Poor Jakey...

He's just not feeling himself today. I think he may have a touch of what I had last weekend. Yuck! Poor little man. It's not often that he heads for his own bed at 12:30 in the afternoon & falls asleep. He's so cute when he's sleeping though. And he needs it.

Of course, little Miss Model had to have her picture taken too.

Oh, and behind Jake's head you may be able to see the quick little pillow case I whipped up this morning. He has a flannel travel-size pillow that's just plaid. So I finally got to use some "Lightning McQueen" fabric I've had for a while. So cute!

I Scrapped!

For the first time in weeks (months, maybe) I pulled out the old scrapping supplies yesterday. Since neither of my printers are working I couldn't print recent pics, so I went through some old ones & found these great black & whites from my trip to Fort Collins, Colorado back in 2000.



I went there in November that year to visit Pam & her now husband, Rob. I was there for 4 days & had a great time. We tried to go sledding in the foothills. We hung out in Denver for a day. My favorite day was when Pam & I went shopping in Boulder. What a fabulous little city! I know I'm missing several pictures of this trip (all in color). Maybe I never developed them, I don't know. But at least I have these pics of that great trip. The next time I visit Pam & Rob (and now Mom Brann too!), I'll be sure to go when it's warm!

Warm Weather, Yardwork, New Skirts

Yesterday was the first truly gorgeous day we've had so far this Spring. We headed outside at 9am & barely came in at all until about 4:30pm. We did some yardwork: mostly raking leaves. Ok, so Bobby did most of it. And Cary helped!

By mid-afternoon the sun was so warm I was able to try out my new skirt, finally! Emma put hers on too & we all walked to Cumby's for Slurpees. So here are the pics of my new wrap skirt (fabric by Tracy Porter at JoAnn's) and Emma's not-so-ruffly skirt.

Here are the links to the patterns, courtesy of Sparkle Power Sew Along:

Wrap Skirt

Emma's Skirt

What am I going to do with this girl?

Oh, and I need to give credit to my personal photographer, Jake. Didn't he do a great job?

Pretty Red Bird

When sitting in my bed & looking out the window I have a perfect view........ of Route 1. And Cumberland Farms.

So it may not be beautiful right now, but once the leaves are back on the trees most of it is hidden. My one saving grace is that between our complex & Cumby's we have a lovely little marshy/field area. The kids played there last summer & fall when it was dry, and again this winter when it was snow-covered. Right now it's a little wet, but we can now see many birds out there on a daily basis (chickadees, blue jays, robins, sparrows, some crows-eeewww). But my favorite thing to see is the cardinal that hangs out in the maple tree right in front of my window. Here he is, just a little while ago. The picture is blurry because of the screen in my window, but I think you get the idea. He's quite red!

Feeling a Little Better

Well, I haven't been doing much in the realm of craftiness lately (or in any realm for that matter). After being sick with a nasty stomach bug for the past 4 days, I finally feel like I have some energy back today. The nice weather helps a little too. I hate being sick & lying in bed all day, but that's how it was. I did manage to whip up a wrap skirt yesterday as I began feeling a tad better. Unfortunately it's a little big, so I have few adjustments to make before I post a pic. (I think I must have a lost a little weight over the weekend. yay!). So that's all for today.

Much Better

After deliberating with my design consultant (Bobby) last night, I decided that the yellow straps just didn't work on this purse. So I took them off & made them to match the rest of the fabric. I had some cording left over from Christmas gifts & attempted to use the "piping" method. It isn't perfect, but it certainly looks a lot better from a design perspective. At least my design team & I think so!

Spring Purse

Just foolin' around today with some new ideas that have been in my head for a while. Since starting this whole purse endeavor, I have realized that I am more creative than I ever thought possible.

It started with one simple fold-over purse pattern (I would give credit where credit is due, but unfortunately I have no idea where the pattern is now), but now I can look at a picture in a catalog or online & come up with my own variation. I'm actually quite proud of myself for this.

So this purse started as a fat quarter & some scraps this morning, and now it's a really cute handbag with gussets. The flap for closing it buttons on the front where the pocket is. I made it so I can button the pocket and the purse together. I'm just not crazy about the handles, but I'll figure those out better on the next one.

Oh, and just a little clarification for those who are seeing my stars for the first time. I use 18" or 28" tin barn stars, and I Mod-Podge various scrapbook papers on them. Then I embellish them with ribbons & little knick-knacks on the center. Emma & Jake each have a small one in their rooms, and I have my first large one in our entry way, as well as a small one on the wall over the computer. The snowman star that I made for my mom is already hanging over her dining room table! I think it's actually my favorite star so far.