Sewing Room Progress!

While I can't honestly say I've made the progress I should have by now, I have actually made a little progress in my new sewing room! I have a certain old ugly couch I need to get rid of that is being stored in there at the moment, but the walls are completely finished being painted, and I have moved all the other stuff out of the room, and moved in my new ironing board (I didn't have one before because I didn't have anywhere to keep one...) as well as started folding some of my fabric in a more uniform and neat manner... I have SUCH a long way to go before I have it how I want it, but it's a start! And at least I have a room to work with now!

Nicely washed/ironed/ folded fabrics... So much more to do!

Isn't the pink great!? The big pile of fabric that isn't folded needs washed.

Like I said, a long way to go, but most of the painting is done and I can start moving things in at whatever pace my little heart desires. I just need to get the energy and time to finish! I still also need to paint the inside of the door white, as well as shelves, and get some decorations and stuff on the walls, but that can all come in whatever time it takes. Just thought you might all like to see [part of] what I'm working with!

This, That, The Other...

I finished painting the walls in my sewing room, so all I have to do now is set-up! The paint I picked looks perfect in there and it's SO me! The color is called "Rose Heartstring" and is some variation of the "in" color of pink right now (which means it matches my Old-Navy flip-flops, a pair of my pajama pants, and one of my tee shirts, haha!). As soon as I get it at least somewhat set-up, I will take a picture and show everyone what I am working with!

In other news, I tried my luck and auditioned for a musical at the community theater here in town. Obviously, I am not a great singer and I didn't get a part, but my husband got the part of Barfee in the musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I got asked to help with costumes, which is unfortunately mostly regular every day clothes, so won't even require my sewing skill. All that will require is my time and effort going to thrift stores. They also asked me to stage manage, and I am still not sure why, as I have never done it before and I have no clue whatsoever how that works or what it requires. So, all in all I will probably require more teaching and attention than the actors themselves.

And all that being said, I hope I have something much more interesting for you folks tomorrow. I'm going to sit down with a glass of Riesling and contemplate the meaning of life. (Really original, I know...)

My Own Sewing Room!

So, for almost 7 months, I have had my sewing area set up in our living room. It had once been in a spare room which became the nursery 7.5 months ago, and when the babies came I couldn't sew in there because they slept virtually all day in the nursery and I didn't want to wake them.

My 3 year old bonus son, Chapin, has been sleeping in an office/foyer area in the house ever since he was a baby. The room is between the hallway to the rest of the house and our living room, so every time we go to the living room, it requires walking through his bed room. It can be frustrating trying to tip-toe while he's napping or after he's gone to bed for the night, but we never really knew how else he could room. This was until we finally realized the room the twins were in was more than big enough for all three of the younger kiddos.

I think we had overlooked the idea of all 3 in the same room for so long because when we first discussed room options the babies weren't born yet, and after about 2 months they suprisingly started sleeping through the night consistently. So, we decided a few days ago to move Chapin into the nursery with Voisie and Owen. This means I get Chapin's old room for my very own sewing room!!!! I just started painting today and will hopefully be finished today or tomorrow.

Finally I will have sufficient space and seclusion for my sewing needs! It's a very exciting thing for me. For those who have sewing rooms: what are the must haves? Any tips on organization and set-up?

Spring Fair 2011

The Spring Fair is happening this weekend at our local fairgrounds, and I got a chance to go down and check it out! I was really excited to see a friend of mine as a vendor this year for her first time, sharing a booth with a couple of friends. I took the time as an opportunity to chat with a few of the vendors, including my friend and her boothmates, about their crafts and experience at the fair. I had a great time looking at all the unique crafts and listening to the live music!

Precious hand-made stick ponies.

Super classy hand crafted earrings and feather hair accessories.

My friend Karen and her friends Joyanna, Melinda, and Aubry had a booth with stick ponies, feather hair accessories, and earrings. Everything at the booth was quality and unique, and I bought a feather hair clip for myself. Their display was also well executed and looked classy and hip! Karen is working on starting an Etsy shop for her jewelry and accessories, and Joyanna has an Etsy where she sells her stick ponies as well as other fun things for children! Joyanna's Etsy shop can be found at nickmaxmama.etsy.com.

Painted stick candle holders.

Painted stick "furniture" pin-cushions.

I was really intrigued by a booth run by a woman who made all sorts of things out of just sticks. I asked her "how did you do this?" she said "I just grab any old stick and make them!" She had things made from sticks of various shapes and sizes, including minature furniture with pin-cushion seats, candlesticks, and magic wands with the stars on top. I was really impressed with the creativity and uniqueness. She didn't have a website, and she said this was her first time doing a craft show! Very cool!

Scented gelly candles.

Shelf of various scents of gel candles.

I spoke for a while with Tim, who had a booth with gel candles made primarily of mineral oil. There were a lot of different scents, including one called "Dirty Hippie" and another called "Butt Naked," which I couldn't help but purchase for myself. It's green and smells like a clean, someone-just-showered bathroom. He'd done tons of shows, and said he did over 40 craft shows last year. His "Gelicious Candles" can be found at www.fragrantgelcandles.com.

It was really cool to see what other people were crafting and talk to people about their trade and business. I'm hoping it won't be long before I get myself into one of the local craft fairs for the first time!

Feather hair-clip purchased from Karen's booth. Love it!

Friday Fave

I'm not sure what has sparked this current owl fad, but I like it! I could have cared less about owls before, but as soon as they started to sprout up all over the place I was intrigued and took no time at all to get caught up in it!

My favorite Etsy shop this week is EvelynX. Not only is it full of owl related merchandise, there is also a lot of music stuff tied in to some of the products which is another sweet spot for me!

Wishing I had an iPod Touch so I would have a reason to buy this! i am in love with it!

And these ornaments are beyond adorable. Again, I'm particularly fond of the ones with the sweet music design!

Do you love the new owl fad? What's your favorite Etsy shop of the moment? I'd love to hear what you all think!

March Mommy Baby Day

Once a month a friend of mine gets all of her mommy friends and their kids together as a sort of play date for the kiddos and an adult social life for us mommies - many of us who spend several hours a day with little more interaction than "GAAAA! Eeeee. Uguh!" and a few gurgles here and there. Most times they have a craft (geared more towards the moms) and snacks, and the kids just run around with each other.

My bonus-son, Chapin - flirting with his friend, Faith.

I have only actually attended a few of these gatherings, as lugging twinfants around can be quite a chore - and seeing as how it's Mommy Baby Day, Ben doesn't get to come which leaves me without a second set of hands that seem so necessary with tiny twins. Now that they are 7 and a half months old, it is a little more feasible to do outings with them so I am hoping to attend on a regular basis.

Today was a lot of fun, because we have Ben's older two children for the second half of Spring Break. I manned the minivan and packed both babies and my 3 year old bonus son to Mommy Baby Day, which gave hubby and my 8 year old bonus daughter some quality time together. They went and saw a movie together, and the three youngsters and I went and exercised what seems sometimes to be a complete lack in social skills. I had a great time, and while the babies got crabby after a while, Chapin really enjoyed the opportunity to play with some kids his age. Everyone made tutus but me - c'mon, I have two babies! Does anyone believe that I, in a group of toddlers with two 7 month olds, had two hands to make a tutu? Definitely not! But I go for the community more than the crafts and snacks... Except the summer sausage - that's a must!

My First Blog Post!

I spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to think of a cute title for my first blog post, but in the end I decided that there's nothing better than getting straight to the point when starting something new!

What to blog about in the first ever post of a brand new blog? Something I've also been contemplating, only to come to the conclusion that it probably doesn't matter! It's a brand new blog! Precious few will stumble across this particular post, and no matter what I write or how I write it, let's face it: the first post is always awkward.

So here it goes, folks. Do you know how much a polar bear weighs? ;)