Back At It

I have failed at blogging from a mama's stand point. The last time I was here was 2011! Terrible I know. I have since had another little girl to dote on and sew for. With the sewing a flowing, I am going to change this blog over to a Sewing Image Gallery. And that means a name change! Grande's Threads will be few words and a lot of pictures. Let's show off some cute sewing projects. 

MLB Applique!

Ok, so I hate to admit it but I used to work at a Shell gas station.  It was 3 years ago before Charley was born and I hated the job. Except for the fact that I got to work with 2 of my best friends!  But really, the job tasks were awful and so were the uniforms.  We had bright red polos (mine was 2 sizes too big!) and gray polos (mine was stolen from the hubby -I was hired to replace him when he got his Big Boy job).  The only part of the uniform I liked though was a gray fleece.  It was a pullover style and they had our names embroidered on them. But it also had a huge Shell logo embroidered on it :( 

I quit working there when I was pregnant and planning our move, but I loved that sweatshirt so much I couldn't get rid of it.  And it had my name on it so it would be weird to donate. Who wants a sweatshirt with a red and yellow shell on it anyway... I decided to hang on to this awesome, warm fleece and see what came to me. 

Sidenote: I like the personalization you can do with embroidery and screenprinting.  But most of it is done professionally on machines. This makes it very difficult to remove even when you're actively trying to get rid of it.

Over the last 2 years, I've been picking at the Shell logo with a seam ripper. 

I only got HALF of it removed!

It was taking way too long and I can have a short attention span when it comes to projects.  So I stepped back and looked at it again.  What could I do to make it everyday wearable?

 I came up with this!

Perfect shape to cover what was left of the Shell logo.  My favorite team... The Milwaukee Brewers!

And... Simple enough to applique for a first-time attempt. 

Being my first time at trying applique, I used the tutorial here to get me through step-by-step. 

I traced the mitt-and-ball logo from my computer screen onto my fabric - which was free from my mom's stash of leftovers! :)

And used some Heat-n-Bond to iron the design onto my fleece. 

Then I just stitched around every piece. 

Be Patient!  Go Slow! It'll pay off in the end. 

 I'm not a very patient person and mixed with inexperience, it's noticeably wonky in places.

But I'm glad I have something to wear to those early spring games when it can be chilly.  And at a fraction of the price!



On Sale for $44.97



On Sale for $44.97

My price... only $6 for Heat-n-Bond and matching thread! Thank you Jo-Ann's 50% off coupons!



Linking up to:
Tip Junkie - Tip Me Tuesday
Sugar Bee Crafts - Take a Look Tuesday
Sew Much Ado - We Did It! Wednesday

1 year! Happy Birthday!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my blogging life.  I started off with the idea of using this outlet as a journal and baby book of sorts.  I should have known from past experience that I don't journal.  I've tried in the past to actually keep a journal/diary by my bed and write daily; it just never last long.  It would be great to write down thoughts and frustrations and celebratory days somewhere and be able to read them later.  The habit just never stuck. Just like working from home. I don't have the self-discipline to write everyday.  But I started up a blog just the same.  Low and behold, I didn't blog much so 2010 was a slow year.

In November though, I started getting alot of creative ideas/reading craft blogs.  This blog kind of transformed itself into a craft blog in a way.  I still write about Charley, but now it's more about what I make for her. And for our home.  (Foam crafts are right up my alley! Ha ha)

I'm glad to say that making this blog more crafty has helped me be more present with my family. I'm always thinking of ways to involve Charley.  And I know Jeff enjoys the sweet treats that we make!  Plus, I never really had a hobby and now I've found my niche.  I love to sew, knit, crochet, and repurpose/ upcycle furniture. Anything that makes me a happy mommy is good for my family, right?

Thanks to anyone who has stopped over to read my little slice of sanity.  The comments keep me going!

Cookies for Daddy

As a special treat for Jeff, we Charley decided that we should make some cookies. Sounds like my idea of torture fun! Who doesn't like getting dough everywhere and then having to clean up the mess myself.  I said "Oh, yes, let's".  And I just happened to have a bag of peanut butter cookie mix in the pantry.  Yay for cookies!

The first step of baking... wash your hands, of course!

Mixing the dough is hard with a spoon that is half your size!

She rolled most of the balls of dough herself.

They look so good! Hope Daddy enjoys them! 

Wedding Gift for the Toddler-Aged Daughter

Early in January, we had friends that were having their wedding reception here in their home state. I was so excited to look at B's registry because she loves to bake and cook. There were so many things that would make baking for their daughter R(who is Charley's best friend and the same age) so much fun. B even had some little aprons on the registry for R but I thought that I could make her one.  I hadn't really sewn much in the last decade, but I had started up again recently and had gotten a sewing machine for Christmas that had yet to be used.  I had 1 week until the wedding and a great idea in my head.  I didn't use any patterns or tutorials and just free-handed some shapes that would fit R. It was my first time doing ruffles and I wouldn't have it any other way.  R is a princess all the way, she needs a girly apron.  The sewing went without a hitch and I love the apron.   

 

R is a little bigger than my peanut and it's big so she'll be able to use it for a few years. But for now, it is full coverage.  Which is necessary for a 2 1/2 year old! No chance of getting her clothes dirty.  Oh, wait... she's 2 1/2. Wishing thinking...


Here are the link parties I'm joining this week!
       

Homemade Christmas Gift #3

OMGosh! I know I'm so behind on getting this one typed up, but you know how things can get! Life can just suck all the hours out of a day.

One of our Christmas traditions is for everyone to get new, snuggly, warm pajamas.  This was the first year that it made sense to include Charley so I set about making her some pajama pants.


We only open our jammies on Christmas Eve





Christmas Morning






 And made myself some to match. I can get away with matching jammies now because she's young and I'm going to take advantage of it while I can.  My mom and I had saved the fabric from a relative's house when she passed away so these pajamas were essentially free. Just had to buy some extra elastic!

I loved Christmas morning when we woke up in our warm flannel jammies to open the rest of our presents. 

Laugh until you Cry

Being a mom brings joy to my life everyday.  Yes, there are the hardships and sacrifices, but there are 2x as many enjoyable moments. 

Enjoyable and... FUNNY!!!!

Charley has a bedtime around 9:30pm (later than most, but it works for us!) and I'm usually tired after running around with her all day.  Well...one day last week during our bedtime ritual, Charley decided that she wanted to read to us instead of hearing us read.  Which was just fine with me because I was exhausted. So with Jeff lying on her left side and I lying on her right, she pulled out the book, opened it up, and started "reading".  At 2 1/4, she doesn't know how to read, but she can describe what's happening in the pictures.  The problem is that she has a limited vocabulary. So she starts throwing in sound effects and gibberish. 

This story of gibberish and "moo" and other oddities didn't mix well with my overworked, exhausted brain. I just lost it! I laughed out loud, tried to cover a giggle, accidentally let out a snort and was shaking the entire bed with my hysterics.  And she just kept reading!  Tears were pouring down my face and my gut hurt. 

But a family who laughs together, stays together... I love when we laugh and play as a family. It makes for a whole lot of enjoyable moments.


Linking up with Mama Kat and her Writing Prompts

Homemade Christmas Gift #2 - Frou Frou Tutu

For a little girl who loves to wear dresses, I thought some dress-up outfits would be the thing for Christmas this year. Someone else was buying her a trunk of dress-up clothes, so I went with a tutu. Black and white with some silver glitter tulle mixed in, plus some longer ribbons in matching colors. It was actually quite easy. Just have to loop the tulle over some elastic and through itself.



If only she wore it as often as she dances. I should teach her to wear it when she wants to dance.

My sweater was featured!

I can't believe it! This week was the first week I decided to link up to any linky parties and I got featured on both! What an incredible feeling!

The first was over at simply step back. Sarah has an awesome blog with great ideas for repurposing/tailoring items in your closet. And I have to give a shout-out because she's a fellow Wisconsinite.





The second feature blows my mind! I love Mandy's blog Sugar Bee: Craft Edition and she is fabulous. She does so many projects that I have added to my to-do list, has great giveaways, and was a competitor in the last season of SoYouThinkYou'reCrafty. It is sign of her genius that she made it all the way to the final two. Her link parties are huge and I can't believe that out of 300+ link-ups, she was impressed by mine. I feel honored!





This makes my week! I need to craft and knit more. I'm going to start a new project right now.

Homemade Christmas Gift #1 - Rolled Roses Necklace

I was blog-hopping and spotted this rolled fabric rose necklace that Emily made at LaForce Be With You. I had seen quite a few flower bib necklaces, but I liked the simplicity of this one.

I thought of my future SIL immediately. She loves bright fun jewelry and I thought she would like this as part of her Christmas present. Pink is one of her favorite colors. :)

This was my first attempt at fabric roses and I thought they turned out pretty cool. I just ripped my fabric into 1.5 inch strips. Folded them in half and tied a knot in the end. Then started twisting toward the back (away from the flower) and hot glued each "petal" into place. When it was approximately the size I wanted, I folded the fabric under and hot glued it down. Cut felt circles and glued those on the back too. I made 7 and was going for a symmetrical look so I glued them to a backing piece of felt opposite each other. Don't forget to glue in your chain or ribbon and add a clasp.




This was me trying it on to send my brother a picture because he wanted to see it. Crappy phone camera.

The chain and clasp I used made it so the length was adjustable. The clasp can link anywhere for her own desired length.

That's my SIL wearing it. She loves it! It totally compliments her style. Cute Bella snuck into the picture too :)

Our canine is cold?

Meet our dog Lucy! She's a 4 year old beagle/terrier mix.

We've had Lucy for a year and she couldn't fit into our family more easily. Charley loves her and begs us to let Lucy sleep with her every night. She will be Charley's dog forever.

She is a great pet! She's never had any accidents in the house (even during transition), she lets you know when she wants to eat or is out of water, and she greets every person with a howl that would scare any potential thief.

However...

She has 2 quirks that drive me absolutely crazy. Especially when you combine the 2. I would do anything to change these drive-me-to-drinking quirks.

• The first is her need to always lay on a soft surface. I've known many dogs and most are content to lay on the floor, but not her. It has to be the couch or chairs. Take into account our small house and this becomes a problem when we have company over. She has a large pillow for a bed right in our living room, but insists on stealing someone's spot as soon as they get up.
• The second is her constant shaking. It's not seizure caliber, but more like small tremors. I compare it to shivering. And it is all day. I swear I'm not making this up, but like 18 hours out of 24, she is shivering.

Now combine the 2 and you have me sitting on one end of the futon and her on the other, shaking the entire frame until I feel like my bones are vibrating. Maybe I won't need to buy a massage chair after all.

Topic from Mama Kat's Weekly Writing Prompts

First Knitted Sweater

I've been enjoying a bit of a crafting kick lately. It started before Christmas and I'm absolutely loving the whole "create things that actually get used" feeling of accomplishment. I made a few Christmas presents (that I would love to show you), but of course I didn't think to take pictures. I'll update as I get pictures.

So today, I am so excited to show you the project that took almost 18 months to complete. I taught myself to knit a few years ago, but only tackled the very-easy scarf. I thought it was time to work on something a little more complex. So when my baby was about 10 months, I found an easy sweater pattern and took a 2nd level knitting class for some help.

I got bored with it many times... lost it in the apartment before we moved... got stuck on the wording in the pattern and didn't want to ask for help...

Needless to say, it was a long-term project.

I finally gave myself a deadline of Christmas this year. If it took me any longer to finish, it wouldn't fit Charley. It didn't get done for Christmas (only because she got the flu and I couldn't leave the house to get help finishing it off), but it is finally... DONE!!

It has a ribbed v-neck.

As you can see, it's already getting a little small. Oops!

And the back is a little cape-type collar.

I absolutely LOVE this color on her.

And I'm just glad it turned out to be wearable!

Singing the Christmas Blues

Don't get me wrong, I was totally into Christmas this year. Just before Thanksgiving, I made the decision to try to make the majority of my gifts this year. I came up with some great (no, awesome) ideas and after I enjoyed my favorite holiday and the deliciousness that is turkey and sweet potatoes, I geared up for the amount of work that I would have to do in the next 30 days. I was one of those people listening to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. I braved the single digit temperatures to wait outside for the Black Friday sales. This year I was putting in 110% effort because Charley is at the age where she sort of gets it.

1st week of December went according to schedule. I purchased all of my materials for homemade gifts and started finalizing the details in my head.

2nd week of December we put up and decorated our tree! Oh, and I found out that I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed (before the end of the year!) So, I called and set up an appt. Of course, at this late notice, all they had available was the 21st or the 31st. Well, New Years Eve we're having guests, so that's a no. It'll have to be the 21st. No problem, I'll get everything done for Christmas before then and I can sit back and relax for the last week. (And watch the last minute panic of those who procrastinate. HAHAHAHA)

3rd week of December little miss got a flu bug and she laid around/rested for 2-3 days. This was the down time I needed to finish all the projects I had lined up. I ended up only making half of the needed gifts, but it's better than last year. As the week came to an end, I wrapped said gifts and readied myself for tooth extraction.

4th week is Christmas week! Still in the Christmas spirit, I check off the last of my to-do list and get ready to spend 3 days resting/recovering.

See, here is where my holiday spirit took a nose-dive. I came out of the surgical procedure and heard my husband say the phrase that I have heard all my life "Your teeth were a little difficult." Instead of healing in 36 hours like the lucky bastard that is my husband, I am now 2 1/2 days past extraction and still cannot feel my bottom lip, have excruciating pain in my jaw, and look like a Mack truck drove into my face.

I don't feel very Christmas-y right now. I'm debating whether I even want to spend Christmas with the 4 different sides of family.

I suppose if I could get some sleep, my Christmas spirit would eek a little higher on the radar, but as of right now, I want to punch anyone who says "Merry Christmas!"

The Promise of Girlie Things

For the 9 months of my pregnancy, I went without knowing the gender of this precious being that was growing inside of me. I wanted a girl, but thought it was boy the entire time. After months of anticipation, the day came to meet this little person who was going to bring us such joy. The doctor delivered that squirmy, alien-looking thing and passed it to the nurses. He never told me the gender so I had to ask "Is it a girl or boy?" He smiled at me and pronounced "It's a girl." I did a silent whoop for joy. I was already imagining all of the girlie things that were coming in the near future: ballet classes, curled hair, Barbies, and tea sets.

Fast forward 23 months...

This past weekend, my parents and I took Charley to the Walworth County Fair. I thought she would have a blast because she's almost 2 and I would let her go on a few rides. Well, I'm not really a rides person and never have been, so I forgot about the height restrictions. This limited our choices to 2. A car ride and a pony ride. When I saw the pony ride, I became giddy with excitement; it's every girls fantasy to have a pony or at least ride on one. So Grandma paid for Miss Charley to ride her first pony. I took her into the pen, placed her on the saddle, and showed her how to hang on. I was going to walk right next to her and I bet I had the stupidest grin on my face. As the horses started walking, there was a little fear in her eyes and she whined at me. "Caaa mama, Caaa" 'Car? Why is she saying car?' I talked to her and calmed her down. We kept riding around in circles and she relaxed enough to enjoy the rythm of the horses gait. But again, "Caaa mama, Caaaa" she whined. This time I couldn' t control the meltdown that was unfolding. "Caaa" she yelled. Thank heavens the ride was ending and I unhooked her from the saddle. I told myself "She's just too young, too afraid of big animals, not ready for this yet." But as we left the pen, "Caaa" was yelled again. Ok, Ok, even though I thought, maybe she's not ready for rides, I'll let her go on the car ride. Grandma put her in the car and stepped back. Zoom! The cars started to move and would you believe it. My girl was having the time of her life. She was waving and steering and laughing. She liked the car more than the pony!

I'll try to get her on a pony when she's a little older, but I'm bracing myself for the day I realize that my girl is a tomboy.

The Opposite of Stress...

Ahhhh, vacation is over. And I am so glad that this year was not a replica of the stressful trip of last year.

You see, this year I actually packed just the right amount, if not under-packed (I forgot a sweatshirt, but who would have thought I would need one in August? Oh wait... it's WISCONSIN!!!) And because I actually went into the vacation having extra room in the suitcase, I didn't have the stress of feeling like I was trying to squeeze an elephant into spandex when it came time to pack for the return trip.

The cabin we rent comes with a boat and this year, the owner upgraded to a pontoon boat. Stress-free fishing (once we got the battery issue fixed!) and no fighting over who gets to go out on the lake at what time. We all went together!

And last, but not least, no stress on the last day! This is the most important part of this vacation tale because if you ask anyone in my family, they will tell you how tense it was last year.

Let me paint you a picture of the year prior. On this last day, we need to pack up everything we brought (without forgetting that illusive sock!), load the vehicles (it's like a ginomous jigsaw puzzle!), and clean the cabin (vaccuum, dishes, etc). To get an early start in the hopes of leaving before noon, we all set the alarm clock for 8 am. Everyone except for my brother. My brother has the mentality that he can be ready in half-hour so he'll sleep until 11, throw some clothes on and be in the car waiting for us. Is this fair to those of us washing the plate from his midnight snack or vaccuuming up the sand he brought in? NO!!! He is 22 and in my opinion, perfectly capable of helping. So... I woke him up and told him so! Not a good idea for someone that is not a morning person. Man, was he grumpy! He picked fights with me, he picked fights with my mom, he was even surly with his almost 1 year-old niece! Charley couldn't talk, she didn't deserve that attitude. The air was thick with tension and nobody spoke for the last 20 minutes of the vacation.

That was last year...
Like a skier does a flip, this year was a complete 180. Total opposite!

We all packed most of our stuff the night before, we all were awake at reasonable times, and my brother even did the dishes because he knew he had the least amount to pack. I'd say there must have been some maturing done over the last year.

I was even able to handle a week of living with my mom.

Like I said... Stress-free! Which is how a vacation should be!

Final Countdown

Rustic cabin sitting
at the end of a long drive.
It's been a year,
too long!

I need this relaxation.
I need this week of family.

Baby is swimming,
Grill is sizzling.
Can't forget the mini golf.

Big fish waiting
for that worm on a hook.
Easy food,
be careful!

I need this serenity.
I need this environment.

Brother's snapping pictures,
Dog's are napping.
Trivia games all night.

Porch swing swaying
in the warm summer breeze.
Falling asleep,
nice nap.

I need the laughter.
I need the fun.

I love my knitting,
Jeff is reading.
Amazing week-long vacation.

Only one more day!

Baby Blue Eyes

I get how genetics work. Really, it's not hard to figure out that when you put together two sets of blue-eyed people and they have a child, chances are high that the child will have blue eyes as well. But when one parent has a lazy eye and the other has squinty eyes, what are the odds that you get a wide-eyed child?

At this point, I don't care how genetics work because my ladybug has...




the most amazing eyes!




Modeling hairbands for a little fashion show at home...


First airplane to Florida to visit Great-grandpa...

Enjoying the outdoors...

Stuck inside on a cold winter day here in Wisconsin!...

Going to the daycare for the day to visit Aunt Michelle and Nina...

Fourth of July family shot!

All of these photos depict an event that happened over the last year and a half, but all I see are baby blue eyes. I see this pair of eyes everyday: waking up in the morning, asking to watch The Princess and the Frog again please, snuggling with me on the couch, refusing dinner, and saying goodnight, but I am awestruck whenever I capture that sky blue color in a photo! Unbelievable!

Written as a part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Stress Treatment

We leave for vacation on Saturday morning! Time to start getting all of the cleaning and packing done. I need to start today so that I can PROCRASTINATE a little and still make sure I don't forget anything. I have my lists started, but I know I'll be adding more as the week progresses.

In anticipation for this week, I found a great stress reduction strategy and have it stuck to my refridgerator. It should help keep me sane! But it might cause a headache!