Embroidery Bee

If you live in Southern California, I'd love it if you would join me for a monthly Embroidery Bee!  On the second Thursday of each month, I'll be teaching at The Neighborhood Cup at 1 Journey, Aliso Viejo, CA.  I'll teach a couple of stitches, hand-out original embroidery patterns designed by me and allow for lots of time for us to work on our embroidery projects, chat, drink coffee (I highly recommend the Lavendar Latte!) and just have a great time.  The first meeting will be on October 14 from 7-9pm.  You can pre-register here.

If you aren't local, I'll be putting together monthly kits that can be purchased.  You can order one even if you aren't able to join in on the Embroidery Bee fun.  The first kit is for sale here, and will contain everything you need to get started with embroidery, plus some embroidery patterns.

To see a sample of my embroidery style, click here.

I'm very excited to share my love of embroidery with everyone and I look forward to seeing some of you in October!

Good Things

I felt very lazy last week.  Stuck in one of my typical over-thinking moods.  Wondering why I push myself to be a good mother, wife, housekeeper, and a successful craft designer.  I go through these moods every couple of months (much to my husband's chagrin.).  I find myself thinking maybe I should just give it all up and concentrate on the mom & housewife part.  Then I get afraid of losing my identity.  There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

So, what did I do to take my mind off things?  I went shopping of course!  The Farmer's Market and Goodwill and my favorite fabric store, Sewing Party.   At Goodwill, I found a "Creative Nostalgia" purse that was brand new, and a bright yellow Buddha.  At the sewing shop, I refrained from buying pricey Japanese fabric and settled for a Japanese sewing magazine.  And the Farmer's market had purple plums. 

The plums caused such a rush of memories for me.  I remember sitting on my late grandfather's shoulders, picking these type of plums from his trees.  He would pull out his pocket knife and cut a slice and hand it up to me.  The skin felt squeaky on my teeth and the golden flesh inside was both sweet and sour and made my mouth pucker.  Very happy summers.  As I ate one of my newly purchased plums I realized that I can never really "lose myself".  These memories, the ones that were created before I ever dreamed of being a wife or mother or craft designer are really who I am.  And they'll always be inside of me, waiting to come out and remind me that it's the smallest moments in life that really matter.

My daughter lives and BREATHES crafts

If you aren't one of my Facebook friends, you missed out on the excitement last week, so I thought I'd give you a laugh for the weekend.

Remember how I told you my five year old daughter had a cold, you know the one that led me to make my travel tissue holders?  Well, it was dragging on & on.  And then she started to have a funny smell.  I initially thought it was just the bad breath one gets when they are mouth breathing from a cold.  But it started to get foul enough for me to investigate.  I looked in her nose...I thought I saw something.  I was shocked.  I would never peg my girl to put something up her nose, and she claimed she didn't when I questioned her.  But off to the doctor we went anyway.  And there was something up there, but our pediatrician couldn't get it out.  So, a few hours later, we are at an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.  In a New York minute he goes in and pulls.  My daughter screams.  He spins around and is holding...a craft pom pom.

Now, she never does big craft projects on her own, so I'm thinking something that we made in the past (like our birds?) fell apart in her room.  What happened from there will always be a mystery as my daughter claims she never put anything up her nose, despite the snot laden, stinking evidence.

I feel like a bad mom.  I mean, I let the kid walk around with a stinking (literally) craft pom pom up her nose for a week (maybe more!).  The only thing that's making me feel better is that I know my sister and I accomplished the same covert operation, all without my mom's knowledge.  (I mean, if your little sister told you her nose bone was falling out of her nose, you would help her shove it back up too, right?)  I know this is one of the battles that I had to experience to earn my mom medal, but man, I hate it when I feel like a failure as a mother. 

So let's hear your "foreign object in the nose" stories...

Trick or Treat

Is Halloween really almost here?  I know I'm always complaining that it's not my favorite holiday, and then I do bunch of crafts for it.  And this year is no exception.  Especially because I found this awesome Japanese fabric with witches and vampires and haunted houses.  I mean, who can resist making something for Halloween when you have fabric like this in your stash?

The fabric was pricey (as most import fabrics are) so I agonized over using it.  To make myself feel better, I made my daughter a trick or treat bag with it.  I figure it can be used year after year, so I'll get to look at the fabric every October.  The bag was snap to make because I used an old bag from an event I attended.  You know how you get those canvas bags with some body's logo on them when you go to conferences or conventions?  I just opened the side seams, measured my lovely Japanese fabric to be wide enough to cover the logo, sewed it on and added some trim.  Then I resewed the sides up.  It was like magic.

And, I have good news for you!  I didn't want to hoard the fabric, so I made ONE tea towel to put in my shop.  I love the black and white checks and that wicked witch peeking out.  It's perfect for cleaning up spills when you are boiling up a witch's brew.  There is only one, so if you really love it, you better hurry and buy it here.

Now I only have bits and scraps left of the fabric, but I might be able to eeek out a festive, patchwork pillow.  If I do, I'll be sure to show you it.  I'm thinking it would look really great with last year's raven pillow.  Don't you?

P.S.  I have some other Halloween Goodies in my shop too.  Including my paper party line of "Let's Lose Our Heads".

Oktoberfest!

Gingerbread Hearts

We had some family fun at Oktoberfest this weekend.  The Phoenix Club in Anaheim has the best one we've been to yet.  Really good food, fun activities and a really nice Sunday, "Family Day" version.  If you are local, get the details about it here.  I highly recommend you go!  We basically ate our way through it.  My husband had a pint of good German beer, but my daughter and I stuck to overindulging in the food.  I've decided I wasn't overeating...I was teaching my daughter about her culture (I'm 50% German). 

Like her Papa, my daughter loves pea soup.

Black Forest Cake for Mommy

Apple Strudel for Daddy

And you can't have Oktoberfest without beer steins...

Hand Crafted Beer Steins

Hope you are enjoying all the fun & festivities that the Fall Season brings!

Dolly's Got a New Ride

We inherit a lot of toys from my sister.  My niece is 10 and she's kind enough to pass her toys onto my five year old daughter as she outgrows them.  And that's how my daughter got a carriage for her baby dolls.  But it had been used for years and the decorative stickers were peeling off and it looked, well, used.

Of course I saw this as challenge and started brainstorming about how I could fix it up a bit for my daughter.  A cute seat cushion came to mind, so my daughter and I trooped upstairs, where she chose some fabric for the project and I got to sewing.  The greatest thing about this project is that it takes very little money or time to make an impactful change.  The carriage was free, I used less than a fat quarter of fabric and a some quilt batting leftover from another project.  Leftover ribbons, tied to the handle finished the look.  I made the whole thing in 45 minutes. 

So, if your dolly needs a pimped out ride, pull out that old toy carriage (or go to the thrift store and score one), then follow this easy tutorial.

Toy Stroller Cushion Tutorial

Supplies:
1 fat quarter of fabric
quilt batting
sewing machine and thread
Velcro (Optional)

Instructions:
1.  Measure the back and bottom of the seat of the stroller.  Add a 1/4" seam allowance all the way around.  Cut two pieced of fabric based on your measurements.  Cut a piece of quilt batting slightly smaller than the fabric pieces

2.  Make a quilt sandwich.  Lay down one piece of fabric with it's right side facing up.  Then lay second piece of fabric right side facing down.  Lay quilt batting on top and pin. 

3.  Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew around the perimeter of your quilt sandwich.  Leave a small opening so you can turn the cushion right side out.

4.  Once you have completed sewing the cushion, turn it.  Press the opening closed and pin.  Sew a top stitch around the outside of the fabric, making sure you close the opening. 

5.  If you choose, quilt the cushion.

As a child, I hated it when cushions on toys like this slipped around, so I glued one side of a strip of velcro to the back and bottom of the carriage seat and then sewed the other side of the velcro to the cushion.  Now the cushion wills stay in place, but I can easily pull it out of the carriage if needs to be washed.  If you get started on this project now, you could have a great little carriage ready for holiday gift giving.

Thanks Partner! Urban Home Goods Swap

I thought I would share what I received from my partner in the Urban Home Goods Swap.  My partner was Jen, but I don't think she has a blog.!  You can see her Flickr goodies here though! 

She sent me a gorgeous pillow cover that fits one of my old, yucky pillows perfectly.  AND it matches my "nesting chair" perfectly.  For those of you who don't know what a "nesting chair" is, it's where I hole up, drink coffee, and read blogs and magazines.  Of course, a good nesting chair needs lots of pillows and quilts in order to be effective and I'm so glad I have this new pillow to update the look of my nest.

Jen also sent me the lovely embroidery hoop wall art pictured above.  I've always admired pieces like this and am so happy to have one of my own.  While I was opening the package, my daughter was hovering around (she always does that when a package arrives) and, when I pulled this piece out, she exclaimed, "Now that's what I call art!"  I have to agree with her.

AH CHOO!

When you are a creative AND a mom of a young child, you tend to find your inspiration in the most unusual places.  For instance, if you happen to have a Kindergartener, who started school last week, and was at the end of her cold, but still had a runny nose and needed tissues, you might find a way to make those travel tissues travel easier (and cuter).  I mean, we only have so much time and, when we can make our creative time have a purpose, people don't seem to mind as much if we sneak off for an hour or two to our studios.  That's exactly how my Travel Tissue Cozies were born.  My absolute favorite design has incredibly cute Japanese fabric with red polka dot trim.

I'm also proud of the fact that I actually have a design for a boy for once!  I know I tend to lean towards the feminine in my designs and I know I need to work on that if I'm going to have a well-rounded shop.

I think they are pretty sweet and have designated them the first offering my series of stocking stuffer ideas.  I'm hoping to have time each month to load a new, low priced item in my shop that would be perfect to slide into a Christmas stocking.  I'm trying to keep the price point under $15.00 and the shipping costs super low.  If you take advantage of my new idea, you should have a nicely stuffed stocking by mid-December.  If you like what you see (the Travel Tissue Cozies are only $5 each with 50 cent shipping (USA)), you better hurry and make the purchase.  I'm probably only going to make a limited number of each stocking stuffer and you don't want to miss out the one you want.  You can see the full line of the Travel Tissue Cozies in my Etsy shop.

I also need to announce the winner of the needle case from the Orange Blog Hop!  It's Peg, from Peg's Crafting Corner!  Please contact me with your address so that I can get that out to you!

Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop

I'm a Fiskateer.  A crafting ambassador for Fiskars.  There are many of us out there and we love to share our craftiness with the world, so we decided to have a massive Orange Blog Hop.  If you came here from The Vintage Bluebird, you have already worked your way through an impressive list of blogs.  Thanks for continuing onto mine!  However, if you are just finding out about the Orange Blog Hop here on my blog, you may want  to visit the Fiskateer blog to get the full list of players. (The full list will be available on September 10.) Then, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea (or wine!) and spend and some time looking at all the orange, crafty goodness.

For my project, I created a little needle case.  Needle cases aren't just for sewers your know!  You can use them to keep your scrap booking embellishment pins in.  (Check-out my cute Heidi Grace Heart stick pin!)
Or you can even keep your pin collection (as in the kind of pins you wear!) in a needle case. 

Wow! Do I have a lot of Fiskar "flair" or what? I make the wait staff at TGIF's look like amateurs when it comes to flair...

Okay, here's how you can make your very own needle case.

Supplies:
Scissors (I used Fiskars' Donna Dewberry Razor Edge Scissors)
Iron-on interfacing
Iron
Fabric
Felt
Sewing Machine (optional-you can hand sew this project-it's not much work)

Directions:

1.  Cut a 8" x 3.5" piece of interfacing, two 8" x 3.5" pieces of fabric and two 6.5" x 2.5" pieces of felt.
2.  Lay one piece of fabric, right side down on your ironing board.  Place interfacing on top, and then a second piece of fabric, right side up on top of the interfacing.  Press.  (Make sure you follow the directions on your brand of interfacing for this step.)
3.  Using a sewing machine or stitching by hand, sew around the outside of your needle case about 1/4" from the edge.
4.  Place your cut felt pieces on the inside of the needle case.  Make sure they are centered.  Sew a stitch down the middle (vertically) to attach the felt to the outside of the case.  Fold the entire case and press. 
5.  You can add a ribbon or snap closure if you wish, but I usually make mine without any closure. 

You can do all of the above and have your very own needle case, OR you can leave a comment on this post and win the needle case in the photos above.  I'll randomly draw a name on September 13. The "flair" shown isn't included, but I might stick in a few Heidi Grace decorative pins for your next scrapbooking or sewing project.

Now, be sure to move onto the next blog for the hop.  Jan (Fiskateer #7263) of Far North Designs is sure to have a great post waiting for you!

Urban Home Goods Swap

Remember the pillow swap I did a few months ago?  Well, the same crafty ladies just hosted an Urban Home Goods Swap.  My partner (it's a blind swap, so I can't tell you who she is yet) said she liked Russian Nesting Dolls and rainbow colors.  One of the items on her Wish List was placemats. So, I ordered fabric and started making placemats.  Then I felt like I should include some napkins.  Then egg cosies.  A whole breakfast set was born. 

I worked for two days on this set.  As I said in my pillow swap post, I am in awe of the women in the swap and their sewing skills, so I tried very hard to push myself beyond my limits with my design, color combos and sewing abilities.  There were no tears this time, but I did learn a few things.  As a self-taught sewer, I'm trying very hard to keep track of the lessons I learn during each sewing project.  I want to use the lessons as a chance to grow as sewer and designer.  I thought I would share my lessons with you from my latest sewing blitz.

Lesson One:  Don't be shy at the cutting counter.  In the past, I've allowed myself to feel intimidated by the women who cut the fabric at my local sewing stores.  I felt like I had to pretend that I knew what I was doing.  But for this project, as I faced a pile of rick rack, with no idea how much I would need, I decided to bare my soul and admit I didn't know what I was doing.  I marched up to the cutting counter, rick rack in hand and said, "I'm making four 12"x12" napkins and I want to edge them in rick rack.  How much do I need?"  She very kindly, with no condensation, explained how many feet I would need and how that translated in to yards.  And she was right on the money.  I realized that I was always over-buying what I needed because I was afraid to ask for help.  Or, even worse, I would have to run back for more supplies in the middle of project!  These kind fabric cutters, for the most part, are long time sewers.  Why wouldn't I take advantage of their wisdom?  (By the way, I used to be financial controller, but for some reason, fabric measurement confounds me.)

Lesson Two:  I learned how to make linings!  I read about a dozen online explanations and it kind of hurts your head to think about it when you are sewing (don't forget to leave a spot open for turning!), but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.

Lesson Three:  Everyone has to pull out stitches.  I used to get really, really cranky about pulling out stitches.  I thought I should be a better sewer and shouldn't have to do it.  After reading a couple of sewing blogs, I realized that everyone has to pull out stitches sometimes-no matter how good they are at sewing.

Lesson Four:  I learned how to sew rick rack as an edging.  Check-out this blog.  It's so much easier than how I used to do it. (I'm not telling how I did it before.  It's embarrassing!)

I'm so proud of the breakfast set I made.  I'm especially in love with the egg cosies and am thinking of making some more for my shop.  Would you buy them?  Or should a make a tea pot cozy or something instead?

Vacation on California Central Coast: Cambria

When we arrived in Cambria, we checked into our hotel, The Cambria Pines Lodge.  Usually, we stay on Moonstone Beach, but the Cambria Pines Lodge was offering a great deal and I couldn't pass it up.  It turned out to be a wonderful choice.  It is only a short drive from the hotel to the beach and Hearst Castle and is nestled into the woodsy hillside overlooking Cambria's village.  The hotel prides itself on it's gardening, and as you can see from today's photos, they should! 

I got so many ideas for my own little postage-stamp sized yard.  Every morning after breakfast (included with the price of the room), we would stroll around the gardens.  Our room was fantastic and even had a little patio that overlooked the pines.  We glimpsed a deer one evening before we went to dinner.

Of course, we couldn't go to Cambria without visiting Hearst Castle.  It was my third time there and I just couldn't bear to do the first tour again, so we opted for the second tour. 

We got to see the bedrooms in the main house, two libraries and the kitchen.  Of course, the pools were also included.  I highly recommend this tour.  There are a TON of stairs though, so be prepared for a workout.

After our visit to the castle, we had lunch at Moonstone Beach. 

We met some overly friendly squirrels, which delighted my daughter and enjoyed the rocky Central Coastline.

We also kicked around the village, had some fantastic meals, did some shopping and really relaxed.  All in all it was fantastic trip.  If you plan on making a similiar trip, feel free to email me for restaurant recommendations etc.  I love to share my travel finds with people!

California's Central Coast Vacation: Solvang

Solvang is a great little tourist town.  The entire town is built to look a Danish town and, as my daughter told us, looks like a "castle city".  There's even a Little Mermaid statue in a fountain in town and a Hans Christian Andersen museum (small and a little boring for small children,but you might like it if you like to look at old books!).  We started our second day of vacation walking around the village, shopping for souvenirs and looking in all the tourist shops.  My daughter picked out a snow globe for her collection and then we went down the street to the Mission Santa Ines.  It's a jewel of a little mission.  There are a ton of Madonna's throughout the art collection and the gardens were peaceful and lovely.  You only need an hour to explore the grounds, although I would have loved to spend some time there alone, sketching...

After a morning spent walking around shops and the Mission museum and being told not to touch anything, it was time for my daughter to get a much needed break.  We found a great park in Solvang, called the Sunny Field Park.  It looks a bit like the Danish village of Solvang and has everything from Gingerbread houses to Viking ships that can be climbed over and swung from.  We sat on a bench and watched my daughter run and explore for about an hour.  Once assured that we had worn her out, we moved onto a picnic lunch on the grounds of the tasting room of Buttonwood Farm Winery.  I packed a lunch of cheese, crackers, cold pizza and peanut butter cookies before we left and this was the perfect location to enjoy the meal. 

My husband and I split a wine tasting during lunch and my daughter chased butterflies and ran around the fruit laden peach trees.  The picnic tables are set-up under some lovely old trees, allowing for a picnic of dappled sunlight and light breezes. 

We then piled into the car for the next leg of our journey-our next destination was Cambria-a two hour drive away.  After a big picnic lunch and plenty of fresh air and sunshine, my daughter was ready to sit in the car a spell and rest.  We did make a quick stop in San Luis Obispo to have ice cream at the famous Madonna Inn.  After all, we couldn't deny my daughter, the queen of pink, a chance to view the outlandish decor of the steakhouse there!

Tune in tomorrow for our Cambria Adventures!

P. S.  Do I need to tell you that you shouldn't drink and drive?  My husband and I either had a designated driver or made sure that plenty of time had passed before getting in the car after imbibing.  Be sure to plan your trip accordingly if you plan to sample at any wineries.  Also note, minors are not allowed in tasting rooms. 

Vacation on the Central Coast of California

I have a secret...I've been on vacation!  After the past month, my family was in need of some rest and relaxation before school starts.  One of my favorite get-aways is the Central Coast of California.  The beauty of the Central Coast always soothes my soul and the slow pace forces you to stop and taste the cupcakes (and the wine!). 

This was really the first "family" vacation we have taken.  My daughter has traveled to see family in Vancouver etc., but this was our first long vacation as a family.  My husband and I are seasoned travelers, but I have to say the thought of traveling with a little person (my daughter is five) did scare us.  We wondered if it would be relaxing at all.  We wondered if we would be bored doing "kid-friendly" activities.  We wondered if she be bored doing the things that would interest us.  But a little planning and ingenuity proved that, although a vacation with a child in tow is very different than what we are used to, it can be relaxing and fun to travel with children.  In fact, our daughter's enthusiasm for everything helped us really appreciate all the little moments.  Over the next couple of posts, I'll tell you about our trip, make recommendations for sightseeing, eating and hotels, and share a few tips that allowed us all to have the vacation we dreamed of.

We left on Sunday morning.  The drive from Orange County, where we live, to Solvang, our first destination is about 3 hours.  It was the longest leg of our trip.  To offset the chance of anyone getting bored, we made sure we loaded an iPod with free podcasts of storytelling.  My daughter happily spent about half the journey listening to fairytale classics with ear buds, while my husband and I listened to tunes on the car radio.

Our first stop was for lunch at the Cold Spring Tavern tucked into the hills of Santa Barbara.  The tri-tip steak sandwiches were recommended by a friend with good taste, so we decided to stop.  The restaurant building is an old stagecoach tavern, so the history was fun.  It was jam-packed with bikers who had a been at the bar for awhile, so we opted out of sitting under the oaks and eating the sandwiches.  We went inside and ordered off the menu, but found the meal disappointing.  We should have listened to our friend and gone for the outside BBQ-it smelled awesome.  The atmosphere was still worth the trip and discussion with our daughter about stagecoaches gave us a chance to show her some living history.

After lunch, a short drive to Los Olivos led us to our favorite spot.  Saarloos & Sons tasting room and Enjoy Cupcakes.  If you remember, my husband and I enjoyed a cupcake & wine tasting there last year.  This time, we had our daughter in tow, but were able to do a wine tasting on the patio while she did a cupcake tasting.  I can't recommend the cupcakes and wine here enough.  Please don't ever head to Los Olivos without stopping by!

A walk around town and everyone was ready to check-in to our hotel in Solvang.  We stayed at Hadsten House.  It looks like your typical Solvang motel, until you enter your room.  Decorated boutique style, in black, white and tan, it's wonderfully comfortable.  The restaurant on site is good and (if you are guest of the hotel) children eat free.  We had a great 3 course dinner.  A hot breakfast buffet is also included with the price of your room, so the moderate room price becomes a real bargain for what you get. 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about our Solvang adventures!