Baby Update

I've been so busy with crafting and the holidays and stuff, I haven't given an update on the twins in a while. You might have seen on the side bar that we picked out names- Evelyn Violet Watson & Georgia Magnolia Watson. Our two other girls have flowers for their middle names (Olivia Rose & Penelope Lily) so we had to carry on the tradition. I've always liked the name Violet (like Violet Beauregarde in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) and the Magnolia is my favorite flower. Very southern belle, don't you think? For the record, I wanted Clementine, but Braden said no way did he want a child named after a fruit, so he came up with Georgia. One of our favorite songs is Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles, so I knew it was a good pick.

As far as the health of the babies go, I have been transfered to a high risk OB because their growth is still uneven. Evelyn is a bit bigger than Georgia, but the ultrasounds are staying good, so we just have to wait and hope for the best. Their main concern for me is pre-term labor, they want to try and keep the babies in there as long as they can so they can get as big as possible before they have to deliver. Most likely I will have a C-section, and it will be no later that 36 weeks which is on March 1st. They will probably come in January or February so I'll keep everyone updated.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm not feeling all that great at this point. I'm only 23 weeks and I'm measuring at 30 weeks so I'm way bigger than normal. There is a lot of pressure on my pelvis so it's hard to walk and sleep, and now my tailbone is out of alignment or something so it's hard to sit too. Basically it sucks but I have to keep telling myself it's only for a couple more months. So when you see me and I'm waddling like a fool, you know why:)

So that's the scoop on the babies. I've been scoping out some stuff I want to make for them and I'm linking them up here so if you have a baby or niece or grandbaby or whatever you can make some too!

First, check out the slideshow of Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric-which will be all over the twins nursery.


And how cute is this Happy Stacker Pattern?



I'm also think about making this quilt for the girls in the Nicey Jane prints. I love the double ruffles on the sides. A lot of work, but sooooo cute. It will be my first quilt I make out of a pattern (not just the patchwork with the squares) so I'm kind of nervous, but excited to try something new.

Craft Crackhead

I've been doing nothing but getting prepped for the Handmade Parade Boutique this Saturday, so I've been missing on the blog for a while. Sorry guys, I promise it'll be back to the regularly scheduled programming once all this craziness is over. But come to the event, so you can how all my hard work will pay off!

Now I have to go finish rosette necklaces, make some gourmet marshmallows, finish stringing my pom poms, pick up the vinyls for the custom signs we're making, and put the final coat on my houses for my real estate info table. I'll try to check in tomorrow with some pictures of all our fun stuff that's coming together!

200th Post

Wow, does that mean I spend WAY to much time blogging? Maybe so, but it gives me the creative outlet I need along with the recognition that I want, so it can't be all bad. :)

Anyway, on this momentus occasion, I have a doozy for you. Guess what? Braden FINALLY decided to paint my kitchen. I picked Lemon Sorbet which is the perfect golden yellow in the daytime sunlight, but is a neon lemon at night with our Energy Efficient Blinding White bulbs. Braden hates it, but I love love love it so he just keeps it to himself. I'll have to post some pictures once it's all done. Today I went out and bought some picture frames for the black & white family photos we're going to hang above the couch, searched all day for a big huge mantle shelf to hang above our tv (no luck yet.), and finally bought this curtain, cut it up, and made cafe curtains for all the windows in my kitchen. Seriously $20 for 4 window treatments? You can't beat that. And I absolutely LOVE the fabric, so bonus. Like I said, photos to come once Braden is done cursing my name and finishes painting.

Handmade Goodness Coming Your Way

In case you didn't know, we have a lot of crafty ladies in our family. We also have a ton of friends that specialize in the handmade arts, so after much deliberation, we have decided to do a backyard boutique the first Saturday in November! I am starting a website to sell all the handmade goodies from (we'll also be putting stuff on the much loved Etsy) so check the website for some sneak previews of what's coming to the Handmade Parade Backyard Boutique! You can also special order the goodies from the website or linked to the vendors blogs. I'll be showcasing the talented ladies here up until the festivities so keep an eye out for some tasty morsels.

Sewing Inspiration

Woah guys, this school thing has kept me busier than I thought. I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but Glory Be, Braden has been a rock star keeping things going at home. My children & home have been well kept these past 2 days, and Braden is loving hanging out with them. I miss my babies, but at least I get to come home for lunch so it doesn't feel like so long without seeing them.

As far as our inspiration week is going, I'm a little behind, but at least I can steer you to some other blogs to check out while I'm MIA


Look at the Purl Bee for some really good sewing, knitting, & crotche-ing (I don't know how to spell that, it always looks like crotch to me) projects. They are located in NYC and I love their style


Moda Bake Shop also has a lot of great project tutorials, check out this one and this one.


30 days handmade is full of awesome tutorials from sewing to crafting to cooking. There is always some awesome giveaways on the site too, so add it to your bookmarks.

4th of July outfits

It's finally finished. Lord almighty, it took forever. I felt like I was drowning in royal blue chiffon. But, at last I am done and it looks spectacular. And La La loves her "new ballet". She hasn't stopped twirling since she put it on. It's the perfect outfit for 4th of July.

I took a white shirt I had stashed away for her, but it was way big so I cut the bottom and added a red polka dot ruffle. I also tied the sleeves with some red tulle and ironed on a designs for a red white and blue ensemble. She even has fireworks puffs to match her pettiskirt. You can find some fabulous designs here to iron on. Hooray for pettiskirts!

Corsages & Chicken Noodle Soup

Still working on my pettiskirt, but I wanted to squeeze in one more accessory project, since I am head over heels in love with the Miss Ruby Sue stuff on Etsy. She has these adorable bracelet/corsages (she calls them brasages. Like Brangelina. barf) and they are not only gorgeous, but they are also affordable so if you are not a sewer, hop on over to her shop and check them out. Corsages are something that people only ever wear in high school when you are going to dances, but are super cute so why not wear them more often? Life is too short to not wear fun stuff. They are very easy to make, I think it took me total of 10 minutes to finish my bracelet corsage. Follow the same tutorial as the necklace to make the roses, sew some tulle and a peacock feather to a band of gold sequins, and add the roses last. I added another one of those vintage jewels on the bracelet, and I think the end result looks fabulous. I'm going to wear this tomorrow night when we go to the movies and I'm sure Braden will make fun of me, but whatever because he's just jealous. Secretly.


Oh, and I'm making Chicken Noodle Soup today. This is one of my all time favorite recipes, from the Southern Belle Paula Deen who I want to be when I grow up. She serves this soup at her restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in Savannah Georgia and it is worth all the work, I promise. It makes a buttload too so you will be eating this for lunch for days and be so so happy. After it is refrigerated all the broth is soaked up by the noodles so it really isn't even soup anymore, its chicken pasta with vegetables. This is literally the only way my children will consume veggies. My mouth is starting to water, so I better go start my soup before I start drooling all over the place.

Accessory Projects

I found these bib necklaces on Etsy and they are to die for. I decided I absolutely needed one. And then I saw that they were $100. Not really in my budget right now, unless I want to stop sewing for the rest of the summer (and that is NOT in the plans). So, I decided to make my own. On my unsuccessful trip to Joanne's I bought some satin in a bunch of different colors, the clasps, buttons, & trim. When I got home that night I started on my necklace using this tutorial. Here is what the finished product looks like:


I absolutely LOVE it. Braden hates it, but who asked him anyway?
And I made the girls their hair pieces to match their carnival dresses.


I got the frames for my photos here, aren't they wonderful?

Updates

So, I went to Joanne's for the pettiskirt material, and I left empty handed. Well, that's a lie, I left with plenty of stuff for other projects, but nothing for the pettiskirts. So Eryn & I made a trip out to SAS in Tempe. Have you been there? That place is a goldmine. It was my first time and I was in heaven. I left with my blue pettiskirt supplies, stretchy sequins bands for headbands/bracelets, peacock feathers, sparkly white tulle for headbands/tutus/whatever else, and some loose sequins. I am so excited to start my new projects! Go to SAS-but be prepared to dig. Take a deep breath and start treasure hunting.


Oh, and remember my piano? Well, it took some patience, some pouting, some whining, and finally a threat to paint it myself, but it is finally getting painted today!!!! Hooray! Some days my husband is really a pain in the ass, but other days I want to cover his face with red lipstick smooches. I can't wait to see it all done in my living room.

Sew a long Project

Do you want to do a project with me? I'm going to make Olivia a blue pettiskirt and Penelope a yellow tutu, and you can craft a long with me to make some of your own. My sister Eryn found this video on Martha Stewart's website on how to make your own pettiskirt for your little girl. These are darling, but retail for like $60 or more so I think I can tackle this project myself. Check out the video, go to Joanne's and buy some satin & chiffon and lets get sewing!

I finished my girls first dresses of the summer, and they are sweet. I made them a little big & long, so they can grow into them. We're going to go out and take their birthday pictures in them this week, so I need to get working on their second outfits for the pictures- a yellow tutu for Peepers and a blue pettiskirt for LaLa.

Summer Officially Has Begun

Yesterday kicked off our summer festivities at Queen Creek and I took Livi Lou to see UP and it was awesome. It's probably my new favorite Disney movie. This morning we had peach pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup with our Schnepf peaches. Since swimming lessons start today its official-Summer is here! We have a trip up north to Pinetop for the 4th of July coming up, the kids birthdays, a trip to Santa Barbara to visit Lancer, and cheer practice this summer (not to mention all our crafty things we're doing.) Today we're going to plant herbs in pots since our last garden didn't really work out. And I'll start making the girls tiered ruffled dresses.

Oh, and I promised better pictures of my 1st summer dress so here it is.


It's cute, hunh? The fit isn't great, but at least it looks like the picture, which is a huge accomplishment for me. And I'll only get better if I make more dresses, so I guess I'll have to go to Joanne's today. :) And how cute is that bench? Braden finished it yesterday for his Mom's store Wood Creations and it is the sweetest thing ever. I want one for my house now. You can find it here if you want one for yourself, and you can order it unfinished even if you live in a different state than AZ and you can finish it yourself any color you want. Their new website is up and running now and I'm adding more items every day so check it out.

Project Progress

I've finished my first sewing project of the Summer and I am sooo pleased. Here's a sneak peak of my first summer dress, better pictures are coming tomorrow.

It took me 2 days to finish, and was a lot of work (check out the binding! First time I've ever attempted it) but I really like it. I want to do another in a green chiffon or something, and make the dress with sleeves in a black. I want to do a long dress too in a patterned fabric, and a longsleeve tunic to try all the styles from the pattern.

I forgot to put up pictures of projects I finished up last week, so here are my throw pillows that are on my white couch in the front room, and my Hooty Hoo Owls.

Summer Project #3

I have made a pledge to not buy any more clothes for me or my girls this summer. Crazy, I know. Instead I will sew a whole new summer wardrobe for us. I know what you are thinking-Even crazier. But it's absolutely true that the more you sew the better you get at it, so I'm going to get stitching this summer. I already have the fabric for my bedroom curtains that will look like this:

$198 from Anthropologie

and a white with yellow polka dot seersucker fabric that will magically turn into this dress:


I also still have to make my girls birthday picture outfits. Tutus, ruffled dresses, tutu dresses and twirly skirts need to be made, so I need to go to JoAnnes today.

So, do you want to join me and do some Summer Sewing? I'll get a Flickr account so everyone can post all their summer sewing projects on there to give everyone ideas. What are you going to sew?