Jennie's Aprons

Since unearthing these two aprons a few weeks ago I've been obsessively checking out vintage (and replica) aprons online.

These two belonged to my Grandma Jennie. I'm not sure how I ended up with them. I did inherit her old treadle sewing machine (c 1897). She told my mother "Charmain likes to sew, I think I'll give her my machine". What a great reason to inherit an antique!

This one is my favorite. Its made from an old dress c. 1930 (they never threw anything out, they always recycled materials).

This one is made from an old flour sack c. 1930. The trim is hiding where its been pieced together. My mom said Jennie wore this everyday.

They're Done!

22 months, two babies (one mine, one hers), and an interstate move later and they're finished!

Thanks Lydia for taking the pics and letting me post them. I have to give a shout out to Home Fabrics. I LOVE this store. The tassel tiebacks were such a great deal $2.50 each! not to mention we also covered 3 windows in the living room in addition to the sliding door. All for around $60! I love good deals.

Craft Swap!

"Mr. Fox"

Bird and Little Bird is hosting a swap of handmade toys and children’s items to raise awareness and to find a way to protect those of you out there who make and sell children's items. If you’d like to participate, just e-mail Annie (birdmail@gmail.com). February 10th is the deadline.

Read her blog post here for more details. She made Mr. Fox, pictured above, so maybe you’ll end up with something just as adorable. Have fun and support handmade!

Who wouldn't want to be part of a fun handmade swap? If you'd like to send me pics of the handmade item you swap, I'd be happy to post them!

Flax Seed Relaxation

Most of you probably own or have been the recipient of a rice bag. Same idea, but think of flax seed as the LUXURY version. The flax seed has a higher moisture content so it holds the heat (or cold) longer. It has a nice, but soft aroma. It molds like sand, and feels heavier than rice (or corn...*gag*). It can be found in the bulk food section of most health food stores (Whole Foods, Central Market, Good Earth, etc.)

Since I've burned through...yes burned*...two bags this year, I needed to make me another. Luckily I made these as a Christmas giveaway last year and had all the "fixins" available at my fingertips. (Lets be honest, if I didn't have this available, I probably would have stuffed an old (but clean) sock that lost it's mate, tied off the end with a knot and called it good!)

*Lessons learned the hard way - because of it's high moisture/oil content, flax seed burns easily, so heat it up in 2 minute increments reshaping before starting again.

Look, I'm Recycling!

I purchased this shirt for the toddler on a GREAT SALE! When I tried it on him, I realized why I was able to get it for such a great price. The cuffs on the sleve were large enough to fit a MAN'S wrist. It looked really odd on a munchkin. So...I did what every normal mom does...I cut them out!

Now, occasionally for entertainment, or to keep the toddler happy on long car rides, we pull his socks off and use them as puppets. What do you know? The cut out sleeves looked just like puppets. What a great idea...I owe the toddler for this one.

Some red felt, googly eyes, yarn, a bow, and a cowboy hat later - here's what we got....

They need names - any suggestions?

The proud owner of....

...a new mannequin! Okay, so it was a little strange dragging a store fixture through the mall to the car.

But think of all the great ways this can be used:

A dress form
A model for scarves, shrugs, and aprons
Dressing up to decide what I want to wear in the morning
Company/playmate for the toddler (he's already had a few conversations with it. Should I be concerned?)
The possibilities are ENDLESS!



Hmmm...what shall I make first?

Critter Craze

Okay, I think I've FINALLY gotten this out of my system - at least for a little while. I'm in LOVE with these little animals and have had so many good excuses to make them in recent months.

My friend had a baby...oh, lets just say a few months back. She pointed me in the direction of some bright, bold, colors she liked, so I made this afghan for her new little addition. This is actually the first little critter I made (well, okay, second, the first one somehow didn't turn out as "nice" and has since been beaten to death by my 18 month old).

I also finished her curtains! Yippee! It's been way too long! Hopefully she'll send pics for me to post soon!