HELLOmynameisHeather

Inflatable Heaven

Laura is all moved out of her apartment -- no looking back!  The muck of cleaning out old digs is done and the Haagen-Daz celebration is complete.  Now we can focus entirely on decorating her new home, at least for a few days. 

We've about finished the living room already -- we still need to sew the curtains.  Then, it's on to the kitchen.  With a number of her own paintings displayed, four framed transfers from my husband, and a fruit bowl in oils (from Dave's grandma), Laura's living room is a virtual gallery.  It's really coming together.  And, what fun to decorate an older home -- that dollhouse quality (not to mention the hardwood floors) lets us get away with such varied and inspiring colors. 

But, patience me.  I'm trying to resist spilling the visual beans on her whole-house re-do.  The girl should get to have her own thunder.  And I'm sure she'll boom away, over in her neck of the woods, once she's recovered from her big move and is ready to brag.  Till then, get your gitty-fix here:

A big girl at last,
Charlotte romps with cousin Lily and her galfriends.
"Last one out of the pool is a happy baby!"

Inflatable Heaven -- another delightful day with the Gunns.

All the Pinnings...

...of a great day!  Today is Laura's birthday and I'm out visiting her in St. Louis, MO.  We had an indulgent day of shopping, with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, followed by more shopping.  We found a bedspread at Urban Outfitters that will make perfect curtains for Laura's living room and I picked up a fabulous apron, and a mouse for my laptop (so I can stand working on it while I'm here).  We also stopped by Sycamore Moon, a fun little boutique where Laura has her paintings for sale.  And, what fun, she let me choose one for my birthday!  At the end of it all, we got too sugared up on pina colada popsicles and decided to skip the cake -- maybe tomorrow night.

Here's the pincushion I made for her birthday.  I love creating things for/with Laura (it's that like-mindedness thing) -- so I stayed up late the night before my flight, with Isaac, Lorelai and Rory.  I was having such a nice time with my stitcheries, that I kept going and made this too:

The pincushion is stuffed with wood shavings, to keep the pins sharp.  And the leaf makes a nifty spot for needles.  The measuring tape, though guilty-cute, has that fun spark of red to forgive all.  My evening of stitching-fun just about saw us to the end of Season Five (video clips included).  I say "us" because Isaac is even more addicted that I am.  How cruel to go out of town and make him wait a whole week to finish the last two episodes!  Ah well, he'll forgive me.  Now, if I can just get Charlotte to go to bed before 2:00am...and I thought I was a night owl!

Duh!

Well, I did it. I made the drive to the new school. Yes, I totally procrastinated it, seeing as school starts on Monday.  Thank heavens I went though – I had forgotten all about the formalities of starting at a new school:  the birth certificate, immunization records, proof of residency, etc. Duh! Of course we’ve got to go to the school, meet the teacher, learn the drop-off procedures and find out what time school actually starts at!  Duh, duh, double-duh!  I would have obliviously dropped Elijah off on Monday, sporting shiny new school supplies, but fully unprepared for his day. “Good save!” -- at least, that’s what I’m telling myself to quiet the other voices taunting, “Bad mommy!,” “What was I thinking?,” and the ubiquitous, “Duh!” 

The hardest realization?  This new school is fourteen miles away, not nine, as I’d thought.  What kind of mother figures this stuff out the Friday before school starts?  And it gets worse… I’m leaving town Monday evening. I’m flying to St. Louis to help my favorite Laura settle in to her new house.  During the first week of school?  Will my poor child survive?  Man, I must be in some sort of denial – it’s clouding my brain. Barring further deep thought, I think it’s that drive (I don’t like sitting still for so long, it makes me antsy).  Well, boo hiss, bah humbug, pobre mio - whatever – enough with the confessions.  I’ve just got to snap out of it and adjust.  Think happy thoughts, right?  I’m going to go vedge on the couch, watch some Gilmore Girls and pig out on my favorite chocolate chip cookies – oh, and work on those chickies. Yes! Feeling better already... thanks.

Mister "E"

More shopping.  It’s Elijah’s turn this week.  He starts school next Monday!  (No worries, there’ll be no lovely stacks of sport socks or lunch foods in my Flickr)  I have mixed feelings, as usual.  We’ve decided to enroll him in a different school district and we’ll be driving him nine miles each way, every day, twice a day (last year’s school is a half mile down the street).  It’s been a tough decision.  But, when the current district changed the gifted program and 80% of the district’s gifted teachers quit, we knew we had to find a better solution.  I think we've made the right choice on the school thing.  When Elijah’s challenged, he’s happy.  And that’s what we want, a happy son.  Say a prayer for us that this will all work out!

Still on the list:  backpack, lunchbox, shorts, underwear, and some audio books for the long drives ahead.

Goat 'n' Gloat

I admit things have gotten a bit cute around here lately.  And the boat’s not turning around just yet.  At least, not until I brag about this little goat.  Julia found him for sale at my favorite discount motherload, Last Chance.  They sell off goodies from major department stores for near-nothing.  He’s got the funniest little goat body and he’s cashmere!  All mine All Charlottes’s for only $2 (with a $199 Saks price tag still attached – yikes!) Ok, so what’s the big whoop?  Nothing really, just a fun bargain brag and a commemorative photo before Mr. Goat’s covered with graffiti and cheez-its, that’s all.

Add to the snobby goat, these outrageous pink patent shoe-boos and I’ve had some fun shopping this month! (The green ones in the background are a confession – it’s true, I’m weak.  I couldn’t decide between pink patent and green suede, so I bought both)

"nigh-nigh" for Charlotte Rose

Here’s the top of a baby quilt I started YEARS ago.  And, wonder of wonders, I still like it.  In the last two weeks, Charlotte has become infatuated with blankets, which she adorably calls “nigh-nigh.”  So, my heartstrings are twanging to make her a drag-about "nigh-nigh."  And thanks to this running start, I just might get it done before she can say “blanket.”

It’s a simple quilt-top made of squares, two of which are much larger.  Pieced blocks, with assorted background fabrics, are randomly sprinkled throughout.  I like how this gives the effect of a more involved quilt, without the time investment.  The plan is to appliqué some baby chicks in the two larger squares, but I haven’t sketched the little chickies yet, so they just might evolve into ducks or pigs -- we’ll see.  There, I’m officially a Work-in-Progress-Friday groupie!

Little Drawers, Little Breads

My parents just moved to a new home this month. And, lucky me, my mom brought me this little chest of drawers she didn't want to take with her. I have a thing for small chests of drawers. When I get my studio sorted out and photographed, you'll see what I mean. This little number is the best one yet.  It's a perfect notionkeeper. Each drawer is divided into four sections and the drawers don't fall out when you pull on them. All it needed was a happy color -- a great excuse to use the green spray paint I bought a while back. I'm just tickled to have it all done.  No fretting or planning, just one impulsive, "I think I'll go paint this thing!" -- and voila! 

Now I’m going to go fill it with needles and thimbles, fray check and seam rippers, and all manner of happy things -- a much-needed respite from dancing with desks.

On a different note, this is what I made for dinner last night, Little Breads. Yes, Little Breads – a ridiculous name, I know. I make this for dinner when I want something yummy, decently healthy, AND super easy. I never thought of my creation as a recipe until I learned that my sister, Julia, had adopted it for a regular meal and her husband had given it the official name, "Little Breads.” Brent has an odd, yet unaffected sense of humor, which I much appreciate and must endorse, so the name is indeed official. 'Recipe' here.

Note to self: Track down Brent’s poem about flies & see if he’ll let me share it.

The Shuffle Kerfuffle

I’m eager to sew more -- really ready. I’ve spent a lot of time on the computer this year -- a fact that’s reflected in the arrangement of my studio.  My computer table has been in a prime position and easily accessed. Extra papers, packages and put-aways have accumulated on the neglected sewing table, further securing the table’s second billing. I have a brand new Bernina Artista 640 that I’ve only used twice so far (to make this and these) and a complete set of Isacord thread that I have yet to unbox and find a place for. They’ve been nagging at me like bored and hungry children, “Play with me. Feed me.” Well, enough already! It’s time to rearrange my studio.

Okay, so I dropped what I was working on and spent a good chunk of the week shuffling furniture. I was hoping to find a configuration that would allow more workspace for sewing and better storage, yet make space for my computer to stay in the room. Sounds possible, right?  But, days later, I’ve moved armoires and tables and a chest of drawers and I still haven’t figured it out! *so frustrating* We’ve been to several stores in pursuit of a tempting solution as well. In my mind now, the furniture options are waltzing around the room as I try to sort out the arrangement. Not the worst problem to have, true, but I have other things to do than spin in circles. That being said, I’ve decided to roost on it, at least for a couple of days -- let it be.

Also, let me add that the fabulous collection of thread comes from the ever-generous elinor (lowercase “e”). I swear I’ve won the mother-in-law lottery. She spoils me and then she spoils me again -- and so supportive! elinor is teaching her first online class over at Cloth Doll Connection -- now anyone in the world can see what the fuss is all about. Check out the class description here – flat fairies, indeed. Love you mom, thanks!

My Favorite Knot

Every few years a sewing tip or trick comes my way that greatly improves my creative experience. I used to knot my thread by wrapping it around my finger, rolling it with my thumb, then tugging the length to form an unpredictable mass at the end of my thread.  The result was often waddish and loopy --a small, but frequent frustration.  Then, a few years back, I learned a knot that has never failed me.  I love this knot, all perfect and tidy. In the spirit of sharing, I've put together a tutorial of My Favorite Knot to spread the joy.

Don't bother with a magnifying glass, the photo collage is just a fun preview. To read step-by-step instructions, with larger photos, click the My Favorite Knot link in my sidebar.  Practice until you've got it down, it's worth it.  Have fun!

Peekaboo Polly

This is the most ridiculous apron -- I just love it!  The embroidery is all chunky and gawky and the sewing is worse (though you can't tell from the photos, Miss Ta-Da and the pleats above her are a couple of inches off from where they're supposed to be).  But, the kicker, of course, is her flip-up skirt with matching panties! She had to be mine.