luurve.

My new baby came on a fed ex truck yesterday. No, not the one in my belly...my new Kitchen Aid! Yep, I finally decided...it came down to a few factors, and the Kitchen Aid won. (all you Bosch lovers, don't ditch my blog, please! hehe)

I made some breadsticks last night cause Rory was so anxious for me to try it. He kept hovering and even washed everything for me so that it'd be ready to use. (that. never. happens.) I love it so far! I want to try making a big batch of cookie dough in it, just so I can sit back and watch the magic happen, instead of wrestling the dough with my pathetic hand mixer. Fun stuff!!

P.S. Blogger has been treating my comment notifications weird lately...I don't get them for every comment...so if you leave one on an old post chances are I won't see it. (grr) So, the best way to ask me any questions would be through the email me feature on my profile. Thanks!

Aaaand......here's a bonus pic, just cause she's cute. My blurry, puffy eyed baby with her binky shaped outline on her mouth, snuggling with her Pooh Bear. (this was after a "sick" night last week, so that's why her poor eyes are so tired.) Can't believe she's already 18 months old! (yep, was planning on a post...forgot.)

currently...

....has 18 empty gift wrapped boxes in the craft room...decorations for a church party next week.

...is watching the sky finally give up and start sprinkling.

...is hoping sadie feels like her normal self soon. allergies? cold? dunno what it is but she's soo touchy and irritable lately....which is making for a hard week. I've only felt like crying once, at least. can't say the same for sadie though.

...still on the hunt for an affordable yellow rug for sadie's room. why is it so hard?

...got to run errands today without the sadester. thanks mom!

...wanting to add this

to our mr. potato head collection. AWESOME, no?

...is glad that even though sadie isn't feeling great, she still is so cute.

it makes it a TAD bit easier to deal with her.

easy carrot recipe

Easy Carrot Recipe

Ingredients:

orange and green felt
matching thread
poly fil
sewing machine (or a hand sewing needle)

Directions:

cut orange and green felt into carrot and carrot top shapes. (sorry about the green felt color on this one...not too appetizing, eh?)

sew around carrot top with green thread.

sew around orange pieces with orange thread...

leaving the top of the carrot open. stuff with poly fil, making sure there is room for the carrot top to fit.

insert carrot top and sew closed. trim threads and you're done!

from your sewing machine to your dinner table in no time flat!

yum!

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I'd love if you'd add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

this is what you call "hardcore"

just punched a hole through my finger with my sewing machine needle. not through the nail, but still through my flesh....youch!

now i'll always remember that dumb bib i was making.

you like my scrap flannel bandage? lol.

(so i have some kind of street cred amongst sewers, now, right?)

doll bed+bedding=:D

Please, enjoy the cuteness.

I know I have. We got this doll bed at Ikea the other day, and of course the bedding that came with just would. not. do.

Not for this obsessive sewer. So I made this little quilt/pillow set to match Sadie's room. (I said, obsessive)

That little pillow is my favorite! Makes me wish I could shrink down to try it out!

I made the "mattress" by hot gluing a piece of fabric around the support piece on the bottom, and stuffing it with poly fil. Easy peasy. I used the rest of the binding from Sadie's quilt for the edges. (waste not, want not)

I LOVE the quilting...some fun swirls. The great thing about doll quilts is you can practice new ways of quilting! Now I wish I'd done the baby's quilt like this. ah well. The wonky star was a new block for me to try too. I used this tutorial, which is awesome!

I really want to try whirlygigs next. Whoa. slow down Jess. hmm, maybe an extra quilt for the dollies? They're always complaining of being cold...

Featured on Fun Finds for Mom!

variation on a theme

introducing...

...the alphabet i spy bag! I sure hope this hasn't been thought of by someone else already...if it has, don't tell me cause I thought I was soo clever thinking of this.

har har.

just take some scrapbook letters, plastic pellets, the i spy bag tutorial, and wha-la! instant fun for kiddos learning their letters.

awww

Michael Buble - Just Haven't Met You Yet

i heart this song...and the video makes me smile.
a big giddy smile :D
don't youwish we could all break into song and dance
like this once in awhile?

sadie's big girl quilt

I've gotta say, I love this quilt finished. I wasn't sure how I felt about it while I was waiting for the backing...but the quilting and binding make it so cozy and perfect for sadie's big girl room.

i love the backing fabric! it's from the Sandi Henderson Meadowsweet fabric line where I got a lot of the other fabrics I'm using in her room. We are ALMOST done with her room. the baby's room got some new shelves to complete that room this morning...but I need to fill in some holes before I take pictures. soon!

i spy bag tutorial

so. here's how i made Sadie's I Spy bag! it's so easy. the hardest part is finding stuff to fill it with!

for those of you in the bay area, i found a lot of my trinkets at affordable treasures in Los Gatos. the rest i found around the house, or in my scrapbook stash.


Click below for more!

nanal?

that's what Sadie would say when we told her we were seeing some animals at the zoo. We headed up to the Oakland Zoo today for a fun family day. (Rory had the day off) We saw giraffes....and....well I didn't get many good pictures of animals because it's impossible with the fences....PLUS Sadie is cuter than any animal there.

although I love me a cute giraffe.

the animals weren't the only ones caged in. haha, we let her walk around in the children's section. she thought she was so cool. too cool to hold our hands...what's that about? she's already embarrassed to be seen with her parents? I thought they weren't supposed to do that for awhile.

she LOVED the birds. (teet teet!?) we stayed there the longest. she also loved the little monkeys and meerkats. ok, i think i liked the meerkats more than her...they're soo cute!

here she is pulling such an awesome face in front of the elephants. maybe it's from the stench. those elephants are stinky. check out the glimpse of el belly!
Sadie kept her Daddy nearby and would only hold his hand while walking. (oh, so it's just me?) she held out on her nap ALL the way home, until 2:30. wow that's a trooper. We had a lot of fun watching her soak it all up.

p.s. Ikea went quick! half and hour. in and out! Got the tunnel and the wooden doll bed. :)

currently...

....only have to finish a few things for the girls rooms, then the reveal!

....headed off to Ikea and the Oakland Zoo this morning...can't wait to see Sadie's reaction to the animals :)

....have a huge bowl of Pioneer Woman's salsa in my fridge. anyone want some?

....looking at fog outside...hope it burns off.

....done with Sadie's quilt as of last night! pictures later...

....surprised that Rory is willing to go to Ikea. The last time we went together (3 years ago) was not fun for either of us. (I've been with friends many times since)

....is not surprised that he's willing to go for a toy for Sadie. He loves to spoil his girl(s).

...is still pondering the stand mixer question. it's not rocket science, i know. I'll decide someday!

...has gotta go. pictures later!

lol

I call this one "Rejection of the Teddy Grahams."

and this one: "Enjoyment of the Teddy Grahams after I realize I DO like them"

question.

hey everyone...sorry about the blog name confusion/debate as of late. (albeit mostly internally for me) i'm still trying to figure out what to call myself in the blog-sphere. I want to keep my blogger url name..since it's still about the adventures of rory and jess and now sadie and little baby christian...but I just a new name for the title/header. i'm confusing myself with this stuff.

i like "craftiness is not optional"...

but then i felt like i was bossing you around. like, if you're not crafty then get out of here. which i totally don't want you to think! so...i'm thinking about "crafty is my middle name".

hmm...what do you think?

EDIT: You guys are just great. i think the name will henceforth be:

craftiness is not optional

(although don't quote me on it, haha jk. apparently pregnancy makes me REALLY indecisive.)

our new rug

what do you think? i love it...but the room needs more color. it's a work in progress....

we got the rug at costco...only $99, can't beat that! I think it's 7.5 feet x 10 feet, but not sure. I lost the tag. of course.

happy (late) valentines day!

yummy cupcakes baked for our family dinner at my parents house last night! I saw the idea on this awesome blog, and they couldn't have been easier! (or cuter) You just melt some chocolate (I used almond bark), put it in a plastic bag with a corner cut off, and then pipe some hearts on wax paper. It helps to have a piece of paper with hearts traced on it underneath the wax paper.

sadie's valentines! we had a valentine exchange with my family last night... i think they turned out super cute. my family was arguing about whose had the most hearts/scribbles on it...I think they like Sadie! lol. I gave the ruffly cards away, and found funny and fitting love quotes for different family members.

Some of my favorites were Justin's:

Albert Einstein said: "Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

and Jordan's: "I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon." ~Unknown

I also made some conversation heart cookies to go with her valentines...they could've turned out better, but I was eager to finish them. oh well! they taste good.

what do you like to do for valentine's day?

hairdon't

no matter what look sadie may have had on her face in this picture,

she made me do it.

i swear.

valentines

need a last minute valentine idea? ruffles are cute and easy! i whipped up 7 or 8 of these cards in literally 10 minutes...just sew on a strip of material (i used some knit fabric to minimize fraying) to a card, tucking under and over as you go...take it from me, go slow so your ruffles are not crooked. these were the straightest i got. ;)

sadie's also been hard at work at her valentines...scribbling and stickers! i have to be careful not to let my OCD/perfectionism get in the way of her creativity when we "craft". do any other moms out there do that? it's so cool to see something your child made...sadie's just getting to that stage where she can start doing that kind of thing, and it's so cute! (although maybe only to me....) anyways...have a great valentine's day-weekend!

p.s. i got a new rug last night...haha. at costco. for $100. can't beat that! (it's a graphic print. oh well!)

rugs?

we've never been rug people.

sure, we have 'em in the kitchen and bathrooms, of course. and entryway. but since rory REFUSES to take off his shoes while walking around the house, the carpet gotten a little worn in spots. like, in front of the couch.

so...i thought a rug would be good for the living room, but shopping for rugs is HARD. all the ones in the stores i just don't like or aren't big enough or are too expensive. i've been looking for months! (geez, aren't my problems rough)

but today i found this one online (rugsusa.com) and kinda like it.

it's not what i pictured myself buying, (i go for more graphic prints usually) but it's got a lot of colors to pull from-decorating wise... and it's big enough...and the price is right.

maybe i need to step out of my comfort zone a little bit.

i'm eyeing this cute yellow one for sadie's room...the pink one in the picture yesterday got moved to the baby's room. just didn't work.

with knobs on

so...the knobs came last week for sadie's dresser! i did a little happy dance (yesss!) and rory made fun of me. i LOVE them. they're with rory at work right now cause they need to be chopped off a little bit, but i can't wait to get them on for good! anthro really knows how to package stuff...it was wrapped in this pretty tissue paper and the shipping papers were in a little muslin bag. rory of course had to put his two cents in that they could lower the price if they didn't do that...but whatever. boys don't get the presentation factor, i guess.

i love the little vignette of pictures/prints/fabric above her dresser! i made the i am a child of god little sign, by printing it off on some scrapbook paper and sticking it on an old wooden nursery bunny hanging with glue dots. simple!

i got the la la love you print from this awesome store, it looks like they're not in stock right now but will be coming back soon! when i ordered it last year, it came a bit damaged so they sent me a replacement. so, having two prints (one a little bent), came in handy with two girls rooms! i put one in each. i got the first year frame online somewhere, couldn't find that link, but i located it here. i'm buying another one for baby #2!

we've got more stuff to do in their rooms, but it's gone really quickly! i've told you about my obsessive behavior when it comes to projects, right? you should be able to tell by now anyways...haha.

quilted

finished quilting and binding baby's quilt this past weekend. don't mind sadie's creepy ghost hand in this picture...she is in a phase where she MUST be in every picture taken.

i love it! except for those two blocks in the middleish...where the flower placement is almost exactly the same. how the hay did that happen? and why did i not notice until it was quilted? there are always those renegade blocks that end up in the wrong places, even when you check multiple times. grr.

i quilted it with my free motion foot on my sewing machine...and it's not that great of a quilting job, but i really just wanted to finish it and i have no patience and my arms were getting tired so in some places it's a bit sloppy. i figure, who really cares? not me.

the fabrics are:

green polka dots: Ta Dot in celery - Michael Miller
pink polka dots: from Joann's Plain and Fancy Stonehill Collection
flowered fabric: same as above
aqua: from my stash
yellow: Sweet Candy Stripe in lemon drop by Urban Chiks for Moda Fabrics

backing: Sandi Henderson's Pink Petal Party

i LOVE the backing fabric...i originally bought it to back sadie's quilt, but decided it went better with this quilt.

whadaya think?

sadie of course had to give it a test run.


off topic: wow, i just hit the 250th follower mark! you guys are so super cool. I still can't believe anyone wants to read my blatherings, but thanks for sticking around and for all the love you give my lil blog!

name this TV quote:
"your love lets me orbit the moon twice and return safely."

heheheheeee.

guess.

can you guess what this little bowl of fun is for? i bet you can...but i'll show you anyways later in the week!

fabric love

binding's ready...

...for baby's quilt, all pinned and ready to be quilted....

...just need some free time while sadie's asleep...night time works best..she's a light napper. although not today...today i got three and a half hours to myself! wow. miracles DO happen. she's got a cold though, so no wonder. poor thing.

wondering what this picture is for? well, i went through my scraps awhile ago and filled up a few quart size bags to give away...so i thought i'd do something different this time....the first THREE people to comment on this post will each get a bag o' scraps! mind you, they're pretty small, but still big enough for appliques, yo yo's, button earrings, patchwork, etc!

so, if anyone even wants them....go comment! and hurry! (i like to keep you on your toes ;)

******alright, looks like we've got our winners!

Crazy Gecko, Susan, and Care....email me your addresses and i'll get those bags out to you pronto! (there's an email link from my profile page) Thanks!

dance away

because you always have to dance on a quilt top after you finish it....didn't you know that?

sadie seems to know which quilt is hers...

she twirled around singing "da dum da du da"

she left the baby's quilt top alone...

guess she liked hers more!

i'm torn myself. i like them both.

i used this sketch for the baby's quilt....and this tutorial for the hourglass blocks.