As we become more and more a part of our local community and preschool the number of birthday parties the kids get invited to increases. I love going to parties and especially making something special for the birthday girl/boy. My most recent go to birthday present for kids my daughter’s age is my Colouring Book Library Tote. It’s a quick sew and something that is guaranteed to give the receiver many hours of fun.
When I saw Deborah of Whip-stitch.com post about hosting another year of the Sewing Buddy Project I signed up immediately. How much fun would it be to get a sewing pen pal who I complete sewing challenges with and build a friendship?
I not so patiently waited in January for the buddies to be announced and I have to say I hit the jackpot with my sewing buddy, Jeni Mummery of Quilted on the Rock, she is amazing! And get this, she lives on Vancouver Island not far from my mother in law. Not only that but she is coming to Seattle in a few weeks for a knitting convention with some friends so I will actually get a chance to meet her. I am not sure I have been this excited to meet someone new in awhile.
Thanks for joining me last week for our first Coffee Date, I hope you enjoyed reading a little more about the things that were going on for me last week.
Grab a coffee, pull up a chair and join me for another coffee date, there is lots to talk about this week.
If we were having a coffee date I would tell you that I couldn’t stop laughing when I turned from the computer to see this scene. Just goes to show that if my kids are left to their own devices for me to do a little work on the computer, this is what I should expect to happen.
As most parents of small children can attest, you end up with a large amount of paintings and drawings. With both kids in preschool we also end up with art projects multiple times a week. Needless to say I wanted to create a place to display some of their art work that wasn’t just the fridge.
Since it is no surprise I love a gallery wall and embroidery hoops I thought this artwork display would be a great addition to my living room gallery wall.
When my sister decided to throw a tangled party for my niece Elsie’s second birthday she asked if I could help with a dress. The original plan was to just take a Rapunzel dress she already had and alter it to better fit Elsie. After a bit of thought we decided it would be easier to sew something new.
Since the Rapunzel dress is quite detailed I thought I would go for a Tangled inspired dress that would work great for the party but that didn’t require things like embroidery and a corset. Because really a 2 year old would just be happy with a purple dress.
I love my morning coffee and I love a chance to sit down with friends and visit. Since we are friends that just haven’t met let’s grab our coffees and sit down for a chat.
If we were having a coffee date I would tell you about how much I love taking the kids to the YMCA in the morning so I get 2 hours of childcare to get work done. Ben doesn’t love it but I am convinced if I keep trying eventually he will enjoy it.
The kids and I had a great time putting together fun valentines for their classes and since it is still February I thought I would share the things we made.
Both kids are enrolled at our local cooperative preschool and one of the requirements for valentines day was that all valentines were handmade. They didn’t have to be elaborate but did need to be something that involved the kids. Because I am into all things crafty I figured this would be a fun opportunity to involve the kids in making something fun for their classmates. With Sophie I knew she would help make all 20 valentines but Ben was another story, being only 19 months doesn’t help staying focused long enough to make 22 valentines.
When Haley of Welcome to the Mouse House released The Julia Cardigan at the beginning of December I snatched it up that day. I knew it needed to be a part of my wardrobe in all of the different options.
As usual life got busy and I never got around to making one for myself. I finally remedied that last week and the finished product was just as amazing as I knew it would be back in December when I bought the pattern. How is it possible that I waited this long to actually sit down and sew the pattern that ended up taking less than an hour to do from start to finish.
Sophie loves when I make her clothes, especially when they are pink. She makes my sewing momma heart smile when she proudly tells anyone who asks that her mom made her clothes. I hope that she never loses that pride in wearing something that was made just for her, because I know I will cherish the way she reacts when I show her what I have made.
I have been a stay at home mom since Sophie was born in September 2010. So for the last 3+ years I have put most of my focus and energy into my family and home. I am by no means complaining because I am fully aware of how lucky I am to be able to stay home with my kiddos. It’s just very easy to lose yourself in the day to day of being a mom and forget that before you had kids you had interests outside them.
