Party in a box!

I meant to write about this when I talked about Wy's birthday party, but forgot!

We live pretty far from family, so our "work & church family" joined us for Wy's actual party.  I didn't want the grandparents to miss out on the fun though, so I sent them a party in a box!

(please excuse the mess behind the actual birthday stuff!)

Since they couldn't join us, I wanted to include little details from the party that would make them feel like they had been there.  I was going to be printing several sets of pictures (for Grandparents, Great Grandmas and Grand Godmother), so I sent them to Walgreens to be printed.  So much easier!

Believe it or not, that Bisquick box in the background is not part of the "mess", it's one of the boxes I used to send the package.  See how to make it 'sendable' here.

Invitations, straws, bubbles (in plastic sandwich bags with cowboy paper trim) and the cute baking cups I found at Michael's!

The tissue paper pom poms.

Everything got wrapped up in a bandana and put in a box to send!

Here I was, saying I wasn't going to post anything until later this week and I already have this one and another one ready to go!  Pictures, pictures, though.  I need to take some pictures.

Not sure when I'll be back - but I will bring pictures - promise!

Blessings-

Maybe I'm the stranger...

Well, I'm afraid I don't have the pictures yet that I promised last time.

And I don't really even have a post today.

But - we are getting a better/faster/awesomer internet connection in a few days which hopefully means this whole blogging thing will be easier for me and I will be able to contribute a little more to the internets.

So, until then -

It's sort of difficult to read in this picture, but the quote is:
"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water"
- E. Roosevelt

Blessings

Hi there stranger...

So it's been awhile huh?


Sorry about that.  We were on vacation with my family up in Michigan.  Not somewhere we normally go to vacation, but this time was a little different.  We spent the week on Mackinac Island (pronounced mack-ea-naw for those of us not from the region).  There are no cars on the island - not even scooters or golf carts (except on the golf course...silly goofers!), just horse drawn carriages and bicycles!

And it was chilly, even down right cold part of the time.  Such a wonderful difference from the stagnant heat of New Orleans.  We spent many an hour on the bicycles circling the island, getting off to do some window shopping and ice cream eating and riding through the woods.  


A few milestones were reached during our stay in the island... the first was that my husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.  Go us!  ;)  The little one stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while we walked down to a lovely dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water.  It was perfect for us, beachy colors inside a window filled dining room (J pointed out that the color of the walls was the same color as our wedding cake!), yummy food and happy and friendly staff.   

I even found a quilt pattern in the design of the tiles on the bathroom floor!  Isn't it gorgeous?!

Speaking of sewing...I didn't get much of any of THAT done.  Which is a bit of a bummer.  But lots of time was spent with family so I really can't complain!  I took along my paper piecing teaser from the first issue of CraftSanity Magazine that I had yet to dive into and gave it a whirl.  At first, I really could not understand why people say it's addicting because it seemed like a whole lot of work to me.  But looking at the finished piece now, I really want to do more!  And I hoping to incorporate them into bags and items where they are not usually found.  Mostly though, it was that bathroom floor.  So so beautiful!  


I have been very inspired by the slow making/ slow sewing/ not sure what to call it - but the hand sewing (as in a needle and thread) talk that has been going on these days (more explanation coming soon...).  While working some late hours a few weeks ago, I finished piecing my first Alabama Chanin skirt!  I LOVE it and am happily looking forward to making more!!!  I put the elastic on while we were on vacation.  It doesn't look pretty, but it does it's job and that's really all I can ask of it, I think.  I don't have a picture of the whole skirt (yet), but here is the stencil before the reverse applique was finished. (note:  a few weeks ago my wonderful husband found freezer paper for me - I was beginning to think they didn't sell it in New Orleans, I couldn't find it ANYWHERE.  J to the rescue!!  This was my first freezer paper stencil and I was so happy with how it turned out!!!) (note(2): I did not draw the boat, I found it in Google images) (I think that's the last note...)

In my little sewing bag were also some shirt scraps and random thread.  The first time in a long time I went without a plan - and this was the result...

uh, sorry.  I don't have a picture of that either.  Coming soon!

Look at that, you got me all caught up in talking about sewing and I haven't even mentioned the other milestone!  ;)  Our little Wy is walking!  Definitely can't put my finger on an exact time or place but I know that when we got there he could only take a few steps before he fell down and now he walks across rooms and down hallways with no problem at all!  Things are happening quickly - I'm so glad we were able to spend the whole week with him to see all this unfold.


Alright, I suppose that's enough for now, don't you think?  Until next time...


Blessing friends!

Happy Birthday to...

We had a birthday last month...with a cowboy themed party... can you guess which one of us it was?

No!  It wasn't me! ;)  

Wy turned 1!

I sewed a bandana tie and some denim (from scraps from a denim shirt-turned-apron) onto a plain onsie we already had for a cowboy outfit.

And to complete the outfit, Grandma found a cowboy hat that fit perfectly.

We tried to leave it low-key with a pot luck get together, cupcakes and no gifts.

Somewhere I have better pictures, but since I can't find them, these will do.  Michaels had tissue paper with cow print, denim and a bandana print (score!) that I used to make pom poms (see them hanging there above the island?).

Michaels also had a large assortment of colorful bandanas.  A few pinking shear cuts, felt letters, glue and twill tape and a Happy Birthday banner was done.

I, of course, needed an apron for the occasion and World Market had a perfect set of dishtowels to make one.  I roughly used the pattern in Apronology (one I think I will return to again and again).

Wy LOVES bubbles (in fact bubbles was one of his first words), so i really wanted to have bubbles as favors to have out for people to use during the party and after.  I had the hardest time finding small containers of bubbles that weren't wedding favors.  In fact, I didn't find any other ones so I tried to disguise the wedding part with start stickers and by putting them in glass jars covered in cowboy scrapbook paper.  I'm not sure if people bought it, but they did blow bubbles and that's all that really matters I suppose.

More on my extended absence soon - just have to get pictures uploaded!