Las Flores Amarillos

Pinterest is pretty handy, you know? My husband's cousin is getting married in October, and I'd noticed a few pretty necklaces pinned to her wedding-wishes boards. Umm... I make jewelry. We've just met, and this kind of crazy, but let me make necklaces for all of your bridesmaids maybe? ( I love making jewelry, and I love giving gifts, and I LOVE when people actually use their gifts! This is an amazing coup for me.).

(Seriously, until the family reunion this summer, I hadn't seen her in nearly 9 years.)

Happy brides are the best to work with- I start by getting an idea of what they are wanting, then I do my own research to find similar styles and suppliers for the parts. I design something that keeps the original idea, but it's always a bit different (of course, right?). And because I work with happy brides, they LOVE! EVERY! THING! So very fun.

Here is what I've designed for Miss Jessica- I love the lacy setting I found for the flower, and this length (18 inches, or "Princess") is my absolute favorite. I think hitting right on the collar bone is so flattering on ladies.

Gifts We've Made

Little gifts we've made recently, for birthdays (we celebrated Holiday Season Birthday #5 and #6 this week, and that's just the folks who live within driving distance. There are four others on his side of the family....and we're about to add two more holiday babies between me and my sister-in-law. Oh my.)

I found this gorgeous piece of fabric at our local Joann's shop- I think it's brocade? Seems to be a polyester, just looking at it made the edges unravel! I purchased a square (44 inches square) of it, and sewed around the edges with the presser foot to check the fraying, and to give me a mark to fold on when I double-folded the edges to hem it. A brand new needle REALLY helped get through this thick, slick fabric! It didn't want to lay flat, either- the edges kept warping and pulling. We picked this one out to go on top of Mom and Dad's fancy, shiny, black grand piano- she has a gorgeous silver nativity set from Mexico that she sets up on the piano every year, and a old, old, hand-painted tea set from Europe that lives there the rest of the year. (It's a gorgeous set- maroon, each piece with a different hand-painted scene from Napolean's career.)

For a friend's daughter, quick clip-on earrings for the dress up box. I see a lot of these in our future, for little girls' birthdays.

I knit the green scarf you see Uncle Bear wearing here- turns out you CAN knit flat pieces on round looms! (Yes, I'm a Knifty Knitter...I don't even know how to hold knitting needles!) If you know how to loom knit, basically you cast on for 18 or 20 pegs (or however wide you want it,) knit off, and cast on in the OPPOSITE direction. Just go back and forth! Check YouTube for videos of how to finish the last edge- I can't find the video I watched, but there are LOTS of folks out there making tutorials on hacking with round looms.

Glitter Fest

So...just so you know, if you're going to craft with the extra-stiff, glittery craft felt....the glitter doesn't stay put. At all. My thighs look like disco balls!

I guess I'm what Nancy would call fancy.

(Call this another sneak peek at Christmas 2010.)

Isn't that green awesome? Like ectoplasm. Or the Grinch. I think I'm really getting into the spirit of the holidays, don't you think?

This particular present ended up being finished during nap time....hooray! Except that it was WET, flexible, and enormous. Oh, and taking up most of my living room. No chance of carrying it around without smudging! Oh, and piano students were coming in 20 minutes. Hmm. A helpful facebook reply to my predicament recommended making it into a wall hanging. I still haven't ruled that out!

Why We Love Handmade

Do I have to say more? Cousin Ming Wai has been dying for her very own Ernie-made "pillow doll" (remember that secret project she was making?)

I ended up zipping around the edges with my machine after E hand stiched the seams, because I didn't realize that every time I changed the thread for her, (duh) I never went back and knotted the end of the old thread. So her lovely, lovely stitching is still there...it's just co-existing with my machine stitching.

We had a lovely birthday party for Ming Wai at the park with all her little friends, and wouldn't you know it: every birthday gift was hand made! I loved it. Loved it, LOVED it. Aunt LoLo nearly said "no presents" just because she didn't want everyone to feel obligated to go spend $20 in the toy aisle. Is that a local thing? It seems like a set-in-stone budget for little kids' birthday presents.

Flowered hair clips, bath bombs, a lovely little pillow case dress/tunic were all made by her friends and their mothers....I know that not everyone WANTS to make stuff, and certainly not everyone has the time, but I must say that it was nice (from a selfish perspective) to not be the only hand made/nearly-free-except-for-time-and-love gift to be found in those brightly colored bags!

Happy birthday, Ming Wai!

And Sometimes there's Chocolate

So, a few weeks ago I got to be spreadsheet jockey for Miss Rae's fabulous "Spring Top Week."  Basically I set up some spreadsheets...then got to boss around some of the coolest seamstresses in blog land for WEEKS.  I won't drop names, but seriously- it was a hoot.  So, I got to make spreadsheets (spreadsheets run my LIFE), I got to e-mail out orders like "Your spreadsheet is updated with a new batch to judge" because I'm bossy like that, AND I got to see behind the scenes of a much-anticipated sewing event.

All that AND a box of chocolate.

No.  Seriously, Rae sent chocolates from one of her Tops Week sponsors, Z. Cioccolati.



Oh flippin wow guys, seriously good stuff.



And really....what DO tiny baby cherubs think about?  Could it be sweets?


She said I didn't have to share with the kids (and in their current moods, I shudder to think of these guys hopped up on fudge) but my husband was quick to point out that HE wasn't excluded from sharing!  Good thing, because he's been a big help !  *grin*

***Quick story: We have no front porch right now.  We have no driveway.  Our front door is currently about 5 feet off the ground.  So I'm sitting on the couch, and I see a Fed Ex truck stop.  The driver looks at our house...checks his order...looks at our house...checks his order....my husband is just chuckling.  Luckily I took action and opened the front door to wave to him!  Because if I hadn't....I might never have gotten this fudge.  And that would have been tragic.  The end.***


Cookies and Cream White Fudge.  Yes, that's an Oreo cookie.

A Little Diaper Bag

005, originally uploaded by MyrniePhotos.

This has been wrapped, delivered, AND opened, so it's safe to blog about now! My friend is 5 weeks away from adding a baby GIRL to her houseful of 3 boys- an occasion like this surely called for a baby shower, and I was glad to be invited :) I know that Maggie is not a "girly girl." If there's any pink in her house, it's probably an old tube of Maybelline mascara that she forgets to wear. (Love you Maggie! I'll bet my tube is older!!) She spent her teen years with a softball bat in her hand, far as I can tell.

Anywhoo, I thought brown and blue might be a good color choice for her family- I was glad she agreed with me :)

I made this different than I normally do- rather than making the back of the bag longer, so it could fold over the top, I used my machine's automatic button-sewer feature to put a button on the front, then used the same stitch and foot to sew an elastic loop on the back. This will hold a packet of wipes and a few diapers- perfect for throwing in the bottom of her bag, so she can fish it out with one hand while the other is holding the baby! Also perfect to send with Dad when it's HIS turn to change th diaper- yay!! :)

Kids Made This: Fingerprint Pendants

I found a neat-o tutorial on Crafty Crow, just in time for Mother's Day last week- little balls of sculpting clay are rolled flat then imprinted with your darlings' fingerprints. Poke holes in the top, bake, and there you have it! She strung hers on bits of fancy silk cord, but I tried my hand at the popular "dog tags with a pretty bead" style that's making the rounds right now. (See Vintage Pearl for some great examples.)

I couldn't remember what the instructions said when I was at the craft store, so I got Fimo clay- it's a little stiffer, but has nicer colors.  Sculpey would have been easier on the kids' fingers, because it's a tad softer.  The prints themselves might have shown up a bit better, too.  I still like these a lot, though...and maybe it's safer to not send exact replicas of my kids' fingerprints out into the world?  Can't help it- I'm paranoid, it's true.

I kept the orange one for myself- the gold bead set went to Nana, the red bead (the last one above) went to Grandma S (my mom.)  Happily, they were well received- my mom put hers on straight away and said it was like continuing the legacy!  For as long I can remember, she's worn a bracelet set and a necklace that Aunt LoLo and I made in school about 20 years ago now.  Hmm...I didn't see them yesterday, perhaps she's decided we're finally old enough that she can stop wearing our grade school art?  Or maybe they simply composted away in her jewelry box, they were made of white bread and glue smashed together into clay, with tempura paint for color...oh well, she has a shiny new Mother's Day necklace now, and a little birdy told me that Aunt LoLo sent a pretty spiffy gift too!  Mwahaha- our mother will be wearing our handmade creations every Mother's Day for the rest of her life.  And I think she likes it that way *grin*   You have to know this about my mom- she ADORES children's art.  She still has projects, like dolls and weavings, on the wall that my college-graduate brother made in grade school.  She'll keep a drawing on the fridge until the color has completely faded away.

Now, the only problem with this gift is that Ernie is convinced that SHE made it, and wants to know what I gave my mom for Mother's Day?

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

Napkins in the Mail

More napkins- I love this print! These are just a simple quilting cotton, with a rolled hem edge- they're off to my sweet sister-in-law and her kitchen. Happy Birthday, Jamie!


Oh, and these little beauties made their way into the package, too...because they managed to jump ship and were NOT in the Christmas package. Phooey. J, I hope you can find a lovely place to wear these!

Made This: Embellished Jersey Scarf

Welcome to our friends from The Inspired Room's Beautiful Life linky fest!  
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I have a jersey scarf. I love my jersey scarf.

 It all started at last year's caroling party- my friend was gushing about her jersey scarf she bought at a trendy store- it was so soft, so warm, so wonderful. I sidled closer and realized it was nothing more than a piece of fabric. Not a stitch to be seen!

Well, when I found a 1/4 yard remnant of mint green, organic bamboo jersey in the remnant bin, you better believe I snapped it up and I've been wearing it proudly ever since.

Jersey scarves are wonderful, but I thought this one could use a little jazzing up- Aunt LoLo suggested a posie, and, well...here you go.

I kind of love it.

PS- Because fabric stashes are funny beasts, this fabric was passed to me by my fabulous Mother-In-Law. It was leftovers from jersey fitted sheets she made for Ernie's crib.

Made This: Millefoille Dangle Earrings

What is it about earrings that are so wonderful?

Sterling silver lever-backs, silver plated chain, glass beads, handmade jump rings

Is it the chance to showcase some favorite beads?

That they're such a quick and rewarding project?

I do so love to make earrings. It's a funny thing though- I don't have pierced ears. I'm rather set against ever piercing my ears.

But these are sure fun to make as gifts!

The Doll Family

I finished up this family of dolls just in time for our family reunion- say hello so Siu Jeun, Bubba Jyu, Lo Gong, and Aunt LoLo! (Oh, and Mimi's little piggy toes- Mama was multi-tasking during her lunch time :)

The dolls are painted with acryclic paints, and sealed with a matte-finish varnish. I love how it deepened the colors just a smidge.

I'm so excited for the birthday girl to meet her new dolls!

Work In Progress

A certain little girl's birthday is coming up, and I think it's high time she had a little family to go with her doll house! (Can any LoLo fans out there name these dolls?)A lot cute, a lot rustic, a lot of fun to hold, and even MORE fun to make, I'm excited to deliver these in person at our family reunion next month!

I still have a little more clothing to paint on, then a final coat or two of varnish. Does anyone have any recommendations for something sturdy but...edible? Because I'm pretty sure this poor family will be nom-nommed by a certain little nephew at least a few times!

The pins are from a huge dollar-store pack. It's a good thing they were just a dollar, too! Ernie saw me painting and wanted to join in on the fun. She very nearly painted every remaining pin. But ssshhhh...it's a secret. I'll bet Aunt LoLo will be SO surprised to see HER birthday present from Ernie this fall! *grin*

PS- Isn't it amazing how things look just fine to you...until you take a MACRO shot?

Flower Clippies

Going to post and run (the sun is shining, and it's our P day...we've got to hit the park before lessons!) but I whipped these up this morning after breakfast. They're that easy!




Just a few little clippies- some for here, to "to-go" for a sweet little niece .

Wouldn't these flowers be sweet on a headband? Perhaps a cluster just to the side? Oh, I love flowers!

Bon Voyage!

It's another stash-busting project!

We attended a "bon voyage" party for an old friend (good grief- I met her in high school, when did that get to be so LONG ago?!) recently. She's moving up to Fairbanks, Alaska for a law internship with a local judge....brrr! My dad used to live there, and if his stories are true (and they always are) she's in for a WILD ride!

I made these little napkins to send with her, to cheer up her new kitchen. Just cotton, serged around the edges, but I loved the stripes.

Beautiful Bedding

I remembered the other day I'd never showed you guys a few things. They're in Ernie's room, so it's a rare day that favorable picture conditions (sunny, kids are awake, her room is clean, and I have a few minutes to sneak away and snap photos) happen.



My exceptionally talented mother-in-law (Nana) made a gorgeous bedding set for Ernie when the baby was born. She found the pattern in a picture online, and then free handed it from there. What an amazing act of love! Ernie loves her pillowcase and blanket, and the wall hanging with her name on it.

Ernie also needed new sheets, so I picked up an inexpensive white set at Ikea before Christmas, and gussied them up a bit. (Are these upside down? I wanted her to be able to see them when she laid down...but they look a bit odd. What do you think?)

I fell in love with Sublime Stitching patterns last year, and was thrilled when I got an entire book of iron-on transfers for my birthday last Fall. I simply trace them, though- it's easy enough on white fabric, and makes them last longer. (I also appreciate disappearing ink when my stitches aren't so straight as they ought to be!)


I thought it would be funny to put sweets on her sheets...you know, "sweet dreams"?


She didn't get quite as big a kick out of them as I did, but I really enjoyed stitching these up. So yummy!