in a nutshell

a brief update on the goings on around here!

:: i threw my name in the hat to win this adorable child sized messenger bag made by elsie marley. i am also going to take part in the mobile swap she is hosting. one look at the flickr group from the swap last year and i was in. i have had mobile making on my mind lately- i think it is a spring thing- so this is perfect!

:: i have added a new blog to my reader- a life less sweet- one family- no high fructose corn syrup- eating healthier. did you all see the upsetting studies that found mercury in HFCS samples?!! scary, scary stuff!

:: and this is exciting, i am going to have another wonderful giveaway for you later this week, so please stop by for another visit soon! i promise i will have something more exciting to write about between now and then... it has been a slow and boring week... but sometimes those are the best kind!

ginger and gus GiVeAwAy WINNER!

thanks to the random number generator ginger and gus will have a brand new home with stacy of roll with it! she has 4 little ones who will surely give them lots of love! EnJoY mama!!

Yay! YaY! it's GiVeAwAy day!!

and here is what i have for you! this is Ginger, and her little kitty Gus. they were lovingly handmade especially for this giveaway out of natural fibers- cotton, wool felt, and soft and fluffy bamboo stuffing.

to win this sweet little pair simply leave me a comment. i would love to hear who you would give Ginger and Gus to if you win! PLEASE make sure i am able to contact you if you win!

i will close the comments on wednesday january 28th, sometime before i put the kids in bed.

i can only ship within the US this time- sorry international visitors!

and, because i would LoVe to have you stop back by after you've entered all the other giveaways, i will give you an extra entry if you'd like to subscribe to my feed or follow my blog. please leave me one additional comment letting me know!

i hope you win!

* comments are closed- i will post a winner in the morning!

stitch, stitch, stitch...

between sewing, knitting, having a birthday and battling a yucky cold i have been busy this week. i sewed this sweet little lamb for a sweet little friend's first birthday! but due to the yucky cold we were not able to stay and celebrate. esme' did insist that we deliver the gift and quickly say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" so that is what we did. i hear the birthday girl likes her lamby. yay!

i also finished a knitting project this weekend and will try to take some decent photos to share in the next day or so. there are a million other things i have in the works, including a big, fun giveaway planned for tomorrow (so be sure to check back!), a breastfeeding doll and baby i am designing and sewing for a friend, and a raffle i am planning with another good friend to benefit idahoans for midwives. busy, busy!

the mister and i did sneak away for a bit last night to see Marley and Me at the theater. have you seen it? oh, it is so sweet! we also bought our own marley dog a brand new bed yesterday. because she deserves it!

it's my birthday!

i am 35! or, as my dad likes to put it, half way to 70...

spoiled rotten

alternately titled "for the love of shoes!" or "for the love of my wonderful hubby!!"

years and years ago, right after tony and i had started dating, he bought me this fabulous pair of blue suede doc martens for my birthday. i loved them then, and i still love them today!


well, i just so happen to have a birthday coming up this weekend, tomorrow to be exact, so my sweet, sweet husband thought it would be fitting to take me back to the same store that my uber cool blue suede boots came from and buy me another pair. i chose black mary jane docs this time around (anyone else totally bummed that they are made in china now days?!!)

and apparently i have put in enough years that i get two pairs of new shoes for my birthday, so i also brought home this pair of bright red born shoes. they are so soft and squishy- my feet are happy indeed!


we also went to sephora where i got the smoky eye kit from bare escentuals, and then to victoria's secret for some little pretties (i love how he thinks this is a gift for ME!) like i said, spoiled rotten!

in other news, i am recovering from a little cold which has left me with no voice! it is never good when the mama of the house is not able to speak. today i could talk a little, you know, that scratchy, whispery voice that is downright painful to use. so if you have called me and i have not answered my phone, this is why. my friend monique stopped by briefly this afternoon so she got to hear my icky voice and see me taking pictures of my shoes! fingers crossed that i am all better and back to my chatty self tomorrow... after being without a voice for two days i really do have a lot to say!

handmade, for my friend

a diaper bag for my friend who is expecting her first baby, a boy, very soon.


this is the pleated beauty handbag from bend the rules sewing with tons of extra pockets to accommodate itty, bitty baby stuff.


i also included some flannel burp cloths and a matchy, matchy roll up changing pad.


so how do i like this pattern? quite a lot actually. however the next time i sew this bag i will leave the hole for turning in the top, right between the straps so i can catch it while top stitching. mostly because i find it easier and also because of this- i finished the sewing, took some pictures, packed it up with goodies and added a gift tag. done! as i lay in bed that night waiting for sleep to come it suddenly occured to me that i had never sewn the hole closed in the lining seam of this bag! ah, thank goodness i had time to fix it the next morning! and a very special thanks goes out to my busy bedtime brain for taking my thoughts back to that bag lining. without you i'd be lost!

twenty something

harper is 20 months old already and growing up like nobody's business. he loves stuffed animals and dolls, and playing with his ball and the little play kitchen. he prepares me meals of wood and felt food all day long! he likes to blow kisses and each night he has to tuck the girls into bed and turn off their light.

he still signs quite a bit but he is suddenly starting to talk... a lot.

here are some of the cute things he has started saying this week::
:: more
:: please- pleeeeeesh with a big, toothy grin.
:: ball
:: he has said mama or mommy, and daddy for awhile now but he recently started calling out MOM!! when he needs me.
:: apple- abble
:: banana- nana
:: bath- baf! said while enthusiastically signing bath.
:: esme'-- e-may or may may, or MAY! MAY!
:: mama's milk- mum mums

he is still snuggly and sweet and kisses us all the time. he truly is the light of our lives and we love each day with him. that little nose, those big, brown eyes, those soft blond curls. i could stare at that precious face all day long. and sometimes i do...

make HaPpY!

simply wonderful! you are being beckoned... what are you waiting for?

yours in sharing the smiles,
erika

i heart cables, too!

hot off the needles, here are my latest finished objects:: hand knits for me in pretty green yarn with cables! my friend darcy sent me this beautiful cable needle necklace awhile back and i have put it to good use recently. i did a little experiment and knit the first mitt with a regular cable needle and the second mitt with the cable needle necklace. i LoVe the necklace! i will never loose a cable needle in the couch cushions or under a chair at the coffee shop mid project again!! YaY!! darcy has a couple videos in the sidebar on her blog demonstrating cables with the necklace and you information on how you can purchase one.

fetching in plymouth baby alpaca worsted

this is all the yarn i had left when i bound off the second mitt:: talk about just squeaking by!

and, my new favorite hat!

the pattern:: the copy cat slouchy hat

the yarn:: cascade 200 heathers in lichen

the needles:: # 6 for the ribbing and #8 for the cables.

and one pretty handmade amy butler fabric button!

i made a couple modifications. i cast on 8 extra stitches and knit the ribbing flat, then bound off the extra stitches before joining in the round to create the button tab. i also added a short row to the front half right after the ribbing to encourage the hat to tilt back. i would probably use a larger needle for the cables next time to make it even more slouchy.

as if my recent crafty reading jackpot wasn't enough, i checked this book out at the library today and intend to knit 4 of the projects before i have to return it on the 23rd. so on that note i am off... to cast on!

i heart books!

harper and i went to the bookstore today after dropping esme' off at school. we browsed for at least an hour and i bought a book that has been on my wish list for awhile, then we sat in the cafe while i sipped my chai tea latte and shared an oatmeal raisin cookie with my handsome and well behaved little guy. it was a lovely afternoon!

and then, when we arrived home this was waiting on my doorstep::


i immediately dug into the bag and found these... crafting magazines and books... sewing, quilting, knitting, scrap booking (which i don't do but the pictures and projects are very inspiring anyway!) and some kids crafts too. they are all missing the covers as they were discarded by the fabric store that my mom works next to.


and look at the sweet birdie crafts i have already discovered! squeee!!

my plan is to get my crowd fed, groomed, filled with bed time tales and all tucked in so i can curl up on the couch with my huge stack of new books and a cup of tea. it is killing me to see them neatly stacked on the table, pages just waiting to be dog eared and projects eager to be added to my ever growing creative list. but i know if i dive in now there will be no turning back. ahhh, bedtime can't come soon enough on this day...

i do, i heart books... and my mama too!

lost!!!

do you ever spend the better part of the day looking for one lost little item, like say, a sewing pattern for a diaper bag? and while looking for said pattern you end up reorganizing your sewing table, fabric bins and book shelf? said pattern was going to be considered for an upcoming baby shower gift for a friend. you were actually leaning towards another pattern, but now that said pattern cannot be found anywhere it is starting to seem like the perfect and only choice so you must. find. that. pattern! while you were in frenzied search mode you found another forgotten pattern, not for a diaper bag but for a cute top, so then you dug through fabric bins (again) and found the perfect fabric for that project and put it in the pile with the prints reserved for the diaper bag. the pattern that was originally at the top of your list now seems unacceptable... it will never work! hrmph!! now you are sitting at the keyboard with a cup of tea and a sleepy nursling in your lap trying to talk yourself into sewing something completely different.

does this ever happen to you?? no? nah, me either!

warm feet:: part II

the first knits of the new year! a pair of peace fleece pocket book slippers for me. i wore holes in my last pair, i liked them that much! i made cute little fabric covered buttons (my new favorite craft!) for the straps. LoVe these!!

and this pair of baltic booties are for a friend who is expecting her second baby this month. they are knit with cascade 200 wool and are so small and cute!

apparently these are my favorite new year knits~ remember this post from last january?

resolutions? i have a few...

some of them are fun and silly and some will be taken more seriously, but here they are. this year i resolve to...

:: eat the way i know i should. yesterday i baked bread and made yogurt for the first time in months~ i forgot how much i enjoy it! and of course nothing beats made from scratch by mama, right?

:: read more! i barely read a thing last year, with the exception of bedtime stories every night and a pattern book here and there. i was too busy sewing and knitting, but i really do miss finding a great novel and getting lost in it. esme' is excited too because more reading means more trips to the library!

:: zippers! i am totally going to learn to sew zippers!

:: continue the never ending battle with the clutter around our house. snooze, boring, i know! trust me, i would much rather be reading or sewing zippers, but i promise i will make a whole hearted attempt to squeeze this in here and there. i have been kind of following the get-rid-of-3-items-for-every-item-purchased rule and that is helping. i have also been randomly yanking things off hangers from the closet and throwing them into the donation boxes just as tony is walking out the door with them. i can honestly say i haven't missed anything i have parted with. i don't even know if i can remember what i've gotten rid of this way, that is how insignificant these things were to me.

:: and, most importantly, i am going to continue to count my blessings each and every single day. i am going to hug more, yell less, say i love you twice as often, and be the very best mommy, partner and friend possible.

family photos taken at Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise this past October.

yours in enjoying the new year happiness,

erika