She's here!!!!

I havent named her (yet) but I have already changed her clothes, played with her hair, and started designing a house. I have also scored a great set of vintage fabrics just begging to become doll dresses.

Resolutions and such to be posted tomorrow! Have fun all this New year's eve!

My gift to me!

Can you tell what I have on the brain? I have wanted a Blythe for a few months now, thanks actually to this post. It was all I did for days, searching eBay trying to find a deal and I did. I spent under $65 so I am happy because most now seem to be anywhere from $100-$200 and I cant justify that. I have teeny tiny clothes now floating around my head. First though I need to finish up a few gifts for a special person and her kiddos so I am going to take a few more days of relaxation and will get back to posting regularly after the New Year. Have a great time out there and be safe ringing in this new year!

Merry Christmas to All

1. Avi's Christmas Stocking - Elf Shoe Style., 2. tree ornaments, 4. Paper Ornaments and Boxes, 8. Crafty Goodness 12 Day of Christmas - Sent, 9. Our bedroom at Christmas, 10. sbauer_ornament, 11. Christmas bento, 12. 2006 Holiday Ornament Swap, 14. Mini GoodyBag Ornaments, 16. Baubles *Merry Christmas*, 17. 0, 19. ornament inspiration, 21. Christmas stocking, 23. vintage christmas ornaments, 24. yet another

I have no pretty pictures of my own and its times like this that flickr is my best friend. I have lots of crafting and not enough time. So I am signing off for the rest of the year, I may still pop my head in to say hi here and there but it will be pretty silent on this end until after the new year. Then I can show off all my hard work and share some of the big plans I have for this up coming year (so excited let me tell you!).

Here’s to all of you that read everyday and those that have just stumbled across my humble little dwelling. Merry Christmas to you and yours and here is to a great New Year!!!

The home stretch

I am happy to report that I got many of my major gifts almost complete. I quilted all weekend and all that I have left to do is the bindings yea! Now on to easier things. Can you tell what I have on the brain? Time to do some appliqué shirts for the kiddos in my life. I am having the hardest time with the little boy’s shirt I want to make. I want it to be “boyish” and most of my fabric is “girlish” I’ll figure out something.

I am happy to say I am now treading water in the gift making world and no longer drowning though I have a lot more to do I at least have my wits about me and a decent pace set *smile* Here’s to the home stretch and a very crafty week!

**Credits are given on my flickr account**

Feeling the holiday cheer?

We (I) out up our tree last weekend while Leila napped. This week has been the week of teaching the skill of looking not touching. Well, actually it been the week of wait until Mom’s back is turned to take off another ornament and give it to the dog to eat *sigh* None the less the tree has put me in a happy mood. I went very “untraditional” this year.

The tree is a white tree with bright ornaments. My favorite thing though are these amazing wood ornaments I found. I got them at an estate sale this summer, there was an entire room FULL (and I am not even exaggerating) of them boxes and boxes of them were laid out. I held myself back and only bought 20 or so. I wish I would have bought another 50 seriously they are so dang cute! I blame it on the fact that I bought them in the sweltering heat and Christmas was the farthest thing on my mind. Next year I plan to make my own to add to the collection.

This weekend. I am sewing my little (big) butt off. Here is to 11 days to go (eek!). This weekend for me is now or never since next weekend is our holiday get togethers. Here’s hoping for a long and productive weekend.

Leila's newest trick

Compliments of her father.

Snow and more snow

The Kelly-Pup loved the snow
Leila didn't

Christmas Meme

Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper all the way (those ask me this question two years ago and it would have been the opposite!)

2. Real tree or Artificial?
I prefer a real tree but we have a white fake one this year which I am partial too as well. I love the smell of a real tree and I absolutely LOVE laying underneath and look up at the lights. With an artificial tree it is just not the same in any way.

3. When do you put up the tree?
This past weekend (photos to come soon)

4. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime in January.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yep

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Getting a Fleetwood Mac CD, weird I know.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Nope

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My Dad, he has everything he needs and anything he wants is techie and I am HORRIBLE at picking that stuff out.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
My BFF

10. Mail or E-Mail Christmas Cards?
Mail, but I never do! LOL I love to get them.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
No idea. It’s the thought that counts.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Love Actually.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
A month before normally.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I plead the fifth.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Cookies and Fudge

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
White lights. Though I have a love of the big old vintage colored lights. My parents have a set and I love to look at them.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Taylor Swift- This Christmas

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I travel all over the state to visit family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
Probably not. I can barely remember my age how am I suppose to remember all of the reindeer?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
I have a teddy bear up there this year!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas Eve

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Crowds and the materialism it brings out in people.

23. Favorite ornament theme or Color?
Mine is kitschy this year, who knows what it will be next year!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Ham

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Crafty things mostly. If money wasn’t an object? A digital SLR, a website, and a house of our own.

No Tagging here, feel free to play along if you like! Merry Christmas!

15 days to go!?!?!?!?

My to-do list is growing not shrinking, how does that happen?

Looks like I am going to be cursing under my breath the night before Christmas. My gifts will be made in angst and not as much love as I had hoped! Oh well, I do this to myself EVERY year.

How are your gifts coming along? Mine are still ideas in my head and a few are at least having been cut out just waiting to be sewn up.

See how tired this baby looks? Yep that is how I feel too….

It doesnt take much

Here is evidence that give a child a pot and some water and there is hours of fun!

Maybe I should reconsider just giving her a box for Christmas. God knows she will enjoy that more probably than any toy I get her!

(psst you like the dress its a hand-me-down all out retro dress!)

Stop Rushing

I rush things. I have always been that type of person, I want things now, I want the end result I don’t want to mess with everything in the middle. I am that way with crafting I hate the prep I love the results. Though what is most disheartening is I find myself doing this with Leila growing up. When she was first born I couldn’t wait until she sat up. Then it was until she crawled, until she walked, and now until she can talk. I don’t know why I rush these things. I honestly always keep trying to get myself to live in the moment to cherish those special small moments that go by with a blink of the eye.

The hardest time to do this is recently during those “bad” days when Leila is becoming her own little person who is frustrated at something and can’t express it yet, she screams at the top of her lungs, an ear drum piercing scream. I remind myself though that she is only small once and enjoy every minute of it, because before I know it she will be a teenager screaming again and I will have to tell myself to breath and enjoy it because she will only be a teenager once. But enough of that I don’t want to think THAT far ahead.

This past weekend we had a good dumping of snow. Leila was alright with it, she didn’t scream when we put her down to walk though she did grunt at the snow when she couldn’t walk normally due to drifts. I love seeing her all bundled up, waddling like a little penguin!


Oh and Kelly-Pup she absolutely LOVED running around and in the snow!

Handcrafter’ Holidays Meme

Sew Mama Sew is having a Holiday Meme and I wanted to join in on the fun!

Gifts

Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?

Humorous t-shirts. I have a warpped sense of humor though so I am careful who I give these to and how far out there the humor goes. This year I got my daughter this.

If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making?
I did a whole long post so I am just going to link to it. A lot is all I can say!

Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?
Last year my dad was giving me a hard time that I had stopped knitting once I started sewing, so I told him I would knit him something. I don’t think he believed me but the look on his face from christmas last year was priceless when he opened up his present and there was a scarf.

Do you have any great gift compilation ideas (a grouping of gifts just perfect for certain recipients?)
I love creating “themed” gifts. Here is a good one: make a simple throw blanket (just sew up two pieces of fleece) throw in a oldie but goodie DVD, or maybe a year subsricption to Netflixs, a mug, some hot coacoa and some kind of baked good (brownies, cookies, etc) and you have the perfect night in gift pack!

Name one thing on your personal wish list.
ANYTHING on my Etsy favorites list, it grows daily (sometimes hourly)

Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts?
Sure do!


Traditions

What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
We have a young family so traditions are just starting to grow though I have started baking everything from scratch so I hope that becomes a tradition.

What do you love most about the holiday season?
The feel of it, it’s a good combination of the smells, the sights (I love christmas lights) and just the “good will towards men” vibe.

What do you like least about the holiday season?
The mall, so I don’t go near there!

What is your favorite holiday food?
My grandfather makes a traditional slovakian meatball that I wont even try to spell out and it is just amazing. Every year we look forward to them. Everyone in the family has tried to replicate his recipe but no one can make them as good as grandpa.

Do you have a great recipe to share?
Its not a holiday recipe for sure but I make a mean meatloaf and I love to have it during the winter months.

What a difference a half hour can make!

Before: On a quick walk over to my neighborhood quilting store.

After: 30 minutes later!

Holy cow what a difference a little time a lot of snow can make.

Good thing I had my brand new hat on!

(Made by this lovely blogger. Here is her store)

Cheers to staying warm and LOT of winter/snow photos to be shown this week.

A New Challenge

So after a month of daily blogging (minus 2 days away from civilizations) I am ready to give myself a new challenge. I am giving up TV. For a week. Cold turkey for a week is a great enough challenge and if I succeed this week I will try for another week. Here is the background on my life. The TV was always on, even if we weren’t watching it, it was on for the background noise. I didn’t have one in my bedroom growing up (thank god) but I do now (Shame on me). So the TV is being turned off. I don’t want Leila to grow up with that dependency of TV I have. This may be the easiest or the HARDEST thing I have done to myself in a long time. (Like when I gave up chocolate for lent one year, that was tough!)

On a side note, I would be the only one I know of who would create a mosaic of broken TVs but it just goes to show, you can find ANYTHING on Flickr, all you have to do is look for it!

Snow Day

Snow day checklist:

Hot beverages
Hot Cocoa (check)
Chai (check)
Tea (check)

Yummy treats
Brownies (check)
Crepes (check)

Warm Blankets (check)
Pile of fabric (check)
Loads of Christmas projects (triple check)

Heres to a warm, stay at home, crafty weekend to you all!