what we've been up to lately

Since I haven't been as present in this blog this January, I thought I'd give you a little update on happenings around our household in the past few weeks, and a few photos to share. Honestly, it has been a fairly quiet January. We have all had our share of respiratory or sinus crud that seems to circle endlessly and never quite go away, but thankfully no one has been terribly ill, just annoyingly ill (well enough to work, go to school, and sick enough to not really want to do those things). I have vacillated between long hours reading on the couch and short hours of mad activity, housecleaning and organizing and other very "Januaryish" home activities.


One of our fun times lately has been for the girlie and myself as I am teaching her to use her very own sewing machine! After a brief try with a toy sewing machine that produced much frustration and very few nice stitches, I did some research online and after reading the review on the Ikat Bag blog, I decided to buy the IKEA Sy sewing machine. It is a real sewing machine that yes, my 7 year old can use. It sews like a dream and there has been not ONE moment of technical frustration from me or daughter. It is a little smaller than a full size machine, and very simple to use, not intimidating at all even for a beginner. I cannot say enough good things about it. It is pretty basic, which was actually a good selling point for what I wanted for her (and there is the fact that I didn't want to get her a machine that made me envious...since my machine is pretty basic too!). Our first project was sheets for her doll's bunk beds (that her daddy built).

We've also had a bit of snow this week, an inch here, an inch there, and not that much to speak of. It was, however, enough for the kids to get out in it and enjoy a few runs on our front yard hill with the sled, and for a snowy tromp down to the river in our neighborhood. Hopefully we'll get a bit more snow this winter, but it was a start.

see all the grass poking through? the kids didn't care!

snow angels!

ice at the river. cool shapes!

my bird feeder, one of my favorite Christmas gifts (the cats like it too!)

 Happy January, everyone! Stay warm and healthy!

in sandy's wake

As the east coast for the most part shut down completely over the past 48-72 hours, so did we.  Thankfully, hubby had purchased a generator about a month ago, so he spent much of Saturday getting it all set up in its own little lean-to outside. And while I don't believe in karma or such things, the result of all that hard prep work was that we didn't lose power beyond a flicker of the lights once or twice. We are thankful. And our prayers are with family who will likely not have power for multiple days, with friends who suffered damage or who are still "in the dark" and with all those who suffered immeasurably more damage than we can imagine, especially in New York.

Meanwhile, having battened down hatches and not having work or school to get to today, we made room for some quiet fun at home. There were UNO games played, lots of LEGO building...

LEGO men at work

a sewing project for the girlie (from the fun book, Sewing School )...

tracing her picture onto fabric...

her "stuffie": a pink dolphin stuffed animal

a hurricane knitting project for me (almost finished, pictures hopefully later this week), and the cats were completely fascinated by the wind and rain outside.

  I finished reading a couple of the books I've been reading, and hope to finish one more tonight (due back at the library tomorrow...). We had crock pot cream cheese chicken chili (thanks, Pinterest!) for dinner. And then there was the pumpkin carving.

Kids go back with a 2-hour delay tomorrow, which will allow us a nice relaxed start and a short day. And all in all, while I wouldn't wish this kind of "vacation" on anyone, it has been a rather nice break for us.

create:: kindle fire cover

A few months ago I joined the modern age with a Kindle Fire. The first weekend I had it, I whipped up a little felt envelope to keep it protected in my purse; not pretty, just functional. But the more I had it, the more I wanted something...more. And so I perused the web, I scanned ideas on Pinterest, I pondered and dug through my fabric stash. And I found a pattern that would work for me at Clover and Violet, with just a few modifications. I pulled out some linen scraps, and some fat quarters that were waiting for just the perfect thing, and a few hours later, I had this!

 I am a list maker and a stuff-keeper, so adding  lots of pockets were essential!

 See? Perfect for index cards, lists, etc. I can even put my earbuds in the big pocket for when I'm travelling.

 I love the snap closure, and the colors make me smile every time I pull it out. Which is a lot. I may be addicted to my little Kindle Fire. Maybe.

create:: the everything bag

I've been loving this new book by Tanya Whelan, Sew what you Love!  There's nothing more fun than a new sewing project and even better, a whole book of them! Tanya's projects are well written, not too complicated for beginners, and with details that are interesting enough for those who have been sewing a while. The designs are classic with a modern flair, and great for showing off wonderful patterned fabric.

The other thing I love: I am a bag-a-holic. I cannot resist a wonderful totebag. In my opinion, you cannot own too many wonderful bags. Great for shopping, lugging things to work, and of course, for project bags for knitting and other creative work!  And this book has not one but lots of fabulous bag patterns.

So the first project I tackled from this book was her Amelie bag, a present for a friend who just might need a big bag to carry things around in! I used a wonderful patterned fabric that I got on clearance last year and some remnant fabric, and it came together beautifully. The darts in the bottom make it great for holding books and with some interfacing, it felt quite sturdy. Plus I love the divided pocket inside, just the right size for a cell-phone and sunglasses.

I can't decide if my next project will be to make one for myself, or to try another pattern. So many choices. But I think a trip to the fabric store may be involved! Happy sewing, everyone!