Last Goal

Written by Shannon Leigh

My last goal for 2011 is to sew more.

Since Ru was born most of my sewing projects took the back burner. I just haven't had the time but this year I'd really like to cook up some new projects.

On the menu?

- a bunch of pillows

- a few curtains

- a few dresses

- a couple of quilts that I've had in my brain for quite sometime

- other various projects

I'll be sharing as I finish (I'm sure many of them will end up on Ain't too proud Monday, but meh? You win some, you lose some).

If only I had the time...

Written by Shannon Leigh

I would like to make THIS adorable Halloween quilt!

amazing-ness found here.

Now tell me how delightful it would be to sip hot apple cider wrapped up in this bad boy.

A baby celebration

Written by Shannon Leigh

Last weekend I had the pleasure of throwing my dear friend Betsy a baby celebration.  She is expecting her third child in August and this time it's a girl (she has 2 boys at home)!  Close friends and family gathered to love on Betsy and baby girl G.  

I had a blast decorating the house in lots of pink.

Betsy and baby girl G. Made out quite nicely with lots a sweet little goodies.  There was lots of squealing and oooohing.

I made Betsy a quilt.  This one was my first super girly one (I had TONS of fun making it).  I have seriously considered selling them on ETSY, but I just don't think I have the time.  Maybe someday.

Quilt came with out the skinny legs: courtesy of Matty

Baby Shower Gift

Written by Shannon Leigh

Antique Fabric Squares Strike Again (reprise)

Written by Shannon Leigh

Ok ok, I promise no more projects with the antique fabric squares!  I just can't help myself.   They work so well, I am constantly looking for more ways to use them! So maybe this isn't the last project that they will show up but it's the most recent.

I finally put up curtains in my laundry room.  I can't stand clutter (it's true Mom, I know you thought you'd never see the day) and these 2 little curtains made all of my clutter out of site-out of mind! YEY!  We are planning on putting up some more shelves back there as well.  That will give me even more organization (I need all of the help I can get)  I am pretty sure the entire project cost me about $8 and I still have a ton of fabric left over.  I love cheap design!:)

Somewhere to lay your head (part II)

Written by Shannon Leigh

I have a very large to do list. It's massive... 2, almost 3 pages long.

Whenever I think of something I'd like to accomplish (usually within the next few months) I write it down on my "master to do list" and when it's accomplished I get to scratch it off. Let's be honest, the scratching off part is really the fun part. I LIVE to scratch off the things on that list. Well that AND Jesus.

When Matt and I registered for our wedding we picked out these beautiful blue, silky pillows to go in our bedroom. They ended up not matching a thing in our bedroom (don't worry we got some in gold too) so we moved them to the living room. Everything was fine and dandy until little miss Izzy came into our lives about a year ago. Yes, Izzy is allowed on the couch and yes I am sure some of you out there are utterly appalled, but isn't that the great thing about being an adult? I get to make my own rules.

Those of you who are appalled by the dog being allowed on the couch you would be super offended by the condition of our once beautiful silky pillows. Let's just say a rawhide bone was not kind to the un-washable blue fabric. In fact they were disgusting. At the prompting of my husband and being super cheap myself, I decided to make some new pillows for our couches. This was on my to do list and now I can officially scratch it off.

I am loving the way they turned out.  They are a little bit vintage, a little bit rock n' roll.

The colored fabric squares were a fab find at an Antique store and I am SOO glad I came up with something for which I could use them. There are a lot more of those 2x2 inch squares... can't wait to use them for some other project.

They came in an old Brach's Chocolate Cherry box and the bottom of the box said... "Judy cut these when a little girl." That made me really happy. It made me think about who Judy is and how old she is. Judging by the fabrics, I would say she is in her mid- 50's.

I made them removable so they will be easily washed in case Izzy decided to chew her bone on them.

The little pillow was a total afterthought but I ended up liking it the best. It was made out of all of the scraps from the other pillows. Go figure I like that one the most.

Hopefully now when people come to visit they aren't totally disgusted by our "Izzified" pillows. 

No time to sew... writing from Chicago

Written by Shannon Leigh

Another grocery bag dispenser (this one was for my mother-in-law).

Maybe I should start an Etsy shop... only if I had the time.

Tonight was Dessert Thursday

And we went to Marble Slab Creamery.

No, it's not local, but Matty had a hankerin for their Double Dark Chocolate with Almonds. 

I had a banana split with strawberry, mocha, and birthday cake ice cream covered in fresh strawberries, marshmallows, and hot fudge. Best banana split I've had in years.  Come to think of it, it's the only banana split I've had in years.  Thanks for the suggestion Matty, my satisfied belly is indebted to you.  

I finished my Easter banner tonight too... Sorry for the poor lighting.  Maybe I'll take a few shots in the morning.  

Tomorrow's Friday and Matt and I have lots of family coming in to town.  We are having a big pasta party for all of the marathon runners.  Hope my brothers-in-law do well!!

I've been working...

on something that looks like this.

Maybe I'll finish it and show it to you sometime.

No, I'm not retiring

Sorry for the confusion that my husband may have caused with his blog hijacking last night. Don't worry, I'm not retiring! We can all breath a sigh of relief. Hehe.

I took this afternoon off of work today. I am headed home to get me some nephew lovin. I CAN'T WAIT to see those sweet little boys and my sisters. It's been far too long since we've all been together. I made the littlest "K" another onsie. I hope he's not too chubby for it now!

I'm sure I'll have lots of photos from the weekend to share.

In a totally unrelated topic...

For the last few years SNL has been lacking, but I feel like it's starting to pick up again. Once in awhile Matt and I will catch an episode and Kristen Wiig is one of my all time faves.  

I will leave you with one of her best... Judy Grimes. Be careful, you might pee a little.

What are some of YOUR favorite SNL skits?  I would love to see them.  Post a link in my comments!  Otherwise have a fabulous weekend, I know I will.  

Created: A Bag with Pleats

Last Friday night my grandparents came to visit!  I love those two so much, they are are two of the coolest people I know.  They took Matt and I out to The Ribeye in Champaign (sorry Dad, you weren't invited).  I have been beyond blessed by the relationship I have with them.  They have taught me more than they will ever know.  Thanks Grandma & Grandad!

I spent some time sewing this weekend.  I made some fabric Easter eggs that, according to Matt, looked like wonky hacky sacks.  (Thanks hunny I love you too).  That's one of the most frustrating things about sewing.  There have been many projects that were utter failures.  I have learned to be o.k. with that.

I did start & finish this pleated bag on Sunday.  I got the pattern from Bend the Rules.  Despite the snow that blanketed our yard that morning, I appliqued the little birdie. hoping it would look a little like spring.  I was going to post a tutorial but it ended up being a lot more complicated than I expected.

 Anyway, you can see more examples of Bend the Rules projects HERE.  Hope your Tuesday is great and happy browsing!

Oh and this is just because Izzy is cute (and hilarious). 

 

Painting Smock

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words about my last post.  It is so great to know that no matter the struggle, God is bigger.  I have real community here (even if I don't see you face to face).  So here is a great big cyber hug (is that creepy??)  Oh well....

I haven't had much time to sew this week (we've been busy at work with lots of training to prepare for).  Last week I sewed up this painting smock for my nephew Kellen.  It was pretty simple to make (I got the pattern out of Bend the Rules Sewing).  It was the first time I had used a zigzag stitch.  I kind of liked the way it looked.  One more technique to add to my sewing belt.    

I made this cute little softie too (out of Bend the Rules again).  He was a little rough around the edges but I'm betting a 2 year old doesn't mind.  

Also, please pray for my nephew Keagan.  You can read the full story here.

Good night my lovelies.

Poor Poor Izzy

So you are probably wondering why we shaved our poor poor Izzy...

Matt and I are very against getting Izzy groomed.  For a long time it was because I couldn't part with her fluffy baby fur, but now it's because it's super expensive, and we are super cheap.  We also feared her coming home looking like a "poodle."  No one seems to understand "we don't want her cut like a poodle."  We like her face and feet long.  Matt and I are also really bad about procrastinating.  We'll decide on Friday night that we want her groomed on Saturday. (I am slightly spontaneous and I am also a big fan of instant gratification).   About a month ago, we did just that.  We called around on Saturday morning to find ANYONE who would take her that day.  We ended up getting in at a local place that catered to "high end" dogs.  With Izzy being a poodle they got her right in.  If they only knew what they were getting into.  Oh to see that woman's face.  They were super expensive but we figured she would be clean at least!  

Even though we explained that we wanted her kept long our worst fears came true.  She was shaved like a poodle.  Her snout and feet were practically shaved bald.  She looked absolutely ridiculous.  That didn't matter much until the mats started.  I always bragged that as curly as her hair was she never got mats.  Well within a few days she was COVERD in them.  My theory is that they didn't wash the shampoo out well enough.  

My friend Megan was in town for Bonnie's wedding this weekend and on Saturday morning we were petting her and I was attempting to cut out a few mats... She started to look ridiculous so Meg and I looked at each other and said "why don't we just shave her."   So we got out Matt's clippers (don't worry, he doesn't use them any more) and proceeded to shave my dog in my garage.  Matt, of course was holding a plastic bag trying to catch the massive amounts of hair falling from her.  I figured if we could get below the mats, she would be cured.  WRONG!!! When we finished she ended up looking like a sheep on chemo.  It was totally uneven and the mats were worse than before.  I only get into trouble like that with Megan.  We think too much alike.  

So after one full day of looking utterly absurd, we took her to Petsmart for an emergency grooming session.  We even had to sign a shaving waver!

Anyway I know she looks super ugly right now but at least she will grow out evenly and the mats are GONE!!!

Poor Poor Izzy.

In other news... I whipped up a St. Patti's pillow for the LR.  I like this pillow case idea.  I am learning a lot:)

Somewhere to lay your head

So I made my first pillow covering on Sunday. It was super simple and really quick. I think the whole thing cost less than 7 bucks and took less than 25 minutes.  Maybe I will make a pillow covering for every holiday/season. It would give me good practice!:)

Keagans Baby Blanket, a full shot.

I have waited a very long time to put this little quilt up on my blog. I have had it done since Christmas and I was just buying my time until little KGS showed up. Now that he is here I will show and tell.
It was the first quilt I made all by myself (no help from anyone). It was before my quilting class so it's a little rough around the edges, but it was made with a lot of love. Anyway, I had a TON of fun making it and I just love all the sweet fabric. Most of it I got online but some of it I got from the local JoAnn and Hobby Lobby. I intend to post the directions (along with pictures) at some point, so you all can make your own. Anyway for now here are a few pictures.

When the husband is away...

Since Matt is out of town for the rest of this week, I decided to use the free time to sew up a storm.  I have been starting AND finishing lots of fun projects out of my sewing books that JoEllen gave me for Christmas and I can't get enough.  Some of them are super messy, but I am learning a ton (mostly because I mess up).  Tonight I created a cute little clutch with a big yellow button (don't look to closely at the seams, YIKES!).

p.s. isn't the pincushion adorable (another Christmas gift from JoEllen). Gotta love Etsy.

I am also putting the finishing touches on my quilting class quilt (I am the ONLY person who messed up sooo severely in class that I had to do a lot of it at home).  Oh well, still learned a lot, even if it was just how to effectively use my seam ripper.  I am all finished except for stitching the binding down on the back.  This is the tedious hand sewing part, ick.  Oh well, the end product will be worth the sore fingers I guess.  Here's a little sneak peak. 

Paying it Forward

To my faithful followers (all 2 of you),

Recently, I was the recipient of a random act of kindness.  

What kind of random act you ask?  

A few weeks ago, I  was sent a gift in the mail... two tea towels adorned with tea pots to be exact. They look like this (cute... I know).  

My friend Courtney was this giver.  No reason, just because.  How cool is that?  I mean I knew Courtney was cool, but that was just straight 

t up awesome.  Thanks Court... it seriously made my day/week/year.  

I thought about sending her a thank you card and showering her in gifts of my own but I decided that Courtney would probably want me to pay it forward and send someone else a random gift.  

So here's the thing.  Since Courtney and I reconnected because of our blogs, I decided to have a little contest here.  Whoever leaves a comment (about anything) gets their name put in a hat.  By the end of the day on Wednesday I will

 randomly pull out a name and whoever he/she is, will receive this in the mail. 

It's a grocery bag dispenser, lovingly made by me.  It's not perfect, but it's functional.  I even made it extra large for all of those grocery bags hanging out in the bottom of your pantry.  If you already have one that's okay, enter your name anyway and when you receive it in the mail turn around and give it to someone else... you get it now, right?  Paying it forward?  

Courtney: (you are eligible!)

Happy commenting!

Piecing...

This is my first official post on Apple. I still can't believe that I am officially a mac owner (I'm kinda glad our old computer crashed). I feel like a kid in a candy store! Since I got an ipod from Matt'a parents for Christmas I have been downloading all of my c.d.'s onto itunes. I have even played with my "turn your records into mp3s" record player. Haven't quite mastered that one yet. I feel so technically savvy.

Anyway, I took the first half of my quilting class this weekend and this pile of fabric...

turned into this.

I learned a ton about the CORRECT way to piece and I can't wait until I start to actually quilt it next week. I'm not thrilled about the pattern... but man it was fun. Especially since I was the only one there under the age of 50.