Finding Good Homes For My Goodies

Sometimes I wonder what kind of home my goodies find once I mail them off to customers. So nothing makes me happier than receiving a photo from customers with one

of my items displayed in their home (or elsewhere). So I thought I'd share a few with you all. Doesn't that first photo look like something you'd see in Pottery Barn? And

that pillow in the window of a NYC apartment makes me giddy because I dream of living an urban life.

Scared Straight Parenting

If you are not a parent, I am about to warn you. If you are a parent, let’s form a support group. Because what I’m about to say I never knew before I became a parent. What I am about to type here is vital information if you are going to become a street smart parent.

GPS is for suckers. Why? Because my kids tell me how to drive all the time. They tell me to turn right at red lights so that I don’t have to wait for it to turn green. They ask serious questions about why I am choosing to go this way to Costco when it is clearly the other way. How many times do I have to explain to them that there are many different ways to get to many different places? All this from children who can barely ride a bike on the trail without falling off the trail into sticker weeds. (This happened to Hallie last week)

War of the Words. My kids argue and pick at words all the time with each other and with myself and Paul. Often this lands them in time out, so don’t worry, we’re on it. Time out is to my kids what the belt was to my family (and Paul’s family) growing up. Clearly our parents were smarter. Time out is for foolish parents like myself, that’s for sure. Anywho…..Ilene will be kicking Nathan (yup, kicking) and he’ll say “Stop kicking me” and she’ll say, “I’m not kicking me, why would I kick me?” (*kick kick kick*)

Ilene argues about where we will sail the boats tonight for the (*audibly groans*) Raingutter Regatta for Cub Scouts, after all, there is no water in the parking lot so we can’t possibly do it there. Yes, we anticipate Ilene will go to law school so we’re saving now for Little Miss Spicy Tongue. I’m thinking of becoming a cave man mom and just grunting and pointing my commands to avoid the word picking.

The Price is Right. My friend Laurie wrote a blog about her kids’ addiction to the Price and Right (beyond funny) and I’m thinking I need to encourage the same because I can see such addiction as a creative outlet for my kids constant need to know how much stuff costs and from where it came. “Mom where did you buy this ham?” “Mom how much is string cheese?” I’ve started pulling their little chains and answering “I stole the cheese” because that’s the only way to get them off my back. Sure my condoning theft, even if through sarcasm, which they don’t get, could lead to Hallie stealing extra Smarties from the check out stands at Macey’s Grocery Store, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. ‘Cause my sanity is apparently more important then their moral compass.

I

feel

better

already.

Summer Dresses

I love to make my girls one-hour dresses. That seems to be all the time (and attention span) I have these days. So I look for patterns with only three pieces--a front, a back and a sleeve. This pattern by New Look was a winner. I whipped 'em up this afternoon while the girls played computer games. They look so cool you'd hardly know it's 90 degrees today!

The Touch, The Feel of Cotton

There is nothing I love to sew more than a cute cotton blouse out of awesome fabrics. I go to quilt shops and look at all the gorgeous designer cottons, but I'm not really tempted to buy them for quilts. Nope, my weakness is buying the 2 yards necessary to make myself a cotton blouse with a cute mandarin or rounded collar. And I've timed myself--2 1/2 hours to make this blouse from cut to finish. Not bad for something I'll wear for years. This pattern by Simplicity has been my favorite over the last year. I've made it three times now--as seen in these three photos. (Zoom in) I love the gathered sleeve--it's feminine and it gives enough room in my shoulder area so that I can twist myself into a pretzel position while buckling Hallie in the car. I'm trying to cure myself of my addiction to all things stretchy and wear more woven cottons. Ah cotton, the fabric of our lives.

Fabrics top to bottom: , yellow fabric is from Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt, Pink Coriander by Amy Butler, polka dot by Michael Miller (I think)

Batik Quilted Purse

I've been meaning to make myself a colorful purse for summer. Well, you know the phrase, the cobbler's children have no shoes? It's taken me forever to make something for myself and not for my store. I bought a few of these hand-dyed batiks from a fellow etsy member's shop--A Stitch in Dye--good grief her stuff is gorgeous! I've used some of the pieces for an overly-ambitious queen size quilt I'm working on (stay tuned) and the rest for this gorgeous bag. (The other two Batiks I bought from that horrible chain store that shall remain nameless.)

Last night after dinner I had had it with my kids--their messes, their fighting, and arguing. So I retreated to my studio to make myself a new bag. I quilted this assymetrical bag with feather stitches, a modified zig-zag, and plain ol' straight stitches. I finished it off with a canvas lining with plenty o' pockets and a magnetic snap. Two hours later I emerged with this bag and a smile on my face. Hello, summer!

Meringue Designs Goes Global (Sort Of)

I was interviewed for an article in Utah Valley Magazine called "Work it, Mom". It's about mom business owners, or mompreneurs. Yup, that's me on page 38 of the July/August 2008 issue. You can read both pages about me here and here. Or you can buy a copy, you know, so I can autograph it, or so that you can make a decopauged pencil holder from the glossy pages and see my lovely face everyday.