spring never has enough time

while i LOVE spring and summer-warm weather, camping, lightening shows, rainbows, swimming, lightening bugs.... i don't like that it means that i have to divide my time.  inside crafting or outside working. one of the 1st things we do is get the camper out and ready.  big a (bless him) parked the camper on the cement for me so we/i could get it ready this year.  plus he's been bugging me about washing the outside for the past few years. he did a great job (though we should have done it last year).  mother nature has been a bit too bipolar with temps to do much of anything else. so while little a was in jersey (she gets back tonight) i decided i had better get her bed fixed. it was attached to a metal frame....but it was SO noisy! she couldn't breathe without it squeaking.  so i had been looking on pinterest and found a tutorial for making a wooden bed frame & head board.  didn't need the head or foot board (thanks to a great friends dad for making these for me a few years back out of old doors), but the info on the frame-heck yes! got my lumber and went to town.  (twice cause i originally got 2x8's which were too big-that should have been my 1st clue) cut a good 9" of the head & foot board, they were kinda tall and then i would have had to deal with big holes from where the bolts were at for the metal frame. cut the side supports and slats.  made 3 supports for the slats since the mattress is so heavy.  get it all put together (after issues with a few of my screws) and the box spring wont fit :( so on to plan b.  big a had suggested to move up my slat supports, but that would have made the bed awful high with nothing to keep the box spring in place.  so back to town for more lumber i went.  i was only about an inch off, so i decided to put the side supports on the outside of the  head/foot boards.  i was SO happy that it fit.... that bed wasn't going to beat me! 

now it makes me think that i should maybe do the same to p's bed..... 

my baby's baby doll

crazy to think that its been a month since my baby turned 1!  i made her this doll as her gift.  its always fun to do an 'i want to project'.  i got a couple requests from my sister & sister in law for when my nieces turn 1....hopefully i remember that i want to make the arms a bit different.  thanks to a bit o whimsy for the pattern. 

progress in craft room

i have not only been busy in the craft room, but for the craft room as well.  and so have the kids.  i had them each paint some pictures for me to hang up on the wall.  

i love seeing each of them create something. z and p each did a house and water scene.  e just paints. 

 i also had drawers made for this antique desk i had picked up a long time ago.  i think technically its upside down, but works best that way for my purposes.  i love it cause everything now has a permanent place and it's labeled.  and i still have a few drawers open. 

 then i had to do some creative thinking on how in the heck i was going to hang up all my stamps.  the clips i have had for a long time have way smaller hooks than any cafe rod i could find.  so a trip to menards and the farm store (thanks uncle mark) solved my problem.  

 and i wanted a place to write down ideas, my to do list (never ending), what i need to make for up coming shows, and any thing else.  so up went a chalk board.  i love it and have already wiped some things off my list (and a had to leave me a note-love that man so)

 i do have a sewing box that i love, but as i was paroosing pinterest one day i saw something awesome.  a board with nails.... to put all my spools and bobbins on!!! unfortunately i ran out of nails so i cant put all my spools up til i can get back to menards.  but what i do have up has been super nice. no more lifting up a spool to see it its the right color, all my bobbins are on the same nail as the spool they match, so i don't have to hunt for those, either.  and this was a while ago project, but i used pic line (plumbing line) cut into short rings with a slit in it as bobbin stoppers so the tread doesn't come off (as easy anyway)

and my new storage.  this was a fun project that i decided to go with plan b in the end.  but i love how it turned out and know that if i need more storage (cause you never know) that i can just make another bracket and get longer boards and bam, i have another 32 inches or so of storage.  

next will be the kids area.....

round 2 of quilts

i used to have 5 nephews and 1 niece.  then i got remarried and gained another niece and 2 more nephews.  then my siblings had (well my brothers wife technically) had a girl each so i got 2 more nieces.   the original 6 each got a quilt for christmas 1 year.  i thought that it would be nice to give them something i had made, that hopefully they would keep forever and always think of me.  my sister in law told me that my niece had to sleep with her quilt top down and facing her. so for s i know it will always be something that will make her think of me.  
and while i was SUPER excited to finally have more nieces (its fun to buy for a girl other than your own) that meant i needed to get my behind in gear!  so i figured i had better start with the oldest.  i have had some of the fabric for this for over a year, but ran out of time last christmas.  and i am glad that this was a quick pattern to put together, cause i got a late start this year.  while i cut the strips & squares, z helped me by tracing the circle on a smaller strip.  then he helped by putting a circle on a square for me to sew.
i love how bright & colorful it is.  now to find a pattern & fabric for the next nephew......

more zizzle zoo

a beautiful butterfly, 

playful puppy, 

and a watchful whale.

watch for one more animal to join the zoo (darn fabric order took too long and i couldnt wait to share these with you)

doll diaper bag

this was SUPER fun to make!!!  my friend asked me to make her 2 year old daughter a doll diaper bag & accessories for christmas.  but when her mother in law saw it, she also wanted one for her grand daughter.  we decided on the bag, a matching changing pad backed with minky, 2 burp cloths backed in minky, 2 bibs, 3 flannel diapers and a wipe case with fleece wipes.  and there is plenty of room left for a little girl to add a blanket, some bottles and anything else she would to put in her very own diaper bag.

happy christmas & merry new year

 happy christmas from the schlarecki's. (that is what big a calls us) its been a crazy month trying to get ready for christmas at this house.  i am not all matchy & theme oriented when it comes to christmas decorating, but for some reason i have a thing will all our stocking having to look at least coordinated.  so while they are all a different quilt block pattern, they all have matching fabrics.   it was fun picking out all the different blocks.  maybe after christmas i will have time to get to t's.  we almost need a bigger banister to get them all hung.  but as little a put it-we have a big family and we love it!

each year when i get new nephews or nieces i make them a 1st christmas ornament along with the one that everyone else get.  this time i had to make 3 (lucky mom got 3 in 1 year) and yes i know i am missing 1, but i screwed up on stamping the tags and figured it was better to make sure that my new nieces got theirs at christmas.  

and these are the ornaments for the year.  it was fun thinking of christmas/winter words.  but i needed more vowels!