AdorableOriginals

Luggage Tags for a Friend

2012-02-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

9 Luggage Tags for a 4 people who left home to return home as a family of 5. So excited for my precious friends and their growing family!

Inspired by Pinterest and Lovely Fabric

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

This was one of the first things I pinned. You know I love fabric and simple ways to bring color into my home.

Source: purlbee.com via Jessica on Pinterest

And here is the result in my kitchen, above the pantry doors.

If you are interested in doing this yourself and would like instructions, tutorials are available at the Purl Bee and Cutting Corners.

Most of the fabric used is Sugar and Spice from Riley Blake, the polka dots are Michael Miller, and the turquoise plaid is from Ready Set Snow by "Me and My Sister" for Moda.

A Little Advice Please?!

2012-01-25T15:46:00.000-05:00

We recently acquired a new camera... and for his birthday, my husband wants a pic of the kids. It seemed like a simple enough task until I actually tired to get both kids looking the same direction! I have several great pictures of each child alone, but getting both together was a different story.

So, I ended up with two decent shots of the kids together, but could use a little help deciding which to print. Any thoughts? Please be gentle as I still have so very much to learn and my subjects are 2 and 4.

Thanks for the help! I may try one more session, but I'm running out of time!

Learning something new

2012-01-07T16:07:00.001-05:00

I've spent a fair amount of time this weekend working on a couple projects from this book. It is really great! Hopefully I'll have a couple cute skirts to show you soon!

Snowflakes, Snowflakes All Around

2012-01-05T08:00:00.003-05:00

Around my house that is!

Four packages of clearance ornaments

plus the grapevine wreath that lives on our door

and the "tree"

equal lovely, simple, economical winter decorations and snowflakes, snowflakes all around!

As far as real weather goes - snowflakes, snowflakes no where to be found.

Little Fabric House

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of E's Christmas gifts. I used the tutorial from the first One-yard Wonders book, but instructions are also available here.

This is the third little house of the season - the first two went to my nieces - and I was kinda sewing on autopilot, which may explain why I neglected to add the elastic straps before sewing the house together. Oh well, at least the first two were assembled correctly... and more importantly, my little girl loves it!

Cheap Seasonal Decorating or how to reuse the same beautiful branches all winter

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

It all started with the Thankful Tree back in November and needing a "tree" for our leaves with what we are thankful for. I just cut out simple leaves from scrapbook paper and used a hole punch to easily hang them on the tree (aka branches from the backyard stuck in a vase). After Thanksgiving, I packed our leaves away, but couldn't seem to part with these great branches... so the tree became a display piece for Christmas cards.
By this point, I knew that this tree would be sticking (ha) around a little longer. Snowflake Christmas ornaments 70% off at Target sealed the deal.

Any guess what's next?

Here's a hint - these ornaments were also 70% off.

Total cost for 4 months of fun decorations $2.10 plus tax.

Taking down the decoations

2011-12-30T13:22:00.003-05:00

It's time to pack the Christmas decorations away and get ready for a new year. Praying that you and your family have enjoyed a wonderful season. We are thankful to be able to celebrate Jesus all year long.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T23:29:00.001-05:00

Homemade Gifts

2011-12-21T23:09:00.003-05:00

I've been working on finishing a few Christmas gifts for the kiddos. Hope to share more about these soon!

Are you finishing up any homemade gifts or shopping?

Crazy Crayon Rolls

2011-12-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

I love crayon rolls. Here are a few of the recently completed ones.

Including the one that I am working on now, I will have made 8 this month. Because, if you're gonna make one, you might as well make a few more.

Do you want to make one too? There is a great tutorial here at V and co from Lindsey of The Pleated Poppy

Baby Burp Cloths

2011-12-14T12:24:00.002-05:00

Two stacks of burp cloths for two precious babies.

Thankful for the opportunity to celebrate these two precious children.

Christmas Stockings

2011-12-12T15:38:00.005-05:00

I've been working on a lot of Christmas projects around here, but this particular one is from last year...

Reversible stockings for the family... because if it is going to be lined, it might as well be reversible.

This way we can all match or be unique.

The cupcakes are E's, cars are the little mans, blue camping for the hubby, and snowflakes are for me.

Happy Fall

2011-10-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

Just a little hello from us this fall!

A Finished Quilt for the Little Man

2011-10-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

I started this quilt months ago... many months ago.
It has actually been finished for over two month and being used regularly on the little man's bed.

Side One, horizontal stripes and solid brown border

Side Two, vertical stripes, a square row, and solid blue.

I quilted the stars with the walking foot, mainly because I'm still not so good at free motion quilting. Although this would have been a good quilt to practice on. Let me tell you, turning this quilt to make each star using the walking foot on my basic sewing machine was not an easy task.

I love it. My little boy loves it.

The fabric is mainly All Star from Riley Blake and solids. The red star print was in my stash and matched perfectly.

I'll leave you with an artist shot, taken by the 4 year old quilt owner. I'm not opposed to showing my face, but he saw fit to focus on the quilt... or maybe he is just 4 and this is what you get when you let him take a picture.

Little Apples Quilt Progress

2011-10-24T14:25:00.001-04:00

Jellyroll strips... sewn in pairs... cut in triangles...

and Sewn in Squares

But, Now What????

Any thoughts on layout? There are just so many good options!

My jellyroll came from The Intrepid Thread along with some other goodies that I won not too long ago.

Bags in the Shop

2011-10-23T16:35:00.002-04:00

These bags are a few others are available in the shop.

I'm still having some picture uploading issues here and on facebook, but hope to be back to regular sharing soon!

Camping, as seen through the lens of a preschooler

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

We recently went camping with some friends from church. Our little man got a hold of the camera a couple of times. One time with permission... the other time not so much.

I thought you might enjoy seeing things from his point of view. I sure did.

Garbage can. There were a couple of pictures of this trash can.

Sister

Tree

Tents

Messy van

Not exactly what I would have chosen to capture, but it was neat to see the world through my son's eyes.

Backpack

2011-10-15T16:41:00.000-04:00

I made a backpack. Why, you ask? Because E needed one for school and I had the Toddler Backpack Pattern from Made by Rae.

It was a fun project and would have been easier if I just followed Rae's good instructions, but my bag need to be able to hold a full sized folder and I wanted it to be lined. I also choose to do the straps a little differently because I liked the strap layout/design on the little man's backpack.
I am actually very pleased with the outcome. E loves it! It looks better full, with her folder and such inside.

I highly recommend the pattern from Made by Rae. Even though I decided to modify certain elements, her instructions are so clear and easy to follow.

*Many thanks to my husband for letting me use his computer to upload pictures.

What's Going On

2011-10-14T20:53:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to blog, honest! However, I seem to be having problems uploading pictures through blogger. It seemed a little still to tell you about a finished quilt and other projects without having anything to "show" you... and I have so much to show you. It might be my computer... hopefully we'll figure it out soon!

On my Ironing Board Right Now

2011-09-14T16:24:00.005-04:00

There has been a fair amount of sewing and crafting around here the last couple of weeks, now that my head feels better. I look forward to sharing some of the other projects soon!

A non-crafting week

2011-08-29T14:21:00.004-04:00

I think that it is safe to safe that the last week was pretty eventful where we live. Between the tremors felt last Tuesday and the threat of a major storm this past weekend, the media here in NC has been pretty busy. Thankfully, we didn't suffer any major consequences from either of these events. We are far enough inland that Irene just brought a lot of rain and wind.

However, we did have to take a trip to the ER last week. I had a little run in with the sewing cabinet, literally. I was sitting on the floor sorting scraps (sounds safe enough) and stood up hitting my head on the open cabinet door. Sounds simple enough, but I hit a little too hard and there was blood. I'll spare you the details. My precious husband came home from work to take me, and a sweet friend watched the kiddos while I got patched up.
I went back and got the staples out today. Hopefully, some crafting will take place this week. Between the soreness and tiredness from pain meds, nothing much got done last week.

I thank God for a community of friends who were able to help and encourage us. I am also thankful that I didn't pass out, not sure how the kids would have handled that!
Just an update on real life around here. I'll spare you any pictures.

Little felt tent

2011-08-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, I have really random ideas. Sometime, I run with these random ideas and end up with a fun project.

Here is one of those ideas from last week.

Because every boy "needs" tents for his little men.

Some more sleeping bags were also "needed"

The construction is fairly simple - square bottom and 4 pentagon sides (one cut in half to open for the door and not sewn on the bottom)

I tried to turn them so that the seams would be on the inside, but they looked better this way.

A few bags

2011-08-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've been working trying to get inventory up before the Creative Hearts Marketplace (so that I don't have an empty booth), and working assembly line style.

The result - a slew of fresh bags.

I like to call them Library bags. They are perfect for carrying a few books home from the library, taking toys/books to and from the car, or carrying the necessary items to and from school or church. The red one below is my favorite.

Each bag is lined in duck cloth to be nice and sturdy. There aren't any pockets on the inside. I think that makes it easier for little ones to be able to get their stuff in and out without it getting stuck in the pocket.

Speaking of little one and bags... I'm not the only one in this family who likes a good bag or six.

Super Mail!

2011-08-18T14:27:00.003-04:00

A fellow blogger recently introduced me to this wonderful blog and fabric shop, The Intrepid Tread. This neat blog offers beautiful fabric, helpful information, and great giveaways.

Speaking of giveaways, I won the fantastic giveaway for the two year blogiversary at The Intrepid Thread! Here is what arrived late last week:

A Little Apples jellyroll, Modern Log Cabin Quilting book, Taza fat quarters, and Heirloom fat quarters. I am so thankful and excited to get sewing!

The Intrepid Thread is also an etsy shop with a wonderful selection!

Cow Appreciation Day

2011-08-13T08:30:00.002-04:00

Cow Appreciation Day is celebrated on a special day each July by Chick-fil-A. The rules and simple, dress from head to toe as a cow = get free Chick-fil-A food.

If you know us in real life, you know that we are going to be all about this. Free and Chick-fil-A are two of our favorite things.

This year, my handsome husband was at camp, so the kids and I were cows without him. The costumes are mostly from last year, with a few key additions. The little guy got a vest to cover the 3 on the back of his shirt as well as a cute hat with felt spots. E's dress was too short, so some pants were constructed. I didn't intend for them to be quite so baggy, but they should fit for years to come.

She also got a cow print rosette for her hair, just because.

Sorry, no picture of me. I forgot to ask anyone to take a pic of the three of us on my camera.

Toy Story Party

2011-08-12T09:00:00.001-04:00

Our little guy is all about some Toy Story and turned 4 in July. Love of Toy Story + Birthday = Crazy, fun Toy Story Birthday Party.

Paper Bunting. Made from paper I already had the paper purchased to make invitations... I ran out of time and sent an evite. I just cute triangles and sewed them on narrow double fold bias tape.

Cake, idea from here. Used marshmallow fondant for the blanket, the head and foot boards are chocolate. The cake is two 9 x 13 inch cakes stacked to make the bed.

I put melted chocolate in a zip lock bag and traced a headboard pattern onto plastic wrap. Wax paper would be a better choice, but we didn't have any. It is pretty simple to put the pattern under the wax paper/plastic wrap and trace. I am going to try to scan and upload the headboard pattern that I drew, maybe that will save a fellow mom or two a little time and work.

My mom gave us all the figures on the cake; she found them on clearance.

We played a couple of games - the kids pinned the badge on Sheriff Woody and hunted for army men.

We are so thankful for our precious son and had a wonderful time celebrating with friends!

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

I, like many of you, have been bitten by the Pinterest bug. I'm loving the inspiration found there and being able to really "see" my bookmarks. I would love to connect with others who share similar interest, so please look me up.

Creative Hearts Marketplace Registration

2011-08-09T16:08:00.003-04:00

Time to register for the Creative Hearts Marketplace!

October 1, 2011 9:30-3:00

More information and a registration form is available here

This stuff is slightly addictive

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've been a bit of a Mod Podge kick around here.

Mostly picture frames (collage and single paper), with the occasional piece of jewelry, and Mason jar lid rings.

I love how quick Mod Podge is to use and the variety of items that you can dress up with paper or fabric.

I would, however, suggest not spilling it on your porch...

Hats for the Beach

2011-07-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

I told you weeks ago about completing many projects before heading to beach. Here is another of those projects. E needed a new hat. Daddy said that our little guy needed one too. There is a third hat because the first hat was too big for my son! The bright side is that it fits me nicely. Sorry that their aren't any pictures of that one.

We're all about avoiding sunburn around here.

Each hat is reversible.

I was inspired by this, and developed my own pattern... which explains why the first hat didn't fit.

Car Bags

2011-07-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

These bags are for the kids to take toys and books to the car, and ideally to bring said toys and books from the car back into the house. We'll see how it goes.

I let each kiddo pick fabric from my stash. All recent projects have been made without having to buy fabric. This is a good thing, or maybe just a sign that I have too much fabric.

Honestly, I love E's bag. If she hadn't picked the fabric out, this would probably be momma's new bag.

The prints are quilters cotton, the bottoms and lining are a duck cloth/canvas.

Case for my Sunglasses

2011-07-05T08:30:00.001-04:00

We spent last week at the beach with my parents and brothers. This is one a of a few pre-trip projects -

A little sunglasses case. I break sunglasses fairly often, so I always buy cheap ones. Perhaps that is why they break so easily...

Regardless of the reason(s), hopefully this will make my sunglasses last a little/lot longer... after I buy a new pair. The $2.50 pair didn't survive the beach trip.

Riley Blake Quilt Contest

2011-07-04T21:19:00.002-04:00

Have you heard about the Cruising with Riley Blake Contest? The last round was for apparel, and the designs were fabulous!

The current contest is for quilts made with Riley Blake fabric. You can read all the details here. I just love the fabric designs that they put out and hope to get a quilt finished to enter by the August deadline!

8 years ago...

2011-06-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

Eight years, two children, a couple moves, a few years of school, many memories and adventures - I am so thankful to be on this journey with you. Happy Anniversary, Love!

So thankful for the Serger

2011-06-20T16:08:00.004-04:00

I'm also thankful that I am no longer afraid of the serger! The little man's camp skirt was a tad to big...

Before

After

Much better.

A Baby Gift Round Up

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, here are some recent gifts, since you said that you didn't mind seeing them.
Many people that we know are expanding their families through giving birth or adoption. With that said, a multitude of baby gifts have been created over the last few months. Here is a quick round up of some recently made baby gifts.

Burp cloths and storage container for a precious baby girl. I thought about making the container and oval, until I attempted to read this and decided that I had no desire to even consider calculating the circumference of an ellipse. I think math is useful and all when it comes to sewing, but this girl has limits. Instead the bottom is a square with rounded corners.

Burp Cloths and Bag Tag sets.

Blanket for a precious little guy, using these great instructions. (Neither of these pictures gets the green quite right, but please trust that it looks ok in real life)

We are thankful to be able to celebrate with so many precious and growing families!

Simple capes for a crew of kids - a mini tutorial

2011-06-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

We hosted a Backyard Bible Camp at our house a few weeks back. I was in charge of crafts, and somehow we (the hubby and I) decided that it would be a good idea to make capes for the kids to decorate. So 20+ capes later, here are the super simple instructions.

Supplies -
Knit fabric - it doesn't fray so you don't have to hem the edges. Fleece or felt would also work great for the cape, but not as well if you want to draw on the cape. We used white knit so the kids could decorate their capes with fabric markers.
Velcro
Sewing machine or serger

Cut cape shape and strap from knit fabric

Fold strap in half and sew/serge raw edge to the shorter straight edge of the cape, unfold. You can iron this seam open and top stitch if you want. I didn't, but it would look more professional that way.

Sew (or use the iron on velcro) velcro squares to each end of the strap. Front side at one end, back side of the other to get a clean look when closed.
Try on a cute kid, and you're done!
Or, you could make a bunch more
Let kids decorate with fabric markers, heat set design

You could use any color knit, felt, or fleece fabric. It would be super fun to applique a letter or symbol on the cape.

I would love to see any capes that you make. You can email me at adorableoriginals at gmail dot com. Please also let me know if you have any questions!

To Post or Not to Post, a question about gifts

2011-06-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it is baby shower season around here and many, many people we know are expecting/adopting. As a result, many gifts have been made at our house in the last few months.

Here is my question, is this something that you as a blog reader have any desire to see? I don't want to be posting stuff unless it is interesting or helpful. There is one recent project that I plan to show, but unless there is interest, maybe I'll just skip the rest.

I love being able to make gifts for those in our lives and celebrate the growth of precious families. Maybe I'll just take it on a case by case basis... any thoughts?

*This was a gift to a sweet friend several months ago. FYI - I bought a license to sell baby shoes from this pattern, if anyone "needs" some.

Wonderful May

2011-06-08T16:20:00.001-04:00

I don't usually write too much about my family, but we had such a neat month of May around here that I wanted to share a little of it with you -

Strawberry picking... twice

Daddy Daughter Dance... sorry I didn't get any good pics with both Daddy and E looking, so you get to see this one, because I think it is fun

A trip to the Museum downtown

And lots of playing in the backyard

There has been some sewing and crafting happening around here, and I'll try to share it another day soon!

Dress Success

2011-05-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Remember when I vented about this dress?

Well, here is the finished product, complete with rosette and sash (aka piece of scrap knit)

There it is. I like it better now than I did at first. It is funny how stinking critical I can be of something created in my own home, but much less critical of something purchased - either way there will be imperfections. Hopefully, I've learned that lesson for now.

Baking Disaster

2011-05-17T20:48:00.002-04:00

I consider myself to be a fairly decent baker. However, there are some things that just shouldn't be done without careful consideration... like substituting self-rising flour for regular flour and overfilling a pan. Note to self, baking is both a science and an art... kinda like sewing.

At least it tasted alright.

Have you ever had any major kitchen failures?

Garden Growth

2011-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

A little update on our little garden -

The plants are in the raised box. We have tomatoes across the back and down the right side, a couple tiny pepper plants in the middle, green beans in the front, lettuce down the left side and a lone onion (it's a long story). Some of these are difficult to see, but they really are there!

I love the tiny lettuce. Hopefully we'll have large lettuce leaves soon. I love being able to go out in the yard and pick a salad to go with dinner.

I probably should have given up...

2011-05-02T17:12:00.005-04:00

When I sewed the sleeve in backwards,

or when the collar kept getting larger and larger as I tried to "fix" it,

But I didn't. It was pretty bad for awhile, but now there is a "finished" dress in this green that I love. I love the green, not the dress. After much modification, it is wearable, but I think I may add an embellishment or two to distract from the overall non-perfection.

What I learned from this project is simple... I still have a LOT to learn about sewing with knits! (Although the sleeve being sewn in incorrectly was just a silly mistake, I can't blame that failure on the knit). I will do my best to show you the final product soon... once it is embellished.

Special Day, Special Outfits

2011-04-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few wardrobe editions were showcased by the little man and lady this last Sunday.

I love this dress! The fabric was given to me by a sweet friend and the dress is loosely based on this one.

This was my first bow tie experience, and I am pleased with the result.

The fabric is from a shirt, the instructions were found here.

I used velcro to make the bow tie adjustable as it is what I had to work with and didn't want to attempt to tie it while the little man was wearing it. Good choice, as figuring out how to tie the bow tie took almost as long as putting it together! The only other challenging part was turning the tie ride side out. Overall, it is a pretty quick and simple project. Thanks Delia for sharing it!

The Happiest Sunday

2011-04-24T20:35:00.003-04:00

Happy Resurrection Day!

" There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Romans 8:1-4

After a week of feeling weary, it was so very good to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to be reminded of where I stand in Him... I am not longer condemned! Praise God for His great gift!

Thankful

2011-04-17T21:46:00.002-04:00

After the storms that we experienced in NC yesterday afternoon and 24 hours without power, there are so many things for which I am thankful. We are all fine and our house is undamaged, but there is severe tornado damage within a mile from our house.

I am more thankful than I was yesterday morning for my family, our house, friendship, and a loving church. We are thankful for our great God and His faithfulness in times of joy and times of struggle.

Quilt Tops... what to do?

2011-04-11T20:10:00.004-04:00

We've been busy - camping, visiting family, and the like. When we were in Atlanta, my mother-in-law gave me a box of gorgeous quilt tops. She got them from her aunt, but I don't know where her aunt got them.

There are 5 in all, in various conditions sizes. Four are hand pieced. Someone (or more than one person, maybe) worked really hard on these. I would love to know more about them, but don't really know where to look.

This is my favorite, but it is in the worst condition. It has a few holes and stains. I'm thinking of trying to use smaller projects, but haven't decided yet. It is a little painful to think of cutting up something so beautiful. Any suggestions?

I hand washed them each today and hung them outside to dry on our garden frame. This prompted the little man to say, "the garden has beautiful curtains". Love it!

A new favorite bag

2011-03-25T11:09:00.003-04:00

I just have to say it, I love this bag!

It is a great size and reversible. It goes together fairly quickly. I used a quilting cotton for one side and a red cotton duck cloth for the reverse - to make it sturdy. Saw it first here, the pattern and instructions are available here.

Two more are already in the works. What can I say, it is a great bag!

A Baby Quilt for a 2 Year Old

2011-03-23T08:30:00.002-04:00

Remember this post? Well, the sweet and simple quilt is finished! I used a charm pack and a half for the quilt top. It is a great size for E!

The top, backing, and binding are all fandango. I love the colors in this line and how it is girly without being just pink.

E loves it, even if she was unwilling to pose for a pic. She is very much awake in this picture, but refusing to show her face. What can I say, she is 2.

The top has been done for a while. I don't know why I put off quilting and binding it. I'm glad to have it done. Now, to finish the little man's new quilt.

*I'm going to add this to the sew & tell with amylouwho as it is my favorite March finish.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Birthday Party

2011-03-22T14:58:00.001-04:00

We have a 2 year old in our family!

We had a wonderful time celebration E's Birthday this weekend. I can't believe that she is 2! We went with a cupcake theme and celebrated outside - the weather was fantastic. We had a cupcake "bakery" where the kids used Play-doh, a pan, and candles to create cupcakes. I saw this idea here.

You know I like crazy cakes, right? Well, here is the massive cupcake cake. I used a cupcake shaped pan that I bought on clearance.

I tried to get a little more creative on the inside and make a cupcake inside the cake. I think that the huge cupcake cake on top kinda flattened my cupcake on the inside. Oh well, it was a fun idea at least, and if you look closely, you can make out the cupcake - purple lining, chocolate inside, and pink frosting w/ sprinkles. This blog was my inspiration. She makes the coolest cakes and cookies!

For favors, I used the printable seed packets here, designed to be printed on scrapbook paper. I reduced the size to make mini seed packets, printed some instructions, and added sunflower seeds.

Happy Birthday precious E! We love you and are so thankful that you are in our family!

Fabric Snob?

2011-03-21T15:26:00.003-04:00

I'm afraid I've become a fabric snob! I went to JoAnn fabric today to get flannel to make a blanket and found nothing... NOTHING that would work!

There was a day when I would only buy super cheap ($1 a yard) fabric. However, once you've been exposed to the great quality and fantastic options available at local fabric shops and online, it is hard to go back.

I guess I'll have to order some flannel... too bad, I really needed it today.

I do still like a good deal, and did see some things that I liked at JoAnn, just not the flannel that was needed.

*Update - After a little thought, I think that I would prefer to label myself as "selective" instead of "snob". Some of the fabric that I am most excited about right now was FREE. Gotta love that!

Keeping it Real

2011-03-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes this is just outside of the picture -

or maybe I leave for a minute (with the rotary cutter is safely out of reach, of course) and come back to discover this on my cutting table -

and sometime it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a good picture of the kids -

I am so thankful for these crazy kiddos and that I have the joy of being their momma. Not that it is always easy. Any parent will tell you that it isn't. Motherhood is crazy challenging. I remember feeling so guilty at first. I wanted to be a mom so much, but when it actually happened, it was so much harder than I expected. I remember thinking that maybe I would feel complete or satisfied once I was a mom, but I didn't. It was such a good reminder to me that satisfaction can only be found in knowing God through Jesus.

I do love these little ones and have learned so, so much through them.

*Sorry if you got this post twice in your reader - it was my error!

Spring Seeds

2011-03-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

We've been busy lately, and there are many projects in the works that I look forward to sharing with you over the next several weeks.

Here is one of the projects I've been working on.

It is almost garden time! Hurray! This will be our third year using the square foot garden method. My friend introduced me to this idea a while back and we have enjoyed the fruits (vegetables, really) of it.

This year, at my husband's request, the garden will be a little less diversified. The goal will be to do fewer things well and grow vegetables that we know our whole family likes to get. However, there may be space for a few more adventuresome plants... maybe.

Do you garden? What do you like to grow?

Cards for Soldiers

2011-03-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I asked you for help picking a craft for my MOPs group to make and donate. Thank you for all of your suggestions and ideas! It is so neat to see how many ways to help people by crafting! From making cakes for kids to helping at a Ronald McDonald house, there were many ideas left in the comments and sent by email. Wendy actually has a whole list that she compiled.

After a little research, we decide to craft in support of Operation Write Home. Operation Write Home collects hand made cards (blank on the inside) and sends them to soldiers serving abroad to write in and send to their loved ones. I loved the idea of creating something that would help families to connect with one another even though they are miles apart. It is also a craft that almost anyone could make.

It was neat to see what each mom created. Thanks MOPs moms!

Valentines Day Recap

2011-02-16T14:16:00.004-05:00

Heart Shaped Pancakes for breakfast.

8 Roses - One for each Valentine's Day we've been married.

My gift to my Love. They are guitar picks. My sweet friend made them. Well, only one is for my husband, the other is for me. I asked my friend if she could make into a necklace for me - I love them!

He gave me a new study Bible. Love it. Love him.

That is a lot of celebrating for people who don't really celebrate Valentine's Day!

What is Love?

2011-02-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

As we prepare for Valentines Day at our house, it is always good for me to be reminded about what real love looks like. This classic passage on love is always challenging to me - am I loving those around me well, with patience and kindness or am I being irritable and resentful instead?

Speaking of love, this season is also a great time to reflect on the greatest Love given - Jesus.

"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

I hope that you have a wonderful Valentines Day, full of love - particularly, the love of God.

Love is in the Air

2011-02-11T16:09:00.004-05:00

(If you are interested in reusing a candle to make cute wax hearts, check out the tutorial from last year.)

We don't usually do a lot for Valentines Day, but it is always nice to have a reminder to show love to my husband and we are looking forward to a date night this weekend.

What about you, do you have any Valentines plans or traditions?

Baking up a Storm

2011-02-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

This is how my kitchen looked Sunday night.

A layer birthday cake, from a mix.

The tastiest large chocolate chip cookies, from this recipe.

And bread bowls, from frozen bread dough. I saw these here, there were also some instructions on my bread dough bag. I divided one loaf into thirds and then divided one of the thirds in half to get four bowls, 2 regular size and 2 smaller.

In case you were curious, all of these items were YUMMY!

Toy Sleeping Bags

2011-01-31T15:48:00.004-05:00

I debated on if this was worthy of a post, but decided I'm not the only one who likes easy, fun, and useful projects.

The family in our doll house went camping today, so they "needed" sleeping bags.

You'll need a piece of fleece (felt would also work). I used a rectangle approx 5x7 inches and folded the 5 inch sides together. Sew the bottom closed and sew 3/4 of the way down/up the other side. I used my serger, but a standard sewing machine would work just as well.

Either leave as is or flip inside out to hide the seam.

Now, make enough for "everyone"! These would also be great for action figures or larger dolls.

If you make some sleeping bags, I would love to see them! Email adorableoriginals at gmail dot com

Flannel Board Cousins

2011-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

My creative sis-in-law made a flannel board and little felt people for the kids' Christmas gift. The best part is that the felt people are each of the cousins! She printed their faces onto fabric and attached little felt bodies. She also cut out lots of clothes and hats for the "cousins" to wear.

Our extended family is spread out in three states, and this a great way for the kids to remember each other. The little man likes to talk about each of the cousins as he plays. It is so sweet!

Thanks Aunt A for a great gift!

Crafts to Donate

2011-01-24T14:01:00.004-05:00

Alright, I could use a little help. A friend and I are in charge of crafts for our MOPS group. We are looking for something that the moms could make and that we could donate.

Last year, our group made blankets for Project Linus. We all made the No Sew Fleece Blanket. It was a lot of fun and the moms liked being able to give to children in need of comfort.

Do you know of any great organizations that could use donated craft projects? A sewing project probably wouldn't work, unless it was really simple, as not all the moms have sewing machines or experience.

I have one idea, but would LOVE some suggestions!

Thanks! Happy Monday!

Oh, here are the cupcakes of the little man's half birthday at preschool. They're supposed to be basketballs.

Sewing Armoire

2011-01-22T14:44:00.004-05:00

I haven't really made anything, other than cupcakes, in the last couple weeks. This is mainly because I've been working on organizing and moving all of my sewing supplies and equipment. We used some Christmas money to purchase this armoire on craigslist a couple weeks ago.

The goal was to create a place that I could work and store much of crafting materials. (The idea came from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross) We don't have room for a sewing "studio" or even to devote a closet just to sewing, but this little corner of our dining room works great!

All of this used to be scattered in different parts of the house. My sewing machine lived in the coat closet, the serger on a shelf in our bedroom, fabric everywhere. It is wonderful to have almost everything in a central location!

I love having the ribbon organized - it is amazing what you can do with a dowel rod! I also love the framed fabric on the back wall.

After much sorting, sifting, and organizing, I have a lovely spot to sew!

At my husband's request, fabric, paper, and miscellaneous craft supplies also took over the cabinet/buffet in our dining room. This sparked days of sorting and reorganizing to find homes for the items that used to be in this cabinet.

There are still a few things that need to be placed, but I am thrilled about having a new place to be creative!

Randomness

2011-01-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

Before it's to late, check out this fun soap giveaway from my sweet friend. It ends tonight! She has been making and selling soap to help fund her family's adoption. You can see her shop here.

Also, you know that we love to travel? Simple Mom linked to this fantastic website about traveling with kids. Honestly, I got a little teary eyed reading it. Traveling with kids sure is a different experience from going without them, but it is really wonderful in so many ways. Traveling doesn't have to be expensive, even a local camping trip is a new adventure with kids.

We bought a tv armoire to use to hold all my sewing stuff on Craigslist this week. I look forward to sharing it with you once everything is organized and settled. I also just look forward to having everything organized and settled.

I hope that you are having a good Sunday!

Christmas Gifts 2010

2011-01-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

Alright, here is the Christmas gift recap from 2010. It is so much fun to be able to give homemade gifts!

Coffee Cozies and giftcards for the preschool teachers. Erin's pattern is great for making these!

Aprons for two cousins. I tried to get my kids to model them, but wasn't all that successful.

A placemat for another cousin

My mom got the zig zag table runner

and my brother's girlfriend got a belt, but I didn't take a picture of it.

Each of my kiddos got a bag, E's was super simple and easy. The little man's was a little more complicated and fun, but I think I'll share the bags another day.

Check out Sew and Tell with amylouwho to see what others made this holiday season.

Jumping Back In

2011-01-04T15:25:00.003-05:00

Thank you for the encouragement last week. Things are getting back to normal around here, which includes SEWING! I finally broke out the machine last night and started to work with this:

Well, actually I started by fixing a pairing of hubby's jeans, but that isn't very exciting. This charm pack will be the beginning of E's quilt. I really, really wanted to make her a custom designed quilt with multiple sized pinwheels, but she is almost 2 and I've only made a couple pinwheels. So, she is going to get a simple, cute, and fun charm square quilt instead! I am excited about getting it made for her to enjoy. Maybe she can have a pinwheel quilt for her big girl bed one day.

Speaking of simple quilts, the plan is to use this fabric for a ridiculously simple quilt for the little man's bed.

The top four prints are All Star by Mind's Eye for Riley Blake - I really like them! The bottom is left over from another quilt, but it matches so well that I decided to use it. The goal is simple, fun, and boyish.

I'll keep you posted as things take shape!

Lack of Motivation

2010-12-28T13:00:00.000-05:00

Just got back from seeing the family in Atlanta.

We came home to about half a foot of snow.

My to do list is half a mile long.

My house is trashed.

Both kids have nasty noses.

I have no motivation to do any sewing or crafting. I don't even want to buy any fabric - shocking, I know. Maybe tomorrow :)

I don't know if it is recovering from the rush to get Christmas gifts done, the craziness of traveling, or the loads of snow on the ground, but I just want to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa, good book, blanket, and rest for the remainder of the day. However the laundry, dishes, luggage, and kids all need some attention.

So, let me be thankful for family who loves for us to visit (even if it is hours away), a warm place to live (even if it is messy right now), clothes to wear and dishes to eat off of (even though they need to be washed), and precious children.

And the winners are...

2010-12-18T09:46:00.002-05:00

Thank you to all of you who stopped by! It is always fun to get to meet new friends. I've enjoyed reading through all of your gift ideas, traditions, and interesting facts.

Without further ado,

The winner of the fabric and custom calendar is:

#123

MJ said...: Great giveaway! We are looking forward to starting some new traditions since our kids are old enough to start enjoying the holidays!! :)

And the winner of the 2nd custom calendar is:

Follower #35

Digital Misfit

I've emailed the winners and look forward to getting their calendars made and shipped soon!

Felt Wrapping "Paper" Tutorial

2010-12-15T22:00:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for the giveaway, click here or just scroll down.

Are you looking for a fun way to keep your kiddos occupied this holiday season? Christmas is in full swing at our house and I thought it would be neat to let my little ones pretend to give gifts. In order to make this a little more fun, I used some felt to make "wrapping paper".

Supplies -

felt - approx 18 x 11 inches
approx 5 inches pf velcro, the prickly/scratch side
empty paper towel roll
optional - extra felt for embellishment

Cut felt to desired size - 18 x 11 inches is a great size if you want your "paper" to wrap around an empty paper towel roll, but any size will work.

Embellish as desired. I appliqued a couple snowflakes and added some free motion swirls... mainly because I need the practice.

Cut the velcro into 3 pieces. Two 1 1/2 inches long and one piece 2 inches long. Sew the 1 1/2 pieces onto two corners of the front side of the felt rectangle. Each piece should be about 3/4 of an inch form the edge of the felt.

Flip the felt rectangle over. Center the 2 in velcro strip on the backside of the felt rectangle, make sure that it is on the same end as the other velcro strips.

Your wrapping is ready to roll or to wrap gifts! Finished front and back -

All rolled up and ready to wrap!

To wrap the gift, first this:

Then push in the side on the end:

Fold down the side with velcro:

Then fold up the other side:

Repeat on the other end and you're done!

Let those kiddos wrap away... or, if your little ones are like mine, you wrap let them unwrap. There are few sheets of felt wrappings around our house. Most are plain sheets of felt with just the velcro sewn on, embellishments are totally optional! You could also make felt "ribbon" and bows. There are so many possibilities! Hopefully, once you are armed with wrapping felt to pretend with, your real wrapping paper won't end up like this,

but no promises.

If you make any "felt wrapping paper" I would love to see it! You can email me at adorableoriginals at gmail dot com

Giveaway Day at Sew, Mama, Sew!

2010-12-12T22:30:00.005-05:00

**Update - Thank you for entering. This giveaway is now closed.**

Welcome to Adorable Originals! If you are coming from Sew, Mama, Sew!, thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to look around. It is a joy to share completed projects and ideas. I love to sew and craft for my kiddos, family, friends, and others.

The winner of this week's giveaway will receive a custom 2011/2012 calendar as well as some fabric.

I'll make the calendar after a winner is selected using colors that the winner chooses.

These 4 fabric pieces will also be sent. Each is about the size of a fat quarter. FYI - this fabric has been pre-washed. I may also throw in a little more fabric from my stash.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. You can share a gift idea that you used this year, favorite holiday tradition, or anything else relatively interesting.

This giveaway will end at 10:00 pm EST on Friday, December 17th.

A winner will be chosen using random.org and posted on Saturday the 18th.

I will also be giving away another custom calendar to someone who follows this blog. To be entered for this, just sign-up to be a follower. All "followers" are automatically entered into this second giveaway, no 2nd comment necessary. This winner will also be chosen randomly and announced on the 18th.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you! Unless your account is set up to allow me to reply through email, please leave an email address that can be used to reach you. If I can't get in touch with the winner, another one will be chosen. I'll ship internationally.

If you "need" a calendar now for a stocking stuffer or Christmas gift, they are available in the shop.

Calendars!

2010-12-07T15:45:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let you know that there are calendars in the shop! These make great stocking stuffers and are only $6 each.

Don't see what you are looking for? Email me at adorableoriginals at gmail dot com and we can talk about color combination and style options.

Please order by December 18th for Christmas delivery or by December 23rd to have your calendar by New Years. If you are outside of the US, please allow longer for order shipment.

A few finishes

2010-12-06T14:16:00.003-05:00

Just in time to rescue you from another photo-less post, I found the battery charger for the camera.

My husband was out of town a couple of weeks ago, and several projects were finished while he was gone. Most of the items were special orders.

This sweet reversible belt

This lovely nursing cover. Didn't the momma-to-be make a great fabric choice?

And this set of four matching bag tags - perfect for holiday travel!

I am always thankful when someone asks me to make something for them. It is such an honor! Let me know if you see something you like. You can also check the shop for other belts, nursing covers, bag tags, and gift ideas.

Nap Time Objectives

2010-12-01T14:27:00.002-05:00

Nap Time Objective #1 - find the missing battery charger for the camera so that we can again take and upload pictures.

Nap Time Objective #2 - work on decorating for Christmas

I think that is enough goals for today.

Designing Fabric?

2010-11-13T13:32:00.003-05:00

Look what came in the mail today:

Have you heard of spoonflower? It is a company that lets you design your own fabric and get it printed. It's pretty fun! You can also buy fabric designed by others. I ordered swatches, they sell several different types of fabric, and a color guide to get started.

I have a new project idea (ALWAYS!) that requires fabric that I couldn't find, so I'm thinking about designing it. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Have you ever designed your own fabric? How did it turn out? Any words of wisdom?

A finished Playhouse!

2010-11-05T07:55:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our little house! After much work, and many months as an untouched work in progress, E's playhouse is finished! This was supposed to be her 1st b-day present, but it wasn't finished. The inspiration was found here, and then customized to fit our table and interests.

The leaves aren't attached, so they can be changed/removed with the seasons. I'm looking forward to adding some more accessories, like veggies for the garden and flowers for the window box.

I really like this little basket. It can hold the leaves or other accessories.

The kids have really enjoyed the playhouse last couple of days. I am looking forward to continuing to add fun elements to the little house as the seasons change. Next up - Christmas decorations!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out all the completed projects here.

A Knight and Princess

2010-11-02T17:43:00.000-04:00

This is the first year that I made costumes for both kids. I didn't know what to dress the kids as, but when I found a sword, shield, and helmet for $1 each at Target, it was an easy decision - we would have a knight and princess! It was a blast, except for the seams coming out of the crazy shiny silver material, even some of the serged seams eventually came apart. The bright point is that I did overcome my fear of the serger... and LOVE it!

I used the kids regular clothes as basic patterns. The dress is layer on with a white long sleeved t-shirt. The lion on the vest is from a picture online that was traced and attached using the fusible iron on stuff.

A sweet and talented friend made E's ribbon crown. I also made the crazy ruffled treat bag. I like how it turned out, but will do a couple things differently if I make another.

The little guy wore his costume to preschool on Thursday. Both kids wore their costumes on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Now they'll be going to the dress-up box where I'm hoping they'll see lots more use!

Who knew?

2010-10-29T14:30:00.001-04:00

The other day, while working on E's princess dress, I learned a new sewing trick! If, like me, you can't quite figure out how to get nicely finished armholes on a lined bodice, check out this or this.

Now if I can just figure out how to get a nice finish around the zipper... Happy Friday!

Oh Boy! Sew & Tell

2010-10-15T08:14:00.003-04:00

I recently purchased a little of the Oh Boy! fabric line by David Walker on sale here. Wish upon a quilt has a great selection of fabric online, but they also have a brick and mortar shop in the city where I live.

Oh Boy! is such a fun line for the children in your life. I have three of the animal prints and used each of then this week.

First, a baby gift.

These shoe are from the instructions found here. They are cute and come together pretty quickly. If I make these again, I'll do a couple of things differently and maybe they won't be so puckered at the bottom.

And second, a reversible place mat for the little guy at our house.

Hopefully, he'll learn where his cup is supposed to go!

Thanks for stopping by! Check out what others have been up to this week over at sew and tell with amylouwho.

Zoom, zoom

2010-10-12T09:40:00.001-04:00

I finished this simple (aka fast) shirt for the little guy last night. Of course, he wanted to wear it today. I love how a little fabric, fusible bonding, and couple of imperfect stitches can make a clearance rack t-shirt something special.

In other news, today marked day 1 of week 2 of the couch to 5k program. I've never been a runner, but wanted to give it a try. I survived the first week, but am still not sure I'm cut out for this running thing. Any tips for a running newbie?

There seem to be hundreds of sewing projects on my mind recently, here is a sampling of the to do list. Some are more pressing than others.

List of Projects
Curtains for E's room
Quilt for E
Stockings, at least 4
Princess dress
Knight suit
Fall/Christmas Table runner for our house
Nursing cover
4 (or more) crayon rolls
a kid's place mats, or 6
3 baby shower gifts
Finish the playhouse!
Special orders from the Creative Hearts Marketplace
Matching Christmas skirts for me and E
Maybe a few Christmas gifts

What's on your project list these days?

Resources for Life

2010-10-10T15:59:00.001-04:00

My husband has a blog that he and a couple of friends use to post helpful resources for life. One of the guys recently wrote this wonderful description of the glory of God in times of suffering. I highly recommend it and the blog as a whole, Pilgrim's Toolbox. The guys who write are committed to providing helpful information and messages for the edification of the church.

I encourage you to check it out!

The Booth

2010-10-05T15:10:00.001-04:00

Here is my booth from the Creative Hearts Marketplace last weekend, just in case you wanted to see it. Bag tags, belts, nursing covers, checkbook covers, table runners, and a few other random crafting projects are displayed.

I was beside a sweet lady who makes beautiful children's clothing and JustPrecious. BrightStarSoaps and LightsBurningLate were just across the aisle. It was great to get to spend time with these dear friends.

We had a fun day and fairly successful first year event. Hopefully, next year will be even better. It was great to meet so many new friends!

I hope that you are having a good week; thanks for stopping by!

A Taste of Fall

2010-10-04T10:55:00.004-04:00

It is nice and chilly here this morning. I love the feeling of the crisp air... at least today. Whenever it gets cool, I feel like baking. Maybe we "need" to make a Pumpkin Roll or some cookies at our house this week.

Speaking of fall, here is one of the table runners that I made recently. It is in the shop if you are interested.

It is about 4 1/2 feet long and could either be used as a centerpiece on a long table or hang over the edges of a shorter table. I love the autumn colors and that it can be used from now until Thanksgiving.

A Happy Fabric Day!

2010-10-02T15:30:00.000-04:00

Look what arrived in the mail this week!

I was randomly selected by Erin. It is a lovely collection of beautiful designer fabric! Thank you for such a great prize! I'm looking forward to using it.

Peter Rabbit Baby Quilt

2010-09-29T16:30:00.004-04:00

Here is the second of the quilts that I promised to share weeks ago.

A sweet friend requested it, along with curtains a dust ruffle for their nursery. Now, they just need a baby!

I like that it is simple and sweet. Please ignore the toys in the background... just keeping it real.

Creative Hearts Marketplace

2010-09-24T16:10:00.002-04:00

If you are local, please stop by and see me! If you have questions, click here.

Baby Girl Quilt

2010-09-07T16:35:00.004-04:00

As promised weeks ago, here is the quilt that I made for my cousin's new baby girl. I like to think of it as garden windows.

It contains a variety of fabrics, some from a blush charm pack and some from my stash. The original idea was this super cute quilt design, but I changed my mind mid-project.

I hope that Baby B will enjoy it for years to come!

We're Back!

2010-08-30T14:38:00.004-04:00

Actually, we've been back for over a week. However, life is still really busy and blogging isn't really a high priority in the whole scheme of things around here.

We had a fabulous trip. It was so good to see our friends and experience a little of what their life is like in another country. The kids were great little travelers. We survived 8 flights and 5 different airports (in 4 different countries). We also experienced lost luggage and stitches in Eastern Europe, but it was a wonderful trip! I would gladly go visit again if we had the resources.

All the pre-trip sewing projects were useful and successful, with the exception of the stroller straps. Here are a few of the items:

Travel pillow, modified from an old throw pillow, with pillow case. This was used by the little guy to sleep on our looooong flight.

The multitude of bag tags. They are a more narrow version, mainly because I didn't think through the implications of skipping a step, but I really like them and plan on making more this way.

Burp cloths for my sweet friend and her baby girl.

The travel high chair was a HUGE hit, but I don't have a picture. Maybe I can get one up soon.

I hope that you are having a great Monday!

And off we go!

2010-08-09T15:17:00.003-04:00

We leave in less than 24 hrs for that big international trip that I told you about. I am so excited about seeing our friends and getting to experience what there life is like in another country. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to get to visit them!

Please pray that we will have a safe trip, the kids will travel well, that I won't be anxious, and that we will be an encouragement to our friends.

I don't have anything new to show you. I did make some stuff recently... like 8 matching luggage
tags, a couple straps to keep the strollers folded, and a fabric travel highchair (like this). Maybe I'll try to post some pics of these things when I get back. There is too much to do to get them uploaded right now.

See ya later!

July Update

2010-07-27T16:14:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a crazy month/summer! Since we went to the beach in June, things have been pretty much non-stop around here.

So far in July:
*Hubby took the kids at church to camp
*We had Cow Appreciation Day
*The little guy's birthday
*A quick last minute emergency trip to ATL, drove down on a Friday and back on Saturday
*My wonderful husband did a a fantastic job preaching at church
*We had a great week of Power Camp - sports and performing arts at church. I taught drama to the performing arts kiddos.
*Parents came in town briefly
*Hubby went out of town briefly

Notice anything missing? Not so much sewing or crafting happening these days. I did finish a baby quilt, but wanted to make sure it was delivered before posting pics. Another baby quilt is almost done.

Next projects... maybe a little pre-travel sewing? We leave for our big international trip in 2 weeks! If there is time, maybe I'll make some of these to use.

When we get back, it'll be time to start getting ready for the Creative Hearts Marketplace on September 25th. If you are local, you might want to consider being a vendor or coming to shop!

On a side note, the airplane tray table car mat was featured here

Hope that you are doing well and enjoying your summer!

Still here!

2010-07-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here, just busy! We've been out of town and trying to get back into the swing of things. Summer is a busy time for my husband, so that makes it busy for our whole little family.
We did celebrate a birthday, so here I have a cake to share

and celebrated Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. The costumes were fun to make; E and I should be able to wear ours for years to come.
Hubby made his own last year and wore it again. Our son will need a new one next year as well... his was made special for this year. (Sorry for the blurry pic, it is the only one we got of the whole family)

Hope that you are doing well and enjoying your summer!

Summer Travel Week 2010 Winner

2010-06-19T14:51:00.000-04:00

Thank you for a great week! I hope that you had as much fun as I did. It is nice to day dream about fantastic trips from the comfort of your own home. You guys have some great dream destinations.

According to random.org, the winner is Number 1 - McMel! I'll get your bag tag and passport holder in the mail to you soon. That way when you are ready to travel, you'll be all set!

Well, now you know that I love to travel and have a very random blog... sewing one week, day dreaming about world travel the next, what can I say, it is just me. Again, I hope that you enjoyed it and maybe discovered a new idea or two. I sure did! Maybe this travel week thing will become an annual tradition, we'll just have to wait and see.

I'll leave you with this pic that didn't make it into the travel ideas post, but I love how he is showing off his blanket.

Travel Week Sew and Tell

2010-06-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

So, in addition to massive amounts of blogging this week about travel, one travel related sewing project was completed. There are a couple more that I've thought to do, but this is all that is done - a crayon roll.

I won the train fabric from This and That from Japan. The pocket part is pieced because I really wanted to use the dots, but the scrap I had wasn't long enough.

If I make another, I think a darker background color would be nice as to not show all the crayon marks that are bound to happen.

I also finished some curtains for a friend (who happens to be hosting her first giveaway), but they don't fit the "theme" and I don't know how to get a good picture without hanging them up. The thought of taking down my curtains to take a picture of her curtains and then rehanging my curtains... well, you get the idea. Not likely to happen, although I did consider it.

Beach Ideas

2010-06-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Since this is Summer Travel Week, a day should probably be devoted to the beach! The beach is one of our favorite summer destinations. I guess it helps that we are only a few hours away.

Here are few fabulous beach ideas -

Jill suggested buying an inexpensive beach towel and having it monogrammed to make it special.

How about a hooded towel that folds up into a backpack? Check it out here.

In realsimple magazine this month, there was this short list of beach tips. I think we may have to try to baby powder one.

Rash guard swim shirts. Maybe it is just and my red-headed freckled self, but I sun burn so easily and also have some modesty concerns chasing little ones around on the beach (you know what I'm saying). So, as silly as it may be, I bought myself a rash guard last summer... and love it. I can use much less sunscreen without getting fried and feel much more comfortable playing with the kids. The kids had them first and hubby got one this year, too. So, we are that family at the beach all wearing swim shirts. It probably isn't right for every family, but works great for us, I'm just saying. Side note - we also usually wear hats and sunglasses, but E has a hard time keeping hers on.

Any other great beach ideas?

This last picture is from the Gulf of Mexico and was a good reminder to me to remember and pray for the many effected by the massive oil spill there.

Ideas for less stressful travel

2010-06-17T07:00:00.006-04:00

In seeking and asking for ideas to make travel easier (especially with young children), I have found many ideas. Here is a collection of things you could buy, make, bring, or do that might make your trip a little more pleasant. Make sure to check out the links at the bottom for more ideas from experienced travelers.

Neat Things to Buy -
Pocket Travel Game Pack
Art Tote
Animal Magnet Board
Portable Doll House

Things to Make -
Crayon Roll (You could also buy this, there are many, many listed on etsy)
Quiet Book
Airplane tray table play mat

Things to Bring -
Plenty of snacks!
For flying with little ones, a cheap, but sturdy stroller. We watched out the airplane window as our nice stroller got dropped all the way down the stairs from the gate to the ground (accidentally of course) the first time we flew with baby and we lost the adult cup holders from our double stroller when we flew with it. This time we bought garage sale strollers to take with us. After the trip we can resell them.
Familiar blanket/stuffed animal (Ours are self-binding receiving blankets)
Kristen suggested color wonder markers and books for the kids and some hexagons for mom (or dad) to work on. I love the idea of having something crafty to do to pass the time.

Things to Do -
Sherri at Families are Fun has a ton of ideas to make road trips go smoothly.
Tiffany at Simple Modern Mom has many great travel tips for all sorts of travel.

Come back tomorrow for some beach ideas for the last day of Travel Week!

National Parks

2010-06-16T07:30:00.001-04:00

Today is really a treat for me as I get to tell you about some of the greatest places to visit in our country or abroad - national parks! A couple weeks after our wedding, the hubby and I took about 3 weeks and visited some of the glorious national parks in the western US. It was a fabulous trip. We learned a ton about each other and being married while experiencing some of the beauty of God's creation. We camped, hiked, made friends with strangers, and invested in wonderful memories.

Some of the best things about the US National Parks system:

1. It is fairly inexpensive to visit a National Park. The fee is usually per vehicle, some parks are free, and if you plan to visit a multitude of parks, you can buy a parks pass.

2. There is something special about each of the parks. This kinda goes without saying... these places have been set aside for a reason.

3. There are places of solitude, quiet, and reflection within most of the parks. To truly experience the beauty of the parks, you have to get out of the car! We were at a park this spring and took hike of a few miles. For the first 3/4 of a mile or so there were lots of other guests, but once we were a little further up the trail, it was just us for awhile. Sometimes that is really nice.
There is a good article about this here.

4. You can learn while having fun. Both National Parks and National Historic Parks are excellent places to learn.
5. There are parks all over the country. You can search by state or using the map here.

I really do love the National Parks System! Like I mentioned earlier, we traveled to some of the western parks right after we got married. A couple years later, we headed up the east coast and experienced many of the parks there - both scenic and historic.

Here are some of our favorites -
Glacier National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Zion National Park
Acadia National Park
Independence National Historic Park
Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Ok, so I could probably list "favorite" parks all day. When the kids are older, we hope to revisit many of the parks we love, as well as make it to some new ones. Personally, I would love to go to Yosemite, especially after reading this book.
We have also visited a couple of National Parks internationally and have generally been pleased - again these are unique places, that is why they've been set aside.
State Parks are also usually great! One of our favorite camping spots is at one of our state's parks.

What about you? Have you been to any great National Parks?

Each of these pictures was taken by me or my husband. Here are the parks featured in the order of the images shown Glacier NP, Zion NP, Arches NP, Acadia NP, Independence NHP, Cape Hatteras NS, and Glacier NP.

Airplane Tray Table Car Mat Tutorial

2010-06-15T07:00:00.004-04:00

So, I mentioned yesterday that we are preparing to travel internationally later this summer. And, yes, we are taking the kids. We've been trying to think of ways to occupy as much time as possible on our flights. Enter the airplane tray table car mat.

After a little googling, it seems that the average airplane tray table is approx 16 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches. The idea was to create a play mat that would use this area well.

Supplies -

17 x 10 1/2 inch piece of fabric
Two 17 x 10 1/2 inch pieces of felt - one green, one gray
4 1/2 x 3 inch fabric scrap for strap
Velcro
Felt scraps for added decoration

Cut your fabric and green felt.

Use scrap paper to draw a template for your road. Measure to make sure your template will be smaller than 16 x 9 1/2 inches. I drew a simple loop and parking lot. (Wasn't it nice of the cell phone company to send me this great large piece of paper for a template?) Cut it out.

Turn template upside down and trace onto wrong side of gray felt (is there a wrong side of felt?) Cut out your road.

I added double yellow lines down the center of my loop at this point by sewing with yellow thread. Next, position your roadway on the green felt. Using white thread, sew close to the edge of the roadway. I also added the lines to the parking lot. After this step, set this piece aside while you make the strap.

Fold the 4 1/2 x 3 inch piece of fabric in half - wrong long sides together, press. Open and fold each long edge, wrong sides together, to the middle mark, press again.

Refold down the middle, press yet again. You should now have a strip 4 1/2 in long by 3/4 inches wide.

Unfold and refold in half so that right sides are together. Starting at the fold on one short end, sew a short line to the next fold, turn and sew about an inch down the fold. Clip corners. Turn right side out - you've created a nice finished end of your strap!

Starting at the unfinished end, topstitch to close the open long edge of the strap. When you get close to the finished end, add a small piece of velcro - rough side. Turn at the end to continue topstitching all the way around the strap. Go back and stitch the open side of the velcro down.

Sew a 2 1/2 inch long soft piece of velcro to the the 17 x 10 1/2 inch piece of fabric. It should be 3 3/4 inches away from the left edge and 2 1/2 inches from the top edge.

Position the strap 2 1/2 inches down. It should be in line with the soft velcro strip. If you look closely, you can see the light blue line where I marked in this next picture.

Sew to attach the strap. Make sure velrco is facing up. You might want to go over it a couple times.

Alright, get the felt piece that you set aside. Position the 17 x 10 1/2 inch pieces right sides together. The strap should be between the layers. If you have a scrap of soft velcro, use it to cover the rough piece on the strap so that it doesn't stick to the felt. Using a 3/8 inch (give or take) seam allowance, sew the pieces together leaving a 3-4 inch opening for turning.

Turn the play mat right side out, topstitch all the way around, taking extra care to make sure that you sew the open spot closed.

You're done! Now go find some cars and get playing, or in my case, hurry and put it away so that it will be "new" when we travel. I decided to add a couple of accessories - moveable road sections and a helipad to extend the fun. These pieces store inside on the green felt.

To close, fold in half, roll, secure with the velcro strap.

In addition to air travel, this would be great for pulling out in the waiting room or grandma's house. Not into cars, how about a beach scene or camping... the possibilities are great!

I think it will be a hit. My son got a kick out of just the template. I'll let you know what he thinks of the real deal after the long trip.

*If you make a car mat, I would love to see it! You can contact me at adorableoriginals at gmail dot com

Summer Travel Week Kick Off

2010-06-14T07:25:00.000-04:00

Do you like to travel? We've enjoyed trips to far away places and very near places. Summer is a wonderful time to vacation as well as enjoy activities in your area. We have some pretty big plans for the summer - beach trips with both sides of the family and an international adventure to visit some dear friends who live overseas.
This may all sound elaborate, but (as those of you who know my family in real life already know) we are pretty frugal. This week, I hope to bring you tips and ideas on making travel fun and a little less stressful. Please let me know if you have any ideas that you would like to share as well. Some of you have already responded with some good ones!

To kick-off the week, how about a giveaway? The winner will receive this bag tag and passport holder. If you win and this fabric isn't your style, I'll make you a set that would fit better with your taste.

To enter, just leave a comment with a place the you would like to visit. It can be outlandish or simple. Elaborate or practical. For example, I would love to spend a week in Yosemite and a couple weeks traveling between some of the major cities of Europe.

You have until 11:00 pm on Friday, June 18th to enter. I'll randomly choose and announce the winner on Saturday, June 20th. Make sure I have a way to contact you. If the winner can't be reached, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

Happy Travels!

Sew and Tell Friday

2010-06-10T21:18:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of the weeks accomplishments. First, this bedskirt is for my sweet friend. She came by and picked it up earlier in the week, but, just for fun, I tried it out on E's bed first. The stripe at the bottom is Beatrix Potter Victorian Nursery by Quilted Treasures. Now to finish her baby quilt and curtains...

Also, here is a sneak peek of a project finished this week for a tutorial for Summer Travel Week next week. Feel free to come back for the fun and ideas next week; we'll be starting with a giveaway on Monday!

Remember to check out all the fabulous creations in the Sew and Tell. Have a good weekend!

Wednesday Already?

2010-06-09T11:07:00.008-04:00

Are you ready of Summer Travel Week next week?

You can grab the button for your blog if you would like by copying the stuff in the text box below the image in the sidebar. I'm working on a fun tutorial for next week and compiling a list of fantastic ideas. Thank you for those of you who have shared your great ideas on how to make travel easier.

I bought 3 yards of cow print fabric yesterday. We have to get ready for this. Here E and I are last year. This year, she'll be enjoying some free Chick-fil-A with the rest of us instead of milk.

So, cow clothes are now on the to do list as well. One month to get them done... or we could just pin on spots like last year.

*Edit - I think that the button is fixed now. Evidently, it was showing up on my computer, but not for anyone else. Thanks, Jill, for letting me know.

Belt Giveaway Winner

2010-06-05T08:33:00.006-04:00

Thank you for stopping by and celebrating my 50th post with me. The winner of the belt, according to random.org, is #7 - Holly! Holly, we'll be in touch so that you can choose your belt.

Remember, Summer Travel Week starts on June 14th! You can grab the button on the side bar if you would like.