Busy Busy

Things have been busy around here. Last Friday a bunch of the women at church got together for a craft night that I organized. It was tons of fun and ALMOST went off without a hitch. Just a few 'hiccups". We made some super cute hair bows, Christmas gift tags, washer necklaces, clothespin magnets, advent calendars and a few other super cute things. I've also started getting ready for the Holly Days show in November. I promised myself that this year I would be at least 50% done by Oct. 1. I am not, which means I have to try and sneak in every possible minute of sewing time that I can. Brent has been busy working on the porch roof, which has leaked since we moved in. It is, as with everything else, a bigger project than he originally anticipated, so it is taking longer to finish, and all of this rainy weather isn't helping much. I went to visit Ben & Jocelyn in Louisville at the end of Sept. and also took a couple days to visit my cousin Adriane in Nashville. It was a fun and relaxing trip and was just Nathan and me. It was nice to spend some quality alone time with my little buddy. He was a great traveling companion, so content to ride in the car. He's getting cuter every day and he's crawling now! My "squirrely girlies" are as much fun and TROUBLE as ever, but they make me laugh. Vivian has such a vivid imagination, and Sophie is just so excited about everything.

I NEVER win anything, but . . .

I won an AMAZING giveaway! A YEAR of dresses for my girls!!!! Yes, every month I'll get a new dress of my choosing for the entire year. Thank you so much cafehandmade.com

and of course, the generous ladies at pickyourpocketstudio.com

What's been up???

My 2 yr. old has outsmarted ma and all the people who make thoe child-proff locks- so that pretty much sums up what I've been doing the last couple of weeks. Soap all over floor, food color on the couch, toddlers on the counters and in the cupboards!!! I think you get my drift. :) Fortunately I have a wonderful husband who never gives me grief for taking some "me" time in the evenings at the sewing machine, and I've managed to crank out a couple of projects. First is the purse for my give a way. I had hoped to have it done in a week, but life happens and 2 weeks is really good in my book! It willbe in the mail on Tuesday and I'll be sad to see it go. I LOVE BLACK & WHITE!
I also got this dress finished. It is from the Amy Butler "Little Stitches" book. I thought it looked easy and simple. It wasn't really, but I muddled through and am thrilled with the results. There is always a learning curve when you try a new pattern and I anticipate the next dress will go much easier. This dress is for my friend Lisa who is having a baby in just a few days.
Other than that, I thing there have been lots of the usual. Kids saying funny stuff, doing naughty things and being really adorable. Nathan is on the verge of crawling and he melts my heart when he smiles! Sophie is definitely in the terrible 2's, but she's funny and loving and still a cuddler, which I love. Vivian is growing up so fast! She built a lever to launch Barbies in the yard, is learning to write her name and I'm trying to teach her "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey . . .much better than "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" don't you think???

Giveaway Winner!!!

60 comments!!! I used random.org to pick my winner- #29 Tara said:

I love light pink with chocolate brown. Or black and white.

Hopefully the week goes well and I'll be finished with Tara's new bag by Friday . . .we'll see what the fates have in store.

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Delayed Reaction . . .

I'm behind on posting some projects . . .that's just the name of the game around here. Well, this is what I spend the majority of my time doing. Often I feel, as my dear friend Rachel put it, like a jungle gym! This picture was taken on a particularly nice and easy evening after supper. Brent and I walked down to the school to let the kids play at the playground. It was a great evening, like 75 in the middle of July, a light breeze; it really could not have been more perfect!

Finally, I got a picture of the dress I made Vivian for her birthday, and in true "me" fashion, it wasn't finished on time. However, it was finished in time for her to wear it to church the following Sunday. She looks so sweet in it, I wish that I had a picture of her in it. Add that to the "to do" list. I had a good time making this; all of the fabric was thrifted, and the straps were free! The bottom is from a tablecloth I bought for $.50, the apron is half of a silk scarf I paid $.25, and the top you might recognize as being the same fabric I used on mom's mother's day purse, which I bought for $1. The best part? I have enough left over to make Sophie a matching dress!I picked up "Last Minute Patchwork Gifts" a couple of months ago and finally got around to making this little guy for my cousin. She had a new baby just a few weeks ago and hopefully they'll get in some good cuddle time!Oh, and my first jewelry-making attempt. I adore bracelets, and I like big ones, so that's what I made. There's a matching necklace as well, but I'm not much of a necklace person, so I'm giving it to mom, just have to make a few adjustments first. This was really fun to make and I have to thank my mother-in-law. She's introduced me to making jewelry, and now I think I'm hooked. Oh, and don't be too jealous, but the beads were picked up at a garage sale for $1!!!!AND, I finally got rid of that mop on my head and got a real haircut. I love having short hair, but now I need some color change. I'm toying with the idea of bleaching the whole thing and being platinum again. Ideas anyone??? Lastly, don't forget to enter the giveaway in my post below!!!

4,500!!!!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!!! SEE ABOVE FOR WINNER.

UNBELIEVABLE!!! I've had just over 4,500 visits to my little corner of the world since the beginning of July! I must celebrate with a give-a-way! To be considered, all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite color, or color combination and then I'll make you a purse, kind of like THIS and matching checkbook cover . . .and maybe even throw in a little something extra- all in your favorite color combo! I'll leave entries open for 2 weeks, so refer your friends to my site too. I'd love to have more visitors!!!

**BE SURE I KNOW HOW TO CONTACT YOU!!!