baby bandwagon...

This summer quite a few new additions came to our town. [which meant some baby showers were on my schedule] As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy making baby quilts - you get to try out new techniques, you aren't committed to a giant project, + I get to give a personal, handmade gift! I hope that these little quilts will see alot of snuggle time :)

This is Zak. [really wish I could take credit for the adorable cap!]

I was completely inspired by this retro-esque backing fabric! It screamed to be made into something for a little cowboy.

The stars are paper-pieced and [I think] go along with the western theme. The patchwork was a great way to use my humble stash of American Jane 4-in-1 prints. Awesome backing fabric + stars +knotting = a great vintage vibe!

This is Emili. [this is a pre-delivery pic - but take my word for it, Little Miss Calli is ADORABLE!]

This is their bedding - I tried to stay in a similar colorway and this line has some plums in it. I've always been a fan of coin quilts and with a candy bar of Fandango in hand, I went to work. It went together fairly quickly, more than a few layout revisions on the design wall.

To personalize it a little more, I embroidered her name. This is my first real attempt at machine quilting with a darning foot. Not terrible this being one of the few things I have quilted, I was fairly happy with myself. I hope both of these quilts will be part of many fond memories for these first time moms :)

months gone by [in the nittany block party]...

Yes, I am a little behind in SHOWING my blocks for the past many moons from the Nittany Block Party, but I am happily on time with FINISHING them :) I'm not sure why a whole month to sew one block always seems like a stretch. Given the right month, I could probably push out a whole bed sized quilt. For me, it seems like there is always a bit of anxiety that comes with making a block for someone else - if it is a creative task, there is always the question of the other persons taste; if it is a 'make this block' month, I am worried about the limited amount of fabric provided in the event of an oops moment. I feel quite accomplished to be getting my blocks on their merry way home on time and in the correct month. April's block for Tracy - using THIS tutorial. Great block, definitely testing my hst skillz. May's block for Freida - love how the coal kona sets off all of those little colorful prints! The hst inquisition continues. June's block for Amanda - using THIS tutorial. Beautiful, simple... and, yes, filled with hst's! July's block for Jessica - using THIS tutorial. Definitely a new one for me. I really enjoyed building this one [even if it did end up 1/4" off - seriously not sure how that happened, perhaps something to do with not having a 'true' 1/4" seam allowance and tons of seams] I was up in August and I cannot wait to show you more of that project :) Block swaps are wonderful ways to connect with fellow crafters and to learn new skills! If you haven't joined in on the action, I would suggest you check out this flickr group. Remember not to over-commit; start out with one bee and make sure that you can keep up with that one.

aaahh! not real monsters...

* no monsters were harmed in the making of these pillows :)
Following my last post, I am fairly certain my grandma never made any monster pillows.

I came up with these guys on my own - using the faux fur as inspiration. I can't figure out which one I like best - though the one with glasses bares a striking resemblance to my husband :)

I'm calling these guys book buddies [at least that's the name I have arrived at for now]. Great for old and young alike, the pocket in the back is the perfect stash for a newspaper, crafty inspiration book, or a favorite Little Golden Book. They are up for grabs in my etsy.

fun & games [outside]...

Today we begin some work on the outside of our home, so I thought it only fitting to show you some projects I have worked on that find themselves in the out of doors. First up is a set of cornhole boards and bags. [I am not sure if the game cornhole translates everywhere, so here is a quick run through of the game]

This was definitely a handmade project - one of our high school friends built the boards for us and the I painted and varnished them. We used these instructions, and found them pretty clear and easy to follow.

I bought the home dec fabric for the bags before painting the boards, which meant I could paint them to coordinate :) Interestingly, I paid more for the half yards it cost to make these bags than I did a few weeks later for the entire bolt of fish fabric! [read more here] Always something new: to finish these bags I had my first experience at the feed mill! They were a little curious about what I was going to do with such a small amount of feed corn [perhaps they thought I had a really tiny chicken]

Another outdoor addition to our home is a lovely and relaxing hammock! Definitely not handmade, but we did assemble the stand all by ourselves :) We are enjoying these last days of summer. It's so strange; first it was too hot to enjoy the season, now it is beginning to feel like fall already! If anyone knows where the summer has gone to, leave me a comment, maybe I can get some of it back :)

not your grandma's crafter...

Last week me and my friend Jordan went to see Death Cab for Cutie [and it was amazing!!]. I have seen Death Cab and Weezer in concert now, so I think I may just be good for the rest of my life. This is what I have been thinking this week...

My ipod is littered with the likes of Death Cab, Weezer, Mumford & Sons, Imogen Heap, MGMT, Edward Sharpe...
I get inspiration from indie [and indie-ish] films like Life Aquatic and Amelie...
My bff wears skinny jeans and has a feather in her hair...
I use words like bff, stellar, and occasionally epic...
I'm like this [picture middle finger crossed over index finger] with my imac...
Photoshop is my friend...
I have never met most of my quilty friends in real life, I know them through flickr and blogger...

In the words of my friend Wolf Boy 'this is me, this is who I am, this is real life!'


I like to watch Portlandia...
[and I like to put birds on things]

I am not my grandma's crafter, but it is cool to be connected through an art form to generations past.

the loot. the warrant. the crook.

This blog post is a tribute to the many hours of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego that I watched on PBS at my grandma's house growing up. Anybody remember Rockapella? The LOOT? that would be the bolts pictured above. Yards and yards of some fun decorator fabrics. Some for totes, some for new porch furniture cushions, some with destinies unknown.

The CROOK? That would be me, at least that is how I felt when I left JoAnn's the other day. Our local JoAnn Fabrics is closing - but only closing to reopen about 5 miles away in a new, bigger location! Apparently the powers that be decided that it is cheaper to liquidate and re-buy for the new store than it is to move the inventory a few miles down the road. [this includes all of the furniture and racks in the store as well]

The WARRANT? Well, at least the evidence. I am saving this receipt, I have just never spent around $35 and saved over $400! The fabric was 75% off, then if you bought the whole bolt, it was an additional 75% off. [if you do some quick math, that means most of this fabric was 63 cents per yard] I also bought gobs of trim, including yards and yards of pink pom-pom fringe that had the same discount.

Before I go, I wanted to share a sneak peak of the latest 'in-the-works' project... Can't wait for it to be finished! I would love to hear about the greatest steal/deal that you ever got!

the age of aquarium...

Meet the newest addition to our household: Steve Zissou. Of course named after Bill Murray's character in The Life Aquatic - a wonderfully quirky Wes Anderson movie. The backdrop is a print out of the opening credits from the movie - and Steve has his very own Deep Search mini sub! Interestingly, I have a friend who also has a fantail goldfish named Klaus. She has never seen the movie, but managed to name her fish after Steve Zissou's sidekick in the film. Hoping to carve out some crafting time today...