Success.

A few people have been asking about our craft show and I thought I'd share how the day went.

My crafting buddies... a.k.a. the preggos... Maggie and Sharlynn.

So... all in all I'd say the craft show was a success.  And by success I mean, we didn't sell nothing... and at least I broke about even with my expenses.  But it did not go NEAR as well as we had hoped.  We sold 7 items total.  :-(  We kind of think it wasn't quite the right crowd.  And we got some good ideas for some changes and additions to make our items more appealing.  And we are NOT giving up.  An Etsy shop is still in my mind, perhaps after the holidays.

If you would like a necklace for the holidays, email me and I'll send you pics of what I have.  I'm open to some custom orders as well.  I was selling the necklaces for $12 at the craft show, but would include shipping if you require it shipped.

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In other successes.  This little boy has gone the past 4 nights without needing to eat in the middle of the night.  And ONE of those nights he didn't make a peep for 12.5 hours.

I do kind of miss those middle of the night snuggles.  But I REALLY can't complain about getting a full nights sleep.  That hasn't happened in about... 8 months or so.  And I still have the video monitor to watch his sweet cheeks sleep at night.  Does this make me a mommy stalker?  Nah.  If I'm still doing that when he's 16 you can confront me on it.

Made on Tuesday.

I wasn't always a crafty person.  In fact, three years ago I wasn't into DIY or hand-making stuff AT ALL.  I'm not sure what changed that, but now I can't get enough.

Maybe it was my discovering Etsy and getting the wheels turning in my head... that doesn't look SO hard.  Or maybe it was baby fever that hit around that same time.  I made bibs and burp cloths galore long before Jude was even a little blueberry in my belly.  And then there is Pinterest.  Oh, Pinterest.

In any case, about two and a half years ago I randomly bought my first sewing machine and we've been buds {and sometimes enemies} ever since!

Luckily I have some pretty awesome crafty friends.  For the past year and a half or so, I've been getting together almost weekly with some of my best college buds.  My old roomies, Holly and Sharlynn, and an old friend from middleschool/highschool/college, Maggie, and I get together most every Tuesday night to craft.  Oh, and eat.  And sometimes watch The Bachelor.  And just gab.  Ya know, girl stuff.  Tuesday has quickly become one of my favorite nights of the week.  It's been my "me time" break every week and a chance to unwind from dealing with a crazy boy all day {who I love}.

One day one of us {I don't remember who} had the idea of "hey, we could make some money doing this... why don't we join a craft show?".  Brilliant!  So, we are!  TOMORROW!  Needless to say, I've been crafting WAY more than on Tuesdays to get my stuff together for this craft show.  

We call ourselves Pickles and Ice Cream Shop and will be selling items for baby and mama!  We're talking bibs, headbands, barettes, booties, and beanies for baby and necklaces and things for the home for ladies.  

Here are a few of the things I've made myself.

 If any of you are local, you are welcome to come!  It is from 9a-2p at 

Borculo Christian School 6830 96th Ave Zeeland, MI 49464.

I'm considering opening an Etsy shop to sell some of what I don't at the craft show.  And just for some extra cash, because who couldn't use some of that?

What are some of the crafty items you've made lately?

Do any of you have an Etsy shop?  Feel free to link to it in your comment! 

The Mama's have spoken... new baby projects!!

Here is a sneak peek of some of my latest projects.  I polled the facebook mama's and they told me that when it comes to bibs, long, absorbent, and SNAPS are important.  Well, here is my latest bib design.  Still cute, but longer than the other.  It has cotton, flannel, and chenille layered for extra absorbency.  It has also all been pre-washed, so it will maintain its size and structure.  The wet bag is approximately 12"x12" and is cotton with P.U.L. on the inside, which is waterproof.  Perfect for wet or dirty cloth diapers, burp cloths, and clothes.  Finally - a diaper clutch... the perfect size for a pack of wipes and 2-3 diapers.  Take a look!!  If you mama's have any suggestions, I welcome them!!

I love this fabric!!  Both are from designer Amy Butler.  Beautiful stuff!!

I also LOVE the pearl snaps. :-)

The whole gift set!!  This set was requested by my friend Danielle to give to a friend who is expecting.  I hope she likes it!

I'm obsessed.

Unfortunately I never got around to making the husband cozy... oh well, maybe next week. ;-)

I just thought I would update you all on some of my sewing projects.  I am seriously obsessed.  I think there must come a day when I start giving this stuff away or selling it.  I mean, there needs to be a point when you have made all that you can handle to keep and gotta get rid of stuff.  So we will see. :-)  Right now I am making stuff for myself and as gifts.

My very FIRST sewing project!!

I have had the crafting itch for quite awhile.  I love being creative, but just didn't really feel like I had a creative outlet.  But I've been fascinated lately with the home-made items I see on Etsy all the time... and started thinking that I could make some stuff of my own.  Being creative, but able to make stuff that is useful.  So - a couple of weeks ago I bought some fabric and was going to start sewing (what - I don't know!) only to find out that my grandmother's sewing machine that I have no longer works... or at least needs repair that costs more than I was willing to spend on a 40 year old machine.  So I was in the market for a new sewing machine.  After some research, I finally decided on the Brother CS-6000i.  This does WAY more than I need right now, but I hope to get better at this sewing thing and want a machine that I can learn and grow with.  This seemed to be the perfect fit.

My machine came in on Thursday and I was so eager to start using it!  I love this little guy.  It is computerized, which seems high-tech, but I think it has made the learning curve easier for me.  It is very straight forward to use and because it is digital, it has already *beeped* at me to warn me of my errors that could potentially mess up my machine (whoops).  It has different error codes for different problems, so that takes out a lot of the guess work as to what I am doing wrong... which really helps a beginner sewer like myself.  It has 60 stitches and came with a walking foot for quilting and other quilting accessories.  Quilting is really what I want to do, so I was thrilled with this.

I started my first project on Saturday and just finished it up this afternoon!!  I have NEVER really sewn before and I have a HUGE learning curve, but I am proud of this little guy and how much I have learned in the process of making it.

I made a quilted place mat or whatever you want to call it. :-)  I figure if I want to quilt, I should start small.  No use messing up a big project.  Haha.  So this is my first project.  I learned a ton and messed up a lot and used my seam ripper more than I have in the rest of my life combined, but I am happy with the finished product - considering this is my first time sewing almost ever (with the exception of a poorly made dog bed for Macy). 

I did not use my walking foot for this project, but just a regular stitch that is on my sewing machine.  I used a VERY low loft batting, because I didn't want to overwhelm myself and make it difficult to manage.  So it isn't very thick, but it is still nice.

 Quilting in straight lines was hard for me... but I know that just takes practice.  Also, the binding was difficult for me.  I have never done a slip stitch before, so I did some googling and taught myself.  I need practice a this too, especially the mitered corners, but am happy with how this turned out.

P.S. I should give credit where credit is due. I found this tutorial at Moda Bake Shop. LOTS of awesome projects there!!