#78 – Craft Hope – Project 11

On my 101 in 1001 list, I wrote out a goal to do a project with a particular group three times. Now I’m thinking that three times just isn’t enough. But the list is written and who says that I can’t overshoot my own goal? That’s not against the rules as far as I know!

Craft Hope is an organization that I found through a friend at work. M sent me their link, thinking about how crafty I was and just had the feeling that something like what Craft Hope does would click with me…and boy was she right! I really didn’t have time last year (what with being pregnant and then having a newborn around) to participate in any of their projects, so that’s why it ended up on my 101 in 1001 list. I wanted to be sure and do it!

What I like even better is that the founder of Craft Hope is right here in Austin! We could be neighbors! We’re not, and that sounded totally craft-nerdy to say it that way, but I just think that it’s really cool that a mom of three little ones started something this cool. I wish that I had ideas like this!

Anyway, Jade over at Craft Hope just posted their first project for the year, and it’s totally something that I can do! Double score! You can read more about the project here if you’re interested, but I’ll sum it up for you. This project is working with Konbit Sante, a group that is dedicated to helping provide safe (safer) deliveries to babies in Haiti. We all know that the situation in Haiti was bad before it got worse last year, and that goes double for babies. My heart just about broke all to pieces reading the statistics about the children trying to grow up there…and the conditions in which mothers find themselves giving birth. Having just safely delivered my own bundle of joy…well, it’s easy to see why this one hit home with me.

So what Konbit Sante does is to provide the “midwives” with a birthing bag for each new birth (if I’m understanding things correctly) and Craft Hope is teaming up to make a sizeable contribution through its readers of these bags. It’s a simple homemade bag filled with some small, inexpensive medical necessities and also a receiving blanket and stuffed “lovey” for the new baby. That’s where the crafty part comes in. It just amazes me that the list of medical necessities that Haiti doesn’t have access to is a clean razor blade, string, plastic sheeting, gloves and alcohol wipes/hand sanitizer. When I think about all that went into my birth at my clean, sterile hospital with 34 nurses/doctors attending to my every need and whim…it’s just humbling that births in third world, poverty stricken countries happen with a lot less. You can read the specifics here, if you’re interested.

So I’m committed to this project. I’m going to aim for making 5 bags, if the supplies that I need to procure will get me 5. I’m using this simple pattern for the bags, just serging the ends of some baby flannel into receiving blankets, and plan on trying my hand at this tutorial of a “lovey”. I have all the material needed (except for the flannel) already at my house, so the cost should be low on the homemade end of things. Now I just need to round up the medical supplies…and find out about shipping razor blades and Purell across international borders. I’m sure there’s something to declare at the Post Office…

So here goes the start of another goal! I may not actually be able to do much right now other than gather the needed supplies, since Jenna’s got a BIG school project that I’ll be working with her on that’s due the second week of February…but the deadline for sending in the Craft Hope project isn’t until March 1st, so hopefully I’m good to go on timing. Wish me luck!

If this is something that you’re interested in working on too, please click here to read more about it! Even just making up one bag makes a difference to someone…

Busy Little Elves…

You know what? I think that’s the most magical part of the whole Santa concept…the part where he has unlimited access to magical toy-making elves. And I’m sure that there are also treat-making elves in there too, since there have to be package wrapping elves to wrap up all the toys that the toy-making elves made. That’s why I’m running so behind! I can’t find my elves!!!

Where, oh where, can they be hiding? Did I not pay enough last year? I was pretty sure that Santa’s elves were paid with hot chocolate and cookies…so maybe I was wrong to assume that and they’re on strike this year because I made them mad and didn’t appreciate them enough last year. Could be. Anything’s possible, right?

Well, barring me finding my little magical elves somewhere under the pile of laundry that’s currently sitting on my couch, I decided last night that I just needed to roll up my sleeves and get busy myself if I wanted to get done what all needs to get done the next few days.

No, my Christmas tree still isn’t up. Don’t ask.

BUT even if I didn’t manage that task, I DID manage to get all of the remaining treat bags assembled and put together. Since they were all sitting there, mocking me, waiting to be stuffed with treats and goodies, I went ahead and obliged them. I stuffed and stuffed until my fingers were sticky (either from all the sugary sweetness that’s contained in the treats themselves or from the adhesive that I was using to close the bottoms of the bags, I’m not totally sure) and then I stuffed some more. The good news? All but two treats got all stuffed and assembled. Yea!

And then, since I was on such a good roll of accomplishment, I headed over to my “sewing table” (AKA the dining table) to work on those dang coasters. I don’t know what possessed me to believe that goodies/treats wasn’t enough for the teacher’s gifts. That they needed something handmade in there too…but 32 coasters later…I’m over halfway through with them now. I cut them all out last week. Then I sewed the all together before we went out of town. I took them with me and turned them all right-side out and pinned the openings closed while we drove for hours upon hours – you know, when I wasn’t assembling the gift bags. All of my step-by-step work paid off though, and I was able to sit down last night and in only about 30 minutes finish up 2/3 of them. I think that I have 10 left for tonight…not too shabby.

So I have to “bag and tag” two sets of treats, sew up 10 more coasters and then put all the bags together and finish them off with name tags and tissue paper. Totally doable…if I don’t care whether my tree goes up tonight. I’ve really about decided that we’ll just start a new tradition and put it up on Christmas Eve, leave it up until New Year’s (you know, so we have “time” to enjoy it!) and then take it down. Done and done.

I have all day off on Friday, which is Christmas Eve…so SURELY I’ll be able to get it done then. Surely. We have plans with my parents that night, but I’m totally thinking of either going out to eat with them or just making something in my awesome new Crock-Pot that I won at our office white elephant gift exchange this year…putting presents to good use already – that’s my kind of Christmas magic!

I promise to have pictures of goodies (along with some recipes!) and the cutesy bags up tomorrow. I started to post them today, but realized that there are a few people who read this blog that me doing so would ruin the surprise of opening their gift…so it’ll wait another day. And then I think that I’ll rest and relax, you know, because after that it’ll be Christmas Eve and I’ll need to be working on putting up that tree and wrapping all the presents that need to go underneath it! Yep…no presents are wrapped right now either. Don’t judge.

Tis the Season...

Have you ever had something happen (a good thing) and you feared talking about it because you didn’t want to jinx things?


I think that this is especially true when you have a blog. You talk about all sorts of personal business here on the internet that’s open/available to anyone with half an interest to read all about it. Sooner or later it’s bound to happen…you talk about something good…and immediately afterward, it goes away. Because you opened your big, fat mouth.

At least, that’s how things work in my life. So, I’m currently sitting on a “secret” that I don’t want to share just quite yet. No, I’m not pregnant. Just get that thought out of your head. And can I ask why must you hate me so much to wish that on me with a nearly 5-month-old at home? I didn’t do anything to you!

But really. I think that if you talk about things happening with your baby the first time it happens (as I’ve done in the past) then that event might never happen again. Or at least not for the next month. It’s sort of like when the baby learns a new trick and you tell all of your family and friends about it…your family and friends come over to see this amazing trick in person with their own eyes…and the little snot won’t do it anymore. No matter how much you beg and plead.

So, my “thing” has happened once. Last night it happened again. That makes twice, if your math skills are a bit fuzzy in the mornings. But I think that it will take several more days to make a “pattern” worth talking about and sharing, don’t you?

Therefore, I’m not talking about it…not even thinking about it…and yes, my nose is growing as I type out these lies!

In other news, since I feel like I can’t talk about what I’d really like to talk about, is anyone else feeling a bit “overcommitted” this holiday season? I know that I am…and I did it to myself. You see, like most other people that we know, the crunch of financial strain is being felt at our household. It’s expensive to have a baby…especially one that likes to continue getting sick and make mommy and daddy miss work. In response to this financial crunch, I decided that the best gifts to give our teachers/day care providers/co-workers was homemade gifts. You know, that personal touch.

So I collected recipes and projects and have been amassing a plethora of photoshop gift tags and labels that are just as cute as can be. Everything is all arranged in my head into neat little piles and stacks of how it will all be: the gift bags, the tags that I painstakingly slaved over, the treat bags with their little tags, etc, etc…you get the picture, right? But in reality, I still have to make all the stuff…which takes time. Time to bake. Time to sew. Time to print out all of these god-forsaken tags and cut them all out. Time to tie them all on, just so. And time is something that is hard to come by with a little one in the house. Especially when it’s the 14th of December and my husband and daughter are just now putting up the lights outside! Don’t even ask me about where our tree is…

In the meantime, I’ve also been working on our family gifts…and was so impressed with how quickly I wrapped up all of the shopping for my nieces and nephews this year…forgetting that I still needed to finish up our kids and one all important person – Brent! Luckily for me, lots of places are doing site-to-store now, which takes most of the work out of it for me. Now if only the UPS brown truck will hurry up and deliver everything to me on time…all of my fingers and toes are crossed!

And then cue the crazy music as I realize that school ends THIS WEEK, which means that the teacher present that I was making for Jenna’s teacher? Yeah, I have to have that done this week…not next week, when everything else can wait until. Hello crazy life, I’d like to say that I’ve missed you…but you haven’t gone anywhere, you’ve been here all along. Hiding in the background, just waiting to pounce!

So, tonight I made fudge. At 10 o’clock at night. Because that’s the best time to make fudge, didn’t you know? And tomorrow night I’ll make something else. The following night will be another thing. And lunches? Well, they’re all present and accounted for this week as I run from store to store collecting all of my baubles/packages or cutting tags and such out of the special cardstock that I ordered and should be arriving today or tomorrow. Luckily, I can stalk the UPS site from my phone as I do all of this and fret and worry over whether my stuff will get here in time.

There’s really nothing like waiting until the last minute! Don’t believe those people that tell you that it’s best to finish BEFORE Thanksgiving…it’s really best to wrap presents the night before Christmas…trust me!

I guess since I’m complaining about the lack of time…I should get on to bed before I’m adding lack of energy to accomplish all of this to my never-ending to do list, huh? Okay…you convinced me…Good Night!

Shabby Shoppe Challenges

Oh my goodness...is it Friday ALREADY?!?!  And I haven't posted one single time this week?!?! 

Gracious...are you all wondering if I'm ok?  We are...just caught the dreaded stomach bug that was making the rounds at Jenna's elementary school.  Yeah, I spoke too soon and apparently too loud about us all being healthy and happy.  The joke was on me!  But once again, we all seem to be recovered...I was trying to whisper it that time...

In the meantime, I completed another Shabby Shoppe Template Challenge, and thought that I would share with you guys.  Check it out!

I love doing these challenges!  The Shabby Shoppe gals provide the template...and more than enough product to work with...a Shabby Shoppe gift card topped all of my Christmas lists this year, that's for sure! 

Maybe things will be back to normal in the next few days...no promises, but maybe!  LOL!

PWA is Called to Order!

Ok, in truth, this project’s life span cannot be blamed entirely upon me. My wedding must take some of the blame. Let me explain.

Back when Brent and I were dating, the bedspread that he had on his bed was…well…let’s just say that it has LOTS of character. Isn’t that what you say about an ugly couch? That it has “character”? That’s what I’m trying to say here. It was warm…I definitely will give it props for keeping me nice and cozy during the night, but in the looks department it was sort of…lacking. I determined that it would be really cool to make a new bedspread.

At this point I had made a few blankets and had just finished a baby quilt for one of my best friends (Maid Momma from our wedding for you A Bride…Again readers!) and it turned out beautifully. Brent made the comment that it was so nice and how cool would it look in a larger size. Which got me thinking…and the life of a new project was born. I spent the next few months gathering my supplies…different yards of material to piece together into my quilt and then when I had 10 or so different patterns, I got some outside help (Thanks, Aunt Ann!) to determine which material needed to make the final cut and which ones could be discarded. OK, so to be 100% honest, I probably had 15 different materials, and that really was too many.

So we narrowed it down, and I cut out my pieces. This is what I was left with…

And these were my FAVORITE pieces!

For some reason, the flash was destroying some of the coloring…sorry for the darkish picture.

Anyway, in my head, I envisioned sewing these into a pattern of squares on their side (Would that be diamond-shaped?) and then covered with a lattice of chocolate brown ribbon to hide the spots where the square seams didn’t meet up 100%. Trust me, it was gorgeous on the baby quilt that I did. (I looked and looked for a picture of it, but can’t find a single one!)

Then the whole piece would be trimmed with some more of this…
Once again, the flash was weird. Sorry. Can you envision what I’m making? Pretty, right?

So here’s what happened…I bought all of the material and got all the squares cut. I even laid out the pattern of the squares and put them all in order. And then we got engaged…which was GREAT news! But between the wedding stuff starting and then moving in together about two months later and all of the packing/unpacking that a move like that involves, the quilt project got lost. Yes, you read that right, I lost all of my hard work.

But since I’m a slacker and all of my boxes weren’t unpacked at the time that I realized that it was lost, I didn’t worry too much. So a month passes…and then two months…and before I knew it, six months had gone by. I did search for the squares during these times, but I can be honest and say that I probably didn't look that hard. Before I knew it I looked up and realized that almost a year had passed without me seeing these beauties. The wedding happened, the honeymoon was over…and I really started looking for the squares. I got buoyed when I found the extra material…but no squares. Hmmm…and then, unbelievably a miracle occurred. I found the squares!

And yes, there WAS screaming, jumping up and down with joy and a small celebration of sorts around the living room when I uncovered them. And you might think that I immediately went to work on it…but not so much. I was newly pregnant and didn’t have the energy. I did re-organize and get the pattern re-established and in a more useable manner. But that was it.

Until last week…when I realized that I am a Projects Whore and PWA (Project Whores Anonymous) was formed. I had new projects in mind, but decided that I needed to make some progress on these older projects first. So that’s exactly what I did. I put my nose to the grindstone and worked like a DOG on it. It turns out that my hard work paid off – in less than a week of working on it again, here’s what I had… Do you sort of see the ugly comforter underneath it! Yuck!

What do you think? Do you like how it came together? Brent and I really like it…the next step is to do the ribbon-lattice part, which means stopping and buying the actual ribbon. In the meantime, I can work on my red/white and denim project, right?!?! Right!

I “Might” Be A Project Whore…

I guarantee you that my Mom laughed at that title! Love you, Mom!!!

You see…I have a problem. And since the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have a problem, I feel like I’m making progress. I don’t think that it’s a really bad problem…but maybe that’s just me and part of the whole overall problem. You know like when alcoholics say that they don’t have a problem when everyone else can CLEARLY see that they have a problem? Yeah, I might need to start a PWA group (Project Whores Anonymous)…we’d need to have meetings and form support groups and stuff. And I’m not knocking AA and groups like that…they do help people. I’m just thinking that I should start my own group – want to join?

I think that it starts with the wedding…SO much inspiration…so many cutesy projects that you can do. Just project overload. Then it’s settling into your new home as a married couple, finding your style and decorating and such. Curtains need to be made, painting needs to be done, and if you have a crafty hubby – tile needs to be laid. What was that, honey? You don’t know how to do that? Oh, well, I think that they offer classes at Lowe’s…smoochies! Love you! Thank you so much!

But like I was saying, acknowledging that you might have a problem is a step in the right direction. Here’s my problem: I’m really good at envisioning things that I can make and do and all. I’m even really good at finding the materials (sometimes on sale!) and gathering them all up. I can even manage to get started and do the first few steps…and that’s where my grand master plan falls apart. Somewhere between step #4 and completion…I get Project A.D.D. or something and get side-tracked. Usually for good reasons. But no matter if the reasons are good or lame, the project stalls and then before I know it…time passes. And the project gathers dust. Or is forgotten completely.

These are all things that I realized last week…after spending $40 on new fabric for a few things that are buzzing around my brain to be all crafty with right now. as I unload my purchases and start to wash the fabric (it MUST be washed before sewn!) B gently (or bravely?!?) points out to me that I have fabric already. What do I need more for? As I share what I’m planning on doing with him, he just sort of smiles at me and says ok. But this is a look that I’ve come to know. It’s directed at me and usually means more than just ok.

As I sit and ponder what he could POSSIBLY be implying…it hits me. I’m a project whore. I move from one project to the next with ease and serenity…sometimes finishing things up and sometimes not. There’s always something else to focus on…the grass is always greener and so forth. You get the idea, right?

Since the washing machine was already started, I finished that task, but when the material was all washed and dried, I forced myself to fold it and put it aside. I did NOT immediately start sketching out the new pattern in my head. I did NOT cut any of the material out to take along with me as I collect the remaining pieces needed to finish it. I have not spent more money on these projects on my head. I decided that I needed to finish up some other sewing projects first.

OK, so maybe I decided to finish up ONE project…baby steps, people!

And you know what? After less than one week…ONE WEEK ladies!...I got finished with a big project. Or at least more on my way to being finished. I at least made enough progress towards finishing that I could justify cutting out a pattern for the project that’s been fermenting in my creative brain for the past week. Seven little bitty days made a big difference.

It should show me what determination can do for a person. Or what withholding a prize can do to motivate a child…because that’s what I am. A child. Who needs to be bribed and scheduled to finish her work…don’t expect miracles, but progress is nice.

So you want to see what I’m talking about? Do you want the new or the old? I have pictures of both because I’m cool like that…

Here’s the new project as a teaser…then I’ll explain more about the old project tomorrow. And maybe posting about my progress will make me more accountable? Maybe you ladies can hold me to my tasks by asking me how things are going? Maybe…don’t worry though, I won’t bite and get mad when you “gently” remind me that there are other things to be working on, I promise!

So here’s my new project… Well, that’s at least the material that my new project will take shape in…I can’t WAIT to start on it! I cut the pieces out last night…but I have to set another new goal with the old project to finish some step before I can let myself work too much on this one! Help keep me strong!!!