Latest Nursing Cover

This nursing cover is for the same recipient as the cowboy burp cloth. :)

close-up of the ribbon I found that matches perfectly! :)

back fabric with coordinating pocket (from front fabric)

Close up of the fabrics (and terry cloth corner)

On a Roll...

You're going to get so sick of seeing burp cloths.... I finished my first pack of them, so you'll have a short break until I can go buy another pack. ;) In the meantime, I'm hoping to whip up a few napkins and monogram them. We'll see how the weekend goes...

First up, we have this:

It's for my friend, Jamie, whose baby shower I hosted and posted about back at the beginning of June. Well, Miss Katherine Elizabeth arrived last week! Everyone is back home and doing well, which is a praise, of course. :) As I was perusing embroidery sites yesterday, I found this ladybug alphabet. They had one sample letter for free--a K! Now, that will, hopefully, be great for us at some point because our last name begins with K. But in the meantime, I thought it would be perfect for little Katie! I had some ladybug fabric stashed for a project for Matt's sister--and I had more than enough. So, I took a section for the bottom of the cloth and added the pom-pons as well. I hope she likes it! :)

I also tried this:

My first applique with the embroidery machine! A couple who was in our small group has moved to Texas and are expecting baby Dusty in October. There is a "shower by mail" I was invited to "attend," so I thought I'd try something a little different. I actually used the FABULOUS 4D Embroidery Extra software to convert a cowboy boot clipart into an applique design. Then I used my oh-so-cute cowboy fabric to fill it in and decorate the bottom of the cloth. Lastly, I made an embroidery design of a sheriff's badge (also using clipart and the software) and put Dusty's name inside. It should be going in the mail on Monday... hopefully it will be well-received. :)

Embroidery Day 2 :)

Isabella's mommy and daddy are huge football fans and Carolina Panthers season ticket holders, so I thought this next little project was in order....

I also originally planned on a set of 3 coordinating ladybug cloths, if you recall.... and I finished the 2nd one. Only one more to go! :)

The first 2 together

Couldn't Help Myself

We've been told that if we want to stake our claim for Isabella's future education, we need to act fast as she already has Clemson gear. I couldn't help myself.... this is my latest (and favorite so far) creation from today. :) I *love* the "fUTure" campaign because I'm a geek and love word play. AND... it's CENTERED!!! Woo hooo!! I might need to make some of these for little Gator babies down here in FL.... just to make trouble. :)

It's here!!!!!

After ordering my Husqvarna Viking 4D Embroidery Extra software on July 7th... it finally came in! Apparently there have been delays across the board with Husqvarna products due to some customs hold-up(s). But it's finally here--and just in time for me to have 2 extra days home from school due to Tropical Storm Fay (well, they're not really days off because we'll have to go in 2 extra days in the spring that were previously days off... don't get me started :) ). So, I've been fiddling around trying to remember everything my sil told me about her Husqvarna machine and the software. And I finally successfully made something! I'm still working on the whole centering thing (I even used the little hoop template grid--I know the design altogether looks centered here, but on the software I designed it with the I centered and the ladybug off to the side, not with the center line between the ladybug and I like it looks here). If you have tips for centering, they are MORE than appreciated! :)

But nevertheless, here's the first of a pile of things I've been saving to monogram for our newest niece, Isabella (due Sept. 7). Her nursery is all ladybugs, so I thought this would be perfect. :)

Stay tuned for more!

Goal for this school year

One crafting goal I have for this school year is to try smocking. It might only amount to trying a few stitches on a sampler, though I certainly hope it turns into more than that.

In an effort to get started, I asked for recommendations from several people. Over and over, I was steered toward A-Z of Smocking and A-Z of Sewing for Smockers (thanks to those who suggested these).

I now have both at my fingertips and can't wait to try when school settles down a little. I would love to make this some handwork I could do in the evenings. I am loving the process of taking a flat piece of fabric and turning it into something three-dimension and useful. This could be another perfect outlet for producing something from cloth. :) And I wouldn't even need my machine (as fabulous as it is) to do the smocking, so that means this craft can travel!

Anyway, just wanted to update on the latest hoped-for crafting adventure. :)

Stay tuned this week for pictures of my latest cards. :)

Here we go again....

School starts Monday, and I have been going non-stop this week. Even yesterday, I was there 12 hours.... and still went back for a couple hours today! WHEW!

Please bear with me as the year gets up and running. Crafting is my "therapy" of sorts, so I hope to still make/keep time for it... especially if my embroidery software EVER gets in. ;)

Thanks for waiting for me to come back around, and I hope you are well! :)

Blessings,
Becca

Summer To Do List, revisted

Summer vacation is drawing to a close (pre-planning inservice begins Monday), so I thought I'd take a moment to see how I did with the summer checklist I posted here in May....

How I (hope to) Spend My Summer Vacation

1. Sleep in
2. Make my hubby's lunch more frequently (he took over lunch-packing duty for both of us most of this school year, amazing hubby that he is!)
3. Visit family
4. Make my owl pj pants
5. Start the wonky cabin quilt
6. Rebuild my rubber-stamped, ready to send card stash
7. Paint the master bathroom
8. Paint the laundry room
9. Keep asking Matt about painting a dining room accent wall :)
10. Visit family
11. Sew some things yet to be determined
12. Get my embroidery machine (that will be towards the end of the summer)!!
13. Finish touch-ups needed in remodeled family room
14. (BONUS) Visit family!!!!!!

How I Actually Spent My Summer Vacation
1. I did sleep in... it was glorious. :)
2. I have made Matt lunch more, and he's even come home for lunch a few times so we could have lunch *together.* :)
3. We spent a week visiting our families in SC and TN, and my mom spent almost a week down here with us. I love, love, love that part of summer. :)
4. Owl pj pants... did not start on those yet. But I DID make the dress. That was my first foray into garments, and I think I might have the nerve to try my pj pants now. :)
5. Start the wonky cabin quilt--errr, again, no. It's not that I've been afraid or haven't wanted to, though. I just do not even know where to begin with choosing the fabric for it! Any suggestions?? How do you choose quilt fabric???
6. I didn't make as many cards as I'd like, but I did make enough to get me started. :)
7. Paint the master bathroom--CHECK!! We love the bright, new, much-more-modern color.
8. Paint the laundry room--no. I did not get to that. I'll chalk it up to being summer in FL, and that is the hottest room in the house. ;)
9. I actually haven't asked him about the dining room wall, BUT I have kept the paint chip in plain sight. ;) And we *did* buy a couple things to make the room more finished--some candle sconces, hung a painting we bought months ago, and we have some more wrought iron wall art to hang in the dining room. So, the overall idea is moving along. :)
10. Visit family--again yes, lots of times with loved ones (especially the little ones... who, not surprisingly, are becoming less and less little!)
11. Sew: yes, I make coffee cuffs, a lunch bag, a sandwich wrap, and a dress!
12. Embroidery machine: check!!!!!!!! :) Now if only the 4D embroidery software would get in... they said maybe August 8... that's this Friday.... please oh please oh please?!? :)
13. Touch ups in family room. Well, yes and no. What I had in mind some touching up some places on the walls, which I did not do. But we *did* spruce things up by adding/rearranging some furniture and accents. It looks much more finished now than at the beginning of the summer. And we'll get to the wall touch ups. :)
14. Visit family: that's a whole-hearted YES! :) I love how summer affords substitute-teacher-prep FREE time (i.e. no sub lesson plans) to soak up our families! :)

All in all, I accomplished 8 of my 14 goals outright. Another 4 I kind of addressed. And 2 (laundry room and quilt) I flat out did not do. I *did* however have a wonderful summer break. A summer break with sweet memories, fun pictures, enjoyable crafting, and I even managed NOT to go to school at all for the entire month of July (a first in my teaching career). I will miss these relaxed days very, VERY soon, but they have been a sweet time of respite before the new school year begins! :)

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival WINNER!!

We have a winner!!

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2008-08-02 21:25:35 UTC

That means the winning comment is:

Carrie said...

My favorite teacher was Mrs Stames. She was beautiful and full of energy. After I started teaching we were sitting next to each other at an inservice and it was so sureal.

Please be watching for an email from me, Carrie, and congratulations. :)

Thank you to everyone who played along. It was fun and sweet to read your teacher memories before I head back to the classroom. It is a challenging, exhausting, sometimes bewildering job, but it's so rewarding! :) I'm so glad everyone had at least one teacher they can look back upon so fondly.

If the giveaway was your first time stopping by, I hope you'll come back now and then. :)