My amazing friend, Keri, is scheduled to have her 4th baby TODAY so here are some little goodies I made for her last week:

"4" - because he's the 4th!

"E" - No, it's not for Ed (from the Bachelorette) it's for Evans!

So, here is a quick "How-To" if you're interested:

First, get yourself some Heat 'n Bond, some fabric, thread and some onesies. I got a package of 5 onesies at Wal-Mart for $8-something.

Trace the image onto the paper side of the Heat 'n Bond. Note: If your image is not symmetrical (like an "E" or a "4") then you will need to create a reversed image. To do this in Microsoft word, click on "Insert" at the top of the page, then click on "Picture", then click on "Word Art", then select a word art style, enter and edit the text you want and click on o.k. when you're finished. Your text will show up on the page. Next, click on the "Draw" button in the bottom-left corner of the screen, then click on "rotate or flip" and then click on "flip horizontal". Now you should have a reversed image.

After you trace the image onto the paper-side of the Heat 'n Bond, iron it onto the wrong-side of your fabric.

Then, cut out the image on the traced lines. Peel off the Heat 'n Bond paper and there should be the sticky dots from the Heat 'n Bond on the wrong-side of the fabric. Now you can iron the fabric image (with right-side up) onto your onesie.

You're just about done now. You just need to stitch around the edges. I used a small zig-zag stitch with my sewing machine, but you could do whatever kind of stitch you prefer. Use whatever color thread you want to jazz it up and you're done.

Here is one last one I made. Congratulations Keri! Can't wait to see the little guy!

Now, does anyone have any ideas on how to wrap these babies up?

Scout Camp + Mom in Survival Mode = Sewing Frenzie (Day 1)

Whenever RJ goes out of town I tend to get more projects done. Almost every day last week (while he was at Scout Camp), I had some kind of get-together planned with friends/family to work on various projects. The kids just ran around with the other kids while the moms sewed. Then, at night I would stay up late and sew too. Friday came and I realized that I needed to have a play day with the kids so we ended up having some good quality time (no sewing) on Friday. The week went by really fast and now I have lots of projects to show for it. I thought I would share, so starting today for one week, I will show pics of last weeks projects.

DAY 1:

B's Pirate Apron

B kind of likes pirates. We love the book, "How I Became a Pirate" by David Shannon and we had a pirate themed birthday party last year for him. Thus the pirate fabric apron.

Mom, don't look!

O.K. So I was the lucky recipient of this beautiful chandelier from my parents (who got it from my dad's mom many years ago). I just got it and haven't had a chance to put the crystals back on it so just add those on in your minds. Don't mind the table it's resting on - we still need to buy a dining room table (this room has had NO furniture in it for the 5 or 6 years we've lived in this house. One thing at a time, right?)

Anyways, this is our paint color:

It's called Tribal Pottery by Ralph Lauren. The floors are really dark brown, as you can see.

So now that I've set the stage - I've got a question for ya. Do you think I should leave the chandelier as is or paint it black? I'm not sure if my mother would approve of the idea, but at this point it is just that- an idea - something I am considering. I like the antique gold, too, so I just thought we would take a vote. What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.

Also, I have been sewing like a mad women this week since the hubby has been at Scout Camp. So, starting Monday I will be posting one project every day for a week for those of you that want a little fabric inspiration. I've got home decor, kids clothing, Christmas and quilting projects to share so come on back Monday for some pictures.

Have a great weekend!

~Amber

Have you ever gotten one of these for your birthday? I'm not sure if this wonderful gift was more for me or...

for selfish reasons

but it was so cute I had to capture it on film.

A couple weeks ago, Little Missy and I picked some roses out of the garden and did a little mother-daughter floral arranging.

She had her vase for her room:

She just jam packed it full of flowers and I had to admire her carefree attitude.

I tried to be a little more "artful" about the whole thing, but definitely don't have my mothers eye for this kind of stuff.

It's always a treat to have fresh flowers around. I don't have a green thumb, but when I was younger I use to dream about having a big flower garden in my yard so I could always have fresh-cut flowers around my house. Here's to the one bush in my yard that fulfills that dream.

Technical difficulties

I am so thrilled right now because I figured out some technical difficulties I was having with my blog - all by myself! I haven't been able to post for days. Pictures and text were showing up as code. At one point I thought I lost all of my links to friends, family and inspiration (what would I do with out THOSE?!?) Amazingly, I cleared my cache and cookies (I am laughing inside right now because I don't know what those are, but I followed some directions and actually cleared them...my husband would be so proud!) Finally, I realized that the problem was simple - the tab for "edit Html" was on during my posts instead of "compose." Anyways. I usually call my husband to see if he can walk me through my technical difficulties, but he's away at Scout Camp and I just couldn't wait. I love feeling like a "Can-Do Girl!"

Well, the week started off good. Bright and early Monday morning we went over to the old homestead and picked cherries in my Grandparents orchard.

I thought these were pretty - turns out they're really just weeds.

Even though this picture is dark, I love the aqua and green with a little touch of red, together.

The kids had a blast and didn't want to stop when I was "satisfied." P.S. I don't normally let my children play on ladders, but this one was really stable (a 3-legger) meant for cherry pickin'.

The whole Utah crew was there and we had fun working and goofing around together. And, best of all, we were able to bring home a big bowl of these beautiful babies. Aren't they cute?

Americana Wall Hanging

I made this wall hanging for my brother and sister-in-law a few years ago. My sister-in-law just sent me a picture of it today, so I thought I would post it...This was a lot of fun to make! I took a class for it at Quilts, Etc. in Sandy, Utah with my mother-in-law. We learned how to paper-piece the stars. Paper-piecing is really fun and easy. You just have to learn the technique and then your projects will come out perfect every time! It's a great way to get exact seams. You just sew on the lines of the paper and then tear the paper off when you're done. Hmmm...maybe I should do a tutorial on paper-piecing. Anyone interested? Anyways, I loved the embroidery around the border that says, "I pledge allegiance to the flag...with liberty and justice for all." Oh, this is getting me in the mood for the Fourth of July!