Buying New Crafting Tools

I could buy new craft supplies and tools every day.  My newest want is a Silhouette Cameo.  I have a feeling that I will end up buying a Silhouette portrait, which is just a smaller version of the cameo.  Unfortunately a Cameo is just not in  my budget right now.  The nice thing is that I have beard that I can make most things on the Portrait that I could on the Cameo, just not things that are as large as things that I could make on the cameo

I can only just begin to imagine the things that I could make with a cameo or a portrait.  I love that it is not limited to paper crafting or fabric crafting or just one medium.  I could make stencils for painting or even glass etching.  I could cut out fabric for appliqué.  I could make paper templates for english paper piecing.  I could make paper cut outs for scrapbooking or card making.  I could even make vinyl decals for my walls.  There are just so many possibilities!

I recently found out that Ginger Snap Crafts, over at http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/08/easy-wedding-gift-with-silhouette-vinyl.html, is doing a give away for the Cameo machine.  I figured I would try to enter and see if I could potentially win one.  How awesome would it be to win a Cameo.  I could then use the money I planned to spend on the Portrait buying supplies for the Cameo.  I am really excited about this.  Because of this give away, I found a new creative blog to read!  I love reading blogs and now I have another one to get inspired by!

Go over to http://gingersnapcrafts.com and take a look and see what creative projects she has as well as check out the give away!

Amy

Teaching

I think I may have mentioned that a Facebook friend is opening a studio/art gallery.  This is something that I have dreamed of doing myself.  Unfortunately, someone else beat me to it.  Fortunately, it is someone I know and a friend.  The nice thing is, she has asked me to teach a class.  She has also offered for me to take a class of hers for free.  I am hoping to go to her floating lantern class next Friday and see how she runs a class.

I am considering teaching a quilting class.  I have made a few small quilts and one large one that fit my full size bed.  I feel like I have enough knowledge to teach the class, but maybe not enough confidence to actually teach someone how to quilt.  My friend Liz sent me to the quilt pattern she used when she gave her class.  I am starting a quilt for my kids with the pattern she sent me to.  It's from Elizabeth Hartman at http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2011/03/mod-sampler-redux.html.  I let my twins pick out their fabric with some help from me.  I figured, I better make the quilt that I am contemplating teaching.  We chose the following fabric for the two quilts:

Eva Rose's material

Thomas' choices

I am also looking at some other types of quilts to teach.  I love the cathedral windows, but it may be a little complicated to teach in a class environment, but then again, it may be fine as long as I have the right equipment.  It looks so much harder than it is, it just involved folding and ironing.  The nice part is that it doesn't necessarily involve machine sewing.  You can hand sew or machine sew, which may open it up to more people who may not have a sewing machine.  I have also thought about teaching English Paper piecing, another hand sewn quilting project.  Then of course there is hand piecing in general, but I haven't perfected that as much (not that I've perfected machine piecing).  There is of course traditional machine piecing that I can teach.  I am thinking quilting classes may be what I teach, but I need to feel more comfortable teaching it.

Simple pinwheel block

Hexagone English paper piecing

Hand Stamped Thank You Card

Dresden plate machine stitched, hand appliqued

butterfly dresden plate english paper pieced hand appliquéd

English paper pieced hexagon not sewn together yet

English paper pieced hexagon made with 6 pt diamonds sewn together

English paper pieced hexagon like the above yellow one but sewn together

1/4 dresden plate mug rug

The above pictures are just a couple of the different projects I've made using tutorials that I think I could teach others.  I don't have a picture of a cathedral window, but I could make one up very quick and throw a picture on later.  These are some of the things that I love to make using both hand sewing/piecing techniques and machine piecing techniques!

Just a few thoughts to get down so that I can contemplate what I feel comfortable teaching.  I love to make everything on here, I just need to figure out what I want to do first.

Amy

At My Sewing Machine Again

Finally, I took the plunge at attempted to sit at my sewing machine after a couple of months of sciatica.  I was able to get a couple of small projects sewn, but it was tough.

I get e-mails every time Crafty Gemini has a new post.  This was was a giveaway for a slice cutting machine.  I would love a cutting machine and if I won this, I would be ecstatic!  The project that she showed in the video for the slice cutter was for a fabric Valentine's Day Card.  I thought this would be a nice easy way for me to get back at my sewing machine and it was, except I did get a little sore.  I made 2 fabric cards and would love to make 1 maybe 2 more.  you can check out the project and the giveaway at http://craftygemini.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-day-fabric-gift-book.html.

Here are my attempts at the project.  I still need to embellish them and am hoping to have the kids help me.

Here are the outside covers of the 2 that I made today.  One is planned for My daughter's speech teacher, and one is planned for one of my oldest son's teachers.  I still need to make one more for his other teacher. 

Outside again

Inside of card

Close up of the outside of the first card

Inside of the first card (close up)

This project was a lot of fun and I will definitely be making again for many other holidays, not just Valentine's Day!

Hope you all check out Crafty Gemini as she has a bunch of fun tutorials,

Amy

A Little Embroidery

In the past, I've dabble in different needle arts, mostly cross stitch and embroidery.  Recently, I helped out a fellow blogger by testing out an embroidery pattern.  This made me catch the embroidery bug again.  Recently, I moved my daughter into her own room and we need to get both the boys' and her room decorated.  The boys room is going to be an outer space theme and I want her room to be somewhat shabby chic and very girly.

I decided that, since I've been bitten by the embroidery bug, I would embroider some things for both the boys' room and for my daughter's room.  I found some planets online that I can embroider as well as spaceships and other outer space themed pictures!  For my daughter's room, I found some fairies that I plan to embroider.  For the boys' room, I plan to put the embroidered pictures into painted picture frames.  For my daughter's room, I plan to make distressed frames to put the fairies in.  It's pretty exciting to start decorating.  After getting these embroidery projects competed, I will start working on quilts (as long as my back is better and I can sit at a sewing machine).  Then I need to decide if I am going to make a twin quilt or just a crib size  or a little bigger that they can lay over the top of their bed.  I'm leaning towards the twin size, but I'm not sure yet.

This is the first fairy I am working on for my daughter's room.  All three fairies are going to be completed in single color variegated embroidery floss.

Fairy in yellow variegated embroidery floss!

I am also going to embroider initials to hand in their rooms too.  The boys's letters will be very masculine while my daughter's will be very feminine, just like the kids are.

Amy

Newest Projects

My friend Liz over at http://www.goddessinprogressblog.com/quilts/ posted a fun bag she made from http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/free-diaper-bag-pattern.html.  I couldn't wait to make this bag and I finally pulled out a bench of material to make it.  I love that I used some material that I had bought before my wedding (shhhhh, don't tell anyone, I was supposed to make bridesmaids gifts that never happened).  I Love how it came out!  I can't wait to make another one.  I probably have enough material at home but not the interfacing (which I didn't use for my first bag). 

Sewing this bag re-ignited my passions for sewing and any other craft related item.  I just joined in a table runner swap over at http://flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com/.  I am so excited!  I love aprons, but I love that this is a table runner swap.  We are in the process of making some small renovations to our kitchen so this will be a nice addition to the kitchen!  I missed out on the last swap since it was during the summer.  I just figured that there wouldn't be enough time to sew it and get it out in the mail, but with school back in session, I think this will work, plus I am trying to tell my husband that we both need to make time for our hobbies (he needs to get back into his wood shop), but we are just so tired by the time the kids go to bed!

I have so many projects that I want to do.  I really need to start working on the kids Halloween costumes.  I can't wait to make them, but I am not looking forward to cutting and sewing satin material.  I probably shouldn't complain, but I hate the slipperiness of the material.  After that, I really need to start on my Christmas gifts.  I am really hoping to make a lot of our gifts this year, partly for financial reasons, but also partly because I love it.  I am really finding that I need to make time for my creativity and I hope that I can really make a point to do what I love!

Amy

Creativity

Since most of my posts lately have been about food and diet, I thought I would change things up and write a little about my creativity, or lack there of.  I haven't been very motivated to be creative.  It could be that I am a wife, a mom of 3 under 3, work part time, trying to cook healthy, trying to keep a clean/somewhat organized house (focus on trying), or maybe it's just that I've been lazy.  My friend Liz over at http://www.goddessinprogress.com, really inspires me.  This week, after my darling 2 1/2 year old daughter started waking up around 5:30 am sometimes earlier, I decided that I needed to actually make the light blocking shades that I had been planning on for quite some time.  Then I decided that the windows needed new curtains to go along with the space themed shades.  So now my kids have their new curtains and shades and they have actually been sleeping til 7:00 am! 

I am now inspired to move on to the quilts for my kids as well as the projects for my newest niece who will be joining us in about 1 1/2 months.  I am still in the process of figuring out the quilt pattern for my kids as well as for my niece.  I am also planning on making some burp cloths for her too.  So I am now off to try to find good patterns for the quilts.  At first, I had thought about just making space themed quilts for the boys since the plan is for their rooms to be space themed.  The drawback is that my daughter shares a room with them too.  Do I make her the same quilt?  Do I make her the shabby chic inspired quilt that I had planned to make her?  Or, do I make her a space themed quilt that is a little more girly than the boys, but that will still have elements of the boys quilts so that they coordinate?  I've decided that we have entirely too many boy themed toys and we need to start encouraging some girl themed play, for all 3 kids!  I think  my daughter needs a quilt that is somewhat girly, but one that will coordinate with the boys quilt.  Any thoughts?  My friend Liz also inspires me to go beyond the traditional quilt block and try something a little different.  I can't wait to see what I come up with.

I have many projects, almost too many.  I really need to stay inspired so that I can get some things accomplished.  I find that I really enjoy being creative, especially sewing.  I don't always enjoy the process, it's something I need to work on.  One thing I need to do is give myself enough time to complete a project so that I don't stress about a deadline!  If I am not stressed about a deadline (which due to my chronic procrastination I often am), I do enjoy the process.  The one thing I always enjoy is the outcome!  I can always guarantee that I love the results especially if it comes out the way I want, but if not I'm still usually satisfied that I was able to create something.

Hopefully I can get some projects completed and post some pictures.  Also, not to rush things along, but I want to get started thinking about Christmas gifts.  Again, I find creating much more enjoyable when I am not stressed about a deadline, like I'm sure most people!

Amy

Getting Back to Creating

I signed up for another apron swap.  This time the theme is spring/gardening and I can't wait to make my apron.  I have the material which I love, and I ended up going to a Walmart that was a little further away, but ended up spending way less money than if I had gone to Joann's (though I have to admit, Walmart is one of those evils that I just have to do sometimes).  We are supposed to add in tuck ins that spell out our partners initials.  I have 2 of the 3 letter planned for, but I still need an S idea.

I often forget how much I love creating and crafting until I start reading other people's creative blogs.  I am really thinking that I want to start making clothes for me and the kids.  I'm a little nervous about them looking homemade.  I remember being that kid in school with homemade clothes and everyone knew it.  I probably need to start making things like pajamas to start practicing, then I can move on to things to wear in public.  I definitely have basic sewing skills, But I'm not sure my sewing skills are good enough for clothing (though that is a goal)

I still have my mom's prayer shawl in the works, but unfortunately, I tend to need to have multiple projects going at the same time!  I get bored quickly so I figure if I switch things up a little, I can save myself from putting it away and forgetting about it, which often happens.

I so wish that I had an actual studio where I had things set up.  I can't wait for the day that I can either create with my kids (best idea) or the day that my kids can play independently without getting into trouble.  I really wish that I had more time, or that I could figure out a way to make some of my passions, like being creative, natural living living, gardening, healthy eating/cooking, and make money at it!

I am going to figure out how to make sure that I am able to get creativity into my life everyday!

Amy

The Binge Monster

I just read "How to break up with your binge monster" over at http://thedailydietribe.com and  so much rang true with me.  Just last night, as my previous post states, I totally had a binge moment.  I had eaten/drank a raw green smoothie for breakfast, but that was it until 3:30 pm when my husband got cookies.  Then I went to work and has a personal pizza, then came home and had some chicken and salad (the only good semi healthy part of my binge), then I went on to eat 3 english muffins with butter and jelly.  So not good.  I just craved food and gave into to everything that I wanted.  Today was a little better, but on my way to work, I totally screwed up.  I, again, started my day with a raw green smoothie,  then we had errands to run.  I hate cookies on the way, but only 3 (as if that is ok).  I did eat a salad for lunch which was a decent decision, but then on my way to work I bought 2, yes 2, muffins, one cranberry walnut that I ate on the way and a chocolate dream with chocolate frosting (which I only ate half and threw the other half right away).  The muffins were not a good decision.  Bad on all fronts for me.  There is way too much sugar, wheat, dairy, and just generally unhealthy ingredients.  Sometimes, I just can't say no.

I think I need to have a talk with my monster.  I think literally a talk.  I want to say out loud, that I will no longer eat things that hurt me.  I want to tell my monster to leave me alone and that even though he thinks he is giving me what I need, all he is doing is causing me pain.  Like Iris over at http://thedailydietribe.com mentioned, this is going to be an ongoing battle (ok the battle part is from me), but as time goes on, I will see my monster slowly but surely backing off and not coming around as much, hopefully some day never to return.

When I go home tonight, I am sure I will snack, but I want to make sure that I snack on something healthy.  I will be snacking on carrot sticks and hummus, one of my new favorite snacks.  I will be looking to eliminate wheat, gluten, and dairy from my diet as well as the other foods that are at least 3 on my blood test.  I am thinking, not only will I be healthier, but I will hopefully lose weight and have more energy.  The other thing that I need to do for my health is increase my exercise.  Hopefully the nice weather will be here before I know it and I can go for walk with the kids.  At least if the snow melts, I can get out with the stroller and walk, since right now there is no room on the sidewalks for a double wide stroller and there is little to no way I can fit in time to exercise with the kids around.  Maybe I just need to get out of bed earlier.

I think the other thing that will help with my diet is to keep busy.  I have many projects to work on and could be reading mroe blogs!  If I keep my mind and my hands busy, maybe then I won't snack or at least be tempted to snack on things that are unhealthy for me to be eating.  Plus, I love to read blogs, I love to work on projects and I have a ton of books that I can read!

Amy, who promises not to keep ruminating on my diet and diet failures!

Diet

I have been really trying to be good with what I eat.  Some days are really good and some days are horrible.  Yesterday, I started to feel pretty miserable.  I went to bed with a slight fever and slept horrible!  Today I pretty much ate whatever I could find that was already cooked for me and my family.  I left my husband, who was stuck snowblowing all day, alone to cook and feed the kids while I went to work.  I brought some apples and some grapes and ate most of them, but it took my 3 hour shift to get that down.  I did get some chicken from the cafe, but ate maybe 1/4 of the plate.  My goal is to start to be more faithful to eating well.  I know that when I eat well, I feel better.  Why I can't remember that jsut because something tastes good initially, doesn't always mean that I will feel great later.  When I eat things I know are bad for me, that initial feeling often over rides the knowledge that I will feel miserable later on or even the next day.  Sometimes I think that the fact that it isn't an immediate bad feeling makes it more difficult to remember that it is the certain foods that I eat that do me in.  I have spent a bunch of time researching different recipes.  I hate to say that I think I may be cooking a little different for me than I do for the rest of the family, but that often goes with food allergies/intolerances I think.  Hopefully, if I can get to bed and get a good nights sleep, I will feel better and have more energy to plan the healthy foods that I should be eating.

On the crafting front, I am in the middle of a knit placemat knit along.  Surprisingly I am almost up to day with the rows.  The next thing that I need to work on is my apron swap.  I am hoping that I ca get some time in tomorrow while the kids sleep/have quiet time.  I am really excited about the material that I got and can't wait to get started on it.  I also have a few tuck-ins to work on.  I am also working on a shamrock dishcloth as a travel project.  I definitely need to make sure that I always have a travel project with me so that I can take advantage of precious valuable down time!

Any good healthy food apps for an ipad that people know of?  Vegan, gluten free,maybe even raw would be awesome!

Amy

Newest Projects

So the holidays are over and I can breathe a sigh of relief.  Just a few more days and the new year will begin.  This means New Year's Resolutions, as much as I hate them.  My biggest resolutions this year are:  to eat healthier and to get a routine for my day down so that I can have more productive time to create, plan healthy yummy meals, play with my kids, and have a clean house.  I already have a number of projects to work on.  there are the multiple quilts that I have been planning on making, the doll and doll accessories that I want to make, a couple of car caddies for the boys, scrapbooking that really needs to get done, and I'm sure so much more.  One of the things that I need to do to be able to have time to create is organize my supplies and maybe make a place for the kids to play while I create.  I have a few ideas in my head that i need to put into practice.  I am also working on an organizing system to help me plan my days so that the things that need to get done, get done on time and then hopefully I can have more time to do the things that I love to do!  I am hoping for an ipad soon.  I should say, I am getting an ipad for my Christmas gift as soon as it fits into our budget.  I am hoping that it will help me maintain my organization better than my hand written planner that I am planning in using. 

I can't wait to get started on all the different things that I want to make.  I love to create!

Amy

Newest Gift Ideas

I really need to go through my polymer clay books.  I was going to do a scrapbook of the kids for my mom for Christmas and I still may, but I am thinking that I also want to do a polymer clay transfer project also.  I guess I really just want to do all sorts of projects and the more that I can give away, the better.  I am planning reading some of my project books and trying some projects and figure out what to do with them.

I made a new meal tonight.  It was out of my one of my vegetarian cookbooks.  It was supossed to be a croquette, but I just made it into a regular grain and bean dish.  Basically, it consisted of red lentil, brown rice, red quinoa, sweet potato, celery, and onion, with a little garam masala and curry powder (my 2 favorite spices).  I stupidly didn't plan my time and didn't bring any to work, but I did taste it before I left and I thought it was good.  I plan to eat a bowl once I get home.  My sister, who was babysitting, said that Thomas and Eva Rose ate 2 bowls and Michael wanted nothing to do with it.  We'll see what my husband thinks of it! 

I know I have another blog for my food issues, but very qiuckly, I am having a really hard time fully eating the way I should even though I don't feel good after I eat.  You would think that I wouldn't want to feel sick and that it would be enough to make me want to eat healthy, but it's not.  I just need to be better at doign what I am supossed to be doing.  You can read more details on this at http://trialsandtribulationsofhealthyeating.blogspot.com/.

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

First Apron Swap

I think I am almost done with everything for my first Flirty Apron Swap.  I should be able to send my package out Monday or Tuesday at the latest, maybe even sooner.  I had so much fun with this swap and loved making my first apron.  I really enjoyed creating the tuck-ins also.  I've already posted my apron, but unfortunately didn't get pictures of the rest of the tuck-ins.  I chose the word angel and my tuck-ins are the following:

A-handmade quilled angel notecards

N-handmade needle case

G-ginger tea in 2 handmade tea bag carriers

E-angel earrings packaged in a hans stamped box

L-lavender,lemon,geranium,rosemary bath salts packaged in a hand stamped box

I hope my partner enjoys everything.  I look forward to getting my package and seeing what everyone else gets!

Amy

More Crafting

I have been working on my tuck ins for my flirty apron swap.  I am absolutely loving sewing.  I always enjoyed it, but am enjoying it so much more now.  I'm not sure why.  I am even using my cheap sewing machine because it is easier to take out and put away and right now I need all the time savings I can get.  So far I've made a tea bag cozy and will be adding ginger tea bags to it (am going to make 1 more to match the apron I made) and  a needlecase that matches the tea bag cozy.  I still need to finish my quilled angel notecards, angel earrings, and my lavender/geranium bathsalts.  I am thinking of adding more in, but I'm not sure what else.  I certainly don't want it to seem cheap.

A- angel notecards
N-needlecase
G-ginger tea with tea bag cozies
E-earrings (angel)
L-lavender/geranium bath salts

I will be making a few wine sacks for Christmas gifts, some play food for the kids, and I'm not sure what else I have planned.  I definitely need to complete a scrapbook for my mom for Christmas.  That will probably be my next project along with a couple of recipe cards for my sisters that have my grandmother's recipes.  Unfortunately, I only have a few since she made most of her recipes by the measurements she had in her mind.  I may do something similar for my husband's family, if I can find the time.  Then after the holidays, I will be making sure that I make at least 1 item a month to donate.  That's my goal at this point anyway.

I'll post pictures of teh things that I have made and the things that I plan to make soon!

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!

Halloween Costumes and Food

I decided that Tom and I are going to dress up for Halloween also.  I have started my costume which is a gypsy.  I had planned to make myself and my daughter a gypsy costume and the boys pirates when we went to King Richard's Faire, but we didn't make it this year.  I am using my black under dress for the costume also.  I've made the over skirt already and just need to fix the hem and then it will be complete.  I am going to work on the vest tonight.  I need to make Tom pants, a shirt and the vest of the pirate costume and put the finishing touches on Thomas' costume.  At that point we will be done and we can have fun trick or treating to the neighbors and to our family's homes.

Making my Halloween costume has made me aware of just how much I really need to watch my eating.  I really was aware that I need to lose weight and get my body in better shape.  I have stopped exercising once my husband when back to work and our schedule got more complex, but I really need to get back on track with exercising.  I think I need to just get the stroller out and walk around our neighborhood.

I am definitely doing better with my eating, but I still need more work.  I am really going to try to focus on not having wheat and dairy and decrease my amount of refined sugar.  I need to incerease my fruit and veggie intake and while I was making chicken soup today and I thought that I really want to be more vegetarian (my long standing goal).  I don't think that the rest of the family wants to be eating vegetarian/vegan, so I may need to cook meat for them and eat less of it myself.

I also got together a little sewing/quilting kit that I can hopefully take along with me and have portable projects.  I have way too much to do, but if I can get myself organized, I think that I may be much happier when I can pull out a craft project and actually complete it.  I need to plan out how to get organized and actually do it vs just talking about it!
Amy

Craft Projects

I am almost finished with Thomas' halloween costume.  I tried it on him and it actually fit really well.  I'm not the best at sewing clothing so the fact that it looked good and fit makes me so happy!  I feel bad that I only made his costume, but then again, he is always the one getting hand me downs given that he has an older brother and his siter is the only girl.  Both the boys are going to be pirates.  I got Michael's costume from another twin mom and tried it on him today.  Man, was he adorable, like a little man.  Eva Rose is going to be a fairy.  I got a perfect dress as a hand me down.  I added a long sleeve top and some wings and it is perfect!  I just need to think if she is going to need a head piece, but I think no!  Probably won't keep it on anyway.

My other project that I am working on is a wine carrier for a Christmas gift.  I know the recipient isn't going to read this blog, but just in case I won't mention who it's for.  This will be my handmade addition to the gift giving season along with a bottle of wine.  I just now need to make sure that I can make gifts for everyone else in some fashion.

I am really into sewing lately, but also into knitting.  I need to get into scrapbooking and want to get a computer program so that I have moer opportunity to scrapbook and not have to take out and spend time doing traditional scrapbooking.  A friend of mine has iscrapbook and I think that is the program that I want.  I have been playing with a trial version and am really enjoying it.  I think you can still be creative and yet use technology to your advantage.

I have a lot of planning to do with regards to what projects I am going to work on and in what order.  I need to get some Christmas gifts made, especially since I want to make most of them.  I am now setting aside 2 hours every week to get together with a friend and create.  I am really enjoying having that time set aside.

I am now off to create!

Amy