Go Check out Acme Baby Co.!

SUPER cute vintage inspired clothing, perfect for the modern lifestyle! www.acmebabyco.com Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/acmebabyco Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcmeBabyCo Instagram: https://instagram.com/acmebabyco/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/acmebabyco

Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening

Fantastic. This appeals to me in so many ways. Not excluding minimal weekend, energy efficiency, and I am guessing you could easily do a reclaimed-water sourcing. I am renting right now, but when I buy my next house, I will have this in mind along with the search for the perfect home. Here is more information on this great idea for year-yound fresh food.

therunnybunny

I will post more on this later, but to remind myself (often necessary when you have ADD) here are some pics - you can find therunnybunny on Etsy.

Pamela Tang

Another of the endless supply of great Etsy artists.

I love how Pamela Tang uses clean, natural colors, rich with texture, with a special emphasis on my favorites: raw silk and natural linen. She works out of Australia but her Asian influence is quite strong and moody, as evident in her beautiful photos.

Although she seems to be working more on paintings, her quilts have long been one of my favorite things on Etsy. However, her pinafores seem to be doing well and I love them as well.

Enjoy.

For the Love of Fabric

More fabrics.

I thought I was done, but it is hard to kick a good habit. I couldn't resist some of the new fabrics out, and now have a beautiful selection at my Etsy site AcmeBabyCo.

Both geometrics and florals, and some cute deer from Jay McCarroll's Woodland Wonderland line to top it off.

I think my new favorite designer nowadays would have to be Anna Marie Horner. Some of her stuff before was cute, but her new line Good Folks is a fabulous variety of rich and somewhat daring colors in designs that range from graphic to strongly geometric, all with a feel of nostalgia. This girl is brimming with talent. She offers not only fabrics, but gorgeous rugs and pillows, patterns and kits, paper goods, even a darling book, and much, much more.

Besides, I think I am a little fascinated as to how she can look 19 years old and appear to have several children whose ages range up to 10 years old. Her blog is gorgeous, too... just like her.

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

Folding Trees - Flower Week: Tissue Paper Carnations

Folding Trees Flower Week: Tissue Paper Carnations
I can't wait to try these!

The Crafty Crow

The Crafty Crow
For some quick ideas to keep your kids occupied.

Official Martha Stewart Crafts Store - Crafting Essentials, Weddings, Holidays, Kits, Projects

Official Martha Stewart Crafts Store - Crafting Essentials, Weddings, Holidays, Kits, Projects
The geek in me is screaming "Yes! That is SO cool!!" Here is the source for your Martha Stewart craft supplies if you want a better chance of them looking just like they do in the magazine photos. I can't say much about the quality of the products, but I'll bet they are at least halfway decent since she it is the marketing director's name straight on the package. KWIM? Her towels are pretty nice, but at least you know you are getting the right colors with her very own craft supplies.

Well... they had BETTER be the same ones they use in the pictures, damn it!

My First Quilt

I have done it!

I have SO many projects that are partially done that I am just thrilled that I managed to do this one from start to finish within a week! Isabel's encouragement (and her claiming ownership) really helped.

the quilting does take considerable practice, but I am pretty satisfied with my progress and very happy with my machine: JukiTL90E - the quilter's sewing machine, which my husband bought for me because of it's "cottage industrial" claim. A great machine all-around.

I love the finished "quilted" look of the project. I know, it IS a quilt, but the quilting just makes it look so much tidier and like a true quilt. I have done "stitch in the ditch" before (sewing carefully down the seams) but this method (the name eludes me right now) makes it look so much more, well, professional.

I found a great deal of help from tutorials on the web, especially Oh, Fransson!: http://www.ohfransson.com/ (Great name, but the way.)

Basically, if you follow the tips, quilting is much easier than previously thought, but, you will cause yourself a lot of trouble if you don't have the tips -- the magic, if you will. It is well-worth the time to read through a good quilting blog, until you feel quite inspired or can't take the anticipation any longer.

Well, not bad if I do say so myself.

The fabrics are Recess from the American Jane line from Moda (the colorful squares), Mary trellis from the Bell Bottoms line by Jennifer Paganelli (the back of the quilt), a very nice Egyptian cotton for the background framing of the squares, and Coriander from Amy Butler's Lotus line.

American Jane Simple Quilt

I have some other squares cut out, but I wanted to go ahead and make use of these beautiful "Recess" squares. I thought they would no nicely with the light and airy look I am trying to create for Isabel's room. I want to go ahead and start teaching myself how to quilt; making use of what was already taught me, plus winging the rest. I guess I have new inspiration from learning the basics on stippling. I already have the batting (I do want to switch to the cotton because I heard it "drapes" much nicer) and tons of fabric sitting around so this is a good way to make use of it. Maybe I will even sell some of these at the Oak Harbor Market this summer. Of course that depends on how well the turn out.

Wax The Thread

I love LOVE finding new tips on how to do stuff -- the right way. So when I found this one site, I was really pleased with the simple details and especially the tip on waxing the thread in order to preserve then integrity and strength of the thread as well as prevent knotting. Oh, it really worked. I just happened to have my Nan's little beeswax teddy bear on hand, since she had passed me most of what she had left of sewing things.

I thought it turned out pretty nice. they took about an hour each, but I was quickly getting better and I found it gratifying, although a bit of an overkill. I would probably like to have done each one in 2 minutes with a machine, but I do like the look of the handmade buttonhole.

To Top It Off...

The coordinating fabric.

Isabel loved this and immediately decided she wanted to wear it - glad it was a beautiful and warm day today.

Now, to start quilting... I am rather excited.

I will try to take pics to post progress.

Hi My Name is Amy...

And I am addicted to fabric.

It is a good thing I have a little kiddle to dress, otherwise I am not sure what my excuse would be. I know, I already thought of it: I would be an avid quilter. I plan on doing that anyway, but here is my latest little kiddle skirt. I am tickled that Isabel loves skirts so much; they are so easy to make, and take up very little fabric compared to other things. The cost of this skirt was about $10 taking into account shipping, excluding notions and time.

It totally satisfies my want for fabrics.

Next, I am making a 1950s baby "bra" out of the coordinating mushroom fabrics. I may even finish it today, while we wait for the car to come back from the shop.

Damn it! Martha!

Now I want to make these. The think is, though, that they will go perfectly in Isabel's new "circus theme" room, so I guess it is acceptable that I get sucked into one of her crafty ideas. Well, we all know they are not all her idea, and that she is a marketing guru, but I suppose that is fine. But I do feel a bit like a sucker. Sometimes I wonder if crafting is really a waste of time. I have never done a themed room before, or even fully decorated a room for that matter, but I am finding the process a bit fun and rewarding.

So pom poms, here I come.

Holy Carp These Are Cute

Jennifer Murphy is one of those artists that make really great old-looking teddy bears and other animals. Hers are some of the best I have seen; simply yet perfectly detailed. Much like her site, which is well-worth poking around in.

"Holland" Happening

Although I wish there was more than a shoe carver at the street fair, there were some pretty cool "non-Dutch" things at Oak Harbor's annual Scandinavian festival. I probably rolled my eyes at the Guatemalan pan flute people, who are at EVERY event (I do like them, they are just EVERYWHERE), the diversity was nice. Lots of Lumpia and fried noodles, too.

The best part, was seeing Isabel delight in the carnival rides, and her first taste of cotton candy. "I wanna pink one!" You got it! Two rides was enough, as she is scared of even the smallest of roller coasters, and it was plenty fun just walking around. I think I particularly liked checking out the "carnies"; my favorite was the big-bellied old man at the "fishing pond," with a cigarette hanging from his mouth while he shouted in his booming gruff voice, "EVERYONE'S A WINNER!"

That, the old rides I recognize (and some I hate, like the zipper, which seems to be held together by bobby pins), the smells of cotton candy and onion rings and hay, the teens buying wristbands so they can go on every ride fifteen times, and the ladies who are grossly overdressed in their 6" open-toe ankle boots and hot pants.

But seeing it through Isabel's eyes for the first time... priceless.

Teaching Myself Something New

I love learning new things.

What makes this especially gratifying is that I have tried this before and failed miserably. Then, recently, I ran across a great quilting blog and got inspired by the great instructions on "stippling." (A form of free-hand quilting with the machine.) I glossed over it (usually too impatient to read things thoroughly the first time) and decided to try my hand at it; this time the correct way. I think my problem before was that I did not attach the right foot (I think it was the photo attached to the instructions that made the bell go off in my head), use the right thread and adjustments, and go for it. It was amazingly easy.

I think I mentioned I am a little impatient -- this is my main excuse for this not looking better, However, I was so impressed with how easy it was, that I sort of rushed through he job, just to get it done and be amazed that I could hold my very own quilted hot pad. I promised myself I would take more care, so that the stitches were more even and there wouldn't be any sharp corners.

This really is what was holding me up on continuing my learning how to make quilts. Real quilts. I am really ready to start to put together all those little squares I have cut out, a long time ago, in preparing to teach myself this very thing.

I should say, though, that I am not really teaching myself: I should give credit where deserved: to all those great "bloggers" and other people who graciously take the time to post beautiful photos and detailed instruction for all of us to use and enjoy, and otherwise be delighted by.

Finally... Sunshine and a Bit of Warmth

Now it is easy to remember what I like about this area.

As long as we aren't in a housing development, this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. All sorts of colorful singing birds, cows on the way to the grocery store, and some of the most beautiful views anywhere. We were so lucky to get this house - the nicest view I have ever had, hands-down. The rent is so cheap here; an added bonus.

Apparently this place was settled largely by Scandinavian (Dutch) peoples, and so tulips abound. The yards have provided so many surprise treats to delight, from Hellebores (the first to peek), red pink and yellow tulips, and much to my delight, bulbs I can't yet identify. One of my favorite things is creating tiny bouquets out of lawn flowers and other tiny pretties. I can't name the pale purple flowers, although I think it may be something like a pale version of Blue Eyed Grass. If anyone knows, please let me know... it will save me the trouble of wanting to go through my boxes of books that haven't yet been unpacked.

Head Banger

My poor baby has a shiner.

This is not the first time she hit her head, but probably the worse, She has walked into a pole and hit her eyebrow, walked into the edge of a sliding glass door and put a permanent dimple in her check before. But this time we were having a fabulous time at Bowman Bay near the Pass, me kayaking and taking turns watching Isabel and her friend Banjo play in the sunshine, and she fell about 4 feet off a log onto huge rocks. By the time I got to her she was just lying there, not even crying; it scared the bajeebers out of me.

All I wanted to do is hold her. Everyone was asking about her fingers and legs, but I think it was more scary than anything. The worst part was her asking what happened. So, indeed, I drove straight to the E-room in Coupeville. It was a comforting three hours; well-spent knowing that she would be thoroughly checked out. She kept asking where she was, too -- that was a bit freaky.

Well, not much humor in this entry. I think I just have to remind myself that these things happen. You can't prevent everything, so you just count your blessings when it "could have been worse." Besides, we now have an excuse to slack around the house and just watch TV and sew. :)