ahhhh

i've been without internet at home for over 24 hours - so sad HOW difficult it is for me to go that long without checking my email or seeing what my blog friends are up to. i'm at the library now - just wanted to pop in and say hi! 

come back monday - i have something exciting to share! 

soothing

can you believe how beautiful, simple, and calm this bedroom is? i am head over heels in love with it. 

i found it in a magazine that comes out periodically called 100 Weekend Decorating Ideas (VERY good ideas for people on a budget). the overlay on the bed is actually a vintage crocheted tablecloth... can you believe that??? its now on the top of my list of things to thrift. 

i hope i have a room like this VERY soon! 

just wanted to share...

spring bird

i hope everyone had a fun and festive weekend!

do you like my bird? i'm in love with her. i found her here and had to make one. she is so springy and happy.

i could never design anything like this with all these colors. i would go crazy trying to figure out where to put what. but i LOVE copying someone who isn't so anal - it makes for a beautiful result!

i heart french knots...

this will go in the mail tomorrow for a special birthday girl who i *hope* isn't reading this!

happy monday.

quilt top

i spent yesterday afternoon finishing my quilt top. its FAR from perfect, but i am totally ok with that. i'm never going to be a seamstress that is super exact. its just not going to happen so i need to get over that now. above is just after i got all of the rows sewn together.

and then here is with the border. doesn't it look so much different with the border?? all these fabrics together are so sweet.

and here is where i show you the most annoying mistake EVER. in the last row i somehow mixed up the first two squares and didn't notice it until i was taking these pictures after the border was on. i'm way too lazy to pull all those stitches out so they are staying that way - forever taunting me.

on to the quilt sandwich.

i actually did all this and started quilting and it looks HORRIBLE - the back is very puckered. i didn't have enough pins nor did i have a non-carpeted floor to lay it out on. i will be spending the next day or so pulling out HUNDREDS of stitches and trying again. needless to say i got more safety pins....

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and some news outside of crafting...

the house passed inspection yesterday! with flying colors! now we are just one step and about 35 days from being homeowners!

home free

i took my test today (it went well, thanks for asking...) so i'm taking the afternoon and tomorrow completely off! i'm very VERY excited about it. i will spend my time with a glass of wine and all the goodness pictured! 

description (counter clockwise):

my collection of domino (RIP) and weekend decorating magazines

i plan to pour through these and every other online and library decorating source to make plans for paint colors and DIY projects. for what, you ask? our new house! if all goes well we will be home owners next month!! i'm VERY excited to make it our own. it will be on a VERY tight budget, but i think we can make it cute. 

yarn and gauge swatch to make this cardigan

super cute, huh?? i'm excited, but nervous about knitting something so big. i've been going to michaels daily with 50% off coupons to buy the yarn. one skein at a time. i know its ridiculous, but i can't imagine spending twice as much just to avoid the daily drive. my husband even came in with me on friday and checked out separately with his own terra cotta yarn - that got me two in one day! now just one more skein tomorrow, and the circular needle on thursday and i'm home free! 

beginnings of the second baby shoe

i think you all are right... just make the other one. i'm sure it will knit up pretty quick.

and lastly the quilt top

i am still SO in love with how all these fabrics come together. i got all the squares sewn into rows in quick bits of time between studying - one or two squares here and there. i hope to get all the rows sewn together without too much trouble! 

thats what i'm up to the next few days... how about you??

lesson learned

since i'm more pleased with this project and the pictures are prettier. i'm going to share this first.

i've started piecing my kelly mccaleb baby quilt kit! its only been a year since i bought it - i figured it might be time to start it. i dont know what is up with me and baby stuff, but i just loved this kit so i bought it. hopefully we have a little girl some day.

aren't you in LOVE with the fabric that has the sleeping baby?? so sweet.

it took me a long time to decide where all the pieces should go, but i think it like what i ended up with. i'm in love with the random but cohesive look of all these fabrics together. i dont know if i would have been able to pick them and be convinced they would look good. i've sewn the first three rows together and hope to get the whole top together this weekend. should be a great distraction from studying...

in other news...i've been working on the debbie bliss seed stitch baby shoes. i am still drooling over seed stitch. its my new fav. i was really proud of myself while i was making this first one - the pattern is the most complicated i've tried and i did it! i don't even think i pulled out any stitches!

only problem was that i was trying to make the smallest size, 0 to 3 months and as you can see mine is as big as the example in the book! you would think that would have been a clue that somehow mine weren't going to be the intended size. nope. i was totally pleased and ready to seam them up. 

that is when i realized... i should have checked the gauge. i convinced myself i didn't have to because i wasn't going to buy special yarn for this project and all i had on hand was 100% cotton.

poor choice. they are huge! like they would fit a 3 or 4 year old. i'm annoyed because in the book doesn't specify the weight of the yarn they are using just the kind of debbie bliss yarn they used - a ploy to get you to buy her yarn. i know if i had checked the gauge i would have overcome that, but really! how annoying!

i'm struggling with whether i should make the other one. the idea of the shoe is cute and it probably would be cute if it were tiny, but i'm not loving these big ones - the seams are lumpy.... what do you think? make the other one or not??

i also thought i'd share that i made my own center pull ball . aren't you impressed?? for some reason i was so tickled that i could do this! i don't know why but knitting from a ball is so much better than knitting from a skein or hank, don't you think?