jane market bag

completed the jane market bag in an afternoon. it went together so well, and my oldest daughter swooped it up quickly. we even tried it out already on errands.

this is a flat view. a piece of cardboard inserted in the bottom makes it sturdy to hold all sorts of goodies.

a peek inside. used a third contrasting fabric for the lining. just loving how it all works together.

a few more details. the handles are extra reinforced to hold our loot.

time to go make another.

thanks for stopping by!

stopping for snacks

we have been making these granola bars for many, many years. my kids love them gone. (it is personally fulfilling to know what makes my kids happy, especially if i can bake it). i make it a point to keep the ingredients always in the pantry. when i remember, i add protein powder to the mix to pump up the protein aspect of the treat.

chewy granola bars

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup peanut butter (we are peanut butter snobs here and make our own)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

mix the above in a big bowl...then add:

3 cups old fashion oats

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup wheat germ (make sure you get the kind that is refrigerated)

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 cup chocolate chips

stir well.

then press into a greased 15x10 sheet pan.

bake 20 minutes @ 350.

cut while still warm, then cool before serving.

enjoy!

time...

to sew...
Having recently posted that I am ready to sew...these pics should be of no surprise. To work up to that Amy Butler project posted a few days ago, I am going to attempt this market bag found here at rosy little things.

How sweet it that? I figured I needed a primer before I started the bigger project. I'll let you know how it goes. JoAnn Fabrics just got some yummy new fabrics in...time to go steal some time and shop.

So...then...in the spirit of all things sewable...what do I get in the mail on Tuesday?...

the March WIP main kit...

can you see all the sewing theme going on? I immediately set to playing...it was a good night. Stay tuned for some sneaks.




So, have I told you I am feeling like me again? It sure makes a difference. One appreciates energy and focus so much more when one has recently had none! It's true. The question was asked while in my fog: "What fills you?" That was a hard question to hear. Because my answer at the time was Nothing. Nothing. That is how out of it I was feeling at the time. I could not even come up with what it is that indeed brings me fulfillment, and enables me to be renewed and ready to face the every day.
Looking back now...to then...I think I was too hard on myself and not allowing time to just be what I was::tired. We women, especially, have seasons in our lives in which we need to be better aware of what is going on with us. Not only for our own well being, but also to be able to communicate to our loved ones as well what is going on with us. I just kept feeling badly that I was, well...feeling badly. Instead of being better aware that what was going on with me physically, as well as emotionally+spiritually, was a temporary place. As are all seasons, they are temporary. This too shall pass.
Continuing in my theme of "all things are new", I will not look through the rear view mirror of my life and live in the past...but rather continue to move forward, as that is only where Life can be found.

So, what fills you up?

happy valentines day

waking up

Mama is back. (laughing)…that is how I feel right now anyway. It has been a long 14 weeks or so. Been in such a funk. Looking back, I think it has been pure pregnancy (and a little winter doldrums) driven. I have been so, so tired and out of it. No mojo to do anything…the studio rarely visited. I am very fortunate with all my pregnancies to not experience the typical nausea and morning sickness. I have been blessed in that way. But a funk has been present, just the same. Told a friend yesterday, it is as though I have walked through a door into the second trimester, and I can think clearly now. Which means too that I my mind is brimming with plenty of projects I want to attack.

Paint the girls bathroom
Paint my studio
Re-finish old chair in bedroom
Sew, sew and sew.

I am severely inspired by this book currently::

Not only are Amy Butler's fabrics just so gorgeous, but this book is filled with wonderful projects for baby and baby necessities. Since we have absolutely nothing by way of baby items left over from the previous 4 children, then that means I get to start all over again. Now, that can be a good thing, or a bad thing. When I was in my funk, it was a very, very bad and discouraging thing for me to realize there is so much to purchase and do to make ready for this wee little one.
But on the brighter side, that I am currently choosing to live in, it has become a good thing. Because I get to do things very different from before, and my skills are up to the task.

Look at this adorable mom bag...it is a bit of an advanced project for me, but I really want to attack it. (Especially since I just gave away my Land's End diaper bag about 4 months ago.)




So, off to clean up the sewing machine, and make a better space for it. Eager to get started.



(made with February WIP project kit)

We've been celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Work In Progress over at the blog this month. Laina had the fabulous idea to take a layout of Trish's and lift it by way of celebration. Here is Trish's original:

And the first one is mine. Great fun celebrating a wonderful club and a very awesome and hands on club owner. Trish is tireless in her endeavors to make great kits and host a blog that is always inspiring and creative. I am blessed to have 'found' her two years ago, and it's been a wonderful friendship ever since.
Happy Anniversary, WIP!

Enjoy your day!!!

dreaming

o.k...i admit it...



i am a friend of most things pottery barn,(sorry, phoebe). have been for a long time. it's a sickness i think. because after all, if the truth be know, i CAN'T (or rather WON"T) afford pottery barn. so, i dream, instead. and attempt to implement as i can. (o.k...there is the seagrass chair and ottoman...a moment of weakness purchase, and i have never regretted it).

but when i saw this rustic wall organizer, as seen above, well, my knees just went weak. how adorable is that? leave it top pb. sigh.



for too long i have been envying this bedford project table. i have a home for it right smack in the middle of my studio. i stand so often while working on projects anyway, so this would be perfect. right? they keep lowering the price. maybe one of these days it will be at a total i am willing to part with. until then...i dream.

so here are a few storage items that would be dreamy to have as well.







just had to share these charming pieces with you.



more from the gallery at wip::



this was a very awesome project to work on. the 7gypsies artist printers tray. twelve lovely rectangles to house photos, and what-not. the what-not is my favorite part. trish filled this months project kit with lovely 7gypsies paper, bazzill red embossed cardstock, prima florals and pearl buttons (loveliness), and manila tags, and that fabulous Dresden family die cut. i added the stickers and die cut hearts as well as my go-to butterflies using martha's punch and stampin up die cuts. there are still project kits available on her site. i highly recommend.



that's all for today!

this week

after a week on the couch dealing with some cold/flu thing, i am once again very thankful for good health. although i am still dealing with a nasal thing, my energy is slowly coming back and i am starting to feel like me again. which is sort of dangerous. while resting, i took to doing some computer purging and organizing of my way too many files. as much as i love to purge and de-clutter my home, i forget and neglect my laptop way too often. but with the new year, it's a great time to sort and organize, and even delete (gasp!) old photos and digi files that are really no longer needed. as well as be better about backing up said photos and digi elements and documents. while i am not done with the task, it is well on it's way, and i am feeling better about that.

but the real danger comes in sitting around and staring at my furniture and walls. so, while sitting, i researched and read up on how to orient my furniture better than what it was. i finished reading Lauri Wards, Use What You Have Decorating. It's a bit of an old book, but there were many classic ideas in there that i plotted out, and then put to work on saturday. the problem with using what you have, and taking assessories and furniture from other rooms, to make work in another part of the house, is that then you have a stripped room, that you need to then to buy for THAT room. such a problem.

(before)

(after)

this is all so baby related. while we already have a house of four very busy children, the need and desire to scale down and simplify the system already in place seems to loom even larger. if i can get a room to 'work', then i can stop fiddling with it and move on. when i get a system in place of organization and clutter control, then one just needs to make sure it is maintained, and that way the out of control monster can be kept at bay.

o.k...so, that was a bit of rambling. maybe perhaps that will be helpful to someone. it's just where i am right now. being creative in my home, making things work better, thinking ahead on how to fit this new little one into our existing home and life.



now onto some studio creativity...

the february gallery at work in progress is live today...

here are two of my projects up close and personal.

i will share my fav tomorrow...



love, love that gold rub-on from jenni bowlin. i added it to vellum as i wanted it to have a light and airy feel. the american craft letters were painted with making memories pearl glaze to lighten their yellow effect. this photo and the story behind it so celebrates these two women in my life, taken 2 weeks after our last child was born. very special to me.



real simple grid layout here of a few photos from thanskgiving. more elements from the wip project kit. fun and simple.

thanks for visiting today...

back tomorrow!