it's done

so the cake is off to the party! i also made one of these little cuties in case the grey fondant horse doesn't survive the trip. there are two sizes of flowers on coiled wire to stick out of the top, but they are fragile so she promised to send me a photo of the cake once fully assembled.

i do think it will be awhile before i tackle another cake. they are stressful for me, i spend the whole time afraid that i will drop it or someone will stick a finger in it, or once my cat licked spiderman's eyeball off my nephew's cake. you know, little things like that. sewing is much more relaxing for me.

anyways, as i was writing that, i remembered that i have my BIL's 40th birthday cake to make the end of june, and then my parent's 40th wedding anniversary, and after that we get into birthday season around here. so i may not get to hang up my apron just yet. but no more that aren't for family. family will still eat the cake after your cat licks the eyeball off. trust me.

winner winner

so i type in 222 on random.org, and the number that popped up is 129. so that makes the winner of my sewmamasew giveaway purse kit and clutch allison! i've sent an email and hope to hear from her soon! thanks, everyone, for coming by to visit, i've truly enjoyed all of your comments and am crossing my fingers that i win a little something too! and don't forget to enter my sewn giveaway below - it ends june 8th!

advice, please!

i discovered my camera, stashed in a tote bag hanging in my room - i have no recollection of putting it there. that seems to be happening more and more these days. sigh. old age sucks.

anyways, i am still working on the cake - that horse is proving really difficult! partially because i am trying to make a grey dappled pony, and i can't get the depth and all that i would in brown. but, i have a back up plan if this fails. i can't disappoint a 6 year old birthday girl at her own cowgirl party.

but be honest with me - how dumb is my horse?














here's my backup pony:


i'm thinking she may be riding the top of this cake. i've sent pics to her mom so she can may the final decision, i don't want any tears or tantrums when the cake isn't what she thought she was getting. the birthday girl - not the mom! i also know that i put waaay too much importance on these cakes - tomorrow night this will be a tummy ache and fond memory for the party goers. so, back to work, keep entering contests below!

giveaway update!!

i realized that like usual - i forgot something. at least it was only one thing! i have the sewmamasew contest open to USA only, sorry all you others!

oh, maybe i forgot two things. contest ends may 31st at whatever time i am able to get a post written and randomly choose the winner. my sewn giveaway is open longer though, and is international, so check it out too. i am making this cake this weekend, so wish me luck!! now, i'm turning this computer off - i have been on overdrive visiting all the sites and entering contests!

welcome!

whoa, sewmamasew's giveaway day sort of snuck up on me! it could have something to do with having 19 people come stay for the holiday weekend. yep. 19. we had a blast, stayed up way too late, ate waaay too much, and i even got in a little sewing. and fishing. i caught a 4" bass! he was too cute.

so where were we? ah yes, the giveaway! if you're new to my site, don't forget to enter my sewn giveaway too! and now, drumroll please:

i've been thinking purses, so i'm giving away supplies to make your own! included are a set of bamboo handles, 4 fat quarters of fabric, a magnetic snap, and quite possibly some ric-rac or buttons or some other embellishments, i'm still playing in my stash.

EDITED TO ADD: sorry for the blurry photos! at some point this weekend i misplaced my camera and have been turning the house upside down looking for it. but i wanted to give you an idea - so these were all taken with my 4 year old's kidizoom camera! i'm still deciding on the 4th fabric needed, it may just be tan linen...















there are some cute free patterns out there you could try, like the buttercup bag at made by rae or this one by melly & me or check out u-handbag for oodles of purse info.

and because i want to share some homemade love, i'll also send you a handmade *by me* artsy clutch made from amy karol's pattern. i'll even let you choose which one you'd like!















no photos yet, as it is 4:45 am and raining, but as soon as the sun shines i will snap a pic and get it posted. just leave me a comment here to be entered. go ahead, be daring and enter to win sight unseen! thanks for visiting, come back soon!

more finished things!

excuse me while i do the awesome dance. uh-huh, uh-huh, go me, oh yeah!

the pillowcase skirt i made emma - easy peasy, sewed a casing and that's it.


















the pirate shorts i made the boys - so nice they can wear the same size, although these are a bit long for zach and will look like capris on him, or whatever you call short pants on a boy.

hmm, a cape?

i worked on a few things today - finished up a wrap skirt that i bought yard sale-ing. actually i bought three of these for a quarter each - the prints were cute and i hoped they would fit. just add bias tape and you've got a new skirt, right?

except i'm too big for it. it barely wraps around me, and if the wind blows i'm flashing everything! it's more like an apron. only it's too big for that. i even tried it as a halter, but it makes me look pregnant. grr. after i made all that gingham bias tape too. i'm still scheming how i can wear it without dropping ten pounds.

lots of loot

more giveaways coming up!

first, sewmamasew is hosting another giveaway day, hooray! this one will happen on wednesday, may 27th, so be sure to check back then for your chance to win something fabulous. last time, i gave away a handknit scarf - but this time i am thinking of something sewn. and probably some supplies tucked in as well.

second, to celebrate the launch of sewn, there is a bloggers giveaway to spread the word! i am number 48 on the blog list and it just started today! each blog listed will be having their own giveaway, and the date for this is monday june 8th. in addition, sewn is having it's own giveaway so be sure to stop by and visit.

EDITED TO ADD:

and what might you win in the sewn giveaway???

a handmade *by me* linen tote bag stuffed full of goodies! some fabrics, vintage patterns, lots of fun stuff will fit in this bag - it's big! i'll pack it with things you will hopefully love. i made her using the purl bee's apple picking tote pattern. so yes, you could fill it with apples if you wanted. it works nicely for that. and, if i get more than a hundred entries - i'll double the fun and give away two of them! because i'm super cool, don't ya know?

this contest will end on june 8th - so you have a little time to make your way around the blogiverse and see all the other cool contests. and of course, on may 27th i will be giving something else away - so come back and see me soon! and thanks to those who've already entered. it's nice to know i'm not just talking to myself!

more to check out!

there's a new website called you can quilt this! they are having a grand opening giveaway of quilting software - worth taking a look at their downloadable patterns too! i really like the incognito wallet.

201th post!

it looks like i missed my 200th post! no surprises there - i hadn't even switched my calendar until a few days ago - as i mentioned i am behind this month! anyways. busy is good right?

for mom's day, my hubby gave me flowers, a card full of cash and an order to go to the city wide garage sale in ottawa. sorry ladies, he's taken. i had so much fun, and found lots of treasures. an antique metal mirror, tons of vintage sheets, and the sweetest doggy pillow. my big thrill was finding some vintage quilts for $5 and $6 each. i didn't even unfold them because i had an armful already, so i was a tad disappointed to see how shabby they are. but if repairing them is out of the question, at least i won't feel bad cutting into them!

meet the bosses

when did i decide i needed to do it all? i have been feeling a little overwhelmed with all the demands on my time lately.

the biggest one, of course, is my family. we have three little ones, ages 4, 3, and 18 months. i don't talk about them much here, because this is my crafty space and i want to keep it all for me. but they do require most of my attention, and there are times when there's no time left for making and creating. they're a little young yet for crafty fun - zach eats the crayons and alex likes to smear glue stick everywhere. emma's gotten a little practice at school, but there's rarely a moment when she and i are alone together. those days will come.

i also have two cakes to make this month - one for my nana who is turning 90! we are having an open house for her neighbors, and planning dinner out with my mom's side of the family. and another for a friend of troy's from high school. she found him on facebook and asked if i could make one for her. her daughter is getting a pony, so it's a pink, yellow and brown cowboy party. with stick horses too! love the idea. i made a strawberry cake last night as practice and it is pretty good.

i also need to make baby blankets for gifts, and i've had three people request more dishcloths. something i haven't had time to work on, but i need to make it happen. i am actually glad for summer vacation, emma only has three more days of school left!