A Day in Pictures

On Saturday, my friend Lupe and I drove down to the wetlands in Huntington Beach.  It was an overcast, cool (finally) day and so beautiful there!  I wanted to try out a camera lens my friend Michaela let me borrow.  Oh my goodness, there was God's beauty everywhere we turned!!

We spent a lot of time walking around and looking at the birds.  So many different kinds of birds!  And when you were still all you could hear was the wind blowing and the water rippling up onto the rocks and the birds talking to each other- it was so beautiful!

After the wetlands we drove back into Huntington to meet my son and daughter-in-law for lunch.  It was a beautiful day for a walk into downtown Huntington Beach and out onto the pier!

We had a terrific time at Ruby's on the pier, enjoying each other's company and a great conversation!  And I never imagined at the time that the day would end with a new car!!  A big thank you to Nicholas, Rebecca, and Lupe for encouraging me!! And Nicholas for helping me!!
We said goodbye to old faithful (it was a bit sad. . .)

and now... . . a car I can depend on. . . . . (and it's cute!!!)

The projects continue. . .

 Now that I've finished my very first crochet project and thoroughly fallen in love with crocheting, I'm anxious to move on and learn something new.  The bag was so much fun to make, I know I will make another one soon!!

And one of the things I love about this bag is that I can now use it to carry my future projects!!

And I already have one of those picked out (of course I do. . .because I always have a new project started-LOL).  I decided after seeing this shawl on the attic 24 blog that I just had to learn how to make these flowers- -they are sooooo pretty!

So after searching high and low for a pattern on how to make these flowers, my friend and fellow craft addict, Laura, found some instructions on-line!!  And behold. . .a new project is started. . .

These flowers are so much fun to make and pretty quick to whip up.  I am really enjoying the process and find it a nice way to wind down after a busy day!  Ahhhhh, there is nothing like a project in progress to keep a craft crazy person like myself happy!

Who doesn't love a new purse. . . .

I am so excited to be learning a new craft- -okay, so I admit it, I'm a bit "craft crazy"!!  And I love a new purse!!  My friend, Laura, introduced me to a very fun blog (a new favorite of mine), http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet/, where I fell in love with this purse. . . .





There was one problem, I don't crochet :(     But with a little help and encouragement from Laura and with directions on the blog, I have started my very first crochet project and I am having so much fun!!  I began with a circle. . .

and then began adding my stripes. . .

and now I'm completely hooked! My pattern is a little different than the original- -but that's what creativity is all about, right?  I'm hoping to have it finished up within the next few days and can't decide if it will be mine or a gift for someone. . . . .hmmmmmm

Rebecca's skirts

Last week I received a wonderful treat from a friend- -a bag of fabric they no longer wanted--(if you love to sew like I do, you know what a real treasure a bag of fabric can be. . .).  In the bag was this wonderful piece of orange and white fabric and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it into a fun skirt for my daughter-in-law, Rebecca!  While I was at the store picking up some of the supplies to make the skirt I came across another wonderful piece of fabric and before I knew it, I was making two skirts for Rebecca!  I couldn't wait to get them to her tonight to see if she liked them- -I think she did!!  I have been blessed with the most amazing daughter-in-law and I love to make her gifts, she is always so sweet and excited about everything!  Thank you Rebecca for tolerating my crafting addiction!

I finally did it!

I finally posted an item for sale on etsy.com!  Thank you to a LOT of encouragment from my friends and family, I finally posted one of my make-up bags for sale! 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70918367/make-up-bag

So thankful for my family

I recently got a new camera and I'm soooooo excited about it!  So, of course, I've been dying to try it out by going somewhere that I could just shoot, shoot, shoot photos!  And of course I was hoping to also get my  my favorite subjects, my children, in the pictures.  So today I headed to Huntington Beach to visit the kids and was hoping for a chance to walk to the pier where I could practice taking photos.  However, God had other plans and they included rain.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the rain, but it's not the best weather to have if you are planning to take a walk along the beach!  I admit I was a bit disappointed to have to put off a play day with my camera but was sooooo thrilled to be spending the day with my children, because though I know I am biased, I think they are pretty amazing!  And they proved how amazing they are when, even though it was cold and stormy, they willingly stopped at the beach and got out of the car and allowed me to take a few pictures.  As you can see it was a bit crazy with the wind and the rain and they are not exactly the kind of photos you put on a Christmas card or frame for the wall- -but I think they will always be some of my favorites because of the price the kids paid to allow me at least a little playtime with my new toy!!  Thank you Nicholas and Rebecca!!!

A bag for Rebecca.

I love this surf board fabric and knew immediately who it would be perfect for- - -my daughter-in-law, Rebecca!  I found this cute starfish button at Joann's today and knew it would be the perfect compliment to this fabric.  I can't wait to give her the bag tomorrow. . .

More bags

I worked on the make-up bag design a little more tonight.  I'm happier with the zipper thanks to a new technique Laura Maxell shared with me- -Thanks Laura!!  Candace I'm going to try the elastic inserts on the next bag for holding those smaller items.  Still not 100% satisfied with the bags but getting closer. . . .

The brown one is long and "squatty" and could be used for sunglasses (thank you for the idea Rebecca!).

Hmmmmm, hopefully almost ready to list on etsy- - will check with my "quality control peeps" at work tomorrow :)

Make-up Bag

I was able to "play" a little yesterday and completed this make-up bag from one of the fabrics I purchased on Saturday.  It was the first time with this pattern and I'm not completely happy with it, so I will be reworking it before using it again.  I am hoping to open up a shop on etsy and sell some crafts- -but lots of work to do on the patterns first so that they are nice enough to sell!  I love the fabric though, looks kind of retro and I just think it's fun!  The buttons on the front are from a jar of antique/old buttons my brother gave me (he actually bought me 50 jars of old buttons (yes 50!) from various estate and garage sales.  So as you can imagine, I need to be using buttons on EVERYTHING!  LOL 

Well one project down- - -oh so many to go. . . .

A day filled with friendship and fun!

Today I went to the Quilt and Sewing Show at the Pomona Fair Grounds with some great friends!  It was so much fun to see all the beautiful quilts, emboridery projects, purses, wallets and many other handmade items on display.  We spent hours browsing through each booth trying to decide what we liked best and what we were going to purchase. It is so exciting to look at all the beautiful fabrics and just imagine the projects you can make!  These are some of the fabric pieces I chose.  I can't wait to begin sewing. . . . .

What a wonderful day!!

A Wedding Gift

On September 12, 2010, I was blessed with a daughter when my oldest son married an amazing young lady! I wanted to make Rebecca and Nicholas something special to celebrate their special day and that's when I decided on the pillow cases.  I copied the design from their wedding invitations and used the colors from their wedding.   I really like how they turned out- -they were so much fun to make!  I love embroidered linens, a love I inherited from my Mom who taught me to embroider when I was just a little girl.  Thanks Mom!!

Shopping for fabric

I love fabric stores!  There is just something exciting about seeing all the fabric choices and then imagining the many projects that can be made.  It's inspiring to go into the smaller shops that have samples made up, I can feel the excitement as I walk in the door. . . .  

Here are some of the red fabrics that will be part of my "redwork" quilt. Half the fun of this project is that it will be a long process and not a quick project.  Shopping for the fabrics is like a treasure hunt, I will be hunting here on the West Coast as Teressa hunts on the East Coast.  And because we are bonded so closely together and our tastes are so similar, I can't help but wonder if we will ever buy the same fabrics for each other. . . . .

A new project. . .

I love new projects!  This is a square from a quilt I am making with my friend Teressa who lives in New Hampshire.  The quilt will be made up of 40 embroidered squares and 40 calico squares.  The embroidery will all be done in "redwork" and the squares will be a variety of red calicos we will purchase as we work through our project. When we find a calico we like, we will purchase enough to share with each other!  The embroidery will be made up of things we love (like a giraffe for me!).  We decided to make it after seeing a similar project on what has become a favorite blog of mine (thanks to my friend Laura), "A Cuppa and a Catchup."

                      Not sure how long this project will take, but it will be fun!!