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Wow It's been a busy week and I am already looking forward to the weekend. But, of course, it will probably be busy, too!
Not that everyone in cyberspace is waiting on pins-and-needles (no pun intended :), for my next blog entry, but I've tried to post something at least once a week. And now, I've thrown my entire schedule off! So, I apologize, because I do have some pretty cool and exciting projects that I can't wait to share with you all.
So, until I'm a little more organized, let me tell you about this sweet little dress. I used Sandi Henderson's Meadow Tortoise Plaid from her Ginger Blossom Collection and the smocking plate is from a book, Geometric Smocking by Juliet McDonald. As you can see, this fabric is one of my favorites. My mom even went crazy over it trying to think of something she could make out of it for herself!
I used it to make my very first bishop! I gave it to a dear friend of mine, Anna Pate, when she was expecting her first baby...sweet, little Parker. Now, over a year later, she can still wear it, but it's a little short. So, it's time to make a matching pair of pants! Won't that be adorable? Plus, it gives me a reason to finally also get Sandi Henderson's Ruffle Pants Pattern.
If it's not completely obvious, my second passion is simply adding projects to my list of projects to do! Oh, my!
So, I'll leave you with this sneak preview of Kimberly Gorham's baby shower I attended in Eva a couple weekends ago with my mama, Rita, and sister, Audrey. Isn't she beautiful!?! Stay tuned, because there is more to come....hopefully in a timely manner!
Over Mother's Day weekend, we were able to spend some much needed time with Matthew's little cousins: Bence (back), Jordan (left) and Graham (right). I caught this great picture of them with our Malti-poo, King, and Jordan's Shih-tzu, Dolly. Aren't they cute?? :)
The picture of the boys and pups made me think of this cute little Carter's onesie I hand-embroidered several years ago. I loved it so much, that I decided to save it for myself. Maybe I'll get to actually use it one day!
I got the idea after visiting etsy...you know, the home of everything handmade! There used to be a shop similiar to Cornflower Creations that sold the cutiest hand-embroidered onesies. Since I cross-stitched in high school, I thought embroidery would be fun and relatively easy way to make cute baby gifts. 
And, this is when my love affair with sewing started. I finished a few of these boogers and then learned to smock, which then led to the purchase of my Janome MC 9700. This machine will embroidery and applique anything and everything....especially onesies! But, these do have a special quality about them, you know, done with love! So, maybe I'll work on a few more to add to my collection!
As a graphic designer, I am constantly looking for free fonts! While I was on a hunt last night, I came across this website, http://scrapnfonts.com. It's a great place to find fun and whimsical fonts & doodlebats (cute name for customizable sticker-like images) for different projects at very affordable prices...and sometimes they are free which is even better! Just click on the box above for download.
scrapNfonts also offers bundles, brushes, tips & tricks, a fabulous monthly newsletter (samples above from March's Inspiring Ideas section), printable projects and an idea gallery. So check it out and use all of their great info to create your own invitations, newsletters and maybe even digital scrapbooks. If you're new to digital scrapbooking definitely visit www.twopeasinabucket.com for an intro. Have fun!
A couple of weeks ago, my baby brother, Clancy, and his wonderful girlfriend Chelsea left Huntsville for the weekend to come and visit with us. We had a great time relaxing and catching up with them, though I usually keep Clancy very busy with projects around the house. This particular weekend, I especially enjoyed the tasty grilled chicken with fingerling potatoes dinner they prepared for us...I'm so glad he's all grown up now! Anyway, while they cooked dinner, I stayed out of the way and took advantage of some nonstop sewing!
My dedicated sewing prompted them to place an order for some of those famous burp cloths I know you all have seen. These cloths are just embellished Gerber cloth diapers, so you know they are durable and now beautiful! You can dress them up anyway you like from embroidery with names and monograms to panels of fabulous fabrics to ribbons & ric-rac or even a combination of it all! I think we ended up finishing somewhere around 8 for several of their friends and coworkers that are either proud-new-parents or proud parents-to-be. They are a great and relatively inexpensive way to give personalized baby gifts that will definitely be a favorite among parents.
One of Clancy's coworkers, Angela Russell, saw the ones we worked on and had to have some for her niece, Ansleigh. On the cloth above, I used the Vintage Chloe Font Set from one of my favorite embroidery sites, swakembroidery.com. They have all kinds of wonderful appliques, tips and tutorials!
The other two cloths are custom designs I made in Monogram Wizard Plus. It's a great software that includes libraries full of fonts and motifs. There are so many options! I have lots of ideas for these beauties!
While Matthew and I were visiting his parents over Easter weekend, I was able to attend a baby shower on Saturday for a good friend of ours, Hilary Whitaker, pictured here with her mother Brenda Taylor.
Several of her friends from high school were the hostesses, and believe me, those girls are professional baby shower planners! Everything was so adorable from the diaper cake...
...to the guest list that included kids!
I can't believe I've never thought about it, but Easter was the perfect theme for a baby shower. Since it was at 10:30 a.m., the menu was full of yummy brunch items such as: french toast sticks with syrup, breakfast casserole muffins, fresh fruit and my favorite...bird nest cookies! Hilary's sister-in-law, Melanie Whitaker, was gracious enough to give the her recipe for these beautiful & fun desserts!
Bird Nest Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups chow mein noodles
pastel chocolate covered peanut M&Ms
Preparation:
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
- Place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe container. Heat on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir, and repeat, until chocolate chips are melted.
- Stir in chow mein noodles until fully coated.
- Drop by tablespoonsful onto prepared baking sheet, forming a nest shape with your fingers.
- Place a few peanuts in the center of each nest for eggs.
- Refrigerate until firm.
After she opened all of her great gifts (including the Rowdy Reptile Corey Bubble!) the hostesses passed around plastic Easter eggs. They instructed all of the guests to write a "bit of advice" for Hilary as she prepares for the new addition to their home!
I have to admit...they were pretty funny! She got everything from "there's not a vehicle big enough to hold all of a baby's stuff!" To, "it's okay to let the house go!" Since I'm not seasoned on the subject matter, my only advice was to "shower her boys (Wesley and baby Whitaker) with kisses every day!" But, I don't think she'll have a problem with that!
Matthew's best friends from high school, Wesley and Hilary Whitaker, are expecting their first child in May! The Whitaker's live in their hometown, Bonifay, FL where Wesley works at the Bank of Bonifay and Hilary is a dentist. She graduated from the University of Florida, so it only seemed fitting to make a little outfit for their, rowdy reptile!
I used the Maja's Heirloom pattern, "Corey's Bubble" and the smocking plate "Gators" by Ellen McCarn. Since the pattern has minimal smocking, I think it is perfect for baby gifts, especially for boys because you never know if parents are fans of this style of children's clothing! Plus, the pattern is very easy to understand and quick to work through. I think it could be finished from beginning to end in only one day! So, I have lots planned for this little pattern! 'm sure it will be one of my favorites. I can't wait to give it to Hilary at her shower on Saturday! Happy Easter!
