Messenger Bag - Patchwork

Signed up for a bag swap awhile back. You had to list in the comments what type of bag you wanted to receive. My swap partner wanted a bag that had a strap long enough to cross-over the body. I knew I wanted to do a messenger style bag and searched out the fabric. I found this lovely yellow and orange striped fabric in the clearance section of our local Fabricland. I also bought some orange raw silk for lining. I had thought about doing a reverse applique for the flap of the bag, but remembered I had some really nice charm packages in my stash. Once I put the bag fabric with some of the charms I knew the flap would have to be patchwork. I love, love, love, love, love this bag so much and I don't really care for yellow. I asked my daughter for her opinion on what charm squares to use. She mentioned that she would like a patchwork bag too. That makes two of us! One for her is on my list and further down on the list - one for me. This bag would make a great Christmas or birthday gift too.

Lost My Sewing Mojo

So it's been a long time since my last post. I've lost my sewing mojo. That's not to say I haven't been creating a few things here and there, but just not as much as I usually do. And I really have to say I haven't felt like posting an update, given that we have dial up (high speed is not available in our area). So that's always a headache too.

For my daughter's birthday she requested a John Deere cake. She specifically requested the John Deere symbol. She loves John Deere and has so many t-shirts and sweatshirts with John Deere on them that she can wear a different one everyday.

I don't know how often I'll be updating this blog. I guess just whenever I have a chance. Life is very busy here with 3 kids in school full time this year (including the Kindergartener). What with homework for all 3 kids, activities (inlcuding 2 dance classes and a hockey game and practice), having friends over, going to friends houses and spending some quality family time, I have to prioritize my time.

I am slowly working my way back to the sewing machine and I have a few things I want to share in the coming weeks. Also I have my sewing list of Christmas gift this year to tackle too. I have an idea of what I want to make for each person so I just need to make the time.

Apron Winner

Thank you all for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway. The winner of the apron is edmontonjb. Email will be sent momentarily. Congratulations!

Giveaway

Have you seen some of the really great kids beds out there lately? I can see my boys, who share a room loving this bunk bed. With the cool slide down from the top bunk and the awesome tent for the bottom bunk maybe there wouldn't be any fighting over who got which bunk. They could even be open to switching bunks!

Or this bed since they both love Lightning McQueen. I remember when our oldest son got the Cars DVD in his stocking for Christmas a few years back. We must have watched that movie thousands of times. It's still a family favourite and we know all the words to the entire movie.

This bed would be great for a little girl!

Check out the other kids furniture and room accessories on this web site. Including wall hangings like below (love them!).



And this one would even work for a tween's room and could still work in a teen's room (if you have a girly-girl - which I don't).

I can so see my boys loving this Farm Themed table and chairs set.

My daughter would have loved this table and chairs set when she was little.

All of the above items (and more) can be found on this web site.

I could see myself baking cookies in this fantastic apron and getting kids the cookies and milk while they sit at the Farm themed table and chairs.

Want to win the apron??????? Ways to enter:

1) Comment below to enter. Please be sure to include an email address so I can contact you if you win.

2) Spread the word - blog about this giveaway and I'll give you another entry. Just be sure to come back and comment again telling me you blogged about the giveaway and include a link to your post.

3) Become a follower of my blog for another entry.

Giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US only.

Contest will close April 21. Winner will be announced April 22 and you'll have until April 25 to send me your contact info to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed by April 25 at 10 pm EST, I'll have to announce a new winner. Thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring this giveaway! Want to see more aprons? Go here.

Grocery Bag

Signed up for a grocery bag swap. This is what I made my partner.

It's reversible.

Snow, snow, snow

I can't believe I forgot to share this snowflake ornament with you!

A few weeks after Christmas I was feeling like I needed to make a snowflake ornament - maybe it was because we haven't had much snow all winter. I had some plastic covered wire and was playing around with it and got out my buttons to try to see what would happen. This ornament took hours and my hands hurt by the time I was done threading the buttons onto the wire and bending the wire. I even borrowed my husband's pliers to help bent and pull the wire. I love this ornament and can't wait for next Christmas to hang it on the tree. I have to confess I still have it hanging on our buffet cabinet.

King of the Class

A few weeks ago it was "King and Queen for a Day" in my eldest son's Kindergarten class. All the children could wear a crown at school and this optional. Of course we don't have a crown suitable for a boy and I don't think we even have one of my daughter's princess crowns anymore. For a week I asked my son if he wanted a crown and his response was always no. The night before "King and Queen for Day", right after supper was done (around 7 pm here) he said, "I think I'll take a crown to school tomorrow."

Why do they always do this to me? It's always a last minute decision. I should have listened to my instincts and just made one for him at the beginning of the week.

I got out my felt and told him he would have to have light blue since the only other colours I had enough of were pink and white. Then when I went searching for heavy interfacing and couldn't find any. Luckily we have a Wal-Mart close by and I ran in there to get some heavy interfacing. When I was standing there waiting for someone to come and cut my interfacing I found the dark royal blue felt. I knew he would like that much better than light blue felt I had at home and got some of that as well.

Once I cut out the crown shape, I decided to put his first initial on the crown. It still looked kind of bare so I got out my button collection and found some great boy buttons. Of course it was past the boy's bedtime and he was in bed so I wasn't asking him what he wanted and decided it would be a surprise. I had a rocket ship, an airplane, a saw, a great sized yellow star and a flashlight button - all things he loves. When I showed the boy his crown in the morning before we left for daycare he was really excited about wearing his crown at school.

After school I asked him if any other boys wore crowns and he said yes. I asked if anyone had a crown like his and he said no. (This is our quiet child.) Daddy said to him, "I bet no one had a crown as nice as yours." He didn't reply but every once in awhile he still gets his crown out and puts it on. So I call it a hit.

Our youngest will be in Kindergarten next year and I was thinking I'll have to keep the crown for him and just put his initial over top of this brother's. However he keeps reminding me he hates blue and really loves orange. Maybe I should get started on his crown now!

Birthday Cake!!!!!

My oldest son's birthday was in January. (He's our middle child.) All he could talk about for months (besides Santa and what he was going to ask for/get) was his birthday cake. Last year he just wanted a spiderweb cake - easy enough. This year he wanted a 4-wheeler cake. And not just any 4-wheeler - it had to be just like his 4-wheeler.

The Cake

The real 4-wheeler

I think it turned out pretty good. He really liked it and his friend that came over for his birthday thought it was "sick". Wonder what kind of cake he'll ask for next year?

Christmas Eve Pillows

I can't believe it's taken me so long to post this! We had a wonderful Christmas and really enjoyed the Christmas break together. Usually my husband works during the break between Christmas and New Year's. This year he had the week off so we had lots of family time. We also have a birthday in our family early in the New Year (more on that in a different post). We went back to work/school/daycare on Monday but by Monday night 2 of us came down with the a tummy bug that has been going around. By the end of the week all 3 kids and I had had the bug. We are all back to normal now though.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve after we go to mass, we get together with my husband's family for some snacks and togetherness. After we have a snack each child is allowed to open one gift. For the past 3 years I've been making something for my kids for Christmas Eve. This year I made pillows with their names appliqued on them. Two of our kids have unusual names so they will hardly ever have anything with their names on them unless I make something for them.

I searched high and low for some reasonably priced pillows that would be the right size. I really didn't want to spend anywhere near $20 on a pillow that would be used as a pillow form. I got lucky and found 1 pillow at Wal-Mart on clearance for $6 early in December. Then I spent the next 2 weeks searching for 2 more cheap pillows. I finally found some at Sears on clearance for $7 - which is still at least $3 cheaper than the small pillow forms you can buy at Fabricland (I think they are more than $10 but I can't remember). I measured the pillows to determine the size of the pillow cover I wanted and included a zipper in the bottom so the cover can be washed seperately from the pillow. Two kids love blue and one loves orange. I couldn't find any sturdy solid orange fabric so I had to settle for blue for him too - which worked out perfectly anyway since the boys share blue room. I used a cotton canvas since I wanted something very strong and sturdy for the base of the pillow. I thought this would help to secure and support the applique as well.

For my daughter - Caelen (I know the n looks like an r in this picture but the pillow is really full).

For my oldest son - Tyler.
For the youngest - Rhett.

They love these pillows and sleep with them every night.