Leaping for joy

Hello Leap Day. I've been waiting all month for you. Goodbye February. I will not miss you.

It's actually warm here today (before the snow flies again on Monday), and this morning in the car Jack said to me "See, I told you the sun would come out again." Oh son, I could not be happier to see that sun, even though you meant something totally different. (He has been waking up super early again, and when I tell him to get back in bed he insists the sun is coming any minute now.)

Other reasons to leap for joy today:
After more than 10 years of hunting and hoping and bidding, I finally have a grandmother's flower garden quilt for my collection.

I almost cannot believe it is mine.
And it is even better than the other ones I have bid on in the past. It is the perfect green and pink with tiny 1930's prints.

And the price, oh man the price. Only $30 bucks plus shipping on Ebay. I know, it's shocking. It was meant to be mine.
I picked up this gorgeous aqua vase at the thrift this morning. It was priced what I think of as crazy high for a thrift store ($15), but man, I love it. I need to get to Costco and buy myself some flowers to put in it.
My husband says he is going to build us a tear drop trailer for camping in. I am cool with that, particularly because then I have a little trailer to use treasures like this vintage feather duvet in. It's covered in roses, and although the thrift store has totally lost their pricing minds ($14 this time), I kept going back to it over and over again.
About 2 weeks ago we moved Jack to a "big boy bed". I expected a struggle. Sleeping, and more importantly *where* to sleep, has always been a battle with Jack. I was totally wrong. He loves it. There is significantly less arguing about going to bed, and he has slept in it since the very first night we bought the mattress without looking back at the toddler bed once. (Now the crib on the other hand, he still asks about that.)

We bought the bed itself ages ago at the flea market, and it is so cute in there. I still need to fiddle with that darn dust ruffle, and his room IS changing colors this month or next (I am thinking khaki).

With any luck I will be at the flea market this Sunday. Oh, I cannot wait. I am dreaming of it already.

And one more reason to leap for joy, I finally finished year 1 and year 2 of my MMJ (aka the Misadventures of Mama & Jack) Blurb books. I will be sure to share them when they arrive and give you the lowdown on the process, but for now let's just say it was really hard and I am not looking forward to completing year 3. (Well, aside from the fact that I love digging around in my blog archives. It's so awesome to see Jack grow, to read the little things I've noted and just basically see my life in pretty pictures.)

There is a gorgeous new piece of pottery, a close up of the duvet and a few other new photos on Flickr.

Happy Friday everyone!

Dreaming

: crickets chirping : fireflies : frogs singing : birds nesting : lawn mowers humming : thunderstorms : sunlight so bright my eyelid are orange when I close them :
: swimming pools : smelly, sticky sunblock : sunglasses : water slides : concession stand treats :
: picnics : carnivals : cotton candy : parades : piles of paperbacks by my chair in the yard : Jack in the sandbox :
: flea markets : garage sales : road trips : new tablecloths drying on the clothesline : salads for dinner : limes : avocados : watermelon : produce stands :

Hurry, hurry spring.

P.S. It seems like a lot of people are still having trouble sorting out how to reply to blogger comments. If you have a blogger profile there is a box inside your blogger profile that says "show email address". When you check that box it allows the blog owner to see your email address when you leave a comment on their blog. It makes it a lot easier for everyone to reply to your comments, and it does not open you up to weird spam or anything like that. Here is a tutorial for you, in case you might like to check the box!

Embarrassed

When I joined the coaster swap at Ibby Bee , I imagined that I had all the time in the world to complete what should have been a super easy project, making 4 little fabric coasters.

And yet, somehow, it turned into a real challenge. I am almost embarrassed to tell you how long it actually took for me to complete those 4 little coasters, how much time I spent ripping out stitches (it's well into the hours range), and how many versions I went through before settling on this one.
I thrifted this darling vintage calico linen ages ago, and have been saving it, afraid to cut into it. It's perfect for this project, and everything was going along smoothly until my husband informed me that my computer died*. The blue screen of death. Many, many embarrassing tears were shed over the loss of several months worth of Jack photos (including Christmas morning), all of my links in my favorites list and more.

I should have stopped sewing right then.

But oh no, I didn't. I kept at it, because I was already late for the deadline.

Then I got the brilliant idea to use this perfect vintage trim and it was all downhill from there. Am I the only one who is prone to throwing fabric when I am sewing and it isn't going well?
In the end, I think they are super cute. But I am glad they are done. LOL

Jack wanted to help me take pictures. He is getting pretty good with his birthday camera, he can make his own movies even!
Here is his coaster shot. Not too shabby, eh?
I am also embarrassingly late in showing you the last Valentine from the Valentine swap. This one was made by Jenn at Crafty Mom . So cute!

*My husband was actually able to make the computer reboot somehow. It took forever, and it was scary, but the pictures are saved. It made me feel even more embarrassed about the crying.

Hello, my name is

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am a pottery junkie. I remember quite clearly when it started. At some point during the summer I had been decluttering some stuff, and I took everything off the bedroom mantle.

We were driving to the flea market and a light bulb in my head went off and I thought, "Self, you need to collect pottery to put on that mantle."

And so I did. And very quickly the mantle was full.
So, I emptied a shelf in the kitchen and starting putting some there. (Ignore the weirdly placed chandelier. It is so dark at dinnertime right now that I needed a little extra light during the winter months. Yes, I have a lot of chandeliers. They could be their own post.)

And now that shelf is full too. And I am dreaming of garage sale season, where I hope to find enough pottery to fill up the china cabinet in the living room.

I did say I was a junkie, didn't I?

When my husband said, "Dear, what am I supposed to get you for Valentine's Day?" I said, "Pottery of course." It was hard to choose. I wanted it all. I love this vase though, with it's flowers and the bows on the sides and the gorgeous color.
When I was in the bookstore buying his Valentine gift, I caught sight of this book in the bargain section. I picked up not even caring what it was about. Look at all that pottery!

I love the heavy, smooth feeling of it. The colors, the soft shapes. Love it all.
I cannot wait until Jack is older and I can have shelves like these.

Love pottery? Have you seen this collection ? Or this one ? Or this one ?

What are you dreaming of finding when the weather gets warmer?

P.S. I am going to try and go back and tag all my pottery posts so you can see my collection better. I think nearly every piece has already been photographed for individual junking entries.

P.P.S. Hallelujah! Spellcheck has returned.

Goodnight Moon.

Jack and I went to Target late in the afternoon yesterday to blow some time, and on the way home the big full moon was rising. Everytime it disappeared behind a row of houses, Jack asked from the back seat, "Where'd you go now moon?"

Too bad he missed the eclipse. I stood outside watching it off and on for nearly an hour with the neighbor kids. It was bitterly cold (less than 10 degrees I think), but it was beautiful.

We stood out there until I couldn't feel my toes anymore, watching while wrapped in blankets and having our impromptu science lesson. Awesome.
Today we are having an ice storm, which is making me nervous. I can't start a fire to save my life (well, maybe if we were really in trouble), and Dave is out of town all week. Here's hoping the power lines hold.

I thought I was being really smart by letting Jack have a new toy out of my present closet. New toys = hours of entertainment, which I could use right now given ice storm + no daddy + no school + no going out of the house. I am here to tell you I was nearly killed by the darn Tidmouth Shed. The thing is impossible to get together, and when I finally had it together 45 minutes later, Jack bumped it and it fell to bits.

When I suggested we play without the shed, Jack started to cry hysterically and tell me very emphatically that "Thomas LOVES his shed mommy."

After reading the amazon reviews I decided superglue was the only way to go. Except the superglue exploded and then I was glued to the very thing I wanted to launch right to the moon with my shoe. "Bang, zoom, straight to the moon!"

Misadventures indeed.

P.S. Thank you for the haircut love! Jack reports that he doesn't like it one bit. LOL

Hi.

I dropped Jack off at school this morning and did something I never, ever do.

I got a hair cut. I went from hair to the middle of my back to this.

I am naked and I love it. LOL

So, Hi. Nice to meet you all.
@#@$%^!!@%#$ it's hard to take a picture of yourself and your hair in the bathroom mirrors. (I hope you don't read lips.)
Maybe this one will work?
Ok, I give up. You get the idea. (My chandelier looks lovely here though!)

Blood, Sweat and Tears

(Warning: Picture heavy post ahead. I uploaded them smaller than usual in the hopes that you could still upload the entry on slower connections. As always, you can click to enlarge the photos.)
I love looking at the spaces that other people create in. I always wish I could sit down with them in their space, dig through their goodies and make something! My space is finally as clean as it is ever going to get (except it needs a good vaccuuming), so I thought I would share it. It is our smallest room, so it is pretty crowded, but I love it. It was worth every bit of the 2+ weeks it took me to clean and reorganize all of that stuff. (And I seriously thought I was going to have to call in Miss Niecy to help me clean up my foolishness.)

The view from the door. Yes, there are 2 chandeliers. I don't have a place for the second one yet, but I wasn't going to leave it at the thrift store, now was I? You can also see my awesome wool hooked seashell rug, left over from my little beach house in Florida. (Sniff. Sniff. I miss the sea. You will spy pieces of it all over the room.)
Some of my favorite vintage baby blankets and pieces of vintage patchwork waiting to be reborn.

What, you don't have an old stuffed donkey in your sewing room? LOL
Vintage letters bought on the Hwy 127 sale, finally hung. An old silk hat (love the dots!). Bunch of stuff on the cutest old coat rack that really stills need to be sorted through. Fabric scraps in a vintage shoe organizer.
The drawer of the cabinet my husband repaired for me. My old paperweight collection. Pins and stuff shoved in old magarine containers. My grandmother's celluloid dresser set.
I love, love these fabric bins. You can get them at Target and the hardware store ($6). They hold an amazing amount of crap. We use them in the playroom, Jack's room, in here, well, everywhere really. One bin holds an entire dresser drawer worth of fabric! So much more efficient. Plus, you can just pull them out and see all of your fabric without having to dig for hours through piles.
An old glass battery case that holds my scraps. Well, some of my scraps. Mostly the really tiny pieces that I just grab to check my thread tension or to practice new stitches on.
Ikea shelving. Now holding mostly fabric instead of everything in the universe. All of the small things went into different canisters and went into the cabinet drawers.
Jars of ribbons and buttons. Books and old Workbasket magazines. A freshly born Jack. Old enamel storage boxes holding felt and crepe paper.
Lovely old frame holding the sweetest mini quilt, made for me by Pink Trees .
My patchwork cork inspiration board, now covered with bits and pieces of so many of you!

Whew, we made it. Are you still alive? :0) I hope you find a bit of inspiration of your own in my mess!

The rain in Spain

It is pouring down rain and very windy today, which made taking a picture of a gigantic bunting a bit difficult. And I am horribly late in getting it finished, since I still have to get it in the mail! I was struggling with coming up with another idea for a Valentine after making the paper dresses, but when I was cleaning up the sewing room I came across some embroidery samples I had saved when we cleaned out my aunt's sewing room.
I decided to go with "Be Mine" and put the little bee embroidery in the middle of the bunting. I really wanted plain red wool felt for the second triangle, but my Jo-anns has such a poor selection that I had to go with a second polka dot print instead.

All in all, I think it turned out pretty cute, and next year I want to play with the "bee" mine idea a little more.
I did manage a little thrifting yesterday, since we all seem to finally (!) be on the mend around here. I love this pair of lamps I found! They are tucked away in the closet until my household is a little less rambunctious (there seem to be a lot of lamp accidents around here).
And I found a huge bolt of old wallpaper border. I see a lot of wallpaper crafting in my future.

We also have been working on updating Jack's room a bit this weekend, and he makes me laugh when he says "I am getting bigger" whenever he wants to do something he isn't currently allowed to do. And then just now when he heard the shower come on he said to me, "I am going to go take a shower with Daddy. I don't want Daddy's soap in my eyes, but I better hurry!" and off he went at full speed.

He is off to a birthday party with Daddy later, and I am hoping to watch Becoming Jane while they are gone. I tried watching yesterday, but sadly, all I wanted to do was fall asleep. We have been diligently watching the Masterpiece Jane Austen series, and while I really enjoy some of them, some of them make me snore. LOL

Ah well, I could probably use a nap anyway...

P.S. I've been getting a few emails about trying to find tutorials for some of my projects, so I have added a tutorial category to the sidebar. I hope that helps. (Hi Martha! You didn't leave a way to get in touch with you, so email me if you still need help.)

Making takes me away

Remember that old Calgon commercial, "Calgon, Take me away!"? That's what making things does for me. When all else fails, I make something.

I spent every moment I could squeeze out making something yesterday. This valentine was for Dave, an iron on transfer of an old valentine on a piece of canvas, sewn to wool felt (which needs to be ironed). I stitched my name with the fancy letters on the Husky.
Then Jack and I made a paper valentine for Daddy. I found these scrapbook paper doll kits in the sewing room when I was excavating in there. (I think they were a gift from Rebecca .)
When the sewing room was buried under 10 feet of who knows what, I started handstitching these grandmother's flower garden blocks. Putting them together by hand was actually quite mediative, and rather addictive. As soon as I get over to the fabric store to buy some batting, these are going to become coasters.
Jack got a gigantic bag of loot from the school Valentine party earlier this week. He is a really healthy kid, so this on again off again sick thing is really hard for both him and I to deal with. He seems back to his old self this morning, so hopefully (crossing all fingers and toes), we are *completely* on the uphill side now.

Speaking of health, if you don't already visit the lovely Mel at Little Melfie's World , she could certainly use an extra hug or two right now.

On that note, I could not be happier that it is Friday. How about you?

Nearly there

I am missing one Valentine from the swap that I haven't taken a photo of yet, but until I can unglue Jack from me, it just isn't going to happen. So, let's just enjoy these, shall we?
Megan of How did I get here? contributed these super cute chocolatey cupcakes. I love that little cherry button on top.
And yet another Sarah :-), from Experiment Land made these cuties. (Sorry my photo of this one is bad, you can't really appreciate it here.) She cut those ladies out from old wrapping paper! I am always looking for ideas for using old wrapping paper, and I love this use of it.
These amazing collages were made by Stephanie (who I think is not yet blogging?). So much goodness on these, from the dresden paper wings at the top, to the old bingo markers, and the sweet vintage valentine girls.

There is still a pile of awesome hostess gifts waiting to be photographed also. This swap was so much fun, and thank you all for participating. Didn't they make gorgeous Valentines?

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

(P.S. If you feel like you are missing emails from me, be sure to check your bulk folders. It seems like a lot of emails are going missing in spam folders.)

One giant leap

Well, I managed to get the house tidy, mop the kitchen floor, do a few loads of laundry, clean up my sewing room (!!! what a task that was, pictures to come soon), acquire a pair of jeans that are not missing the butt, get Jack a box spring so he isn't sleeping on the floor, get a Valentine for my husband, and stay up all night listening to my poor baby cough his little head off. Now all we need are groceries and a well Jack. :-(

I guess sometimes I have to freak out in order to get things rolling.

I cannot believe Valentine's Day is tomorrow already. Last year Jack and I were making all sorts of Valentine crafts, eating strawberies and really enjoying ourselves. It's a pity that we have missed out on that this year due to this crazy, never go away virus. I am ready for us all to be healthy again.

Anyway, onto the Valentines:
This beauty came from Jennifer at What I Did At School Today . I think she gocco'ed the human heart, which totally appeals to the science geek in me, and I love the sentiment, "A true love gives of their authentic heart."
And how cute are the little rose petal girls from Sara at My how crafty! ? (And has anyone else noticed of how many of us are called either Sara/h or Jennifer? Ahhh, children of the 70's.)
This beauty was made by Vallen at Queenly Things . She pays so much attention to the fine details, like the little stamps on the envelopes. Gorgeous! And they arrived in a sweet wallpaper covered box which is already earning it's keep in the sewing room make over.
Shara at Monkeybox made the yummy cupcakes. I love the little knotted stem on the cherries!

With that, I'm off to make that grocery list, see you tomorrow with the Valentine finale.