Me-Made May Week 2 Round Up

Two years ago today, I woke up achy and sore after a frantic day of cleaning and organizing (nesting, should have known!) and uncharacteristically full of energy after a long pregnancy.  I was still a month from my due date, but I had been feeling worse and worse as the weeks wore on, and I was hoping that I wouldn't go all the way to my due date (which had been under considerable revision over the course of my pregnancy--it had been changed so many times, I no longer knew which date to go by).  In any case, I was 36 weeks along, Pascha had been 10 days earlier, and I had spring fever.

taken a few days before she was born

I cleaned and carried and walked up and down 3 flights of stairs all morning.  I always have tons of Braxton-Hicks contractions during my pregnancies, and work around them, so I didn't think much about it when I was contracting all morning.  By afternoon, however, when I finally sat down, I realized that they were really starting to hurt, and that they were getting regular.  I started timing them around 2:00 p.m., and called the midwives around 4:00.  I couldn't get anyone on the phone then, so I shrugged it off, and figured I was probably overreacting.  By 6:00, I was having to breathe hard and stop what I was doing through contractions, which were coming pretty regularly about 8-10 minutes apart by then!

My husband urged me again to call the midwives, and I'm glad I did!  The midwife wanted me to come in and be on the monitor for a while, just to be sure everything was okay.  I went in, and things progressed rather quickly from there, and it was clear that things were not progressing normally, and that something was wrong.  They took me back for an emergency c-section shortly before 10:00 p.m., and Ponchik was born shortly after.  We hadn't been expecting it, so were scrambling to arrange last minute child-care.  My husband arrived at the hospital just after she was born. 

Ponchik is our breath of fresh air--she is almost always cheerful and pleasant, and extremely silly.  She loves to laugh and do funny things for effect.  She cracks herself up half the time, spinning around and laughing maniacally.  She is very verbal for her age, which is useful and funny at the same time.  She definitely a mama's girl, and doesn't like to be away from me for too long (even nap time is sometimes too long for her!)  She wakes up way too early most mornings, and our nights are still interrupted, but her cheerful disposition makes up for a lot.

She loves her baby (a Cabbage Patch doll) and her baba (bottle) and likes to rub her hair when she is tired or drinking a bottle.  She wants to do things herself now (putting on shoes, getting dressed, getting toys out, etc) and her favorite books are the McDuff series, Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb, The Three Little Pigs (Piggy-Piggy, according to her), Pinocchio, Wocket in my Pocket, and Dinosaur's Binket.  She likes to play with Little People, particularly Bert and Snuffy from Sesame Street, although she likes to run cars and trucks over the floor too.  

Happy birthday, lovely girl!

Me-Made-May Week 2 Round Up:

With the exception of the Ruby Mae dress on Monday, I felt pretty good in all my clothes this week.  I'm having a lot of trouble with my GI system this week (the mix with hormones is just lethal) so I had to be creative in getting dressed most mornings, but I did feel good in almost everything.  The Ruby Mae dress (the red one, third from left) is an early Frankenpattern dress, and I'm not as happy with the fit of it, now that I've made some changes to how I make these dresses, particularly in the sleeve area.  

But!  I am much more happy with my Spring for Cotton dress (far right) with a solid-colored leather belt.  I found one to coordinate with the buttons, and I think it looks so much better.  Some fabrics seem to need a high-contrast belt to look right.  Also, the leather belt seems to stay in place better, which allows me to blousen the bodice, which also looks better since it came out slightly too long for my short torso.  A win-win.  The belt also coordinates with my Lime Flowers dress, and I'm hoping that I might like that dress better with a solid belt as well, because I'm really not feeling it at the moment.  Sometimes dresses have to grow on me.

I've officially given up on my Mustang Daisy dress, and removed the buttons from it, in preparation for donation.  It looks perfectly fine without them, and they are such an unusual color and shape, I'd like to save them for another Cotton and Steel dress project.  (I might actually just remake the dress in the same fabric, but cut it looser--my original version came out slightly snug to start with and then shrunk a little in the wash, plus I've gained weight around my middle this year).  Or perhaps not.  I've had a good go with that dress, and loved it a lot, but I've got other dresses to make out of other Cotton and Steel fabrics.  I guess I can't hold on to everything forever.

I'm also trying to think less about how many garments I actually make, because part of the reason I sew is therapeutic creativity.  I need the outlet; it feeds something in me, and I feel better after I've sewn a garment for myself.  Even if the garment doesn't ultimately work out, I enjoy the process so much that I sort of don't care right now.  I'm struggling with a lot of things at the moment, and having something concrete to turn to is very helpful.  I'm currently hand-embroidering a dress that I'm excited to wear and show here (more details to come) and that has been a really fun process (if slightly slower than I expected).  I'm still thinking about how much I actually want to do on it (my desire to wear it before the fall is warring with my desire to keep going on the embroidery!  Perhaps I can wear it a few times, and then embroider another section and so forth).

Right.  That's me.  I'm off to run errands and get a few last minute things for Ponchik's birthday celebration tonight.

What We Wore Sunday: Pentecost

Spraznikom!  Happy feast of Pentecost!!  I'm really on the ball today: I got photos of my own outfit and my kids'!  (Mostly because I wanted to show my penance handiwork)  Although I must confess that my own outfit photos were taken in a rush while I was waiting for a certain toddler to finish her unending potty sit this morning.  So apologies in advance for poor quality and lack of detail.  (But then, I'm pretty sure if you are still coming here after all this time, you aren't here for the photo quality)

Confession: I'm a selfish sewer.  I love sewing for myself, but not so much for other people.  I'll do it, but it's not my favorite thing.  That said, here is a tale of two dresses and two shirts.  I bought some Joel Dewberry fabric from an etsy seller's clearance rack, intending to make a skirt for myself out of it.  When it arrived, the shade was much yellower than looks good on me, and I decided it wouldn't work for my skin.  I don't like things to sit in my fabric bin that I can't use, so I decided to make Pentecost dresses for the girls out of the yardage.  I used the Hide and Seek dress pattern from Oliver + S that was super easy, but didn't really enjoy it that much.  While I was making the dresses, Piglet noticed, and then, when I said they were for Pentecost, looked at me with big puppy dog eyes and with a sweet voice asked, "Can you make me and Boo matching shirts for Pentecost too??"  Well, when you put it that way.  Putty.  

So I found myself back at the clearance rack, ordering two more yards, and trolling patterns online to find a boys' shirt pattern.  Lauren at Wearing History had a 1940s one on a Facebook auction for a song that was the right size, so I snapped it up quick.  And then procrastinated terribly on the make.  Finally on Wednesday, with the clock ticking, I made myself knock them out before I went on to anything else. They ended up a little on the short side, so I don't think they will wear them much past this summer, but they did have Hawaiian day at school on Friday and wore them as their "Hawaiian" shirts for the day.  Works for me!

  

My outfit is another Portrait blouse + six gore skirt.  No major details to report except I chain stitched in burgundy tread around the neckline again; there is a subtle burgundy accent in the feathers on the pattern, which I think means this blouse will work well with another skirt I made for summer (that I will blog soon!)  I went for a faux-dress effect with two piece skirt and blouse and I really like it!  I added pockets from a vintage Hollywood pattern.  I hand sewed almost the whole skirt, and the waist is an inch too big again, but I might insert a bit of elastic in the back to tighten it up.  It fits okay with a belt.  I did get a little lazy with the waistband and just used black quilt bias binding to finish the edge.  

Go see the other ladies at Fine Linen and Purple!

Hold On to your Hats!: Link All The Things!

It's Friday, and I got lots to share, so hold on to your hats--this is gonna be a big one!

First: 

Ponchik will be 11 months on Tuesday.  ELEVEN!  How did this happen?

Second:

Another New England Dress is in the works!  I'm hoping to get it done before the end of April and squeak it in for Sew for Victory.  I ordered this fabric from Joann two weeks ago during a good sale, and when it arrived, half the fabric was missing the yellow in the flowers!  Not acceptable.  So I called customer service, and they are sending out a replacement length.  I was able to salvage 2.5 yards of fabric, and cut the bodice out earlier this week, and did the interfacing.  I'll cut the skirt as soon as the replacement arrives.

Third: 

I've been a sewing machine (ha!) this week, and made up a blouse and trousers for Sew for Victory!

I used the top half of the Collette Crepe pattern for the blouse and modified Wearing History's Smooth Sailing Trousers.  

I didn't realize that the blouse fabric was poly when I bought it (it was grouped in with quilting cottons, so I missed that little "100% polyster part, silly me), so I was a little surprised with it arrived and was so silky and slippery.  I almost shelved the project, but decided to forge ahead and see what happened.  

I like how it turned out, but wow, what a pain.  This should have been a simple blouse, sew it up in an hour, but because the fabric wouldn't take a press, and it was slippery, the facings almost did me in.  So frustrating.

For the pants, I took out my trusty roll of freezer paper (do you know about this?  So much cheaper than Swedish tracing paper, and so easy to use!) and traced the original pattern on to the paper, and then made my alterations so I wouldn't mess up the original if it came out weird.

I added 2" to the rise (although I probably could have gotten away with 1"), and brought the side seams in 1" on each leg, starting just below the shorts line (I basically drew a line in from the pattern line to the line two sizes in all the way to the bottom).  I also had enough fabric to experiment with a cuff, but since I'm so short, I ended up with a 3" cuff on the bottom.  The zipper insertion didn't quite go right at the top, but it is functional, and I'm just going to leave it.  I think I know what I did wrong, so I can fix it on the next try.

I didn't love these when I first put them on, but after wearing them a day, they are growing on me.  They are very comfortable, and the extra room in the rise makes them easy to move about in.

The blouse is a good fit, but I don't think I'll make another one.  I'll wear it in the heat of summer, I expect, as the fabric is very light and breezy.

Fourth: 

And since it is not actually summer, I put on the shirt I wore for the rest of the day, my LLBean French breton shirt.  It is the only boatneck I've found that I can wear.  This was exactly the right thing to wear for today's weather.  (Spring is so challenging to dress for, I find)

I call this, Channeling Coco (get it?), as this outfit was based on this photograph of Coco Chanel.

 Fifth:

I bought this bird print cotton during the same good sale at Joann, and I have to say, I'm in love!  (I saw someone else on the Flickr group had chosen it for a blouse, and I thought it would make such a great housedress) It is so pretty in person, but it photographs badly.  I'm going to make the New York 927 pattern as I need some easy summer dresses.  I got it on sale as part of Sew for Victory from Vintage4me2, and it is my first time sewing with an actual vintage pattern.  

The pieces are not marked and are precut, and I totally lucked out on the size, as it should fit without alterations (although the bust might be a little blousy).  I'm making the short sleeve version sans the ruffles, because I'm just not a ruffles kind of gal.

Sixth:

Commission project is finished, I repeat the cardigan is finished!  I've been longing to get this project off the needles so I can get on to my own knitting, namely Pascha caps for the girls, so I was pleased to finish it up this afternoon.

It is the same yarn as the Vintage Cardigan I blogged about last month, but different buttons.  I didn't have enough of the vintage buttons I used before, so I dug through my buttons and came up with these Pool Party buttons from Sale-a-Bration last year.  I like the edge detail and it was a pretty close color match.

  

Seventh:

End of Lent today!  I'm nearly to the end of Everyday Saints, and it has been such a treat to read this Lent.  Tomorrow we celebrate Lazarus Saturday, Sunday is Palm Sunday, and then (wait for it...) hold on to your hats for Holy Week!  My husband is down hard with flu, so I'm hoping we can all stay healthy this week.

Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along, Jen for Quick Takes, and adding another finished project to my Sew for Victory rolls (I'm just full of them today...)

Five Favorites: vol. 10

Linking up with Hallie for Five Favorites this week!  I have made good progress on the Knit For Victory pullover front, but will do yarn along next week, God-willing.

--1--

I've mentioned my love for the Outlander book series before, no?  And the fact that Starz is making a television series out of the books?  (Squee!!)  They just released the first trailer, and I.am.so.excited!  I even inquired about paying for a streaming subscription to Starz just for that (since we don't have a television), but sadly, they don't offer it unless you also have a cable subscription, so I'm just going to have to wait until Netflix or Amazon.com picks it up.  Boo.

--2--

I got a Kindle paperwhite for Christmas from my parents (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and I am really liking it for light reading.  I am a serious bibliophile, and we are just running out of room for our books.  I buy a lot of books that I only read once, and the Kindle is perfect for those sorts of purchases. And since we have Prime with amazon, I'm eligible to borrow some books for free!  I also like it for times when I want reading material but don't have the room to carry a bookstop.  I'm considering purchasing the Outlander series in e-book format just so I have it wherever I go.  You know, just in case.  Because it is hard to tote along 800 page books when you have small children.

--3--

I bought these Oreo Mint Fudge Cremes for our Twelve Days, and while they are different than what I was anticipating, they are so good!  Just like Thin Mints.  

--4--

We did a Jesse Tree this year during Advent, and because I decided to do it a little bit too late to get any really neat ornaments, we just used paper symbols I found online.  I grew up with a Jesse Tree tradition, complete with unique ornaments, and wanted something like that for our family.  I found these ornaments a little too late to order for this year, but went ahead and bought them for next year!  They even have an Orthodox version so we can do it all 40 days of the Fast next year.  I'm so pleased.  The quality is great, the pictures are lovely, and the kids were really into it this year, so I think next year will be neat.  My only complaint is that they don't come pre-strung (there are strings included, however).

Piglet was asking me about doing something similar during Lent, so I might get their Holy Week one too. 

--5--

I've had some unfortunate falls in the last month (I fell down the stairs just before Western Christmas and bruised my left foot rather badly--I still can't get all my shoes on--and slipped on the ice last Friday and sprained my right ankle and twisted my knee), so I'm very grateful for a light support Ace brace that is keeping me mobile and upright.  Since Birdie has figured out all the gates in the house in the last two weeks, I'm spending most of my days trying to run herd on her because she is up and down the stairs all.day.long.  It is driving me nuts--my whole routine has been thrown off by this little development.  I think I would be completely bonkers if I was also completely immobilized.

Go see Hallie for more Faves!

7QT: Expeditionary Edition

--1--

Dad, me, and my sister Kari, circa 1984.

My dad had his hips replaced on Tuesday and is going home today!  Woot-woot!  The surgery went very well, (his hips were VERY bad), and he was already up and doing physical therapy by early evening.  Because you know what?  My dad is da bomb.  

--2--

Due to a small miscommunication with Piglet's school/summer camp, we found out last Friday that he was going to be home all this week.  I confess I was filled with dread at the thought of trying to keep the peace with four children, a small house, the summer heat, and all of it for more than a week.  We are making a transition with our childcare, so I knew it was going to be up to me to git 'er done.  And you know what?  I am a rock star.  This week has been good!  I even think if Piglet didn't have camp the rest of the summer (he does), I'd be doing fine.  We made plans for three significant outings this week, and I bought a splash pool for the back patio, so I'm feeling much better about keeping them occupied and not-fighting all day long this summer. 

--3--

So what made such a big difference, you ask?  (Well, maybe you didn't ask, but I'll tell you anyway).  The biggest thing was giving myself permission to take the car out every day.  We've really tried to live in the city and be good pedestrian/public transit users, but with four kids the age of our kids, getting anywhere on foot or by bus is just painful unless it is a quick trip or relatively close by.  Almost everything that is kid-friendly is not super close.  But loading the fearsome foursome up in the Mazda5 and getting somewhere was relatively easy, and reparking wasn't too bad in the early afternoon when we tended to return.  It also helped that all of the outings were with other mom friends with kids the same age as mine, so I connected with other adults while my kids were having some fun.  Win-win. 

--4--

I can say that even though Ponchik has developed a nice little case of colic this week (that tends to hit around 10:30 p.m. and lasts until about 1:30 a.m.) and so I'm a bit more tired than usual.  Gripe water does help, and she just started taking Zantac after a sort of scary reflux episode last week (she is fine), and I'm not sure how much that is doing, but I feel better that she has it as an option.  

--5--

Did I mention we have a new chariot for the kids?  I. love. it.  I want to write an ode in iambic pentameter about this stroller.  It is the Kolcraft Contours double stroller.  The Maclaren Twin Triumph wasn't working well for me any longer for a variety of reasons, and I've been frustrated by my inability to get anywhere with the kids.  We bought it used from another family in the neighborhood, and it is in perfect shape.  We can use it for the two middles, or the two girls, and I love all the seating options (including a car seat adapter!)  It is a bit of a beast, but we are going to lock it up outside and cover it with a heavy duty motorcycle cover to keep out the rain.  My husband bike-commutes, and does the same with his bike, and so far so good. 

--6--

In other news, I discovered my new summer vintage hair-do, courtesy of Tasha's blog.  I mentioned before her most-excellent scarf-backroll tutorial (see take #6 for pics), and I do like that one for summer too, but this style gets all the hair off my neck, and it is fab.  I took a few pics, so hopefully you get the general idea.  Basically, roll the bangs, flat victory rolls on the side, and then twist up the back and roll the ends forward.  Add flowers, finished!  Tasha used some big flowers on her hair, but I'm not quite that brave, so I stuck with some pretty flat ones.  

--7--

I've also been working on Ponchik's baby book and birth announcements.  I have a good friend from college who lives about two hours from here and is a professional photographer, and a few weeks ago I drove up to see her and have her do a newborn photoshoot for Ponchik.  

I used MDS to design the announcement, and with the great print sale that was going on last week, I got a good deal on the finished announcements too!  

 I love, love, love this photo--Emily is so talented!  I made Ponchik's one-month baby book page with it, even though she was a bit under a month when it was taken.  (Click it to see bigger)  It was a Christmas scrapbook page template that I adapted for her baby book.  I just changed the color of the paper flowers and the dsp papers behind the photo to make it babyish rather than Christmas-y.  I love that about MDS!  All the templates are so adaptable.  

I should say that my creative pursuits this summer are likely to be limited to My Digital studio baby scrapbook pages, but I hope the baby love will make up for the monotony of project type. :)

Ok, go see Jen and Co. for more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes: Sickness, Pumpkin Bars, and Sewing debaucles

--1--

My husband has been felled by the mighty respiratory virus still making the rounds of our house. Piglet seems to be gearing up for another go and has been coughing a lot at night, and Boo is generally cranky when awake. Birdie is still wheezy (she sounds like a purring cat most of the day), but seems to be on the mend. I was starting to feel better, but then all the junk in my head dropped to my chest and I started coughing. So here we go again. This doesn't bode well for winter, it being mid-November and all.

--2--

My husband was gone for two days this week. We survived. Barely. That's about all I can say about it.

--3--

But wait, I made pumpkin bars! With cream cheese frosting. That kinda made up for it. (I used the Better Homes and Gardens recipe, for anyone who cares).

--4--

Boo is a bit accident prone at the moment, being the Frankenstein walker that he is. He showed up at the dinner table two nights ago with quite a shiner. It looks like he swiped purple eye shadow across one lid. I tried to get a photo, but it doesn't show very well, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

--5--

I hauled my Bernina out of the basement this week to attempt the man's shirt-to-skirt upcycle. And spent about four hours trying to fix what I messed up in the first 15 minutes. I finished it, but it wasn't wearable for a number of reasons, so I cut it down into a dress for Birdie. Unfortunately, I forgot about a little thing called seam allowances, so the dress is too snug. I sausaged her into it for a photo, but she won't be wearing it. Oh well. I learned a lot in the process, and then spent a bunch of time browsing sewing blogs. There are so many more talented sewers out there than me. (Including my uber-crafty mother who made my wedding dress, among other things).

--6--

****

--7--

My cousin had twins a few weeks ago (they were at 35 weeks gestation, but seem to be doing pretty well), and for a baby gift, I made her some baby thank you cards using My Digital Studio. I think I'm getting pretty good with the digital punch art! It took a while to make the card, but the professional print job turned out beautifully.

Go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes

  

--- 1 ---
So it turns out that three kids is really the tipping point for everything--groceries, laundry, family finances, general chaos and disorder, the whole works.  Before Birdie was born, I did laundry once a week, a dark and light load, with an occasional extra load for towels or sheets.  Now I am doing laundry about every other day!  
And I now believe in the Sock Monster.  I didn't believe in him before now, but he most certainly exists in my basement, I'm sure of it.  I never understood why people had such trouble keeping track of socks--how hard can it be to take laundry from the basket to the washer, and back up again to fold and put away?  Turns out, it is plenty hard!  I suddenly have two little boys who take off their socks where ever they happen to get hot feet and leave them there, my husband aims for the laundry basket with his socks and frequently misses, so socks end up under the bin, well, you get the idea.  My socks tend to stay together.  Every several days, I have 4 AWOL socks from Piglet's sock bin.  They usually turn up in the next load or two, but right now I've got a green-and-gray-striped sock that has been AWOL for a few weeks.  
Come home, sock!  We need you!
--- 2 ---
I met the reason why parking in the city is such a pain.  I pulled into a spot at the end of a block, but was hanging over the line just a bit.  The car in front of me had also just pulled in, so I poked my head out to ask the gentleman if he could move his car up about 6 inches or so. (He had at least half a car's length in front of his car).  He told me that if he did that, he wouldn't be able to get out, and I should just park my car right up against his.  I barely fit doing that.  But I have to say, if you need half a spot to get out of a parallel parking place, YOU SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING IN THE CITY!
--- 3 ---
 Have you seen Once Upon a Time?  So.Good.  I watched it on abc.com on Monday afternoon, and I think this may be my new go-to show!  I've gotten sick of all the other shows I used to keep up with on the internet, so I'm due for a new one.  I'm curious to see how the show is going to arc, because it seems to me that it doesn't have enough fuel in the story for a typical series.  Has more of a mini series feel, because you know the whole thing has to resolve itself at some point given the source material.  But.  An intriguing start, nonetheless.
--- 4 ---
I'm still struggling to keep my head above water with the chaos of three.  I read several mommy blogs, and in one of the comments this week, someone wrote that the day can be considered a success if you don't see BLOOD or FLAMES.  Ha!
--- 5 ---
Postpartum fashion drama continues.  I carried very differently this pregnancy, so the weight is sitting differently on me postpartum, and I'm having trouble adjusting to my new shape.  I keep thinking that I'm going to find the perfect garment that will make me feel like a million bucks, and I can wear it every day, but alas, I've only found a few accessories here and there that are great, but get puked on regularly, so the whole price-per-wear thing is really not that great for me.  Although I did recently purchase this great top from Kohl's, and with a navy cardigan and this great navy floral scarf I got at Target, I do feel pretty put together.  I paired it with the grey cargo skirt I wrote about several weeks ago.  It really is the Best. Cargo. Skirt. Ever.

--- 6 ---

I saw this on Facebook and had to laugh. Because it is so true.

--- 7 ---

Birdie turned 2 months this week, and I've been working on her baby book with My Digital Studio (since I can do that while nursing).  



For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Welcome Birdie

I'm pleased to announce the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter, henceforth to be called Birdie, on Saturday at 12:34 a.m., just before Hurricane Irene hit. She arrived after a longish labor, but a speedy transition and even faster delivery weighing 6 pounds 11 oz, and 19 3/4 inches long. I've got to say, it was a bit of a shock to have a girl after three boys, but she is a beautiful delicate little thing and we love her. (My toddler especially is quite infatuated!)

I wasn't sure what cards to show today because in addition to naming our daughter today (we do it on the 8th day), my dad had his birthday today. So you're going to get an eyeful of card candy for your viewing pleasure!

The first card is CASEd from splitcoast stamper Tessa Wise, and I love the color combination! I admit I wasn't so in love with Peach Parfait last year, but with the pop of Pool Party, I think I'm a convert! I love it so much that I used it to make these baby thank you cards! I just love that little sleeper. The basic layout is from a thank you card I received from my upline Claire. I love the simplicity of it and how easy it is to make a bunch at once (because when you have a baby, there are always lots of people to thank in the process!)

The last card is also CASEd from the talented Connie Babbert, and I love all the little masculine details. I decided to give it to my dad for his birthday. I'm not sure if he reads my blog, but happy birthday, Dad! He hasn't actually received the card yet, so I hope I've not spoiled the surprise, but it is still fun to open the actual card, even if he's seen a picture of it. (At least I think so!)

I hope you'll forgive me not posting all the supplies for each card; if you want the deets, just contact me and I'll send them. We are slightly busy at the moment. :)

Thankful Thursday

Quick post today--heat index is supposed to be 105, and the temp in the house is 85 degrees, so I'm having a bit of trouble focusing on anything for very long. I took the kids out this morning to run an errand and the humidity about did me in. I think it is 95 degrees with about 85-90% humidity. Thailand has nothing on Philly this week. But, I promised some positive thoughts about the heat, so my positive thought for today is that the lovely peaches we've been enjoying the last two weeks love this type of heat, and wouldn't be as delicious without it.


A few more baby thank you cards to show today--love that little tricycle! I got the basic idea for the card from a splitcoast stamper--cmstamps--and modified a few things to turn it into a baby thank you card. I made four of these. I really like the bright colors and the funky mod circles. Also my new favorite embellishment is that little Itty Bitty Shape punch with a rhinestone or pearl in the middle. Takes the place of a button very nicely and is much flatter in a card when you have to mail it! Love that extra little pop!


This card was a one-off. I saw it on the From Our Hearts blog and wanted to CASE it, but it had so many pieces I didn't want to make more than one! I love the card though. One thing I wish I had changed was to make the matted circles different colors--so Baja Breeze on the turtle, Peach Parfait on the whale and Pear pizzazz on the lion, or something like that. I think it would have been a little more interesting.

Tricycle Card Supplies
Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango cs
Textured jumbo wheel, Pedaling past tricyle, Short and Sweet stamps
Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango ink
Itty Bitty Shapes punch
rhinestones
Scallop border punch
dimensionals

Fox and Friends card Supplies
Early Espresso, Baja Breeze (textured), Whisper White cs, Greenhouse Gala dp (retired)
Pumpkin pie (stamped off once), Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz inks
Fox and Friends, Short and Sweet
Small scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle, 1 1/4" circle, decorative label punches
So Saffron grograin ribbon (retired)
dimensionals

Gearing up for Baby...

This morning I had a bit of extra time and wanted to start making some baby thank you cards (we are, after all, in the home stretch here!). I have some very simple designs in mind that are easy to mass produce, but are a bit gender-specific on the color scheme, so I'm waiting to make those designs. Instead, I made these two cards. They are both pretty simple, and I love that little tricycle! I used the Just Add Cake dsp for the background, and my color scheme came together from there. I am also quite fond of that particular layout--so easy! I made six of them, and might make another six in a few days, depending on time and energy. The heat this week is supposed to be pretty nasty (it was 85 degrees at 7 a.m. this morning) and doesn't look to break any time soon. I mind the middle of the day heat plenty, but I really dislike it when it doesn't even cool down at night--we have a hard time keeping the house reasonable during the day when it doesn't cool off at night. So for now, I'm sleeping on the couch in my office with the one window unit so that I'm not awake all night.

The rattle is from the new Button Buddies stamp set (love it!); I decided to keep it clean and simple and just use the clearlit rectangle to off set the image a bit. I like the monochromatic color scheme, and like the brightness of the Wild Wasabi against the white, but really, you could substitute any color to make it subtle or funky.