Sew Surprised

Yesterday, Gareth and Mason got a haircut while we were out and about. What better excuse to go into my FAVORITE fabric store, which happens to be right down the road! West Seattle Fabric Company is such a quaint, cheerful little shop with the most beautiful fabrics everywhere you look. The owner, Monica, always makes me feel so welcome, like I'm visiting an old friend. Its nearly impossible to go in there without leaving with a little something... this time I got a yard and a half of a fabric to make a top for myself for Spring. And that was it-- aren't you proud of the restraint that I exercised, Gareth? Here is the top I made last night with my new fabric and some scraps I had at home. I'm surprised it turned out as well as it did! (This learning to sew thing is totally trial and error.)

This morning we ventured to early church, and the sweetest lady named Beth gave the girls a surprise. She knows I've been learning to sew, and a few weeks ago, she told me all about how she used to make wrap dresses for her daughter's consignment store. So when we walked in this morning, guess what she gave us: a bag with the 2 most adorable wrap dresses inside! Here they are on the girls:

And finally, Georgia got a fun surprise in the mail this week: Gigi made her an animal-themed dress! Georgia is already asking when we can go to the zoo so that she can wear it there.

Love these fun surprises that came our way this week... Now, to shut down the computer and check out the Oscar fashions!

It's So Much Fun to Accessorize

A few fun crafts I finally completed...

Why didn't I think of this a long time ago? I saw this project while exploring bunches of craft and sewing blogs-- what a great, inexpensive idea-- especially when JoAnn has buttons on sale for buy one get one free!

1--Find a few cute button pairs.

2--Clip the shank off the back of the buttons and add earring posts.

3--Voila! Super-cute new earrings!

I also made this necklace with some chain and findings I had on hand-- the charms are from one of my favorite online stores-- Antica Treasures. "Oiseaux" means "birds" in French.

Easy. Inexpensive. Fun. Three necessary components for a fun crafting experience!

Lemonade Out of Lemons

I was so hoping that by now I'd have posted a recently completed craft or sewing project, but I got this horrible cold over the weekend that just won't seem to go away. I feel totally yucky and have been lucky to be able to stay home the past few days. I won't say that I have gotten much rest because the kids are out on Winter Break this week. I love having them home with me, but I feel so guilty laying on the couch instead of playing with them. Nevertheless, I had such bright, happy moments while blowing my nose and shivering under a blanket, namely:
-Watching "Apollo 13" with Mason, followed by watching the University of Illinois basketball game. They lost and were down most of the game, but I loved hearing Mason say repeatedly throughout the WHOLE game: "They're right on their tails, Mama! Don't worry, Mama! There is still time to catch up!" My dad and brother would be so proud.
-Having Mason smile sweetly, rub my head, and tell me that because I had on a white bathrobe I looked like an angel. Never mind my pale face and chapped lips and red nose and crazy bed head hair! I will never, ever get rid of that robe...
-Seeing the snow begin to fall, and yelling hysterically upstairs to the girls to come down. Harper came running down the stairs, asking what was wrong, and when I told her that nothing was wrong and that I was just excited about the snow, she said, "Oh, Mama, I was scared you had set the kitchen on fire again!" For the record, I never set an entire kitchen on fire, just a burner on the stove a couple of times.

It looks like I will be home again tomorrow, and I can't say that I'm disappointed. Despite being as sick as a dog, I feel so happy and cozy and content being surrounded by my children.

And so it begins...

Let's hope the third time is a charm! I've attempted the blogging thing a couple of times before and it didn't work out so well...and now I'm mad about it, because my kids are funny, and I've missed documenting so many of the cute and charming things they say. Oh well, better late than never!
A little about me:
I love all things vintage. Clothing. Shoes. Jewelry. Purses. Movies. TV shows. The tv show "American Pickers" about finding dusty, discarded treasures in people's barns. Vintage speaks to me.
I live in Seattle, where it rains a lot. (Like you didn't know that). I have come to really love the rain. And if it is sunny too many days in a row I start to get grouchy. Kind of backwards, huh?
I can't sit still for very long. I feel like I'm wasting the day away, and I must occupy myself immediately... hence, my love for crafting and sewing. I'm certainly not very good at it yet, but I have hope that I will be someday.
I love so many things, and I truly believe in the happiness brought to one's life by focusing on love. Who/what do I love?
God. My husband, who also happens to be my best friend. My children, who are my absolute treaures in life. ("Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew  6:21). My mom and dad, and my brother, and my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents-- some are in other states, and some are in heaven-- no matter, I love them all deeply and miss them all tremendously. I love walking by the ocean and walking through the city. I love watching trashy reality television shows and reading beautiful poetry. And US magazine. I love to shop at Value Village and Goodwill and Target. Nowhere more expensive than that, because it bugs me to spend money on something if I think there's a possibility of finding it cheaper. I love singing and babies and cherry pie and black-eyed peas (the food, not the group) and all kinds of music and Disneyland and hot baths and tattoos and laughing. I love a lot. And I think I'm generally happy a lot.
I hope to share my love, and my happiness, and funny stories and crafts, on my blog.