Vintage Pillow Case

Look at the gorgeous vintage pillow case I found in my mom’s trunk. There were five different sets in there…all different patterns and levels of embroidery. I hope to be as good and my grandmother (or one of her sisters) someday.

It has only been a week of spring break and the girls are so bored…I don’t know what to do with them. The park is visited everyday; geocaching is done a lot too. Right now they are fighting about baking cookies. I thought they could do it together…but neither one wants to. Maybe it’s time to pull out my mom’s trick…”If you can’t find something to do…I will give you a job.” I always had to scrub the bathrooms. :o(

We are also on out first week being high fructose corn syrup free. My husband is a bit grouchy…he had to give up his three sodas a day…but I think the girls and I are doing great. :o) Here are few articles about it if you want to know why we have given it up.

Sugar Coated
High-fructose corn syrup: Why is it so bad for me?

Spring Break Panckaes

It’s spring break for some of the kids here. My girls have two weeks off of school….AND….I love it! Look what my 11 year old made for breakfast this morning…elephant pancakes.

I was thrilled last night to reach 20 sales in my Etsy shop…only to get up and find that during the night I sold two more things!

Be on the look out for another GIVEAWAY!!!

Pinks and Needles Pin Toppers

I guess I’ll be blogging twice in one day. I have been meaning to share this artist with you all for a while. I just love her work. Pinks and Needles is a wonderful shop. The owner has such a wonderful sense of style and makes the cutest pin toppers ever…as you can see from the pictures.

This cupcake...is the first pin topper I ordered from her and once I had it in my hands I was hooked.

I ordered this lollie pin topper from her next.

Look at this wonderful Blue cupcake. She also has such beautiful packaging…it’s almost a shame to open the pretty box. :o)

I have just ordered Juicy Bartlett Pear from her Picnic Basket Collection. I had to have that one, when I was a child my great-grandparents called me “the little pear eater” I still love pears…they are my favorite.

Another Apron

I must admit I'm getting tired of making aprons and you all are probably getting tired of seeing them. Tomorrow's post should be more exciting.

This apron has two layers. The first is white with hand embroidered cupcakes. The second is a yellow cotton. The waistband is trimmed with blue AND pink rick rack. This apron ties in the back but has nice long ties that could be tied in the front.

Apron Days

I have been making aprons like crazy…I have also made a bag…but this post is about aprons…so here they are. The first on is called, “Birds and Flowers” I couldn’t come up with a great name so I went for the obvious.

The second and third picture are of the same apron…it’s reversible!!! I call it, “Not Your Grandmother’s Apron”

Cherry Apron

I had a critique of my Etsy shop today and have been working to get all the things done that everyone suggested. I really want the shop to be a success. I did spend some time today making a new apron…but lately my crafting muse has been absent. I think she may have come back this evening…I have three more aprons cut and ready to go…plus two new bags.

I hope the bags turn out like I have them pictured in my mind. I got the inspiration from an old movie I was watching last night. :o)

Chickie Giveaway WINNER!!!

Today is the day. Thank you everyone for entering my first giveaway.

All the names are in a box, and my daughter is mixing them up.

A winner has been drawn!!!

She pulled a name from the box!!!! Hurray!!! Who could it be?

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MaryMarsh of Meeting Street Designs!

My other baby’s birthday! and some Etsy stuff.

Today is another birthday in our home. She is 11yrs old, and seems so grown up…but then there are times that she is still a little girl. Today she is home from school because she is sick…poor child has been ill on every one of her birthdays…she got to frost and decorate her cake. Lemon cake, lemon frosting, and mini chocolate chips.

I have added a few small items to my shop…but haven’t done much crafting this week. I have great plans for next week though!

The other day I got my first pin from Pinks and Needles. I couldn't get the picute to post well...so go check out her shop! It is so cute…I have an order in for more. I am just amazed at how quickly Gigi’s shop has taken off. It is so wonderful.

Also, today is the last day to sign up for my Chicky giveaway!

Visit with GG!

I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days. We had a busy weekend. My oldest had a friend sleep over Friday night, then my husband's grandmother came for a visit with her sister and my husband's birthday was Sunday!. GG is from WI so we don’t get to see her very often. We all had a nice visit with her, it was a true blessing to all of us to spend time with her. In the short 14 hours she was here we all learned so much…she taught me how to make a French Knot…I have been trying to do one for a month and just couldn’t, the girls loved seeing their great-grand-mother and hearing her stories. She told them this very sweet story, I’ll try to remember it all.


"A long time ago when the baby Jesus was laying in the mager he was crying and Mary couldn’t comfort Him, Joseph couldn’t either. So the animal started taking turns trying to give Him comfort. The cow couldn’t, the ox and the lamb tried but they couldn’t either. One by one the animals tried and couldn’t do it. Then a little tabby kitten crawled into the manger, up by Jesus’ face curled up and started to purr. Jesus stopped crying and as a reward for his service an “M” for Mother Mary was placed on the kitten’s forehead. That is why tabby cats have “M”s on their foreheads"

EtsyMom Spring Charity Auction


http://www.mommyauctions.com/EtsyMom-Charity-Gift-Basket,name,61801,auction_id,auction_details
This is an Etsymom Promotional Auction starts March 3rd ~ half of the proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House Charity, so you are bidding for a good cause! Etsymoms entered their best and favorite for spring, and you have a chance to win it all! Please visit EtsyMom.com for more information, and thank you for looking at our Etsymom Auction!


The Auction will take place on Mommyauctions.com in HappyHouseQuilts Shop

Rosie's Cozies has a cute toddler tote, cute bunny on the front
Happy House Quilts presents Threadabilities Craft kit, design and make your own spring flower clip!
Buttercup Corner has another craft kit, felt an egg and a chick to go inside! It's absolutely darling, and a perfect activity for the family.
Andrea Baker provides a fun library tote, with fun spring critters in pastels
Aebaby makes these *adorable* tag toys. This is a minky rabbit with colored ears. Really cute!
GreenBeanBoutique makes little fruit babies in various colors
Caelista sent this adorable fried egg catnip toy. Something for everyone in the family!
Peek-A-Boo Studios made little Suzy Zoo spring hair clips. Custom designed just for Etsymom!
NightOwlStudios contributed these adorable spring hair clips. Made from imported fabric, these are way cute! Love the hedge hog.
WylesStyle made this super cute egg pouch. Perfect for a teen's Easter, you know how hard they can be to buy for!
BeadedSocks makes cute doll diapers and... beaded socks! The doll diapers are a favorite among the toddlers, and they hold up to rough toddler play much better than disposable dipes.
Sassy Stitches made this totally cool clutch! Fun 3D flower on the front. Perfect for mom for Easter!
Mommy3Jesse put together this beautiful diaper cake! How fun would this be at a baby shower? A useful gift that is guaranteed *not* to be returned to the store for sure!
AllGrownUp2 made this sweet spring charm bracelet. Bunnies, eggs, and chicks!
Minefull made this cute pendant featuring a cute little chick! Nice and simple, classy moms would love to wear this this spring.
Thumbelina Creations made an amazing pendant with lampwork beads, buttons, and wrapped wire. Be sure to check this out in more detail (click her name) to see it 'up close'.
Mellberry4 made this beautiful pendant, reflecting Easter.

Dinner and Bags

I did some embroidery last night and made some bags this morning. The first one is a medium tote and the second is a small hanging bag. I’m new to embroidery so these are fun and exciting for me to make.

We had the best dinner last night…this is just the veggie part of it. Pasta, chicken, and veggies, in a lemon and olive oil sauce. It’s served cold and so tasty…it was perfect for yesterday because it was 75 degrees.

Oh, don't forget about my GIVEAWAY!

Cuffs, the Bag That Wouldn't Shut Up!

Yesterday, after a long day with a migraine, things were finally starting to calm down. I was sitting on the couch and this bag popped into my head and said. “I must be made.” I was not in the mood to draw up a sketch or make a pattern last night…but the bag would not go away.

I grabbed a pencil and some printer paper, while my husband watched TV, I sketched. It took only two edits to the drawing to get the bag the way it wanted to be. Thought I was done for the night. I laid the sketch down and watched a little TV with DH…but that bag kept coming to the front of my mind. It said, “If you leave the sketch there, you’ll spill something on it. Make a Pattern!” “Grrr” I thought.

I looked at the pile of unused computer paper and thought about my pattern paper in the craft room. I just didn’t want to go get the pattern paper…or work in the craft room, so I decided to use computer paper. I thought, I can make the bag with three pattern pieces. (Reminded myself of the game show, “Name That Tune.”) I started to draw again. The pieces came out on the first try…everything fit together…no ruler…on erasing…just that simple.

I hoped the bag didn’t insist on being made last night…it didn’t. I made the bag this morning. It looks great if I do say so myself…there is only one problem…the bag in my head keeps telling me it was supposed to be white with a black cuff. LOL So I guess I’ll be making a trip to the fabric store and making the bag likes it wants to be.

Oh, don't forget about my GIVEAWAY!

My Baby’s Birthday!

Look at what the birthday girl made to take to school! Yep, those are ring pops on top of the cupcakes…and crushed hard candies too. She is so happy about them and she did them all on her own.


Today my baby is 10 years old…I’m not sure where the time has gone. My children look forward to their birthday so much…I don’t! My heart breaks because I’ll never have that age with them again. Every year that goes by I miss the years that were before. Time slips by so quickly, over half her childhood is gone and wonder if I let her be enough of a nine year old…or any age. Have I done enough to protect the short years of being a child? I know people will say you still have 8 years of childhood left…but we can’t get back these ten years and they went by so quickly…the next eight years will probably go by even faster.

Okay enough of that.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Chit Chat

I love this sachet I got in the mail today it smells wonderful and is so pretty. I got it for my jammie drawer…but now I want to display it. It’s from Chaos Into Art’s shop. This is what part of her announcement says, “Chaos Into Art features one of a kind stationery, bags, and gifts from reclaimed materials.”

This is such a great product. I got it in the mail today and have all ready used it to wash my hands. It smell so good and my hands aren’t dry like most other soaps leave them. I got both the soaps from Gingerbells Gifts.

Also in today’s mail I got Sweet Easter Faux Sugar Eggs from Sweet and Shabby Roses. This is so wonderful and delicate. I was afraid I was going to break it…just buy looking at it. The picture does not do it justice.

I thought I'd give a sneak peek at a swap I've been working on. This one has been very fun...but I think I got one of the colors wrong. They are teal, lemon, and lime. It’s the teal that has thrown me off. I thought I had been working with teal and then someone told me that they didn’t think there was enough teal to count as teal.

I found a cute Etsy shop while looking for some earrings. It’s called UniqueCharm…and she has some VERY "sweet" items.

In case you are wondering about some of the songs on my playlist...I'll give some info about one...every once in a while. The song I Do I Do I Do I Do by Abba always makes me smile...as soon as I hear the first note I get a big smile on my face. I keep telling my husband that if we renew our vows I'm going to make sure that song is playing.

Peek-A-Boo

Yesterday was a just a big game of peek-a-boo for us. The kids were popping out all over the place…even the pets got involved. Winifred loves to sleep in the sun behind the bedroom curtain…I came into the room and she peeked out at me.

Truly Scrumptious was peeking out from under the dresser.

Spring is also playing peek-a-boo. This little poppy was peeking out at us when my husband was cleaning up the back yard. I think it was taking shelter under the protection of the cactus...but the dog still found it. :(

Okay...enough peek-a-boo...

I don't usually make things with faces...mainly because I don't think I'm very good at making faces...but anyway...this is Mrs. and Mr. Pear.

Esty!

How Paisley Pears came to be...

The girls wanted me to make some kind of stuffed fruit for my shop...but I wasn't sure what to make...my oldest picked her favorite fruit...and the youngest picked the fabric...that is how Paisley Pears came to be. :o)




I also made this purse yesterday for my shop. I don't know if I'll be making another one. The pattern is very simple and...I've made harder things before...but I had to rip this one out four time. What was up with that!



Very exciting morning!!!! After listing the purse and pears I went to look at the treasury and they were one list away from allowing new lists…I waited…patently and got one! You can see it here

Eclipse Disappointment...but great mail!

I was thrilled with the mail today. I have been wanting some white flour sack towels to add fabric appliqué to for my kitchen…and an internet friend found some for me and sent them to me…she also sent gorgeous red, white, and pink Moda charms. I want to make two towels for each holiday…and these will be perfect for Valentine’s Day.
We tried to watch the eclipse last night…but the girls got bored and then the clouds moved in. I hoped for a better picture…I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Get these chickies! Giveaway! CLOSED

To celebrate all the new and exciting things in my life I thought I’d do a giveaway/drawing! Since I have spring on my mind I’ll be giving away some cute stuffed chicks.

To enter the drawing all you need to do is…tell me what your favorite season is and why. Post it in the comment section.

On March 5th I’ll have one of my daughters draw a name from the hat and then I’ll post who the winner is…so be sure to come back here and look!

I forgot to mention...I'll ship anywhere!

I Love Spring!

We’ve had two springtime surprises this week. First this little yellow bird came and sang to us for most of the day.

Then our little black bird came back again this year to make his nest in a our saguaro!



Pretty soon we'll have roses and leaves on our trees. It should be about 73 degrees today!


I have decorated for spring/Easter already. This is the hutch in my kitchen…


I just love this bunny wreath…I got it from kandeland She has some very cute items.


I also bought an altered bunny for on top of the hutch from Addicted to Cute on Etsy.

This is Tucson!

The sky isn't very clear, but it is winter. I just wanted to see if I could post a picture. Yah me!

I did it!

I cannot believe I have started a blog. I feel so computer savvy...but then again...I can't figure out how to put my own background in. I want to mess around with this some more before I make more posts here.