Thrifting and antiquing

Oh the joy of treasure hunting. Happiness is finding an amazing piece that fits my palette and my budget.
These beautiful salad plates were a pleasant find at an antique store in Minnesota two weeks ago.

My husband and I are huge anglophiles so it was wonderful to come across this mug from King Edwards coronation. Edward was the only English king to abdicate his throne and he did it for true love. Wikipedia King Edward VIII for extra fun and enlightenment. The mug was also from Minnesota.

The sugar bowl and creamer are my favorites. The colors are so perfect. The covered barn is pink! Pink! They are also my favorites because they were only five dollars at the D.I. ( Desert Industries) in the collectibles area.

The table center piece is only missing flowers.

I hope everyone had a super duper good Monday!

(For more every day creativity and beauty please check out my sweet friend Judy's blog at http://www.myhappychic.blogspot.com/.)

Harry Potter trivia night.

Star. My Dad Rocks.

Update: My instructions for dyeing onesies is wrong. Please do not use it. Next time I will follow the instruction on the box. I'll let you know how that goes.

I got the embroidery right however. Oh how I love handwork . Handwork and Netflix go hand in hand.
Ok then, this is the how I finished these onesies up.

I transferred my pattern on to an old pair of Oliver's jeans. Then I ripped the denim to the size I wanted it to be on the onesie. Note: To rip fabric cut 3/4 of an inch into the fabric on the line you measured your square or rectangle to be. Then just rip the fabric. Most of the time you will get a straight line.

1. Sew pattern using a back stitch. I used white, black and yellow embroidery floss . Black, white and the primary colors will show up the best on dark fabrics.


2. After you have embroidered the pattern place the denim in the middle of the onesies. Pin it to onesies on the four sides. Use a simple running stitch to sew the denim to the onesie.


3. Launder the onesies again to wash out any transfer lines that may be showing.

Milk and Rock 'n Roll

Making and giving handmade gifts is so important to my family and I.
It makes it even better when I can repurpose something I already have in the home rather then running out and buying something new. Like the denim I used for the onesies from Oliver's old pants. Things slow down a bit when I'm not out and about to the stores looking for a gift. Even better is that a wonderful baby boy gets a gift that is one of kind.

To baby with love.
I wrapped the gift with brown craft paper, used string, lace and 'rippy' fabric for the "bow". In my paper stashes I found a vintage Stork Bingo game. I thought a vintage Bingo card would add a bit of interest to the present.

This was a great two day two and a half hour project .



We played an intense Harry Potter: Scene It game before bed .

We met Freya's kindergarten teacher today. Freya was excited, she practically hopped her way to the school. Freya met with her teacher in her new classroom while Chris and I filled out forms in the hall. Mrs. Houmand gave Freya a mini quiz then invited us in to talk. I really like Mrs Houmand and more importantly so does Freya. Mrs Houmand told us that Freya needs to know all her letters and the sounds they make by Christmas and the best way to learn is to use flashcards. Great! Freya and I can make flash cards. So we got a deck of playing cards and found some cool scrapbook paper we liked. Then we gathered up alphabet stickers and stamps and set to work.


1. Cut the scrapbook paper to fit just inside the card.
3 1/4 by 2 1/4. Hint: If you quilt or sew you will find it goes so fast to use your mat,
ruler and rortary cutter. Use a dull fabric blade.
2: Staple the four corners of the paper just inside the card.
3. (The fun part). Decorate the card.
I drew out the big letter first in Sharpie. I set out an array of
alphabet stickers and stamps to chose from. Freya using the stamps didn't last long.
I took over that job. I love playing with stamps. It was a great interactive way to craft with
Freya. It was also a great way for Freya to learn her letters.

It was a wonderful afternoon. In two and a half hours.

Iron on Transferring

Iron-on Transferring

1. Draw your desired image on to a plain, white piece of paper.
OR
2. If copying an image, tape image to a window and trace image on to a plain, white piece of paper.
3. Turn traced image over and tape to window (image will be backward).
4. Trace over the image with an iron-on transfer pencil. Trace over the image several times so that it transfers clearly on to your fabric. (Most of the transfer lines will be embroidered over. The rest will wash out with laundering). NOTE: Iron-on transfer pencils are available at Wal-Mart in the Craft/Sew section. They are also available at hobby, craft, or quilting shops.
5. Cut out image in the shape of a square.
6. Place image face-down on fabric. Press iron on image for 10 seconds, using high heat. Be careful not to scorch the fabric.
7. Peek under a corner of the paper to see if image has transferred clearly. If not, press for 10 more seconds. NOTE: If you do not get a clear image transferred on to the fabric, you may not have traced the image enough.

Now you are ready to embroider!
Yay, my favorite part!!!
Handwork and Flight of the Conchords go great together.

A date with my sweet love Chris. Depeche Mode. Brilliant show. Brilliant night.

25 of August 2009

Dyeing onesies black.

You can not buy black onesies. I think black onesies on a baby boys is very sweet.
To dye a pack of onsies black:
1. Mix equal parts water and white vinegar with black dye in a large pot.
2. Lay each onesie flat into the pot. Make sure each onesie is fully immersed.
3. Soak over night.
4. Rinse, wring and sunshine dry.
5. Run the onesies through the washer 4 or 5 times. Or until all excess dye is washed out.
6. Tumble or sunshine dry.
We are ready to embellish our black onesies.