Stranded. Help.

For what seems like the 3rd week in a row I am stranded.

Without a car.

Without nice weather.

Too much snow to do anything at all.

Too cold (I weather.commed it- windchill of 12 below... no thanks) to play outside.

Cooped up in this house like an invalid hermit.

I have things to do that aren't getting done... like everything.

I have places to go that aren't getting gotten to... like anywhere.

I am losing it.

I am also waiting.

Waiting isn't very fun at all when you are stuck in one place.

Nope. No fun at all.

My car and cold weather apparently don't get along.

Personally, I think they should just suck up their differences and deal with it like the rest of us.

Or just let me know they aren't going to cooperate before I completely scrape the snow off the car, strap in the car seat, shovel the driveway so I can even get out, bundle up the little one, and plan out all the errands that I'm about to run.

You know, just out of kindness.

Or sympathy.

I don't care.

On the bright side, I'm getting pretty fast at hand-stitching.

I'm calling it practice for the girls' quilts I'm going to attempt to fully hand-stitch.

We'll see how it goes, but, so far I'm not sick of it.

I guess that's a good thing.

However I am sick of being stuck in my house.

Which is definitely not a good thing.

At. All.

Will somebody just please drive over to my house and jump my stupid car? Please?

I had to do something with the couple dozen Dresden Plates I had laying (lying?) around ready and waiting for fabric to arrive for the quilt top.

They're just too fun not to do stuff with.

I want to make a million and stick them all over my walls.

But, since that's not the best idea ever, I decided to grab one up and make a pillow.

Because pillows make me happy.

I wish they could un-strand me. But, hey.

(If you have a Dresden Plate project you'd like to share, go share here. I'd love to see it!)

I've also decided that I like to bind my pillows like I do my quilts.

Consider that a side-note.

Willow decided that the above pillow is hers.

As she does with every pillow I make.

I guess pillows make her happy, too.

And here's a little sneak peek of a pillow for a very special little someone who will be arriving in June.

Haha.

Teaser.

I just reread my post. I'm all. over. the. place.

Sorry.

Consider it a side-effect of 'Stranded Syndrome', which is exactly what I have.

Tomfoolery...

I would like to preface this post by saying a few things.

At this very moment there is an orange in my fireplace, what seems to be a drill bit of some sort in my toilet, and 3 sleeping baby dolls in my dishwasher.

Complete with pillows and blankets.

I was informed this morning not to wake them, so I didn't.

Also, my child is only speaking with a Spanish-sounding accent today.

Just think "mamacita"s and "penguino"s and you've got it about right...

Yup.

I've been chugging along on my Dresden Plates.

I think I have 13 big ones and still only 5 smaller ones.

I did end up cutting into my stash a bit... the scraps just weren't gonna do it all.

But just a teeny bit. Like 10 blades or so. Still, not bad.

And I went through an entire can of spray starch. Ha!

I'm thinking of doing something like this for Willow's quilt (twin: 66"x88"):

I was going to put the 21" plates on 22" squares (which makes for a perfectly-sized twin quilt!)

But I'm still not 100% sure. I want to make sure it's not too traditional.

Since the Plates are kinda traditional themselves... I don't know!

I even threw in a smaller plate in the lower right corner to see if I liked that.

And I might.

I'm not sure.

I know I want the background fabric to be a teal solid or polka dot... I had Ta Dot in Sea in mind. And then I thought I could throw in some squares of Ta Dot in Fuchsia and Teal to mix it up a bit, too.

But I didn't want to take away from the Plates either. I do love them so.

Anybody have any ideas? Comments? Suggestions on what to do for this quilt?

I'd love to hear what you have to say :)

I want to get moving on this thing and get it sandwiched so I can start the stitching. I'm planning on hand-stitching the whole thing with lots of bright colors.

I can't wait!!!

And then I have to move on to the baby's quilt of course, which I still don't have a solid plan for either.

I know there will be more Dresden Plates, hence the shoebox full of blades:

If anybody has started working on a Dresden Plate quilt/project or has even just finished some plates or blades or whatever since the New Year, I'd love to see and/or hear about them...

-SO-

I created a little flickr group for everyone to do just that!!

Just go here and share whatever stage of the Dresden Plate making process you'd like!

It doesn't matter if you just picked out your fabrics or if you're already finished with a Dresden Plate project... feel free to share and if you have any questions, just post those too.

I did!

I can't wait to see what you guys have been working on!

Have fun!

Loving it.

First of all, I need to share this picture because it just cracks me up.

I don't know why.

Maybe it's the look in her eyes?

The little smirk on her face?

The 25 knots she managed to twist into her hair while she slept?

Her slightly cocked head?

Whatever it is... I just can't resist laughing out loud when I see it.

It is SO Willow.

What a nut.

I've got a few other things to share.

You probably won't think they're very interesting.

I don't care.

Here's a pillow I made for myself... first thing I made that I get to KEEP in a long, long time.

There's a funny little story that goes with this pillow.

I bought that cool center stitched situation in the middle there on Etsy forever ago.

I thought it was fun and apparently I had some seemingly spare cash to buy something on a whim... that must have felt nice.

It's been sitting in my make-shift studio just staring at me... begging me to finish it.

I would actually get a little upset with it.

Of course I would move it from surface to surface as projects allowed. But it was always visible.

You'd think the anger at an inanimate object would urge me to, oh, I don't know, put it away somewhere where I couldn't see it?

Nope.

I kept it out so it could stare at me. And make me mad.

I finally had enough and while Willow was napping the other day, I whipped this thing out in a frenzy.

I'm pretty sure I finished the entire pillow cover in 6 minutes. Six.

When I was done. I just kind of laughed.

It felt good to get all my anger out by... making a pillow?

I might have lost it.

I think I've lost it.

Back in Normal World... I've been making a few other things.

And not out of anger, in case you were wondering.

Here's a nursery set that's already in North Carolina... just waiting on a baby!

(I used Flora in Bloom, Nature Elements in Brown and Hot Pink, and Star dot in Orange.)

Here's the back of the quilt. I really love that Flora print.

It's really cute.

Here's another quilt I was working on as a surprise gift for the same people who got the nursery set:

I've been wanting to try this design for a while and I thought this would be my perfect opportunity since there were no real guidelines, which meant I got to experiment!

I love experimenting.

Especially with pieced backs. They are the bomb.

And here's a teeny tiny dress that I made to coordinate with the quilt.

It is so small.

So.

I was really excited about the fussy-cut bottom border that I knew I wanted to incorporate but seriously took me about 30 min. to figure it out.

It really should have taken about 2.

But it took 30.

Whatever. It happened. It looks cute. I did it.

Yay.

I sent this dress out to California...

... and this one out to Delaware.

Could they be traveling any farther apart?

I thought that was pretty nifty.

I pondered it the entire time I was in line at the post office.

Here's some exciting (almost) news:

I'm in the midst of building a WillowBean website where you can buy lots of fantastical WillowBean things!

(Hooray!)

So stay tuned for that. I'm not sure how long it will take.

It's already taken longer than I thought, but what doesn't?

I'm also sending a sample package of WillowBean goods to a retailer in Florida!

Please, please keep your fingers crossed for me.

This could be big news for WillowBean Creations and the start of something fun.

I'm trying not to get too excited.

My sensible half says, "Stay calm, nothing is for certain." And then my me half comes around and says, "throw a fricken' party, dance a jig, get giddy... why not?"

So. That's where I am.

Loving it.

:)

Pay it Forward!

Please go and make a donation to the National Down Syndrome Society for Nella, my cousin Kelle's daughter, who turns 1 tomorrow!

The goal started at $15,000 only a couple weeks ago and Nella's ONEder Fund has now raised over $90,000 thanks to everybody's small donations!

Every little bit helps... let's help Nella raise $100,000.

What a birthday present!

You can find Kelle's blog, Enjoying the Small Things, here and read all about Nella's Birth Story and their family... it's definitely worth a peek!

Thanks so much for paying it forward!

Making things, creating things.... loving things!

Well, I started on my new quilting ideas for the girls' room.

I love how that sounds... the girls.

I'm making quilts for my girls :)

Girls!

I used the templates for the Center of Attention Quilt in the Handmade Beginnings book by Anna Maria Horner.

I liked how big these plates were (small is 17" across and large is 21" across) and that there were two different sizes for the plates- and I couldn't find a Dresden Plate template at Jo-Ann's.

Surprise.

(I can't really find much there that I want these days.)

And I decided to start this project at night, so most stores/quilt shops were closed.

Hey, you use what you've got, right?

So, I really didn't have that much of a plan.

I just started grabbing fabrics out of my scrap bins that I liked and that I was sure I could cut at least one blade from- big or small.

ALL of my pieces were from my scraps... ALL of them!

I'm super proud of this.

Extremely proud... not a single fat quarter or yard was cut in the making of this quilt!

Even the medallions for the centers were fussy-cut from scraps!

(80 small blades)

My scraps are all organized by color, so once I had all my scraps picked out

(after, of course, I beat my husband again in a game of hardcore Jeopardy)

and I started cutting, I made sure I had at least 20 blades of each 'color'.

I had a pile each of dark pinks/purples, light pinks, oranges/yellows, and then blues/teals.

And it takes 20 blades to make one plate, so that's how I came up with that number.

When all the cutting was finished and I needed a new rotary blade...

I had 80 small blades and 80 large blades (20 of each of my 'colors' for each size).

Even as I was cutting, I didn't have a solid plan about how I was going to arrange them.

I just figured this was a safe place to start.

Then came time to sew all the blades to make them pointy.

I'm pretty sure this is the 'easy' way to make Dresden Plates because there's no point to finagle with, you just sew the top together (right side in) and then flip and press to make the point.

I could be wrong about this being the 'easy' way, since I've never made these before.

But it sure seemed easy...

I chain pieced all my blades which made for a lovely sort of colorful bunting thingy which I decided to hang on my mantel and stare at for a little bit.

Colorful things make me happy.

(I just noticed everything about this picture is off-centered and crooked)

After all the snipping, flipping and spraying and pressing, I ended up with a gazillion pointy blades ready to be assembled into Dresden Plates.

I played with colors for a minute or two, trying to decide if I wanted to do all blue plates or pink plates, etc:

(plate using only dark pinks)

In the end I liked the plates that had all the different colors in them the best, so that's what I went with.

When I arranged them all together, I kind of had a pattern so none of the same 'color' blades were next to each other.

(plate using all the different colored blades)

I'm super psyched with the results:

I mean I LOVE them! Love.

I ended up with 4 large and 4 small finished Dresden Plates :)

I think these were pretty easy to make... there was a lot of pressing, though.

And take note: when doing a mindless task like ironing, make sure to move your haphazardly placed can of heavy-duty spray adhesive away from your can of spray starch at the end of the ironing board.

Failure to do so will result in a hot, sticky, gooey, totally stupid and completely preventable mess.

Just saying...

I don't think I'm done making these plates... I'm pretty sure I will want some more.

But- I'm not really set on a final pattern for either quilt, so we'll just wait and see.

I know that I will be making smaller ones for sure.

I found this great tutorial for making Dresden Plates (the easy way) out of 5" squares before I even had Anna Maria Horner's book and wanted to give the Dresden Plate a try.

It requires a Dresden Plate template.

As soon as I get my hands on one, you know what I'll be doing :)

A few last thoughts about the Dresden Plates:

*way easier than I expected

*way faster than I expected

*spray starch really helps with the pressing of the points, which was a little tricky at first to get them centered, but got easier (as long as you move the spray adhesive...)

* chain piecing all the blades were key

*ironing the center pieces/medallions into perfect circles was the trickiest part of the whole project.

*if you haven't tried making these yet, you should: it's very gratifying.

I've also finished a few other projects that I can't wait to show you in the near future...

And here's a little peek at some other stuff I'm working on:

future quilt:

pillow shams:

quilt for niece:

beginning of quilt for nephew:

color palette for custom nursery set:

And I think that's about all for today :)

Decisions, decisions...

So. It's official.

This little lovey is going to be a big sister to one very special little GIRL!

I was 100% sure we were going to have a boy.

Just like I was 100% sure Willow was going to be a little boy.

Apparently I suck at guessing gender.

At least while they're in the womb, anyways. I'm probably a little better at it once they're out...haha.

Besides being bummed that I was wrong- again -and that my hubby was right, and that I won't get to use my boy name that I finally convinced my husband was soooo perfect...

(It was Hudson, by the way- awesome, right?)

I couldn't be happier.

I was really 50/50 about what I wanted to have.

Good thing- it's not like you get to choose.

I can't wait to be able to say things like "my girls" and find cute matching things for big sis and little sis and they can share a room forever if they want and they'll probably help each other be naughty and tell secrets and... I can't wait.

Not to mention I already have about 2349080239 bins in the basement of little girl clothes... bonus!

Now that we know we're having I get to plan out the nursery.

Previous to the new knowledge, they were going to share a room anyway.

And it was going to be red and aqua.

These are just a few of what I've been collecting.

I wanted aqua walls and red and white furniture and cute little garden gnomes and toadstools and a little reading nook with a red chair and more fun stuff.

I even figured out the quilt designs: a zig-zag quilt for Willow and a string quilt for the new love.

And I separated out the right scraps to make the string quilt:

So, I still love the color palette... but I'm suddenly second guessing myself.

Willow's room wasn't 'girly' by any means. Her walls were blue and her bedding was blue, pink, and yellow- super cute.

Shouldn't this new little girl lovey have some pink? Will she be different if she doesn't?

I know it sounds stupid... but raising kids is just so much pressure.

Every little decision could alter your children's lives.

I know it sounds like I'm blowing the importance of a nursery room color palette way out of proportion... I probably am. (*definitely am)

And if I wasn't me and I was reading this, I'd be muttering, "Get a fricken' grip, lady."

But I am me... and I've made a decision: there will be two color palettes for the room.

That's right.

I just figured it all out last night while I lay in bed wide awake at 3 am worrying about this.

The walls will be aqua (still). All the furniture will be white and I will still make my red and aqua quilts like I'd planned.

Now, however, there will be another set of quilts that are super bright and funky and girly.

I'm thinking lime greens, teals, oranges, hot pinks, purples, bold blues... it's going to be so great.

I want to make a Dresden Plate quilt for Willow's twin bed kinda like the Center of Attention Quilt in Anna Maria Horner's new book, Handmade Beginnings, which I now own thanks to my sis-in-law Michelle (gotta love good Christmas presents!)

It's going to be amazing.

I wish you could see inside my crazy brain, because you would know exactly what I'm talking about.

And for Lovey #2's little crib quilt I was thinking something simple- like a polka dot background with a smattering of lots of different-sized, randomly placed Dresden Plates.

Again, I wish you could see inside my brain.

I will go through all my fabrics tonight, after I whoop my hubby in Jeopardy again for the zillionth time.

He still asks me every night if I'm ready to "get worked" in Jeopardy.

He's lost about 20 times in a row.

Gotta admire is never-give-up-ness. I guess.

Also, my fabrics are all nice and neat and organized because I was forced to clean my house from top to bottom in order to find my phone that was lost for about 4 days.

I never found it.

But Willow did - in the couch- a place that I had already looked about 6 times...

Anyway.

It got found and now I can communicate with the outside world.

Hooray.

The Christmas tree finally got taken down and put away and I could actually put my front room back together. Yippee!

Everything isn't gobbledy-gooked on top of each other anymore.

Notice the hutch with only one knob?

Yeah, it's been that way for quite a while- one knobbed.

It's my fault. I couldn't decide on knobs that I liked that didn't cost $12 a piece.

But, my first venture into Hobby Lobby solved that problem.

All hardware was buy one, get one free.

So I got all these beauties for $18 buckaroos.

I still couldn't decide on one style, so I got a whole bunch of different kinds.

I'll show you the finished product just as soon as I scrub off all the purple crayon that decorates the front of the hutch... don't hold your breath.

Surprise!

So here's the big news... we're expecting Baby #2!

I'm already half-way done.

20 weeks.

We find out what we're having on Monday. Stay tuned.