Back from North Country & getting caught up...

Hi everyone! Syd and I got in a bit ago from the gorgeous "North Woods" in NH, a.k.a. "the stix".


It's only about an hour or so from here, but it's a pretty long hour, filled with winding roads that travel through small towns with free roaming chickens and fire wood for sale at every other home or so. Hubby is on call at the hospital up there this weekend so we headed up there for the day to keep him company. We've been there several times before, but this time of the year is by far the most beautiful!

The lupines are out everywhere:


And the covered bridges are the perfect accent to the lush green grass and acres and acres of sprawling farmland...




We visited our usual antique/salvage stores and I picked up a vintage sampler and apron. Any ideas of what I should do with this sampler?


I've been looking for the perfect halter style bib apron pattern for a while now and haven't found it... so I'm going to make a pattern based on this apron. I love the hand-embroidered leaves and the style.


And it looks like I've found another use for my hanging flower baskets :)


This week has been a bit crazy... I love these long summer days, but they honestly feel shorter in a way! Sydney wakes up at 6 am, takes one nap, and goes to bed much later than in the winter (despite my purchase and installation of blackout shades). I'm doing much less sewing than I'd like, but it's getting done when I have the chance, and when I know I'll enjoy it. No sense in being stressed about it!

One day this week I attacked our yard for ~ 4 hours while Syd napped/stayed under Hubby's watch. We have yet to landscape the yard (we are having a big excavation project done within the next couple of weeks, so it made no sense to spend $ on something that will be destroyed by all of the big trucks); I also never got around last year to digging up the dead "stuff" in the front flower beds... so..... after mowing I went to town and now it looks great! Can't wait to add some plants/bushes! While clearing out the front, I found a small patch of irises that quickly found a new home on the downstairs bathroom sink:



And this morning while shooting some belt pics outside, I found another grouping of irises starting to bloom - gorgeous!


On the craft front, I have to admit that I've been bitten by another bug.... Jewelry making. I've fought this one for a while, but like knitting, I guess it's time has come :) Two friends up here love making jewelry, so at our craft night last week we all decided to try it out (and are now hooked!) Here's a pic of some of my loot- most is from North Star Gems in Bristol, NH - cute shop with a friendly and helpful owner:


Could I possibly have any more earth-toned beads?!

Here's a necklace that I'm working on - I'll get a better picture taken when I'm done:



Aside from being another fun thing to do with "the girls", I'm enjoying this craft b/c it gives pretty immediate gratification. Not like spending 2-3 hours on a bag.... Or knitting a sweater or scarf. You can have a new necklace or bracelet in less than an hour! I'm still very much a beginner, so I'm sure there's lots more complicated techniques out there that take more time. I doubt I'll strive to make anything too complicated - I like simple and pretty. Luckily that's fast :)

Speaking of knitting, I picked up some new goodies last weekend in VT to make Syd a warm fall/winter sweater. I even get to learn to make a pom-pom! The pattern is #27 from Monkeysuits, and the yarn is Baby Alpaca Chunky by Cascade Yarns. I'm hoping to start this once I finish up the website next week. I haven't knit in a while and miss it!



Oh! Almost forgot about these goodies! I made some embellished towels for "the girls" with the ribbon that I mentioned a few posts back. Definitely check out LFN ribbons - they are so unique! My favorite is the little veggies... or the pears.... or the cutlery... it's a hard decision! The lab ribbon is a stnd. novelty ribbon (not by LFN), but it is reversible and features yellow labs with a black background.


And this was a little something for a friend in MA - yes, it's still cold enough sometimes at night to need a fleece sleeper (on the left). The onesie on the right has a little "j" for Josh - check out J.Caroline Creative's link for the perfect letter appliques (click and print - love it!)


Lastly (I promise!) I made another of my favorite bag (I'm thinking of calling it "THE POUCH" - anyone have any other ideas?) for a friend and myself. I love how functional it is - I put my keys and cell phone in the front pouches, and my wallet, diaper, wipes, etc. inside. There's another outside pocket on the reverse side that's great for other odds and ends. My friend uses the front elastic pouches for baby bottles. At last a bag that will be used after the bottle years! I'll definitely be featuring this on the website!


Have a great weekend! What are you all up to? :) Kris

We're having a....

Mornin' everyone! I'm headed off in a bit to VT to meet a friend for the day- I'm really excited to see her and to spend the day outside with the fam :) She is running the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Queechee, VT - such a fun local race! I was going to sign up for it back in January (it literally fills up in a day!) but I was gung-ho on being pregnant by June and didn't want to waste the race spot. It's now June and we're 21 weeks along!

Speaking of which... we had the *big* ultrasound yesterday - by far the most exciting OB visit in the bunch. We saw it all... heart, lungs, bladder, umbilical cord... it's so amazing! I've been thinking all along that we're having a boy, and guess what?! I was right!!!! I'll spare you the "detailed" pic (looks like he's sitting on xerox machine), but here's a cute side view of Baby V:



I love how his little mouth is open!!

Before I jet off to the shower... I've gotten a few requests to share a pattern for the skirts that I've been making for Sydney. Initially I used the purse pattern that Autum posted:

patchwork bag instructions (it's the second tutorial in her post)

And since I've played with it a bit depending on who I'm making it for (ex: Syd's skirts are 9" long, 3T/4T are 11", etc). I use 1" non-roll elastic at the top and I line the skirts (mostly to cover up all of those seams!). The thing that honestly takes the most time is doing the feather stitching on the seams - I love the look though :) Hope that helps!

PS: The fabric that I posted on last time is in!!!! I've got a deadline for myself to get my website up and running by 6/14. If you're interested in the fabric before then, the ETSUKO is $17/yard and the others (squirrels and hedgehogs) are $13/yard - drop me a line at kristen@monkeyfootdesigns.com and I'll put together an invoice for you.

Have a great weekend!! :) Kris

On it's way!

(6/2/07 UPDATE!)
PS: The fabric is in!!!! I've got a deadline for myself to get my website up and running by 6/14. If you're interested in the fabric before then, the ETSUKO is $17/yard and the others are $13- drop me a line at kristen@monkeyfootdesigns.com and I'll put together an invoice for you.

Just got an invoice for some Japanese fabric that's on it's way within the next couple of days - At last the ladybugs will be here! YIPPEE!!!!

Ladybugs: JG-95010-11A


Patchwork Stripes: JG-95000-501B


Patch work Stripes: JG-95000-501C


Squirrels: H-3120-20A


Hedgehogs: H-3010-15A


Hedgehogs: H-3010-15C

*/*Stars and Stripes*/*

Happy Memorial Day everyone! We have been blessed with a picture perfect day - 70's, sunny, breezy... ahhh..... Hubby is on call at the hospital, so we weren't able to venture too far this weekend. We did get to do some leisurely exploring within the "safe" 20 minute driving radius and managed to put up some new ceiling fans in our bedroom and Syd's. Folks in central NH don't believe in central AC, so most houses aren't built with it. We're big fans of the window units and ceiling fans :) If we ever do decide to build a house, we're definitely going with the central air... The few months out of the year that you need it make it all worth the $!

We had hoped to walk down to the parade in town this morning, but Syd pooped out and needed to go down for a nap. I had cut out the pieces for this outfit last week in hopes of making it in time for today:



and was actually able to finish it this AM while Hubby was tending to a C-section at the hospital. Good thing that July 4th & Labor Day are coming up! I decided to try a onesie with it this time instead of a t-shirt only b/c laziness prevailed and I didn't feel like making bloomers to put over her diaper :)

I'm off for a walk before the mozzies come out! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! :) Kris

A smattering of goodies

Hello everyone! Wow... it's been a crazy busy (but over-all fun) week. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

We had a gorgeous day here, so Syd and I headed to the flower store (okay... Walmart) and filled the cart with 2 shopping baskets of flowers and sundry flower planting goodies. Spring fever hit pretty hard :) Luckily Syd napped when we came home, so I was able to spend a peaceful chunk of time in the outdoors setting up some hanging baskets and window boxes to pretty up the front of the house. I love coming home to a porch filled with flowers!





The rest of the week was filled with finishing up some EBAY bag and belt orders, some skirt sets and some birthday fun. Tuesday ended up being a very fun day and I had a great birthday! Thanks for the b-day wishes everyone!

I've got a bunch of pics to post so I'll try to make my dialog brief :)

Here's a new patchwork bag (thanks again Kathryn!)- This one is made with fabrics from the Amy Butler Full Bloom Line:





Here's a cute set for Syd for a shin-dig we attended the other night - I absolutely love the Amy Butler curry kimono / cathedral window print and have been itching to make this set for her. I meant to get a picture of her in it... oh well... It's supposed to be warm this week (fingers crossed...) so I'll try and get a picture.



Here's a smattering of some of the mother's day and b-day gifts sent out a bit ago. I made glasses cases with pictures on them for my mom, mother-in-law and a couple of other friends. I love modern technology.... you can print pictures right on cotton-twill fabric, in the comfort of your own home. I tried a pouch using the Amy Butler Work-A-Day pattern but didn't like how it turned out, so I made my own pattern (basically a smaller version of the wipe/dipe pouch). Much better :)



Here's a mom's day gift for Sue, my crafty sis-in-law. She loves black-eyed susans, and loves this print (it's a fabric from Joanne's that has a smocked top - she thought a dress might be a bit too much, but when I saw a 31" remnant a few weeks ago, I figured I could make something with it). It's a zippered-top dipes/wipes/bottle bag, with a long strap. I used the smocked part of the material for the bottle pocket part on the front - an easy way to have an expandable pouch! I've got a bunch of fabric left-over, so I might try and make a dress for Jordan... we'll see.



A couple of weeks ago a super nice woman named Sandy wrote re: the Sakura onesie that I made for Sydney with some scraps from the wetbags that I made for Erin at Diaper Daisy. She loved the patchwork skirts as well, and requested an outfit for her little girl, Sam. Luckily I scored the last yard of a coordinating print on EBAY and I love how it turned out!







I've also been in touch with Hoodie of Hoodie's Collection (I have almost all of her patterns in my EBAY store - if you haven't checked them out, they are worth a look - cute and functional!). She sent these behind-the-scenes pics from the SLC Quilt Market a few weeks ago. They are from her booth - she works with Michael Miller and was set up with them. How fun!!!! She also had MM send me fabric swatches of the fabric line (Daisy Vibe) that she designed for them. They are gorgeous - I think I'll be contacting the fine people at MM! Thanks again Hoodie :)








I love this palette - "TANGERINE":


"SPICE" Palette (perfect for fall!):



"TEAL" Palette:



I'm off to sleep now - just wanted to pop on for a bit and say a quick HELLO! to everyone :) Good night! ~ Kris

I've been tagged!

...by the incredibly talented Jen of Beebee Mod. In case you have seen this fun tag yet, the goal is for me to share "7 Random Facts about Me". Hmmmmm... this should be fun!

Before starting, I have to say that I think that Jen is my long-lost twin... I too was born in 1974; I love cows (there is a HUGE cow mural in my old bedroom in NJ - I just gave Mom the "okay" to paint over it); I was a competitive runner (though not at the college level); I was born in NJ (close to NY!); I too wanted to be a Veterinarian when I was little (didn't decide on human medicine until college... part of me thinks that I will go back to school to become a vet after the kiddies are all grown and gone): and I also had a canpoy bed when I was little (my mom can't wait for me to get it out of the attic!) and I used to stand at the end of it and do forward flips onto the mattress (hit my head a few too many times...).

Okay... onto the list!

1) My birthday is next week (Tuesday) and for some reason I'm really not a fan. Never have been, even as a kid. I *love* everyone else's birthday and love sending out cards and gifts.

2) I love to iron! I iron everything short of my sheets and towels :) I also love to vacuum and mow the lawn.

3) My most embarrassing moment: one day in my senior year of high school I wore my favorite GAP twirly, above the knee skirt... while walking into school I noticed a lot of people laughing... I didn't think anything of it until a guy friend of mine told me that the back of my skirt was tucked into my undies. I was mortified!!!! The pluses of this situation: (1) I was a distance runner and had a pretty good bum at the time, and (2) this was before thongs became popular.

4) I never really was much into kids, but always saw myself having a family... I wasn't sure I'd enjoy being a stay-at-home mom... Now, I can't imagine my life any differently - I'm the happiest that I have ever been in my life! I love every aspect of it all: my husband and I are the only ones raising our daughter (who I love more than anything in the world), I can still keep my hands in the Physical Therapy world by working a few days a month, I can sew/craft EVERY day! (well, almost every day) and surround myself with beautiful fabric... there is just so much more flexibility than living the corporate lifestyle! I actually decided not to become a doctor because of my strong desire to have a family - Physical Therapy provides the mental challenge and the scheduling flexibility that I need.

5) I dream of having a small farm (or at least a chunk of land) on which I can have a barn and a moderate amount of farm critters - cows, chickens, sheep, and of course some ALPACA! I'd either sell the Alpaca wool or learn to make it into yarn.

6) The thing that causes me the most anxiety: being the center of attention. Even the thought of giving a speech in front of a room of people causes me to sweat. You should have seen me the day of my wedding... What's weird is that I'm actually a very outgoing and talkative person - I just greatly prefer a one-on-one / small group situation.

7) I have no clue how to wear makeup, so I never do (aside from mascara, some foundation now-and-again, and chapstick - my equivalent of lipstick). The last time I wore eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush and lipstick was on the day of my wedding 4 yrs ago. I keep thinking that I'll learn someday, but I doubt it :) I even went to a May Kay lady when we lived in VA, but it didn't help. Luckily (?) I have quite prominent facial features (most notably: big blue eyes, and a large lower lip that was the bane of my existence when I was younger, but that people now tell me they would pay big, big bucks for).

Now I tag: Tara (who suggested that I start a blog and learn to knit - thanks Tara!)

Better late...

This week is a "catch-up" and "get-stuff-done" week for me. Not the most exciting or fun of weeks, but rewarding in that I've finished up (and mailed!) a ton of birthday gifts and mother's day gifts (lots of my friend's are celebrating their "first" this year), and have caught up on a lot of "stuff". Still lots more to do, but I feel a nice calm that hasn't been felt in a while.

One thing I did today was clear off my desk upstairs. We are still in flux as we finish up the craft room/study/guest room, so it's easy to ignore the growing mound of papers on my desk. I'm big on tearing articles from magazines that I intend to look more into, and love to gather "to check-out" websites. Country Living had a fun site listed www.purplepinkandorange.com in their January 2007 magazine (I seriously have scraps from last year too...) that touted lots of handmade and unique goodies. I checked out the site today and found that it's closing in 2 and a half weeks! The plus side of this is that they are having a huge store-wide sale. Hence my sharing of the find with you all (not that I would have neglected to mention it anyways...). Happy Shopping!

I'm liking this square cherry pin


... and of course this kitchy cow towel



Also had a chance to visit a few blogs and saw mention a few times of a new Westminster designer, Joel Dewberry. Can't wait to see the rest of his line! Here's a sneak peak for you (from his website):



I'm off to start a cutting frenzy - lots of skirts and bags to make! Patchwork, patchwork, patchwork :)

Quick post about quilt market

Wow.... that's all I've got to say!! Check out Portabellopixie's post re: the SLC quilt market - she took some great pics of our favorite designers, and some AMAZING sneak peaks at NIGELLA (I really am liking the idea of the "framed" animal silhouettes as wall decor - a great idea for the guest room/office I need to be decorating...)

It's killing me waiting to see that line!!) Congrats on your new fabric line Sandi!!! Hugs :)

PS: Just got this email from my cousin, Stacy in TN and thought I'd share... so true...

WHY I LOVE MOM

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed"

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.

Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button

She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night solution &age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. "I'm going to bed."

And he did...without another thought.

Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...?

CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

THEN, GO TO BED!

Some Monday Morning Inspiration

I love Monday mornings - hubby is off to work... I can sit quietly with my coffee for a bit to gather my thoughts... Syd is off in some part of the kitchen "re-arranging" (it's a battle that I've given up on - she has fun and I get some quiet, so it's a win-win situation)... Ahhh....

Anyways, I got a fun email from Butterick this w/e with some of their new patterns - check these out:

I'm a sucker for this style of dress (left) - how cute would this look made with some Freshcut?



This one reminds me of something that Stacy would whip up in a night - it looks so comfy! If only I knew how to sew with knit fabrics... it's on the "to learn" list...



This one I like b/c it looks like it has some good transitional pieces (for pregnancy), if you could make that band just a little bit higher....:



Got another email from Lion Brand Yarn - Vana White is a *huge* crocheter (who knew?!) and is coming out with a line of yarns that actually look quite appealing:





Might be perfect for this sweater - seriously, how cute is this?! Lion Brand "Lacy Child's Top" Crocheted sweater



Gotta run - I'll report in later this week on some fun new ribbon that I just bought - check out this link for a sneak peak :)

*Excellent* Cookie Recipe & SAHM get a 3% raise!

Mornin' everyone! Loved this article from YAHOO - looks like SAHM's have gotten a 3% raise this year! I'd like the $138,095 put in my bank account... what about you?

I have to share this yummy recipe before the craziness of the day sets in:

It's from this month's COOKING LIGHT magazine - you can substitute Craisins or Dried Cherries if, like me, you can't find dried strawberries. Note: double the recipe - if you make one batch they'll be gone before you know it!



White Chocolate, Strawberry, and Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried strawberries
1/3 cup premium white chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Add strawberries and chips; beat at low speed just until blended.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool on pan 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks.


Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 98(30% from fat); FAT 3.3g (sat 2.1g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.2g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 11mg; SODIUM 73mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 0.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16g

I'm a Lemon Cake - watch out! :)

So Jen has this fun little thing in her blog to see what kind of cake you'd be if you were a cake. I find my result to be a little funny given my post a bit ago about the AWESOME lemon cake recipe that my family is now addicted to....

You Are a Lemon Cake

Strong, sexy, and overpowering. You know who you are, and you're not afraid to show the world your fabulous self. You're confident, charming, and extremely popular.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

These make me smile...

Typical scenario: hubby and I are in the car, he looks into the console and finds old tissues, food wrappers, french fries, straw wrappers... "Hon, this is gross".

I'm actually a pretty clean and neat person (at least the trash is in *one* central location in the car!) and make an effort to vacuum, clean, etc. the car somewhat regularly. Doesn't happen as often as I'd like anymore, but that's life.

Along comes Allyson Hill to the rescue! I've been eyeing these car litter bags for a while now, waiting for the right fabric to grab me. I absolutely love Alexander Henry's MOCCA print, so when I saw this one the other day, I snatched it right up. We picked it up out of the mailbox yesterday on our way out to run errands and I immediately installed it - it is *fantastic*! I'll have to get an action shot for you guys. Hubby is happy now too :)




In the mail also was the newest circular from the local Birkenstock store. I have a cow "thing" too, and just can't stand how cute these are! They make them in kids and adult sizes....