It's all about pretending, right?

...as in fairy tales and make believe.

So pretend you can't see the gobs of hot glue which were needed to shore-up my attempts to hand tie the frame of twigs. (I had better luck with the canopy when I stripped down some twistie ties for the thin wire. Just right.)

And pretend that the left, front twig is not completely unsuited to serving as a bed post due to its curves. (It was dark out when I busted the twigs off the tree in the front yard, because, yes, I HAD to start this project the moment I got home from work on Thursday after seeing it on Emily Falconbridge's blog that day.)

Other than those minor issues - (hee!) - I am smitten with my version of The Princess and the Pea bed for Little Miss (ok, for ME and Little Miss!) You'll note the Princess in our version is sporting a gown of Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party Polka Dots fabric for the bodice, and Liberty of London Tana Lawn in Navy/Red for her skirt. With that garb alone she is clearly a princess, right? (Note to self--metallic DMC floss is a b*tch to tie and KEEP tied. May have to replace her sash with some narrow ribbon...that is, if the gown lasts. Sirryha is in the habit of disrobing all of her dolls and tossing aside their clothes never to be worn again. Oh dear. Doesn't bode well for us enjoying Barbies much, eh? Maybe she will grow out of it? Moms? Yeah or nay? Is there any hope for me on this one?)

Sigh. Oh well. At least she didn't smash up the bed! (I am guessing it is NOT as sturdy at the one Miss Emily and her hubs created!) I think Sirryha sensed how fragile this whole game was for me! She right away wanted that GOWN OFF of the wee doll, and once we counted the mattresses and restacked them a few times, she went back to her other babies.

And, uh, yeah. For those who will ask---that stack is 20 mini mattresses. (I do have some standards! I Wiki'd the original story for the official count!)

Alas, Saturday was spent with her other dollies....and the Princess was undisturbed in her slumber atop the leaning tower of bedding! This is Sirryha putting all her babies down for a nap. Note the "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" instructions aimed at me!

Not sure why the dolls end up under the highchair all the time....seems a tent or playhouse is what I should be constructing, no?

hmmmm....

What I'd rather do....

...when I should be doing something like cleaning up my crafting messes, or any other basic household chore!

The result of the snowed in Saturday of December 19: a new runner for this side table (the last one had a few burn marks from some candle mishaps. For a while now, the table was bare, but it isn't in very good shape, and I haven't committed to painting it...so I thought a nice little bit of red and white would help!)

These were all scraps/pieces from my stash (as I couldn't have gotten out to the shops if I wanted to what with the 15 inches of snow and all....) and I managed a few pillow tops to match, too!

Hmmm.....I can keep these out through Valentine's Day, right?

P.S. The photo is one of my all-time favorites of my mom. Circa 1959, newly married, black tights and a gold silk tunic, platinum blonde hair, holding a set of bongo drums she bought for my dad for Christmas (...because he "always wanted to be a drummer.") The lampshade is festooned with simple ball ornaments suspended by silk ribbons - tres chic. (I need to update that frame! I think I know just the thing.....will require a trip to Home Goods!)

Oh, Fer Cute!

Saw a tutorial on doll bedding yesterday and HAD.TO.MAKE.THESE.FOR.SIRRYHA! Lisey--recognize the fabrics? How perfect are these PILLOWS? weee! I have been wanting to get a proper doll bed for Sirryha .... but she hasn't really shown much interest in her baby dolls (would rather tend to her doggies.) : ) Lately, though, she is all about "naptime" so these are just right.

(and who says doggies can't sleep in a bed with pillows and a cover?)

Now off to bed for me....Monday morning will be arriving all too soon...

Can't sleep....

...but can sew.

Loving my scrap bags from Cathy and Stella! Thanks, Peeps! I can't get enough of pillows and piecework. This one is from the Cathy stash. Kaffe Fassett strips cut into pieces, then sewn together side by side...white muslin border and backing, 14x14" pillow form and VOILA!

I think he looks rather chummy alongside the Anna Maria Horner lovelies, don't you? xo

Stella's Summer Scavenger Hunt {#3}

File this one under "some sort of indoor crafting." I have been playing around with my fabric scraps...stitching them to pieces of canvas and muslin and yes, my Color Catcher laundry sheets. And lookie here! This? It's the first button hole I ever made. Complicated stuff this "real sewing!" (My camera is on the fritz...thus the horrid and few photos of late...the mini box is for my first SwapBot swap - Altered Matchbox. How much did I love making THAT little thing???)

Love the red and blues together....isn't it summer-y? xo

Scraps are your FRIENDS!

Remember the fabulous stash of Anna Maria Horner fabric I bought last year? Here is another pillow...my first attempt at the "wonky log cabin" square (inner logs not 'wonky' enough...I think I get it now, tho'!) Suddenly in love with WHITE sashing. (Tho' that means VERY clean backs of your square, because every.little.thread.shows.up.behind.white!) The back of this pillow is cut from fat quarter from AMH's Chocolate Lollipop line....and I used a WHOLE BAG of polyfil to stuff it.

How about a sneak peak at my "design wall" (more like a scrap of quilt batting taped to the basement door. Wonder what the pizza delivery guy thinks when he gets a peak at it from the doorway?) Hoping that masking tape doesn't take the PAINT OFF THE DOOR when I take it down? hmmm....good reason to leave it!

2 UFO's DONE!

UFO=UNFINISHED OBJECT. And anyone who crafts/sews/quilts/paints/scrapbooks/creates knows how these things PILE UP.

Yesterday I finished my SILs quilt (started circa 11/2007-why won't that photo ROTATE?).....and my nephew's bar mitzvah book was returned to him....on his SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY (sinful, I know!)

A few weeks ago I unearthed a pillow I started for my sister Lisa's birthday about NINE YEARS AGO. I had just bought my sewing machine and was making PILLOWS .....this one required a ruffle with a second layer of braided trim. You can imagine why THAT got set aside (the ruffle had been made and gathered, the trim and ruffle were pinned to the edge--all that was left was to SEW IT TOGETHER and stuff! Of course I had to steam the HECK out of it to get the wrinkles out (the front was a linen piece I had cross-stitched). So that was delivered to her over Memorial Day Weekend. Better late than never!

Still in the UFO pile:

1. my nephew David's Christmas stocking (he is ELEVEN)


2. my nephew Max's Christmas stocking (he is turning 7 in August!)


3. my niece Mikayla's Bitty Baby Chair (she is 14....Bitty Baby is long since been turned in for more TWEEN pursuits!)....


4. my wedding and honeymoon photos are not properly "scrapbooked" - and


5. Sirryha is going to be two next month and her scrapbook for this past year is mighty thin.

But for today, I am happy to have another project or two checked off the master list!

Sewing Basket Make-Over

Yes---I did the unthinkable. I took the LONGABERGER FABRIC off the lid of my LONGABERGER SEWING BASKET! (It was Garden Splendor, for those fellow or former cult members! But shhhhh!! Don't tell Tami or Rachel! hee!)

But how lovely is this? All Anna Maria Horner fabrics (from her Garden Party line). So loving piecework these days....

Fabric fabric everywhere...

....but not in the trashcan!

That's right. I admit it. I cannot toss even the SMALLEST smidge of fabric. Is it just me or do you "real quilters" and seamstresses do this? I have a stash of cut pieces as large as 9" squares, and my "save this piece because it is AMY BUTLER FOR HEAVENS SAKE!" and the 2x2" pieces awaiting assembly into a postage stamp quilt...all the way down to piles of snips from the yo-yo's.

And yes...I actually sat today and stitched a fistful of the yo-yo scrappies onto a piece of canvas.

Don't ask how much time I spent arranging and rearranging the bits and pieces.

It's a sickness, isn't it?

For my sister*....

...because she loves SPRING and her garden and digging in the dirt and being outside in the sun.

Come on SPRING...GET HERE ALREADY! (It was 40 degrees this morning. Wha? We have the FIREPLACE GOING TONIGHT. Seriously.)

This was inspired by the oh-so-inspiring Donna Downey, she herself. I want to make one in every color.

(*Shhhhh! Don't tell! I don't think she reads my blog daily and this isn't in the mail to her yet!)

Treats Two Days in a Row!! I'm Not Worthy!!!

OH MY.

Lookie lookie lookie what just arrived!! (thanks to Anna Maria Horner's holiday sale - 15% off studio stacks---my prezzie to me and Sirryha for stitching goodies for her room. And no worries--there is plenty extra for other prezzies through the year....watch for RAKs, my peeps!)

Seriously. Anna Maria Horner's new line- Good Folks - is due out THIS MONTH (where is it where is it where is it????) And I am still in love with the latest two (Garden Party and Drawing Room.) Planning to do lots of room and wall decor in Sirryha's room (in progress! big reveal when done!)

I can't stand it!! Opened my STUDIO SCRAPS bag and out popped a half dozen or so TRIANGLES (some already pieced together)....which I remembered from this post. And how perfectly SERENDIPITOUS is THAT because the project I plan to work on next for Little Miss's room is a fabric banner.....(inspired here and here)...and oh my let me hurry with my other projects that are OVERDUE so I can get to these, too!! xo

Can I Just Move in Here?

Photo from Anna Maria Horner's (Prizewinning!) Quilter's Market Booth

Oh how much do I love these BLUE WALLS? I have been daydreaming for weeks now about redoing Little Miss's room....always come back to the lovely, talented Anna Maria Horner's blog for inspiration...

I have a small can of cherry red paint that I am using to recolor picture frames and some small doll furniture...(Christmas-y--then they will find a full-time home in Sirryha's room!)

...and tonight I am putting together an inspiration board of photos and images that are yummy to me. (And THEN I will start on the holiday cards! There's still time, right? sigh.)

More pics from Anna Maria Horner's blog....seriously--how does she get it all done? She has FIVE CHILDREN AND ONE ON THE WAY! wha? Seriously! SERIOUSLY!

Lovin' Trees. And Aprons. And Bloggers. And IKEA!

OK....THANKS to EMILY and the ladies who replied to my question on Emily's blog about the FABRIC IN THOSE APRONS!! IT IS FROM IKEA!! NO WAY SHUT UP!! I was just there and bought a yard of the TREE fabric 'cause it was precut and I didn't have the heart to keep DH waiting while I dawdled over all the bolts ....figured I'd go again for MORE. And now I MUST because I HAVE. TO. HAVE. THIS. APRON!

Wouldn't this TREE fabric be perfect for a family tree wall hanging (or pillow, or quilt or scrapbook cover?) I want to stitch names on all the leaves...oh imagine a whole FAMILY REUNION panel - the last names of the families could go up the TRUNKS and each person's first name on the leaves. Oh that would be a great QUILT, don't you think? YUM.

Is it the weekend yet?

'Cause I'd rather be playing with this stuff rather than going to work again in 12 hours. Working on a set of fabric blocks for Little Miss (this one took an ENTIRE BAG OF POLYFIL! Yikes. Gonna have t0 scale down!) And the quilt topper is for a doll bed in the making (2 inch squares)....it matches Little Miss's Crazy Nine Patch quilt. Are you seeing a pattern emerge here? I can't stop! LOL

I am DYING to see Heather Bailey's new fabric lines.....has anyone seen anything from Quilt Market? Pop Garden and Bijoux are her two new lines...I have only seen one little adorable outfit made from the fabric on Flickr. Oh my is that the cutest ever?

Another One About Pottery Barn Pillows

Why, Pottery Barn, why? Why must you tempt me so with your PILLOWS? I want them ALL. And so I splurged on a pair. My new strategy is to buy (or sew!) just the cases and switch 'em up every now and again (thus avoiding the OVERFLOWING MOUND OF THEM STORED IN THE CLOSET). Not sure why, but pillows are scrumptious to me.

Bought two of these: (snagged the "R" and "S" on the table there on sale at Anthropologie....will nail them up on the wall when it is late enough to start hammering....oh, in about 30 minutes? 8 am on a Saturday morning...that's 'sleeping in,' right? Think the DH will notice?

OK...maybe instead I should start whipping up some of these:

I love a BIG SQUARE pillow with a center button. And I love ANNA MARIA HORNER's fabrics....so these are pretty much PERFECTION in my book. Snagged the photo from Melissa Averinos's blog "YummyGoods" - go CHECK HER OUT. She has a fabric line coming out in August and she took tons of photos of all the booths at Quilt Market....and you will just DROOL over the fabrics and creations. I want to MOVE INTO ANNA MARIA HORNER's booth. And spend my summers in Amy Butler's. scrumptious. I want to know how these quilting/sewing/fabric designers get SO MUCH DONE?!?! Anna Maria has FIVE CHILDREN! And she PAINTS! And DESIGNS FABRICS! AND SEWS AND QUILTS. AND TAKES PICTURES! Have you seen her KITCHEN? Check out her FLICKr photostream.

Maybe I need to start mainlining coffee or something? I just want to shadow them for a week or two and figure out how they do it all.

Crazy Nine Patch Progress!

Whoooeeeeeeeeee! It pays to get up at 6:30 am on a Saturday!

Ready to stitch together the top! Then to search out some sunshine yellow fabric for the backing and binding.....cannot WAIT to finish it!

I am Crazy. Thus I have begun a Crazy Nine Patch Quilt.

Yes, I know I have another quilt that is not finished (gettin' there, Lyndee! Honest!)

Yes, I know Ethan is almost 15 and I haven't finished his Bar Mitzvah scrapbook. (In my head I have...I promise it will be done before LANDY's Bar Mitzvah!)

And yes, I know the house will not clean itself, the laundry will not do itself, and the refrigerator will not restock itself. I will get to it. Seriously. Eventually. Maybe even tomorrow.

But for now....the baseball game is on....Rob is cozy on the couch...and the sound of the sewing machine is soothing to me and reminds me of Gram.

And this fabric is delish. (progress photos of the actual blocks tomorrow!)

EDITED, SATURDAY MORNING, 7:10 a.m.: Some pics of the blocks so far!! Cannot wait to just stitch these babies together in one big panel (no sashing...that looks too "country" to me). Think I can get it all done today? Time me!

Oh crap. I put the MISTAKE one on the TOP. I really need to hire a professional photographer!

Voila!

Good Sunday Morning! I present to you THE! QUILT! (sorry for the dim photos...it is another gray dreary day here!)

I am so dang proud of this thing! Start to finish in under three weekends. Love that!

IT'S DONE!!

WHOOPIE! THE! QUILT! is finished!! The answer to the binding question is the MACHINE stitching part went quickly (once I read and re-read three different sets of directions as to HOW to do it. The Purl Bee had the best directions - they used actual photographs....and Heather Bailey's helped, too. Her set was perfect for printing and keeping handy.) The part I didn't realize was that after you stitch the binding onto the quilt...you still had to fold it over and HANDSTITCH it over the raw edges....(that took me about 4 and a half hours---or an episode of Moonlight, one of Numbers, tonight's Saturday Night Live and Friday's Y&R. Thank God for DVR!) And now Rob is snoozing on the sofa beneath his new comfy cozy coochie!! Happy Happy Happy!

Pictures of the finished product tomorrow (too dark to get pics and it's way past my bedtime!)

Lyndee--did you find the LOFT fabric yet? Your's is next! xo

VACATION TIME!! YIPPIIIEEE!

Lucky me! Another WEEK OFF from work starts today....so much to do (how can it be a week since that last post!) OK...let's catch up!

THE! QUILT! is almost done! After a few false starts with the fabric selection...last weekend I went back to Lancaster and bought the backing - it is a yummy celery green and cream damask - the binding is cream with blue and green little tree-like designs (all from the MODA Shangri-La fabric line). I am doing the quilting part on the machine (just straight lines this time...following the rows -- very simple.) But I did hand embroider the flower patch at the bottom --Rob is anxious for his "coochie" to be done! He has class til 3 today---hoping to have it DONE by the time he gets home (how long can it take to bind it on the machine? I have no idea.) Luckily--I am NOT submitting this to a QUILTING contest---adhering steadfastly to the "straight is stressful" philosphy and enjoying just getting it all together. I think a "crazy quilt" is my speed!! OH! and did you see the MARTHA STEWART show on the 15th?! Anna Maria Horner is my new favorite fabric designer (I had purchased a few pieces of her CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP fabric a few weeks ago to make some aprons....and just discovered her website and blog. LOVE LOVE LOVE her fabrics. BOHEMIAN and CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP are her two line--uh, hello? Need I say more? C'est MOI!) She is quite the artist..and the woman has five children---how does she get all this DONE?

OH! Another big treat! SHIMELLE's "Journal Your Christmas" is starting again soon...and if you paid last year---you are in FOREVER! How cool is THAT? I pulled out my journal from last Christmas and I am so excited to do another one this year.....but first I must get through THANKSGIVING! : )