Once Upon a Thread

Have you heard about Once Upon a Thread??? If not, look over there to the right and click on that button. You aren't going to want to miss this! Katy over at No Big Dill is hosting a MONTH of projects based on children's books. Clothes, toys, and who knows what else! I'm just a tiny bit excited!

A little background for those of you who don't know me personally...I used to be a teacher, an elementary teacher, an elementary LITERACY teacher. To say that we have a lot of children's books in our house would be like saying there are a few stars in the night sky. Maybe one day I'll share some pics of all the books you can find in all the various places in our house, but for now, let's just say that I didn't need to head to our local library to prep for this challenge.

The problem was narrowing the selection! I spent nap time today thumbing through the books in our playroom. After pulling a stack of possibilities as tall as Bee, I curled up in the rocking chair to read and brainstorm. And a couple of hours later, I think I've made my final choices.

It's a mix of award winners, old favorites, new classics, and some just for fun stories (and not a princess story in the whole mix!). I have projects planned for each of the books, but I make no promises that I will actually get around to all of them this month. But, I'll do my best and hopefully we'll have some fun along the way.

Now being a former literacy teacher and all, I can't pass up the opportunity to share some of that knowledge stored in the dark recesses of my brain. So along with the projects, I'll include a little about each of the books, as well as ideas for engaging your child in the stories, words, pictures, and letters found in each title. You may even find some "do with your child" projects for a few of the books.

I hope you have as much fun as I do!

What's your favorite children's book?

February Style Stitches Bag Challenge

Want to see my Everyday Shopper for the month of February Style Stitches Bag Challenge???

Well, here it is!

Ugh! It's only February (well, now March), and already I've fallen behind. And I had such high hopes for this one. I even cut out the pieces in mid-January. But then I started hearing how easy it was, how quickly it came together, how simple the construction, and well...if it's that easy and that quick, I can wait until tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow. And here we are on March 1 and there my bag still lies, sadly abandoned, pushed to the side, neglected. Maybe tomorrow...

Sometimes you just need a little alcohol...

to get the pen marks out of your microfiber sofa:)

Remember those pesky purple pen lines? Well, you're going to have to take my word for it, but they're GONE!

Apparently, rubbing alcohol is a distracted mama's best friend. So if in the future, you should end up in a similar scenario, here's what you need to do.

Take a Q-tip and dip it into rubbing alcohol. Test by rubbing the alcohol onto an inconspicuous area. Assuming all goes well with your test, then use the Q-tips to gently blot your pen marks. It took me three applications to get all of the pen out, but you can't even tell where the marks once were!!! BRILLIANT!

Sweet Little Harriet

Harriet is a sweet, shy, little bunny. She lives at the edge of the woods with her many brothers and sisters. Of the entire family, she is the quietest. Her best friend is a field mouse named Henrietta. The spend their days nibbling rose petals and watching butterflies.

Most of her siblings don't know this, but Harriet loves to sing. Her favorite song is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She sings it every evening to help Mama Bird put her babies to sleep.

In the spring, Harriet wanders among the trees looking for fallen bird eggs. When she finds one, she gently places it in her pocket and sets off in search of the mother bird. Once she was unable to find the mother bird, so she brought the egg home with her. A small blue bird named Esther hatched from the egg and decided to stay with the loving Harriet. Esther built a nest in the tree directly above Harriet's burrow so she could always be close to her friend.

Harriet is made with linen-look cotton and a blend of vintage and modern fabrics. She measures 19" tall, not counting her floppy ears. If you're interested, you can find her here.

A Disaster...Oh, and a Skirt too!

Ok - Look closely just to the left of the skirt. Do you see the purple pen line on my microfiber sofa? Don't ask how it got there. Let's just say it had something to do with a one and a half year old and a slightly distracted Mommy trying to have a meeting in her house.

But here's what I need to know...HOW DO YOU GET PEN OUT OF MICROFIBER WITHOUT LEAVING A BIGGER MESS THAN YOU STARTED WITH????

I've been afraid to try anything in fear of just making the mess worse. Advice??? PLEASE!

Oh yeah, and that's my new summer skirt. I used the tutorial on Anna Maria Horner's blog and her Pastry Line voile. Here are my tips:

1. You can see through the voile. I am planning to tuck a lining in once I find a fabric that is appropriate. I started to use a lightweight muslin because I had that on hand, but really...why use a gorgeous voile and then put stiff, scratchy muslin underneath it? So I left a bit of a lip on the waist band where I can tuck a lining in later. Not smart, I'm sure, but I was antsy to get the skirt finished and try it on and who knows how long it will be until I make it to a fabric store! I suppose I could always wear a slip...if I even own one!

2. The larger the width of fabric you use, the better your result will be. I had already used this piece of fabric to line an infinity scarf (wait - I don't think I've shown that to you yet! another day, I promise!), so I didn't have a full-width cut to start with. It's still cute as it is, but it just doesn't have the flounce that I was looking for. So plan for width...lots of it.

3. Um - Measure! I didn't measure or mark the elastic channels at the top because I'm a wing-it sort of gal. I ended up a little off and had to add some stitching below the elastic channels. You don't really notice it until I point it out to you, but if you're a perfectionist, go ahead and measure then you won't have to worry about that little imperfection. Me - like I said, I wing it:)

Overall, the skirt came together super fast (even including the time it took me to splice together elastice pieces so I would have enough to finish) and the result is adorable. I will definitely be making more of these...in fact, I've already started picking out fabrics.

Now somebody tell me how to get the pen mark off my couch...PLEASE!

I've Been a Busy Little Bee

REALLY! I have, I promise!

There have been LOTS of orders.

And lots of tees!

And lots of late nights!

And some really poor photos taken in the middle of the night!

I just didn't want you think that I had abandoned you. Remember me being buried alive??? Well, these are just a few of things I've been churning out recently. Don't you just love that train? It kinda makes me wish there was a little boy in the mix around here. KINDA.

Now...BACK TO WORK! There's a mostly-finished football jersey calling to me from the table:)

Buried Alive!

To my loving family...just in case I can't be found by week's end, look under the pile of Works in Progress on the "sewing" table.

I'm afraid to admit that I am in a little over my head on the random projects that I have managed to start in the last few weeks. The MASSIVE flannel quilt for the cabin that we haven't yet built, the Princess and the Pea playset that was intended to be Belle's Valentine's Day gift, a top-secret super-fab quilt pattern that I've been designing, a totally random interlocking circles piece of embroidery...and that's just the beginning of the list!

I'm really not sure where my mind has gone, but did I seriously believe that any of these projects stood a chance of being completed? I didn't mention the MANY, MANY orders that I am currently committed to completing. OR the NEW business that I have started (more on that later, I'm sure).

I've gone completely batty!

So what did I do today??? I read the last 200 pages of this book, like it would burst into flames at the stroke of midnight if I didn't find out how it ended. Don't you just love when a book grabs you by the hair, pulls you in, and won't let you go until it has had its say?

The book is part mystery, part romance, part super-natural (not my usual cup of tea), part history, and every bit dramatic and engaging. I found this great little independent book store last time I traveled with my husband for his work and spent the better part of an afternoon previewing books and sipping coffee, before settling on this. It was a great choice for passing a long, quiet afternoon alone...not such a great choice for encouraging productivity once I returned home!

And since I am seriously unmotivated to take pictures of UNFINISHED projects right now, that's pretty much all I can offer for tonight. Maybe, just maybe, something will be finished in the near future and I will love it enough to take it's picture...