sew,sew,sew.

because i don't begin working for the summer until june, i've had lots of time on my hands to work on projects, visit little shops, and simply enjoy a break from the busy-ness. i've absolutely fallen in love with my new sewing machine. i love being able to create something in my head, execute it, and be left with a fun, adorable product.

i've gotten into a little routine of getting a vanilla dr.pepper from sonic at 2pm and then dedicating the rest of the day to sewing projects. the other day while i was at hobby lobby, i found some burlap material on sale and decided to create a project with it. i ended up making a little wallet-ish project.

i loved the yellow leafy fabric so much that i decided to make an apron using it later on that night.

i've had a few people ask me about buying bags, etc. from me. i couldn't believe people want to buy my stuff! so anyways, i'm currently contemplating starting an etsy shop. i decided that it might be a good way to make a little extra money to go towards the wedding. but in the mean time, i'm just content sewing little projects with my vanilla dr.pepper every afternoon. 

next project i'm tackling: headbands!

journals.

a couple of weeks ago i found a tutorial for handmade hard cover journals, and seeing as though i'm a pretty big journal fan, this tutorial was right up my alley. i never fill up an entire journal, but i'm constantly in search of cute ones with the most perfect type of paper for writing (types of paper really do make a difference...to me at least!). when i stumbled on this tutorial from curiously crafty, she ensured me that "if she could do it, anyone could do it". i questioned that statement at first but my crafty/journal-loving side told me that i had nothing to lose. i was pretty happy with the results and i can't wait to make some more of these fun little books!

spreading joy.

i have so many favorite blogs that i like to keep up with that my bookmarks on my computer are beginning to get a little out of hand. i think it's time that i do a little organizing and categorizing to keep myself sane. 

one of my favorite blogs is called "whatever". an incredibly talented and creative mom of 5 shares her day-to-day adventures of raising children all while doing so in a fun, creative, colorful way. i just love it. and i hope that one day i can be a mom that is just as fun and creative as she is. 

on this particular blog the author keeps a list of her favorite things that she has come across on the internet. she updates it nearly every day and, i have to say, it's one of my favorite things when i start going through my blog list daily.

this was a post from the katherine marie photography blog that was included on the favorites list last week. love love love:

the idea behind “card drops” is to leave something for a stranger—it could be a kind word, encouraging note or exact change to buy treat. 

 

“The smallest act of kindness
is worth more than the
greatest intention.”

—Oscar Wilde—

Every act of kindness counts.
Don’t have time for a card drop?  YOU could—

Buy a candy bar for a gas station attendant.  
Hold a door.
Drop a dollar in the toy isle (on purpose!).
Leave change in a soda machine. 

----------------------------------------

cute, huh? 

counting down.

yesterday marked the "one year until we get married" date for zach and i! it makes this whole wedding thing a little more real when you can countdown under a year for your wedding. our location is booked and we are so so so excited about it. it's at an old orchard with several barns for the ceremony, reception, etc. it's definitely us.

i also bought my wedding dress on thursday! everything is falling into place. now we just have to wait until may 21, 2011. 

i will carry you.

i've been reading a blog now for about a year by a wonderful woman named angie smith. angie is the wife of todd smith who is a singer in the christian group selah. angie and todd have been blessed with 3 beautiful girls who are spunky and full of life. two years ago, angie became pregnant with their 4th daughter named audrey. they soon found out that audrey had many problems including an overly large liver. after months of tests and scans they found out that audrey would not live once she was born. the family made the decision to wait and allow audrey to make her way into the world when she was ready and see what the lord had planned. audrey was born on april 7, 2008 and passed on three hours later. the family was able to spend those precious hours taking pictures with little audrey and cherishing that sweet time together.

nearly 9 months ago, angie found out that she was pregnant again with a little baby girl named charlotte. charlotte was set to arrive in early june, but it soon became apparent that there was something wrong with this pregnancy as well. unfortunately, baby charlotte seems to have a lot of the same conditions that little audrey had. today is angie's birthday and i just read on her blog that the doctors have decided to go ahead and deliver charlotte tonight at 10pm. 

this family and their story has been heavy on my heart the passed few days. i can't imagine the emotions that are running through each of them right now. i write this post in hopes that others will read their story and pray for this sweet family. 

i encourage you to take a look at angie's blog. she is such a sweet lady who has a passion for the love of her savior and is an inspiration to women everywhere. she is a great writer and has been given the gift of words in how she is able to express herself.  she wrote a book called "i will carry you" which tells the story of audrey and the struggles, emotions, and triumphs that their family went through. 

if you click here, you can download angie's book as an ebook for free. i downloaded it last night and haven't been able to get much of anything else done. 

angie's blog: http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

this picture was taken of angie's girls right before audrey was born. such a sweet, innocent reminder of the fragility of life. 

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
      and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
      Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
      as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
 You saw me before I was born.
      Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
   Every moment was laid out
      before a single day had passed."

Psalms 139:13-16

graduation.

this weekend was techs graduation for spring 2010. we had several friends graduating this year so we made the trek down to russellville friday night to participate in all the graduation festivities.

and this time next year it will be us in caps and gowns. 

project one.

as i've posted several times previously, i couldn't wait to get home for the summer and have ample time to sit down and sew and create fun new projects from different fabrics. well, i wasn't taking into account that my sewing machine was slightly ancient and more or less eats the fabric rather than sews it. frustration ensued. i've had my eye on a new brother machine for awhile now and, lo and behold, i found it used on craigslist monday night! i picked up the machine on tuesday and have been enjoying every minute with my new friend. 

i have been wanting to create a cute tote bag for quite awhile now. i love love love big bags that allow you to throw nearly anything into. the requirements for my bag had to be as follows: large. sturdy. cute. i found some wonderful fabric that i immediately fell in love with at hobby lobby and couldn't wait to get started. but, as i was wondering the aisles of hobby lobby (aka, what i think heaven may be like), i stumbled upon the canvas bag section which just so happened to be 50% off. i found the perfect sized heavy duty bag for $2.50. i decided that since this was my first project, i could just add some details to this bag first so that i can get the hang of using my new machine and the move on to making my other bag next. i was pretty pleased with the outcome!

these flowers are quickly becoming one of my new favorite things. they're super easy, cute, and can be used to embellish anything. all you have to do is do a running stick through a strip of fabric, draw it up once you reach the end, shape it into a flower, and then hand sew it all together. i gathered a small piece of fabric for the middle of this one but i've done some with buttons in the middle that turned out cute as well. i even made one to attach to my dogs collar this morning. i think it made her feel pretty. 

word of warning: sewing on these bags isn't as easy as you would think. maneuvering the bag through the machine is a bit awkward. i'm sure a more experienced sew-er would have no troubles, but if you're a beginner like me and want to try this out, don't get too frustrated with trying to get the bag situated in a position that allows you to sew. 

one more reason i am in love with target.

yesterday while browsing through target we found them. THEM. the perfect bridesmaids dresses. i nearly fainted from excitement when i saw these dresses. they're perfect for our laid back style wedding.  i have been searching everywhere for the perfect gray dresses only to hit road blocks everytime. i've learned that gray is tricky, it's usually either really dark or really light. we went to david's bridal yesterday and my options were either dark gray or silver. no, no, no, not what i wanted.

best part of these dresses? i got all five dresses for the bridesmaids for less than the cost of one dress that i originally was going to get. hallelujah!!

if you're planning a wedding, look at some department stores for dresses. i never really thought about going anywhere but a bridal store for the dresses but it's a much cheaper route with lots and lots of options.

imagine these dresses with cute light yellow flats or heels. yes, yes, yes!!

hola summer.

before the end of the semester i decided to take a two week blogging break so that i could focus on finals, projects, and all of the extra odds and ends that come with the end of the school year. well, finals have all been taken, projects have all been submitted, and it's officially summer break!

every year i like to make a "to-do" list for summer. not a "you-have-to-get-this-done" type of to do list, but a "it-would-really-be-great-if-i-did-this-this-summer" type of list. here it goes for summer 2010:

• make lots and lots of fun sewing projects
• take more pictures
• ride my bike to work *(see additional comments below)
• learn a little more on the mandolin
• read adult books vs. the hundreds of children's books that i read during the school year.
• visit friends
• plan weekend trips to various places
• find crafty ideas for the wedding. 
• cook yummy food. 

and the list goes on and on. it's a continual work in progress. 

* comments on the bike: so, you may remember that last summer i decided to turn my grandmas old bicycle into a project, and with some help from zach, some elbow grease, and a fresh coat of paint, the old bike had a new life breathed into it. but, what i didn't realize was that when you have an old bike, you're going to have lots of problems. 

my bikes problems: the wheels were wobbly, the brakes didn't work so well, the gears didn't shift, and riding for more than 10 minutes would result in lots of sweat, loss of breath, and a pinch of frustration. 

BUT, i have a sweet fiance that is always thinking of ways to surprise me and who is really great at finding good deals on craigslist. so now i have a REAL bike that will go up hills with ease, has gears that shift smoothly, and is perfect for the many bike rides that will ensue over the summer.