Self Explanatory and So Helpful!

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I Love Crafty Quilters!

I had some of the best friends throw me a shower for Anabelle and I totally lucked out.... HANDMADE QUILTS!!! So I had to post so you guys could see how adorable they are.

Shades To Go

Since we moved into our mint green house, I'd been meaning to make a shade for Ben's room... well, months later I finally got the fabric and cut it out. The day after I cut the fabric, Ben (the dad) came home and announced we'd be moving! Of course... so since there were still a few months before the move, I went ahead and finished it in hopes it might work in the next house. From what I can tell so far, it will work as a nice valance. We'll see when we actually get it in there, but in the meantime, it's been sooo nice to give him a little more light blocking and privacy.

My 2 Hour Tote

Never let a scrap go to waste! Kim P and I were working on covering her rocking chair pads for her new baby boy.. and with her shower around the corner I got inspired to make her gift with some of the scraps. Thus, the 2 Hour Tote... give or take an hour or 2 :) Because I'm a horder, the only thing I had to buy were the buttons! I'm putting the semi-instructions down below in case you want to make one, or more likely, in case I forget how I did it and want to make another... which I hope to!

Semi-Instructions:
Cut
Brown: 1@ 35 x 16 body
2 @ 13 x 5 bottom
2 @ 35 x 4 straps
Wavey Fabric: 1@ 35 x 11
2 @ 7 x 9 inner pockets
Teal: 1@ 35 x 10 banding
1@ 35 x 15 inner lining

Take brown strap fabric and fold in half and press. Turn long edges in, pin and stitch straps.
Sew wavey fabric band and teal banding into a tube, right sides together, turn and press.
Top stitch 1/4" from side along both long edges with accent colored thread.
Align band on the body fabric 4 1/2" from upper edge & pin along both edges.
Stitch the bottom row along the already done topstitching.
Place the straps in between body and banding 3 1/2" away from the body edges when folded.
Stitch along upper edge, reinforcing strap connection, BUT... don't instead of going in between the straps, sew down from them to bottom of banding then across and up the other strap to make pockets on each side.
Take the other wavey patches and double-turn and stitch each of the edges.
Place those patches on teal liner fabric where you'd like the pockets and stitch on.
Next, fold body in half lengthwise, with right sides together and stitch up side.
Take 2 bottom pieces and topstitch together 1/4" in.
Sew bottom to body, right sides together... good luck figuring it out :)
Fold teal liner, right sides together, stitch down the sides and across the bottom.
Next, create the bottom of the teal by folding it into a triangle and stitching.. lol figuring that too.
Tuck straps into body pockets and take body and liner and stitch right sides together, leaving and opening to turn them back out.
Turn out, press, hand-stitch the opening shut.
Stitch the strap onto the upper banding and sew on decorative buttons to the pockets!

Hopefully by following this, you'll get something similar to the picture :)

If you think it - Ink it!

There's something amazing and almost magical about writing things down... years ago in seminary my teacher gave me a copy of John Goddard's life list (http://www.johngoddard.info/life_list.htm) and I remember then, thinking that goals are very powerful. Old Chinese proverb says "if you think it, ink it." Then, on my mission at the Oakland California LDS Temple Visitor's Center the Visitor's Center President gave a talk on goals and suggested writing out a timeline for the next 5 years. I did one then, and then 5 years later I did another. At that time I was pregnant with Alaura and but I had her name as Sydney, and I wrote out what would happen with Ben's (the dad) school and then the kids and how old they would be and when we would have more children. Well, I didn't look at that timeline until a couple months ago when I was sorting through some papers and came across it. It had just expired in December and I thought, "hmm, I'll have to look at that and see how things have happened compared to how I thought." Well, to my utter shock I started looking at the kids and the dates and couldn't believe what had happened.... I wrote down that Baby #3 would be born March of 2005.... Samantha was born March 31, 2005. Next one I wrote down October of 2006... Talia was born October 9, 2006. Well, that proved it for me... writing things down makes something happen.

Now, I need to make a new timeline... this one I'm hoping I can really get specific and will my 2 more boys on us :) We'll see how it works out, but I also need to write down a comprehensive list of dreams and goals I want to accomplish. This blog is one of them. I seem to have this sick fascination with coming up with ways I will make my millions... I'm always trying to turn something into a money-making venture. I guess that's what comes from being the bi-product of 2 work-aholic entrepreneurs. But lately I've tried to control myself and realize that it's ok to do things just for the love of doing them. I have so many passions... sewing, crafting, cooking, organizing, decorating, etc. and my life is consumed by my husband and 5 children... it freaks me out admitting I have 5 children :) When I do make the time to work on a project I have an unquenchable drive to share what I'm working on, and that is why this blog was one of my goals, and that is what I intend to share here. For all my friends and family and cyber-world out there... I hope I don't drive you crazy, I hope I inspire some of you, and I hope I can someday have all my dreams come true!