Easter Swap Update

Are you as excited about the Hand-Made Easter Swap as I am??? Look...Bee is demonstrating just how ecstatic I am feeling:)

Just a quick update for our participants. I sent out an email this morning requesting swap info from you...if for some reason you have signed up for the swap and you did not receive that email, please let me know right away. The shipping deadline is going to be March 31, so please send back your responses as soon as possible, so we can all get busy crafting! Thanks so much...and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Merry Christmas!

May your day be Merry and Bright!

What We've Been Up To...

So what have Belle, Bee and I been up to recently?

Well, we feasted with family. Our tummies have never been so full or so happy:)



But, we did save some room for dessert!


We've spread some sisterly love...and accidentally excluded all the pictures where the love wasn't so sweet!


Then we made some time to decorate this monstrous thing in our jammies. We even went back later and added a tree topper, but somehow it didn't make the "film."


We froze our cute little tushies off at the Raleigh Christmas parade on the ONE cold day we've had so far this fall. It has been seriously warm here and we are looking forward to a little chill tomorrow!

And even spotted our hometown hero along the route!

Can you guess who's driving these reindeer???

Someone knows who it is and she is being sure to show off her most winning (and innocent looking) smile.

But this one just doesn't seem to get it...no, Bee, you're supposed to be GOOD!

We've read a lot of books and worn more than our share of costumes.

We even sported some rocking Daddy-made "crowns," at bath time.

This has to be the best picture I've ever taken...I just love it!

But, "Wait," you say. What's missing here? Oh, yes. The craftiness.

Well, lest you believe that all projects have come to an end, here's the list of WIP and completed fun stuff over the last few weeks: felt Christmas cookies, a pile of holiday bookmarks/ornaments/gift tags, a good portion of a rather large Christmas quilt pieced, a GORGEOUS dress for Belle to wear to the Nutcracker, a super-fab embellished stocking for a dear local client, mountains of glittered holiday play dough, a wool felt gingerbread baby, a partially completed Clara doll, and a partridge in a pear tree (ok - that was just to see if you were paying attention).

Now, why on Earth aren't there any pictures of those goodies. Well, you see, when one is so busy living life and crafting on the side, one somehow runs out of time to edit the 600+ photos clogging up the SD card, preventing you from photographing all the crafty goodness. UNTIL TONIGHT! All 9,000,000,000 pics have been edited, saved, and organized (and shared) and there is finally room on that card for some pics of the fun projects we've been working on.

Just wait until you see the present Belle is making for Bee for Christmas...it's pretty darn amazing and I'm not the least bit biased.

So, I hope you've been just as busy living life as we have. And I'll be back soon with some of the fun holiday sewing that we've been up to:)

Halloween Memories

Because Halloween 2011 is already just a memory. And I know that, in what seems like only moments, Halloween 2025 will be only a memory. We had a slew of 1-4 year olds running through our house this morning, and the squeals and giggles were priceless. Some of my favorite moments from this day and how I wish I could live it all over again...

And as a gift to my readers who also happen to feel that time is slipping through their hands faster than they really appreciate...I discovered an amazing new-to-me blog while browsing Pinterest (yes - I'm on there and one of these days I'll figure out how to do the whole Pinterest button on blog thing, but that will have to wait until another day). After reading several posts about photographing Halloween, I just knew that this was a must follow. So, if you're looking to preserve some of your memories, head over and visit Katie Evans Photography. And for your future photography tip needs, I've added a link to her blog on my sidebar.

She happens to be running a contest right now, and while my photography is amateur at best, it seems to be getting better every day, so I'll be sending my memories as entries...you should join in on the fun too! Directions for how to submit your entries can be found on the blog. And just a note - I've included the tips that inspired each shot just for your info:)

UPDATE: You can vote for my pics by liking them on Pinterest. They're the ones from belle-n-bee.blogspot.com (obviously:).

Entry 1: Moving beyond the traditional pose

Entry 2: Capturing the details

Entry 3: Getting behind them

Hold tight to those memories in whatever way you can! Happy Halloween:)

Trick or Treat

We'll be sporting brand new treat bags as we make our rounds this evening!

They were supposed to feature an applique monogram in the open space at the top. But, Belle can't seem to make up her mind which one she wants, so I figured this way we can trade as often as we need/want. Maybe next year I can add a pumpkin and a spider to jazz them up, but for now I quite like them as they are.

And have no fear...my sweet children will not have their long-term health sacrificed to the candy monsters! Oh no...the hubs and I will take care of eating most of that candy for them:) Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Bee!

Affectionately known as "Itty Bit," our little Bee turned TWO on Saturday! She's still roughly the size of a 15 month old, talks like a 2 year old, and races through the house like a 6 year old:) She's bubbly but demanding, adventurous but knows her own limits, sassy but sweet as sugar...basically a walking contradiction. And she's the pepper to her sister's salt. They are nothing alike, but the best of friends!


Bee has a sense of style all her own. Her favorite ensemble is her "white" dress (Snow White, that is), her flowered rain boots, and a pair of binoculars around her neck. But don't you dare come near her in a mask...she is NOT a fan!



Did I mention that she's a bit on the animated side? The facial expressions and comedic timing on this thing are unbelieveable!

And like every diva, a wardrobe change mid-event is always necessary:) I'm not sure if you recognized the dress in the pics above, but it came from none other than the famous Katy at No Big Dill, who just happened to give birth to her first little boy on my little Bee's birthday! Congrats to Katy and the entire Dill family:)

But we couldn't eat Carolina blue (is there any other color???) cupcakes in that dress. I mean, I ordered it before Bee was even ONE!

So, to complement the party theme, I whipped up this little fishie outfit the morning of the party...yep, nothing like waiting till the last minute:)

I'd say the cupcakes were a big hit, but I think that's pretty obvious:)

A while back, I confessed that Belle had a birthday party that was completely store-bought (except the cupcakes that my hubby baked). I had a lot of guilt, but she had a blast. And I learned a pretty important lesson...sometimes it's better to be the parent enjoying your child instead of the parent making things for your child.

This time around, I aimed for the middle ground. Thanks to a very busy tax season, I've had quite a bit of time on my hands in the evenings, so I used my free time to practice a new knitting technique...magic loop. Not complicated at all, but something new to me. And if I was going to be practicing, I might as well make something for the Bee's birthday while I was learning a new skill. So the "Birthday Baby" was born.

In a futile attempt to make Bee love her, I dressed her like Dora, but my goal with the doll is that it will grow with Bee. Right now she loves Dora, so a few basic accessories turn this simple doll into her much-loved friend. But with a quick clothing change she can be just about anything. I'm planning a Halloween dress next...maybe white with a ghost face on the front. Then a dress for a very special secret event coming up this winter...more on that later:)

Of course, even the totally yummy belly button couldn't make Bee interested in her doll. She quickly tossed it aside and moved on to much more exciting toys, but maybe one day she'll grow to love the doll. And if not...oh well. I learned a new technique and enjoyed the process.

So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEE! I love you more than the moon and the stars and could not imagine our little family without your spunky sweetness!

Happy Easter!

One of my favorite hymns from my childhood begins with, "Up from the grave he arose..." I love Easter because it is a time of such renewal, and spring in NC is an amazing thing to witness. It is a glorious day here to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

And regardless of your spiritual leanings, I hope that you are enjoying this fine spring day.

We've had a visit from the big bunny, visited family, and hunted more eggs. Sadly, we missed church due to a couple of unseasonable colds and some nasty little coughs:(

But, we still looked springingly cute in our new dresses:)

And just in case you're wondering...

Belle's dress was made with this tutorial from Freshly Picked. I added an underskirt, a sash, and some pretty little pleats just for fun. I also cut a slit in the back and added a button closure...the size of the heads on my little angels would amaze you! This is the first time I've used this pattern and I am in love! Assuming you leave out all the little extras that make it Easter-special, I think this would come together in less than an hour. And the inside is fully finished with no raw edges, zigzag stitches, or serged seams. It is a very professional-looking finished product and so sweet on.

Bee's outfit made use of the Sweet Pocket Pinafore pattern by Heidi and Finn. I followed the pattern directions to a tee, except that I added ric rac around all the edges. Once again, the pattern, as it is written, comes together very quickly and results in a very professional-looking finished product. Adding the ric rac makes the process a little more tedious, but it was just too cute to pass up. The bloomers are made with the Scientific Seamstress Easy Fit Pants pattern. I made a pair at shorts length, then stitched in a piece of elastic about 3/4" from the hemline on each leg. I've definitely gotten my $9.95 out of this pattern. It comes together with only two pieces and six seams and fits a WIDE range of sizes. It's also available for teens and adults and I'm seriously considering grabbing that one too. I know I've used the kids version at least 15 times already and my kids won't outgrow it for many years:)

One note about Bee's pinafore...that's a size 2T on my very tiny 19 month old. I think the pattern runs pretty short over the tummy, so I would recommend that if you want to be able to wear it with just bloomers that you make a size larger than you normally would.

Both outfits, are made with fabrics from the Flower Sugar line by Lecien. I don't normally splurge on imported fabric, but for this occasion I just couldn't resist.

So, Happy Easter and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Spring Stitchings

A few peeks at the second embroidered Easter quilt. I used the two blocks that I decided to leave out of the first quilt. Then I sketched two new designs to complete the quilt. This one is a more traditional spring color palette. And a little more girly.

Looks like Lilac likes it!

Modern Bunnies

Over the last several weeks you've seen a million and one of my dolls. I've developed a pattern which I'm calling "My First Friend," and with each doll I tweak the specifics a tiny bit. I think I'm finally happy with the dimensions, curves, etc. for the girl doll, but Timothy here is my first attempt at the boy adaptation. Thinner through the bum, pants, shirt sleeves... What do you think???

The doll is designed to be appropriate for kids of ALL ages. I think that having a "big" girl and all her "big" girl toys around a smaller child has made me think about the accessibility of toys. Small parts, removable pieces, long strings/ties...all hazards for a toddler, but all involved in just about every toy my 3 year old owns.

So I set out trying to design a doll that BOTH of my girls would love. It's large enough that an older child will be able to consider it a friend, but lacking in all the choking hazards normally found in dolls.

With My First Friend working really well (and selling really well locally), I decided that we needed some animal friends around here too. So....

I'd like to introduce you to my new friend...Modern Bunny!

The Modern Bunny pattern is actually designed to be the base for numerous animals just by exchanging arms, ears, noses, etc. And once again, I'm trying to make something suitable for all ages.

Fabric selection is or paramount importance for this pattern. A skull and crossbones fabric immediately toughens it up. A vintage floral makes it sweet and precious. A modern novelty makes for a fun playmate.

One day, we'll have Modern Kitty, Modern Puppy, Modern Elephant...and a host of others. But for today, I just really like these two. If you want to read the story of each of my new friends, you can find Lilac and Bennett in my shop (Timothy's there too!). Their bios are in the listings. They're pretty lively characters, but I'm afraid this post is already way too long:)

Easter Stitchings - Doll Quilt

I shared the sweet little spring stitchings that are the foundation of this quilt a little while ago. In all honesty, I embroidered the designs and then had no idea what I was going to do with them. Thankfully, Harriet caught my eye and I just knew she needed a new quilt.

I think she likes it:)

I trimmed the embroidered blocks to 8.5" and then added a simple border to each one. I really wanted the focus to remain on the stitchings and not the complementary fabrics and I think it worked out pretty well.

Then I started combining the blocks. I had originally planned to use all 6 stitched designs, but once I had these four together, it just felt complete, so I left the others for another project. And I really love this color combo...the pink and green on the other blocks somehow ruined the quirky palette.

The finished dimensions are perfect for Harriet or any of my other 19" dolls and bunnies. She likes to be swaddled up where it's warm and cozy:)

Once the top was finished, I just had to do some hand quilting with my DMC cotton perle! It is a great complement to the embroidered designs and really gives it a fun, vintage feel.

The quilt is already SOLD, but if you're interested in making one yourself, the embroidery patterns are available here. I'm so glad this little beauty found a home that will love her for many, many years!

Sweet Stitches

I've really been enjoying all the handwork involved in the gazillion and one dolls and bunnies I've made over the last few weeks. So I owe my mom an apology...on a long visit down to our part of the country she spent hours stitching. Redwork. I just couldn't understand how she could do the same thing over and over, day after day. Ok, Mom, I get it now. Mom was right, as always:)

The methodical up and down of the needle, the mindless activity, the rhythm of the stitches...it's all so peaceful. But even with all the bunnies I've made, there weren't enough little faces to stitch. So I began a collection of spring themed illustrations. This particular set is bound for an Easter doll quilt (look for it in the shop soon!). But, the patterns are available in the shop now in case you have a hankering to stitch.

And my early Easter gift to you: A list of my top embroidery tips:)

1. Use high quality thread! Whether you're using traditional embroidery floss or perle cotton like I used in my designs, you'll be a lot less frustrated if you spend a tiny bit more for the nicer thread. It won't tangle nearly as much and will result in a smoother motion.

2. SHARP needles! If you've been using the same needle for the last 26 years, it is time for a new one.

3. Tie off before moving. Like in the little chick above...I easily could have moved from one of the little eggshell chips to the next without fastening off and cutting my thread. It would have saved me time. And really, who's gonna know??? Well, everyone maybe. When you stretch a long thread across the back of your design it will either show through the fabric to the front side or cause all of your stitches to become loose and not so cute. So don't do...REALLY!

4. Use variegated thread. Ok, this one is pretty non-traditional and maybe not for everyone. But a nice variegated thread is going to add depth and character to your illustration. And it's just plain fun:)

5. Use the right size hoop. You want to be able to stitch as much of the design as possible, but you still want to be able to pull the fabric nice and taught. If your hoop is too small, you have to move it every few stitches. But, if your hoop is too large then you can't enclose all of the edges of your fabric...not good!

6. And finally...have FUN! Embroidery is a great way to add whimsy to even the most serious of projects. So tuck a tiny bunny in the corner of your own grown-up skirt and wear a happy smile all day long:)