My First Quilt

Hello Blogland!  I've sure missed you!  This week I am enjoying time off of school.  When our district put together our calendar this year, they added a week at the end of February for make-up snow day in case we needed them.  Thankfully, we've only had 1 snow day, so school was in session on Monday, and it's out the remainder of the week.  PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!  This week couldn't have come at a better time!

I figured I could get caught up on a million and one projects I've done and have wanted to share with you!  The first one is a quilt I made this past summer...my very first quilt!  It definitely won't be my last!!!  A dear friend emailed me and asked me if I'd be willing to make a quilt for her little man.  I had always wanted to try my hand at quilting (especially because one of my besties is a master quilter), but never had a good reason to.  Thankfully this dear friend is also a very flexible person and was so easy to please!  I used a variation of different ideas, mainly following this idea of a quilt without a binding.  The main blog that I went to for sewing (and emotional) support was Diary of a Quilter - using her quilting tutorial.  Let me tell you, if you can sew a straight line, then you can make a quilt.  It's as simple as that!

First things first, the fabric had to be chosen.  She wanted something brightly colored that was gender neutral so it could be used for her little man and then again if some little ladies were in her future.  She settled for "Half Moon Modern" by Moda.  A charm pack (42 5" squares) was purchased:

Unlike the quilt without a binding tutorial, she did want a fabric border on the front of the quilt around the squares, and so we settled upon the grey small dots from the "Half Moon Modern" collection:

For the back, she chose the larger grey dots to compliment the front:

The other supplies needed was batting to go on the inside of the quilt, and coordinating thread - I just used a white thread.  For the batting, I purchased "warm and natural cotton batting - crib size" from Joanns.  After all the fabric was in and the batting was purchased, I was ready to get started.  

Please forgive my picture quality...I used my phone and I have none taken with a real camera...

The first step was to figure out the pattern/sequence of the charm squares.  With the help of my sister and mom, I finally decided upon this:

The key here was to make sure that none of the small dot grey was on the outside because I didn't want it to blend in with the border I was going to put around it. 

Once I settled upon the sequence, I made rows by placing the squares right sides together and sewing a 1/4" seam.  Once all my rows were made, I pieced them together one by one and connected them.  After all the squares had been pieced together, I used Diary of a Quilter's quick method for adding borders.  I pieced them together with the sewn together squares, and voila!  I had what was looking an awful lot like a quilt!

I was now ready to sew my batting to the back of this piece.  I cut my batting the size of this piece of fabric and then safety-pinned the pants off it!  After safety pinning it, I chose 3 vertical seams and "stitched in the ditch" (sewed along these seams) to attach this front piece to the batting.  Once the batting was in place, I cut the piece of my back fabric the same size as the front piece:

Now I was ready to get jiggy wit it (na na na na na na na).  I pinned the back piece of fabric to the front piece of fabric right sides facing each other.  I then proceeded to stitch all the way around the edges of the 2 pieces a little less than 1/4" in. I left a small opening so that I could turn the fabric pieces right side out, and then I stitched the opening close by stitching all the way around the edges of the right side turned pieces.  Once I was finished with that, it was time to "quilt" the pieces.  You can get all fancy with this step, but I stuck to the basics.  I decided to "stitch in the ditch" throughout the entire quilt.  Here's what the 'beaut looked like when I was done:

The front

The back

I don't think I've ever been as proud of a finished sewing product as I was of this project.  I was smiling from ear to ear and was all over the internet looking for my next charm pack to make my new quilt!  Unfortunately I haven't made another one since this one, but I definitely look forward to trying my hand at it again, something REALLY soon!  What about you?  Have you every quilted?  If not, what's holding you back???

Thankful for Old Friends

When I was a senior in high school, one of my good guy friends started dating this girl from another school. This said girl happened to go to UK, which is where I went to college, and despite the fact that she and he broke up, she and me became great friends! This girl happens to be my friend, Traci.  Traci is one of those friends who is laid back and loves you no matter what.  She's one of those friends who you could go awhile without talking to (although I hate it), but as soon as you have a conversation with her, it's as if no time has passed.  Traci and I lived together for 3 years in college and then remained close friends after that. I had the privilege to be in her wedding back in 2005 and I was honored when she agreed to be a part of mine in 2009.

wowzers.  Here's a throw back to 2005...yikes.

Traci's wedding - March, 2005

My wedding, 2009

Needless to say, I was over the top excited last Spring/Summer when Traci told me that her and her husband were expecting a baby.  I immediately told her that I wanted to throw her a baby shower as well as make her baby bedding (if she were interested, I'm not into forcing people to take baby bedding ;-)!)  I couldn't wait to celebrate Traci as a mom and I wanted to do it in every way I could.  You can imagine my surprise when Traci told me a couple of weeks later that she wasn't expecting a baby, instead her and her husband were anticipating the birth of their BABIES in November/December.  Yup. Babies with an 's'.  All the more reason to celebrate! 

Here are some pictures from Traci's shower in October:

I picked these invites up at Target and then printed them off
at home.  Too bad I forgot to add my address and my mom
had to help me write it on the back of each envelope so her guests
would know where to go for the shower.  Oops!

Pregnant Traci and her "pumpkin"s as well as me and her Aunt Gail (the other hostess)

The desserts - cake, pumpkin spice balls and pumpkin spice mini cheesecakes

A close up of the cake - I used the same method as here and here.  

A few short weeks later, those 2 cutie pa-toots came into this world: Hudson and Kate are some adorable babies!

3 roomies together again, this time with 2 little babes :)

Here is their birth announcement picture - how cute are they?!

Here is a more recent picture - I can't handle how adorable they are!

And then this week I had the opportunity to catch up with Traci and the babes again.  I'll never turn down a good dinner with a great friend and baby snuggling time!

I love Traci and I love those two babies!  I can't wait to continue to be a part of their life and see how God uses them to share his Glory with others.  Here's to great friends!!!

Randomness In Numbers

It's been waaaaay too long since I came on here and promised you I'd be back...I wasn't lying - although I was very slow at my return.  Apologies.  I know your life has been on hold while you've been checking my blog feverishly on a daily basis (I kid, I kid!).  There's so much swarming around in my head - so many thoughts, projects, feelings, ideas, stories...today just seemed like an appropriate "random" day.  What better way to share with you what's been going on, than through a random post - with numbers?  Here we go!

5 - the number of school days left with students....I am so ready for this summer break.

1 - the number of new students that I got today....5 days left into the year.....that don't speak a word of English.

3 - the number of custom baby bedding orders I'm currently working on - are you pregnant, or know someone who is???  Change that number!

2 - the number of dead birds my dog has brought me over the span of 2 days.  He was incredibly excited and thrilled by his offering.  Too bad my anger and disgust really threw him off.

6 - the hour of the morning that Stephen and I awoke on Saturday to find ourselves still in our Friday clothes, on the couch, with the dog, and the t.v. on...ay yi yi!

4,567,921 - the number of projects I have on my mental list of things to do this summer.  Will they all even be possible???

2 - the number of students who called me a "snitch" on Friday - to my face.  Please refer to my first random number.

4 - the number of nieces and nephews I have that I've been able to see on a weekly basis now that Stephen and I live in Louisville.  There's nothing like seeing your baby nephew so often that he smiles when you come into the room!

582 - the number of recipes I have pinned on my Recipe Pinterest board...someone better get cooking!

4 - the number of recipes I have actually tried from my Recipe Pinterest board - at least I was pleased with every one of them!

1 - the number of baby pools Stephen and I have purchased in our lifetime.  This baby pool was not for our baby (considering we do not have one), but instead for our dog - in a last ditch effort to keep him out of our pool in the backyard.

20 - the day in June that I have to take time out of my summer break to drive to Bowling Green for a Conference for school.  PTL for family in Bowling Green - let's get some good family time out of the random work day during the break!

3 - the number of times that Stephen has converted into a 5 year old little boy while he's explaining to me what Bear Country is in South Dakota and how much he can't wait to visit (a trip we have planned this summer)!

4 - the week of Couch to 5K I'm getting ready to start this week...here's to hoping I'm more consistent with my runs this week than last.

6 - the number of pictures I have to share with you to make this post even more random, but less boring :)

Princeton - or P-ton, as we like to call him, enjoying his new pool!
Here's to hoping this keeps him out of ours!

Cakes I made for a friend's baby's first birthday.  That
homemade fondant is just so good!

P-ton sleeping on the couch...he's hard not to snuggle,
which then leads to waking up next to him at 6 am.

The lilies we have growing in our pond in the backyard -  they are gorgeous!  This was
not our doing, we're just reaping the benefits of the previous owner's plantings.

Exhibit A of why living in Louisville is nice. Randomly celebrating a
handsome man's pre-school graduation is always a good time!

Exhibit B.  This little guy is just too much fun!

Hand Painted Nursery Signs

I suffer from the I-Can-Make-That Syndrome.  I'm sure a lot of you suffer from the same thing.  It's a blessing and a curse.  I'll be out and about, see something that I really like, see the price tag and think to myself, "I can make that!" It's almost like a challenge against myself (yeah, I know, I'm cool!) to see how well I can make what I've found in the store.  A couple of years ago, I was acquainting myself with Etsy and I found myself drooling over these hand painted nursery signs.  They burned a mental image in my mind and I knew that I had to try my hand at them!  I had a few successes (here and here) with hand painting signs and then a big success with hand painting a sign for my nephew last summer (here).  However, these methods just took too long, and I wanted to try my hand at using my Silhouette to paint.  So, as soon as my dear friend Amanda found out she was pregnant, and my sister-in-law found out she was pregnant, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for them....

Here are my supplies: a $4 board from Hobby Lobby (sanded and wiped down), push pins from my desk drawer, a can of Krylon satin white spray paint, 3 different colors of acrylic paint, and a spool of decorative and coordinating ribbon (wired ribbon works best).

I first stuck the push pins in the bottom of the board so that it is easier to spray paint.

Next, I spray painted it until I was happy with it.

Using my silhouette, I cut out my niece's monogram and attached it to my painted sign to be used as a stencil.  

Then I took my deeper shade of purple and painted the monogram.  I waited for it to dry and then peeled it off.

I then started painting the birth stats (lighter purple).  I made sure I had a small paintbrush (that's the key!) and painted the middle name first (to be sure it was centered).  After I painted her name, I thought that green polka-dots would be great along the edges (I was making this up as I went).

Along the bottom, I added the birth stats.

And then hand painted a flower that was on my sister-in-law's baby shower invitations.  Lastly (with paint) I filled it in with polka-dots.

When I was finished, I spray painted the sign with a spray paint Lacquer by Rust-oleum.  I did this for 2 reasons: to protect that acrylic paint, and also to add shine to the sign.

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After it dried, I used a staple gun to attach the ribbon to the back of it so that it could be hung on the wall.  

Ta-Da!  I'm done!

It was a wonderful Christmas present for my sweet niece, Sophia!

After I made that one, I got right on the sign for my sweet friend, Amanda and I followed the same steps.  Here are the results:

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If you're interested in a great, personalized gift for a new mom, I highly recommend doing this!  If you're not suffering from I-Can-Make-That syndrome and would like to give a new mom this gift, email me!  I'm taking orders!

I'm partying here this week

Busy Sewing Bee!

These past couple of weeks/months, I've been sewing, sewing and sewing some more.  The majority of my Winter Break consisted of me sitting in front of my sewing machine or standing in front of my ironing board.  You see, I offered to make my dear friend, Traci her baby bedding BEFORE I found out she was having twins (oopsies!) although I wouldn't have traded it for the world! And then my sister-in-law discovered she was preggos with Sweet Sofia and of course I wanted to help her out for her nursery as well!  Needless to say, making 3 crib skirts, 3 sets of bumpers, a blanket and such really kept me moving and grooving, doing what I love on my time off.  Throughout all of it, I realized that I love to sew even more than I thought I did.  I love the creation that I have at the end of the day and being able to see that I made out of nothing.  Oh, and I'm obsessed with fabric.  Wait, did I admit that I'm obsessed with fabric?  Well, I'm obsessed with fabric...

Sweet Sofia's bedding:

Blanket: 1 side is a purple paisley cotton fabric; the other side is a super soft, pale green minky-dot; bordered in a jumbo, wine ric-rac

 Close-up of bumpers: outside is a purple paisley cotton fabric

 Inside of bumpers: super soft, pale green minky-dot

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The crib-skirt: tailored using a purple polka-dot cotton fabric

Close-up of tailored crib-skirt

 My friend, Traci's baby bedding:

Bumpers: chevron cotton fabric for inside and out

Tailored skirt: polka-dot cotton fabric

Bumpers: floral cotton fabric for inside and out

Tailored crib-skirt: solid pink cotton fabric

Are you or someone you love pregnant?  Would you rather have your own custom-created nursery as opposed to having to choose from the generic pink&greens and blues&browns?  If this is you, click here.

I'm partying here this week:

Gluesticks; House of Hepworths; Creations by Kara; Seven Thirty-Three; Delightful Order; Someday Crafts; Shabby Chic Cottage; Momnivore's Dilemna; Somewhat Simple; Homemaker on a Dime; A Bowl Full of Lemons; Fireflies and Jellybeans; Katie's Nesting Spot

I'm an Aunt...AGAIN!

Sweet Baby Sofia was born on December 20, 2011 after making us all wait about 2 weeks before she decided to make her debut!  This is my 4th time being an Aunt and my 2nd sweet little niece!  Sofia was born to my sister-in-law, Cali (Stephen's sister).  Talk about 1 good, early Christmas gift!

Aunt Kari loves you, sweet baby!  Even if she looks a bit overly excited to hold you...don't worry - she'll try reeeeeaaaallly hard not to squeeze you too tight!

I love everything about this picture - from the excitedness that he felt from getting to hold Sofia, to the awkwardness that is his hold - Stephen is one proud uncle!

Stephen, Cali and Sweet Baby

Sofia was telling them about her day

One last time, for good measure, and also for you to see that awesomely, big bow on Sofia's teeny-tiny head!

She might look like a teeny peanut, but teeny was one thing she was not.  Cali was ALL belly from the beginning of her pregnancy on - if you saw her from behind, you'd never even know she were pregnant. When Baby Sofia came into this world weighing a whoppin' 8lbs 15 oz, we all felt sympathy pain for Cali!

I have most definitely loved taking advantage of having a sweet little baby to hold!  My other sweet baby, is no longer a little baby, but a little man who doesn't so much like to snuggle anymore. 

There's Elliott-man, enjoying his big boy food!

Whelp, all that to say that our Christmas season was quite memorable and exciting!  Having a precious peanut come into this world always makes your heart go pitter-patter.  Anything smaller than normal size is always too cute.  If you don't believe me, listen to any woman's reaction when she sees a puppy, a kitten, oh for heaven's sake, even a smaller than normal size can of coke!