tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29036431231991611642012-01-13T04:54:55.590-08:00I'm a lucky girl. I married a great guy, I have two awesome kitties and I get to stay home all day and make stuff. It's the best! I have two web shops and that's more than enough to keep me busy. Here, you'll get the latest news on where I'm going, what I'm making and just plain everyday happenings in my life.iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.comBlogger3981100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-88499740059413238102011-04-10T13:41:00.000-07:002011-04-10T13:41:31.729-07:00

Okay, maybe I'll blog every other month. Seriously though, I don't have a whole lot to say. I've been working on a few projects... These are called Monkey Socks and I got the free pattern on Knitty. I've always wanted to make these, unfortunately they're a little big on me. I'm about 8 rows from finishing them at this point, obviously I haven't taken a new picture.  Nick's parents came for a

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-13223644008150686152011-02-07T21:32:00.000-08:002011-02-07T21:32:20.603-08:00

Maybe if I set myself a nice attainable goal I can achieve it? One post a month? Well, it's busy, busy, busy around here.  Amelia is 4 months old now, wow! She's getting more and more fun every day, rolling over, laughing, playing with toys ~ good stuff. We have a very active social calendar, which really helps me get through the days. I'm meeting lots of mommies near me and that's been really

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-89324898848280262242011-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:002011-01-11T17:15:50.247-08:00

Hey there! How are you? I feel really bad that I'm blogging so infrequently, but you know how it is with a new baby in the house. I just thought I'd drop in and give you an update on how things are going around here. Amelia is now 3 months old, if you can believe that! At my baby group they're always saying how hard the first 3 months are...if you can just get through the first 3 months, things

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-16865637323964088332010-12-23T12:48:00.000-08:002010-12-23T12:48:48.238-08:00

 The mailman has been paying us lots of visits lately.   Look what arrived for Amelia yesterday! My good friend Julie told me she was making a stocking, but I had no idea what it would be like. I LOVE it!!! Look at the kitties...and the snowman! Amelia will be able to keep this forever, I'm so excited. Thank you Auntie Julie. :)    My knitting group is doing a knit along in January and is making

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-90016888235741534152010-11-25T22:02:00.000-08:002010-11-25T22:02:31.989-08:00

My pumpkin hat fits! Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I slept 7 hours last night so you know what my mommy's thankful for.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-12259490083435654722010-11-22T16:47:00.000-08:002010-11-22T16:47:03.682-08:00

Whoops! I forgot I had a blog, I guess it's time for an update, haha. Well, things are pretty good around here. Amelia will be 7 weeks old tomorrow! Wow, time flies. She's about 9 pounds now & learning new things every day. Tomorrow she'll meet her Auntie Veronica and 3 of her cousins for the first time, we can't wait. I haven't had much time to sew or knit, but I did start an afghan a few weeks

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-50498345282918899262010-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:002010-10-20T21:40:10.440-07:00

Look what arrived in the mail the other day! Not the shelf, the adorable banner with Amelia's name on it!! I've been waiting for the sun to shine in her room to take a picture, but it just isn't happening. Misses Kwitty made the birdy banner and I absolutely love it, Amelia does too.Thank you Misses Kwitty!! (sorry, the picture doesn't do it justice) Oay, so now I'll bore you with lots of baby

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-76545967082425554462010-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:002010-10-09T13:03:51.133-07:00

Hey! Guess what? I have a great excuse for not posting lately...I had the baby and she was two weeks early (just like I'd hoped she'd be). Say hello to miss Amelia Jane Here she is about 10 minutes ago, keeping me company while I look at my emails. She arrived on Tuesday morning in a flash! My water broke at 12:30am & she arrived at 7:00am. I think that's pretty quick (and lucky). We're all

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-37351775133791905722010-10-03T09:04:00.000-07:002010-10-03T09:04:11.845-07:00

Oh my gosh! I forgot to show you what's going on in my kitchen...it's almost done. Certainly done enough for me for a while. yay! Here's where we started last year around this time. The left wall was the worst part. The door next to the fridge and the lack of usable cabinets was such a pain. Not to mention the inside of all the cabinets was the original particle board from the 60's. I'll just say

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-15670179494631183202010-10-01T09:11:00.000-07:002010-10-01T09:11:49.191-07:00

Perhaps I shouldn't say "never ending" or I wouldn't be writing this post. Let's just say it took me a while to get the darn thing made, but here it is: Of course I made my own diaper bag, I mean, c'mon! haha It's a version of a design I sell in my shop, altered to suit my (assumed) purpose. I don't make a lot of these because they take for-ever! I mean it. There are so many pieces to this thing.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-59449700301218636772010-09-22T20:19:00.000-07:002010-09-22T20:19:56.142-07:00

My baby shower was a couple weeks ago and I wanted to share some of the beautiful gifts we received for little BooBoo. It was a small gathering but I'm happy to say that most of the gifts were handmade! Trisha made this sweet quilt. I'm so honored that she gave it to me, she actually worked on it at my house! haha I really love it. I want the baby to enjoy it, but I'm also thinking about hanging

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-79708580485837535172010-09-12T06:31:00.000-07:002010-09-12T06:31:10.473-07:00

It's been ages since I posted, but I've been so busy with crafty projects that I just wasn't ready to show you anything. Now I am! I had my baby shower yesterday (can you believe it!?) so I was working hard to get the baby's room in order for the girls to see it. Here's how it's looking so far. (I apologize for the bad lighting and color in the photos, it's a tough room to take pictures in). The

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-9722902350356350902010-08-10T11:00:00.000-07:002010-08-10T11:00:51.639-07:00

In an effort to not do another wip post, I thought I'd show you some food instead. I guess it's still something I made, but I was in the kitchen this time and it wasn't for the baby! haha We finally got around to having a little backyard barbecue a few weeks ago. The weather was beautiful, plenty of people came and it was a wonderful day. I, of course, made way too much food and because of this

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-27574522731096328192010-08-06T12:29:00.001-07:002010-08-06T12:32:41.951-07:00

Wow, I didn't mean to be missing that long, sorry about the extended and impromptu blog break. Must be all that nesting going on around here. It seems like all I post anymore is WIP's, but that's what I'm doing. What can I say? Here's another round...(with a few finished projects thrown in to prove I do actually finish things every now & then, ahem)... **Warning** This is a long post, but not too

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-24369387010609608922010-07-14T10:57:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:57:07.318-07:00

I'm still here, we just couldn't get online all of last week and this weekend. That makes blogging a challenge! haha I did get lots of little things done so I have some more things to show you.  I already have itty-bitty toys, remember Santa? Well, I used one of my weekly coupons from Borders and picked up itty-bitty hats. My baby will be drowning in hats! This one's called the "pastel marley"

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-77647741197213114602010-07-02T09:55:00.000-07:002010-07-02T09:55:54.474-07:00

I seem to be crocheting a lot lately, not sure why. I guess maybe I needed a break from all the knitting & sewing I've been doing. So here are a few things I've got going and have finished recently. What do you think? Here's a little granny square blanket I'm working on for my baby. I'm using cotton yarn from Michael's for this one. I'm not a yarn snob, besides, look how great these colors are!

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-20870894685587403732010-06-24T20:26:00.000-07:002010-06-24T20:26:49.053-07:00

I've been a busy little bee over here today. I think it's true what they say about the second trimester of pregnancy, lots of energy and motivation. I had it today for sure! Here's what I got done:  I finished 3 new coupon organizers that I started yesterday at Trisha's. We had a really fun day sewing together. Work is a lot more fun with someone to talk to. I made 4 new cloth napkins with the

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-83000527579579853612010-06-21T14:27:00.000-07:002010-06-21T14:27:14.817-07:00

I'm sure you're all dying to know what I've got planned for the baby's room, right? I don't want to keep anyone from sleeping at night so I'll give you a quick preview, haha. (I apologize in advance for the wordy post). As I mentioned before (I think), I already had fabric collections picked out for the baby, boy or girl. Now that we know it's a girl, I've placed the order and received a

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-81669203928725714872010-06-14T09:11:00.000-07:002010-06-14T09:11:40.351-07:00

We tried a new doughnut shop this weekend in Mill Creek called Frost. Their graphics are enough for me, everything is color coordinated in pink & brown ~ love that! Though we rarely eat doughnuts, it was fun to go in and pick one. Can you guess which one's mine? hehe They were pretty good!

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-3454929125483176382010-06-07T17:57:00.000-07:002010-06-07T17:57:26.055-07:00

Did I ever tell you about the book Hello, Cupcake? It's a really cool sort of cookbook with all kinds of great ideas for cupcakes that look like everything from dogs to TV dinners. I've never actually made anything from it, but I got the authors' second book anyway... This one is really similar, just more great ideas. What's great about these books is that you use regular household tools and

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-84406034733040934602010-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:002010-06-03T09:49:37.572-07:00

Our 20 week ultrasound went well yesterday, everything seems to be progressing fine and I am gaining just the right amount of weight (which is amazing considering my appetite!). Here's one of the piccies they gave us. We got a whole cd of baby pictures to take home, haha. Can you see the baby's little face? I guess you're wondering what the sex is, huh? I'll give you a hint.... I bought this

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-29962444097880592362010-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:002010-06-01T09:39:49.985-07:00

I was looking around online the other day for crochet patterns and I came across a couple really cute ones on the Lion Brand website. You have to sign up, but it's free and the have a ton of free patterns. Here's what I made: A nice cuppa tea. Nick chose the tea color, he likes a lot of milk so it's kind of pale. I love the pattern, it's super easy and quick. I need a quick project every now &

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-86284367371488421522010-05-27T03:02:00.001-07:002010-05-27T03:02:00.637-07:00

**Note: My house is a cave on the brightest day, I apologize for the terrible photos. I told you that we'd been trying to get some work done around the house before Nick's parents came, right? Here are a few of the projects we got (mostly) finished... The Guest Room I made some very bright and colorful curtains for the guest room. I bought some of that pre-patchworked (like this) fabric at JoAnn.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-77322083359432781442010-05-25T14:08:00.000-07:002010-05-25T14:08:50.249-07:00

I bet you thought I disappeared, huh? Actually, I did for a while. Nick and I have been super busy around the house, his parents were here for a week and will be back for another visit soon. We used their arrival as an excuse to get some projects done around the house, so we were very busy in April and May (I'll share some pictures soon). We went on a gorgeous day trip through the Cascades when

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-42245655429276499372010-04-11T08:17:00.000-07:002010-04-11T08:17:03.358-07:00

A few months ago I was asked to submit one of my pencil cups to Pregnancy & newborn Magazine to possibly be included in an eco-friendly issue.  Laurent the owl and I agreed that this was a good opportunity, so he packed his bags and went on his way. I pretty much forgot about the whole thing until I got a message last week that little Laurent made it into the magazine! It's the April issue and

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-40568845568586930262010-04-08T08:46:00.002-07:002010-04-08T08:49:50.482-07:00

What do you get when you take this... and add it to this...? That's right...  a baby! And it's mine!! I'm so excited I can't even tell you. It was a struggle to get here, but we made it. Let the baby sewing begin! 

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-14095556892245593552010-04-05T09:52:00.000-07:002010-04-05T09:52:57.316-07:00

I started this post on Friday but we lost power in the middle of it! Here we go again... Sticking with my "using a holiday as an excuse to make cupcakes" plan, I made cupcakes! haha This time I made 3 batches to be sure I had a chance to taste them myself.  I decided to make lighter carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I used this recipe. I started with some Easter cupcake liners I

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-30803153543818689822010-03-31T09:13:00.002-07:002010-03-31T09:15:13.413-07:00

Before I get into even more new fabric, I thought I'd share a couple things I made with that cool Hope Valley fabric from my last post. I haven't been sharing a lot of sewing projects lately... Of course, I made a coupon organizer. That goes without saying these days.(Shameless Plug: Don't forget you can make your own coupon organizer with my sewing pattern.) And while I was cutting out the

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-52451901384976552312010-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:002010-03-26T09:48:05.081-07:00

This post is just to prove that I haven't been sitting around eating bon bons while not blogging, ahem. Month 2 of Sock Club at Yarn Stash in Burien. I couldn't actually go to the meeting this month because it was on Nick's birthday, but Trisha and I got together and started our socks. They knit up pretty quickly though I still probably won't ever make the second one. I'm the poster child for

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-49011600466210813732010-03-21T10:10:00.000-07:002010-03-21T10:10:40.587-07:00

Just wanted to share some baking projects from this past week. I like to use any holiday as an excuse to make cupcakes, St. Patrick's Day was no exception. I started, actually ended, with some Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts. Chocolate cupcakes and a little green frosting. I frosted the first dozen the old-fashioned way, with a knife. It took too long and looked a little too "bake sale" for my

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-15070152671952640492010-03-15T10:01:00.000-07:002010-03-15T10:01:37.390-07:00

Nick and I went for a drive up to La Conner this weekend to see if any of the flowers are blooming yet. Next month we'll go back to see the tulips!

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-64360583722139122342010-03-08T10:26:00.000-08:002010-03-08T10:26:59.792-08:00

You know I've been getting into knitting lately, right? Well this weekend I finally tried my first cables! Trisha and I went to a pattern release party at Yarn Stash in Burien and started making these great fingerless gloves.   The pattern is by Jennifer Hagen of Figheadh Yarnworks. Jennifer was there to help us through the pattern and to show us the new patterns she's releasing. I must say, her

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-9821252187549681552010-02-22T10:34:00.000-08:002010-02-22T10:34:37.147-08:00

I heard some exciting news today (thanks to ollie.kate), Liberty of London is going to be working with Target, catch a glimpse here! This may mean nothing to you if you haven't heard of Liberty, but it's thrilling to me. Liberty makes the most gorgeous (and expensive) fabric you've ever seen. This is my current Liberty stash. It's the softest cotton! I keep it in a bag & just take it out & look

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-21043268584357208022010-02-16T09:53:00.000-08:002010-02-16T09:53:14.361-08:00

Wow, I knew it had been a while since I blogged, but I didn't know it was that long. Things have slowed down a bit on Etsy lately so I've been extra busy trying to get things done around the house.  We've got a full set of upper cabinets now. I have so much storage space in there, I can't even find enough things to put away. Wait till we move on to the next round! Yesterday I finished making

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-68969784166773977802010-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:002010-01-30T08:58:36.802-08:00

I started a new pair of socks yesterday. This time I'm knitting one at a time, from the toe up from this book with this yarn. I repeat, I started these yesterday. If I could knit every pair of socks in my future on sport weight yarn, I'd do it. This is one evening of work, not two weeks. Wow!

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-62607529791243820972010-01-29T09:52:00.001-08:002010-01-29T09:56:25.830-08:00

A friend sent me a link to this video today. I nearly fell off my chair. Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman I love Pee-wee!!!

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-5834649273240173502010-01-25T10:06:00.000-08:002010-01-25T10:06:50.194-08:00

It was a great weekend! I have 3 upper cabinets now, and 5 more on the way.  Hooray for storage and progress! I've pretty much finished my clown socks, I just need to weave in the ends of the yarn and stitch up the toe on the 2nd sock. What I learned: make 2 socks at once! Cool. The excitement of finishing the socks made me rush on over to Etsy and pick up some knitting patterns from

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-74325227992070813462010-01-20T19:56:00.000-08:002010-01-20T19:56:44.479-08:00

Okay, this isn't really about a challenge...just a personal challenge that I am facing. And before you get all worried for me, I'm talking about fabric here, it's not that serious. This weekend I decided to go through my scrap fabric to weed out the really small and old stuff that I know I'll never use. I keep my scraps organized in plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store. It works well

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-82444860332691901672010-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:002010-01-16T18:24:50.054-08:00

You may have noticed that I've become a bit of a knitter lately. Because of this, I will now share with you some delicious treasures I recently acquired from the UK. I don't know how I found Lilou Colours, but I'm glad I did. She offers several types of hand-dyed yarns. This was my first purchase, it's called Burst of Sunshine, and it's an "ultimate sock yarn. It's a really soft wool/silk/

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-39988716207376333652010-01-12T20:50:00.001-08:002010-01-13T08:24:51.690-08:00

Not too long ago I came across a great display of this collection in a (somewhat) local quilt shop. If I hadn't seen these in person, I may not have taken notice. But I'm telling you, up close, they are divine. I got some bits and brought them home to show Nick. As usual, he was really interested. Ahem, okay, maybe interested isn't the right word, but he did like what I got. haha Anyway, I

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-60666369429091247872010-01-08T10:19:00.000-08:002010-01-08T10:19:43.807-08:00

I just realized I've been neglecting my blog again. Oops, sorry about that. I had hoped to have a nice, easy January and get lots of things done around the house, but so far it's not working out that way. No complaints though. I just thought I'd share a few really great things that showed up here at Christmas time. Nick got me these adorable pewter measuring spoons from beehive kitchenware.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-59304056218993691972009-12-27T19:54:00.000-08:002009-12-27T19:54:33.048-08:00

This past week I've been trying to actually work on some things that won't be for sale. It's a rare occasion that I make something for myself so it's been pretty fun. I got a quilt top made out of a Jelly Roll and some Charm Packs I bought from the Rouenneries collection by French General. It's going to hang in our hallway right off the entry (and hopefully warm the space up a bit). I'm using

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-34724831760810457582009-12-25T11:45:00.000-08:002009-12-25T11:45:22.405-08:00

Just popping in to wish you a Happy Christmas! Hope you have a wonderful day filled with family and friends. (Yes, I finished knitting Santa, just in time too.) See ya real soon.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-46520408472787213092009-12-14T09:43:00.000-08:002009-12-14T09:43:08.953-08:00

I finished a sock!!! I haven't started the second one yet, but I'm so excited I got this one done. If you think it looks a little wonky, it is. It fits, it works, but it's a little loose at the top. It's my first sock, so what? haha To reward myself, I started another project. Remember the Santa I told you about? Well, I took the whole evening off from monkeys (and owls) last night and got

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-54155495860941768462009-12-11T07:52:00.000-08:002009-12-11T07:52:18.232-08:00

I finally got around to making some Christmas place mats for Nick & I and I thought I'd share the process with you. They were super easy! I started with a Jelly Roll. I chose a collection called Figgy Pudding by Basic Grey. A Jelly Roll, by Moda,  is a roll of 2 1/2" strips of each fabric in an entire collection. This one came with 40 strips, enough to make at least 12 place mats. You'll also

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-36834234574425028842009-12-05T15:29:00.000-08:002009-12-05T15:29:37.739-08:00

This week I finally got to make something that's been on my To Do List for a while, pumpkin whoopie pies with maple marshmallow filling. There are lots of recipes for these online, I used this one from Bon Appétit. I believe the Whoopie Pie is traditionally chocolate, but I can't pass up a good pumpkin recipe. I have a weakness, okay? According to Wikipedia, Amish women baked whoopie pies for

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-25423756841400728342009-12-02T20:35:00.000-08:002009-12-02T20:35:52.103-08:00

One of my favorite things in the UK is anything Cath Kidston! I really miss being able to go to one of her shops whenever I feel like it. Luckily, she sends out this free magazine/catalog every couple of months (just to tease me). You can sign up for it here. It's filled with pretty things you'd find in her shops, or on her website (they ship internationally, just in case you're

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-1173003684884382742009-11-29T19:42:00.000-08:002009-11-29T19:42:06.789-08:00

In an attempt to spend a little time each day on something other than my shops, I've started a little Christmas project. This is different from the knitted Santa I haven't started yet, and the socks I'm supposed to be making in class and the place mats I bought fabric for this weekend. Yeah, this is another project I'm starting, haha. I actually bought this fabric to make place mats last year

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-17339721531133728582009-11-26T10:51:00.000-08:002009-11-26T10:51:16.708-08:00

Today I'm thankful my new oven arrived in time for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that Julie sent me this book for my birthday so I could give my oven a test drive. Naturally, I went with the Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream. The first thing I ever cooked in my oven! I think Nick's coworkers were thankful he went to work yesterday. Mmmmmm, cupcakes. So many things to be thankful

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-32268511782167655252009-11-17T09:37:00.000-08:002009-11-17T09:37:41.824-08:00

This weekend I headed south to the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival in Puyallup (Nick even went with me!!). It's not the biggest show on earth, but it was a nice diversion and I did pick up a few bits of fabric. Are you surprised? haha That Japanese one on the bottom has already been turned into my new knitting bag. Do you like it? I was way overcharged for the fabric so I thought I'd better

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-18161180222021268682009-11-13T04:00:00.000-08:002009-11-13T04:00:05.586-08:00

This past weekend I got a chance to meet Kathy aka Lizzie Jane and her daughter Layla aka Layla! It's always fun to meet a fellow blogger/Etsy seller or two. It just so happens that I've been searching for a new soap maker, so seeing these girls in person was a great opportunity to do some smell testing. Needless to say, Nick and I found a few soaps we couldn't live without. They are so

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-91003672523663783332009-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:002009-11-11T12:07:34.100-08:00

I wanted to share my progress from the sock knitting class Monday night. (How lucky am I that I can walk to a yarn shop?)   I haven't done much, but I'm happy with what I've got. The yarn is so pretty! These socks are knit on two circular needles from the cuff down. I have about 7 more inches to knit by Monday, yikes!   This is my next knitting project. I'd love to knit my way through this

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-54759578997589595832009-11-09T12:32:00.000-08:002009-11-09T12:32:41.182-08:00

I don't like to just go on & on about things I put in my shops, but I'm just too excited about this one not to mention it. Yes, I finally got the sewing pattern written for my coupon organizers, HOORAY!! I do spend a lot of time writing and designing my patterns, but geez, this one was months in the making.  I swear all I make these days is coupon organizers, but they're pretty fun. I think

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-76952311134265214912009-11-02T13:16:00.001-08:002009-11-02T13:17:25.347-08:00

We're finally getting started on the long and slow process of remodeling "the vanilla kitchen", YAY! Unfortunately, mold is the reason we're moving forward with phase 1. Yep, too bad the home inspector missed that one. Anyway, I'm glad to get it all started.  I get to have this tent for a couple days while things dry out. Then we'll be removing soffits and patching up the walls.   The first

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-42558771543746654932009-10-30T09:51:00.001-08:002009-10-30T09:53:50.399-08:00

 Ever since I took that cake decorating course this summer I've been thinking about making mummies for Halloween. I finally got my chance yesterday! I started with this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins from AllRecipes.com (I get a lot of recipes from that site!). They baked up nicely. Next I made the cinnamon cream cheese frosting and mixed up some colors. (yes, my oven is that small)

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-73259106993752518232009-10-28T11:21:00.001-08:002009-10-31T22:17:59.401-08:00

Can a person have too many monkeys? I think I'm bordering on obsessed now. They have to be cute and small, but those are my only limits. I've picked up a few new ones lately.. I got this little dude at the Seattle Art Museum (which I love!) about a week ago. He's handmade by a fair trade women's cooperative in Nepal. I don't feel as guilty about this monkey because he's for a good cause.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-89872797710776340572009-10-25T19:36:00.002-08:002009-10-25T19:38:03.572-08:00

I've been a busy little beaver since we last spoke. Fall has engulfed my house with leaves. The weather is cool and crisp. Visitors have come and gone and now I'm back to blog another day. I thought I'd ease my way back into it with a little photo essay of what's been happening up here in Seattle. Chocolate cupcake recipes have been tested. Treasures have been discovered in boxes.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-40406107558591881832009-09-16T13:14:00.004-07:002009-09-16T13:20:48.929-07:00

Have you noticed lately that I haven't been posting much?Me too.In the interest of not burning myself out, and boring you to tears, I'm going to take a break from the ol' blog. I'll be back soon, I promise. I just need a little creative renewal. See ya again real soon.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-28301894251670216532009-09-04T09:18:00.005-07:002009-09-04T09:29:19.653-07:00

This is the view from my driveway. The front of my house is actually on the side. The kitchen is on the end. It's very confusing. Until this past weekend, it was even more confusing.There's a lot of space in front of the house and it was FILLED with overgrown rhododendrons. Now, rhoddies are the state flower of Washington. I don't know why because I can't seem to come up with something good about

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-88153232866531576172009-08-25T10:02:00.003-07:002009-08-25T10:14:24.571-07:00

Last weekend, Nick and I went to Country Village for some lunch. I needed to get some yellow polka dot fabric that I knew they had at Keepsake Cottage. Totally by accident, I walked out with these fabrics that look great together!Uh oh! It happened again yesterday! For realz, I didn't plan it, I just picked stuff that matches, haha. I got these at The Quilt Barn in Pulallup, it was quite a nice

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-57236594322415949402009-08-15T13:56:00.005-07:002009-08-15T14:11:05.019-07:00

Hey, do you guys know Chicken Girl, aka Jannie Ho? She's a super duper illustrator of children's books & other fun things and I'm a huge fan (remember this post?). About a week ago I was checking out her blog and saw that she's got some new rubber stamps available from i {heart} papers. Hooray!One week later, and I've got a set in my hot little hands. Aren't they the cutest?!This little squirrel

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-71396788560177858912009-08-11T08:42:00.003-07:002009-08-11T09:14:39.628-07:00

I received a very fun little package yesterday from the lovely and kind Mrs. Kwitty. She happened upon this Wilton Christmas book from 1976 and thought she'd send it along for me to enjoy. I think I'll bring it to my Wilton class tonight for everyone to see. haha, it's great!!!Check out that coroler doll cake on the left. Nick would flip his lid if he saw that on the counter.Mrs. Kwitty wrote

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-9301173119204477372009-08-03T09:23:00.006-07:002009-08-03T09:43:42.662-07:00

Nick and I had a great time this weekend. Saturday we just got things done, but yesterday we had some fun in the city.First, we met Jenn and Josh at the Seattle Center for Urban Craft Uprising.It was a nice show, not as big as I expected, but still a good time. We saw lots of familiar Etsy sellers. Here are a few of my favorite sellers that were at the show...new EtsyNameSpace.Mini(5397216, 'shop

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-19290982225696979902009-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:002009-07-31T12:00:00.220-07:00

I'm not going to pass on any great and helpful information this week, I'm just going to tell you some more about my cake decorating odyssey. I just finished Wilton Cake Decorating Course II! Yay! Bring on the fondant! hahaDuring course II we spent a lot of time making various flowers for our final cake. Remember my last Two Spoonfuls post about Royal Icing? We also learned how to do a basket

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-77821530967671547742009-07-28T09:21:00.003-07:002009-07-28T09:40:34.463-07:00

Have you ever tried marking dark fabric with one of those white fabric pencils? They always break in the sharpener, and if they don't, the lead just falls out. I usually end up sharpening mine with a knife, but it's still never good enough.Last week I saw a mechanical fabric pencil online and I was thrilled! Perfect, right? No sharpening, no thick lead and no carving in my sewing room. Hooray!I

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-66250428349942243462009-07-20T08:29:00.004-07:002009-07-20T09:08:35.733-07:00

I've been doing a little shopping lately.These two 5x5" photos came from Friendly Made on Etsy. I've had my eye on that dinosaur for months! There's a 3rd print downstairs in our family room.Another item I've been coveting is this lavender bunny all the way from the UK. Check out Pouch for more cute stuff.How about a little local handmade goodness? Our farmer's market does one day of crafts and

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-68469486998969719122009-07-17T11:15:00.005-07:002009-07-17T11:48:27.884-07:00

This week in my Wilton Cake Decorating class, we started working with Royal Icing. What's Royal Icing, you ask? Well, it's a smooth hard-drying icing that's great for making flowers & other decorations. Once you've made something with it, you can keep it for about two years too. That's pretty cool.Here's the recipe, compliments of the Wilton website:Royal Icing3 tablespoons Meringue Powder 4

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-10822855963559902532009-07-16T09:30:00.003-07:002009-07-16T09:53:37.661-07:00

Since we moved into our new house I've been doing a lot of painting and door removal and whatnot. I thought I'd share a few of the improvements with you.For the most part, the house is in good shape. There's just a little bit of 60's leftover. There are a lot of closets in the hall and entryway upstairs. They all had these unpleasant, dark louver doors on them. yuck! I removed all of them and

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-52787299528486020542009-07-10T09:55:00.005-07:002009-07-10T10:03:35.213-07:00

Last week I was lucky enough to appear in one of those Etsy Finds emails that get sent out now & then by our friends at Etsy. WoW! Thanks so much to Etsy for including my little monkey, I had a ton of sales and even passed the 500 sales mark for Monkey Travel Club. I'm just so amazed at how well they've done. I don't know what I would have done without Etsy. More than likely, quit the full time

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-77377066959627668482009-07-01T09:46:00.005-07:002009-07-01T10:10:24.051-07:00

Have you ever hearted something on Etsy and then gone back to savor it & found it sold? That's the worst, right?new EtsyNameSpace.Mini(6801310, 'shop','thumbnail',1,4).renderIframe();Jadite Kate is one of my favorite shops. If you take a peak at my favorites, you'll see a ton of her stuff there. One of my favorite items that recently sold was these awesome glassbake mugs. I'm addicted to anything

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-61891717200612527342009-06-29T07:57:00.003-07:002009-06-29T08:47:04.251-07:00

Yesterday, Nick and I just didn't feel like doing things around the house. We ran some errands and then decided to hit the road. Everyone's been telling us to check out Snoqualmie Falls, so that's what we did. Good choice!Less than an hour from our house, this place was gorgeous! It was a beautiful day too. We started at the falls which sits next to Salish Lodge & Spa. We took a little walk

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-38357901275818986052009-06-26T09:29:00.004-07:002009-06-26T10:10:15.854-07:00

Welcome back! I realize I haven't been blogging much lately, and I apologize. I just don't think I've had much to say. I've been super busy trying to get the house in order, making things for my shops and taking a cake decorating class. I've always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes so I'm finally doing it. I've just finished the first course of the Wilton Method at my local JoAnn store. It

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-15020937415206676852009-06-16T08:24:00.005-07:002009-06-16T08:53:01.707-07:00

Nick and I went on a little expedition on Sunday to see an exhibit of this man's work (which was so cool!), and did a little shopping too. We're still trying to get to know the Seattle area.I think I've told you about my thing for fake food. I made this cheeseburger over the weekend. Isn't it cute? I thought I could stitch the pieces together and use it as a pin cushion.I got the pattern for the

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-56335719418112698062009-06-09T11:42:00.005-07:002009-06-09T12:47:11.187-07:00

I think just about everyone knows about the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog...right? They do a great job with their monthly themes and this month is Sewing Machine Month. Cool! I've got 3 sewing machines so I'm all over it. Anyway, they've got a little meme going on and I thought I might join in on the fun. I love to gush about my PFAFF (no one in my house wants to hear about it, haha).The Sewing Machine

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-60117143312922434782009-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:002009-06-05T12:00:00.183-07:00

Jenn and I decided that this week we're going to mix things up (no pun intended) and try something new. I told her about this cool cake pan set I'd seen at Williams Sonoma and she suggested we do a little product review. So, I went and picked up my new Sandwich Cookie Cake Pan Set. I decided to go with the recipe on the box for a chocolate cake and quick buttercream frosting (my favorite!).The

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-51101104917933063202009-06-03T15:26:00.007-07:002009-06-03T16:36:42.810-07:00

Since moving to Seattle I have been to IKEA 3 times. It's a great big store on only one level with covered walkways and parking (very clever for a place that gets a lot of rain). This past weekend Nick and I went to get ourselves some new couches. It was lots of fun.We enjoyed some Swedish Meatballs. Yummy!I got this glass jar to make my own terrarium. They seem to be all the rage on Etsy these

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-81694355501710037522009-05-31T08:09:00.003-07:002009-05-31T08:16:38.731-07:00

This week I was attempting to get some new things into my shops when I came across this:I don't seem to recall making this Gadget Penguin with his eye bulging out. hmmmm? I wonder what's been going on here?Oh, right. I see now. A certain ginger cat has adopted this penguin as his own. Thanks a lot Jody. Pick on someone your own size next time....or maybe someone who doesn't take quite so long to

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-52706156746483148522009-05-23T09:47:00.004-07:002009-05-23T10:14:10.697-07:00

We're back! I've pretty much unpacked what I can in my new kitchen so it's time to get back to cooking. This week I'm back with Alton, tackling the Egg Foam Method. I won't try to explain this one to you because I just don't understand it, too much scientific mumo-jumbo for me. It's all about bubbles, that much I know.This section of I'm Just Her for More Food is full of recipes for things we

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-37895448894292859132009-05-20T09:57:00.004-07:002009-05-20T10:16:00.038-07:00

Today we're getting TV, but I'm not really excited about it. We don't watch a lot of TV and we HATE cable. Unfortunately, when your house is surrounded by really tall tress, satellite isn't an option. sigh So, today I'm waiting for the cable guy. Expecting someone always throws off my schedule, I have lots of hallway trim to paint today. Anyway, while I wait, I thought I'd pop in and share a few

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-28483266138936864112009-05-15T12:39:00.003-07:002009-05-15T12:54:25.887-07:00

Hi, it's me again. I'm still digging through the mountain of boxes, but I had to stop in and say hello. I'll just share some quick piccies of what's going on here at the "Chocolate Box" (this house is soooooo brown). I was very happy to find out that the tree outside my kitchen window is a Japanese Maple. Just what I wanted! Here's a view from the driveway.It's not as grey and horrible in Seattle

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-13050698299177088822009-05-10T22:20:00.003-07:002009-05-10T22:31:52.734-07:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't done one blog post about the big move to Seattle. Sorry about that. I've been on my laptop since we got here...the cable for my camera has been missing...and we've been really busy. Now for the update. I'll be brief, it's my bed time.We've been in the new house for just over a week now & so far we're loving it here. The house is a mess and still in a state of total

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-3482612147210958202009-04-24T11:01:00.004-07:002009-04-24T12:06:30.260-07:00

This week I went for something that will last. Nick and I are less than a week away from moving so cooking is the last thing on my mind. I caught a few minutes of Cook's Country on TV last weekend & saw them make this recipe. It looked easy, tasty and also like it might last for a few meals. Perfect! Also, I've never made chili without browning the meat first so it was a new thing to try."

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-88947810211910939762009-04-22T08:11:00.004-07:002009-04-22T09:21:36.165-07:00

I don't know why so many odd ideas have been popping into my head lately, but I might as well go with it. Here's my latest random project...a coupon organizer! I had one of those paper ones a long time ago, but I think it went in the bin when I went to England. Then I bought a cool plastic one from the Container Store (I love you Container Store). That one just didn't work. It wouldn't stay open.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-86003399141897065482009-04-20T21:49:00.005-07:002009-04-20T21:57:33.762-07:00

Well, today started my last full week living in California, and none too soon. It's blazing hot here! Get me outta here already. I can't wait to head north next week and to begin my real life with Nick. For the past 3 years we've been living a very temporary existence & this move is going to really change that. We're really looking forward to owning a home and (fingers crossed) starting a family.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-9474878329716323472009-04-14T09:42:00.004-07:002009-04-14T09:52:44.059-07:00

Have you seen all those great pet collars on Etsy? They're really cool, but most of them are for dogs. It's the same thing when you go to the pet store...a whole aisle of sweet dog collars and toys & a small section for the cats. It's not fair!! I'm taking a stand for kitties. Actually, I decided to go ahead and make my own cool kitty collars.They look alright, they just get a little worn after a

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-79761556315174000392009-04-10T10:20:00.006-07:002009-04-10T12:18:22.671-07:00

Okay, so you all know by now that I'm packing up my house to move to Washington (in 3 weeks!), so I'm gonna cheat a little this week. I should be working on "The Straight Dough Method" according to our friend Alton Brown. I just couldn't find the time to not only read through the 54 page chapter, but to bake bread as well. Sorry. Instead, I'm going to summon up my previously learned Alton Brown

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-20002967398868292502009-04-07T14:09:00.005-07:002009-04-07T14:17:35.385-07:00

Actually, vote for Balthazar! I just received a convo from Etsy letting me know that one of my monkeys has made it onto the Tax Time Get Down to Business item poll on the Storque. That's so cool! Balthazar and I are very honored to be a part of the pool. If you'd like to vote for Balthazar or another cool handmade item, click here.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-37350221508330943282009-04-03T14:00:00.004-08:002009-04-03T14:14:26.713-08:00

This morning I came across something really cool online that I thought I'd share with you. I went to the Dritz/Prym website to get some info on the snaps I use and found their Tips & Techniques page.There's a whole bunch of downloadable PDF's about different sewing stuff notions and tools:NeedlesPinsMachine Needles (I love this one)BobbinsFastenersSewing Tools and more!I printed out the Machine

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-14604708537811398972009-04-01T13:43:00.003-08:002009-04-01T13:52:04.683-08:00

This past weekend we visited our friends Jim & Julie for the last time before we move. The weather was gorgeous! It was nice to get away and relax for a couple days before I get into the whole packing thing. Yuck!This is where I got married almost a year ago. Wow, the time is just flying by.Julie's taking a watercolor class. She gave me this painting before I moved to the UK. I love it! I can't

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-51717348358571957262009-03-27T10:05:00.004-08:002009-03-27T11:07:53.215-08:00

Hey there, I'm back this week with Alton Brown to tell you about The Creaming Method (you'll remember that I've been working my way through "I'm Just Here for More Food"). This method refers to that wonderfully vague phrase you see in tons of recipes, "cream until light and fluffy". This is one of those phrases that always gets me a little nervous. What exactly does that mean, "light and fluffy"?

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-73788527538234581912009-03-25T09:06:00.002-08:002009-03-25T09:19:07.657-08:00

Just a peek at what I've been making lately. A bit of everything.Last night, the idea of making some crocheted Easter eggs just popped into my head. While Nick watched Quantum of Solace (this movie is so not my cup of tea), I came up with a pattern that works for me. I've made these six so far, I think I'll make a few more.While working on my zipper pouch pattern, I discovered that some of the

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-11055768012832043532009-03-23T08:27:00.004-08:002009-03-23T08:44:07.788-08:00

Nick and I are finally getting ready to make our move to the Seattle area. Yay!! We've been talking about this for about 3 years now so we're really excited that it's finally coming. We're buying a house and getting out of California (hopefully for good). I plan to get a moving company in to help out, but I'll be doing some of the packing myself.I've already started going through my stuff to

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-75775185183281629032009-03-16T17:43:00.006-08:002009-03-16T18:19:17.378-08:00

Have you guys seen a copy of Sew Hip Magazine yet? It's a new one from the UK, I've mentioned it once before. Yeah, that's the one.Well, they recently contacted me about using one of my tote bags in the April issue. There's a little feature on them. Naturally I said, "yes!". So, today (thanks to my British mother-in-law and sister-in-law) I received my copy!That's my Neighborhood Tote, right

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-12737608797507774282009-03-13T09:39:00.003-08:002009-03-13T10:49:58.231-08:00

Have you ever thought of making your own marshmallows? (Add them to the list of things that intimidate me, but now I know how easy it is!) Jenn and I decided that this week we're going to make the same food using different recipes.My recipe came from a cookbook called: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. It's full of very decadent recipes for all sorts of desserts. The marshmallows were my second

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-64726762638220565652009-03-11T10:39:00.004-08:002009-03-11T11:28:54.621-08:00

Things are pretty slow in my shops these days so I'm trying to take this time to get myself organized. You never know when you're going to be moving or having a baby, so why not get ahead while you can, right?One of the ways I've been organizing myself is by planning my meals. I created a Weekly Meal Planner for myself & it seems to be helping me a lot. I'm no longer standing at the fridge every

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-35831613204957389942009-03-04T17:23:00.005-08:002009-03-04T17:37:18.737-08:00

I've been planning to expand Monkey Travel Club to include friends of monkeys. Here's what I've come up with so far...Nick thinks the cat needs a mouth. I suppose he's right. Is it weird to have a shop called Monkey Travel Club that has a cat, a penguin and a pig in it? Anyway, these guys will get me started in my exploration of the animal world, in yarn. They'll be packing their bags for their

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-59245733456260280062009-02-27T11:32:00.001-08:002009-03-04T17:38:15.659-08:00

This week we're headed back into Alton Brown Territory. For me, it's The Biscuit Method, and I'll tell you right now...anything with the word "biscuit" in it is okay with me. Biscuits are my favorite, favorite food (next to cake & cupcakes with sprinkles. mmmmm, cupcaaaaakes). But the Biscuit Method isn't just about biscuits, nope, it "refers to any procedure that calls for solid fat to be 'cut'

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-6409310718223980132009-02-25T18:11:00.003-08:002009-02-25T18:22:00.387-08:00

I've been very slack in my On My Desk duties. Sorry about that, but I'm back with a few things in my sewing room today.I made a tote bag for a friend using an old tea towel, leftover fabric from her son's quilt and a tablecloth. Way to reuse, eh?I have two fabric zipper pouches waiting to be assembled and one monkey pouch waiting for his lining and zipper. I tend to put off monkeys with zippers.

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-63953616229029585252009-02-23T15:25:00.002-08:002009-02-23T15:44:24.782-08:00

I just realized that I haven't talked much about crafty stuff lately. This is a "craft" blog, right? hehe, oops. So, to prove to you that I actually do still make things, here are a few of my recent creations in no particular order....I crocheted this cute cupcake using a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. You have to sign up to get their free patterns, but that's no biggie.I'm always trying to

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903643123199161164.post-22743692192789691292009-02-17T10:21:00.007-08:002009-02-17T10:31:10.811-08:00

We're back! Nick and I flew home late Sunday night and were so glad that yesterday was a holiday. We were beat. I spent most of the day lounging on the couch, not a normal activity for me at all. So, I thought I'd share a couple photos from our trip...We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, one of our favorite resort hotels on the Disney property. I love the attention to detail, the theming is great

iSewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15986483985479892817noreply@blogger.com6