Cat

Finally, a new project!  I've been wanting to do this project since I became the lucky owner of the book, Denyse Schmidt Quilts: 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects five years ago.  Look how cute this little cat turned out!  I have plans to make many more of these, in different colors and fabrics.

No Camera

My husband took all the working digital cameras that we own on his trip down the Grand Canyon, which has been happening for the last three weeks.  I realized about a week ago that I have things to show you, but no camera to take photos of it all with!  Stay tuned--there's some good stuff on its way in the next few weeks.

Luckily, my sister's birthday was during this time, and I sent her a package, and she sent me some photos of what I sent her.  These little cards are a variation on a theme from this post.  Ashley had commented on how much she liked them, so I decided she needed a mini set for her birthday.

I spent the majority of my art day this week on typing up the inserts for the baby advent calendars.  There are some really good ones.  Here are a few examples of the prompts a mom-to-be would take from the pockets:

Gather kids' songs &

make a CD or playlist.

Ask your friends and family for their favorite kids' songs or lullabies. Jot down the names and then search online or in the library for recordings of the songs.  Either make a CD or a playlist for your mp3 player.

Find photographs of yourself and

your partner as babies.

Have them framed and put them on the mantle to refer to later, to see who your child looks more like!

Talk to a mom.

Whether it is your mom or someone else's, get all the details!  What is her birth story?  What was it like for her to become a mother?  How has she changed over time as a result of being a mom?  What has motherhood taught her about herself and life?  What would she have done differently?  How did she continue to connect with her partner?  What was she afraid of and how did she overcome her fear?  What is her favorite thing about being a mom?

Special thanks to Haley, Katie, and Siri (all moms or moms-to-be) for your insight and ideas for this project.  I certainly couldn't have come up with all the ideas for this on my own.

Potholder & Baby Shower Invites

I was making some Wonky Squares aprons with the black background (instead of white) a while ago and found a red-themed square that I just adored the color combination of.  So I made a second square just like it and thought I'd turn it into a pot holder.  I needed to repair another beloved potholder in my kitchen, so the two projects combined gave me a reason to buy insulated batting.  Here is how the Wonky Square potholder turned out. It is actually a pocket pot holder.  Your hand can fit in between the two layers.

A lot of time recently has been spent in preparation for a friend's upcoming baby shower.  I can't give anything else away about it just yet, since she's a loyal blog follower, but at least here is a view of the invitations, each one a little book.  They were really fun to design and then make.  My favorite part was putting all of them in the mail, a big dose of love going out into the world!

Baby Advent

I had a productive day in the art room today!  Here are some works in progress of the two designs I'm working on for baby advent calendars.  They are of course generally based off my Christmas calendar design, but with fewer pockets and using some different ideas to set the two designs apart.  I xeroxed and increased the size of the dictionary page with the definition for baby in the pink one, so that it uses only that part of the dictionary page rather than the whole thing.

In each pocket will be a prompts for an activity for the expectant parents to do that week (something to make their preparations more meaningful than just busy) or blank papers for writing one's own message on (whatever option the client desires).

Also today: the pant legs for 3 display legs for bike bands in shops, the completion of two aprons a friend commissioned from me (similar to the one in this post),  a nose sewn on to a cute stuffed cat doll, and the conception of my card swap card design.  It was a great day.  I wish I wasn't tired, so that I could carry on in the zone.  But I can truly only go so long.

Commissions & Card Swap!

4 Wonky Squares aprons, 30 bike bands, a set of post-Valentine's Day cards, even a new advent calendar design!  These are the things people have been requesting from me lately.  I have to say, it is flattering and fun to have such fans.  :)


Here is a collage that I made that my sister commissioned from me for Christmas.  (Please note that it is her photo, with her most excellent camera and her photographer's eye... I wish all the photos of what I make could be this high quality! Click on the image if you want to see it closer-up, and you can link to her blog here.)



She requested that I make a collage integrating the words of a poem she loves by John Keats.  I intended to give it to her in a shadow-box frame, but we never had the time to make that project happen.  But at some point, it will look even more elegant than it already does.


Announcing this year's 6 Degrees of HLM International Card Swap!  Please email me (see email address at right or leave a comment below) if you'd like to participate this year.  The lowdown:

• You'll make 10 cards.  They can be blank, themed, big, small, professional-looking, your first try, whatever you'd like to do.  All I ask is that you do your best, have fun, and let me know you're joining us.
• You'll send them all to me in April with envelopes, postmarked no later than April 16th (or we can rendezvous in person if you're in Fort Collins).  I got a couple of comments last year that this deadline is right at tax time.  I considered changing the time of year that we do this, but it is really the best time of year for me.  I hope you can still make it work.  Get going on it now!  There is a lot of time between now and then. 
• If you'd like, you can attend a work party at my studio to work on your cards and enjoy some yummy snacks and the company of other card makers in the swap, Saturday afternoon, April 7th.
• I'll send you back 10 cards that other people in the swap made, sometime in May.

It is so fun and inspiring, and you will love what you get in return.  The only cost to you is the amount you spend on your supplies and the postage it takes to get your cards to/from Colorado.


I would love to have you join us!  If you'd like to be inspired by what people made last year, click here.