My first give-away

I was cleaning out all of my tinctures and oils tonite and discovered some Balm of Gilead oil (made from Poplar buds harvested in the spring) I made a while back. It just happens to be my most favorite smell on the earth. I thought it quite timely that I found it now when I am pining for spring so much. I immediately got some on the stove, heated it, and added some beeswax to thicken it so I can use it for perfume. Now my whole house smells like spring :) It really is the best spring time smell.

So I was looking for a container to put it in and discovered 6 little containers that were just perfect and right away decided that it had to be shared.

Sooooooo if you'd like one, just leave me a comment below and I'll send one out to the first 5 people who post.

What's your favorite spring time smell?

Do poplar trees grow where you live?

They were just poured here - hadn't solidified yet when I took the photo.

The beeswax came from a farm just up the road from us :)

Eyelet Yoke Cardigan

Here we have the famous pink sweater that has been the latest knitting project in a string of many, to taunt me from the knitting basket for months at a time. It's silly really - this wasn't a hard pattern. The problem was that I made one very big, very dumb error. With this pattern you knit the pieces separately, put them on stitch holders, and then once you've got them all done you put them *in order* back on the circular needle. Right. Key word being *in order*. I somehow managed to switch a sleeve and the back piece - which I can understand a little because the widest part of the sleeve is actually around the same width as the back piece. That said, I didn't notice until I was in the last few rows and had hit that exciting *I'm almost done* place. Not quite. WHen I realized what I'd done I almost cried. Really. It wasn't so much starting back so much as that I knew getting it back there would be tedious. WHich it was - it was terrible. So I tossed it across the room and it stayed in my knitting basket until I couldn't bare to look at it, or have it taunting me ;) any longer.

I used a lovely merino - the name of which I can't recall. THis wool is a dream to knit with - not an itch in site, and that sheen - I love it. The pattern is simple (as long as you put the pieces together right of course ;) ) The fit is lovely - and the sizing bang on. I can see why so many people are making this one. My only complaint is that it isn't entirely in the round - it would be a much quicker knit that way. I just don't have enough experience yet to convert it myself, but I did notice that many people have been doing just that.

I love the buttone too :) It's from Peace Fleece - hand painted. It's a smiling heart and my girl says that it's her :)

Ravelry

PS - I haven't forgotten that I promised to show you the gifts made by family. I just haven't gotten it together to get all the photos yet :) Soon !

Mama-made Birthday gifts....

I got the idea for these lovely felt heart garlands here. Easy to make - just some time spent watching movies first cutting the hearts and then sewing them up with the invisible thread. Really really easy. I did however start out using my rotary cutter, and wasn't even remotely as careful as I should have been ..... and sliced my finger - narrowly escaping a trip in for stitches - in the middle of the night no less. Mental note taken. Use extreme caution with rotary cutter. If that thing can cut through fabric like a breeze then it can do the same to your finger. Ouch. The garland tho is lovely - and I know we'll use it again and again. I plan to keep making more of these so that we can stop buying streamers.

Doesn't she look big???? Tall I mean - and well... just older I suppose.

And that night gown - it's her isn't it? I love it on her - so very *her*. Blast the collar tho for not behaving for the photo ;)

And yes Sophie had to have a matching nighty - and she loved it ;)

And well *ahem* she got a matching dress too - I mean how could I not - with all that cuteness of Big Miss A in her lovely birthday dress - well surely her doll would have felt terribly left out? Actually truth be told I made the dress because I was worried that Miss Picky wouldn't like like the dress - since it isn't pink enough - it does have a bit of pink on some of the fairies tho, but this kid is seriously into pink - and I was really trying to use what I had on hand ...... and so yeah - the doll got a dress too ok? ;) For the record it was a good move to make the dress as I was right about the pink issue - I do believe that the dress is quite well liked, but the doll factor was a huge part of that ;) She's a tricky little monkey that one - very particular ;)

I know I know - I went a little over board, but this is such a fun age to craft for! And really she *needed* this bag for storing all those doll clothes. In fact I'm fairly certain that I store points in the organization department for it too ;) And since I'm pretty challenged in that department that makes it a very good thing. So right - now that we've established that the bag *had* to be made......

It was a great combination of *fast* (I made it in about an hour) and using up my stash, *and* repurposing too! The Sweet bunny fabric is from some vintage curtains I nabbed at a yard sale this summer. And the lining - which is the stripy fabric that is showing at the top is from a sheet that a friend who has a Second Hand Store saved for me (she knows me well and is so sweet to save things like that for me :) - Do you recognize it my sweet friend :) ? ) I used scraps from that famous purple sheet that made the Birthday dress for the straps. It was a huge hit and the doll clothes now live happily in that bag, on the hook. I may actually get just as much satisfaction from that fact as I did from the bag itself. Now what to do with all the rest of that lovely bunny fabric???? Ohhhhhhh Easter frocks???? Oh I may have to do some more sewing - that would be waaaaaaay too cute! Something quick and easy would be in order.... hmmmmm.

Next up will be the handmade gifts from others :)

Someone turned 4 years old last week :)

The computer was in the shop for 9 long days :( Then it returned and we all immediately got a stomach flu - first time in years that Andrew and I were both hit hard at the same time. Well the 2 year old had a ton of fun getting into all sorts of mischief while we were unable to move. Don't worry tho - she had her big brothers looking out for her. We're all getting better slowly but surely, and I'm finally thinking about that birthday blog post :)

Every single time there is a birthday around here I'm struck with how fast time flies! 4 years old - really????

Showing off the dress ;)

A Birthday Dress for a Birthday girl :)

Shhhhh - she hasn't seen it yet ;)

A certain girl is turning 4 on Wednesday :) She has been calling her pink dress her "birthday dress" for ages. SHe didn't get it for her birthday either - but I guess she figured it just looked like a birthday dress. It was very very well worn tho - in fact it was so very much in tatters ( we're talking a big rip across the chest here ;) ) that I tossed it in the fire one night - she has a ton of dresses tho and hasn't missed it. Soooo there needed to be a birthday dress right? Of course. A problem? Of course not :) Once upon a time as a little girl, I flat out refused to wear anything other than dresses for quite some time, I would have gone cuckoo over a dress like this one :)

Front

Back

The pattern is "Feliz" by Farbenmix.

The fabric for the overdress and the ruffles is from the Cicely Mary barker Flower Fairy line.

The pinky-purple fabric for the underdress was an organic cotton flat sheet I had waiting for a project to show itself :)

I'm in the middle of a love affair with bias tape. Head over heals actually ( no I don't love bias tape quite so much as I do my husband - he's sitting right here next to me as I type ;) ) I learned how to make my own bias tape for this project so that I could use the fabric from the ruffles.

I can't wait to give it to her! I promise there will be pictures coming :)

I have to send my computer in for repairs - there's a disk stuck :( I'm not sure how long I'll disappear for....... but I'll be back :)

The sun came out of hiding today

Ever so briefly tho. I grabbed my camera tho as soon as I saw it - I haven't been very inspired to take photos lately - it's been a really long grey stretch around here which isn't the norm here for winter. I have been busy crafting away for the last birthday before summer time. I'll have a very special birthday dress to show soon - I'm almost there :) I'm sorry I've not been around much - I just haven't had much to say and since I've not finished anything lately - and the camera hasn't been grabbing me - well I haven't been feeling very inspired to blog. I'm expecting that to change soon tho! With this last birthday almost finished with there won't be any crafting deadlines keeping me distracted.

I did learn a new skill on my serger - anyone else not know how to gather using your serger? I had no idea. This is going to change everything! I love sewing, but I love sewing fast even more ;)

Here's a great photo tutorial

names and privacy

I've been feeling a bit concerned about internet safety and privacy lately. I realized that since my children have such uncommon names it makes us very easy to locate with google. I wish I could say that doesn't bother me, but it does - for a variety of reasons that I won't go into here. Soooo I'm going to start using initials. I know - that might get confusing :( I couldn't really think of any other way tho - there are so many of them that coming up with nicknames is a bit much. Soooo

Ms. S -- that's my teenager

Mr. K - next boy in line.

Mr. S - Younger boy

Big Miss A is the almost 4 year old

Little Miss A is the 2 year old - the youngest.

Clear as mud?

Hopefully this won't be too much of a pain - let me know in the comments if you have a better plan for me ;)

Nightgown Matchiness

OK - I'm a little late on this - sorry - it's been a crazy week and I only just 10 minutes ago finally got time to wrestle those snaps ;)

Nightgowns for Big Miss A and her dolly Sophie

I used Kwik Sew pattern 3423 - this is the 3rd time I've used this pattern and it's a favorite.

I did some stash busting and some repurposing for this project. The rose fabric was from a women's nightgown I thrifted that was in like new condition. The fairy fabric is leftover from the first nighty I made using this pattern, and the pink is from the 2nd nighty I made ;)

I didn't really use a pattern for the nighty - in fact it's the first time ever that I drew my own! That was a first that made me smile :)