How does your garden grow?

Proficiently!

If you are on the fence about the square foot gardening - don't be.
It is amazing.

I remembered this weekend that it's time for an update on our gardening adventures.
We've been eating dwarf pak choy almost every day for a week! It's a good thing both our girls like it! :) I harvested over 5lbs of it on Sunday. It's so good and such a delight to be eating something that we grew our self.

I need to take more pictures. We have stir-fry greens, collards, snow peas, heirloom tomatoes, zinnias, marigolds, carrots, onions, leeks, bell peppers, hot peppers, zucchini, patty pans, wild flowers, cornflowers, and potatoes all growing. And a few more things we need to plant. It's so fun to see our garden growing!

For Katie

and for Olivia.
This past monday was Olivia's 6th birthday and this is one of the gifts I made for her.
Several months ago on Domestic Bliss we had a scrap swap. One of my lovely partners, KT, made us the adorably sweet matryoshka doll iron-ons.
Olivia immediately latched on to them, claiming them as her own. So I've been dreaming up a way to make them into something that will stay with us for a long time, rather than a t-shirt that will be outgrown in a season or two.
So, I hit upon the idea of a little patch work pillow. I had somthing slightly different in my head, but I was running out of time and lacking in inspiration so I ended up finding a fabric in my stash that matched the little doll perfectly and cut strips out of it to make the square of fabric the right size to fit over the pillow insert.
I think it turned out quite adorable and Miss O. is tickled with her darling pillow and sleeps with it nightly.

Doesn't she look sweet?

One of my favorite details of this pillow
is the 4 vintage buttons from my stash.
Love them!

Thank you Katie, for a wonderful gift.
We will treasure it for many years to come!

Spring is here and leaving

I didn't mean to skip out on the whole entire blogging community for almost a month, but it sure did happen.
While I've been living life, spring has happen here in the lowcountry and we are on the tail end days. Our spring flowers have bloomed and gone away for the most part.
But, I have a few catch-up photos to show you.

The Bradford pear tree in our yard was ever so lovely.

And the flowering cherry tree in my neighbors yard
also afforded me a few lovely shots.

Miss Olivia has been learning to ride her bike without training wheels during the past month. I didn't realize what a big deal it was going to be to teach her to ride without the extra wheels. We've been walking to our local Middle school (it's directly behind our house) and letting her practice on the yards and yards of side walks.
She and Sadie~Rose were taking a break in the picture above.

Sadie~Rose has also gotten in on the action. She adores riding on sister's bike.
So they have to take turns.
Not that it breaks Olivia's heart to have to take a break from practicing. :)
She's getting much better and gaining confidence, so hopefully I will soon have pictures of her riding all by herself
sans training wheels.

We went on a trip to Florida for the Easter holiday weekend.
Visiting with my sister, her husband,
and my grandmother was also visiting as well.
We had a lovely warm laid back weekend.

Olivia discovered on our way south that she has her
1st loose tooth!
Can anything compare to the excitement of that discovery
at the tender age of 5?

Mike and I are busy dreaming and scheming,
and making plans.
Can't share a whole lot right now,
because nothing is set in stone.
But change is in the air and so close
we can taste it.
I'm hugely excited and
can't seem to keep the big ol' happy smile off my face any time we talk.
It's a good season for us.

So, my dear friends, that's a very brief over-view of
what's been going on in my neck of the woods.
What have you been up to lately?

On my favorites list

I hope you shop on Etsy.
I really do,
because it's the best shopping place
in the whole wide world.

Here's a peek at some of my recent favorites.

Etsy Buy Handmade flightoffancydesigns

What's on your favorite list right now?
Make your own Etsy mini here.

I make stuff

I've been busy making stuff around here. The machine never seems to stop, but it's the season for it. I always get the itch to sew like a maniac in spring. I don't know why.
I thought you guys might like a peek at what's been sliding out from under my presserfoot.

My 1st project was Olivia's dress. My crazy beautiful child who picks out fabrics and colors I would probably never look at. She pick out the fabrics for this dress all on her own. We decided on the bird fabric and I thought I would pick out the coordinating fabric, but no matter how many bolts of dark purple and magenta I pulled out, Olivia kept saying "no." We went upstairs and enlisted the help of our local quilt store employee and friend, Mary. Still nothing suitable to a 5 year old's taste was found in purple. So I finally asked her "Well, just what fabric do you want?" (I think I may have said this with just a touch of desperation in my voice.) She makes her way oh so casually down the row of bolts, running her finger across them and then stops in front of the section I never go to, the oranges. She stands there studying them for about 2 seconds, says, "I was thinking more like fall colors Mommy." Grabs 2 bolts of fabric off the shelf, carries them over to the cutting table, thumps them down, "Like these!" she says and then walks off, totally unconcerned, to get herself a cup of tea. Mary and I walk over and study her fabric choices. They match the bird fabric perfectly. Colors match, the prints are perfectly sized to coordinate, the tones are perfect. Everything is a match. Mary's jaw about hits the table in amazement and I just shake my head. Mary tells me that I should listen to Olivia more often. And I laugh.
Because I don't know any other 5, almost 6 year old who can match fabrics better than 2 women who have been sewing most of their life. Maybe I should listen to her more.
My 2nd project wasn't really my project at all. Well, it kind of was, but it kind of wasn't. See that bunny in Olivia's arms? She sewed it together, and stuffed it, and dressed it. Two Christmas's ago, a dear friend with the most dearest of hearts bought Olivia a "Sew-A-Bunny" kit. She meant well. She really did. I put it away in the top of the closet until last fall. Then I pulled it out because Olivia had been asking to learn how to sew and could she use the machine? Well, I was busy using the machine myself at the time and thought this might be the perfect "1st project." Let's just say it wasn't and I put it back in the top of the closet. But Olivia has never forgotten nor has she let me forget that she had an unfinished bunny up there.
Some time recently the bunny got taken down, how I don't know. Probably by the unknowing father, I'm guessing. Olivia decided to give it a try again. So I threaded the needle and showed her how to hold it, reiterate the same instructions again and again. Then I promptly went back to my own sewing. Which was not a good plan. Every two stitches, Olivia came to me for help. It was definitely not my best teaching moment and tears were shed on both sides and a few swear words rolled around in my head. But, we took a little break, sat down on the bed together and finished that rabbit. She stuffed it and I sewed the last bit closed and we were done!
I can not tell you how proud she was to show her daddy when he came home.
I think we both learned valuable lessons with that project. One being: Never give a child a "sew-your-own-stuffed-animal" kit before the age of 8!




My 3rd project was a special order purse for my friend Jenni. I showed her the one that I had made and she immediately ordered one of her own. I have enjoyed making it again. It is good practice for me since I'm teaching a class on this very bag in two weeks. I used some more of the chocolate linen and she ordered the cutest Japanese print fabric from this great Etsy seller. (He shipped it 1 hour after I purchased it!)
I'm very pleased with the results and can't wait to take it to her.



If you are interested in one of your own, please feel free to email me for prices.