Taggie Blanket

My friend Charlee is having a baby, so I wanted to make something unique for her. I decided to make a "taggie" blanket. It's a 10x10 inch square (can be larger) with different colored and textured tags around the edges. It makes a great gift for anyone expecting a little one soon, or for anyone with a baby now. They're small, compact, and adorable. No longer do kids have to lug around a full size blanket for their security... the taggies seem to do the trick.

It's something fun to make and it's an excellent gift. I will take orders if anyone is interested; just let me know colors or what the sex of the baby will be. I charge $15.00 for a 10x10 inch blanket.

Check Book Covers

This was a quick, easy project, and the first I ever completed on my own.

Mine is the one with the red flowers.

Pink Skull Handbag

Back in March, a few of us girls got together to make check covers. Simple project. We thought we'd do something with a pattern next, and I found a cute hand bag pattern - so we decided to do it.

We started a little later, due to prior obligations (I was supposed to go to a baby shower but the girl had her baby instead), so we began the project around 2:00 that afternoon. I have to thank Tara (yet again), for her undeviating patience and willingness to be our mentor and coach - since none of us knew what we were doing... and we really didn't (the sad thing was that as the project went on, I was hardly able to pay attention so I could make another one sometime). Since there were three of us ametures and only one Tara, she was torn between all of us relentlessly asking, "what's next?" or "now what?"

When 6:00 PM rolled around, we weren't even close to being done. I believe it was Tara who said, "It's a bummer we won't get to finish these." It was then that Jacci piped up and said, "wait... why aren't we finishing?" Tara: "It's almost 6:00, and Ryan will be home soon." Jacci willingly volunteered her house (luckily they live just across the walkway from each other in their complex), and we decided that we better not leave it unfinished. We also realized that our schedules wouldn't have allowed us to get together again until the next month... so we took a break for dinner, and switched houses. We headed over to Jacci's... and there we stayed.

Before we knew it, it was 10:00 PM. Not done. I think the brownies Jacci made pulled us through... as it turned out, we needed them. Midnight rolled around... still working. 1:00 came and went... 2:00 (which magically turned into 3:00 with daylight savings) came and went...

4:00... almost done... I think it was about 4:20 AM when I finally finished... I was the last one. I think we each took turns saying something rather unsophisticated, but I suppose there weren't 5 minutes that went by that didn't have us in stitches from one of those unsophisticated statements. I can't say there's anyone I'd rather sew with in the wee hours of the morning...

The bags turned out really well, and we were impressed with ourselves. My creation...

The bags were quite a bit more roomy than we thought they would be. They were perfect.

My homemade design, inspired by Tara.

Jacci's bag...

This is Jacci's design. Talk about talent!

She pieced her bag together by sewing the strips of fabric together. Genius, that girl is.

I pulled up at home at 4:45, heading to bed at the glorious hour of 5:00 am, only to get up at about 7:30 and drift in and out of sleep until 9:30 when it was time to get up and ready for the day again. Surprisingly, I survived that entire day without a nap. Miracle? I think so.

Pay It Forward Prize No. 1

A few months ago I put a pay it forward post on my blog. I was happy when my good friend Jacci was one of the first three to leave a comment, because she had said she wanted this style of apron.

I was happy with it, and it looks great on her.

Her husband Corey also tried it on for size... 

You tell me... who pulls it off better?

First Apron

I made this apron earlier this year for my sister's birthday. It was actually my first attempt, and I think it turned out pretty well. Due to lack of fabric, I had to change the shape a bit, but over all it was a success.

She makes it look good.

Pot Holders

Each year at my husband's family reunion, there is an auction. Normally it's all hand-made goods - quilts, food, crafts, etc. I haven't always made something, but a couple years ago I made a few little books, and this year I decided to make a couple of pot holders.

The money from the auction goes into the family budget, which will, this year, be used for repairs at the family ranch - a beautiful escape located in Cedar City, Utah. 

The wide fields of flowers and trees, away from everything, is no less than incredible.

I can only hope my small contribution to the ranch - as well as the money we spent in the auction, will help, even a small bit. It's always fun to be a part of.

Car Seat Cover

I had seen these before and thought they were cool... so I found a tutorial online and made one for my cousin Jessica who is due to have her first baby boy, Sam, in about a month.

The black straps go over the handles so the material doesn't fall off the seat or smother the baby. I gave it to her before she received her car seat, so I gambled on whether it would fit. Lucky for me, it does!