A couple of weeks ago inspiration appeared right on my screen on Candace’s blog in the form of a sewing machine cover. A practical, looks easy enough project is exactly what I had in mind. My sewing machine is pretty dusty these days. She certainly doesn’t get the attention she deserves or that I told her she’d get when I justified the purchase back last summer. I don’t have a fancy machine, I wouldn’t know how to figure out how to use a fancy machine. This is the one I have and it does everything a mama like me needs it to do. Basically sew in a straight line and not jam at every opportunity. I really don’t ask for much. I’m still working on the straight line part.

Candace has a great tutorial for making this nifty cover. I had a nap time to make it in so as soon as I laid Chloe down I went to work cutting and measuring. I used all vintage sheets to make the cover and had it done in about an hour. Well two if you count a three year old and five year olds distractions along the way. No wonder I can’t sew in a straight line. I guess I could stay up late to work on these things, but late night is when I work on Craft Hope. There really aren’t enough hours in the day.

Here’s a new shot of the Craft Hope World Headquarters, tucked nicely into the corner of my living room so I can oversee operations of all of the tiny people in my house.

I hope you all have a beautiful Mother’s Day. If I haven’t told you lately, you all inspire me daily.

Since Craft Hope for Haiti has slowed down a bit, I’ve been able to spend some time making things with my kids. This year we are going to make all the presents for birthday parties we get invited to. ‘We’ not being me and the mouse in my pocket. The kids are going to help. Last week the kids were invited to Keegan’s best buddy’s birthday party and we made him a sock monkey.

Gratuitous monkey butt shot. I was even able to use up some of the chikaustin labels I had made for the fiesta dresses I made eons ago.

We’ve also been getting into the Valentine holiday spirit. I’m a HUGE fan of handmade valentines and gifts, not that I’ve been so great in the past of making anything really. So yesterday while the kids were at school Chloe and I ventured out to Michaels to stock up on felt and tissue paper to make all kinds of wonderful Valentines decorations.

We basically have Chloe’s naptimes to make things. She’s just mastered the grabby stage and likes to clear a table, or a desk full of sewing supplies.

We made this heart garland. I cut, the kids stacked and handed the hearts to me in the order they wanted them. There really wasn’t a system. Just feeding them into the machine randomly.

And as you can see the Craft Hope World Headquarters is expanding. Into the living room. We got another white bookshelf. Both of them were passed along to us by Miles parents. They are the Billy bookcases from Ikea. Did you see what they did on Bondi Beach in Australia with these bookcases? Pretty cool eh?!?

While we are talking about hearts, look what Dana made. I’ll be passing these along as valentines. She donated them to the Craft Hope for Haiti etsy shop and I snatched them up as soon as I listed them. There are benefits to listing items! The shop will remain open throughout the weekend and then we must close it as we resolve some issues with Paypal. Good times.

Today we are getting out the tissue paper, Elmers glue and hearts. Good ‘ole kindergarten crafts. My favorite kind.

Since my days are now spent baby holding I have very little time to do anything crafty. The free moments I get I jump on the computer and work on Craft Hope. And check Facebook. It’s an addiction really, Facebook not Craft Hope.

So last night after all of the babes were tucked in and the dishes were neglected I made this JOY sign to hang on my mirror in the dining room. I had been wanting a new larger mirror for the dining room and since they went on sale at Hobby Lobby for 50% off I had to get one. Just had to.

You know you wanna make a sparkly sign yourself. It was very simple to make, although carrying a huge mirror while directing your four year old in stroller pushing in the parking lot, with your three year old dangling behind was somewhat of a challenge. Some ideas for this holiday season would be hope, joy, wish, and peace (if you have a very large mirror).

I found all of the supplies I needed to make the JOY sign at Hobby Lobby as well. Making the sign itself was very cheap, if you don’t buy a mirror. The story of my life. Go into a store for a small craft project and come out with a new pair of shoes.

These are your necessary supplies:

• Glittery Foam Paper (found in the foam sticker section, they sell it in sheets)
• Wood Letters (found in the wood section, there are many size choices available)
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue Gun
• Ribbon or Twill Tape (whatever you have on hand)

Place your letters on the backside of the glittery foam paper and trace. Cut out the letters and glue them onto the wood letters. Next, hot glue the ribbon to the top of each letter. Spacing is important here. Hang in your favorite spot. We ended up draping the ribbon over the backside of the mirror and tacking it into place.

You could also use this idea for sparkly letters for your kids rooms spelling out their names or words such as PLAY or DREAM.

Sparkly!

Today I am thankful for the kindness of strangers. I received an email just before Chloe was born, in the middle of Craft Hope’s sock monkey project, from a sweet gal named Jessica. An Aussie currently residing in Germany who makes sock monkies and has a super fab Etsy shop selling her sweet creations. Well Jessica told me she wanted to make some monkies for my little monkies and the wee one yet to be born. The day the monkies arrived there was pandemonium, chaos, an uprising. Kids squealing over their monkies, monkies demanding to go to the park, and monkies climbing on the baby. Well go ahead, see for yourself.

Thank you sweet Jessica for thinking of my children. I am thankful for the smiles you brought to their faces and to mine.

So I stayed up last night making the one last item that was on my to make for baby list. Since my diaper bag is not a traditional diaper bag it didn’t come with a changing pad. So I went through my stash of fabric, found some of my favorite Amy Butler Fabric (August Fields), and went to work. I even added velcro on the strap to keep it closed. As usual, no pattern, no instructions, just pure impulsivity. By this time you must know this is how I roll.

Tonight my family is all coming out to our house for dinner. It feels like a ceremonial rite of passage, the coming together of four generations to celebrate the birth of the newest family member. And tomorrow the baby will be delivered via c-section. So, of course if you are of the praying type I am asking for a few prayers for all of us. And I promise to post pictures as soon as possible.

I made this pillow, a while back, for the nursery to go in the vintage La-Z-Boy. In true Jade fashion, I didn’t follow a pattern, I simply traced the pillow and cut fabric accordingly. Then started adding embellishments such as the rick rack and the stitching along the flowers.

Last week, Ohdeedoh (aka Apartment Therapy) contacted me about Chloe’s nursery. They had previously featured Makena’s room, which no longer exists (sniff… sniff), and it is such an honor to be featured again. You can see the tour here. Thanks Ohdeedoh!!

Okay friends, I wish I could stay and chat but I’ve got to run. If only I could have a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea to make this easier.

Last night I got a burst of energy, thanks to long afternoon naps, that kept me up late. So I whipped up some burp cloths using some colorful fabric I picked up at a local fabric shop that just opened in my hood.

I also put together this easy peasy, anyone can sew, tutorial for the burp cloths. It never ceases to amaze me the cost of baby goods at boutiques. Compared to the actual cost of making them. So I put together this tutorial for you, for a super easy baby gift or for your own babe.

You can buy the packages of 10 cloth diapers at Target or any baby store for around nine dollars. Simply choose your favorite fabrics and start sewing.

Measure the center panel of the burp cloth, or the section you want to cover. Cut your fabric, allowing for a 1/4″ seam allowance. Fold over the cut edges and press.

Next, pin the fabric into place onto the burp cloth. Then sew around the edges, attaching the fabric to the cloth diaper.

Voila! Custom, adorable burp cloths in minutes.

The purple fabric is from Moda Fabrics and is Santorini by Lila Tueller. The colorful fabric is by Erin McMorris for Free Spirit, called Sophie’s Garden. I’m also planning on using one of the fabrics for a small blanket for the baby. I’ve sent off the soft backside of the blanket to the fabric shop to have her name embroidered onto it. Oh what I could accomplish with an embroidery machine and a serger. A girl can dream can’t she?!?

The house is quiet. My hubby has taken the kids to the park so I can have some writing time and the best way for me to find my writing mojo is to write up a blog post so here goes. Although, this one is going to be pretty picture heavy.

Without further ado, here is Chloe’s nursery…

The crib is the Jenny Lind style purchased for Makena when Keegan was born. Yup, I had two in cribs at the same time. The decals and wall art are from Etsy. The vintage mobile was found at a garage sale. I picked up inexpensive white bedding here and there. And I made the little pillow and quilt using my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. We decided to paint the bedroom an aqua color and go with the red accents. Makena’s nursery was pink, pink, and more pink and I’m a bit pinked out.

Amy Butler fabric makes my heart swoon.

I found the letter C at Hobby Lobby and spray painted it red. The ABC print is from Etsy. And I picked some of the fabric from her quilt to display in the hoops. The dresser and bookshelf were purchased for Makena about two years ago at Target.

Most of the decorations on her bookshelf are vintage. The owl bank was found at Target.

My really sweet blog friend, Rebekah, made this coordinating block and ball set for my soon to arrive baby. She has mad skills.

I found a ton of inspiration on Ohdeedoh, flickr, and Etsy. Also, while perusing other blogs looking at nurseries. I’ll take another picture of the other side of the room when the light is cooperating.

:: Links ::

• Wall decals – Etsy seller Byrdie Graphics
• You are my sunshine print – Etsy seller The Wheatfield
• ABC print – Etsy seller Orange Ink
• Paint – Behr (Home Depot) Refreshing Pool 500A-2

This place on the web may become a little picture heavy until the baby and book deadline arrives. At the same time!

For those of you who have been around here for a while you know that I’m not good with directions. I’m terrible following a pattern. I’ve never quite enjoyed the process of sewing. It’s the end result that I enjoy. Well, as a wise fella once said ‘it’s the journey, not the destination.’ So I’ve been trying to incorporate that more and more into my life. Enjoying the process, the journey.

While my hubby took the kids to a local swimming hole I pulled out the book Sweet Booties. Pulled out some fabric I bought many moons ago. Found a baby pattern I had bookmarked two months ago. Read the instructions. Read them once more. And then read them again. Realized a friend had written the pattern for the book and almost called her. Put the phone back down and went to work on my own. Patiently cutting, patiently stiching, frustratingly trying to figure out the puzzle piece known as a sleeve. Almost picked up the phone again. Took a deep breath. And got it all worked out. Reminding myself that it’s about the journey.

Overcoming my own obstacles, mostly myself. Overcoming my negative self-talk. And ending up with the most precious little baby kimono for my baby Chloe Jeanette that will be arriving in five weeks.

So, my friends, remind yourself that this life is all about the journey. It’s not a race to see who finishes first, or who can do it the best. Throw yourself out there. Enjoy the little moments, they are what makes life worth living. Take a risk, take a chance. Try something new. And when you get frustrated, because you will, take a deep breath and keep going.

The kids leave tomorrow for grandma and grandpa’s for a few days to give me a breather and then we’ll pick them up on our way to the beach this weekend.

Hope you are having a lovely week. Stay cool friends.