Wall decor

Awhile ago I received another painting from The Black Apple in the mail but I didn't get around to writing about it. I mentioned before about how much I love the way her paintings look. When I went to Ikea on Sunday I picked up some red frames to decorate my sewing room with and decided that I'd use them to put her paintings in. I bought three frames and I only have two paintings, so you know what that means! They're really not expensive and they're so lovely I can't help myself. I'm sure this will not be the last time that I'll be buying from her. Currently she's moving locations to Portland, OR (it seems that lately everyone in my blog world is either moving or visiting Portland).

A new beach

It's been a week since I posted last. Very unusual for me. But with going back to work and everything, I find myself with less time to just sit and write. I took out some books from the library that I wanted to finish and I've been trying to organize my sewing room whenever I get a spare moment. Before I go running off for the day and while Ayla is still sleeping I figured I'd try my best to give a little glimpse of what we've been up to.

First up we went to a new beach yesterday. It was at Gull Lake and it was perfect! Exactly how I imagined a beach trip would be. I'll definitely be going back again this summer. Lots of sand and lots of people. Ayla was not too keen on being in the water. She pretty much cried the whole time. We'll have to try again next time. We don't want her hating the water.

Earlier that morning, I went to the Salvation Army to see if I could be like one of those people that finds really amazing stuff there and lucky for me I did find some great things! One of which was a great lamp for only $2.65 that I want to redo for Ayla's room. I know Ayla doesn't have a room right now but one day she will and she'll have an amazingly cute lamp to go with it. I'm thinking of getting some either Amy Butler or Anna Maria Horner fabric to redo the shade in. Then I want to take off that elephant and buy a really nice handmade wooden ornament to put there. I'm debating on paining the white. I think I'll leave it since it's very clean looking and just do those changes.

And my last bit of news, I finally finished those shorts I've been working on for ages. Well really, I think I mentioned last time that they only needed the hem. But I was just too lazy to do it. I wanted to wear them yesterday so I hauled them off my ironing board and finished them up. I love them so much and I really want to make another pair. It turns out that pattern is not really for me. I have an awkward waist to hip ratio and so it doesn't fit me well around the waist. To solve that problem I inserted an elastic band between my top stitching at the back instead of doing another two darts like I did on my Bermudas. It actually turned out really well so I think I'll be doing that again with the next pair that I make. This picture was taken after wearing them out for the day so they're a tad wrinkly but I still love 'em that way!

PS. Yes that is my bathing suit sticking out the back. I'm not growing a tail.

Summer fun part deux

Yesterday was a day jam packed with activities for us. We woke up fairly early (well Ayla and I did anyway) to get a move on with everything that needed to be prepared for. I should mention that I wasn't really keen on waking up so early but miss Ayla wouldn't have it any other way. We headed to Sylvan Lake with the girls who it turns out we haven't seen since Christmas! I hadn't realized that it's been so long! We definitely need to get together more often. I mean really, we only live an hour and a half drive away from each other. No excuses! Well except for the fact that our schedules consistently seem to clash. But yes it was so amazing to see them, everyone looked so wonderful and we just had the best time ever. Lounging in the sun and chit chatting. I loved the fact that when we arrived we got great parking without having to strain ourselves one bit. Even Ayla enjoyed herself and got a little dip in the lake. She wasn't liking that one bit because the water was freezing cold. Hopefully, we'll go back again sometime this summer and she'll get a full dunking!

After Sylvan Lake we had to drop Ayla off at a friend's house and then head to my company's golf game and bbq they had organized for the employees. It was my very first time golfing and I had a blast! I knew I would love it because you know I just love watching golf on t.v. Not that that prepares you for playing the game at all! In fact I was a horrible player but I did get in some good shots here and there. Beginner's luck as they call it I'm sure. Alex and I were teamed up with Nicole and her husband Doug. I'm really happy that my boss's wife thought to pair us up together because really she's the only one at my company that I'm closest to and would actually ask to watch Ayla for me if I needed to. Anyway, she was on the same skill level as me but funnily enough she managed to save our team so many times when all of our balls went completely wide or short of our intended aim.

The company bbq was held after the golfing game so we headed back into Red Deer to pick up Ayla. I knew there wouldn't be anything for us to eat but everyone wanted to see her again and it was the perfect opportunity since almost everyone from work showed up. When we got back I asked about the food situation and it turns out the only thing suitable for us to eat was a baked potato and we couldn't put anything on it. Not my idea of a meal after a very long day without much to eat. So instead, we ordered take-out from our favorite Thai restaurant in town. I would have to say it is the best restaurant we've eaten at here actually. They have many tofu options and so far what we've ordered has been cooked to perfection. I especially love their pad thai, yum yum!

It turns out that even after all this we both won prizes from our golf game earlier in the day. We had left before any prizes were handed out so Nicole chose a couple of camping chairs for us. We already have a set of our own but I think these ones are of a better quality. I might keep ours or donate them. I'm not sure we have room for any more. Storage in this house is beginning to become an issue. Actually I want to have a yard sale and then get rid of half the stuff we have buried underneath the stairs. But that's a whole other issue that needs a blog post of it's own! So all in all we had a great day yesterday and hopefully we still have many more fun days like that coming up for the rest of the summer!

Bibs and washcloths

I realized today after taking a good look at Ayla's ratty (and stained) bibs and washcloths that I should probably treat her to some new ones. I thought about running to the store to pick up a pack then I said to myself "Hey! Why don't I just sew them myself?" And so that's exactly what I did. Here is the first set that I sewed up.

It took me less than half and hour to do all of it. I've got loads of flannelette fabric just begging to be made into something. I think I'll continue doing some sets with what I have in my stash. I pretty much got all of my flannelette stash from a friend's mom who was trying to get rid of hers. Lucky for me my friend thought of me when her mom was proposing to throw it out! I really enjoyed this project because it's fast and easy and just about all I've had time for lately.

To win a quilt

So I was happily perusing some blogs out there this evening when I came across a quilt giveaway at Old Red Barn Co. Can I just say here that I'm constantly entering for these free giveaways but never winning? Well despite my unfortunate luck I decided to still give this one a try because really have you seen that quilt?! It's gorgeous! The colors are so fabulous! It makes me think of bright happy summer days. I can just picture myself embraced in its wonderfulness (is that a word I just invented?) this winter and thinking back to what a lovely summer it was indeed. So I'll keep envisioning that happening and hopefully I'll envision this beauty right into my hands.

I guess at this point I should mention that you can also go over there to win this quilt for yourself and to see some even more amazing pictures of it. But really, I don't want anyone to win but myself. Such is the nature of these things. Ha!

Common words

I was over at Twiddletails earlier today and I saw that she used a program to see the common words she uses in her blog. I decided to give it a try to see what would come up for me. It's called a Wordle and basically what it does is it makes the words you use the most turn up larger in the word scramble.

It would seem that I use the word 'sewing' and 'just' very frequently. Maybe I should rename the blog to 'Just Sewing' because that's about all I've been doing lately. Actually, I am taking a small break this week but I realize it's not only because of work but also because I took out so many books from the library that I really need to finish reading.

Today after giving Ayla a bath I noticed how curly her hair has gotten so I decided to snap a few pictures. Let's just say it was easier said than done. Boy that child loves to move!

I wanted to be sure that they would come out without me having to do much fiddling so I used the flash. I must say, she seemed to be enjoying having the flash in her face.

I'm loving the blue tone this last one came out with. I really need to start practicing more with my camera. I've got some ideas on the brain about it. I was thinking that I'm gonna do what I've seen around blogland for awhile now where people have been taking random pictures with a theme and then posting it on their blogs. My favorite blog, Soulemama, has been doing one on summer as her theme. I think that I'm going to do one on fall when the time comes around. I love the colors of autumn so I think it will be fun to try out while giving me a chance to really enjoy what my camera can do. Speaking of autumn, we're probably going to be making a trip to Montreal at the end of September instead of Christmas. There's a seat sale going on right now and we're thinking of saving money by taking advantage of it. Alex has already gotten the vacation approval so I think it's pretty much in the bag that we'll be going.

A slow week

I'm officially back to work and it's definitely been an interesting experience. I haven't been doing much sewing or cooking hence the lack of posting. I started on a pair of shorts using the same pattern as my Bermuda shorts. I just have to finish the hem and I'll post a picture. I think this week is going to be fairly quiet in the sewing room while I get my scheduling in order.

I forgot to mention that last week Thursday we went to a play date with my coworkers who both have babies. Ayla was due for a nap by the time we got there and so she wasn't in a very receptive mood for playing. Berkley, Treena's little boy who's 13 months now, kept banging her over the head with various objects. Let's just say they got off to a very rocky start. I love play dates. It was nice to get out of the house and hang out with the girls.

Enjoying summer

Party girl

As promised I finished Ayla's dress for the party we're going to on Sunday. I love the way it turned out. I basically made it up as I went along. I wanted the skirt to look 'full' so I gathered the front and then added an elastic to the back. I also originally wanted to do a halter dress but it sort of morphed into something slightly different. However, for the most part it turned out exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I love the fact that I can easily alter the clothes that I make for her. Usually I just trace an outline from clothes she already has for the general shape then alter, tweak and edit to my heart's desire. I have some lovely vintage patterns that I found for babies at the thrift store but I haven't got around to using them yet.

I must say, sewing baby clothes is such a treat because it takes practically no time at all and it usually always turns out looking great. The dress is only a tad bit big for her in the shoulder area but I'm still happy with it because she won't grow out of it too soon. As you can see I have an affinity for embellishing with buttons. I don't know what it is but I'm so drawn to them. Especially since I have mine all color coordinated and laid out in clear jars in my sewing room.

Bermuda, Bahamas come on pretty mama...

I finally got around to finishing those Bermuda shorts I had cut out ages ago. They were sitting on my sewing table begging to be finished but I just didn't have the drive. I kept getting side tracked by other things. Well am I ever happy with how they turned out! Wow even better than I expected. I won't say that I didn't have more than my fare share of bumps in the sewing road but it was well worth it in the end. I thought that my waist size would be a 12 and not my normal size 10 so I cut it out bigger and well let's just say that even if I had cut out a 10 I would have had to alter it. I ended up having to add two additional darts at the back. They don't show too badly so I'm happy with it. Instead of using metal hooks I added a coral button on the front to match with the little bit running throughout the fabric. I used the McCalls 5391 pattern (view E) to make them. I'm definitely going to try another view and make these again with a different fabric.

I'm making a really pretty dress for Ayla for a birthday party we're going to this Sunday. I'm almost done so stay tuned for that! Speaking of which, I have no idea what I'm giving as gifts!

Bittersweet

Yesterday as I was lying in bed with Ayla trying to take a nap, I looked at her romping and playing instead of sleeping and I realized that it was going to be our very last full Monday together. It brought me to tears to think about it. Next week I'll be starting back at work and even though I'll only be doing part time hours it still makes me sad to know that I won't have all day to just laze about and enjoy Ayla's company. It made me stop to think about those moms who are able to stay home to be with their children and watch them learn and grow. Then there are the rest of us who for whatever reason can't or don't want to assume that role. I'm lucky to be in Canada where I get a year off for maternity and can have a small taste of what it would have been like to stay home all the time with Ayla. And next week will be my opportunity to see what it's like on the flip side of that coin. If there's one thing I've learned since becoming a mother it's that we must accept and appreciate the smallest of things life has to offer us. It's never been so apparent to me how fleeting each moment with her has really been. I've turned around and she's 10 months old and no longer a newborn and one day no longer a baby.

A new handbag

I've been yearning to make a summer handbag since I kept seeing really cute ones popping up all over blogland. When I picked up the June/July issue Threads a couple of weeks ago I knew immediately that I would have to whip up the handbag pattern included.

I'm immensely pleased with how it turned out. I originally wanted to quilt the bag but I wouldn't have had enough thread to finish it so I just kept it simple. The pattern on the fabric is so fabulous anyway that you don't even miss any elaborate designs. I mimicked the pocket detail on the front on the inside as well. I prefer to have some pockets in all of my handbags for keys and stuff. It doesn't have a clasp for closing and I debated adding something but in the end I just went for the wooden button detail on the front. I picked up a 1lb bag of random buttons at Wal-Mart for 3 dollars and these wonderful wooden buttons were in it. I'm so glad I found three of them to match. I still have some fabric left and have been eying this tote bag from Sew, Mama, Sew! so I think I'll be doing that next using a different contrasting fabric and quilting it like I wanted to for this one.

Independence day

Happy 4th of July to all the Americans out there. I don't have much to report. I've been watching back episodes of Project Runway for the last couple of days and so haven't been spending much time in the sewing room. It's such a great show, I can't get enough of it. I just wish I had more episodes to watch! But really it's best that I don't because I'm not getting any of my summer sewing projects done! I'm actually feeling a little be overwhelmed from watching that show. I feel like I have a thousand ideas running through my head and no time to execute any of them. It's very hard for me to work in shifts. When I get into my sewing space I just like to lose myself in my projects until they're done. But usually I'll only get the cutting done one day, the pinning another and so on until it's actually complete. So I find myself not coming up with the best that I can do because I'm just trying to decide on something I can finish relatively quickly. I'm actually looking ahead to the fall and thinking up some really cool designs that I would love to sew but we'll see how that works out especially since I'll be going back to work in two weeks! Yikes! I can't believe that my year of maternity leave is already up. It's bittersweet. I realize more than ever that I'm in the wrong profession but there's not much I can do about it right now. I'm just gonna tough through until the right opportunity presents itself. I figure it's time I stopped whining about my situation in life and either change it or work towards a change I can live with, so that's what I'm going to do. My boss and coworkers are really excited to have me back so that has been a little heart warming.

Speaking of work, I'm thinking that I should start coming up with some interesting outfits that I can wear when I start back. It's a very casual atmosphere as we're working with dirt in all it's myriad forms. Denim is very prevalent but I want a bit of a twist on it and also some new tops. I have some jeans that I'm looking to alter we'll see how that goes. I really want to make a cool denim dress that I can wear with leggings. That would be so 80s but with a modern twist. I wonder if that would look cool with steel toed boots? I think my coworkers will just think I'm crazy but hey if I'm not planning on buying any more clothes for awhile I gotta come up with my own style. On that topic, I keep thinking about my personal style and I wish someone could look at me and tell me what they think my style is because I just don't know. I love retro and vintage things but I also love lace and really feminine twists but I'm totally into casual jeans and t-shirts as well. I love the look of heels but you probably would never find me in any and I'm very partial to my running shoes, flip flops and flats. I feel like when you watch a show like Project Runway, it gives you so much inspiration but then makes you think about your own fashion rut that most of us can get stuck into. Well, rut or not here are some great Old Navy outfits that definitely inspire me.

Like I said I don't wear heels but that doesn't stop me from drooling over a pair when I see one I love.

Serger sewing

A couple of days ago Amanda over at SouleMama, my favorite blog, wrote about using her serger. Basically she was saying how scared of it she was but that she was going to attempt to use it more after reading Sew U Home Stretch. I, like Amanda, have resolved to use my serger as well. I got it from Alex's mom a couple of years ago when I had been working with her over the summer for a very short period of time. I was really happy to have gotten it from her as I knew it would come in handy yet it sat in a box for years and I never used it. The instruction booklet was in French and that alone intimidated me. Maybe even more than the 4 spools of thread and corresponding tension dials. Well it turned out that some of the accessories of the machine were missing (it was an old machine that she wasn't using anymore) but I didn't fully realize that until quite recently. After reading that post over at SouleMama and reading my Sew U books I decided to dust off my serger and give it another go. I ordered the right presser foot (I only had the rolled hem one) and once it came in I set it all up. Wow I must say, I feel really stupid not having tried this years ago! I LOVE this machine. I mean it's a bit fussy and likes things to be just so, but once it's all set to go it's really a dream to sew with. And the rolled hem foot, wow I can't say enough about it. I decided to try my hand at something really simple to start off with. A nice summer dress for Ayla. I have to admit that I designed it as I went along. I think that's just the way I work best. I got the fabric and ribbon from Freecycle and the button was from a shirt I had that Ayla tore the button off of the other day. I knew it would be perfect. I finished it with a rolled hem and serged all the seams. It's the most 'complete' thing that I've ever sewn. I just love that I don't have to use my pinking shears anymore unless it's deliberately part of the design. I also got a twin needle for my conventional sewing machine so that I can finish my hems like a cover stitch machine. That has to be my next machine purchase down the line.

Yesterday we went to a park near our house where they throw the Canada Day festivities. It was nice to get out of the house to enjoy the good weather and sunshine.

Happy Canada Day

I've been away. I think I haven't posted since Friday because I was taking a small break. We decided to go camping again this weekend. It was a long weekend due to today being Canada day. Alex had Monday off and so it was our intention to go camping for a couple of days. The weather here has been amazingly hot and so it was going to be perfect. This time we were going to be better prepared. It was still last minute but we knew better now. I even checked the weather network website just to be sure. Triple checked even.

It rained. Yes people our perfectly planned camping trip got rained out again. You see normally we wouldn't mind the rain. We would just wait it out. The problem is that we don't have a lot of time off and so usually we're just going for two nights. And we don't want to have to pack up a wet tent that will need drying off later. So we decided to leave early again. We didn't regret going though.

It was a nice night away and we got to roast some vegan marshmallows I got from Vegan Essentials by Sweet and Sara. They were amazing and roasted perfectly. Alex kept wondering why they even bother to put gelatin in 'regular' marshmallows if the vegan ones are so perfect in taste, texture and form. We also saw about half a dozen shooting stars. It was really amazing. They were moving so slow that it was hard to miss them. Just as I was headed to the tent for bed Alex said he saw a really fast one but unfortunately I missed it. I'm sure there will be many more. We snapped up these pictures the morning before we left. I love camping.

And before I forget, Happy Canada Day! Wishing everyone a spectacular day even if it rains on your parade! =)