Mail Pals Anyone?

Sarah had a great idea about exchanging Halloween cards. I've made up four already. What fun!




Would you like to exchange Halloween cards with me too? They don't have to be handmade. You could even send a Halloween post card to save money.

Please leave a comment if you are interested.

(Andrea and Sarah, you are already in, unless you change your mind.)

"Now THIS is What I'm Talking About!" Mail

In contrast to my dry mail day, today was a zinger! While the mailbox was a bit dry except for a Ballard Design catalog, Ella noticed the boxes on the porch as we approached the driveway. She thought it was food, but I knew it was not. We just received our organic food delivery yesterday. So what's in the boxes? Do you know, do you know? I do!



First one is for Jason, but still exciting. He received his personalized note cards, in what I can only describe as "wasabi" green.




Next one is for the family. It is the photo book of our summer family vacation!

Cheap Mom and Old Friends

Today we planned to meet our friends T and her daughter R. Her other daughter L was in pre-K school. As you can see, mommy was QUITE thrifty and packed lunches to be eaten at the Burger King play place. Don't worry, at least I bought myself a salad, so we weren't totally trespassing. R has gotten SO big and is in the throws of potty training. In fact she's almost there. T and I got to catch up a lot. We hope to get together a lot more often. Isn't R a gorgeous redhead!?

My My

When Miles was a baby I just randomly picked a teddy bear from his stash and put it in the crib with him. He has slept with him ever since. Ella never took to any stuffed animals as much as he has. I gave her "Floppy Dog" in the same manner, but though she loves the dog and does sleep with it from time to time, she has no where near the relationship with it as Miles does with that bear. Before he could talk I named the bear "Buddy Bear", once he just started talking he renamed it "My My" as in "mine! mine!" It is so cute how he sets him down to eat breakfast in the morning. It is not so cute how he will walk around with him sucking his thumb until we take My My away from him. (He's ok if we take him away, we are very nice and tell him to say Bye Bye to My My). He only sucks his thumb when he has My My. We try to limit My My to nap and bed times only. As you can tell by My My's nose, Miles likes to chew on it.

20 Questions for Sweet Goodness Swap

As part of the Sweet Goodness Holiday Swap, I am posting the answers to 20 questions to help my swap pal and other swappers get to know me better.



So here we go!

1. Favorite Color: This is always a tough one for me. I love pastels. I look good in and enjoy the intensity of bright red. I also like brown with an aforementioned pastel. I decorate my home in earth (autumnal) tones.

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above? I like it, especially with peanut butter. I like milk and dark, not a huge fan of white.

3. What is your favorite craft hobby? Hands down I love to sew. I am STILL learning new techniques all the time and enjoying every minute of it.

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? I have already kind of started hand appliqué and embroidery. I would like to learn to knit but already have several skeins of yard and a kit to get started, whenever I’m ready.

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)? I’m terrible at any kind of painting unless it is a wall that I’m painting one color. I would like to be good at scrapbooking but am not patient enough nor do I have the time or discipline to get all the stuff out just to put it all away after I’ve got everything organized and done just a few pages, plus I have a ton of supplies that I already feel guilty about having!

6. Do you have any allergies? Just penicillin, most pain killers, muscle relaxers and carrots. Please don’t send any of those, LOL!

7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else? I love the costumes on the kids. I guess it is more of a fall thing, but I love pumpkin patches and all the kids’ activities. I also love apple orchards. The geese honking as they fly south, the cool crisp air, and that smell. I don’t know what it is, but autumn has a smell. I don’t like the gore or scary costumes/décor. I HATE haunted houses. I think I’d rather be in a real haunted house than a staged one!

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? I do decorate for fall, but not too crazy. I don’t really have many purely Thanksgiving decorations, but would be happy to acquire some over time. I am just too thrifty to buy decorations for specific holidays (besides Christmas), I generally buy seasonal décor.

9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? We celebrate Christmas. We get a fresh tree and decorate it. Our ornament stash is overflowing, but we can always rotate. I enjoy tasteful decorations that blend in nicely with the décor. Not so much the glittery or kiddie decorations. Though I do put some of that in the kids’ rooms. We also do the Santa thing.

10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls? I have a 3 year old girl, Ella and a 2 year old boy, Miles. They are both my biggest joys!

11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind? We have one black cat named Velvet.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like? I love to read. I like all types. Lately the fiction I’ve read is historical fiction. But the last and present book were/are non-fiction. I also like biographies, self help, ethnographies, and inspirational books. Here are my latest read books:

The Hiding Place – Corrie ten Boom
The Other Boleyn Girl – Phillipa Gregory
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar - Robert Alexander
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life - Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Alias Grace – Margaret Attwood
The Life You’ve Always Wanted – John Ortberg
Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story - Kurt Eichenwald

I’ve read a lot of Margaret Attwood, Maya Angelou and also enjoy Jane Austin (I was in the middle of Emma this Spring and never got back to it). My next book (for a book club) will be Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and on my own I’ll be reading
Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen.

For kids books, we’re enjoying Mem Fox. Especially Tough Boris and Time for Bed. We also love Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. A very good story to teach about the reuse part of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Oma's Quilt by Paulette Bourgeois and Stephane Jorisch is another we checked out of the library and loved.

And if you are in the mood for reading some dry scientific articles, please feel free to peruse a few I’ve authored or co-authored, LOL:
Go here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez at “for:” type in Whiteaker K (my maiden name which I always used for journal articles).

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion? My daughter’s 4th birthday will be December 13. She loves to craft too! Imagine that. She would also like to help me cook and bake more.

14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect? I guess we collect handmade pottery and unique dinnerware/serveware etc… It is a passion that both my husband and I share. We recently purchased new “everyday” dinnerware (the kids are not allowed to use it yet) most of which was custom made. We have also been collecting handmade serving bowls and recently bought a cute kitchen utensil holder on our last vacation. If I could personally collect something and money were no object I think it would be purses. I change them every season at least but would love to have several to switch back and forth. I just cannot bring myself to buy that many purses due to the stupid practical side of me. Well, I will start making some to grow a collection! I’m also thinking of collecting vintage tea towels.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?? I enjoy cooking, I hate the clean up. I think my favorite is baking and I love baking pies. I also have an amazing scone recipe I got from a sweet couple who run a B&B in Cambridge, WI that we visited this Spring. My swap partner WILL be getting that recipe in December!

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can’t stand? I like floral with a little citrus. For instance “Happy” by Clinique and they have a new one out with a little more of the citrusy scent. My favorite “dressing up” perfume is “J’Adore”. For men I like Aqua di Gio. I recently purchased some lotion with a coconut scent and soap with a banana coconut scent and LOVE them! Reminds me of the Caribbean which I haven’t been to recently enough! In candles I like the scents they call cotton or linen and those that smell like fresh baked good. Not real strong floral scents.

17. What’s your favorite song? Wow, just one? I’ll be more general, I love Ottorino Resphigi (classical composer), Sting (great at so many things and I think his best stuff is post Police), Ben Folds (his piano playing and composition make me feel so “at home” – too bad some of his lyrics are on the raunchy side – but at least they are honest and raw), Ella Fitzgerald (the most beautiful voice ever). I love great composers, great songwriters, great musicians and great singers. Ok no song was mentioned. Our first dance at our wedding was to "Exactly Like You."

18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater? Charlottes Web at the free summer matinee. I cried! Amazing movie. Plus my kids behaved and enjoyed it too. I think it was particularly enjoyable because I read the book as a kid and it was nice to share with my kids.

19. What’s your favorite Candy? For chocolate I like peanut butter cups and chocolate dipped strawberries (I guess that’s not a candy but I had to mention it). I love fruity candy. Sweet tarts, Smarties, gummy bears, sour gummies, Nerds, Spree… I really try not to eat much candy though.

20. Tea or Coffee or other? Both, only decaf. I don’t drink caffeine due to a minor heart condition. It went away when I cut out caffeine (a little chocolate isn’t bad), so I’m not playing around. It’s out for good! I think caffeine is terribly addictive anyway and just not very good for you.

Outside of my Comfort Zone

I have recently been inspired to try some "new" things by a new swap partner I'm getting to know. She loves shoes and has some beauties. I'm more the comfortable shoe type. Though I used to visit Nine West and the shoe department of Neiman Marcus when I was single to ogle all of their pretties. I would be excited when I actually had a wedding to go to and thus an excuse to buy a pair of the pretty heels! So, I'm starting to look at shoes the way I used to, just a bit. I didn't exactly do anything TOO wild today. I bought a pair of sandals with heels. I wouldn't normally get these, but they were on sale at Ann Taylor from $59 to $10, so you can't call me too crazy. Please pretend you don't see my unmanicured size 8 1/2 giant feet!! Now that I have them I guess it just means that hubby and I will have to go out on more dates.



Next, I was in a beautiful home store and saw a table cloth that I fell in love with. My first instinct was to go for another color that matches our earthy palette better. But then, with the help of the sales person, I decided to go for the one with the sea foam green that I originally liked because it did have other colors that match our home and the green just makes it pop. I'm so glad I did. I think it really brightens things up, while still looking like fall. Which is exactly what I needed. I also almost didn't buy it because it was square and our table is oval. The sales woman told me how pretty it would look putting the corners on each side. She was right. I'd have never thought about that myself! (The abundance of apples and pears are from our organic delivery today.) It has a very French feel, non?




Then these tea towels! I love them. They weren't outside of my comfort zone because they are so small, but it felt wonderful getting them. They are so pretty. Ugh, please ignore the water stains on the oven. For all the cleaning I do, it seems I always miss something!! I got the table cloth and tea towels at Motif.

My Favorite Room in Our Home

I am posting this to add to the Romantic Country Party at Karla's Cottage where you can share what you love about your home.

Well, I feel our home is always a work in progress, and in fact, I feel this room is not complete! Anyway my favorite room right now is our Living Room. Like most people with a Living Room and Family Room, we don't use this room a lot. But I think we use it more than a lot of people. It is more formal than our family room, but I think it is still comfortable. Let's go on a tour!




Our living room is one of the rooms towards the front of our house. In fact just to the right of the window in the first photo is our front door. Here the sofa is the piece I've owned the longest. At times I feel regret that I got it custom upholstered in plaid, but for the moment I like it. I made the pillows on the couch. The coffee table is quite large and I bought it while I lived in Evanston in my own apartment. It has great storage in a slide out drawer on the bottom. The light wood chair is from the dining room. We moved a chair out of here to the family room when we moved the TV out of the family room and for now I see this as a place holder. The side table and decorative tables are both new as of this year. The decorative table was from "Ten Thousand Villages" and I think is beautiful. It was made in Central America. The lamp on the table was on clearance. It was dusty and had a tiny stain on the shade. A great deal! The torchiere is one my husband picked out. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but it has grown on me. The book case was also from my place in Evanston. It is a little on the fancier side. At least fancier than any other bookcase we own. I like having books in the living room and even the kids each have a lower shelf. Moving around the room, I purchased the wine table in my earlier years in Evanston. I love the wrought iron scrollwork. The reading lamp was purchased while we found other lamps for our living room. It was one of those things we just happened upon and weren't really out looking for. The chair in the corner was purchased last year from a flea market. Due to inclement weather, most of the sellers were really reducing their prices and we got it for a great price. I believe it is from the 30's or 40's (there is a tag on the bottom with the manufacture date). It has the original fabric which is not in perfect condition, but it is beautiful and not too bad except around the arms. As for the art, to the left of the sofa is a banana leaf painting given to me by a friend who grew up in Kenya. She got it while visiting her parents. Over the wine table is "The Singing Butler" by Jack Vetriano. Jason and I love to dance, so this is meaningful to us. We are waiting to find something to put on the short wall to the left (and behind) the antique chair. So far we haven't stumbled upon anything.

Oh... and Rhoda dear, if you are reading this, any suggestions on how to spice this room up and make it pop, please feel free to give! I know it is all in the details, and I'm not great at the details!

Would you like to get fun mail?

I know I would! Everyday I can't WAIT for the mail carrier to come. I am especially excited around those times when I've ordered something. I am especially surprised and delighted when I receive something addressed in handwriting! How often does this happen? Not very. Today I was so excited and I braved the drizzling rain out to the mail box. As I opened it up I just found two ads. Oh the anticlimax...

So, I know there are some people here that I enjoy sharing blogs with and comments etc... I was wondering if any of you, even if you are reading my blog for the first time would like to become "mail" buddies? We could exchange cute cards or little trinkets here and there. Nothing expensive. Unless I win Bunko again and get generous. :-) Or we could even swap our creations every once in a while. Let me know if you are interested and we will figure out how to get addresses to each other!

New Words

Those word verifications you have to type in various places to prove you are human... I don't think they are random. I just typed in mfafa to post a comment on a friend's blog. Does this make you think? I bet the next time you have to type one in you will look at it twice. Tell me if you ever get any funny ones or ones you swear could be words. In fact maybe you've already figured out what the "word" means! Excuse me, I have to go type in ziplgll to post this entry.

Light Yardsaling

For Friday yard saling I was very selective in choosing the sales I would go to. Only one did I find off of my list that I decided to check out.

One of the best was an antique yard sale. I ended up going back Saturday and bought a few things. And Saturday happened to be 50% off day! There were a few more things there I loved, but didn't know what I'd do with them!

So I think my favorite purchase was of these cute vintage chenille pumpkins. So nicely done!


Here's the rest of the stash, minus a couple of books and vintage tablecloth for a friend.




Clock-wise from the left: Some Hanna Andersson clogs. They are too big for Ella, but maybe next year or 2009! They are a little scuffed, but I can work on them. And $2 is better than what they are new. I will also be disinfecting the insides! Too bad I didn't catch this lady's sale earlier in the summer. She had some nice things including girls clothes that she already sold. Next is a Thomas conductor hat. It is way too big for Miles, but he still wears it and loves it. Though he looks a bit like a thug with it over his eyes. Next a vintage purse. I think this will be gift. Then a vintage?? little tray. The book is one Ella picked out about the tooth fairy. Not only is it glittery, but glows in the dark. Finally is a vintage silver mirror and brush set. Need cleaning up, but I always wanted a set for the guest room and this vintage dresser. The dresser is probably not from the same era. Oh well!

Rethinking My Craft

Though I love making totes, it's getting a little stale. The assembly line I have created for myself is not fulfilling my need for creativity. So I've come up with a few designs and I'm doing them over and over again. It's getting boring. I will probably finish up the last few bags in my precut assembly line, but then I think I will step back and try to refine or redefine my craft, feed my soul and get some real experience under my belt. New tricks and techniques I can someday tweak to my own designs.

I found this book at the fabric store and as soon as I find a coupon (yes I'm thrifty at times), I plan to buy it.



The designs look so fun. I have enough extra fabric to experiment and give the products to friends as gifts, or keep for myself. Or hey, maybe give away here on my blog through contests or to some of my favorite bloggers!! Yay!

I beat myself up for not being as creative, but I think I need to know what can be done and how to do it before I can create more of my own designs. Especially if I want to do more handbags and purses as opposed to totes. I know it is in me. Just yesterday I had a ton of ideas for a sweet lady who's work and talent I really admire (the ideas were solicited, I didn't just give them to her). If I can do that for others, I can do it for myself.

Anyway, I'm dreaming of that book and those patterns.

For now I have yet ANOTHER diaper bag to make from my Craft Apple pattern! I cannot give enough praise to this pattern and the lovely lady who created it! It should be even more fun to make the now familiar pattern again.

Ballet class tonight. I'm so tired. I hope I don't fall flat on my face in class! LOL!

Crazy!

I did a little career matchmaker quiz based on interests and here is what I got (top 10):

1.Biological Tech


2.Stationary Engineer


3.Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Tech


4.Race Car Mechanic


5.Appliance Repairer


6.Aircraft Mechanic


7.Diesel Mechanic


8.Automobile Mechanic


9.Small Engine Mechanic


10.Motorcycle Mechanic

Number 1 was very close to my former career. Though I'd like to think of myself more of a thinker and not JUST a tech.

What is with all the mechanic stuff? I guess it must be because I really enjoyed learning how the equipment I worked with as a scientist worked. In fact there was one high tech machine I was kind of "in charge of". If it ever broke or if anyone had problems or needed a lesson on how to use it, I'd drop everything and come running. I really enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of the machine. Kind of the same reason I like biology. I'm intrigued about how living systems work.

Anyway, I doubt I'd cut it as a mechanic! Though an aircraft or race car mechanic sounds kind of interesting.

I could not resist

This is another post that I am "duplicating" from our family blog, but I couldn't help myself. This blog, I decided up front, was to be less about what friends and family want to see, and more about what I want to post. Well this seems to be both, thus it is posted in both places.

I don't know if others can see it, and I don't care, I think my daughter is beautiful. In her own, silly, goofy way, she is just beautiful through and through. And the best part is that she is comfortable and confident in her beauty and not in a conceited sort of way. I wish I could have been like that. I wish I could be like that today. Maybe I will learn from her the things that I am teaching her. An unwavering confidence in my worth. Seems strange, but maybe I will start listening to this good part of myself someday.

The Dress

Here is my Daughter Ella modeling the dress I have been working on excitedly over the past few days. Now who can mistake her for a boy! :-)





I basically used a Simplicity pattern and altered it to add the ruffles on the sleeves, collar and hem. Oh, and I added a sash. The design and color scheme were copied from a post on Heather Bailey's blog. Her mom made her daughter the original. The fabrics are designed by Heather. Once I saw it, I just HAD to try to make it! I don't think it turned out too bad. This is my first little girls dress.

Celebrating our Fifth

We went out for dinner and music at Pete Millers in Wheeling.

DOH!

Well... I thought no one was reading my blog anymore because I wasn't getting comments. I generally find comments that were sent to my email instead of looking directly on the blog. Tonight, for some reason, I decided to check my SPAM folder and there were a bunch of sweet comment just filled with blog love!

Ahh... that feels good. :-)

Thanks blogfriends!

Today I completed a diaper bag with this pattern from Craft Apple. It turned out really awesome. It is a wonderful pattern. Very clearly written and straight forward. It was not easy at every step, but I'm convinced it was because of the stupid thick thread I used. My machine doesn't like it, or it doesn't like my machine. They both try to eat each other up! I also learned, near the end that it is better to use thinner thread for seams because it makes it easier to press them open without the bulk of the thread making your pressing not as crisp. I could use the heavier thread for top stitching, but still, it makes such a bulk when backstitching at the start and stop points. And let's not talk about the OTHER side of the fabric which *gasp* sometimes shows. I really don't think I need to use such heavy thread at all. That was the only cotton cover polyester thread I could find at Joann's and I didn't know better to look closer at the label on the spool to find out how thick it was. Plus the lady at the register said it was perfect for what I was doing. I figure I will take all I've learned when I make the second bag. BTW, I'm not posting a pic of the bag because it is for a gift and I'm afraid someone might know someone who knows someone and the pic would get into the wrong hands and spoil the surprise!

Next up is Ella's dress. It's been over a year since I've sewn a piece of clothing. A lot more curves if I remember correctly. So we will see. The fabric is washed, pressed and ready to be cut.

Tonight was my first ballet class for the fall/winter session. It was different than the summer class. A different teacher, different style, different music. Overall I like it. Just not too keen on the music. I like classic classical music. This was show tunes done in classical music. :-/ I kinda miss the summer teacher. It is good to have different teachers though.

Last night I taught 3rd-5th graders ballet and jazz. I tell you, an hour is not enough time to fit both in. I don't care what age you are teaching! Which just gave me an idea. Instead of doing half and half, I could alternate ballet one week and jazz the next.

Ella loves school and had HER first ballet class today. Miles had his first music class on Monday. I could have cried. He is by no means where I think he should be and doesn't even sing. But he finally will march around the circle without insisting on being held. He did dance a little, did some of the movements in the songs and was interested in the books that were sung. I figure it can only get better from here. In any case, I think he totally loved it and loved having a class just for him, with no Ella in site to take away any attention. I have to admit it is nice having a few hours alone with him 3 days a week.

I think that pretty much catches us up with what's going on around here. I have been pretty busy and haven't commented enough on others blogs. Hopefully the week will slow down a bit and I'll have more time.

Yet Another New Bag! And my first attempt at hand embroidery

I love this sweet birdie fabric and the color is so delicious and refreshing. It reminds me of lemon yogurt. I made myself a bag with the same material but it is not as nice as this one!! I got a little crazy with the liner, but it's so cute!




Here's the hand embroidery. It is a design from the book Cottage Charms by Art to Heart. I have found that a good time to work on this (the hand stitching) is while waiting in the car to pick up Ella from preschool.



I received 2 of the 3 fabrics I ordered for Ella's dress. I can't wait!!

Nerd Test

Two Bags Listed - A Great Pattern Find

The two bags I was showing off are now listed on Etsy. If you liked one, go take a look!

Secondly I am just thrilled. I got an invite in the mail today for a baby shower. I've been wanting to make a diaper bag for some time now. So I did a Google search for diaper bag patterns and found Craftapple Blog. The link goes right to her pattern.

I was contemplating Amy Butler's diaper bag pattern, but I personally find this one prettier. So I bought it. I convo'd the seller and what a lovely woman! My connection to Etsy is not working on my computer, but you can find her Etsy shop link on her blog. Oh, and here is her independent store.

I may not post pictures here of the finished bag because who knows who reads this and might spill the beans on the gift, or may be receiving one similar.

I am now also working on some hand applique. I WILL post that (if it turns out decent).

OK, Last post of the day, I promise

It has been a weird day. It is Labor Day. Jason is gone to Texas on a business trip. I am here alone with the kids. It is just like a regular day, but harder. For many reasons.

Well I did make the tote.

And designed new business cards. This is not the final draft. But take a look and let me know what you think.



Well, that is weird, the colors look really bright when I upload it to Flickr or here, but look normal in other programs on my computer. The text is also crummy here.

Today's Bag

This one was a pain (the ruffle). This is the second method I've tried. I think I've figured it out now! I hope.

fun

Miles' New Paint

We came a long way from where we started. First I wanted a green for the walls in his room, then green with one accent wall of a khaki or dark tan. Then I couldn't find the right tan. Then we went on vacation and LOVED the light brown color (corkscrew willow) they painted most of the cabin.



So we used that for ALL of the walls!


On the walls are a couple of pieces I bought on Etsy. The one by the bed is from theblackapple and the one in between the windows is an original painting from konyskiw. On the wall you can't see is a print from ashleyg.
So I got in a few plugs in for some good artists on Etsy. :-)

BTW, I know the wall on the left by the bed is a little bare. We are thinking of getting some good photos printed up. I was thinking some closeup images of playground equipment. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Please Vote for Etsy Logo

I'm trying to come up with a new logo for my Etsy shop. Do you like either of these? If so, which one do you like better?

My New Photographer?

Amazing! Plus now you can see the "sunny pond" in our backyard.




I asked Jason to take a picture of the new tote outside.

Pretty Burgundy Toile Tote

I was given this fabric by my mom. She loves it. I love the bag I made!







Want to help me name it?