a look back at my 2011 goals...

I was taking a look back at my 2011 Goals that I set last year, and thought that I would evaluate how I did.


~GOD~

I did better at doing my devotions than I have before,especially if I had some of that instant cappucino to go along with them. =) I can tell you that the days I was at my wits end by 4pm (or earlier) and yelling at the kids were the days that I didn't start with God.

~Family~

I did more craft projects with the kids and we had a tea party once, too. We didn't do the library thing a whole lot- just a few times and I remember leaving abruptly because someone wet themself - not me, just to be clear. There are so many times I had all these fun things planned out in my head, but I just wanted them to clean up first. And they didn't. It would only take them a few minutes, too. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

~Home~

Well, I have my kitchen curtains half done and I ripped all the seashell wallpaper down. I have made a few things like my fall pillow and the painted plastic Easter eggs. There are a few other projects in the works here, too. As far as keeping the house clean... well, that goes in spurts, but I am trying.

~Business~

God blessed my little etsy shop again this year. I definitely was more prepared for ornament season this year, too. Things that worked well: having snowmen ready to assemble, precutting color-sorted baggies full of hats/scarves/bows, switching over to flat rate boxes, and printing postage through Paypal. For next year it would help even more to have my thank you cards made ahead of time and keep my work area more organized. I also expanded my shop to include framed stitcheries, but there are more things I could make and I am still striving for the old farmhouse "look" in my shop.

Next year I am going to focus on these things again, of course, but I am also joining in on the 12 in 2012 at Live Delightfully as well. I am making my list so look for it to be posted sometime soon! Happy New Year!!!

Christmas 2011 Recap

We had a really nice Christmas! I can finally show you the Christmas projects I was working on, but first... the cute kid pictures!!! The kids know that until I get a decent picture, nothing will be opened. Only took 2 shots this year! It was Grace's first Christmas and she loved being allowed to play with paper and trying to eat the paper and her presents. =) My nieces also found a way to keep the little kids from snooping around the presents on Christmas Eve Eve. And here are my girls on Christmas morning in the new dresses that their grandmother got them. So pretty and polka-dotty! OK. On to the crafty stuff... For my little niece with the pretty blue eyes, I made an apron! She liked wearing my daughter's apron when we made cookies a few weeks ago (OK, she ate dough more than anything) so I made her one of her very own and she wanted to put it on right away! The little blueberries look so pretty with her eyes. =) For my son, I made a stocking. It was the first one I ever made and I threw it together on Christmas Eve because with Grace being added to the family we were one stocking short. I bought this fabric a looooong time ago with the intention of making him a stocking and I know that since he is getting older, there are limited days of me being able to make something (other than food) that he likes. Finally, I made these little mermaiden softies for all of my girls' stockings. They all have different hair colors to match my daughters and the fins are made from scraps from things like Easter dresses and shirts. I changed the original pattern that can be found HERE a little bit and I wanted to embellish them, but I never got around to it. I am sure that I can always do that later if they really want.

Merry Christmas... to you!

This is our first family Christmas card pic EVER with all of us (not just the kids) and I am so excited to share it with you! And here is our Charlie Brown tree...

And the silly picture... Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas... to me!

And Merry Christmas to you, too! Hopefully next week I will be able to show off all the top secret handmade presents I am working on, but with Grace now crawling and the rest of the family on Christmas vacation from work/school, we will see...

First, I have some people to thank for some things I was so blessed to win through blog giveaways! The first was a gift certificate to Sew Luxe Fabrics that I won by linking up my fall leaves pillow in their October Stitch and Share Challenge. I chose some of this lovely Late Bloomers fabric and I am hoping to make a bag and a quilt with them. Thank you!!!

Secondly, I won a giveaway for some Pear Tree fat quarters from the Intrepid Thread at a giveaway over at Our Busy Little Bunch! I have owned very little designer fabric in my life, so I am feeling very spoiled now. Thank you to these ladies, too!

Lastly, I won a giveaway from SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day over at Moonbeams in a Jar and received this lovely hot pack holder. It is not only lovely but so thick and cozy, too! Thank you!!

Last week (I think- things are blurring together these days) my sister-in-law asked me to go along to a discount grocery store and a fabric shop. YES! We don't really have any fabric stores nearby. The closest one is a little shop tucked away in the middle of nowhere and run by a Plain woman. It has a lot of fabric crammed in there, but I behaved myself! I got some fabric for a quilt I am working on, some IH fabric for more pillows, and the adorable farm block print (red tractors AND brown cows- I had to!!) BUT, what I was really excited about was that I found some fabric I was THIS close to actually buying online, but I didn't want to pay for a whole yard or shipping. I want to make some busy books with paper dolls- aren't they cute?!?

I got some sweet deals at the grocery store, too. All the dates are good on these things, too- so you know. Who doesn't love to get good deals, then come home and torture, er, entertain their husbands with the "Guess how much this was?" game? So, let's play!
These were 79 cents each! (Note- that is the BIG box of pudding mix and an 18 count of tacos.)

How about $1.49 each? (Oh, and we can get a free Cap'n TShirt cause I got 4 boxes of cereal!)

Best deal, though- 2lb. bags of Gold Medal flour... just look!
I came home with 20 bags of that. I bake A LOT. So, I got some pretty sweet deals. It was a good trip.

And, the other day, I finally let go of perfectionism. Why? Well, I have been wanting to make one of those cute card table play tents for my girls. My 3yo has been ripping my couch cushions off to make forts ever since she saw a play tent at a store (that wasn't sturdy at all). I decided that I will never get one made while she is in this phase. I threw some flat sheets over the card table and it entertained her for pretty long!

Merry Christmas to me!! =)

Brittany's Bag

I desperately needed a break from ornaments, so I made another Buttercup Bag! This one is for my brother's girlfriend, Brittany and she is a Steelers fan. I made it larger than either of the ones I have made before. Like the last one, I added fusible fleece lining (which meant it needed gussets in the bottom so it won't fall over) and extra pockets and a magnetic snap, too. Some sewing time was very therapeutic- I had already cut all the pieces out- I used scraps from the apron I made for my secret sister. The true colors don't show that well in these pictures, though. I had told Brittany I would make her a purse last Christmas when I made one for my sister-in-law, so it didn't take too long. =) It just takes me FOREVER to choose fabric for projects like this. I am too picky. Does anyone else have that problem?