Trying To Be Productive

It's amazing how little time you have when your kids get to be preschool age.  When they were babies, I had the luxury of naps.  Now, naps are few and far between and I never have all 3 kids occupied where I can spend time and create.  Of course, as usual, there are also good points to the kids getting older.  Now that they no longer nap, life is a little easier to plan or not plan and just go and do.  We can do so much more with them now.  We may have less free time on our hands, but I wouldn't change a thing.

That being said, I still try to find time to be creative and maybe even blog about my creative projects.  It may not be as often as I want or as complex as I want.  My blog posts may not be as intellectually stimulating as I would like.  But, I am finding time to create and some how, some way, journal about it; and that is what is really important to me.

Since my last post, I have done a decent amount of projects.  I have also treated myself to a new sewing machine.  I decided that my cheap $100 Joann Fabrics Singer, was just too frustrating for me to actually use.  I loved having a more portable machine than my Baby Lock Ellageo embroidery machine, but the Singer was just not a good quality machine.  At first I didn't understand the negative comments, but then After just a couple of uses, I realized how right all those reviews were.  I love my Ellageo, it's just not really portable.  I was looking at a Janome QDC3160 and a Baby Lock Grace.  I ended up at "Nashua Sewing and Vac" on Black Friday and ended up getting a Baby Lock Sofia2 for what I was quoted the Grace to be at another store.  I had heard really good things about Nashua Sewing and Vac and felt really good about trying out sewing machine and buying there.  There is nothing wrong with the Janome.  I know a few people who love the Janome and they all have different Janome machines.  One of them is not a Baby Lock fan.  I decided that it must be ike buying a Nikon vs a Canon.  I have always used a Canon, but I know that Nikon is just as good, just personal preference.  I wish I had more time to devote to my sewing!

What I've been up to:

English Paper Piecing Diamonds

Ballet Slipper Ornaments

Thanksgiving Skirt

Matching Thanksgiving Tie

My New Sofia2!

Embroidery On My Sofia2

Embroidery On My Sofia2

Embroidery On My Sofia2

Sewing On My Sofia2 With A Stitch Sampler

Cookie Plate for Santa

Cinnamon Ornaments

Now if I could just make sure that I continue to be creative both by myself and with the kids, I would be a very happyMommy!  I can't wait to sew more often.  We are in the process of decorating for Christmas and then cleaning up after that!  Right now, Creativity is going to be limited.  I am trying to make sure that I ambling creative with the kids so that they get to be creative as well as me.  Some days are better than others, but often as things are with kids, they don't go as planned, but we are still making memories and that is what is most important!

Happy Holidays to All!

Amy

Hexagon Maddness

With it being National Sewing Month, I am really trying to get some sewing projects completed.  My friend at http://www.goddessinprogressblog.com/quilts/ posted a hexagon project a while ago and I was intrigued.  More recently she posted a picture of her hexagon quilt and it got me thinking, this would be a great take along project for the part (maybe), and a great project to use up my scraps.  Of course now I want to branch out and maybe use things that aren't part of my scrap bin.I'm tempted to buy fabric, but I really want to try to use what I already have.  I can't afford to buy more and I don't have the room to buy more!  I'm trying really hard to be organized and right now I have my material pretty organized so I don't want to add more unless I have to!

My first hexie flower put together with a ladder stitch

Daddy and Thomas were watching the Patriots while I sewed and the other 2 kids were playing in their room

I am also working on a doll sized granny square afghan.  I was able to spend some time working on it while the kids played at the park!

4 flower hexies 1 completed with a whip stitch and 3 with the ladder stitch

I have been trying to organized my craft things and have been trying to get rid of some things.  I have free cycled some things, but there have been some stuff that no one seems interested in.  I have some yarn that no one has wanted and I have some stamps that I haven't posted yet.  I am hoping to get more stuff together so that I can get rid of rings and have a more organized place to work and know what supplies I have.  It's definitely a work in progress and really difficult to get rid of things.  I also just found out that I have some yarn that I totally forgot about.  I think once I finish some of the projects that I am working on, I need to go up in the attic and decide if this yarn is stuff I need/want. or if I should just get rid of it.  

It has been nice to have a more organized space.  I am not making a ton of things, but I really have been able to create more easily, know what I have for supplies, and not have to stress about cleaning up a project in the middle of working on it.  I like having a place for my dewing machine to be out all the time.  I like having small projects organized so that I can work on something while watching TV.  Of course all the new shows are starting up so it is really important to have things that I can work on while watching my favorite shows.  That way I can be productive as well as veg out in front of the TV and enjoy some good shows!  The funny thing is, I really like to be organized, but I am not one to get organized easily!

What are you making for National Sewing Month?

Amy

I think my next post will be about my Christmas list.  I need to get a plan in place if I want to make things for people for Christmas.  I need to have a plan in place so that I can get started.  I think I'll take the kids out in the back yard and work on my list!

AEDM 11/15/2011

Ok, I'm getting a little better at making time to create every day!  I started cutting out the pattern for a fabric "paper" doll set for my daughter for Christmas.  Once I cut the patterns out, I put it aside and decided that I need to start working on my Advent Calendar for Christmas.  I need to have it done my December 1st, so that is what I really need to focus on.  I am using this blog post as my inspiration http://www.acaseofthemundays.com/2010/12/felt-friday-felt-advent-calendars.html!  I have my background and my tree on and I have started on the felt numbered boxes.  I need to find 24 buttons, otherwise, I think I have everything I need to complete this project.  I have a list of ornaments that I will be making to hang on the tree of the advent calendar.  I have to sew on the boxes to put the ornaments in until it's time to hang them on the tree!

The background and the tree for the Advent Calendar

I still need to make a car cozy for one of my sons and I think I am going to make an art case for my older son!  I want each child to have something handmade for Christmas.  Last year they all got aprons.  This year, they are going to each get something just for them!  I also want to work with the kids to make gifts for special people in their lives, aunt's first cousins, godparents, and grandparents.  It's time to start/maintain a handcrafted holiday and start making other traditions for our family!

Amy

Newest Swap

I wasn't going to sign up for another swap, but I decided to participate in a Secret Santa Swap!  I've done a couple of swaps with Shawnee at http://www.flirtyapronswap.blogswap.com.  Shawnee has asked people to post answers to the following questions.

1. What are your hobbies? making jewelry and sewing
2. What are your favorite colors?  right now I'm into more earthy colors
3. Do you collect anything? tea cups and craft supplies
4. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? no
5. Do you have any pets? yes, an american eskimo dog named Takoda
6. Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate? Tea
7. What do you like to read? craft books, cookbooks, true stories
8. Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet? Candies
9. What is your favorite holiday treat? I don't know that I have one
10. Describe your favorite holiday tradition. being with family, seeing christmas lights
11. Did you believe in Santa as a child? yes
12. When do you open presents? We got to open one on Christmas eve before we went to bed and then the rest Christmas morning when my grandparents came over.
13. Do you put up a tree and when?  If not, how do you celebrate?  Usually the day after Thanksgiving, but that has changed since we have little kids
14. Does your tree have a theme? ornaments that I have been given over the years
15. What has been your favorite gift to give?  to receive?   to give: things I have made, to receive: My engagement ring

I can't believe that I am doing another swap, but I am pretty excited about it!

Amy

AEDM (art every day month) 11/7/2011

So I am not doing all that great with my goal of being creative every day and definitely not doing great with writing about it.  I am pushing forward with attempting to be creative every day.  I have been cooking, and yesterday I made honey mustard chicken which were awesome, my favorite easy recipe!

Today, I decided to get the kids involved.  My 3 1/2 year old and one of my 2 1/2 year old twins used some fabric crayons and colored and I ironed their creations onto some plain unbleached muslin.  I need more colorings to make more fabric for the lining of a bag that I am planning on making for my mom for Christmas.  I need something from my other twin and more from the other 2 kids so that I have enough material for the lining.  I think this will make the bag even more special!  I decided to cut out the pattern this afternoon and maybe I'll even pull out the sewing machine tonight or maybe I'll come home tomorrow while everyone is at school and sew or maybe during nap time.  Maybe I can finish it this week and have a gift or at least a partial gift finished!

Happy Creating!

Amy

Christmas Plans

Since Christmas Eve is tomorrow, then Christmas the next day, I'm sure I won't be writing much.  I still ahve some sewing to do for the holidays.  Hopefully it won't be very extensive and go very quickly.  Nothing like waiting to the last minute, as is usual with me.  There's really only 1 thing that I need to finish and that is the blanket for my baby (18 year old) sister.  I have had a fleece panel for a few years now and I have embroidered her name on it, but haven't finished the edging.  That is the first gift that I need to finish.  I have a few winer sacks to finish and they should go quickly, really just short straight seems.  Then the only other thing is the felt bow tie pasta that I want to make for the kids.  Simple enough, just time consuming.  The worst part of all this is that I am sick and I have little to no energy to complete these things as well as the cooking that I need to do.

For the cooking, I need to finish the truffles and hope they came out ok.  I need to make the nuts, which shouldn't be that hard.  Then there is the coffee cake for Saturday that should be baked tomorrow as it says it is better if it sits over night.  Then there is the bean and rice dish, which is really easy, but I made up the spice mixture as I went along and never wrote anything down.  I hope that this time it comes out as tasty as the last time I made it.  Then Saturday morning, I need to make my casserole.  Once the kids are in bed tonight, I don't think it will be bad, I just need to get the energy to complete things.

I have a couple of more gifts to wrap.  I need to order my husband something online.  Other than what I've listed, I think I am in better shape than in the past.  I can't wait to see the kids faces and hear them Christmas morning.  It is going to be so awesome to watch them open their gifts since they get toys now.  And 1 month from today, the twins will be 2 and we will have more gifts.  Maybe that's when I can give my daughter her handmade doll from mommy!  I'll jsut need to figure out something for my son!  Then a month and a half later my older son will be 3.  I can't believe I've been a mom for almost 3 years.  It's carzy to think about.  I'll have to figure out a handmade by mommy gift for him too!

Merry Christmas,
Amy

Christmas Projects/Food

I am starting to make my Christmas cards tonight.  For a few of them, immediate family, I will be quilling pictures and gluing them to the embellished cards.  For the other cards, I will be just rubber stamping simple designs.  For all the cards, I will be adding the kids' Christmas picture with Santa, once we get it!

I am also going to make some wine sacks/infused oil/vinegar sacks.  I am also going to make a scrapbook of the kids from the pictures from 2010.  I think I may suck it up and purchase the iscrapbook program, so that I can scrapbook a little more easily.  I also want to make a doll for Eva Rose and teddy bears out of my mother in law's old coat.  The teddy bears, most likely won't even be started til after Christmas and I want to give them to my kids and the nieces and nephew and my sister in law.  I want my husband to make the kids co2 cars for Christmas because they seem to love cars and I want us to make them something for Christmas this year, not just buy a bunch of commercial gifts.

I am also attmpting to cook more and to cook more healthy.  I have my own dietary considerations as well as my husband's.  Then there is the need to make things that the kids will eat and that is healthy.  We are trying to eat less meat for both health and eco-friendly reasons.  Eating healthy is always a process in my house!

Amy

Giving

So my last post was about crafting for good.  I am making a conscious choice to create projects and donate them to different charities.  I would love to get a group together to craft for charity, but I don't have time and I don't know who would be interested in doing something like this.  I may put it out on facebook and try to make a group thing, but it would be very informal.  Part of me would love to do something at a church or through an already established group or even meeting place.  Again, one of the biggest issues is time.  At least I can start with me and start trying to set up good examples for my children to follow as they get older.  At the age they are now, there is no way they could even begin to understand what I want to do, but if the practice is built into out family, hopefully it will be something that they will start doing as they are old enough to understand.

I will finish my plans for the holiday porjects that I have planned and then I will start planning what projects I am going to start creating with plans to donate.  I still have to decide what I am going to do for holiday gifts, but they will get done.  my goal this year is to give at least part of the gift as handmade, as simple as the package that the gift card comes in for teh teens who would never in a million years want something handmade.

Now to finalize the Christmas gift list!
Amy

Newest Projects

So Halloween has come and gone.  I thankfully finished the 3 costumes that I was trying to finish for this Halloween.  They all came out really good.  I was so pleased.  We had a great time trick or treating around the neighborhood and loved sharing this holiday with the kids.

This was one of the costumes that I made

This was another one that I made

Family Halloween picture (I made the vest and skirt of my costume also)

I am participating in my first apron swap.  I can't wait!  I thought that after this rush on Halloween costumes, I wasn't willing to sew much more right now, but after I finished the costumes and all was good, I am ready to sew again!  I am joining in at http://flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com .  I am looking forward to getting an apron also.  I am trying to do more cooking and my nana always used to stay to always wear an apron.  I will certainly wear one now after I get my first swap and then I will try to make my own aprons too!  There is also a contest sponsored by http://www.etsy.com/shop/silverliningdesigns6 where a beautiful snowflake is being raffled to those participating in the swap.


I will be working on a few other projects too.  Hopefully some X-mas gifts will get done so that I can feel good about giving handmade things for the holidays.  I have a wine bottle sack on the needles and I am going to make a couple of scrapbooks for family members as well as an embroidering handprints of the kids.  I still have a bunch of ideas to figure out!

Amy

As an aside, I had a tough day yesterday with eating and really paid for it.  I felt pretty miserable last night and am really trying hard to eat the things that I should be!