Three Kitchen Fairies

What's new!!

I had a no-so-busy week, no-so-busy just because I decided not to stress myself with everybody's issues around here. Not that they bother me but I'm a very worried person when it comes to the people I love. I worry to the point of putting my own health on the edge. Nope, it wasn't the fairies. They're pure joy...Anyways, I decided to get ready for my little fairy's 5th birthday and throw in a few crafty presents in her gift box.

I got this pretty picture of the process

Yummy colors and recycled, or should I say up-cycled materials... I got a couple of t-shirts to work on and make them pretty. Since she's growing so fast I had to go with something she'll feel comfortable using any day. Let me tell you I don't now what happened to the girly girls with pretty bows and 'dresses.' This little one of mine only wants skinny pants and t-shirts. I have to remain her that she is only four years old and that is not her job to worry so much about her looks...

The result 

I cut though a few old t-shirts to make these circles. Then I free motion-ed on them with some stabilizer in the back. This project gave me so many ideas for the future, I can't wait to find the time and gather my materials...

And because one was not enough, I made one more

This is the first time I make something like this. Inspired by this girl, I wanted to give it a try to the little houses thingy. Why not, right? Let me tell you that far from criticizing her, ahem, ahem;I would applaud her patience (and the patience of anyone who enjoys the making of this.) Craft-wise putting together all those teeny tiny pieces is the most unpleasant work I have ever done. They move so easily out of place!!! this project was driving me crazy. Definitely not my thing. 

 

I love the result, only the result.

So there you have it, these was one of my week projects. Now, I'm ready to start with the preparations for her birthday. We'll take her to the movies to watch "Princess and the Frog"and then out for some lunch in down town. Great for a no-so-busy week, ha? I'll be back next week with my deer obsession.

Happy weekend!!
 

New love

Last summer one of my dearest friends gave me a gift card from the books store for my birthday. She knows I love craft books...I kept the gift card until last December that I found about this book thank you to Vintage Fairytale; that girl always makes me crave all her pretty fabrics and books.

Finally I got my new book, and I love it. Thank you dearest friend!! Today I made my first project:

The cosmetics pouch. All the projects in this book involve linen, and this was my first time working with it. I love the feeling of it and the warmth of its natural color. I see many of this pouches in my future. The possibilities to make them pretty are endless; besides, a pouch like this can be a great [girly] gift.

...little label just because. This project is so well explained, easy to follow. Let me tell you, this is the first time I make a pouch with a zipper. Zippers use to be the down side of my crafting, I was so afraid of them. They don't scare me anymore!!

And a picture of the matching lining. I'm so happy about this little craft!!! 
 
 

Good things about today

Today she asked me for a embroidery hoop with a little fabric, and she started a tiny cupcake embroidery.

 
I started a new embroidery project too...

 
The two of us baked blueberry bread... And if I try a bit harder I can keep focusing in the positive things about today:

- my girls are healthy, and they make me extremely happy.

- he has a job, a good job.

- we have a roof over our heads, and food on our table.

- we love each other to piece

- dinner is ready

- we'll watch "American Idol" from the DVR this afternoon

- and it's almost four, I have to get my girls from school

I'm not the kind of people that rants on her blog, but this will do.

 

Hunka Munka

I've been working on this embroidery piece. I get the feeling that somehow my mood shows in any handy work I make. This one is specially mellow, like this winter time, like the warm feeling of being in the couch stitching this after putting my girls to bed at night. 

 
I made this embroidery based on a illustration by Beatrix Potter. The little mousy's name is Hunka Munka, and the story says that she stole some doll's dresses to wear herself, cute isn't she?  This is my 'theme declaration' for the Hoop up! stitch and send swap, so I'm open to any vintage illustration embroidery, or anything my partners think goes well with this lady mouse.

Some more pretty illustrations...

I wanted to add this pattern as a freebie but I wasn't sure if that would be OK, because copyright issues. Besides the fact that I wouldn't claim any author's right over it, and that it isn't an actual embroidery pattern, I thought it would have been nice to share it as a pattern. What do you think?? I leave it up to you.  Just let me know, I can always add it as a freebie.
 
 
 

Hope

"Putting America to work" that's what the orange sign reads. I drive by this corner every morning on my way home after dropping off my girls at school. And although is only one sign and one project from the many more the state, and the country will need to get back on our feet, it makes me sigh with hope. I have come to terms with the fact that I live here in Michigan, I've stopped idealizing the far away places were I thought I'd rather be. I have accepted that this is home, and that there most be a reason why God placed us here. Still 2009 was such a hard year: 43 000 jobs lost to the manufacture industry, the fall of the automobile industry, and the foreclosure crisis, the lost of funds for public school, among some other economic problems. I hope this year brings many more projects like this one to Michigan.  I hope for families to find a way to get ahead in this crisis, I hope for some economic stability, and some peace of mind. 

I wish I had a better picture to show you. This one made me stop the traffic. I had at least five cars behind me and yet no one honked at me...such a nice pretty town I live in.
 

Shoe bags

This morning my girls were packing all their stuff for school. During winter time, they have to carry an extra pair of shoes to schools. With all the ice and snow they have to wear snow boots for three months or so when going outside. Sometimes their shoes go unpack into the backpack, right next to their snacks and their books, yuck!!!

 
I did not like the idea of the shoes' soles rubbing against their other belongings, and their food. I'm not a germ freak but I do have my limits. Yesterday, one of may girls was carrying a plastic bag with her snickers...practical but not nice. Between errands and couple of laundry loads I made this shoe bags. Pretty Joann's fabrics, so I won't feel I've wasted fabric. Happy labels to avoid fights, and better organized backpacks. Ahhhh! I feel better now.

Two out of one

Remember my border disaster couple of months ago?? Well, little by little I got to fix the problem. I put the quilt top away to clear my mind of it. I looked for a fabric that I did love to go with the bear paws, as Andi suggested, and I added red corners to it.

 
This is how it turned out. I love it and now I'm happy about it. This quilt won't be a large one. It's only 45X45 inches kind of small-ish. Good enough to have it by the sofa in the family room in this super cold weather, 21 F. degrees at the moment.

..close up of the corner...and the horrible border that I came up with that day was turned into disappearing 9 patch blocks.

 
This quilt top is a little bit larger that the other. Both are very fall/winter even Christmas looking to me. I ended up with two quilt tops instead of one, and I'm glad so much work did not go to waste. Thanks so much for all your suggestions about how to fix this project.

  
 

New Year, new plans.

So many things, so many plans...I hope you had wonderful Holidays and happy celebrations for New Year. We're still having a good time as long as we don't remember that on Monday everybody goes back to school and to work. As always, the New Year brings in tons of hope and wishes to get better at so many things. In my case, I want to get better at taking pictures.I have gotten so much encouragement from my husband. For the last couple of years he's gotten me all the equipment I need, I just can't let him and myself down. I do love taking pictures but I definitely need to learn so much more about it. The picture I'm posting today is a self portrait. Well, sort of. I asked my big girl to push the button when I was ready. It's part of a good exercise inspired by The Sometimes Crafter.I'm so not into having my picture taken. I really dislike it, but it's time I do some justice to my picture disaster history and make something the fairies will someday think it's worth to hang in their family picture wall. A little bit dramatic but it's true. The sweater I'm wearing was knitted by my mother in law specially for me. I like it so much, it's a piece of wardrobe I can easily wear all winter long. This is just the beginning of a long list of things I want to make this year. Craft-wise I signed up for the block swap, the three by six quilt sampler, and the hoop up, stitch, and send swap. Quilt around the world is still going... So we'll see, I'll take it one step a the time and let's see what this year has in store for my family and me. What about you? What are your plans??