Belle's Block

 For those of you who may not know, nine years ago my family lost a precious gift. Her name was Isabella but we called her Belle. Belle was taken from us at only 3 1/2 months of age due to SIDS.  It was the most difficult thing my family has ever been through. It is difficult enough to lose a loved one, but when that loved one is so young it's so much more difficult.  But we came together, provided each other (and especially my two nieces) strength and support, and we made it through because that's what families do. We may have times when we don't all get along, but when we need each other, we know we're there for one another.

 After Belle passed away, my niece, Amy (her mom) had given family members a pink ribbon to hang from their rearview mirrors in their cars to remember her by. It happened that  Amy's sister Rose was a bit too young at the time to receive one.  Now Rose is 17 and has her own car so Amy had asked me if I could make a block, similar to fuzzy dice,  because she could no longer find the ribbons, for Rose.  So that is what I did today. It was my first try at making a block and it didn't turn out perfect, but I hope Rose likes it just the same.

Cupcakes & Ice Cream

Isn't it funny how certain items become popular? I always wonder how these things start. Who decides what is to be popular and what is not? And once something does become popular, why must we all have it? I have noticed that cupcakes are the "in" thing right now. Not just the food itself, but anything having to do with cupcakes. You see them all over: shirts, purses, toys, book covers, even wall art.

With that in mind, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and make some cupcakes. Not the kind you eat (to be honest, I'm not much of a "cake" eater. I know, I know, there's something wrong about that)but rather the kind you can hang on your wall. And they turned out cakefabulous if I do say so myself! These would be SO cute hanging in your kitchen, bakery, craft room..even your little girl's room!And what would a cupCAKE be without a little ice cream to go along with it? So, I made ice cream cones too! They are creamtastic! Best of all, these could go in boys' rooms (the girls can't have all the fun!).So if you're hungering for some cute wall decor, drop in my shop and buy yourself a half dozen cupcakes and a couple of ice cream cones! I can also customize these in colors of your choosing too of course :)

New Curtains

This past week I decided to take a bit of a break from work sewing to do some home sewing. I was badly in need of some new kitchen and dining room curtains. Ours were old, falling apart, and didn't really match either room. Given that our house is an old schoolhouse and has a bit of a rustic interior, I decided to go with fabrics with a country feel to them.

For the kitchen, I chose a patchwork fabric in burgundy, green, and blues. I think it's adorable and though dark, these curtains go with the room so much better!

For the dining room, I wanted to go with a more neutral tone since I change my tablecloth and linens by the seasons. So I chose a fabric with a cream background and blue watering cans. I absolutely love these! I'm not quite sure how I feel about the tie backs though. I may decide to remake them from the same fabric as the curtains.

Now my next project is to make chair cushions for the dining room chairs. I'm not sure what fabric to use for those. Should I go seasonal, or should I just go neutral like I did with the curtains? Decisions, decisions!