A List of Upcoming Projects

So I have a few dates in my head for when gifts need to be made. I would like to make them all by hand but haven't come up with the perfect ideas just yet.

April 15th - Something for Natalie (because she definitely needs something homemade) I've got lots of ideas but I haven't decided on one yet.

May 10th - Mother's Day - Something for Mom and Mom-in-Law

June 7th - Lisa's Birthday (my SIL) - she definitely deserves something homemade and it has to be done in time to be mailed to Ottawa for the 7th

June 13th - Dad's Birthday (and Father's day all rolled up into one, it's close enough) - I really don't have any ideas here. I would like to do something homemade but I might just end up going to the store...

So if anyone has any great ideas of gifts that would work for these people... or if you are one of these people and you would like to make a suggestion (I know you are reading)... feel free to leave a comment.

New Arrivals

I left Sunday night to go to Niagara Falls for a few days for a conference for work. And while I was away there was two new arrivals.

First on Monday in the mail was this book. My sis had picked up the book while she was wasting time and mailed it off to me.

There are some very cute projects in this book. Like the felt booties and the fabric book.

And even more exciting than the book, on Monday at almost 5pm my new niece was born. She's absolutely perfect. I can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to Toronto until the middle of this month.

Congrats Jen and Rob, she's perfect.

You can bet this little girl will be getting something from the new book when I meet her.

Books and an Apron

Tuesday when I picked up the mail I had a good sized box waiting for me from Chapters. I really do love Chapters, they ship so quickly and I've never had any issues with any of my purchases there. I find it is much cheaper to buy the books online though, so if I want to browse through a book first I'll look for it in a store but then purchase it online.


Anyways here are the books.



I was going to show you a couple pictures of some of my favourite projects from each of these books, but I've really only just skimmed through the books so I can't pick a favourite yet. You'll just have to wait until I make some of the wonderful projects inside.

On another note I'm going to a bridal shower for my cousins fiance this weekend. Mom and I have put our crafty minds together to come up with, what I think, is a pretty awesome present. We decided to make an apron, a table cloth, some napkins and include some wine glasses and a very cool decanter that was on her registry. I've also sewn some ribbon onto a couple tea towels and we found some coasters that matched our black and white theme.

Here's a picture of the hostess apron I made as part of the present.

Mom and I picked out the fabrics together. We struggled to find what we were looking for but I'm happy with what we ended up with. The apron is reversible the other side looks the same but the black panels are swapped (one black flower panel in the middle and two plain black panels on the outsides)

The inspiration for this design came from seeing this apron at Pier 1 Imports. I didn't like how there were only four panels on that apron, it just didn't seem to work out well, so I cut five panels for mine. I've also put four pleats in this apron to give a little more body, and to make it a little narrower. You can't see it well in this picture but I've also attached a tea towel loop so you can hang your tea towel off the apron.

I'll post more pictures of the whole gift when we get it all put together. I hope Kelly will like it.

Looking Forward to a Mail Delivery

A couple nights ago I finally broke down and ordered a few of the books off of my chapters wishlist. I had been thinking about it for a long time and kept putting if off, even though I had a gift card that would help me with the cost.

They shipped Friday, so I should have them by mid next week. I'm really looking forward to cracking open these books.

I've ordered this book and am looking forward to making a few things for my niece and future niece or nephew. (My sis is ready to pop anytime now)

I've also ordered this book and I picked up some fabric yesterday when I was out shopping with mom that will make an adorable project. I will post a picture later.

Finally I've ordered this book as well. I've read lots of good reviews about it and am looking forward to having it in my hands.

That's three books off my list, but there are still so many more I would love to have in my collection.

A post with more pictures will be coming soon. I've got a hostess apron in the design stage for a wedding shower gift for next weekend. Luckily I have Monday off so I should have lots of time to get it going then. Housework... well that can wait until later.

A Quick Project - Mini Wallet

I spent about an hour or two a couple nights this past week working on a couple mini wallets. They are a quick, easy and enjoyable project.

This black and grey one doesn't have a set home just yet. It might just end up in my hands. The inside of it is a little wonky. I didn't really follow the seam allowances I had cut the material for, hence the edges not meeting up.

This next one is for my sis and matches the diaper bag I made for her. The edges line up much nicer on this one but the top snap is a little off centre so it slants slightly when it's closed. The mini snaps I used for these projects look nice and fit the scale of the wallets but they are a little tricky to work with since they are sooooo small.

Jen, I may be mailing this to you. Or I may just keep it until I come up to see you.

Here's looking forward to warm spring like week.

I LOVE Getting Mail

I went to the mailbox on Friday and what did I find. My package from the International Women's Day Fat Quarter Swap. Mandy had sent these fabulous fat quarters to me. The little card she sent with it was adorable. I'm not sure what these little wonderfuls will become just yet. But I'm sure I'll come up with something. Thanks so much Mandy. I hope you liked your fat quarters as much as I like mine.

My Saturday

This past Saturday I spent about nine hours working at this table...

With these materials...

Now you may ask what was I working on for nine hours. Well my hubby and I were going to a stag and doe with a 70's theme... so we decided to go as the '72 Summit Series. (Canada vs. Russia)

Here's a couple pictures of the jerseys they wore at the Series. The ones from the movies look a bit different. We did alot of our research from the dvd.

And here is the final result...

I was pretty impressed with the final outcome. As was my hubby, obviously the larger one is his. I ran out of time on the collar though, so I didn't get that one piece finished.

Unfortunately I'm not sure how many people got it at the party. Oh well. Win some, lose some.. and it was great practice.