If only...

If only... my life was simple I would be able to find more time to do the things I love: sewing, knitting, putting photos into albums. Instead, life is complicated these days. In the midst of another job change for my husband, my simplicity comes in encouraging him, loving my children, and finding short moments to make special.

Thankfully, I was able to set aside this past Saturday to decorate the house with Christmas decorations - we even have 2 Christmas trees this year, which is a first. Our tradition goes as follows:

1. Hubby goes up to the attic and pulls everything down.
2. The kids go crazy wanting to pull everything out of the bins at one time.
3. Mom says, "No." Then, we try to do it in an organized fashion. (Note the word "try.")
   

It's fun to see the kid's faces as familiar decorations are pulled out of the bins. We go around the house placing things here and there. Then the tree goes up. This year, I had a smaller tree that fit perfectly in our book nook that I rearranged earlier this year. Then, we worked on our hand-me-down 7ft tree that is the most beautiful tree we've ever had (pictured above). Our house looks festive, greenery is around the front door, and the wreath is hung on the door.

Another tradition in our house is that each year the kids get to pick out an ornament to add to their collection. Here is what each of them picked. I love to see how it shows their personality.

This is Sophia's... it came with 2 little dolls with braids. She loves to read and likes things pretty and simple. I love that about her!

Next comes Emily... She is my glitz and glamour girl, loves pretty things, love treats, and loves getting gifts. A pink lollipop is what she chose!

Then, there's my little man Isaac. He couldn't decide what he wanted, so I had to help him a bit. He loves stuffed animals, and thought this giraffe was a good pick. However, he didn't want to put it on the tree. He'd much rather play with it. That's a boy for you! :)

Normally, I make the kids pajamas for Christmas, but this year, I've decided to make aprons for each of them out of fabric I've previously purchased. I'm excited about this project and hope I can complete it in time! My kids love to help me in the kitchen, and several years ago I had purchased 3 aprons from a dollar store. They're now too small on them. I hope to post pictures of the new aprons as I complete them. I was perplexed on what fabric to use for my son as an apron is not really a "boy thing" in my mind. However, he would feel left out if he didn't get one too... so, you'll have to wait and see what I have for him!

I hope you are having a nice Christmas season. May we always remember the true reason for Christmas... Jesus Christ!

Child's Crayon Roll-Up

I am loving this new crayon roll-up! My daughter and I made one of these for her friend's birthday and paired it with a fun notebook. I've also made the kind with the ribbon. And although it's probably prettier, it's not as practical for little children to have to tie a bow every time they want to secure the roll. The elastic is SO much easier that even a toddler can do it.

So, I'm adding this one to my Etsy store today. If you're interested in it or another color option (which I'll be adding this week), I'm charging $7.00 for the small version. If you'd like the 16-ct Crayon Roll-Up, it is $12.00. I'll be adding it soon, or you can contact me.

What I'm working on...

With all 3 of my children in school full-time now, I have found myself with more time to clean house, organize, and of course get crafty - my favorite! I have a few projects in the works right now with hopes to start an Etsy shop soon.

I'm excited about this new endeavor I'm going toward and hope that it might become a helpful way for me to make a little extra to bless our family and others.

I'll be revealing some of my projects soon... hopefully later this week. So, stay tuned!

French Bread Basket (Simple Project)

I found this great and fun pattern to create this French Bread Basket and fell in love! I made this in less than 2 hours, it was so simple. I plan on posting a tutorial if you are interested in making one for yourself.

You can make these in any size you need. I've seen them used for bread, rolls, tea bags, and so many things outside of the kitchen as well. The ribbons add a nice touch and can be untied to allow this bread basket to be collapsible.

I can totally see myself making up a bunch of these and including them in my yearly Christmas cookie bake. Don't you think they'd make great displays for Christmas cookies?! I love that they're washable and easy to store too!

Tutorial coming soon...

Sew Crafty Sites

Unfortunately, I was not blessed with tremendous creativity, so I love learning from other people's gifts of creativeness! Here are some really adorable ideas for simple sewing projects...

If you have a little boy (or a big boy) who likes to spiffy up, ALemonSqueezyHome offers a fun and thorough tutorial to make these adorable bow-ties. This is also a great idea for costumes!


Cloud9Fabrics has a simple downloadable pattern to make these super cute burp cloths. I'm thinking homemade baby shower gift, ladies! I know I would've loved receiving a handmade baby gift when my children were wee little ones... (Can you hear a slight Irish accent here? I can hear it and I'm not even Irish!)


And for those of you who are craftier than I am, here's a fun craft or gift idea to create from SewAndSew. You can find a fabric postcard tutorial over at RedShoeRamblings to help you out in recreating this project.

I hope you enjoy these sites and fun craft ideas as much as I do!

Cozy Nap Mat for School

I'm so excited to share with you my most recent project! Up until this year, I have always homeschooled our children, but this year my husband and I have chosen to send them to a private Christian school. Along with this decision, we've had all sorts of adventures - including uniforms, school supplies... and the need for a nap mat for my son who's starting Kindergarten this year!

So, naturally, I saw "PROJECT" in my future! I know I could've just gone to the store and bought a KinderMat, but instead I just had to take the opportunity to make one! I did a little looking online and came across this great tutorial (which I tweaked a little) and... Ta-Da!!

I can't begin to tell you how excited he is about his new nap mat! And I love that I was able to create something special for him to take to school that's just from Mommy. Selfishly, I hope that he thinks of me every time he lays on it... but realistically, I know he'll be too busy trying to keep all the kids from taking actual naps... yes, my boy is that child.

I'd love to hear what you're working on in a comment below. Have you ever made a nap mat or do you have a really cool project (sewing or crafty) that you want to share?! Please leave me a comment!! I love to hear from you.

P.S. You can click on the images in this post to see more detail.

Patchwork and Ruffles!

I have really begun to enjoy patchwork sewing. Recently, I was inspired by a shopping trip in which I saw a beautiful patchwork skirt that my daughter fell in love with. I know I'm not the only one to find something I love and say, "I think I could make that!" And so I set out to create this skirt! Here's the finished project.

Ignore the little threads on the bottom. The perfectionistic side of me needs to go get a pair of scissors and cut those off...

My daughter loves how it flows and has worn this skirt for the past 2 days - with exception to bedtime. In our house, it truly comes down to the "twirl factor". That is, does the skirt make a beautiful twirly movement when you spin in a circle. If it does, it's a beautiful skirt. And I'm happy to say that the twirl factor with this skirt was a winner!

(You'll notice that I used mostly fabric I've been using lately. I'm slowly building up my fabric collection... and am in need of some organization of it too!)