ac/db

Sarah Booth Photography

2011-05-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Shea has his first photo shoot with the lovely and talented Sarah Booth. The whole experience was fun and the photos turned out amazing. She truly captured his spirit in the photos. I couldn't have asked for more!

If you live in the Victoria area, I highly recommend her services. She not only a talented photographer, but a very delightful person to work with. Her website and blog can be found at http://www.sarahboothphotography.com/

Here are a couple of the photos - amazing aren't they? I almost (for a millisecond) thought he should be a child star :)

13 Month Video

2011-04-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

When Shea and I do the monthly photo shoot, I end up taking many, many photos that day. For his 13 month photo shoot, I decided to put all the photos I took that day in a little video. I think it turned out so cute!

Thirteen Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2011-04-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Once Shea hit his first birthday, I thought I would be done taking the monthly photos. However, I changed my mind! I got so much positive feedback about the photos, I decided to keep doing them until he is 2. Then I will probably do it every 6 months or yearly - that seems like a long ways away (though I know it will come up quickly)!

Here is the little turkey's photos!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

I know I am late, but I wanted to share my cupcakes with you all! A co-worker/friend invited us to her house for Easter and I decided to bring cupcakes. My original plan was just to decorate cupcakes with coloured icing and sprinkles, but ever since Shea's birthday, I am kind of addicted to fancy looking cupcakes! So, I did a quick google search and found this link: http://parispastry.blogspot.com/2009/03/easter-cupcakes_21.html

They turned out great! It was pretty simple to do. Though next time I would use regular icing rather than cream cheese icing because cream cheese icing isn't pure white and the marshmallows were pure white. I doubt anybody noticed though - well, except me :) I used a jelly bean instead of a m&m or similar shaped candy - I really liked it. I did try to find black licorice for the whiskers, but string black licorice is hard to find in the stores! I think I will buy some and keep it in my cupboard for occasions like this.

I had some extra cupcakes, so I just decorated them simply with little chicks that I picked up at Michaels the other day. They are cute too!

I really have to say that I love google - there are so many talented people out there and I love that they share their ideas! Thank you to all that share your ideas!!

Here is Shea looking for easter eggs :)

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday!

A Year of Shea in 3 Minutes

2011-04-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

My mother saw a video on UTube where the parents took a picture of their child everyday for the first year and then put it in video form. She wanted me to do the same for Shea so badly that she printed the first 5 months of dates and brought them to me. This is the end result:

The First Year

2011-03-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lil' Dude!

2011-03-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's official... Shea is now 1 years old! He is a big guy now. He loves to read his books, play cars, climb the stairs, get chased and play his music instruments.

This weekend we had a monkey theme birthday party for him. We had all hands on deck! Here is my dad helping out by putting the goody bags together (banana bread, finger puppet and chocolate monkey sucker).

My mom found a book that had monkey cupcakes in it and here is how ours turned out! Not too bad!

I bought the invitation, banner, gift bag tags, thank you cards and other printable items off of Frog Prince Paperie. I sent the files to Staples and got them printed there. The banner is amazing printed! It is definitely a keeper!

Overall, his birthday was great! I have had a wonderful year getting to know this special little dude and can't wait to see what this next year holds for him!

Slow Progress

2011-03-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine was searching my blog and came across this bag that I had made. She requested one for her knitting supplies and since I owed her a hand made craft, I agreed. However, having a 11 month old really restricts the amount of time I am able to sew. I was finding that when I did have the time, the sewing machine would wake him up from his naps. So, I moved the sewing machine downstairs. How do you manage to find time to sew/craft?

That still didn't really help! I have been trying to finish the bag all week and basically I have done the outer shell and the liner:

I still need to add the inside pockets and the straps. One day it will be done!

Eleven Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2011-02-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Monster Shaker + Tutorial

2011-02-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

Shake, shake, shake your sillies out with this great Monster Shaker! It is a great way to use up those scraps of fabric (fleece, fuzzy, terry towel, etc) and have fun.

We are giving this monster to a one year old, so we kept the decorations simple so they aren't a choking hazard. For older kids, google eyes and other decorations would be fun!

I created a tutorial which you can download from here. It is super simple craft and doesn't take too much time to complete. And for older kids, they could decorate their own monster shakers.

This is my first tutorial, so if you find an errors or need clarification, please let me know.

Download Tutorial Here

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny

2011-02-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a year since the Olympics. It is hard to believe! This means some of Shea's friends are having their first birthday parties! Yikes! I am noticing a trend that many of the people are requesting no gifts. The kids seem to have everything they need and so many toys.

That being said, I always feel badly not bringing a little something. So, I decided to use the stuff around my house to make some toys for the kids.

The first idea I had was to make a small stuffie. My first attempt was making sock monkeys, but that didn't pan out. I found them too boring. Then I found this cute little bunny pattern from Jenny over at All Sorts blog. It was so cute and looked simple to make I had to try to make one.

The bunny took me about 2 hours in total to make. Not too bad and I would definitely get faster at making these. Jenny's instructions are great and she had some really good tips. I loved how she used the freezer paper - it definitely made sewing the bunny easy and quick. I did add bells in the ears of the bunny - so they flop a little more (from the weight of the bells). I also made a mess at making the pom-pom because I bought fuzzy yarn rather than regular yarn. The fuzz went everywhere once it was cut. So, I had a pre-made pom-pom that I sewed on the bunny instead.

I am definitely going to be making more of these little bunnies and I plan on making a super hero cape for them. Once I figure out the pattern for the cape, I will post it on here.

Ten Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2011-02-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

This is Shea's ten month picture! I got a new camera and had a great time using it for these photos - definitely worth the money!

Christmas Book to look at

2011-01-09T10:43:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Wall Stickers for Kids

2011-01-05T23:04:00.003-08:00

Today while browsing OhDeeDoh, there was an amazing room that used wall stickers from a company called e-glue based in France. I really enjoyed their take on larger wall stickers! They are quite expensive, but keep in mind they are quite large. Check out the room on OhDeeDoh that incorporated them in their small room design.

Another post on OhDeeDoh explored various wall murals. I really thought eazywallz had the best design for wall murals though.

All these wall stickers has me itching to re-design the guest bedroom into Shea's playroom!

Tiles are finally hung

2011-01-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

DB bought me some amazing Xenia Taler tiles for my birthday a few years ago. They have been sitting beside the stove waiting to be hung. My sister got fed up with them collecting dust and hung them above my stove. They look so great! Now when I am cooking, I have something to appreciate.

Steph and Shea discussing how to hang the tiles

Thanks Steph!

Nine Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2011-01-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

With all the Christmas activities, I forgot to post Shea's 9 month photos! This month there has been lots of changes, including one tooth and he now likes to stand. He sure keeps me busy :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holidays!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

The tree is up. The cards have been sent. Cookies have been made. Presents bought. I think I'm ready!! Are you?

My parents arrive tomorrow for the holidays. Everyone is excited to participate in Shea's first Christmas. I am sure it will be filled with lots of fun and Christmas spirit.

We hope that everyone has an amazing holiday season! I am pretty sure I won't be making anything new until 2011. So thanks for the great year Blog world and see you in the New Year!

I am biased, but isn't he just so adorable??

Merry Christmas!!
<3 Ariane

Christmas Stocking

2010-12-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

Some of my friends and I got together and made Christmas Stockings. I used the stocking from Purl Bee for the pattern. I did enlarge it to make a larger stocking and I wanted my seams on the inside, so I accounted for the seam allowance. I used a zig zag stitch to sew on the rick rack and the letters.

My sister helped me figure out how to sew on the cuff as I wanted a folded cuff.

I think it turned out great!

Playing Around...

2010-12-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

My maternity leave is going by so quickly! I made a list of things I want to accomplish while Shea is napping and one item is to update my blog. I have been playing around with different formats, header pictures, etc. I am really liking my Christmas header!

So, be patient with me! You may see a different blog each time you visit :)

Happy December - Annual Wreath

2010-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to December everyone! Do you all have your Christmas shopping done? I will admit - I am almost done. I only have my dad to buy for and he is definitely the most difficult to find the perfect gift for. Any suggestions??

One quick side note - Shea went to see Santa! He was so cute! I know I am biased though :)

My Wreath for 2010

Today my friend and I went to the annual wreath making class. This year I had no real inspiration like I usually do and you can tell! I used all sorts of different materials and I now call it the "Spastic Wreath". Hahahaa...

PK's Wreath for 2010

PK's wreath turned out FABULOUS! She used cedar this year with some fantastic accents. I really like the cones in the middle.

Hard to believe last year we were both pregnant and sick during the class! Now we have amazing little people to enjoy this time of year with.

Here are our previous wreaths:
2007: no picture taken - boo hoo
2008: http://arianephillips.blogspot.com/2008/12/wreath-making-class.html
2009: http://arianephillips.blogspot.com/2009/12/yearly-wreath-making.html

Eight Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-11-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

He is standing folks! Pulling himself up onto furniture and people. He is so busy. Crazy little dude :)

Happy Halloween (a little late)

2010-11-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Halloween! We took Shea trick r' treating to a couple of family and friend's houses and then we hit the fireworks and bomb fire in our community. Shea fell asleep on the way to the fire, but woke up for the end of the fireworks. I thought the noise would scare him, but he didn't seemed to be bothered by it at all.

I did carve a pumpkin - though not as elaborate as my previous pumpkins (last years pumpkin and the year before pumpkin). Again, we had no kids come to our house. Maybe next year :)

I also sewed a friend some floor cushions. I will take a picture of them this week and post a small "how to". They were super simple and they look better than I thought they would!

Seven Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-10-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

He can sit. He can crawl. He eats everything! He is the joy of our lives :) I can't believe he is now 7 months old!

Fun Halloween Craft

2010-10-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE halloween! I am so excited to dress Shea up and go celebrate this year. I want to put some decorations around the house and I found this easy peasy craft! I am going to go make some right now :)

For instructions how to make your own - visit Our Best Bites.

Six Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-10-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Six months - time is sure flying!!

Day 2 & 3 of Sew Kids Clothes Challenge

2010-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't get to sew a whole hour on either Day 2 or Day 3. With db being away in Boston for work, I am finding getting everything done in a day challenging. I really don't know how single parents do it all the time! I am exhausted and it has only been 4 days.

However, I did get some sewing done and finished one bib! It took me 3 days to finish one bib... yikes! I just have to put the snaps on it and it is ready to go! The next bib I make I will make some adjustments.

I have left my camera in the car, so I don't have a picture of the bib yet, but I will take one tonight! Also, today is Shea's 6 months and it is my birthday! I can't believe he is 6 months old - where does the time go?

I will post his 6 months photos soon :)

Day 1 of Sew Kids Clothes Challenge = DISASTER!

2010-09-20T08:37:00.001-07:00

I am laughing about this now because I have fixed all my blunders :)

I was so pumped to start this challenge. I started drawing out the bib pattern on some tissue paper with my dark blue sharpie and when I picked up the tissue paper I realized that the sharpie leaked through the tissue paper right onto my desk. Whoa - of course it would right?

Panic struck. I started to sweat. I ran for the bathroom and grabbed some soap and a cloth. It didn't help. Panic stuck again. I googled "how to get sharpie off of wood" and voila millions of tips at my finger tips. So, I tried the first tip which was to use toothpaste with a baby wipe. Lucky for me I had both of those items on hand. And guess what?? IT WORKED! No more sharpie on the desk and the finish isn't ruined. It looks like nothing EVER happened. I <3 google. I don't know what would I have done without it.

Anyways, I decided that was enough for day 1. Hopefully day 2 will go better today!

Kids Clothes Challenge

2010-09-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

On Elsie Marley's blog, she is having a kids clothes challenge this week. I have been meaning to make Shea a whole bunch of bibs since he started eating solid food this week. Here is my chance! The guidelines say that I should sew an hour everyday for 7 days :) I am not really going to post my pictures on their flickr site because I don't think bibs constitute as clothes. BUT - I will post pictures here!

So, starting real foods has many challenges, but we are slowly working through them. He likes pears, applesauce, banana, warm carrots and rice cereal. We are going to stick with these food for about a week and then maybe try some more veggies. Any suggestions?

Here is the video of Shea eating his rice cereal for the first time - so funny!

Five Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-08-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

5 months already! Wow!

HELP!

2010-08-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

So, I have been making Shea a custom onesie each month and taking pictures of him. I just realized I don't have very many "boyish" fabric scraps - so if you have any and would like to donate them to me, please email me at ariane.phillips@gmail.com! They don't have to be very big and would fit in a regular sized envelope :D

Another "G" Bag - For Gabrielle

2010-08-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I made our friend Gina a "G" bag (check it out here). I liked it so much, I made one for my little friend Gabrielle's second birthday. This time I added butterfly applique on the back of the bag. And I did remember to use cotton to line it. I made it the exact same size. I added some colouring books, books and crayons inside. I hope she likes it!

Giveaway from V & Company

2010-08-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I usually don't promote other blog giveaways on my blog, but this giveaway is too special to not spread the news (plus then I get an extra entry).

V & Company is giving away a Sihouette machine - go right now to the giveaway and the Sihouette website to see all this machine can do. I would really like to have one.

I would make Shea onesies... I would make some art for my bedroom... I would maybe scrap book? Okay probably not scrapbook, but you get the drift!

Good luck and wish me luck too!

Four Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-07-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post! Shea turned 4 months last week - he is such a happy little guy (I can hear him talking to his mobile as I type this).

Back from Vacation... Ahhhh...

2010-07-12T21:42:00.001-07:00

Well, we had 2 glorious weeks spent with friends and family in Radium, British Columbia. The food, weather and company was wonderful! I thought I would share a couple of my favourite pictures!

And I plan on making a memory book for my nephew Matthew (who turns 2 at the end of August) using this spectacular tutorial by guest blogger on V and Co. Too cute! Now I just have to pick my favourite photos from the trip... yikes!

The cousins!

Anna chatting with Shea

Shea at the beach

Three Months Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-06-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

My baby is now 3 months old. I can't believe it has been 3 months already! Look at how much he changed this past month! He is getting to be a big guy!

The Gina "G" Book Bag

2010-06-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to our little friend Gina's birthday party. I wanted to make her something special, so I made her a "G" book bag. I am getting much better at appliqueing. I have learned a couple things now. I did make another friend a Madisyn bag - but I forgot to take pictures of it. The bag measures 14" tall and 10" wide. I really liked how it turned out. I used jean material to line it too, but next time I would just use cotton.

Final Pictures of Shea's Room

2010-06-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

I don't think I ever shared the final pictures of Shea's room! Silly me! I took some pictures other day for my sister, so she could add them to her portfolio. So, here it is in all it's glory! I am thinking of submitting them to Ohdedoh, but am sort of chicken to do it :)

Two Month Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-05-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here is baby Shea's 2 month old picture! He is getting so big and now loves to smile.

Closet Challenge

2010-05-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

My blog friend Mel over at Mel Makes Pretty wrote a post the other day explaining that she wanted to clean out her closets. I agree! My closets are horrid, but I never have the motivation to start cleaning them out.

Then I had an idea...

I challenged Mel to clean one closet a week with me. That got me motivated because then I have to report back how I am doing. Now the tough part was where to start! I decided to work myself from the bottom up and back to front. Lucky for me the downstairs closets are not in too bad of shape.

This is the first closet BEFORE picture... I have already started taking out old shoes and jackets and have encouraged db to do the same. I am hoping to be done on Friday and will report back here with the after photo (my guess is that it won't look too much different in a picture, but I will show it anyways).

Shea has been invited to his friend's first birthday party this coming weekend. For a gift, I decided to make the birthday girl a small tote bag filled with books and colouring books. On the tote bag, I wanted to applique her name to the front. I have never appliqued before and I have been doing a lot of practicing this week! I think I am almost ready to try to put the real tote together and hopefully it goes well so I can show you the finished product. If anybody has any tips, I sure would appreciate them!

One Month Old - Shea's Monthly Photo

2010-04-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

Happy one month birthday Shea! I can’t believe how fast the time is going by and how big you are already.
I’ll be taking a photo of Shea wearing a custom onesie each month until he is one.

Monthly Photo of Shea

2010-04-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

Nicole from Making it Lovely had a great idea to take a monthly photo of her daughter Eleanor sitting in her Eames rocking chair and donning a felt pin.

I decided to do a similar idea - minus the Eames rocker and the felt pin. Instead, I decided to make a onesie for each month. I was given a bunch of plain used onesies - so I thought it would be a great to applique them with the month. Now you just have to wait until after Thursday (Shea's official one month birthday) to see what he looks like in it!

Here is the number template that I used to create the applique. To apply the applique to the onesie - I just followed the instructions on the package of fusible webbing that I bought. There are a bunch of tutorials out on the interweb that are all equally good that describes how to applique.

Life as a Mom

2010-04-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it has almost been a month since the little man was born. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly! We have been pretty busy with visitors and trying to get a grip on the whole parenting thing. Lucky for us, Shea is a great guy and allows us to sleep.

We received many gifts from lovely friends and family and we wanted to do something special to thank them. Originally, I wanted to create personalized thank you cards like these ones featured on Ohdeedoh, but when I attempted to create a nice card - it didn't turn out as nice as the ones featured. Instead, I kept with the same idea and included a picture of Shea with a thank you card with the items the person gave us. This way they have a picture of Shea. I was going to put all the clothes on him and then take pictures, but that was way too cruel - I would still be dressing him up and taking photos! Check out this cute picture of Shea with items from a good friend... I do like him so much :)

Things that I have come to realize - I will not get more than one thing crossed off my weekly to do list in a day. Including towels that I haven't completed for friends and a travel change pad that I need for my own diaper bag. I was thinking of creating something similar to the one below which is from Sew Fun. Except I don't think the pattern is worth spending $12 USD, so I will create my own and make some modifications, like adding a few pockets for change and a cell phone.

This week it is db's birthday and I am struggling to find him the perfect gift. I have run out of ideas! Anybody have a good idea for me? HELP!

Welcome Baby Shea

2010-03-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Baby Shea was born on Monday March 22 at 1850. He weighed in at 7 lbs 15 ounces, and is 51 cm tall! He is the love of my life...
We have been home from the hospital since Thursday, but have had a steady stream of visitors. Lucky for me, Shea is a wonderful tempered little guy and just takes it all in.

db and I are doing fairly well and getting SOME sleep :) Though it looks like tonight might be a tough one. Maybe I should start drinking coffee!

More to come I am sure :)

The Grass is Green

2010-03-18T16:42:00.001-07:00

The painting is done in the room now and it looks amazing! Steph used a stencil and some low tack adhesive to get the grass on most of the wall, but did have to free hand paint some of the grass around the corners of the room. It didn't take her as long as I thought and she now has the room cleaned up and ready to go! We will take some better pictures of the whole room in the next couple days, but I wanted to show you the animals with the grass. Don't they look great?

In other news, still no sign of this baby deciding it wants to make it's grand entrance. So, I have been put on the wait list to be induced. The wait list is based on priority, staffing and available beds at the hospital. This means I am basically on-call! It could be any time! Very exciting!

To keep my mind off the wait - I have been cleaning. I hand washed the kitchen floors, washed all the stairs and now am starting on the bathroom floors. My floors have never looked nicer! Soon I am going to run out of cleaning to do.

Hope you are all having a great week!
.::. Ariane .::.

No Baby Yet... But the Room is Coming Along!

2010-03-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Steph and I made it through the Olympics without any problems or complications. Attending the games was amazing! Some of my favourite moments were (in no particular order):

Joannie Rochette skating her short program. The atmosphere in the arena was spectacular and nothing like I have ever felt before.

The Women's Gold Medal Hockey game!!! WOO HOOO! It was so great seeing the ladies play so well against their USA rivals!

Curling preliminary games - What a great party to be at! So much fun!

Steph took most of the pictures, but has forgotten her cable for her camera, so I will post pictures of the Olympics later.

Well, I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the baby - though, those who are close to me are probably questioning the "patiently" comment. I started acupuncture a couple weeks ago to help induce labour and I believe it has helped prepare my body and baby for the delivery. Now if only it could speed it up! There is no more room for this child to grow! :) Hopefully it will happen any day now.

Steph is working away at finishing the painting today. Tomorrow is her birthday, so we will give her the day off and take her to Alice in Wonderland and then for some gluten free pizza! Happy Birthday Auntie Stephie!!!

Auntie Steph painting the birdies

Here are some pictures of the other animals:

Weekend Update

2010-01-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

This weekend was all about resting and getting organized. On Saturday, I sewed for the first time since... I don't know how long it has been! But it felt good and I completed 2 hooded bath towels. Sorry for the crappy pictures, but I wanted to prove that I actually sewed them. Thanks to Mel for giving me a little nudge to get going! I have approximately 6 friends that are pregnant and I want to make sure I have all their gifts sewn before our little person comes along. 2 down, only 4 more to go!

I also found this cute Handmade For You tags by Amy Cluck aka Peptogirl.

Now that the baby room is all painted and the dresser was setup, it was time to move onto the office. db woke up early on Sunday and started putting the bookcase we bought from Ikea. It didn't take long before it was all done and ready to go into the office. One small problem, the office wasn't ready for the bookcase. Adding a bookcase to our already small office space required some shuffling around furniture, including my dear sewing machine. Luckily we found a home for all the furniture and it looks not too bad - cramped - but not too bad.

I really wanted to organize our books like this:

Image from Apartment Therapy

or like this:

Image from High Fashion Home Blog

But db wouldn't let me because he thought it would be too difficult to find an actual book he was looking for (boo-hoo), so currently the books and bookcase looks like this:

Hope everyone has a great week!
~ariane

The Paint

2010-01-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to note that I did pick a bold colour. I wanted a fun and funky room and a room that stands out from the rest of the house. Sometimes I panic after I make such decisions, so there has been many phone calls to Steph and my mother second guessing the choice of such a bright green in the room.

This is the photo I took after the first coat of paint. Suddenly I thought to myself "What have you done?" and at this point, db called this room the "insane asylum" because you walk in and your face goes into shock (like the SCREAM painting).

A few days and 2 coats of paint later, I am feeling much better about the whole room. It is still bold, but I think it is going to look great once it is all put together. db and I put the Ikea Malm dresser together today and put it in the room and I think he agrees the green looks great with the white.

I even put the baby clothes that I have received in the drawers. I am thinking about making some drawer liners using this tutorial, but probably won't use any scents and will use some low tack double sided tape to keep the liner from shifting around.

For this week, a lot has been accomplished! The hallway and the baby room has been painted. The dresser/change table has been put together. Count down is on... only 8 weeks left!

~ariane

The Baby's Room - Designer Perspective

2010-01-21T05:36:00.000-08:00

So... Ariane has been talking about the Baby's room here for a little while, ane we've been hard at work on it since she told me I'm going to be an Auntie! Going to the Olympics and becoming an Auntie in one year - what can I say 2010 is going to be awesome all round even if only those two things happen.

We started looking initially at all the kids rooms on several sites for inspiration mostly Ohdeeoh - which is the kid's version of Apartment Therapy. We perused, and decided that kelly green was the way to go - so I put together a mood board based on the green and the overall the modernist vibe Ariane and I thought would be great for the room.

The theme is titled - lions, and tigers and bears... and I took the idea for shapes and general theme for the room from the photo in the top lefthand corner of the moodboard, Francois Pompon's "Polar Bear" which is at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. I then compiled a list of animals and did some silhouette illustrations of the animals to be stenciled on the walls in white chalkboard paint - it is a kids room afterall -and Ariane and I LOVED drawing on the walls when we were little, so why not build that into the room - I can hear people already thinking it is a reciped for disaster, and it is a bit, but no more than having a two year old with crayons is normally.

This is what at least one wall should look like when we are done. There will also be a lion and a giraffe and possibly a monkey.

We're onto the fun part now - buying all of the furniture, and we'll get that done within the next couple of weeks so it arrives when I'm visiting, and I'll paint the animals on the walls, and put together all of the furniture, and make it ready for my neicey/nephew (who I truly can't wait to meet)
<3 Stephanie

Back on Track - Baby Room

2010-01-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

This week is going much, much smoother than last week. The painter called on Monday and he was ready to go! He started painting on Tuesday and today there is 2 coats of paint completed in the baby's room. If only I could find the cord for my camera! I have pictures! It is quite greeeeeeeeeen, but my sister assures me that there will also be lots of white. DB is calling it the "Insane Asylum" right now (YIKES!)

The hallway is also getting painted! Horray for no more pink! It looks great and there is only one coat of paint!

Now to find that camera cord... where could I have put it? I must have put it "away" with all the organizing I did. This happens to me often, I organize things so well that I can't find anything. I am sure it will turn up soon!

Other news, db and I went for another ultrasound on Tuesday. Baby is looking good! All this time I thought he was kicking me, well it turns out he is kneeing me! Wow! Could he have db's tall genes? I guess we will find out in 8 weeks. Oh ya - I don't know if it is a boy, I just use the "he" because I am lazy and don't want to write/say "he/she" all the time. It truly means nothing. I have no idea what this kid is and I don't have a preference.

My sewing machine is calling me... yet, I still have no desire to sew. Hmm... when will I get my craftiness back?

Set Back Week - Baby Room

2010-01-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

This was a frustrating week for the progress of the baby's room. A couple of things happened:

1. Painter bailed - Okay, I am not exactly sure what happened, but the painter failed to call me back. It has be almost a week since he sent his quote and I asked when he could start, but he hasn't called back. This makes me soooo sad! Now Steph and I will have to paint. Or I could try to find another painter... anybody know of a good painter in Victoria?

2. The Crib - The crib that my sister and I picked out is beautiful. Well, actually Steph found it and I agreed it was pretty. It is the BabyLetto Modo 3-in-1 Convertible Crib.

One problem that we didn't realize is it is made out of pine. Pine is such a soft would that it would get dinged up very quickly and if baby chews on it... well, there would be teeth marks all over. The Babyletto webpage does say they use lead free and safe paint... except, I don't want a dinged up crib after 5 months! Call me crazy!

So, back to the drawing board. Now I am thinking that I like the ducduc crib that my mom and I saw when we visited a store in Calgary. It is very pretty (and very expensive).

I attempted to get a store in Vancouver to quote a shipping price for this crib, but the lady was slightly... well, to put it nicely, slow. There is another store in Vancouver that carries this crib, so Steph will try and contact them this week and see if they can ship it to Victoria. I hope so! I wish we had more furniture stores in Victoria :)

3. Stroller - From day 1, I have been pretty set on which stroller I wanted to get. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I was checking out the ones people use at the ball fields (since baseball is such a huge part of our lives and I don't see that changing). Well, today I went shopping with a friend whom is also pregnant and I think she found a better stroller for approximately the same price! Now I am confused! Which one do I get? Can't someone else do all this shopping for me? Hahaha... so, I will go get a demo of the one that I first was interested in from a friend who has a toddler and ask her for her input and help. Goodness!

This week is full of doctor's appointments, meet the doctor, and prenatal classes. I am exhausted already!

Baby Room - The Clean Up!

2010-01-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

The painter came yesterday and it looks like we can get the hallway and the baby's room painted in the next couple weeks. The colour that we are painting the baby room is called Herbal Tea by Behr.

That means I have a lot of organizing to do! The room currently looks like this:

Yikes! So, hopefully this next week I can get it all cleaned up and ready to go for the painter. The large IKEA boxes contain a book shelf for the office and the baby's dresser/change table, which I will get my sister to post all about on here in the next couple days. She created a hack that my dad will be building to make it more functional as a change table.

Gearing Up For New Years...

2009-12-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

Going back to work after the holidays isn't that much fun... I am sitting at my desk today thinking about all the work that I should be doing, but just don't have the heart to dig into it quite yet. We arrived back in Victoria late last night - our flight was a couple hours late, but nothing out of the ordinary for the holiday season.

Calgary was great! We spent most of our time visiting friends and family and of course eating way too much! db got a video camera from my parents to record the baby... yup, you heard right... new baby! I have been hesitant to announce that db and I will be expecting our first child in March (I guess I wanted to make sure everything was okay). There is still lots of things to do before the little person arrives, but we are taking it day-by-day.

Plans to decorate the baby's room are fully underway with the help of my talented sister and I will be posting photo's on here as it progresses. Anybody want to come help me clean up the room?? Hahahaaa... Also, anybody know a good painter in the Victoria area?

I am on the search for a great rocking chair - so far, I haven't found the perfect one, but I haven't given up hope! I really love this chair, but not being able to test it out is a big red flag for me... but I may just bite the bullet and buy it anyways!

In other news, the Olympics are coming up fast! My sister and I have a bunch of tickets and are getting very excited to be able to go. Looks like we are going to be staying with some of her friends that have offered us a bedroom in their close-to-downtown apartment in Vancouver. I will be 8 month pregnant, so sleeping in a bed was sort of a requirement. We are super lucky to have such great friends to put us up!

Well, I think that is all the news from my little family! Wishing you all the very best for 2010!
<3 Ariane, db and new little person

Remember this?

2009-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know that I am not a huge fan of the cold - but there is some activities that I miss now that I live in a milder climate. Here are some of the things I miss:

- ice skating outside
- making coloured blocks... loved this!!
- tobogganing (or tubing)
- bumper skiing (ya ya - I know it is dangerous, but still wicked fun!!!!)
- snowball fights
- Christmas lights shinning in the snow

Well, only a couple more days left until we head back to Calgary where hopefully we will get to enjoy some of the winter fun! Hopefully it won't be too cold!

Does Your Desk Need Something for the Holidays?

2009-12-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

My dear friend and co-worker was complaining that our office looked so bare for the holiday season. As I was reading one of my favourite blogs, I found the perfect idea! These little guys are pretty darn cute! Check out ours:

Thank you Makula! See the Makula website to make your own!

Yearly Wreath Making!

2009-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is the 4th year that my friend and I attended a wreath making class. I always love how my wreath's have turned out and this year is no exception!

Here is my wreath:

Here is my friend's wreath:

Click here to see our wreath's from last year... so different!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T11:19:00.001-08:00

Oooohhhhh Halloween was great this year! I carved my pumpkin in a pretty simple design compared to previous years. I loved my sister's pumpkin! It's awesome! I wish she would send me pictures of it in the dark!

My pumpkin for 2009

My sister's pumpkin

Then a bunch of us went to the local bomb fire and fireworks party down at the ball fields. The fire seemed really big this year - but I think it is because we got there early. Great fireworks display too!

Back to Halloween Fun!

2009-10-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome tutorial to make some fun Halloween decorations on Forty-two Roads blog. They look so fun! I want to make them!

I already bought my pumpkin and am excited to carve it!

I'm Thinking of X-Mas Already??!!

2009-10-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

I know that Thanksgiving has just passed and Halloween isn't even here yet, but I can't help but thinking of things I want to make for X-Mas! So, I did some searching around and here are some great tutorials that I found:

1. Ribbon Wreath

Picture from The Long Thread

2. Advent Calendar

Picture from Sew Mama Sew

3. How to Make a Paper Finnish Star

Picture is from Craft Ideas

4. Quilled Snowflake Ornament

Picture is from Reese Dixon

Berry Crisp... Nummmy!

2009-09-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

I am starting to get more energy and I decided to go to the market this weekend. There was lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I ended up spending about an hour there. The local berries looked amazing and it is getting to the end of the season, so I had to get some! I ended up making a beautiful berry crisp with them and it turned out wonderful (see picture above - nummy eh?). db is really enjoying it with ice cream. The crisp was super simple to make and took about 20 minutes (mostly because I couldn't find the brown sugar!) to put together and I baked it for about 45 minutes.

I got the recipe here. I made a couple changes:

- I used margarine instead of butter (I had no butter in the fridge)
- I used blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries - approximately 2 cups each
- I baked mine in a 8 x 13 glass dish - wouldn't do this again! I would use a deeper dish and not as long of a dish.
- Next time I make this, I am going to cut out some sugar - even though it was really really nummmy - I don't know if it needs all that sugar!

Tuesday Tutorial - Smoothie Goodness!

2009-08-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

This week's tutorial is going to be a little different. When I wasn't feeling well, I only could drink smoothies for breakfast and I thought I would share the recipe that I found that worked the best:

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie (Try other fruits too!)
1 cup of milk
8 ice cubes
1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 - 2 bananas
1/4 - 1/2 cup strawberries

Put everything in a blender and mix! Makes about 2 pint sized glasses of smoothie.

Anybody else have a favourite smootie recipe?

Tuesday Tutorial - Cute Skirt

2009-08-18T07:33:00.001-07:00

Hopefully I am on the mend - I have been sick for a couple weeks and I have had no energy to do anything. Today I am still feeling queesy, but am fighting it. I have been to the doctor and I think we have figured out what is wrong and she has prescribed some antibiotics which I pick up today. I am hoping that will make for a fast recovery!

Okay, now on to fun stuff! I have a couple of beautiful nieces birthday parties to go to in September and I wanted to make them something really special. I have been flipping slowly through blogs, when I found this amazing blog by this nice lady Dana called Made. She has tonnes of tutorials and links to fun kids clothing tutorials. I am digging this blog for sure!

The first tutorial I think I will try from her collection is this market skirt. It looks fairly simple to make, but has some funkiness to it. I have some cute fabric that should work perfectly. Hopefully if I am feeling better in the next couple days I can get to work!

This cute market skirt tutorial can be found by clicking here.

I Promise...

2009-07-28T00:28:00.001-07:00

These past couple weeks have been a bit crazy... we had 3 sets of visitors! I promise to post something fun this week! I PROMISE!

Bag for Kat

2009-07-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have a little time in between ball games today, so I thought I would share a bag I recently made.

A good friend of mine asked me to make her a bag similar to the pink bag I made for the Book Lovers Craft Swap. We talked a little about what she wanted and I made a new pattern. This bag I made was bigger, had 2 different sized pockets, and a magnetic clasp. I used the MoMo Wonderland Twill fabric - which I LOVED! It was really nice! I wish I would have boughten more of it! Overall, I really liked how this bag turned out.

The inside of the bag - 2 different sized pockets.

This bag turned out to be 18" wide by 14" tall (finished). I used the same tutorials to create this bag as the previous one:
Mama's Pocket Book - Free Tote
Lazy Girl's Instructions on how to do boxed corners

If you are wanting to make yourself a nice bag this summer - I recommend starting with these tutorials. This bag probably took me 2 hours to make. Most of the time was spent on cutting out the material as I used interfacing on all the pieces to ensure the bag kept it shape. I also used fusible fleece to interface the handle - this will make it comfortable on the shoulders.

Pimp My Office - Craft Swap

2009-07-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Remember I promised to post some photo's of what I received in the 'Pimp My Office' craft swap? Well, here it is! My partner used some of my Wists to create some neat pieces:

1. Fun Comic Book Tray - Looks like she recycled a box and covered with Batman pictures. It is pretty cool - I probably won't take it to my work office, but leave it at home to put my sewing projects in.

2. A Desk Calendar - I love having a desk calendar to quickly look at dates. My craft partner made this cool desk calendar that can stand up. I love all the pretty paper she used to create this!

3. A pretty cool ring - I am not sure what this ring is made of, but she used wonderful colours and it is really funky

4. A vase which broke in the mail (boo hoo). But I think I can salvage the beads!

O Canada!

2009-07-01T02:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Canada Day everybody! For readers outside of Canada - July 1st is Canada's Birthday (Wanna know more about Canada's Birthday? Check it out on Wikipedia).

Another item to celebrate is it our friend's little girl's first birthday! We will be attending a BBQ to celebrate both occasions. I been stressed to the max trying to decide what to get her for her birthday. Still not sure - but I will hit the mall and hope for some inspiration. I would have made her something, but we have been away at a baseball tournament and just got back this evening.

Tuesday Tutorial - Oven Mitts!

2009-06-24T01:26:00.000-07:00

Picture taken from Savy Seams

Okay - let's roll with the apron tutorial and now figure out how to make oven mitts! I found this great tutorial by Savy Seams that has a downloadable pattern and everything. One thing I would add is a loop so the mitts could be hung, which wouldn't be difficult to add.

The one problem is that searching through my fabric, it is mostly pretty girly. Not that it is a bad thing, but I want some nice fabric that is gender neutral and would be a nice addition to someone's kitchen. Any suggestions?

I won!

2009-06-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Picture taken by Life in the Lyon's Den

Earrings I won! Picture taken by Life in the Lyon's Den

Whoa - during the May Day craziness, a couple of blogs around were also giving the chance to win beautiful items. I had made a list of the blogs, but hadn't had a chance to go back to the sites until yesterday. And guess what?! I actually won something! Life in the Lyon's Den had two draws and I won a funky pair of earrings. I would have LOVED to win the necklace she was giving away, but I can't complain! She does have an etsy store that you can check out by clicking here.

Hoooorrrayyy!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there! My daddy is in Radium, BC hanging out. I called him this morning and chatted with him. Of course I mailed his card late - so he won't get it until next week. Oppps! Luckily my dad is easy going & just likes the phone call.

Craft Swap - Pimp Your Office

2009-06-19T00:17:00.000-07:00

I recently joined another craft swap and the theme was Pimp Your Office! My office mates and I are currently attempting to decorate our office - so I thought this was quite timely.

Before I show what I received, I thought I would share what I made:

1. Shoe bag - fefff, this was the hardest thing I made because I messed up my measurements and had to insert a panel. I cut 1 square for the bottom of the bag, then one rectangle that would be sewn to the square to complete the bag. Before I sewed the rectangle and square together, I sewed a "tunnel" (sorry - my brain froze, I can't think of the correct description) for the ribbon to pass through to close the shoe bag. Then I just sewed the square and rectangle together the best I could. To finish it off, I threaded ribbon through the "tunnel". I didn't line this bag because it is meant for shoes. The inspiration came from these bags that Smiles of a Summer Night made - big difference between the one I made and hers are the size - I made mine quite large. Oh ya - I used home decor weight fabric that I bought from Ikea - I used this heavy material so I wouldn't have to line it or use interfacing so it would keep it's shape nicely.

2. Magnets - these are super duper easy to make. I bought all the supplies at Michaels - what was needed is glass beads (found in the plant section), decorative paper, glass glue (modge podge works), and magnets. One trick I learned is to glue the glass bead onto the paper BEFORE cutting the paper. It is way easy to cut the paper nicely so it fits the glass bead. Then glue on your magnet!

3. Birdie pencil holder - I found a wooden pencil holder and I actually covered the front with fabric. First step of course is to paint the whole thing white (I did 3 coats of white acrylic paint). Then I covered the pencil hold part with some nice paper. Lastly, I glued on the fabric - I traced the bird outline onto the wrong side of the fabric and then cut it out approximately 2 cm bigger than the outline (this is so it could be glued to the edges). Once the fabric was glued on, I glued on white ribbon around the edges to cover the seams of the fabric. I think it turned out quite nicely.

4. Chalk Board Painted Pots - This was super simple! I painted 3 pots with black board paint (comes in a container or in a spray can - I used the container type because I wanted some texture and didn't want to deal with spraying the pots). I painted 3 coats of the blackboard paint to ensure complete coverage. Once dried, I modge podged some pretty decorative paper around the top. I actually put a coat of the modge podge glue over the paper to ensure that it was water proof. Voila! A pot you could write on!

5. Dreamcatcher - my swap partner had put a dreamcatcher on her wish list, so I thought I would take the opportunity to learn how to make one. There are a lot of great websites out there that provide wonderful instructions! I had no problems making it and I think it turned out quite nicely.

6. Lastly, I gave my craft partner a wall sticker - Obviously I didn't make it! I found a bunch of pretty cool wall stickers at a local store called Paboom.

Wall sticker in my craft partner's office

I will show you what I received back soon!

New Baseball Babes + Tuesday Tutorial - Hooter Hiders

2009-06-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to our baseball team! One of the ladies on our team had a little girl last Saturday. She is so adorable! Mom and babe have been at our last 2 games. Here is a picture of our new little Chronic (our team name) at her second baseball game:

Second game for our newest team member!

Michele and baby hanging out at the baseball diamond.

Mom didn't receive a "hooter hider" at her shower - so I have been searching for tutorials how to make one for her. I found a couple tutorials, but I am pretty sure there are more out there:

Hooter HIder tutorial by Made By the Mama Monster

Hooter hider tutorial by Bliss Tree

Our friend that plays on a different baseball team had a baby shower for his little girl. I whipped up a baby towel for him on Saturday. His team all wears camouflage, so I made a towel in a pink camouflage fabric. It is pretty cute! Sorry for the bad pictures of the towel, I was in a rush to get to the shower! Dad did try the towel on too - so funny!

Auntie Mandy and newest team member of the Bratz crew!

Easy Peasy Swap - Pillow

2009-06-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by MelMakesPretty

Thanks to Mel Makes Pretty! She took some photos of the items I made for the easy peasy swap. When I was reading her blog, I noticed we sew similar items - so I wanted to mix it up a little. I decided to make her a pillow (it was on her "like to have" list). I bought the fabric while I was in Calgary and I made my own pattern by using the dimensions of the pillow that I bought a couple years ago. It was pretty simple to make - one thing I would do differently next time is make a pillow insert this way the cover could be put in the washing machine. If anybody wants the dimensions, send me a message and I can post them on here.

I also made Mel a pin cushion like the one I made myself. I didn't fill it so I could save on shipping and included the instructions how to finish it off. The fabric is by MoMo Wonderland. I love this fabric. Unfortunately I have used every single piece of it! So, I may have to go find some more online.

Photo taken by MelMakesPretty

Photos are Back!

2009-06-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Alrighty! I found the camera charger (don't ask where I found it... I feel pretty silly!).

First I want to show off what I received from a swap I participated in. MelMakesPretty sent me this beautiful necklace and bracelet. She is also from Australia, so we swapped chocolates... yummy! I can't wait to try them out. I wasn't able to take photo's of what I made her - but I made her a pillow and a pin cushion, like the one I made myself. Hopefully she will take some photo's that I can post on here.

Here is some of the fabric I bought the other day. Yikes! What am I going to sew with all of it? My favourite is the penguins - I think they rock! So, I am definitely going to make myself something out of that fabric!

Late! Tuesday/Wednesday Tutorial

2009-06-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am a little disorganized this week. db is now working in Vancouver 3 days a week for the next couple of months. This means lots of organizing life and other stuff like ball without him. The one thing I have noticed is that I spend about 1/2 my day looking for items I have put down. Usually I would just ask him where I put something and he usually knows. Like my glasses and keys - I swear I am going to put a beeper on them!

One of the things that I have magically hidden somewhere in our abode is my camera charger. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I even called db in Vancouver tonight to ask if he knew where it was - but he didn't. So, that means no pictures of the wonderful crafting I have done lately. Sigh.

I also went fabric shopping today and spent way way way too much money. Yikes! I got some really cute fabric including some of my favourite Arcadia by Sanae! I have no plans for any of this fabric I bought today, but I love it all.

Onto this week's tutorial: APRONS! I found this great site that lists 52 free apron patterns. I haven't gotten through all of them yet, but there are some goodies in there! I am attending a couple of weddings in the fall, so I might make a kitchen basket with a apron, oven mitts, coasters, glass magnets, place mats and some pot holders in it. What do you think? Would you have liked/like to receive this sort a gift at your wedding? I can't decide if it is too old ladyish of a gift. Anyways, check out the 52 aprons and let me know which is your favourite and that you would like to receive as a gift!

Tutorial Tuesday - Baby Dress/Tunic + Catch UP!

2009-06-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

First I want to congratulate my baseball team - we won the Union Bay tournament we went to this past weekend! It was a very fun tournament and we had amazing weather for camping. We walked away with $500, but donated $200 to one of the team's efforts to raise money for Breast Cancer. I tried to take some photos, but when I went to use my camera, the battery was dead. Opps - my fault!

Hope everybody checked out Sew Mama Sew blog's May giveaway. Unfortunately it looks like I didn't win anything - oh well! I figure that I am saving all my luck to win a huge lottery so I can retire. Hope some of you out there had better luck than me.

Now that summer has arrived, I found a perfect tutorial to make a little girl dress/tunic. Made by Petchy created a pattern which you can download for free and posted very well written instruction how to make this cute dress. What I really like about this dress is that it could be a shirt also. My plan is to download and print the pattern and try making it a little bigger so it fits a 24 month year old little girl. Of course that is after I finish all the other sewing I have to do.

photo taken by Made by Petchy

You can find the instructions and downloadable pattern by clicking here.

May Giveaway Day

2009-05-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Okay - this week, I am mixing it up and not posting a tutorial, but spreading the news. Sew Mama Sew is hosting a May Giveaway day! How it works is, visit Sew Mama Sew's blog and check out all the blogs that are posting giveaways. I already found 2 and look forward to checking out some new blogs. Looks like there is some nice stuff out there that could be won! So, go check it out!

If I had more time, I would have participated. With baseball, work and traveling - I had no time. Next time though!

Tutorial Tuesday - Lil' Owls

2009-05-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

I am coping Indie Fixx's Tutorial Tuesday from awhile back, but only because it is totally worth spreading it all around!

Alex from MOONSTICHES put together this really well done tutorial, which was inspired from a pattern she found in a book (info on the front page of the tutorial). Since Alex does not share the pattern from the book, you can buy the book (although it’s in Japanese) or come up with your own pattern and use Alex’s tutorial as an inspiration for your own owl. For more inspiration, visit the Owly Love Flickr Pool.

Click here to see the full tutorial that MOONSTITCHES put together to make these cute little owls. I am definitely adding these guys to my "must make" list!

Tutorial - Boxed Corner Bag

2009-05-12T20:54:00.001-07:00

For the Book Lovers craft swap that I participated in, I made a reversible box bag. I started with using the instructions from Mamas Pocket Book Blog, but creating my own pattern. My pattern measured 18" (length) x 12" (height) with the small squares 2" x 2". I also used super duper heavy interfacing on BOTH the lining and the front of the bag. I really wanted this bag to keep it's shape. When I got to sewing the corners of this bag - I was confused by the instructions, so I found new instructions for the corners on Lazy Girl's Design Blog.

With these two tutorials, I created exactly the bag I wanted! I am currently creating a new bag using these two tutorials + one other... I will post links & pictures soon!

In other news, db and I are off to Calgary for the next wedding. This will be the second out of five we will be attending this year. db is not really wanting to go; he would rather stay and play baseball, but it is his dad that is getting married so he has no choice :)

I will be back from Calgary next Tuesday with a fun tutorial! Have a great long weekend everybody!

First Craft Swap

2009-05-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy mother's day! My mom is in Radium, BC for the weekend - I hope the weather was nice while she is there. I did send her a card - I hope it arrived before she left.

In other news, I received my package from my first craft swap!

I got a awesome crocheted bookmark:

A tote bag:

A journal to keep track of the books that I have read:

And all together with the two books:

I will post the items that I made my partner next week!

Surprise!

2009-05-08T23:21:00.001-07:00

I run to the mail box everyday (I am waiting for a package of fabric to arrive) and today it was full of surprises! My sister made me a purse pattern! It is inspired by a purse that I saw on craftster. She also sent a card that I believe she hand made... and of course it is in my favourite colour right now - orange! Thanks sister! I did tell you not to waste your precision time on it though.l.. but you don't listen.

The other surprise I got was some books that I 'mooched' off of people from Book Mooch. If you don't know what 'Book Mooch' is - go check it out - it is great! I have now received 4 books from it and have sent some of the books I no longer want kicking around my computer/sewing room.

I am hoping to post some pictures of the sewing that I am doing this weekend, but db is playing in a baseball tournament - so I am not sure how much sewing I will actually get done.

Show & Tell

2009-05-05T00:22:00.003-07:00

I had to take a picture of my crazy socks that I bought in London at the Marimekko store. I just love them!

Still working away at my sewing list...

Tuesday Tutorial - Freezer Paper Fun!!

2009-05-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

When I was in London, my sister gave me a large roll of freezer paper because I had read various techniques of printing onto fabric using a home computer and printer.

As, I looked into more things to create using freezer paper, I came across this tutorial, which uses bleach to make a white stencil. I always want cool t-shirt, but never find any fun ones. I think this is my next project for myself - but instead of bleaching, I think I will use fabric paints. I am very sure this is not a new idea, but it is new to me and looks fun and easy to do! Think of the fun tea towels you could make... or the baby onesies... oh so many gift options!

There are all sorts of stencil ideas out there - I found this flickr group dedicated to printing with freezer paper stencils onto fabric: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fpstencils/

Also, I wanted to follow up on the pin cushion tutorial I posted a few weeks ago... I finally made mine! It's so pretty! The instructions that Oh Fransson gives are amazing - so easy to follow. And if you do decide to make a pin cushion for yourself, listen to her advice about filling the bean bag - I filled mine too much and had to take it apart and take some of the rice out!

It took me about 2 hours to complete - probably longer than necessary because I was watching movies at the same time :)

Twirl Skirt for Anna

2009-05-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I posted that I wanted to make a twirl skirt for Anna using this tutorial created by House on Hill Road. Well, it's done! Well, almost done - I still need to fit the elastic around Anna's waist so it fits properly.

The tutorial was easy to follow. I am still a little unsure if the skirt will fit Anna - she is extremely small waisted and following the recommended sizing, it may bunch at the waist a little too much. Next time I make this skirt, I would ensure that the width of the fabric doesn't double the waist size. Anna's waist was 20" around, and the recommended sizing suggested I make the skirt 40" and it just may be too much fabric. But I won't know until she tries it on!

Here is my do to list for the rest of the week:
1. Skirt for Anna - Completed!
2. Towel for Michele - Completed!
3. Bag for Kat - need to buy some more materials
4. Bag for MLF - going to start cutting it out tonight
5. Towel for Johnny - need to buy some more materials
6. Towel for Angela - need to buy some bias binding material

Feff... lots of people are having little ones right now, as you can probably tell by my list. I am working hard to keep up with all the deliveries!

Tutorial Tuesday - Twirl Skirt

2009-04-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the featured tutorial for this week, I have to brag about my beautiful nieces and nephew. Anna is 3 and is so much fun! We play many games together like pirates, don't wake auntie, Mr. tickle, and princess Leona and Ariel. This week's tutorial is inspired by her - she loves to dance around and I wanted to make her a skirt so she can twirl. I have all the fabric and materials to make it, but with all the playing we have been doing, I didn't have time this week. Hopefully I can get it done this weekend and post pictures soon!

Anna watching Auntie Ariane and Uncle db play baseball on the weekend

Next is my niece Suds - she is 11 and is very cool. We went shopping for a dress for db dad's wedding that is coming up in May, but we didn't find anything that is just right. We did manage to find a cool hoodie at a local surf shop. I think she likes it. We also made the Polymer Clay octopus from my previous tutorial. They were more difficult to make, but we managed. Check out the girls painting their fun craft items!

Suds crafting away!

Suds and Anna painting our polymer clay octopus

And of course there is wonderful Matthew - who is such a happy baby. He loves to cuddle and crawl around. While we were crafting, he needed to sit at the table with us, so db sat with him so he didn't feel left out. It is amazing how much he has changed since I first met him. Soon I will be having to find fun boy things to do with him!

Lara and Matthew cheering the Flames on (before they got knocked out)

Now, the tutorial for the twirl skirt I found awhile back on House on Hill Road's blog, but never managed to get Anna's measurements. The skirt looks simple to make - so I am hopeful that all goes well when I start making it.

Tutorial Link: http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/photos/twirly_skirt/

Hope everyone is having a good week! I should be back this weekend with more fun stuff!

Tutorial Tuesday - Pin Cushion and Organizer by Oh Fransson!

2009-04-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

It's time to craft something for myself! When I sew, I can't seem to be organized and there is pins everywhere, I can't find my seem ripper or my scissors and there is little threads everywhere! Searching around the common blogs that I read, I noticed that Oh Fransson has a Pin Cushion and Organizer tutorial (the tutorial is actually on Sew Mama Sew's blog, but can be linked from Oh Fransson also). I am still debating on what fabric I want to use - I did pick up some nice fat quarters recently - I might have to dive into those! Once I am done - I will post pictures!

So, this is my next project! Hopefully this will keep me somewhat organized, so I don't have to spend so much time searching for my scissors and that db can actually enter the sewing/computer room without seeing my huge mess!

Link to Download Oh Fransson's PDF instructions is available at this link: http://www.sewmamasew.com/media/blog/SMSPincushionOrganizer.pdf

Weekend in Seattle

2009-04-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

db and I went to Seattle this past weekend to visit our friend JP and to go to a couple of Mariner baseball games. The Mariners were playing the Detroit Tigers and both the games we saw were really good games! I only took a few good pictures and they are of two of the Seattle players - Ken Griffey and Ichiro.

JP had all this lovely pottery hanging around his house that I was admiring and he let me pick something to take home with me. I picked this pretty vase! I love the colours of it and the size. Now all I need is flowers in it! I think tomorrow I will stop by the flower store!

I also stopped in at Joann's (it's a craft store in the US) and was I in shock! There fabric section is bigger that all the fabric stores in Victoria put together! They had fat quarters on sale for $0.99! I got a couple fat quarters and some pillow forms. I was too overwhelmed that I couldn't think of what I needed. Next time when I am in Seattle, I will be definitely stopping by there to pick up some more fabric and search through the whole store. Sigh... I wish we had better fabric stores in Victoria... even an Ikea would be nice!

Only a couple more days before my nieces and nephew arrive! I can't wait! I have been busy cleaning up my sewing room - I don't want any little feet to get a pin in them! So, I don't think I will be crafting anything for a little while.

I'll be back tomorrow though with a link to a tutorial that I think will be my next project.

Tutorial - Polymer Octopus

2009-04-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am mixing it up a little today and posting a non-sewing tutorial. I saw this thread on craftster which posted this cute little octopus key chain. There is a tutorial how to create the little octopus using polymer clay. I thought it was cute and looked simple enough to make!

I think I will try and make one with my niece who is coming for a visit next week. I have been searching for fun stuff for us to try and this I am definitely putting on the list.

The tutorial can be found at this link: http://oborochann.deviantart.com/art/Octopus-Charm-Tutorial-45828570

Have a great weekend everyone! I will be back on Monday with news how the trip to Seattle went!

Back, but Re-Grouping

2009-04-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

I know I have been back for over a week and haven't posted anything. I apologize! When I got back from my London trip, I managed to get a cold and it took me a week to recover! Then I had to do some major crafting for a craft swap that I am participating in (pictures to come!).

I managed to get all the crafts complete and in the mail today! Now it is time to organize all the photos from my trip! It is going to be quite the task because I have over 200 photos! Yikes! The good pictures will be posted on my flickr page!

I loved the London Eye, Wicked (the show), British Museum, Steph's school stuff, and so much more of London! Thanks again Steph for being our wonderful tour guide!

I am off to Seattle tomorrow night - but I am going to try to post a link for a new tutorial before I leave!

Off to London!

2009-03-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

Au Revoir mes amies! I am off to London for a couple weeks and I am not sure how much I will get to post. I will try to update with some funtastic pictures :) If not, hope everyone has a great week and I will be back with some fun tutorials!

Tutorial Tuesday - Passport Cover

2009-03-18T20:07:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know I am posting this on Wednesday. Is it Wednesday today? I have been super busy getting ready to attend a wedding on Saturday and getting ready for my trip to London! Only a couple more days before I leave!

In spirit of my trip, I am going to make myself a passport holder. The original tutorial is from bunny bum, but I got the link and idea from scoping out Smiles of a Summer Night's blog.

So check out both those blogs! They are wonderful and have other tutorials! I may not have time to post pictures of my passport holder, but I promise I will when I get back from my trip.

Hallway is now beautiful!

2009-03-17T22:30:00.001-07:00

First, I need to thank my good friend LB for helping me today. We went and picked up my new fabric hanging because my car was too small. It fit perfectly in her vehicle and we got it to my house safe and sound. Thanks again LB! I owe you!

Here is a picture of it all wrapped up!

Then tonight my dad hung it for me! Thanks dad! I had to take a picture tonight, so the lighting in the picture isn't very good. But you get the idea. It is perfect! Now when people walk up the stairs, they will be welcome by my funky new piece of art! I love it sooooo much! I am now looking at other Marimekko fabric that I can hang around my house. Oh oh - this may be addicting!

Silly Sewing

2009-03-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight is a good friend of mine's stagette and all the ladies attending were assigned a piece of clothing to bring for the bride to wear. My assigned piece of clothing was the skirt. Yikes... I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I knew that this skirt would only be worn once, so I wanted to keep my costs as low as possible.

I thought of an idea of a tutu, but when I went and checked out prices... wow... they are expensive. My alternative was to scope out the thrift shop and hopefully something would turn up. I ended up finding a basic stretch skirt (I know it will fit her) and decided to sew some embellishments on to it. This is how it turned out:

Dress for the Wedding - Isadora Clothing

2009-03-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have been going shopping and shopping and even more shopping looking for a nice comfy dress to wear to our friends wedding. Panic struck me this weekend when I realized the wedding was only 2 weeks away and I have a to-do list as long as my arms. Plus, I am not a big fan of clothes shopping. I am impatient and I just want to find something nice at the first stop.

Anyways, I was complaining about shopping to my sister when we started to search online. I did a quick search on etsy and found Isadora, a local etsy seller that had some cute dresses. I sent her a message requesting to try the chameleon wrap dress on before I bought it. That is where I was this afternoon! It is such a nice material, it's soft and elegant but very comfy. I am glad I found this seller!

She also mentioned that she will be hosting a local craft fair in April. Once all the details are sorted out - I will post the information on here.

WOOT! Happy Wednesday! One less thing I have to worry about!

Tutorial Tuesday - Hooded Baby Towel

2009-03-10T01:02:00.000-07:00

This towel was made my me and does not follow the exact instructions of the tutorial. Please see my notes.

I was going to make my own tutorial on how I create a hooded baby towel, but why re-invent the wheel? Break It Down Design already completed a tutorial!

Click here for the Hooded Baby Towel Tutorial

Couple of notes:

Materials: I don't buy terry towel from the fabric store - it is way to expensive! I just go to Zellers or Walmart and find a good quality inexpensive towel. My preference is the Home Style (costs $7.00 at Zellers).

Cutting out the Fabric: I cut the towel into a square - 31" x 31" - or however wide my towel is and I don't fold it over (terry towel in the fabric store is very thin - that is why she folds it over).

Cutting out the Fabric: I round all the corners of my towel - I just cut the corners off. This makes the binding easier to sew on (yah for no mitered corners!

Applying Seam Binding to the Sides of Towel: I don't finish my binding by sewing it to the back of the towel (she tops stitches on the front) - yah - I am crazy and I hand sew it. Alternatively, you could use a zig zag stitch to attach the binding.

If you are not liking this tutorial that I posted - let me know by leaving a comment and I can create an alternative. If you have any questions - leave a comment - I am always happy to help!

New Baby Towels

2009-03-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

I know I promised pictures of the new baby towels that I have made and here they are! I love them all. I actually made another one, but sold it to a friend. I am still debating if I should put these on etsy - not sure if they would sell or not. What do you all think?

I will be posting a tutorial how to make these lovely towels tomorrow - so stayed tuned!

Oh ya - what do you think about the pictures? I was playing around with my camera and thought they looked nicer than just laying the towel flat.

Tree Wristlet

2009-03-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have major sewing to do, so last night I completed this wristlet. I bought the fabric a long time ago, but had a hard time figure out what exactly to do with it. I loved the trees some much that I didn't want to cut into it. Finally I figured out what to do with it! I am pretty happy with this one. I made this one quite a bit larger than my other wristlet. It is approximately 12" in length and 7" high.

This one I used lining fabric (you know the stuff you line suits with and stuff). I am not sure if I liked using it. The ends frayed and got black fluff everywhere. I have a meter of the stuff, so eventually I will use it all.

Tutorial Tuesday - Sling Bag

2009-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

I think on every Tuesday from now on, I am going to post a tutorial! This week is a wonderful bag by Oh Fransson! I love the simplicity of this bag. I haven't made it, but her instructions look easy to follow. Check out her http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2008/11/margaret-sling-bag.html>tutorial here.

Fabric Swap and New Project

2009-03-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

I signed up for a fabric swap a couple weeks ago, this is the fabric that I sent out... it was really hard to send out because I liked them all so much!

I received all my fabric pieces this past week, this is what I received back - not too shabby!

I have been super busy making hooded baby towels - I will post some pictures later this week. I also started making the "Downtown Clutch" (pattern by Amy Butler), but realized that I didn't order enough of the special interfacing online. So, I will have to wait a couple weeks before I can even start making it.

I have also started another pleated purse, so hopefully I will finish that this week too.

In the meantime, U-Handblog has a great give away - so stop by and check it out. She is asking people to post their favourite links and books - so it is fun to go through people's favourite links too.

New TV Stand

2009-02-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

Here it is! Sorry for the basketball game in the photo - I didn't dare ask db to turn off the "Game" whilst I take the photo. It not as shiny in real life as it is in the picture - not sure why it looks so shiny in the photo. Now I have to start filling those drawers! Woot for no mess around the TV anymore!

Friday Splurge!

2009-02-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

Oh my - a lot of money was spent today. I bought a new TV stand - it is gorgeous! It is pretty much exactly what I have been looking for. My camera is dead otherwise I would post pictures! I will charge ASAP and post soon!

The other purchase I made was... oh my... a 4 ft x 4 ft framed piece of Iso satakieli fabric... I plan to put this at the top of my stair case. I didn't tell db that I was going to buy it... uh oh... hope he likes it! I got 1 repeat framed... it's pretty funky... I love it!

Curvy Wristlet

2009-02-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

When searching around for some inspiration on my next project, I found a wonderful diaper bag at this blog. I loved the curved flap with all the details!

So, I decided to try and make a wristlet with the same sort of front flap. Here it is. Not bad. Next time I would definitely make the curve more pronounced. I will try this again - I want to practice on something more small scale before I attempt to make a larger bag.

I decided to send this wristlet to a friend... who doesn't love getting surprises in the mail?

Now onto my next project... which I have no idea what it is yet... yikes!

New Purse

2009-02-14T15:11:00.001-08:00

DSC00945
Originally uploaded by Ariane.Phillips

Here it is! The photo of my new purse that I made! It turned out nicely and it is the perfect size. I can fit my books, lunch, wallet and other fun stuff with no problem.

I would make this purse again - the instructions were easy to follow and it didn't take long at all.