Spring Break Camping

The boy sent me this picture from Half Moon Bay this evening where he went camping with four other boys for Spring Break.  Yep, five high school boys alone.  They are having an awesome time...Oh, no it's gonna rain tomorrow...

Sew & Tell

The twins weren't the only kids who were sewing at Peapod's sewing nook.  This is six-year old Louise.  She loved every minute of sewing this shoulder bag.  And I heard from her aunt Marilyn who introduced her to sewing that she wears it everywhere she goes.

And here is a grown-up sized tote that Marylou made.  She loves the subtle look of this Japanese linen and the bright floral liner as pizazz.  She brings it everywhere she goes for grocery shopping.  

And here are Mariko's adorable little coin purses.  Have you ever tried to make them?  If you have, you know how tricky it is to make them.  I know that for sure because I tried it once and swore that I would never make it again.  

After the three purses, now it's quilting time, baby!   This is Andrea's positive quilt for her daughter.  It's about a twin size. She said that I inspired her to make this. It's very nice to hear that :-)

Modern, but a little bit of whimsy...look, she had that famous fish fabric!

And this one is made by Kathleen! Does the pattern look familiar to some of you quilters?  It's from this book.  I know I should've taken a little closer photo.  I don't even know how many different prints there are, but they all work together.  It really feels and looks like a "Sunday Morning Quilt" if you know what I mean.  This is her first quilt, and it is for herself.  It's a treat!  Yeah, treat yourself, people!  She inspired me to make my "Sunday Morning Quilt."

And look who's holding the quilt! Kathleen's two wonderful daughters who are following in their mother's foot steps. Sorry, I don't know their names, but they both sew, yay!

Thank you, everyone!!!

The Twins

So who missed the twins here?  Well, they've been sewing hard. They are growing up fast too.  They are identical twins and inseparable, but they are developing their own individual taste too.  So it happens to be that they don't want the exact same project or fabric.  I guess it is a part of growing up, so they've been taking lessons separately these days.  Now take a look what they've made...

The most recent project, a scarf. This is Amelia who made it for her teacher who loves pink...

Sarah wearing a green scarf for her rookie teacher who is from Ireland...

Tote shoulder bags...this was the last project they worked together in the same session...

Goofing around and posing and just having fun...

Bag making takes a lot of prep work so I had to choose the fabric ahead of time and I did so based on the fact that they don't want exactly the same look anymore. They chose the straps.  See how different their tastes are?

Here is Sarah looking a little younger (the photo is from last fall). She is wearing her first bag she had made last summer. 

The first bag was much smaller than the second one...

Here they are together again posing for the work-in-progress picture.  For this advanced project we had to have two sessions. One together, one separate...

No, Amelia didn't forget to put on her clothes.  It was pajama day at school...

Amelia about to do a back stitch...see where her right hand is?

She was so proud of herself that she wanted me to take this picture which shows how straight her stitches are.

Now it's Sarah's turn...

She is so comfortable with the sewing machine...

Ta-da!!! It's a boxed pouch!

Remember the cat they had been working on?  Well, Sarah finished it!  She worked very patiently with her hand stitching...

Okay, here is Amelia's cat.  Well, she wasn't so crazy about hand stitching and while her cat is still a work in progress (yes girl, you gonna finish it), she made a cat pillow...

Can you see the whiskers and tail?

Oh, I love this picture of Sarah making a pot holder for her grandma...

You know what I realized?  They really love their teachers because they always want to make something for them.  How lucky are they?  Here is Amelia holding a lavender sachet for her teacher...

right: a rough design sketch for the sachet...left: the finished sachet looking exactly how she designed for...

Not making a mess, just getting crafty...

They once told me that they wanted to get away from each other, but they still love working together.  Well, of course! They are twins!

Oh, I almost forgot...here is Sarah holding a gingerbread man ornament she made in her class last Christmas.  It was a perfect opportunity to show off her learned skill at school.  She did it all by herself.  I'm so proud of her!

My February Cure

Oops, this blog is becoming monthly.  I didn't mean it, but I was super busy with my February Cure.  I decided to follow Apartment Therapy's January Cure a month later, mainly the assignment on Day 7 which is to clean and organize the kitchen.  I scrubbed all surfaces, the cabinet, stove top and oven, refrigerator, inside and out, and other small appliances which reside on the counter space.  I cleaned the pantry, tossed the stuff I didn't touch for years, and reorganized cabinets and drawers. I still have to do some more, but all grime is gone and everything is shiny again. The kitchen feels light and airy. Oh, it feels gooood!

I try to keep flowers on the dinning table whenever I can...

Ah, an organized pantry...

I removed containers with missing or broken lids, and then there was more space, and they all fit in!  How come I didn't do this sooner?

Removed containers were repurposed as a drawer organizer...

A pan before...

A pan after...I used a magic cleaner sponge.  It's really magic!

I received a pressure cooker for Christmas, and I am loving it!  It makes chicken stock in less than an hour!  Thank you, grandpa and grandma!

Just roasting almonds...

Homemade granola from this book...

Granola in a jar...

Just another breakfast table...

It's fun to watch plants grow...

They got a new home, yay!

Teatime after cleaning...

And this dog...