crafting/sewing with my girls

Well this weekend was a busy one. We were suppose to have a baseball tournament, but it was rained out. So we did some shopping and finsihed up buying sports things the girls needed for softball.. Jake has all this stuff already.. and we just had a relaxing weekend.. which is so rare and sooooooo nice around here.
I have signed up to do a Art Show in May, so I have been busy with sewing projects with every free moment I get, which somedays just do not happen in this house. One of my girls, Carly is always by my side when I start to sew or do a craft project. She is watching asking questions and pretty soon, she is off on her own little corner with fabric scraps she found on the floor, or out of my scrap bin, asking if she can "have" this.. How can you say no? She loves to craft things, sew and GLUE, the girl loves GLUE.. which can cause my heart to skip a beat or two when I see her working at my sewing area with glue around my fabrics or close to a finished item.
Well today I was busy sewing aprons and pretty soon, both of my girls were at my side. One on each side. They both were working on their "own" creations and being "creative" as they say.. they were so nice to one another I had to stop to see if that was actually my kids next to me :)
We worked for a few hours sewing and crafting and even got the hot glue gun out.. that is huge in our house! We had a great time..
I love seeing them in my fabric, moving it around drawing things for me to sew and just wanting to create. I never had that as a child.. well I had the will but never really had so many things to craft with.
I just had a great time with them today. I hope they keep up being creative and that one day they will look back and remember the times we shared doing all this and the fun we all had.
When I was turning it al off tonight and looking at the huge mess on my once neat sewing table (I am convenienced I am a sewing slob!) I two notes from my girls.. One with a list of things they want me to make for them, and that is a long list.. the other was for me not to look in a box they had "borrowed" from me, as it has a gift for me in there that they are working on! How sweet.. I tell ya, I thought it was great just the time we shared today, but the notes they are so sweet, I will be keeping those forever!
Iwill try to post some photos Monday or Tuesday of my new aprons I have made. And some of the girls crafting things too. Have a great week~ Mechelle

Cabinet Crazy & Altered Purses

I love vintage purses.. and I have had these for a while and decided to "dress" them up a little with some altered fun things.. I LOVE how they turned out..

This has to be my favoite.. I just love pink and I love the old lace and buttons.. I think these will be great for Prom and for special events... and they are pretty hanging up too! Maybe I will make a few more and list them in my etsy shop.. what do you think?

Now onto my cabinet addiction.. I have to tell you I don't know where this came from.. I don't know if it is from living in a small house or just a problem I have. I can not pass these up at Flea Markets, or junk stores, or garage sales.. I LOVE THEM.. and always seem to find room fo them or place to use them. So I thought I would share a small sample of the cabinets I have. This green one is in our office area.. and I have one more that I will be selling soon.. Yes, I am parting with one, actually a few soon.

And I can't believe I am showing a small part of my sewing area. Which as I said we live in a small house and being creative on space is my number one thing around here.. so this use to be our fab bar area in our basement. .The paintings on the wall are of Pete Rose and a few other Cincinnati Reds and Bengals players.. My sister in law is a mural artist and she did these.. I just could not paint over them.. so we took the custom bar down, that my husband built and he made me a sewing area.. OK, so it is not quite finished with decorating it or organizing it. .but I wanted to show you my two cabinets I have there.. LOVE THEM! Yes my sewing machine is very old, but I love it and it will sew through anything.. They don't make sewing machines like they use too.

This is not a great shot of this cabinet..but it is what I organized this weekend with all my new fabrics and I just moved it into my sewing area too.. I got this at a yard sale for $25.00 It was one of those where there was no tag.. and I thought "man this has to be exspensive" but when I asked she said "$25.00" I quicly whipped out my $25.00 and asked to hold it and Paul went back with me to get it.. There are a total of 5 shelves in it and it is so pretty.. and I love that I can keep my fabric super clean, and see it too.

This little file drawer thingy, I found at a flea market.. Like I said I seem to be totally drawn to anything with small drawers. This is great.. I have a lot of craft stuff stored in here and it was all handmade too..

And then there is this little beauty.. This was also purchased at a flea market and I had about 4 ladies stop me and ask where it came from, did they have more, would I be willing to sell it? First booth on the end, NO and NO. This is so cool it is like a roll top desk top with tiny compartments inside.. I have had this all over my house.. in the kitchen, livingroom, patio room sewing area. I just love it and it looks good anywhere I put it. I love the old cracked, chippy paint too.

This came from the same flea market too.. and this was also handmade.. OK this is just so cool.. It has a ton of small dawers and is all white and chippy too.. I have it in my sewing area as well and have needles and misc.. things in there. You always need a place put small things.. well find something that really stands out as well and is great to look at too.

Well I am off to go and pick up kids.. can I just say that by doing this post during it day it has taken me 2 hours.. I have had to stop and start so many times it is nuts.. and my phone has rang all day today, of coarse things I had to answer.

I am doing the Madeira Art Show in May.. I have never done a show before so I am excited about that and sewing like mad to get a good stock pile of stuff.. I will post more information on that as well soon.

Well off to pick up kids, make dinner, do homework, ball practices, baths, clean the kitchen, straighten the house, and then try to sew some more.. Now I know why I do computer stuff at night.. everyone is in bed and no one calls me at 11:00 to talk and I don't have to be anywhere so it is my perfect time to work..

Have a great day! -Mechelle

Cottage Kitchen

Don't you just LOVE kitchen? I love the cabinets and mostly the color! We are in the "thinking" stage of a kitchen update, or makeover.. whatever is the cheapest!

Again, as I am finding photos and putting them in my "design notebook" I am finding that the aqua cabinets, I am in love with.

OK, now in this kitchen I just want the space and the cabinets! Maybe I am closer at figuring out what I want more than I thought I was. Which is a good thing. I will keep you posted on what I find and what I am doing. I do have to admit that I am one of those who keep a design notebook.. In that I mean, all the things I rip out of magazines I keep in notebooks, or on my frig or on a design board in my studio. If you think you have no idea what you want or where to start with colors and style.. start doing that. It really does work. Before long you will see a style, color scheme and all things you love appear right before your eyes!

And oh, Here is one of the aprons I have been working on.. They are perfect for cooking, cleaning or gardening in. In other words, "they are not your grandma's aprons" tm. These will be available in my etsy shop next week.. so be sure to check for them there. I also make these in kid sizes as well. They have large pockets in the front and really funky and neat. I also make full size aprons as well!

Well that is all for the weekend.. This is my last weekend of free time before the crazy baseball, softball and soccer starts next weekend. So I am cleaning my house, organizing my sewing area and having a date night with my husband, NO KIDS! :)

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday.

Mechelle

sick

No, I have not taken to decorating with medicine bottles.. although this what my kitchen window looks like.. and it does appear that these are my new "nick nacks". They are not. Everyone in my house has been sick, including me. We started with a cold, then it lead to asthma for my youngest.. then the middle child got it, then my son, then my husband and now me. My son and I are still sick. He is again home from school with fever, aches and a sore throat. So between us all, this what we have been feeding one another to get well.
Yes, I see the splatter on the window as well. I have no idea what that is other than water spots and really do not care. When I am feeling better Iwill wipe down the window. What is in the background? Well that would be our air hockey table.. that window opens up to our patio room, which at the moment is not in use :) It is a beautiful room, when it is cleaned and in use.. which soon it will be..
Well back to bed. I hope you all are well and out enjoying the best days we have had so far this year.. Have some fun for me too!
Mechelle
So excuse me for a few days while I feel better and try to make my kids all better too!

Vintage Cookies

OMG, are these the cutest cookies you have ever seen? And you can eat them too! I found these cookies in the latest issues of my favorite magazines (http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/edible-easter-decorations-0407?click=main_sr) Country Living.. I thought they were too cute. You make them out of vintage post cards. But how cute would it be to make them out of pictures of your kids? or pictures of family? I a few old easter post cards lying around, so I think my girls and I are going to give this a try soon!

The complete instructions and more great photos can be found at country living magazine, or click on the link above.

I have been working on some great new things.. and hopefully on Sunday I can post a few of them. We are heavy into basketball tournaments and this is the last weekend for them (yea) I know, that sounded bad.. and I love to watch my kids play sports.. but I want to get some things sewn as well.

I also just signed up to the Madeira Art Show in May. I have never done a show like this before, so I am excited and nervous.. I have been sewing like crazy and stashing things. I will be listing a lot more stuff this weekend to both my etsy site and my ebay site as well. Now that etsy lets you sell vintage too.. I am going to take a stab at selling some of my goodies I find when I am out junking on that site too.. as well as the things I give a second chance with too. Well back to sewing and thinking of new Easter Ideas.. If you have a fun craft or a great idea to share, email me and I will be glad to post it!,

Butterflies for Tess

Butterflies for Tess. A while back I wrote a little note about Tess. For those of you, who are new to reading my blog, Tess was a beautiful 7 year old little girl who passed away due to Cystic Fibrois. Tess was a friend of daughters (and everyone she met too!) and in the heart of every single person who know her!. She LOVED butterflies.. Hence the nickname "Butterfly Tess" After she has passed away her family and friends have created a beautiful butterfly garden in the back of our school ( I will post pictures when spring planting is done). Her parents wanted to turn her memorial fund into a foundation in her name: The Butterfly Tess Foundation.
With the creation of newly formed foundation, we decided to make some t-shirts to sell. Then we decided to have Tess's classmates the third graders at her school, design a butterly that we would then use as the logo for the shirts. WOW.. I have never seen a more excited group of kids! These kids have put their hearts and souls into making some the most beautiful butterly pictures I have ever seen. I have been so moved by them stopping me in the halls at school and wanting to share their butterfly picture with me. They have talked about her in art class while working on the pictures and just having a wonderful time remembering her and sharing memories..
They truly miss her! They want to do more! They are such a precious group of kids, who lost a sweet dear friend..and they want to do whatever they can to help keep her memory alive. I think she would proud.. I am sure she is smiling and loves all the butterfly pictures.
Since we are only picking one butterfly and they all are so pretty.. We decided to photo copy the rest of them and put them on transfer paper and make them into a quilt to hang in the main hall at school.. That way all her classmates butterflies that they madefor her, will be seen by all. We also want to take the orginials and make them into a book to keep in our school library.
I picked up the butterfly pictures on Friday at school.. We are meeting next week to choose one.. I had to share some of them with you.. I have over a hundred butterfly pictures WOW!
I have a soft spot all artwork of children.. I don't think there is any art better in the world, than the art done by a child.
So enjoy these pictures.. I hope they touch you all, as they touched me!.
If you want to learn more about Tess, please visit her website: http://www.cutetess.com/ I will let you know which one we choose and keep you posted on the quilt and other things with her foundation.

This one is done by my daughter.


Look at the artwork. These are 3rd graders!

This is suppose to be Tess with a huge heart of love (sweet)

This little boy wrote a note on the back of her picture.. Many of the kids wrote things about Tess as well.

This is a butterfly wing with tiny butterflies inside.. WOW how creative!

This is just a page of butterflies.. this picture is not doing it justice.. this would be beautiful fabric! (hmmmmm)

Simple, but so beautiful.

This little boy hand painted two butterflies for her Tess..

Just beautiful.

This one looked like stain glass!

WOW!

We are going to have a tough time picking a butterfly.. Thank you third graders at Madeira Elementary School.. You all did a wonderful job, they are all beautiful and we parents, have some pretty special kids who can really draw some butterflies..

Busy Tuesday

Well today started off super early.. I had one child home sick.. two more to get to school. And then I had a ton of errands to do. I had to get the grocery shopping in and then drag it all home and put it away.. and once that was done, I had to stop by the "junk store" and just relax.. Yes, besides sewing, junking is how I relax. I can walk the isles and look through things and I just relax.. So any way, while I was "relaxing" at the junk store out comes a stock boy, with this huge frame.. and he goes right past me, which I stop him quickly and ask him one, where he is going with that, which he replied" the front to sell it" so then I ask how much.. He said $1.99 I did not believe him, so I asked to see the tag, and then I told him that I would take it, that he did not need to take it the front of the store.. I had to lay this thing up against my door, so you can see how large it is.. I have not measured it.. but it is huge.. It is not wood, but plastic.. but for $1.99 who cares???????????? So what am I going to do with this? Well I am getting ready to give my girls room a total makeover.. so after we get the shelves in from floor to ceiling and build a double desk for two girls (sigh) I want to paint this and then add different fabric squares and make it into a bullentin board for the girls, and hang it over the desk area.. It will give them somewhere to put all the stuff they have "tapped" to the walls.. So when it is done, I will let you see.. I am very excited over this find,.

This is it laying on the floor.. HUGE

Then I found my other weakness. Perfume bottles.. I don't know why I am drawn to them.. but I LOVE them.. I mean I think I remember my mom, and my grandma having of these and I love the aqua color, which is my favorite color! So I had to snag these to put on my bedroom dresser.. more pretties for my (our) bedroom :)

After I got home and changed the laundry around, made some lunch and brought my junk store things in.. The mail came. In the mail was my fabric I ordered and this wonderful book, that I just LOVE.. Now, if any of you know me, you will know I should be some kind of rehab for "home decorating magazines" I mean I can't pass them up.. Well here is a book that I had never seen.. well it is full of FABRIC.. my TRUE weakness.. OK, so you see I have a few hang ups.. don't we all? Anyway, I was good.. I put in my purse and waited till pick up time, to look through it to help pass the time.. WOW I am loving this book. It is a great reference too.. So you have to get one.. well if you are a fabric freak like me that is :)

I mean look at these pages.. like little mini patchwork quilts.. just filled with fabrics.. Did I mention that I LOVE fabric?

And this is just a small, and I do mean small collection of my magazines.. I just can't throw them out.. I know, it is a sickness.. And also in the mail the new Romantic Homes.. I am looking at that this evening.

As if that was not enough excitement.. I opened the box of new fabrics and just was in "awe" Look at these pretties.. I can't wait to sew some neat things with them.. I have a ton of new things I am working on.. well as soon as my new foot pedal arrives that is

Amy Butler Fabrics

Look at the fun sewing fabric.. I think I may frame some of these for my studio area.

How cure are these? I love the cupcake fabric.. as I LOVE to make cupcakes all the time! And the sewing fabric is so cool.

And this was my FAVORITE. This fabric is from Michael Miller.. he does the best retro fabrics.. This I am making a arpon out of.. I mean how neat is this? The graphics are beautiful!

And lastly for today.. I know you are saying "Thank Goodness, is her blog entry ever going to end?" I am trying to re-organize and re-do my sewing area.. It is very hard, as my sewing area is not that large. (we live in a small house) So I found this cool little thing to put ribbon in.. and I think it is so neat.. I have to grab a few more, as I have a ton of ribbon as well.. I think it would be great for your gift wrapping supplies too.

What do you think?