simplesparrow

today patchwork = needle books

i know this is not a brainstorm or anything, but one reason i love patchwork so much is that you can use up bits of leftover fabric and turn them into small, useful objects. at the moment, my leftovers are getting a new life as simple needle books.

i really *love* making fabric from all my odds and ends, then deciding what to do with this new piece of material i've just created. it's like a trip to the fabric shop without ever leaving the house or getting on the internet! and i bet no one else has a piece exactly like it, that's kind of fun too.

this book is going to a sweet friend who has been waiting a loooooong time for it. i have a few extras that will go in to the shop soon. i certainly don't need 4 more needle books! i sure adore making them though.

more trailer love

here's another, and i like this one even more.

to answer those who asked why trailers? just because i thought it would be so funny and random (i have a different sense of humor sometimes) and i've always thought they were so cute and 'nest like'...like a portabel nest on wheels. but mostly because of the random humor.

i spent some time with my sketchbook last night and i love what my research turned up! i feel giddy just thinking about them! vintage trailers make me so *happy*.

this one is for sale in my etsy shop now.

suddenly...

...i've taken to embroidering trailers and turning them in to small pillows. i'm working on a whole trailer park you could say. don't ask why, i already told you i was weird.

also, here is the japanese craft book i made my slippers from and a photo of the style i chose. ISBN 4943309430771. there are patterns in the back that you enlarge with a copy machine. lets just say i enlarged mine much more then they suggested..ahem..i do not have petite japanese feet. the book has several cute slipper styles, some from leather even. you can click on the photos to get a better look.

i guess i'm weird too

my long time computer friend, amy , has tagged me for this. i don't usually do these, but seeing as i have had no time at all to make anything and post about that...here are 6 weird things about me:

1. whenever i hear a baby cry in public i have an intense desire to find out why and to make things right. if it is a new born crying, i can barely contain myself. (i do though, mind you. that would be really obnoxious if i didn't)

2. for my 40th birthday i pierced my nose. i was too chicken to do it  sooner. (i have always loved the way a tiny rhinestone looks there.) after 2 months of it not healing properly i took it out and gave up. now that i'm 41, only one year later-- i think i'm too old to try again. it would be some sort of mid-life crisis thing i think.

3. the very first thing i do in the morning, before anything, is open the blinds in the living room. dark rooms depress me and i must let in as much light as possible as soon as possible!

4.certain sounds--such as nails on a chalkboard--drive me crazy. i can have chills from it hours after it has stopped.

5.fluffy baby penguins can almost make me faint with their cuteness. i'm serious. i have some kind of physical sensation when i see them--i guess it's a cuteness-overload.

6.sometimes i like to shock my kids and bust out in spontaneous song--something so random and crazy that i just make up. i love the look on their face.

boy, i share more about myself on this blog then i ever dreamed i would.

portraits of a favorite lamp

all three of my boys were piled in my bed tonight--talking, laughing. i was sitting on the floor right here next to my bed, loving the sight of them just being together. i could hear Hannah in the distance on the phone with my mom. an ordinary moment, a special moment, the kind of moments life is made of.

i noticed how pretty the light was on the wall, and how the edge of my bed crept in--looking calm and restful--when only inches away my three boys were a jumble of blankets, chatter and laughter.my camera was close by, so I grabbed it and took these portraits--portraits of a favorite lamp.

that's all i have for now. just a shared moment of regular life, and a pretty cute lamp.

meal planning progress--yes!

wow guys! thanks so much to all the delurkers who came out to say hello! (and to my regular commenters, xo.) that was super. some of you emailed me privately too--that was nice. i really did enjoy learning a tiny bit about your lives, so thank you for sharing. i believe i got back to each one you--after all, i did ask you to say hi so it would be kind of rude if i didn't respond, eh? a couple of email addresses weren't working, but i tried!

O.K. girls, i'm into this now. i'm quickly back on the road to recovering my meal planning capabilities and it feels really good.

i made a really simple template on the computer using tables--in each table i made 3 lables: meal, cookbook/pg.#, and need. i started first with the meals that i make regularly and don't really need a cookbook for. they are just in my head. tell me, does this happen to you--i sit down to first write out these meals i've been making forever and all i can come up with is like, two. two! i've been cooking for my family for 22+ years and i can only think of 2??!! major brain lock going on. that happens more then i care to admit....ahem.

anyway...it's pretty self explanatory. the 'need' part is where i jot down everything i will need to make that particular meal. this is so i don't have to go look up the recipe in the cookbook when i'm making my grocery list, it saves lots of time. i also have a master grocery list that i print out with all the things we buy. that way i'm not re-writing a list each time i go shopping, i just circle what we need on the master.

now, i just need to three-hole-punch the sheets and put them in my very cute binder i bought just for this purpose (please note: if you plan to do this a cute binder is VERY necessary ) my plan is to eventually make categories for meals, side dishes, desserts and breads. i also want to keep the recipes i print off the internet in here too---instead of plastered all over the fridge.

my goal with this system is not to just make another cookbook of sorts, but to only add recipes that are really liked by us--or that i want to try and feel positive that we all will like it. a book of favorites i guess. by the way, i love martha stewart's food magazine. most of the food is simple, easy to prepare and healthy, and that is exactly how i like to cook.

i think i'm due for a blogging break. when i come back i hope to show you some crafty goodness. if not, well...i'll think of something to say, i usually always do :)

see you in a few days!

de-lurk, say hello!

there have been several posts around in blogland about national delurking week (that is so funny to me, national delurking week..ha.) so for the first time i thought i would invite any and all who visit me here incognito to pop your head out and say hello! i would love to meet you! tell me a little something about yourself and i'll enjoy every word as i drink my tea. i won't mind one bit if you go back into hiding afterwords :)

what can i say about me that i have not already blabbed about?? here are few random bits....

*i love chickens. i think they are SO FUNNY.

*i'm not a picky eater, but please don't ask me to eat sushi. raw fish wrapped in seaweed? no thanks!

* i love watching little house on the prairie. we own six seasons on dvd. (with plans to own the whole collection)

*my mom tells me when i was born my head was shaped like gumby. i guess that's a down-side to a forceps delivery. it took a couple of months to straighten out---whew! i'm so glad it did.

*i am now the very proud owner of a saab 92x and it's the funnest car i've ever driven!(would not be possible without the very generous gift from my parents...come on dad, delurk and say hello! i know you're out there somewhere)

that's enough about me. now, i'm looking forward to meeting you!

we like the sunny spots

noah claimed the warm and sunny rays falling on the kitchen floor. earlier, we both ate our breakfast egg together right there--just sitting quietly. i don't know what he was thinking during those few peaceful moments, but all i could think of was the new perspective i got on just how dirty the baseboards and lower cabinets are! yikes. double yikes, actually.

my mind is filled to the brim with sewing and embroidery ideas--but there hasn't been any spare moments really to bring them to life. i feel i've dropped the ball a bit with our school plan, so i'm spending time getting that in order. nothing like the holidays and basically 3 weeks of company to get me feeling lazy about school---no longer! we're getting back on track fast. sort of fast--i think.

like my pal blair, i'm totally serious about getting back to meal planning too. life is just soooo much nicer when mom has a plan---a tasty, thoughtful and organized one at that. wouldn't you agree?

maybe the weekend will bring some sewing my way. hope so. but first, i will take care of the business above.

enjoy the weekend my friends!

(oh!thank you for all the comments of late, i love them all. xo.)

a little piece forever

I love how the camera lets you capture time, minutes that tick away most days without ever getting noticed. Then you have that little piece of beauty, or memory, or quietness forever.

time to get to work

sewing for me~a new apron. i'm ready to get back to work and i mean business too! did ya hear that family?

:time to clean up and clean out: :time to organize: :time to get back to a routine: : time to prioritize, again: it's just time to get back to work!

now it feels like the new year. the last of my family and friends are gone (i'll miss you guys) , the holidays are behind me now (i'm always happy to get back to regular life) and i'm ready to settle down with my routine until spring. spring is always a nice time to break things up a bit and take a few days off. but this post is not about vacation! i've had enough of that. like i said though, come spring.....

i don't do new years resolutions but i like to think of the year as a whole and make a mental list of things i would like to accomplish or improve in. here are a handful on the top of my list:

creative wise

*improve my photography skills--such as, take the time to read the manual. i also seem to have a fabulous in house photographer i can learn from.

*explore the world of painting and collage more.

*reacquaint myself with my gocco. poor thing, it's collecting dust.

*learn to quilt and do more patchwork. starting with finishing the wedding quilt.

in the home

*better organization with meals and grocery shopping.

*maintaining a certain realistic level of order and peace in our surroundings.

*teaching hannah to cook with the goal of her cooking dinner for the family one or two nights a week unassisted by me. she'll learn a valuable skill, and i'll get to just sit and read a magazine.

personal

*continue getting up early (has always been a battle for me)

*stay consistent with exercising--and to become more flexible.

*homeschooling--there is always room for improvement there.

*spiritual growth--the thing which all else in my life depends.

*to enjoy this ride we call life, to always look for the good.

of course there are always things being added as the year goes by. that's just life, right? we should always want to keep growing.

oh, and one last thing i want to accomplish this year--it's not very deep, but quite necessary--clean out my spice cabinet!! man, is it gross in there!

have a lovely week, all.