Two new bags

I had to "hide" this bag from you so mom wouldn't see it before Mother's Day. This was a group effort. Jenifer provided the fabric and I sewed it up. Charlie and David...agreed it was a nice gift! :-)


I used iron-on vinyl to "waterproof" the tote so it would be beach-worthy. I love the stuff -- I think you'll be seeing a lot more of it.


The fabric is from the Dick and Jane line by Michael Miller.

In progress is this Frenchy handbag. It's the same Amy Butler pattern I used for the craft swap, only a bit smaller. I love this fabric. the main fabric is mirror ball dot by Micheal Miller, the accent fabric is from Summer in the City by Moda, and the lining is something mom and I found at JoAnn. The dot is a bit of a pain because it has some stretch to it.

Exterior:


Interior:

I cut two bags, so you'll be seeing another one soon.

And another beach tote coming soon...

Lots of goodies!

Well, I wasn't going to post my craft swap goodies until I was sure my swap partner received them, but I just can't wait any longer!

Here's everything I sent Ana. I was a bit intimidated, as she is a star in the scrapping world, but I think the Frenchy Bag turned out to be pretty cute.

Here is the bag hanging on my favorite chair.

I'll be making a few more of these from the Amy Butler pattern. I have lots of fabric picked out! I have a different bag completed that I can't post about until after Saturday, and another that should be finished tonight . . . as long as I can get it done in the next 30 minutes. Can't let The Office sit on the Tivo unwatched for too long without going through withdrawal.

A long weekend and a WIP

The family traveled to Cleveland this weekend to visit the in-laws and attend the Kraftmaid Cabinets "seconds" event. And what an event it was. People line up hours in advance of the 7 am opening, at which point a lottery is employed to select the first 150 customers allowed in. I can understand the appeal. We got 6 of the cabinets we'll need to renovate our kitchen for WELL under the retail price. But I guess that's a WIP of a different nature.

Speaking of WIPs, here is this week's:

This is the new Frenchy Bag pattern by Amy Butler. Cute, isn't it?

I am particularly proud of my progress because we've also been taking care of a sick baby. We took Jaxon to the hospital Sunday with a temperature of 105! After a blood analysis, urinalysis, and chest x-ray, they sent us home with a diagnosis of a "virus with a high fever." He does look awfully cute in a hospital gown, though.


We stayed home Monday and Tuesday, and while still a bit fussy, he does seem to be getting back to normal. I do like my job, but I would trade it in a heartbeat to spend every day like this:

Baby Jaxon using my leg as a pillow. *sigh*

More on the Frenchy Bag later this week.

It's raining fabric!!

I came home today to a box on my front step. That's always exciting -- especially when it is from my sister! Let's see what's inside.



A gift for Jaxon: "The Cheerios Play Book"



A bag of fabric I was expecting -- I won't add anymore now, it's a surprise for someone!



A surprise for me -- cute, cute sock monkey squares. What should I do with them? She also included a couple of quilt patterns I could tackle. That would have to wait until summer, though.

What a great package to find on my doorstep. Thanks Jen!

Also, I got a package containing this earlier in the week:


I finally found a good deal on this on eBay. I think it might become a bag for myself!

And lastly, this will become a bag by next week. Check back soon!



You might ask yourself why I keep buying fabric and not MAKING anything with it. It's a sickness! Also, things have been pretty hectic at work, and my baby boy, who cannot yet walk, has decided to climb. *sigh*

More fabric and a family outing!

I had some coupons for Jo Ann that were burning a hole in my pocket. Now I just have to come up with ideas for all of this fabric!

You can tell I was feeling springy when I bought all this.

OOO Fabric:



Cute icon fabric (on clearance for $2/yd!):



Elephant coordinates and minky (not sure I'll use them together, but minky was 1/2 off!):



What should I do with it? I was thinking of tote bags with the spring fabric. But what to do with the elephants? It's so cute I'm afraid to cut it!

Also, I got this on eBay this week. I often search for "Jax" or "Jaxon" and this pillowcase came up:



I'm thinking I might make it into a backpack for Jaxon to use when he gets older.

We're finally getting some beautiful weather. I had to go to campus yesterday to shoot some pictures for a contest my students are entering. The students will be modeling the entire campus, and we need pictures of every building to use as textures. One of my colleagues and I said we would do The Ridges. This is a large complex of buildings built in the 1800s for use as a mental health facility. The University now owns it and uses some of the buildings, but a lot of it is in pretty bad shape.



Charlie, Jaxon, and I went early and had a picnic. It's still rather creepy up there, even in the bright sunlight. We took pictures of the main complex and have to go back to get the outbuildings. It was an interesting way to spend the day.

Teethin' and Thriftin'

Jaxon's top front teeth finally broke skin last night. We're all a little tired (and moody) today. He's a trooper though, and I expect he'll be back to his charming self in a couple of days.

Emily and I went thriftin' yesterday (thrifting just sounds too formal). I was looking for found objects to use for the craft swap I'm doing. The swap is through Crafty Daisies, and the theme is summer. At least one thing I send to my swap partner needs to be homemade. I didn't hit the summer craft payload, but I did find some cute things for Jax.

I did find these cutie belts to use as straps for summer bags.


I usually don't buy stuff with licensed characters. I just don't get paying extra to advertise. But in Pixar's case I'll make an exception. These are valances (extra long). I thought I could use the fabric to make something for Jax when he gets a little older. Of course he is going to love Toy Story!


I'll also make an exception for Star Wars. These are a bit too big for Jax now, but I couldn't resist 99c Star Wars overalls!


And a closeup (even the snaps are branded!):


I also got baby Jaxon some other cute clothes, including a summer romper that may have to become a t-shirt by the time the weather changes, and a lightweight jacket.

So there you have it! Not quite the craft hunting success that Pasha seems to have, but a success just the same.

Happy Easter!

It's been a trying week. The cold I caught from Jaxon turned into double ear infections (Doctor: "Adults aren't supposed to get these!" Beth: "Thanks."). I was home sick almost all week last week (which is really what has allowed me to get my craft projects done -- but now I am way behind at work!). Mom and Dad went to visit my sis and bro-in-law, leaving their dog with us. He's a good boy, but having two big dogs in the house feels like four or five! The weather went from 80 degrees and sunny to 30 degrees and snowy. And finally, Jaxon is getting his two front teeth, and isn't happy about it. And did I mention my eczema is out of control??

But not to worry, there is good news, too!!

Look at Mr. Bunny! He looks cute, don't you think?


And I finished the bunny basket as well. I didn't want to tell you about him in case I didn't get him done.

Opened:


Closed:


And I have a craft swap to look forward to...more on that later this week!

So Happy Easter to you all, and I wish you all lovely spring weather!

The Month–Long Birthday

On Wednesday I got a birthday gift from my friends Emily and Travis. Isn't it cool? It's a custom decorated cakepan. The ordering process took longer than Emily anticipated so I got it a few weeks after my birthday. Even better...a month-long birthday celebration!

You may have noticed the quality of my photos has gone up. The fam got me a new camera for my birthday. It's awesome. We've shot a few short videos of Jax, and while the quality isn't as great as a dedicated video camera, the videos are still pretty cool.

Check them out on YouTube (with more to come):

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=planeguy747

WIP: Big Footed Bunny

Isn't he cute? Are you surprised at my progress? I am! It looks like I just might have this guy done by Easter. I have to even out the stuffing, sew closed the stuffing hole, embroider his face and make his overalls. And make Jax's Easter "basket." *sigh*

I have already learned a lot from Mr. Bunny. Having mainly sewn home dec projects (curtains, pillows, and upholstery) and a few simple skirts, I do not have much experience sewing curves. This guy has a lot of curves!

I'm hoping to have his overalls done tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous about the embroidery for his face...

Fabric Saturday

I know you think I can't see a project through. *sigh* The quilt was a bit ambitious. I got busy grading homework and hanging out with Jax and the next thing I knew the class was over. I tried to go in and download the rest of the lessons, but they had already changed the password. Now I have a quilt cut out and I have to figure out how to put it together!

In the meantime, I've decided to do a couple of projects that are a bit smaller in scope and have a deadline. Up first is a stuffed rabbit for Jaxon's Easter basket. The pattern is the Big Footed Bunny from Wee Wonderfuls. So cute!

Mom and I went to the fabric store today and put together this combination:



The body will be the blue gray. It's a thin wale corduroy. The body accents will be the creamy flannel. The bunny's shorts will be the super cool retro cars flannel with green grosgrain suspenders.

I promise to have this done by Easter. Which is only one week away. ACK! Can anyone tell me how to embroider eyes?

Surplus Auction: Winter 2007

This quarter's surplus auction was a big success. We bought 8 chairs and 6 tables for $27.

These tables have metal bases and white melanine tops. I sold one with a brown top to one of my students. I'm going to use the ones in the best shape as a coffee table/side table in our family room.



These children's chairs need a good coat of paint, but I think they will be really cute. They had really great old school chairs in children's size, but they ended up going for $33 each! These were $5. I also got three office chairs for $1 that I thought we could use at work.



But the deal of the century has to be these three mod chairs I picked up for $1. The armchair is a genuine Knoll tulip chair designed by Eero Saarinen. I looked in to selling it on eBay for a tidy profit, but I think I am going to clean it up and keep it. It's just too cool not to. If anyone knows anything about getting scuffs off fiberglass, let me know.



See more photos at: http://web.mac.com/novakb/iWeb/Site/Chair.html

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Time to celebrate the wearin' o' the green! And like most holidays, we celebrated with food.

Here is our good Irish dinner: corned beef, cabbage, and boiled potatoes. Yummy!



Here is our good non-Irish dessert: Key Lime Pie. It's green! Super yummy!



And here is our good semi-Irish leprechaun. Super duper yummy!!



Spring begins in three days! Too bad it snowed here today...

A Black Hole over Logan?

I was very pleased with myself today, I got HALF of the fabric cut for my quilt (only a week late). And then I saw what everyone else in the "home arts" world is doing. Are everyone else's days longer? Am I somehow losing six or seven hours every day?

I have started trolling other craft-y blogs ( a couple fun ones are Dioramarama and Wee Wonderfuls), and today I came across Anna Maria Horner's. She's amazing. Check out these BEAUTIFUL jackets she made her daughters. *sigh*



So in lieu of a progress report, I have a new favorite recipe:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Throw the following into your crock pot:
Two or three large frozen chicken breasts
One can of tomato juice (about 12 oz)
One can of kidney beans (or rinsed black beans)
One can of corn
Chopped fresh cilantro
One small can of diced green chilis
3 cloves of minced garlic
Chili powder (couple of tsp)
Black pepper (@ tsp)
Cumin (@ tsp)
Fill to the top(ish) with chicken broth

Cook on High for three hours (or low for seven), remove the chicken and shred or cube.
Put the chicken back in and cook for another hour. Serve with a handful of shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Yummy!!

Fabric Wednesday!

Today I purchased my fabric for my online quilting class. I had thought I wanted to do a black and white quilt, but the quilt we're making for class is tonal in nature, so I'd need to add gray. Then I thought perhaps a novelty quilt, one for Valentine's Day, maybe? Or cherries (I DESPERATELY want to find this)?

AHHH, but then I visited the quilt shop on the square in Nelsonville, Nelsonville Quilt Co. The ladies there were great and I got some FABULOUS fabric -- I was the first to buy it. I'm guessing retro mod isn't that popular in Nelsonville!

Here is the quilt we are making for class:



And here are my fabrics:



FABULOUS! The two funky prints are Henry Glass (the Spiral Collection). The "solids" (none are actually solid) are from RJR (the light gray and the black) , Moda (the charcoal gray and the orange), and Hoffman (the green).

I was afraid the quilt pattern is too country, but the ladies at Nelsonville Quilt Co. promise me with these fabrics my quilt will be far from country!

Quilting 101

I've enrolled in an online quilting class (http://www.quiltuniversity.com) called Starting from Scratch that starts this weekend. I came across some modern quilts online and became inspired! For the class each student builds a lap quilt, and while the pattern seems a bit country for my taste, I'm going to try to "modernize" it with all black and white fabrics.

I'm excited to get going so I can start projects using this fabric I just ordered:



This is an Alexander Henry print – my favorite - called "Here Comes Santa Claus." So cute!
Maybe I'll actually have something made by next Christmas!

Christmas All Over Again!

I've neglected my blog. How horrible.

I have done a bit of "post-worthy" stuff, but I thought today I would show off our Christmas cards. We held a photo shoot of Jaxon (OK, I tacked a white sheet on the wall), and here is the outcome:



And this was the second choice:



And I made stickers for the backs of the envelopes:



Not nearly as cool as Heidi's cards, but pretty cute just the same!!

Babies take time?? Who knew??

And why did I think I would have time to continue to refurbish furniture AND keep a blog about it??

The eBay furniture is still in the garage untouched -- but there is a chance I'll finish the rocker we got BEFORE Jax was born this week. I'll have pictures soon.



In the meantime, Jax has finally discovered he has hands and can grasp things, which hasn't been great for my jewelry. He loves to grab onto necklaces and bracelets while nursing (and the collar of my shirt). So I bought some really cheap wood craft beads and made some "nursing necklaces." Jax can tug and pull and play and I don't have to worry about him breaking something important. He's kind of obsessive about bright and contrasting colors, so that helps, too. And I can wipe them down with a wet cloth, perfect for the obsessive-compulsive mother!

New Project: eBay Furniture

I went a little crazy last week when I came across a woman in Cleveland selling a bunch of mid century modern furniture on eBay. It was all "pick up only" which means everything tends to go much cheaper because it restricts who can bid due to geography.

I picked up a Heywood Wakefield dinette set that has seen better days for a great price, and a bid on a great couch but was outbid at the last minute. Lucky for me the high bidder backed out and the seller offered it to me.

We picked up the furniture Saturday, and it's piled into the garage. The couch seems to be the world's heaviest, so getting it into the house will be a chore (any volunteers??) but I'm excited to find some great upholstery fabric!

My addiction: Surplus Auctions

When I started at the University I had to go to Surplus to get some furniture for my office. While there I noticed a beautiful antique piano. The surplus guy told me to come back for the auction. Apparently someone decides when something is no longer worthy of university use, and they auction it off to the highest bidder. So Charlie and I went back for the piano and ended up with a desk and a few other miscellaneous items -- and we've been attending the quarterly auctions since.

I've furnished the living room in auction finds:


The chair was $2. Probably because it was upholstered in orange pleather and had copper-colored legs. The couches were $7 and $1. They're sleeper sofas so they weren't fun to move, but easy to reupholster. Here is a before:

Obviously it's during my progress, but you can see the previous fabric. Samantha was afraid of a thunderstorm so she hopped right in!

This is the piano that started it all. Moving it and tuning it cost more than the piano itself, and we had to cut part of a wall down to get it in the house. Well worth it, the piano turned 100 this year. The chairs to the left are also auction finds, $2 for both.

Posting, The First

I've been inspired by my friend Heidi to start a blog. Heidi is an incredibly talented, prolific, and speedy (!!!) crafts-person. She puts my sewing to shame.

I figure this is a good place to display projects I'm working on, and blogging is something I can do while I'm feeding Jaxon, which is the majority of my day.

I'll be posting some of my latest upholstery projects, as well as the results of my newest hobby -- quilting. I'm also about to tackle a first: refinishing an antique dresser.

In thanks for stopping by, here is something to make you smile: