waiting and sewing...

This week I've been sewing lots of little things, despite my numb/tingling/painful right hand. I couldn't help myself...I needed to create and help take my mind off of waiting for baby to arrive. This is just one of the little things I made: My first attempt at a hotpad/potholder (or "pothad" as I can't help calling them). I got a bundle of some lovely fabrics recently for my birthday that had just been waiting to be put to use in some form.

And I've been trying to do a bit of gardening too, yet it's getting more difficult to bend down so low. But Hub has been a big help too as I point out where to plant what, what needs to be trimmed back, or sprayed to prevent the deer/bunnies from munching on. Bleeding Hearts...when they were just beginning to bloom, but are much larger now!Tiarella or Foam Flower...with a new little gnome. Anemone...so sweet, this is the first year they've actually thrived in my garden! I love these little purple-ish/blue wildflowers that appear in our woods each Spring...although I still can't identify them! I've searched through all of my wildflower books and even googled "bluebell-like flowers" and still no luck! I'm not sure why but I really would like to know what to call these dainty blue flowers. So the mystery continues...

...as does the waiting!

an unexpected evening hike...

The other night, Hub took me on this crazy "hike" just as the sun was setting. While I was thinking we were planning on walking leisurely along a trail...he went "off-road" (or rather "off-trail"). Being just days away from having a baby and wearing clogs, it was an interesting "hike" to say the least. Climbing uphill over large uneven rocks, there were little pink wild blueberry flowers and moss-covered rocks at our feet. And while dodging tree branches, bushes, and weeds, there were gorgeous trees filled with white blossoms all around us. It was refreshing and so pretty out at that time of day with the setting sun behind us and a pastel sky painted over the Lake. Sometimes the "unexpected" is good!

tiny cardigan...

As I talked about in a previous post, I finished my knitted cardigan for our soon-to-arrive baby! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It is so tiny & soft & cozy! I love the book this pattern came from and only wish my hands weren't so bad so I could knit a matching hat and/or socks with the remaining yarn. Unfortunately, in these last few weeks of pregnancy I've been having trouble with numbness/carpal tunnel syndrome which has rendered me pretty useless now when it comes to doing what I love...using my hands to create things. It is forcing me to take things easier though which I guess is a good thing! Typing is right up there with knitting in the "things I probably shouldn't be doing" category so blogging is pretty much out for now too, I guess. Hoping this baby comes soon and my hands return to normal as well!

little handmade gifts

Springtime always brings many birthdays and such for me. This year, I decided to give a few handmade touches to some of my gifts. Here're a few recent ones...

This little knitted birdy, made using the same pattern I followed for my bird mobile, was modified a bit into a lady-like sachet by incorporating lavendar into the fill as well.

Another little crafty gift with a springtime touch, a paper butterfly garland.

Pretty simple to put together, this garland was constructed using a punch, pretty papers in pale pinks, greens, creams, and my sewing machine. I wrapped it around sturdy pieces of cardstock glued and stitched together with other little embellishments.

And lastly, little wool felt zipper pouches that I had seen the tutorial for on this fun, inspiring blog last year. They are rather addicting to make, being that you can use up little bits and things to embellish each one however you'd like. I used random colored zippers I'd found at my local thrift shop, vintage seambinding to top off the zipper pulls, and wool felt scraps that I had on hand. To embellish them I used buttons, fabric, flowers, and a bit of embroidery.

They are so fun to make in fact that I think I'll have to make a few more... Now that I've finished my big (little baby) sweater project! (Photos of that to come soon, hopefully!)
Happy crafting! ~L

what is, what's to come...

Marveling today in what is...like my sweet Grape Hyacinths in bloom....a cluster of brilliant white Rock Cress blooming in my garden in the woods. And marveling in what's to come...stems of Wild Currant Berry plants surrounding my garden hold the promise of pretty red tart gems later on....spying a wild Trillium plant, sprouting up at the base of a mossy tree with a flower bud soon to bloom!

Saturday Morning Cinnamon Rolls

I woke up especially early on Saturday morning, at the crack of dawn really, and couldn't fall back to sleep. I'd been under the weather all week long and not sleeping well. So since I was up soo early, I decided to do something that I usually wouldn't have time for and surprise Hub as well...I made Cinnamon Rolls from scratch for the first time ever. {unbaked cinnamon rolls}

And Hub was quite pleasantly surprised. Not long after I had put them in the oven, he awoke and called downstairs to the kitchen wondering what smelled so good? And that he thought he could smell cinnamon? He's got a good sniffer. I said I wouldn't tell him until he came down and looked in the oven...to see the look of delight on his face made me so happy!

{cinnamon rolls, just out of the oven}

And thankfully they turned out just as good as they smelled! They were pretty easy and quick to make too. I used an America's Test Kitchen recipe from one of their magazines we have...but unfortunately I can't access it online without registering at their site. That's just how they operate, I guess. If you're interested, you can do that or send me an email and I'd be happy to share it with you as well.

The only change I made to their recipe was using a basic powdered sugar frosting (mixed w/ milk & added a dash of vanilla) in place of their buttermilk cream cheese frosting...which I'm sure would be great, I just didn't have any cream cheese.Consume with some fruit & coffee and your weekend will be off to a happy start, as was mine! Plus, your whole house will smell yummy for awhile too! :)

a little bday recap...

Oh my, where did the week go? I can't believe it is Friday already. This week has been a bit of whirlwind beginning with the weekend prior spent in the Cities for a baby shower and a gorgeous Easter day with my family...then Hub was briefly in Boston, later Mum came up for a quick visit, and oh yes...it was my birthday too. This week also brought snow, rain, wind, and finally today...sunshine! Phew! I'm ready for a quiet, Spring-like weekend at home with my hub now!

I spent my birthday with Mum, enjoying a great lunch out and lots of shopping together. Above was a birthday dessert they surprised me with at the Norwegian cafe we ate at...complete with singing me a sweet Norwegian song. In the evening, Hub took me out to our favorite Thai place for dinner. The great thing about birthdays AND being pregnant at the same time? He let me get 2 appetizers!!! ;)I also bought myself a few little birthday presents while out...a pretty floral vintage oil painting (snippet of it above) that I've had my eye on for quite some time...and a cute vintage doe & fawn planter (first photo) that I just couldn't resist. How sweet would that be coralling some things in the baby's room on a shelf or perhaps planted with a sweet, dainty Baby Tears plant?

Happy Weekend! ~L

knitted bird mobile...

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'd been working on a knitted bird mobile. We finally hung it up last week when we were putting the finishing touches on the baby's room. It is so exciting and fun to put together a completely new room, for someone you have yet to meet! Very crazy... But back to the mobile...I'm perhaps not totally done or satisfied with it...but for now I am. I just used whatever yarns I had on hand and couldn't make it distinctly boy or girlish so it just is what it is for now! Sometimes things turn out better than others...I got the idea for this mobile when last year (before Christmas I think) I came across this adorable pattern for knitted birdy ornaments. Instead of ornaments I thought they'd be cute to make a bunch for a mobile! I wrapped two wooden dowels with yarn (like branches) and added my own made-up pattern for knitted leaves at the end of each. The hardest part? Figuring out how to get everything just so in order for it to hang properly. That's why I'm not touching it for awhile! But if we have a girl, I can imagine adding some ribbons/flowers around the birdy necks, maybe changing out some of the birds to be more girl or boy-oriented, softer colors...hmm?...we'll see!