Weekend Crafts- Crayon Roll

This weekend, I finished up two projects for two special little girls. H just became a big sister, so of course she needed a gift to fete her new status. She is almost 3, and the most delightful little bundle of energy I have ever met. She is never shy around new people, and LOVES her little sister.

I thought this crayon roll would be the perfect little present. This was the first time I have made one, and i think it turned out pretty darn well. Just add a pad of paper and you have a great gift for your little friends! I bought this template which was super easy to follow in case you'd like to make your own.

Embroidery Hoops as Frames

Via// Purl Bee

I was in New York yesterday to visit some friends, and spent some time picking out new fabrics from Purl Patchwork. On the wall where you walk in they had a whole collage of embroidery hoops with fabric in them and it really got me thinking. Last week I went through my bins and realized how much awesome fabric I have accumulated, some of it I love too much to cut up. This would be the perfect way to show off some of my favorite patterns instead of keeping them locked up in a box! Here is a link to Purl's tutorial for creating the frames, and some more lovely inspiration!

Spring Chick's Craft Room via// Modish

Paige's Nursery via// Megan Carty

For Phoebe's Room via// EmmyLizzy's Flickr Stream

Stockings Complete!

A few days ago, I mentioned that my mom and I were going to attempt this. Well we did, and they turned out even better than planned! We used the pattern Martha provided, but enlarged it about 180%, and chose not to fold the tops over (your stocking has to be big enough for wooden spoons and soup ladles if you are part of my family. That is the law. Even if you are only 5 months old).  I purchased some Wollfilz felt from Purl, including some bigger pieces for the stockings themselves, and a couple of color bundles for the decorations. Yes, it was expensive, but we have enough left over to make more!

My mom is not daring when it comes to baking (she always follows the recipe to the letter) but when it comes to sewing apparently she lets loose. We traced the pattern for our seams, but she freestyled the edge pinking. It was madness.

Eco Friendly Bread Bag- Bolsa para pan!

via// Ishtar Olivera

During college I lived in Barcelona with an amazing family with two kids and a set of grandparents who lived in the apartment building next door. My Spanish Grandfather, Manolo, or "Yayo" as his grandkids called him, played a very important role in my stay with the Ramón Casbas family. He and his wife, Orosia took me on a walk the first day I arrived to show me where the metro stop was that I would take to la Universitat, and made sure that i knew how to purchase my ticket. They showed me Joan Miró park, and his statue called "Dona i Ocell" (Woman and Bird in Catalán). They really helped me get adjusted to life in Spain. 

Every morning, Yayo was the first person I would see. I would be getting ready for class and in he would come with piping hot bread right from the bakery on the corner. "Pan caliente!" he would say to me, leaving two of the warm loaves on the countertop in the kitchen for our family, and taking the third with him. I would immediately eat the heel of one loaf which I am sure was against the rules.

My husband frequently asks me if the bread we are eating is as good as bread from Spain, and I always tell him no. There is no way that there will ever be bread that is better than Yayo's Pan Caliente. 

via// Ishtar Olivera

When I saw these fantastic reusable bread totes on Ishtar Olivera's blog, it really brought back such good memories of living in Spain and having my daily bread. Hopefully someday I can make it back there, and when I do, I will bring with me a tote for my Pan Caliente! (Her site is in BOTH Castellano and English, she is really talented in so many ways!)

The Day I Have Been Waiting for Has Finally Arrived!

Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley collection is finally available, and I am tempted to pick up the whole shebang. How awesome are those little calico prints?

Image via// Fabricworm

I have been meaning to make a quilt for me and my husband using gray, blue and green fabric after seeing this. There will definitely be a lot of Hope Valley up in it!

A quilt for baby C and baby S

My dear friend Nicole recently gave birth to her 2nd son! She was about seven months pregnant and sooooooo beautiful when she was in my wedding in September, and since she danced so much that night, he arrived a little bit early. Just kidding!
Of course he needs a blanket, and I decided to use some of the same fabrics I incorporated into his big brother's blanket that I made last year. Here is a pic of that one to refresh your memory:

And here is the new one, on its way to Buffalo tonight!

It is really funny to look at these because when I was working on the new one I thought it might look too much like the first. No such problem!

One of these days I am going to bite the bullet and try some biased taped edges. For some reason the thought of this scares the living daylights out of me.

Terrariums!

I must say that our trip to Terrain exceeded even my expectations which were sky high. It was amazing! I didnt bring my camera so you will have to just trust me. Maybe I will go back soon and try to take some pictures secretly since i am pretty sure it is not allowed. Anyway, back to the subject at hand.
Julia and I found a whole section of the store devoted to the tiny little glass encased gardens, and we both really wanted to make them ourselves. Neither of us were completely confident in our abilities, so we passed over the $40 (but absolutely beautiful) glass balloons and cloches and instead used vases from the craft store (less than $2 each!).

The bottom layer of a dry terrarium (as opposed to a completely covered one) should be rocks to help the soil drain completely. Next put down a layer of organic potting soil.

Than add in some miniature plants. This one has a variety of mint, seedum and a mini jade pant!

To make it look really lush, add little bits of sheet moss (which is still living) and some tiny pebbles.  To care for a dry terrarium such as these, mist the plants and moss when the top layer of dirt and/or moss feels dry. I think mine needs a little gnome next, but I am going to make sure I can keep it alive before investing any more money :)

Sarah London

Peaking around over at Share Some Candy, I found this image of Sarah London's beautiful crochet work:

//via Share Some Candy

Sarah is from Australia, and clearly loves color! I have no idea how to crochet, so this is particularly fascinating to me, the way the flowers interlock and the different textures they create. I love it! Check out these other amazing photos from her bog:

//via Sarah London

This is seriously making me wish I cashed in on my grandmother's offer to teach me to crochet. Sarah also has an Etsy shop where she sells beautifully colored wool and even gives advice on color palettes!

Thing-A-Day 2009, Day 16

Dots!
Since embarking on my mission to create a baby blanket for every human being on the planet (okay, maybe just for my friends and family) I have started to become OBSESSED with fabric. It is really unhealthy and has become quite obvious to my fiance that I am buying way more yardage than I am capable of using. Hoarding might be the verb that describes it best.

AnyFraggle (remember that show!?) I think this would make a nice fabric to add to my collection, don't you think?