggie? " (my uncle) "Love you Braggie!" clear as a bell. cute as a button.


So, that is what we've been up to.
More sewing to do.....
thanks for looking,
Amanda

ogee ornament

Here is the full ornament that I made from the info on Betz White's blog.


I didn't have the proper felt, but I did have some stiff felt from Michael's. I did it in white 1st, but the felt was too stiff, it didn't flow, just bent in the wrong places. The blue was a little better, but still not right. Anyhow, I figure with a few shiny, spiny things, it would distract. haha


I knew that buying those little filigree beads 2 years ago would come in handy.


Can't wait to finish the car holders i started today... stay tuned.
thanks for looking,
Amanda

felt cupcake pincushions

Here is my 2nd project from
Fa la la la felt

Last year, I bought the pincushion on the far right at a craft sale. I loved the size of it for my stamping desk. Geesh, remember when I used to stamp?

So I was excited when the Fa la la la felt e-book had a pattern for it. They mystery of what was inside was solved! It's a bottle cap, or stopper, as we would say in Newfoundland. In the e-book, they made them into little ornaments by putting a ribbon on the top.

These are so fun and simple to make. I have a few more I want to do before the season ends. Come to think of it, I may just make a half a dozen as cupcakes for the play kitchen. how yummy would they look?

thanks for looking,
Amanda

ornaments, assembly line

! Glad this order is over. Now I can work on some other things, An assembly line is the way to go when you have so many to do. When it all comes together, it feels good.

When you finish up the custom bags and slip them in, even better....


Delivery is this afternoon.


thanks for looking,
Amanda

Cupcake pocket fleece scarf

I have a vision for fleece scarves and hats. I bought the fabric, just have to get to it. Anyhow, here is a beginning to my fleece making....


The cupcake is made from felt with a few stitches on the machine and a bold, red button.

I then blanket stitched it on with pink anchora crochet thread that I bought in Portugal. i LOVE it and I'm so glad I have so much of it as I'm using it constantly.

Now to make little bags for my order of 35 microscope ornament slides ....

Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Tiny world pin cushion

The first time I saw
these Tiny Worlds from Mimi Kirchner, I fell in love. I purchased the pattern a few months ago and have finally begun my love affair. I did the bulk of this in one night and sewed up the trees and sewed on the house in another go. If I start earlier and b/c I've done one already, I'm sure one night would be enough.



Her instructions are very clear with pictures and the template for the house is perfect.

I had fun making the flowers and grass textures. I sewed the roof of the house incorrectly, well, I like how she did it better, but missed that part in my eagerness to make it. And I need to work on the ball in the cup. A little rounder would be better.

I do get another chance, I want to make a winter scene.

i've enjoyed 2 mornings at home with the wee one. She has a cold and is "too really, really sick" to get dressed or go outside. I got the neighbour to take my son to school and bring him back. Nice to stay at home indeed. Finished up some projects and made cookies, yum. Even nicer as the snow we got quickly turned slushy with the RAIN we are now experiencing.


Thanks for looking,
Amanda

pretty scalloped felt balls

On my daily journey through blogland, I visited one of my favs....
homemade by Jill

She suggested some ornaments she'd may get to this year.

I like this one, as someone was explaining it to me just the other day.
Zakkalife

I just couldn't think about how to hide the knots of the threads when I used different colours, so I decided to make it part of the ornament.


I also used my scallop circle Quickutz die to make the circles. And a little mix of the colours...


I see snow all over blogland. We still don't have any here. At the moment, it is almost 3 degrees outside. A mild, calm, no wind blowing 3 degrees. Quite nice and acceptable for December. I hear we're in for some white stuff on Wednesday. We shall see.
It would help when I'm out schlecking the malls, corporate parties and sidewalks singing the joys of the season.

Last year's picture of a camera shy girlie. My she has grown so much since then.

Fa la la la la la la la la
thanks for looking,
Amanda

a new trend spotted

I've been spending the last few days trolling through the Sew Mama Sew blog. they are having a huge giveaway hosted by bloggers all over the world. I had intended to contribute, but missed the deadline. Definitely next time for sure!
Anyhow, in my perusing, I'm noticing some great fabrics and projects of Matryoshka dolls. New trend? I haven't seen anything around here yet, just from other countries.
Take a look at the giveaway of this blog
Very Purple Stuffs to see what I mean.

I was excited to work on my fleece scarf with a pocket and made the 1st set of pockets too small for my daughter's hands. Luckily, I didn't sew it on, but I did make them as cupcakes. So now I have a few cupcake appliques for another project. I came downstairs for something, hit a button on the computer and have been blurfing ever since. Hate when I get sucked into the blurfing vortex. Gonna git off my butt and cut out some flowers for hairclips.

later,
Amanda

Felt birdies

Ok, so all my 'work' surfing the blogs at night finally paid off. I've been searching for something... didn't know what it was, but something to satisfy my creating beast for the season. Well, check this out
Fa la la la la Felt
on Handmade Cathy Gaubert.

I drooled over the samples and went in search for the book. It's not out until August! So i bought the ebook. A simple process and instant gratification. Only problem is that I'm a book in my hands person. So as I find a project that i want to do, I print it off and and work from that. i think i'll have to purchase the actual papercopy when it comes out. Such great eye candy and many projects that I will do.

So here is my take on Little Birdie




Oh such fun and joy and felt!

Oh, here is a pic of the vest I wrote about a few days ago. Can you guess what it will be?? It will be a bit before I get to it, as I have to make 34 microscope slide ornaments for next week. Assembly line in my future, very near future.

Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Passport wallet

Our piano teacher is going on a long trip for Christmas, so I thought a passport wallet would be a timely Christmas Present.

I had the felt leaf from Quickutz on the windowsill, so I machine sewed it on for a bit of something to look at on the front. And us canadians like to show off our Maple Leaf.

Then I decided it needed a little pocket inside for the pieces of photo ID needed to board. I also made it quite tall for the boarding passes. I hate having everything spread out in pockets and purses. This way, it is all in one place.



I cut two 15x9.5 pieces of fabric in contrasting designs. The folded sections are around 3-3.5 wide, leaving the opened wallet about 8 inches. Guess that makes the finished, closed piece 4x9.5.

I found me a black wool vest with some great embroidered flowers on it.... wait till you see what I do with it.

Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Craft Bazaar

Howdy!
What a busy week! My kids had their piano recital. Can I tell you how cute 3-5 year olds playing the piano are??! yes, my 3 and 5 year old take piano. It is a wonderful group, keyboard based program called
Music for Young Children . it is canadian, but is all over the world. it turns 30 next year. I can't say enough how wonderful and child based it is. Look it up if you're thinking of a piano based program for your children....

Anyhow, you didn't come here to hear me gush about that. Another night out was the craft bazaar.
Here are some shots of my table :




I have to say, I've never made such quantities of things before. I still have a fair bit left over, but I have other opportunities to sell them. And they are done! I don't have to dread going to my room every night! :}
Now I can start some new projects I have swimming in my mind.

thanks for looking,
Amanda

Key chains all in a row

I took another go at making some keychains from these great acrylic keychain holders I got from a crafty friend. (thanks)


I made a bunch from Quickutz dies, ballet, music, happy face, football.....


Then I discovered my rock star set! Jackpot! I had such fun mixing these up.




Yep, just 1 day left to make signs, etc. for the craft bazaar. I made a lot of each type of thing I'm selling. Let's hope the people like and are buying.

thanks for looking,
Amanda

pro...cras.....tin..ation

so here I am, blurfing instead of pinning the 50 eleven coffee cozies that I need to make tonight.



I'm so not a return to a former project kind of girl. I want to make some buntings.


It's all in my head. I just may have to do it so I can be productive in my procrastination instead of ... well... not.

two tutus

I've been admiring these tutus at Treasures for Tots
So this week, when I went to Michael's I picked up some tulle. Today when Angelina Ballerina came on, Neve ran for her princess dancing dress. I knew then that I had to make the tutu right away.


I love how easy it was. The worst part was the tulle hooking on all my little hangnails from my winter dry hands problem.
(BTW, Burt's Bees cuticle cream really helps, but I can't find what pocket I put it in.)


I wrapped the tulle around a mimi muffin tin and only cut one side of it so that the tulle measured 10 inches when put on the elastic. i wanted a longer tutu rather than the traditional shorter one.

After she tried it on and danced a bit, there was a request for one for dolly. so here it is


This doll has been nicknamed "Bride of Chuckie" as she is motorized and energized. she talks, asks for bottle, blankie, bear and plays peekaboo and makes raspberry sounds. yeah, not so fun when there is no one to play with her. Turn her off and walk away kid.


So, this is step one for the tutu. I'm going to embellish it with ribbons and maybe some jewels. I'll show you the final one when it gets done.

Happy weekend!

Thanks for looking,
Amanda