Ucreate's Create with Me bag

I finished my bag quite a while ago (in fact I made one of of fall fabrics for a gift that I forgot to photograph that turned out better!)  I had a hard time with the pleat the first time, since you normally don't make the pleat BEFORE you cut the fabric.  But I do love the fabric and the shape of the bag.  Mine is both narrower and shorter than the pattern do to my messing up the pleat, but I think it will be the perfect library bag this spring.  The pleat really dresses up the bag.  I think I'll add the bow at some point, I just needed to get more interfacing.  I still adore the fabric and have quite a bit left for another bag that strikes my fancy.  Go HERE for TONS more of these bag made during the U-create challenge

It's a little floppy to photograph

 

Love the pleat detail

Tutu lamp

I saw this on pinterest and absolutely LOVED it.  My oldest daughter takes dance and the frillier the tutu the better.  I had the perfect little lamp to re purpose- it had a white base and a green shade.  I spray painted both light pink (although I should have spray painted the shade white first- it's hidden)  It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of using the tulle, but I LOVE the outcome.  It's not as good as the original, but it looks great in my girlies room.  My wonderful hubby just doesn't get girly stuff (AT ALL) so he looked at my beautiful creation and informed me "It looks like a fire hazard"  Thanks babe!  He's just a boy, what do they know about tutu's and pretty things??  Here it is:  Although now that I actually READ the directions I see the strips were supposed to be 6 inches wide- mine were about 2.  I wonder if that's what make mine look not as nice?  I may try again sometime.

Love it

The golden piggy bank

 

 

With big sisters dance trophies and little sister's crib.

Mallomars

I feel like a real blogger lately- I have comments AND followers!  How awesome is that.  =)  Thanks!!


I saw this recipe over here last week and they looked SO good!  We never had mallomars a lot as a kid, but I enjoyed them whenever we did- the chocolate coating, the marshmallow, the strawberry jam hidden on the cookie.  So I had to make these.  So very time consuming but SO delicious.  And as most things are- WAY better than the over-processed packaged ones.

Marshmallows!

Maybe a bit too much jam

Mmmmmmmm

I forgot to flatten my cookie before cookies so they are thick- but still yummy!

Favorite Boy sweater

 I've used this sweater pattern for several baby boys and girls and it's so much fun.  This one is my absolute favorite, I made it for my cousins baby and I don't know that she ever used it.  I wished it would have fit my littlest man or I'd have kept it for him!  I love the colors and it just looks so cute.  For this sweater I copied the look of a paid pattern tulips from DIC and added the garter stitch bumps at each color change.  I like the seed stitch button band of the super stripes so I kept that.

 

  Here's a few other sweaters I've knit using the free pattern.  I can't find the pink and blue ones out of my 18,546 pictures on my drive- sorry!  =)

Hats

I love knitting and crocheting hats for my family- they are fast and fun and most importantly everyone wears them!  Nothing worse that spending hours on something that no one wears, drives me batty!  I made Little sis a hat when she was a baby that I loved and tried to find a bigger size, it was a simple crocheted shells design.  I came across this (of course I can't find it now- but I'll update it when I do) one and REALLY liked how it integrated the shell pattern on the top of the hat.  That's one of my beefs with crocheted hat patterns most start out with a sc circle until it's big enough and THEN start the pattern.  I'm not overly thrilled with the looks of that so when I find a pattern that continues a pattern through the crown I tend to make multiples.  I made a pretty blue one for my step-mothers' birthday (no picture =( though)  So I used it as the start and then I added the brim from THIS hat and I LOVE it!  It was perfect for the long car drive.

LOVE the clip on flower

Winter hats go SO well with tank tops! =)

We are home!

We are back from a week of glorious sunshine on the sand filled beaches on NJ.  The weather was perfect and it's cold way up here in Northern NY and I want to go back!  I was a misplaced southern girl born into a cold climate!  Here's a picture of us on the bay with the sunset behind us.  More craftiness tomorrow- back to real life today.

It's hard to get 8 people looking AND smiling!  We just go for close enough

Krispy Kreme donut shops are AWESOME-  they have hats!!  (and DONUTS!  AND COFFEE!)

VACATION

My family and I are headed out to the ocean tomorrow at 5AM.  I absolutely can NOT wait- it is the highlight of my year.  So I will not be blogging for the 10 days I am gone, but I will be back- with pictures!  So feel free to browse my other posts and check back in a week or so!  Here is the vanimal (named by my hubby) that we will be taking.  With 6 kids it's hard to find a vehicle big enough for us all.  So we got a 12 passenger van so we can fit us all AND friends.  It's not as bad to drive as I originally thought, and it has (inside) back up sensors which are the BEST thing ever!  I'll never hit a tree or a fire hydrant or another vehicle again!!

The Vanimal

I also got cute little window stickers (which aren't showing up now!)

First day of school!

Today is the first day of school for my kiddos.  I have two homeschooling this year, 7th and 1st and two in private school 3rd and 5th.  Now I know that's a bit unusual.  We homeschooled all the way through untiil my oldest was going into 5th.  By then my fifth baby was a year old and I was 5 months pregnant with number 6.  Little man was a TOUGH baby to put it kindly and I wasn't sure what baby #6 would be like.  So we sent my oldest  two to a private Mennonite school in the area for at least two years, then we'd decide what we wanted to do.  Baby #6 turned out being a piece of cake but my boys LOVED the school and we are extremely happy with it as well.  We sent our third son last year in 2nd grade and everyone did excellent.  I really missed them being home, but I didn't feel I could bring them home for my benefit, they were flourishing wonderfully at school.  A lot of my oldest son's friends went back to homeschooling so he asked if he could too.  I jumped at the opportunity to spend a year (or more hopefully) with my almost 13 year old!  So he's home with me and my oldest daughter as well.  Not sure on our plans for her- she's a huge social butterfly and would love the social aspect of school, but I love having her home as well.  We're taking it year by year.  Here's my babies on their first day of school.

Big Sister hard at work!

My six treasures

My boys off to school

Circle skirt

LOVE the fullness

Can I just eat my crackers in peace Mommy!

I saw a tutorial HERE for a circle skirt and I was a bit intrigued.  So having nothing better to do one day- and avoiding housework- I decided to try it.  I did the math involved and cut a large donut out of fabric.  I waited a week for Joann.com to bring my 2" elastic and then I sewed  the elastic on.  I WILL be making more and I WILL be dying elastic next time (when I dye my boys underwear- I CAN'T  wait to show pictures of that if it ever stops raining!)  I also WILL be making one for big sister.  Here's pictures

Purses and bags

I adore purses and bags!  I change them regularly 5 or 6 times a year.  My husband says I get new purses so I don't have to clean my old ones out and he may just have a point there!   I tend to buy them at thrift stores and never pay more than $5 for them.  (but the wallets I have to buy to match tend to cost $15 so it's not a great savings after all!)  Anyhow on my wonderful google reader I noticed Ucreate had a September "create with me project" which is an ADORABLE bag!  Of course I *just* finished moving my belongings over to a NEW purse this very morning, but who cares.  I love it and am joining in.  I have some great heavy pink and white fabric with dandelions on it.

Not very fallish, but perfect for spring.  Which will come again (even though it won't feel like it in January and February when it's 30 below zero!)  So here's the LINK for the create with me project.  Join in!