good gifts

"Every good thing given

and every perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation

or shifting shadow."

James 1:17

Ripe fruits and vegetables (I'm especially enjoying tiny tomatoes sprinkled with salt this week) in the middle of winter are certainly good gifts, are they not?

valentine cookies

Yesterday I had such fun making special peppermint valentine cookies with Little Man. The fact that he is getting to be such a tidy and dependable helper combined with his charming humor and fresh perspective make him a truly enjoyable baking buddy.

Unfortunately I didn't snap any photos of him crushing the peppermints into cookie-sized chunks with a hammer; I was too busy keeping an eye on nearby fingers and surroundings. It was sure cute, though!

Of course we had to cut the cookies into heart shapes...

and arrange them carefully on the cookie sheet.

Look good? It gets better!

I was a little concerned about the mess of chocolate drizzling with a three-year-old, but Little Man was actually tidier about it than I was! Of course, though, if it hadn't been for me, the cookies on the edges would have had a very scanty amount of chocolate drizzles, and that would have been unthinkable! ; )

We finished our valentine cookies with a sprinkle of red sugar.

Mmm...delicious!

Aunt Mary's handbag

Benjamin has a lovely aunt (quite possibly my favorite of our combined aunts) who loves food photography as much as I do and cooking more than I do. We love comparing notes and sharing ideas. Anyway, last winter when Aunt Mary saw my black-and-tan Elinor bag, she wanted one of her own, and this fall she commissioned me to make a custom pink and brown Elinor bag for her.

I finished and mailed her bag last October, and I snapped this photo of her modeling it when we saw her and her husband a few weeks before Christmas. She simply loves it which makes me oh, so glad.

Aunt Mary was very specific that she wanted a purse made with pale pink and chocolate brown polka-dots and stripes. I thought it would be a piece of cake to find pink and brown polka-dotted fabric since both polka-dots and pink and brown are all the rage right now. I was wrong. After searching unsuccessfully in three fabric stores, I gave up and looked on Etsy for the perfect fabric. And sure enough I found it. (It's Michael Miller's dumb dots design, in case any of you wanted to know.)

Once I found the pink-and-brown polka-dot fabric, making the bag was a breeze. I loved adding the careful details that make custom work so special: pretty top stitching, perfect sized pockets to fit the things she likes to carry, a coordinating flower pin, curly-written care instructions...

As much as I love the detail work, I think my favorite aspect of custom orders is having my tastes and opinions expanded. I think I've mentioned before that I don't really like polka-dots even though Martha Stewart assures me that I should be in love with them. I would also tend to find the candy pink palette a little over the top. However, as I talked with Aunt Mary, her enthusiasm was contagious. And while I still wouldn't choose this combination for myself, I actually enjoyed using over the top pink and brown polka-dotted fabric to create a very pretty perfect bag for her. It's very rewarding, really.

brother's Christmas present

When I stumbled across this adorable tutorial, I just knew I needed to make a little fabric barn for one of the boys, and I stashed it in my to-make-for-Christmas list. I chose to make it for Brother even though he'll most likely appreciate and enjoy it most as he gets a little older.

[front of the barn]

I would have loved to add more embellishments and appliqués, but I had to face the fact that not only was I making it for a one-year-old (it needed to be durable and simple, with no small choking hazard pieces) but also I was running out of time (I had three days before Christmas, I think, and two more gifts to go). In the end I was satisfied with how it turned out. (I just love that red-and-tan plaid!)

[back of the barn]

[open barn]

Along with the barn, I gave Brother the farm animals with which I spent hours playing as a child. They're now vintage toys (yikes! am I getting that old?) but still have plenty of life left in them. I have enjoyed seeing the boys' joy in playing with them and am so thankful to my parents for saving so many of my childhood treasures for me to pass on!

happy february

I have been having such a hard time just sitting down and writing lately. I'm not sure why since I have plenty of ideas. We have been busy, though, and I think I'm already beginning to get to that restless part of winter where I just don't feel like settling down and focusing. Today, however, I'm going to write an overdue and probably much-too-lengthy update.

~I'm recovering from another cold. I'm so thankful that while I've been uncomfortable and cranky (sad but true), I have not been nearly as sick as I was before. I haven't developed any antibiotic-worthy infections, and with my entrance into the second trimester, I've been able to avoid throwing up anymore.

~Benjamin has officially accepted a position as part time worship director in one of our local churches. We finalized the transition from our old church to our new one near the end of January. The transition was gradual (we've been moving toward this since September) and peaceful, but we are still adjusting to such a significant change.

~As the end of January loomed closer and I still had not taken down the minimal Christmas decorations, I decided to turn the Christmas tree into a valentine tree with the boys. Not only is it pretty and fun, but we are also going to use the valentines the boys made to give to grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

~I am teaching two flute students and am loving it more than ever. I'm hoping I will soon have a third, but we'll see what actually happens.

~Benjamin is planning on running a marathon in July. He has been busy training, planning researching, and collecting the necessary gear. Thankfully the weather has been warm enough the last couple of weeks for him to do some of the longer runs outside.

~I've always wanted to make a traditional, scrappy log cabin quilt. The log cabin heart above is made of just ten of the eighty blocks I'll need. My current square count is thirty down, fifty to go. I'm loving how it's turning out! This quilt is going to be a wedding gift for one of my closest friends who is getting married in March, so I'm on a bit of a time crunch and am spending most of my spare time working on it right now.

~This week I made my very first Etsy sale to someone who is a complete stranger! I have made other sales, but they have all been commissioned projects from friends or friends of friends. I was so excited.

I think I'll take off for now. Brother is napping, Little Man is being sweet, and quilt squares are calling. : )

benjamin's Christmas presents

This year I was determined to have a (mostly) handmade Christmas, gifting things that I had crafted with care instead of simply things I purchased. The only problem is that I have a hard time figuring out things to make for Benjamin. After much searching for ideas (something not too cheesy, not too useless, not too fru-fru, etc.), I found one that inspired me to make the following photo/calligraphy gift for him to put at his desk at work.

I also put the finishing touches on the scarf I had intended to give him for Christmas last year but hadn't finished in time. He has worn it most days since Christmas, so it was definitely a success!

In addition I gave him the two books he needed to complete his C. S. Lewis space trilogy set. Books are one thing for which I don't mind breaking my all handmade rule of thumb. I knew he'd enjoy getting them because they are some of the few books he has actually reread.

He was delighted with all his gifts, and I was pleased that I made good choices. : )

my dad's Christmas present

For my dad's gift this year I decided to do a calligraphy of part two of his favorite psalm, Psalm 19. I made part one for his birthday last year.

I had an entirely different idea of what this calligraphy was going to look like when I started, but it simply was not working. I became tired, discouraged, and (I must admit) a little frustrated, so I put it away. When I finally returned to the project just days before Christmas, I just didn't have it in me to continue rehashing the old plan and came up with a new one instead.

I'm very pleased with how it ended up turning out. I love the contrast of the two fonts and was delighted with how perfectly the text fit in the frame.

firsts

Yesterday morning we had a little scare that ended up amounting to nothing. It was enough, however (especially after my miscarriage last year), that my doctor ordered an ultrasound and asked me to come in for a quick check up.

This was the first first trimester ultrasound that I've ever had. It was fun to get to see my growing baby earlier this time. Not to mention the relief and joy I felt to see the baby's heart beating away healthily and to see its' little feet kicking and arms waving!

This is the first picture ever taken of little Sweet Pea. (Sweet Pea is waving "hi" to you all.) : ) It blows my mind to think that this tiny baby is only about two inches long, yet it has fingers, toes, a little face, and the ability to move around. Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

my mom's Christmas present

And so I begin my series of better-late-than-never Christmas posts in which I catch up on documenting all of the projects that I couldn't share before.

For my Mum's Christmas gift, I enjoyed reworking a doodle I came up with back in October. I was delighted with the final result. (Click on the photo to see it larger.)

I'm loving this more flowy, free form calligraphy style. I'm also getting a little spoiled because the pencil sketches I have to begin with make for a one-draft project which suits my project-hopping personality to a T.

announcement

Oh, how I've missed my little space in bloggy-world. I feel badly about not posting, have great intentions about posting (oh, I have a lot to say!), and then I procrastinate. I think the break has been good, though, and I have excellent excuses. First I had a miserable cold/sinus infection combination followed by a flu. By the time we all recovered, we were in a whirl of Christmas celebration. My computer dropped out of commission. Then I caught another, uncomfortably violent flu. And on top of it all there was the morning sickness...

That's right! We're having another baby. :D I just passed the 10 week mark and am beginning to feel less sick and regain some energy. My first appointment is this Friday, and I can't wait to hear the baby's heartbeat! And I must admit that I'm hoping for a girl, though another little boy would make me just as happy.