And the winners are.....

Thanks everyone who entered the drawing - I loved reading your comments and checking out your blogs!

The process: I entered everyone into a WORD document (one person emailed to be added so I added her comment at the time she wrote), assigned a number to everyone and then used the random number picker to select the winners of the drawing (I was going to cut out everyone's entries and have Sydney pick them, but that seemed a bit labor intensive and not too environmentally friendly - besides, I think that you all wanted to find out before the end of the year who won!)

The 3 winners of the Apron Pattern are:
1) Kate (#1)
2) Shannon (#2)
3) Michelle P (#3)

The 2 winners of the Japanese fabric fat quarters are:
1) Krista Walker (#44)
2) Melody (jefalody) (#15)

and the winner of the SIMPLE GIFTS TO STITCH BOOK is...

Kath (#38)

Please email your mailing addresses to kristen@monkeyfootdesigns.com and I'll get your goodies out to you this week :)


I'm starting to think that life is starting to return to normal (whatever that is...). Ben is sleeping well and Sydney has taken to being a big sister like a champ. Some days are rougher than others, but we're getting by pretty well and have some kind of vague schedule that we follow day-to-day. I'm really fine as long as I get to do some "stuff" during nap time- get orders together and in the mail, sew, email, etc. Hate to say it, but I often don't even pick up the phone during nap...

Anyways, this past weekend we got into the swing of things and had a belated Turkey Day feast with hubby's sis (we had to cancel our plans due to a nasty cold that Syd and I got the night before we were supposed to leave) and cut down our Christmas tree. It was a balmy 10 degrees here (probably less than 0 with the wind chill), so we basically chopped down the first respectable looking tree we saw.



Trimming the tree this year took no time at all b/c (1) it is a pretty small tree - it looked much bigger in the field... and (2) I had to keep the lower third void of any breakables b/c of our little elf who likes to hug and dance with the tree every morning when she gets up...

I don' t know about you all, but one of my favorite parts of Christmas is pulling out all of the old decorations and goodies that have been collected over the years. Ornaments are the most special to me - here are a couple of gems that need to be shared :)

I grew up in a blue bi-level home that was built in the 70's and one year a grade school art project was to make a pressed tin (?) ornament of your home. I probably colored it with Sharpies (I doubt those fruity smelly ones would have such staying power) and I love it. Not sure why, but I do. Probably b/c I was lucky in that this was the only house I ever lived in until I went to college... and my parents sill live there! The color has since changed, but it's still home.


This next one just cracks me up. It's supposed to be a self-portrait stuffy (I think I actually sewed it by hand?)... Scary... The sad thing is that I can't draw much better than this now!

My third favorites are yearly ornaments that mom makes - there is a cranberry and pink one in the first ornament pic and a green and yellow one in the pic above. For some reason I have 2 "1997" ones. Don't tell her...!

I just realized that I haven't shared any pictures of the "new" back room! The long and the short of it is that the room was poorly built, so we had it gutted and rebuilt it from the studs out. Also added a room underneath it, so we have storage next to the garage (yipppee!!). We LOVE this room and it's finished at just the right time (we got 2 feet of snow today!). We still need to hang some pictures, and I'd like to make some quick x-mas pillow covers, but so far we're happy with it. The guys are still working on the new back deck - pics to come!

Here's the view from standing in the kitchen, looking out to the left:

And to the right...:

And from sitting on the sofas in the last picture:

On the craft front, I've been trying to get some wholesale orders finished up so I can get to the fun stuff - Christmas gifts! I have started working on a scarf for Frank's Aunt, and I can't say enough fantastic things about the BABY ALPACA GRANDE yarn from Plymouth that I'm using. I scored this yummy yarn on EBAY about a month ago and am in love with it... Luckily Christmas is a few weeks away b/c it's taking me a while to get this one done. I've tried knitting while nursing Ben and it wasn't pretty. I can do a lot while nursing, but knitting is tough...

If you've been wondering about Amy Butler's new SWEET LIFE BAGS, I'll tell you from first hand experience that they are wonderful! The one shown above is the ASHBURY in Pewter and it's a fantastic knitting bag. Tons of pockets inside and tons of room - check it out!


Speaking of Amy Butler, I just added the fantastic LOTUS TUNIC and CAMI pattern to my EBAY store!!!



and restocked the new Sophia Bag Pattern (oh how I just want to have a day to myself to make this!):

I've got to scoot - it's almost midnight... Have a great night everyone! :) Kris

The Big *100*!!!

Wow! 100 posts already! I can't believe it... It's been a fun year or so and I've met so many fun and inspirational people on here - thank you! I am truly in awe of so much of the talent that is in the homes of so many - I had no idea when I started blogging last year :)

In the spirit of today, I'm giving away a bunch of fun goodies! The drawing will run through Sunday night (12/2) and I'll post the winners on Monday (I'll need the winners to send email addresses to gather your shipping info.). You must post to this entry to play! You won't see your post right away - I moderate the comments to avoid those horrible SPAM messages!

If you are having problems leaving a post, just drop me a line at kristen@monkeyfootdesigns.com and I'll enter you into the drawing ;)

To the FIRST THREE people to respond to this post, you will receive a new, sealed in plastic Reversible Skirt Apron Pattern from Hoodie's Collection:

I'll also randomly draw TWO people to receive a fat quarter bundle chock-full of fun Japanese fabrics, including these (and a few more!):

Lastly, ONE lucky winner will be drawn at random for this fun (and timely) book!


PS: My website sale ends on 12/15! Click on THIS LINK to receive 15% off your order :)

Bag Love (and a website coupon link!)

Yey! I was *actuallly* able to start and finish a bag on Saturday! Ben has been super fussy in the evenings so we hung out together last night and got this little bit of gorgeousness done. Probably should have saved the last step (binding) to this morning...hindsight...

(and a sneak peak at the chocolate walls & new door hardware in our bedroom!)

To backtrack, the pattern I used was Betsy Ross' One for All Shoulder Bag - the first pattern by them that I have tried (but not my last!). The pattern is rated is a "One Star", meaning that it's for beginners and an easy project for an afternoon.

The bag instructions are only for the outside and binding, but it's easy to extrapolate a bit and add an interlining, lining, pockets, etc. These days I need as much help keeping organized as possible, so I went with adding a few things: lining, interlining, large divided pockets on both sides, interior bottle pockets with elastic, key clip, and magnetic snap closure. If I add up all the time between nursing and burping sessions, I'd say the bag probably took me 3 hours (cutting to completion).

All in all I liked the pattern - aside from the things that I added, the other change that I made to the pattern was to make the handles longer (I'd recommend cutting the large binding piece at 1.5 times the size of the pattern piece). I'm definitely going to make this one again - need more practice with the binding!

Inside Shot:

Initially I was going to use the Amy Butler Forest Woodfern as the outside fabric, but the Aqua Primrose was begging to be seen :)


This morning I finished up a small zippered waterproof pouch and keyfob - now I'm all set to use the new bag on Monday!

PS: Click on THIS LINK to receive 15% off everything at www.monkeyfootdesigns.com

Happy Turkey Day everyone! ~ Kris

Hi everyone! I'm still here :) Just haven't had the time lately to sit and post anything. I've missed it! Ben is a month old already and we're starting to get into somewhat of a routine (I think...). Overall he's a great baby - sleeps 6-7 hours sometimes at nights, is pretty relaxed during the day, and takes lots and lots of "help" from Sydney without many complaints. Poor kid has some bad acne and gas right now, but I keep telling myself that it's just a phase... He is going to wonder, though, why there aren't any pictures of him from the age of 2 weeks - 3 months...

I'm slowly getting back to sewing again (just in time for the holidays!) :) House renovations continue, but we have moved my sewing stuff back upstairs to the middle room. I'll take pics of the rooms sometime soon. I still have to make some new bedding and accessories for our room and the guest room/office/sewing room, but the 2 bedding sets that I found on Overstock.com will tide me over for a while:

For our room (with chocolate walls and ivory curtains) - stock photo:

For the middle room (with sage green walls and white curtains) - stock photo:


I've got some fun projects on the horizon, like this bag (I'll add a lining and pockets), and this bag (trying to decide between the Forest Water Lotus, Spinach Water Lotus, or one of the primrose prints, and these placemats (I'm hoping these are easy to make - perfect for Christmas gifts!).

And check out this AMAZING bag that Lynn made - I have always wanted to make this bag, but now I think that I *need* to make it. GORGEOUS!!

I finished up some gifts, like these PJ's for Alex (the son of a friend in NY)


And some new scrub hats for hubby: (who doesn't love Charlie Brown?!)


We finally got to see the new Spiderman movie, so when I saw this fabric in Walmart last week, I had to snatch it up - it had red Spidey (left) *and* black Spidey (right)!


And in light of the recent HUGE win by the Sox, Syd got herself a new coat :) I used the Wonder Jacket pattern by Sew Baby and it was pretty easy! I think that I might take it apart and make the lining out of flannel though... A touch more cozy would be nice (and warm!)

I planned on posting more about new patterns and bags, but that will have to wait 'til next time!

Oh! I have posted one new Sweet Life Bag (Nolita: Dark Green) in my Ebay store:


I love this one! Perfect for your day-to-day goodies or as a project/knitting bag. Mention code MONKEYFREE at checkout and receive FREE SHIPPING! (just send me a request for the updated invoice).

I've also updated my website with a SLEW of new belts, so pop by and check 'em out :) I'll be posting a coupon link soon, so check back here within the next day or so!

Hope everyone's been well and are thinking yummy Turkey Day thoughts! ~ Kris

Happy Halloween!

"B" is for...

Baby Boy Benjamin

He has at last arrived! We are actually still in the hospital and are doing well (hopefully we'll be able to go home tomorrow!). The induction went beautifully on Monday/Tuesday and Ben was born yesterday at 3:36 pm, weighing in at 8 lb 8 oz and 22.5" tall. It's been a very peaceful 24 hours and we're feeling very lucky to be the parents of this amazing little boy :)

Overalls and Invisible Zippers

Still no baby yet... tick-tock...

I've been anxious for fall to come so I could start making embellished overalls for Sydney and her friends and I'm smitten! So fun and generally easy - here's a pair that I finished up yesterday morning (for Syd's friend, Amelia - her mom absolutely loves the lime star paisley print, so this set was an easy one for me to pick fabrics for):




The next pair will be for Sydney (I found a practically new pair of Osh 'Gosh overalls yesterday at the second -hand store for $1.50!), using these fabrics from Heather Ross: (I can't get enough of these little fish!).

Don't know if I've mentioned this before, but a friend of mine up here, Michelle, is also pregnant (due today!) and we have a strange feeling that we'll be in labor the same time next week...

Anyways, I started working on a few things for her last night - one of which is a boppy cover. I've made them before using a velcro closure, but wanted to try and use an invisible zipper. I've never put one in before, but I picked up one of those handy little plastic COATS Invisible Zipper Foot kits at Joanne's a while back in case I ever got inspired.

Well, I sat there for a while, staring at this package... hoping that the scant directions they give would process somehow in my brain. No luck. I headed to the computer with fingers crossed, hoping that some nice crafter would have a lovely tutorial for me to learn from. I was in luck, and found THIS TUTORIAL on the blog: Sew? I Knit! Again, thank you, thank you, thank you Cyndi! I've now added this tutorial to my sidebar :)

I used the kit to insert the zipper for one cover, using this print:

But for the next one (I made a new one for our Baby as well - Sydney LOVES to carry the bolt of this fabric (which calls "oofs"):

around the house, so I figured she might also like to "help" carry the pillow when Baby comes), I tried using my regular zipper foot and it worked perfectly. Luck? Who knows.... but at least I know how to use the darned kit now!

PS: Isn't this Swedish duvet & sham set from Pottery Barn adorable?!

Off to start the day - have a great weekend everyone! ~ Kris

"The Word"

I'm currently reading a delightful new book by Elizabeth Gilbert, titled "EAT PRAY LOVE".

You've probably heard of it, as it's been on the New York Times Bestseller list for a bit, and I think she's been on Oprah by now as well. It was a last minute purchase - we were in a book store recently and I just picked it up and bought it, remembering that I had heard some positive chatter about it somewhere.... The writing is fresh and descriptive and just what I need right now. The book is divided into 3 sections (3 different areas of the world that she travels in: Italy, India and Indonesia). I haven't been to the later 2, but was lucky enough to spend 2 glorious weeks in Italy with hubby a couple of years ago.

Oh how I've loved the Italy chapter... her descriptions of Rome, Lucca, Venice, Naples... the people, the food (oh, the food!), the history... Calgon, take me away!

At the close of the Italy chapter, she has a discussion about "the word" of a city - as she put it "if you could read people's thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought".

Interesting concept.

I won't spoil it for you and tell you the word of Rome :) She goes on to discuss "the word" for different times of her life, and for herself.

Hmmm... what would your word be? Is it really possible to sum yourself up in one word? I've been thinking about this one for a few days now and am still struggling to pick just one. The closest that I can come to is:

FOCUSED

Not the most profound of words, but definitely one that describes me in every stage of my life, and in all that I do day-to-day. It's got some good and bad to it, but it has kept me grounded and generally successful with life's ups and downs.

To completely change the topic now... today is the due date for Baby V and he has decided that he's not quite ready to meet the world. We scheduled an induction for next Monday, but hopefully the membrane stripping that the doc did today will stimulate labor before any drugs need to be introduced. I'm hoping the next time I write I'll be the happy mom of 2 :) Until then, I'm focusing on a healthy and safe delivery...

Pickle Toes and Eggplant....um...

We're down to the last few days before baby is due...I'm ~ 60% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated, so it could be any day now! I've been swelling up a ton at night and actually have to get up from sewing to put my feet up. Love those pickle toes... not really :)

As for the eggplant.... check out this picture:

I found this gem while cleaning out some files in our cabinet (still working on the room re-dos upstairs - we're almost done!). I SWEAR that I didn't use any kind of Photoshop magic on this guy! The picture is from ~ 2002, during our stint living in Boston. The local grocery store had amazing produce, so I often bought the sale stuff that's at the back of the store - you know, the produce that has minor defects that is wrapped in cellophane on those little trays. The package I picked up had 2 normal looking eggplants in it. I just about peed myself when I opened up the package later at home. It's like one of those funny veggies from the FOOD ART book. Cracks me up every time I look at it :)

As for updates around here, I've been working on stocking up my wholesalers:

(some wetbags for Erin at Diaper Daisy)


and getting some gifts done (there's always birthdays and other little celebrations going on). Here's some outfits for Anna's 3rd birthday (excuse the poor pics - my camera croaked and the one I'm using can be weird with lighting).

I finished up another skirt for Raina - I've got to make some of these for myself once this baby is out!

Haven't had a ton of sewing time lately b/c nap-time has been devoted to the upstairs rooms. Our room is completely done except for washing windows, hanging wood blinds and getting some curtains up. Hopefully the first 2 will get done this weekend - I'm not in any big rush to do the curtains. The middle room (guest room / office / craft room) needs some little things done as well, but the main goal this w/e is getting the bed set-up so I can sleep there with the little guy when he comes (to avoid waking up hubby the first weeks when we're still getting the night nursing down).

Construction started a week or so ago and so far it's been going well - long-story-short, the back room of our house wasn't built correctly so we need to have a frost wall built and a zillion other things to keep it from pulling further away from the house.
That Jenga-looking thing in the middle of the picture is actually holding up the room (with a similar looking structure on the other side of the room). I'm in awe of this project... and the guys are so considerate. They actually ask when Syd will be napping so they can make noise when she's awake.

And here's a belly update (a pic from last week, but you get the jist) :)
I'm off to tend to Sydney - she has her first cold (at 19 months old, that's not so bad!) and is having a tough time getting to sleep. Poor kiddo. Hope everyone's doing well! ~ Kris

SALE NEWS!

Mornin' everyone! We're just a few weeks away from Baby #2 arriving - exciting! We're also starting construction Monday AM on our back room, deck, front porch, and attic... should be an interesting couple of months :)

I'm clearing out my fabric stash a bit in preparation of (1) less time and (2) less free space, and posted a slew of Amy Butler Nigella fabric in my EBAY store last night for $5.99 per half yard (SALE price - one week only). I'm hoping to add some of the regular quilt-weight fabric this week as well (and maybe some fun Japanese prints as well!).

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend! Fall is here and we're loving the crisp days and full sunshine (helps to get the paint dried faster!). ~ Kris

Whatever floats your.... belly?

I hadn't heard of this one before, but after going through such a long labor with Sydney, I'm game to try ANYTHING that might help me out. She wasn't a big baby (only 6 lb 12 oz), but she was what the docs call "OP" (occiput posterior), or in English, she was facing the wrong way, I had back labor, and she just didn't want to come out. The new thing that the docs and midwives are encouraging is to have moms-to-be lay in inner tubes ~ 20 minutes per day to encourage the baby to settle in the correct position. They are also using them at the hospital for women who present OP at the time of delivery, and they say that they've been able to avoid some c-sections because of it. Pretty neat! I feel like a bit of a freak while I'm floating on the bed / floor, but at least I'm getting caught up on some magazines!

I wish that I could report in on some fabulous crafting creations, but to be honest, I haven't had the time lately to do much aside from orders. I'm finishing up the last of my customs before I take Oct. off... then I'll hopefully get to have some fun and start decorating the rooms that hubby and I have been so hard at work on lately (new hardwoods were put in about a week ago so we have been painting and re-trimming the entire upstairs... this is WAY beyond "nesting").

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :) Kris