thimbly things

*Reminder- The Giveaway I posted about last week will be over tomorrow night, so please enter if you want to inherit some hand-embroidered napkins.  You still have a pretty good chance of winning!*

Happy Monday, everyone!  You know you must be growing up when you actually enjoy the start of a new week instead of dreading it with your life.   [Edit: Having been interrupted about 50 times while trying to get this post up, my attitude has changed.  But being aware of said change, I’m determined to make this a joyful Monday, dadgumit.]

The coasters above were a birthday gift for Heather that I made on Friday.  They were quick to whip-up, and I used felt as interfacing.  I got the idea from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.  Fabulous book.  I didn’t really follow the pattern- just guessed at the directions.

So Eric, a good friend of ours here in Tulsa, has decided to make his own cleaning products as he runs out of his old ones.  This is not only environmentally conscious, but incredibly economical.  Here’s an excerpt from an email he sent me:

“The advantages are HUGE: MAJOR cost savings; a healthier, toxic and chemical-free  home; and the stuff actually works. (Did I mention it was WAY cheaper than regular household cleaning products?!)… It’s a great way to get rid of everyday carcinogens and harmful chemicals. So far, I’ve tried the glass cleaner, bathroom/toilet cleaner, and laundry detergent. Once you try the laundry stuff, you’ll never go back. I also can’t get over how cheap all of it is.”

Here’s a site he linked to that has lots of great recipes for cleaning up your act.  I’m going to make the laundry detergent today since I just ran out.

And if you live in Tulsa, you can find the rather obscure Washing Soda at Reasor’s for about $2.50.

Finally, my husband is also having a giveaway at Movie Zeal.  Seriously.  If you like movies, check it out.

I know, it’s a Friday.  I shouldn’t be talking about such atrocities as cleaning on a Friday.  But it needs to be done.  Evan’s family is coming to Tulsa on Sunday (Yippie!), and we don’t want them to see how we really live. :)  They might try to take our children away.  Kidding.  But seriously, these floors are something nasty, and the laundry is a never-ending battle.  I bathed the babies yesterday, so they’re good to go.  Now if I can steal a few moments to groom myself…

Sorry, no picture today.  Unless you want to see the milk spots on the hardwood floors.

[That’s some kind of geek-speak that will be funny to my husband if no one else.]

Yesterday, I did FAIL–twice, in fact–in my attempt to make myself slippers. I got this grand idea from the hospital’s list of items to bring for labor & delivery. Funny source of inspiration, huh?

I have lots of great slipper pattern ideas from Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion and the Martha Stewart Holiday Handmade Gifts (special issue 2006). I eventually settled on the pattern in Sew Pretty Homestyle.

Things didn’t work out as planned. Perhaps because I didn’t have enough wool and thus used other materials. Or perhaps because I got carried away and sewed the sole on wrong-side out. OK, I made mistakes every step of the way, but they were still pretty cute in the end. Just a little flimsy.

So I pressed on, altered my pattern, added some bulk, and used stronger fabric. I even put a little felt on the bottom. Things were going swimmingly. Until I tried my second pair on.

Quite unfortunately, these must be a size 5 1/2 or something close. And I wear a 6 1/2 to 7. So they are snug. Very snug. Busting at the seams snug. My advice to anyone using Tone Finnanger’s pattern is to add to the seam allowance. Oh, and measure your feet before you dive in.

And that’s how I managed to FAIL twice in one evening. I think I’ll be wearing socks or flip-flops while in the hospital.

They are cute though. Don’t you think?

If I decide to make another pair of slippers (just the thought makes me a bit weary right now), I will knit or crochet some Mary Janes. If they’re too small, they’ll stretch. And if they’re too big… well, it will be hard not to realize that before the project is complete. I found what looks like a pretty cute pattern here. And here’s another pattern complete with tutorial. Would you expect anything less from Purl?

In other news, Dear Julia has offered to care for Emily, and I am ecstatic! I can’t think of anyone in a better position to help us with this. Thank you, Julia!

Today, I will (yes, I will!) clean and install Brother’s carseat. For some reason, I’ve been putting this off. Perhaps to make silly slippers that don’t fit? While I’m at it, I plan to vaccuum out the car. This hasn’t been done in, oh, about a year. (And another thank you to Julia for the Dust Buster… it will be put to good use today!)

Yesterday, I sat down to blog and looked down at my hand only to find a tiny diamond missing from my wedding band.  What an awesome April Fool’s Day joke that would have been–were it a joke.  But it was not, and I just couldn’t muster the joy I needed to do anything but complain (and decided to spare you).  I have since decided that it isn’t a big deal.  It won’t be much to replace, and it forces me to think about getting real insurance for my ring.  The rest of the day was lovely.  I just never made it back to the computer.

The skies were clear in Tulsa on the first day of April, and I snapped a few random pictures of our home and did a photo shoot with Emily on the front lawn.

Here are some baby clothes that are destined to be repurposed.  I really love that linen floral on top.  Too bad the original dress is heavily stained.  And that purple knit cardigan would make such a pretty sachet… and maybe mittens too.  As it now exists, it has a funny, purple faux-fur collar on it.  Yikes!

I finally washed all of our neutral baby clothes (We didn’t know if Emily was a boy or a girl), and I was surprised by just how much we have.  It’s so sad and sweet remembering Emily in each piece.  And it’s a little funny since the clothes really do look like they’re for a boy and not so much “gender neutral!”

I crocheted a bag from The Happy Hooker, probably because of this little bit of inspiration.

I bought handles for the purse today at Joann Fabrics (with my 40% off coupon, of course!  Never buy anything there without a coupon unless it’s on sale!).  When the lighting permits, I’ll snap a picture of the finished project to share.

During March, I challenged myself to make a little something every day (with the exception of Sundays).  I sort of succeeded although I sometimes counted cooking as making.  Like on Easter.  Julia and I cooked a lot, and it seemed very much like a full day of crafting.

So what of April?  April is Baby Brother’s expected birth month, so I’m dedicating my days to preparing for and, ultimately, caring for him (and Emily too!!!).   There is much that I haven’t done, so every day I hope to knock out some task that’s burdening me, no matter how small.  Yesterday I got his clothes ready.  Today I bought flannel for him and plan to call the hospital to set up a registration appointment.

There’s so much to do, but it’s a good kind of busy.  And I haven’t forgotten the point of it all.

Yesterday was an unexpected holiday for us, as Evan had Good Friday off for the first time ever.  It was also the second day of Spring, and it felt like it.  So my nesting instinct was compounded by my spring-cleaning instinct.  I switched out my winter wardrobe for my spring (and realized that most of my clothes are 4-5 years old and meant for a body that has not been through 2 pregnancies.  But here’s hoping!).  I cleaned the bathroom floor–the part we’ve been ignoring for months now.  I moved furniture.  Or directed furniture movement.  And I reorganized closets.  I may have made the coffee a little strong yesterday… (I couldn’t even sit still long enough to check my email, much less blog.)

Let’s talk about hanging stuff on the walls.  Why is it so stinkin’ hard to do?  We’ve been in our house for a year, and stacks of pictures gathering dust bunnies around them have been the norm for us.

So once I determined an arrangement that might work… and was in major project-mode, I begged Evan to carry out my vision.

Not too exciting, I realize.  But I can’t recount to you just how much this stressed me out.  Something about putting holes in freshly painted walls.  Before I snapped pictures, I adorned our new hooks with my favorite winter gear.  One last time before the pretty hats are stashed away for fresh, warm-weather accessories.

In the midst of all my doings yesterday, Evan took Emily to the park.  But not before he pointed out a yard sale happening just down the street.  Two houses away, I found these goodies for $1.  Four quarters, to be exact.

That’s 2 twin-sized fitted sheets in matching vintage floral, 3 planters, 2 pretty white vases, and an old cheese grater (it was free, and ours started rusting the day we brought it home–I figured it was worth a try).  Actually, the planters and vases were free too.  I just paid .50 for each sheet.  Good deal.

There’s much to do today, what with Easter dinner planning and tying up a few Easter projects.  I hope the nesting mode kicks in again.  Yesterday was just so productive that my hips ached around midnight.  Not that I want to ache, but you understand.