Ransacked Goods

July Birthday Bunting

Here is the birthday bunting I made for Apple's first birthday which is on July 5th. I figured if we were going to have decorations up this time of year they might as well be festive. It's not completely red, white and blue but there are pink, brown, green and orange spots in there too. I think it turned out beautifully and it such a pretty combination of what I already had hanging around. Her older sister was quite the little sewing helper too!

Silhouette Portraits

I wanted to share the silhoettes of the girls that I made for their Great Grandmother for Christmas this year. (Pardon the terrible photos) I've had these reclaimed wood picture frames for ages but I haven't ever had the right image to put in them. So I took pictures of the girls that were backlit for ease,removed the background and filled their profile with black in Photoshop, added their names and birthdates, then printed them out on a handmade paper. I'm really pleased with how they turned out and they will look perfect once I find the time to hang them. The baby looks a bit like a blob (a cute one at that) but what a sweet treasure for them if I do these every Christmas and they can see how they grow and change. Grandma loved them and wants to frame them in swirly gold like the ones she has hanging of relatives long ago.

There are lots of tutorials out there to make silhouettes of your kids. I like this one from Jones Design Co., mostly because it so dang pretty.

You'll see we're working on some Valentine's Day decorations. Yup, we're starting early but I can't wait to show the finished results.

Stuffed Pablo Cat

via www.greenergrassdesign.com

I saw these adorable photo print pillows a while back, and filed them in my "that-would-be-a-good-project" mental notebook. So the other day I snapped a photo of the cat, tweaked the color in PhotoShop, printed it out on photo transfer paper and ironed it on, then sewed it to a piece of flanel and stuffed him up like a nice little pillow. I think it's totally cute and completely less maintnenace than the real thing. Now I've just got to get a shot of the other cat while she's not hiding in the closet or running away from a child. The Chickpea is going to love finding this under the tree. They'd make great gifts for chidren's birthdays etc. I've even seen them as dolls made up from photos of family members.

 

Christmas Napkins

I'm starting to get the Holidays on the brain now. I pulled out some Christmas fabric I've had stashed for awhile when I saw it on sale off season. I love the not so traditional color tones. Below are some beautiful napkins from the Purl Bee that are made with a really easy technique and linen is always a classy addition to any patterned print. I'm hoping if I start early I can make a set for the festivities this year.

Apple's Quilt

 
I don't think I ever posted a picture of how the quilt for my new baby girl turned out. This is how far I got before she was born. And as you can see she's a whole 3 months old now. All that is to be done is the binding but I can't seem to find the right fabric. There is a lovely big red polka-dot print on the back but nothing seems to fit with it. Ah, it's a good excuse to shop for fabric but I'll be happy when it's done and I can tuck her up properly in it. The quilting job sucks but it's all from Mommy's heart and that's what matters most.

Research

I did a little "research" at the fabric store today for Apple's quilt. Really, I've been very good about buying new fabric and haven't done so in months. I love the gray one with the chartreuse birds. I've found myself drawn to gray fabric lately but it's so hard to find good ones. Here are some more quilts I've found for inspiration.

via Crazy Mom Quilts

via kelly mccaleb handmade

via Film in the Fridge

Titus Skirt

Here is the skirt that I made for my recent travels. I'm so happy with the way my first attempt at making clothes for myself turned out. I may just have to try is again! So comfortable, just the right length and a fabric I like. The pattern is Titus' Perfect Skirt which I have not been able to ind on line. And the fabric is from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern 2. Have you seen her new line called Love?