Tooth Fairy Pillow

E is getting to the age that she is starting to lose her baby teeth. She got so excited when she had her first loose tooth because that meant the tooth fairy was going to visit her. To celebrate the occasion, I made her a special Tooth Fairy Pillow, to keep her tooth safe for the fairy.

I let E choose a fat quarter of material and a skein of floss and set to work. What I ended up with is a cute little keepsake. On the front I embroidered her name and the "Has Lost A Tooth" in the yellow she picked out. Unfortunately, it kinda got lost in the butterflies of the materials.

The back has a large pocket, trimmed with a wide, delicate lace ribbon and accented with narrow yellow ribbon. To hang the little pillow on her headboard, I added a purple butterfly ribbon from my stash that matched perfectly.

The nice big pocket on the back gives the Madame Fairy plenty of room to hide a dollar, whether it is a bill or coins, without worrying about it getting lost.

I still have to make one for A, who has yet to get her first loose tooth. E has lost about a half dozen so far and uses this cute little pillow every time!

Entertainment ReDone

I love my husband's hobby: woodworking! I get new furniture built the way I want. I can even have a say in the design. I got to design an awesome ladder shelf for my fish tank. And as long as we have the money for the supplies, he is happy to build whatever I ask for.

So a little while back, when I was getting sick of the dark wood tone television stand that we had in our living room, I gave DH a job. I wanted something a little more open, much brighter, and elevated to make it easier to control the dog fluff that inevitably collects around the cords. After some planning, tweeking, redesigning, and a couple minor arguments, I got what I wanted.

The openings were designed around the dimensions of the baskets and cable receiver. The doors are not perfect, but they keep a lot of movies and video games organized and hidden. It is elevated to the perfect height - the TV is right at eye level and I can easily get my broom and mop underneath. The top of the piece and the first shelf are stained a rich, warm brown, and the rest is bright white, which was a comprise. DH wanted to show off the wood grain while I wanted something bright and light so that it wouldn't feel so heavy in the room. Saying it was a compromise might be stretching the truth - this is what I wanted and he gave in. But he ended up very happy with how it looks!

Eventually I will get bins large enough to hold board games and other odds and ends that will fit under the piece and hide the power bar. For now, I just love having custom furniture and trying to figure out what DH's next project might be.

The Orange Decor Challenge

 I am the first to say I'm not a big fan of orange. I like orange flavors and orange flowers, but when it comes to decor and clothing, it's really not for me. But I have to admit, when I was looking at wedding color schemes a while back, there was something about teal and orange that really struck me.
So I challenged myself.

I know I made the pink and orange blanket for a little girl a while back, I didn't mind that, but it wasn't for my home. I wanted to make something for myself, and the challenge was going to be incorporating orange. The teal and orange combination seemed perfect.

The decor of my family room has been moving slowly toward ocean tones - cool blues, greens and teals offset with warm browns and a hint of orange. Behind it all, I will (eventually) have neutral gray walls that would remind me of the fog covered shoreline of San Francisco.


What I was planning on being a throw blanket, a little splash of color for the family room, ended up being a blanket just about big enough for a twin sized bed! I'm ok with that though - it makes it easier to cuddle with someone else under it.

And as you can see, Mini, the Wonder Wiener, loves this blanket. She pretty much claimed it by curling up on it in my lap as I worked it up. However, once it was done, Molly was quick to claim it for herself. And they both give me "the look" when I tell them to get off of it!

New Year, Challenges

It's amazing how much time can get away from you. The anniversary party was downsized and the glittery vases will likely be re-purposed for something else. My classes start a again on January 20th, DH is left to job hunting after deciding his last job was not worth his happiness or sanity.

So here it is - the beginning of January and everything is up in the air and there is no real certainty. All I can do now is refocus and make the best of what we have. I'm trying to work out a better schedule to balance school, family, and crafting and moving my work space to a larger room in the house.

Keeping the positive vibes flowing is definitely a challenge right now, but I'm up for it! More to come very soon!

Something Glittery This Way Comes

In January, my parents-in-law will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. That's hard to believe. FIFTY years, 5-0 years! Not enough people make it to that any more. At any rate, there will of course be a party, which is still a surprise at this point. But being crafty and having the willing help of N, we are ready to tackle this.

The in-laws are pretty low-key people who don't like a big fuss being made, and the party will reflect that. The first items to be be done will be table decorations. My sis-in-law had quite a few vases we could alter to match our color scheme. Here you can see a few of the vases lined up and ready to be prettified.

The colors we are going for are black & white with gold accents. The venue will provide tables with white table cloths, so the decision was made to accent the vases with gold glitter and paint the insides black. It is going to be beautiful once it all set up, with drastic contrasts and simple ribbon flowers.

My dining room is currently covered in a festive, gold-sparkling, plague. I need to get the glitter sealed before I can move forward with painting the inside and arranging flowers. Hopefully, the sealing will get done today so I can get a picture of the whole thing put together!

Just Another Blanket...

Earlier this year, we had J's girlfriend and her daughter live with us for a little while. There was a turn of unfortunate events and she needed a place, so we opened our home. (Living together forced J and her to realize they weren't ready for anything serious and they have since broken up.)

Anyway, her daughter was about 2 at the time and every time I picked up my yarn and crochet hook, she asked what I was doing. When I told her I was making a blanket, her eyes would get huge and she'd ask, "You're making me a blankET!" (The emphasis on the last syllable was adorable!) And I'd always have to tell her no, it was for someone else. I finally asked if she really wanted one and what were her favorite colors. She lit up and told me pink and orange. Two weeks later, she had her blankie.

It turned out a little more "Dora the Explorer"-ish than I intended, but she was thrilled! Dora was her favorite cartoon and she cuddled this like crazy. It made me happy to make it and see her dragging it around with her.

I was able to get it done very quickly by using a simple twelve-square (three by four) pattern and alternating the pink and orange in each granny square. The white tied everything together and I added a simple faux-scallop border to finish it. Personally, I think the scallop finish makes it look a little more feminine.

I'm sure in time she will forget that I was the one who made, and me all together. But that is fine. She can use the blanket for many years to come and know that at some point, someone cared enough to make something just for her!

Howdy Card

 As things get busy, sometimes it's really nice to get a sweet little note just to say hi. Think about it, how much would you love to get a random greeting card for no reason other than to say hello!

That is why I made this little cutie - to brighten a friend's day. It is super simple, which is the way I love making them. I used a black polka dot paper and punched the corners, added a simple tag, rub on word, a small flower and that tiny touch of bling.

My favorite part of this card is the ombre hearts down the right hand side. Guess how I did! Punched a paint chip card! I love using those - the color card was free and I only paid a $1 for the punch at Walmart. Granted it wasn't the greatest punch in the world, or the easiest to use, but it did the trick for minimal investment.

Things here have been pretty busy. I have a few things I have been able to get done, but not nearly as much crafting as I would have liked over the past few months. I'm hoping with the changing season I will be able to get more accomplished, I have a couple of blankets that I am in the middle of crocheting, DH is just about finished with some living room additions that I am super excited about.

And with everything I am working on and wanting to get done, I also have some pretty big organization projects in the works. Some are for around the house, others just for my office. I have to be honest here - my office is no longer controlled chaos, no it has gotten to where it is just a mess. That is my biggest work in progress at the moment.

Anyway... I should be able to share a couple other projects I have gotten done. Please be patient with me!