Finished project - Sneak peek revealed

Last week I showed you this sneak peek of a swap project.

Tammy, my swap partner for the We the People Swap, received her package today so I can show you the whole thing now. The swap was for a handmade tote bag with some goodies inside.

I love the soft pink, green and cream of these fabrics. (Tammy's lucky I didn't keep this for myself! The bag is interfaced so it's pretty sturdy.

I lined the tote with the striped fabric and added a little pocket

I hope Tammy get a lot of use from this bag.

Six

Happy Birthday Nathan!

A sneak peek and some buried treasure

I've been working on a few swap projects and thought I'd share a tiny peek at one that's finished. I'm not sure if my partner reads my blog, so I can't show the whole thing yet.

Sneak peek

I had to dig to the bottom of my pile of boxes to find one that I thought was the right size for the above mentioned swap package. When I opened the box, I was surprised to find this:

Buried treasure

That's 28 unread books. In addition to the 20 30 49 unread books currently on my bookshelf and 2 on the bedside table.

I'm sure I'll get to them someday! :)

Weekly Unplugged Project - Glass

We missed the Weekly Unplugged Project theme of stone, but managed to squeeze in two activities for the glass theme.

First up, we used a glass mixing bowl...

Looked through the glass oven door....


To make breakfast cookies...

Which we enjoyed with a glass of milk.


Then, Nathan did some exploring with a magnifying glass.


Checking out Sam, the cat.


Sam checking out Nathan.


It seems to have been a mutually enjoyable exploration.

Next week's Unplugged Project theme: Flat

She's doing it again....

Dana at Old Red Barn Co. has made another amazing quilt.

And she's giving it away!

Seriously, click on the image or the links and check out this giveaway. It's easy to enter and you can earn extra entries too!

There will also be 2nd and 3rd prize winners....gift certificates to Dana's online store. She makes wonderful soaps and sugar scrubs. I know they're wonderful because I've tried them myself.

Hurry up! You only have until Tuesday, July 22nd to enter.

Tonight's adventure

Nathan will be turning 6 soon and he's decided that he'd like a Spongebob party. (Ugh!)

The facility that we're having the party at provides all of the paper goods. Nice, but generic paper goods.

I figured he'd be happy with a Spongebob cake. So, I went searching online and found this great recipe with instructions for making a cake that looks like Spongebob. I told Nathan that I'd do my best to make him that cake, but I'd have to make a practice cake first.

He's been hounding me for days.....

I couldn't put it off any longer, so tonight we made this.....

It was probably a little warm in the kitchen to be working with frosting. And Nathan didn't have the patience for a crumb coat, so Spongebob has an interesting texture.

I should have known what this would be like when a good chunk of the cake got stuck in the baking pan. I conceded failure before torturing myself with figuring out how to make his arms and legs. Or filling in his clothing details.

I like to think of myself as a Jack of All Trades. I can cook. I can sew. I can use power tools. But, a cake decorator I am not. I can handle making swirly bits on top of cupcakes. I cannot handle absorbent, yellow, animated characters.

In the end, Nathan agreed to either homemade cupcakes or a store bought cake. And he chose to have pretzels for a snack instead of a piece of cake.

What we've been up to

Once again, time is flying by. Summer vacation is more than half over. School starts in 5 weeks. The stores are stocking Back-to-School supplies already.

Nathan and I have both been under the weather over the last week. Nothing major. We're on the mend now.

Other things keeping us busy have included swimming with friends, a family movie night, ice cream cones, Happy Hour at Sonic and playtime at the park.

I've managed to squeeze in a little sewing time too.

Baby shower gift - blanket and bibs.

The bibs again.

The blanket is backed with Minky. Oh so soft.

Oh, and Nathan has been scuba diving....

In the bathtub!

Fabric, fabric everywhere

Yesterday I went searching through my fabric stash for a particular piece of fabric.


It wasn't in the box that I thought it should be in.


Or in the next box.


So, I went a little crazy and did this.....

I dumped four boxes and two baskets of fabric out on my bed. And sorted.
Not really a detailed sort. Just some general piles.

Flannel and Minkie for baby blankets; sheets and pillowcases; fabric that had a previous life (clothing, curtains, tablecloths); other fabric; and fabric with potential.

Fabric with potential is anything that I can look at and see what it's going to be. Or fabric that I just love and know it will turn into something fabulous one day.

After sorting it all, I forgot what I was looking for!

It all went back into the boxes. But at least it's a little more organized now.

Weekly Unplugged Project - Sky

This week's Unplugged Project theme was sky.

Hubby and Nathan started on something last week that just happened to work with this theme.

Somehow, these two came up with the idea of installing a zip line in our backyard.

Yes, a zip line.

As in....flying through the sky zip line.

It's a little hard to tell from the photos, but Nathan loves it.

Next week's Unplugged Project theme: stone.

Happy Fourth of July!

We spent the day at home. Having a little fun in the sun.

Mr. Big Shot filling the pool.

The locals, enjoying the waterslide.


Wrestling in the kiddie pool

A new purchase. A tent that is big enough to stand up in!


Nathan roughing it. (He's watching a DVD in the tent.)

Now we're off to enjoy some fireworks.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!