Ruffle neck dress

I love this dress. I made it last summer for The Middle Child, but this year, it fits Last But Not Least (she's my sassy one). So sweet! The ruffle at the neck was the selling feature.

I used a pattern I bought here, and whipped it up in Alexander Henry's "jewel mobile," which I absolutely love. I bought enough to make something for ME to wear (if I ever get around to sewing clothes for myself). This is a benefit of having 2 girls- if you make the effort to sew a dress for the older one, you know it will get to be used again. Today was a beautiful day, so I shirked all the responsibilities of the "to do" list this afternoon and we took off to the park to enjoy the sunshine!

La Dolce Vita

Ten years. Yikes! And a busy ten it has been. Couldn't have planned them better.....life is good.
(Cheesy photo, I know)

I mentioned yesterday that I had a big surprise planned for the hubby for our 10 year anniversary, and last night at dinner I sprung it on him! We are going to Italy!!! And that is not all.....I have booked us for a 5 day Porsche tour- essentially we (he) gets to drive us around the Italian Riviera in a Porsche, taking in the sites, staying at a fancy-schmancy hotel....la dolce vita, my friends! Considering how he pours over his monthly Car and Driver magazine (while he continues to drive our 17 year old Volvo), you could say he was a bit excited:

And mostly surprised at my mastery in deception, I think (hmmm, this may come in handy in the future). I have been sneaking around booking tours and flights for months now, in cahoots with his staff at work to book him off, and overall just spending a tremendous amount of energy keeping my big mouth shut. It's going to be great! And a far cry from our last trip to Europe, incidentally 10 years ago, where we stayed in hostels and rode the night trains! Not that we didn't have a fabulous time then, too :-) We don't go until the fall, so we get to spend some delicious time dreaming and planning all the details!

Back in reality, it is another rainy weekend here, and I am so done with it. We have a string of birthday parties and fun planned, and as promised, I have some pictures of the crayon purse I made for Lauren and Serah, to coordinate with their dresses I posted here.

This is my first time making this in quilting cotton weight, so I used a fleecy interfacing and it turned out great! So sweet and girly. Inside, there is a pad of paper (covered with paper and sparkly flowers!), little puckered pockets to hold markers or crayons, and a pocket to stash stickers or their art.

Just the perfect size for little girls to tote around town!

Mckinley's quilt

Post-publishing note: For those who are interested, I have now posted the pattern for this quilt here.

I am so pleased with how this quilt came out, I seriously considered changing the name of one of my girls to Mckinley so that I can keep it. But, in the end, I can't think of a better home for this one. Mckinley was recently adopted by long term patients who I consider friends, after a long struggle with infertility. It is such a happy ending, and I am thrilled to do something for this beautiful new family!

I made the quilt using a Moda Hunky Dory charm pack, then framed each square in white to make it pop. The back is a solid of my favorite pattern from this series- the flowers are so vibrant and retro looking. I then bound it in the pink polka dot from the series. I also put in a white bar on which I hand embroidered Mckinley's name. To do so I printed a font and size on my computer, held it up to a window, and traced it onto the white sash. I then used 3 embroidery threads to stitch it up. Thanks to Amy at NanaCo for the advice! I extended the name stash to the edges, beyond the borders of the blocks, to add interest. I really like how it breaks up the quilt.

Next, I added a few shabby fabric flowers, with mismatched button centers, to add more texture and interest to the quilt. I love it! This idea was from Kathy at Magnolia Designs- she even lent me her Big Shot to cut the fabrics :-) They look even better all wrinkled up, once washed.

For quilting, I machine stitched 1/4 inch from all the borders. It really brings it all together!

I hope Mckinley and her family enjoy the quilt!

In another note, the hubby and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary today! Time flies. We are heading out for a swanky dinner tonight....and I have a BIG surprise gift planned. Can't wait to see his face! I will reveal tomorrow......

Roadtrip byproduct

Did I mention that our otherwise wonderful holiday involved a SEVEN HOUR drive each way? When I wasn't busy dislocating my shoulder from passing back a constant stream of treats and juice boxes to entertain the little monkeys in the backseat, I used my time to do some of the hand crafts I seldom have the chance to do (when am I ever sitting for an extended period of time?). One of the projects I completed, just in time for summer, is a warm, fluffy, knitted scarf.

Doesn't Edward look manly? I told my husband that a life sized vampire was a very practical purchase, and here he is, being put to good use!

This is my first adventure in knitting since 1993, when I knit my hubby the longest, widest scarf in history, for our 6 month dating anniversary. This one is earmarked for The Middle Child, who of course selected the lovely pink yarn. I got hooked by Denese, who "enabled" my OCD by lending me her "Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting" book ("Keep it as long as you want"- I already am eyeing up a cable knit pattern). I do feel a certain responsibility to knitting, as my grandmother was the one to teach me the basics when I was a preteen, and while I don't recall a single product of her knitting skills, I want to carry on the tradition. I think of her each time I pick up the needles :-)

Memory Lane

They say you can't go back. Well, this weekend, I did, and it was wonderful!

For the first 18 summers of my life, my family packed up the pop-up trailer and headed south to Minnesota, specifically the Brainerd area, for a couple weeks of jumping off docks, hanging out with the cousins, racing go-carts and visiting Paul Bunyan. It has been equally long since my last visit. In celebration of my mom's 60th birthday, my sister and I thought it was high time to head back down Memory Lane! We visited all of our favorite places, just upgraded the accommodations from the pop-up, to this:

Not too shabby, eh? No need to repeat ALL of that ancient history, after all. We did try to convince my parents that, to get the full nostalgic experience, they should drive my 3 bratty kids the 7 hours back (they didn't bite on that one), but other than that, and the housing upgrade, we were pretty true to history. A trip to meet Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (with the classic kids-in-jail shot that Kathy, Dave and I had taken every year): Time playing by the beach: A visit to the old stomping grounds, Sullivan's Campground on North Long Lake (check out Kath and me in our new super-stylish sweatshirts!): And of course, we indulged in our favorite pizza- 2 nights!

It was a fantastic weekend, and a sentimental journey, all in one. You really can go back! And I am so glad we did, that I had the opportunity to share an important piece of my childhood with my own kids. Happy birthday, Mom!

p.s. Have I ever mentioned that OCD also stands for "obsessive Cullen disorder?" Yes, I am a shameless Twilight fan. And look who I happened to find wandering about the Northwoods!!

Sweet Summer Dresses

I get all nostalgic when I see smocked summer dresses- it makes me think of tubes tops from the '80s, jelly sandals and orange Popsicles! And shirring makes the cutest summer dresses.

I decided to make a set for the upcoming joint birthday bash for my goddaughter. Lauren, and her little sister, Serah. I chose Lila Tueller Santorini fabrics in purples, as that is their mom's favorite color. I more or less followed Heather Ross' tutorial on Martha Stewart found here. I made some modifications- I didn't backstitch for the shirring, and instead pulled on the elastic thread when done to make it bunch up even more. I also made my own version of straps, using some of the crochet trim I had picked up at my thrift store adventure. I then bound it, quilt style, along one edge. I was really happy with the end result! It just gives it a little "something something." It looks even cuter on...enter my daughter as a model......Next up- a crayon purse in matching colors! Stay tuned!

Thrifty Me

Yes, ME. Okay, I may not normally be known as being particularly thrifty, but trust me, I love me a good deal. And today, I found several! I have been meaning to visit some local thrift shops but never seem to find the time. This weekend, I was reading MADE, and decided I needed to make it a priority . And oh, did I have fun!

I bought (I wish I was a photographer, to truly show the greatness!):

- a vintage full sheet set, floral in pinks, browns, green and cream that I plan to use as a quilt backing and as part of a top

- a saucy little yellow floral pillowcase, which my middle child claimed ("MOM, I want thaaaat! Can you make me a dress?")

- 3 vintage patterns, circa 1980, for a coat/vest, yoked tiered dress, and bohemian style tops (for 10 cents each!!)

- a classic vase- in case my hubby buys me flowers. But in the meantime, it held all my notions that I purchased such as.... - a heap of vintage wooden buttons

- another funky charcoal button

- crochet lace trim (planned to use as sundress straps)

- twill tape

- an 8" zipper, intended for my next clutch

- embroidered trim that will look so sweet as a purse strap or on top of a dress

ALL this for the bargain price of...(drum roll)......$10.90!

Seriously. I. Am. So. Happy.

I better go sew that pillowcase dress!

Kristie