My Tree Skirt is almost done..

I love this fabric. But, I decided against the green trim in the end.

The almost finished product.

Here's the "under the tree" picture. It's not finished - I still need to do some top stitching and add some red ribbon ties. I really wish that I was finished, but I have a week full of finals ahead of me, so we're just pretending until then.

A Simple Pillow Project

Shane and I have been thinking lately that we need more finishing touches around here. So, I thought a quick and inexpensive way to get started would be to make some new pillows to go on our very empty chairs and couches.

This pattern is for a 16"x 11" lumbar pillow. You can make it out of any fabric you like. I used cotton fabrics - solid ivory on the back, and it closes with two wooden buttons. If you are interested in making one, let me know and I'll send you the pattern.

Lux Baby Blanket

Every baby needs 1 super soft blanket, right? And, don't expectant mothers need them too? In say, a King size? Oh, how I loooove these ultra soft and silky minky fabrics.

However, when I was at the fabric store picking up the materials to make this blanket, a nice lady asked me what I was going to make out of them. When I said I was making a baby blanket, she shook her head and said "Nope, not a good idea. Your baby is going to slip right out of that blanket."

Is that true? Don't all of you Mothers out there have one of these? I hope you can tell me she's wrong, because I promptly ignored her advice and made this blanket anyway. I just want to wrap him up in something nice and soft every once in a while.

A Fall Treat

We had dinner at our friends house a little while ago, and for dessert we each made our own Caramel Apple. It was so fun cramming together in the kitchen to decorate our apples with various goodies. Everyone's was different, and we all shared - yumm.
So, in an effort to spread the love this fall season I made these little kits. And if I can keep myself from eating all the caramels, I'm going to give them away to some nice people I know.

I love Fall.

Baby Boys and Applique Onesies

I love little applique onesies! And I'm starting to love being pregnant, which is new, because it really hasn't been that fun for me. I think maybe, because it has all seemed so unreal to me, I haven't felt any strong attachment to the baby, or any motherly instincts - just the effects of Morning Sickness, Acid Indigestion, Back Pain, and Sleep Deprivation.

During the last few weeks I started noticing some complications with the baby (in short - he's having seizures), so we've had to do a little "testing" and "monitoring", which has been pretty nerve-racking. But, in light of these complications, the most amazing thing happened. Something just snapped in my brain and I became consumed with love for this little baby. I couldn't think about anything else, and I just wanted him to be okay. And, while it turns out that nobody can give us any real answers until after he is born, for now he is strong, and everything looks perfect.

So, it ended up being a real bonding experience for me, and now I sit and watch him move around and think, "Hurry up and come out so I can meet you!" My whole perspective has really changed, and I am so excited to be a Mom. So, I'll probably lose all control now, and make enough onesies to clothe a small country.

Here he is at 29 weeks.

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Don't you love frogs? I've been looking around different design blogs for nursery ideas and I found this pattern at The Purl Bee. All the babies I've been around lately just like to chew on things, so I thought this would be a good place to start for toys - a squishy bean bag. This project took less than an hour, so I'm going to make a whole bunch of different animals. What do boys like? Snakes? Lizards? That's all I've got so far.

p.s. Although the eyes are really cute. I'm pretty sure they present a health risk, so I took them off and gave this frog to my dog - she acted like she'd died and gone to heaven.

Baby Quilt

Speaking of quilting... I have a little problem. I have gotten slightly out of control with quilting projects - I am working on 5 different quilts - I know. I don't know what I was thinking, but every time I see a cute new line of fabrics I lose my self-control. I just imagine a pile of fun handmade quilts stacked in my family room for people to snuggle up with and drink hot chocolate, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This baby quilt was so fun and easy to make. I followed the instructions on my friend Kelly McCaleb's blog. She is a gifted seamstress among other things, and she has easy to follow instructions, which you can find here.