A Blanket for Micah

It is very easy to knit a complete a baby blanket in a couple of days when you have nothing else to do. I tweaked the Big Bad Baby Blanket pattern from Stitch n' Bitch to fit the amazing cradle that Jared's dad made (pictures of the cradle will come later if I can ever finish the bumper pads). I used Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in pumpkin, and I love the way it turned out!

The Blessings of Bedrest

This has been the craziest couple of days! Last weekend I just didn't feel right, and by Monday when I went to the doctor, I was having contractions every 3 minutes. My local hospital doesn't have a level III nursery, so they shipped me off to MUSC (2 hours away from home!!!) so that they could hopefully stop the contractions. And that brings us to today....I'm currently 26 weeks and a few days pregnant, and baby Micah really wants to meet his family! But thanks to the awesome doctors and nurses here at MUSC, baby is still safely inside my growing belly! The trade-off is that I'm on bedrest and a bunch of medications to stop my contractions. And although being on bedrest so far away from home is a bit of a bummer, I'm making the best of the situation. For one thing, I can't stop knitting!

New Name

Hooray for new beginnings! Like I've said before, my life is changing like crazy right now, and I needed a blog name that represented all of me (not just felting). So, the new blog will be "Made for You by Amy Plew!" I hope to post more, and I have lots of new ideas bouncing around in this brain of mine. I can't wait to share these ideas with you!

4:36 am

Good morning! It is currently 4:36 in the morning, and I have been up for an hour and a half for no apparent reason... other than the fact that I can't turn my little brain off. Micah is summersaulting in my belly, but he doesn't bother me. I love feeling the intermittent turning and stretching of that strange little life growing inside me. It's comforting; a precious gift that I thought I'd never experience.

I keep thinking about what life will be like with two boys. I already feel stretched to my limits with being a wife, mother, and working a full time job. Like Bilbo Baggins, "I feel thin. Like butter spread over too much bread." And now that this little precious life is on the way, it doesn't seem like I'll ever get caught up. I find myself trying to plan for the next couple of months, but coming up short because of exhaustion, and facing so much that is unknown...

I am holding tight to Jeremiah 29:11, and it gives me peace for the moment.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT)

Now if I could only get back to sleep before my alarm goes off...

The Great T.V. Turn-Off of 2010

We love the T.V. in our house! It usually gets turned on first thing when we get home from work/school just for some background noise or to keep Jesse occupied while I fix him a snack or dinner. The T.V. is turned off during dinner, but makes a resurgence after Jesse is in bed. We have a lot going on right now, so "vegging" seems like the best way to wind down after a long day. Jared and I sit, parked on opposite sides of the couch so that we can both spread out a bit, and after an hour or two we usually fall asleep while watching some mindless nonsense that neither of us really care about.

Well, not any more!!! In an attempt to transform this life that has become exhaustingly monotonous, we have shut off our dish completely! HOORAY!!! (((Insert marching band music here.))) Now we actually have time to do the dinner dishes, talk, read books, blog, craft, and just spend time together. I have to admit that sometimes the silence (after Jess goes to bed of course) is deafening, but I'm learning to like it.

Transformation

Have you even had a moment in your life where you felt like everything was going to change? Right before Christmas I remember feeling like change was in the air. I thought that this might manifest itself in a new job, or another move.... but nothing prepared me for the news we got just a few short weeks later. We are pregnant!!! And not just a little pregnant, but 3 months pregnant!!!

We are now the proud owners of our very own "Baby Bean." For those of you who haven't known me for the last few years may not realize how crazy this is, but I have to tell you that this little baby is proof that God has the craziest sense of humor, and His grace and goodness far exceed anything that I could ever imagine. Jared and I had been trying to conceive for 4 years, and after being labeled "infertile," and yet still knowing that we were meant to be parents, set our sites on adoption. Jesse came to live with us in October of 2008, and the adoption is still not finalized (long story!), but will hopefully be completed in the near future. Jesse cannot wait to be a "big bruder."

But back to the talk of transformation... I guess the reason I have been feeling like a change is needed is because, for a while now, I've been feeling like I have become very off-balanced. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, friends, church, job... but I feel like all of the most important parts of me, the things that make me who I really am, have become sadly overshadowed by the necessary, but not nearly as important, goings-on of daily of life. (Have you ever read Charles E. Hummel's Tyranny of the Urgent? It has become my theme song!) And now, faced with a BIG change coming into the world in 6 months, I think that now is the perfect time to get my act together! EVERYTHING is going to change!!! And I know that this will probably not be the most painless transformation, but I hope that going through this journey will help me get back to the me that God intends me to be.

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Check out this super cute backpack giveaway! I think Jesse would love it!

Made by Rae Jackpack Backpack GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Deep Breath

Maybe I've being a little hard on myself....and I really need to take a deep breath! OK...here goes... (hmmm ahh) Now, that feels much better!

Despite my last self deprecating post, I have been having tons of fun this summer with my sweet husband and Jesse. A couple of weeks ago, for my belated Mother's Day celebration, we took a little trip to a strawberry patch with plans to make some yummy strawberry jam. I come from a long line of "canners," (at least four generations on my Mom's side) and nothing is more satisfying than a pantry full of jars of homemade strawberry jam!!!

After a brief instructional session with the boy, he was picking perfect jamming strawberries in no time. Jesse, who, by the way, will not even touch a grocery store berry, was shoving berry after berry into his sweet little mouth the whole time.

We did run into a slight occupational hazard, though, that we are now affectionately calling "strawberry-butt." (Next time, Jesse, don't sit on the strawberries!) :o)

And when we got home, we squished and squashed, and squashed and squished the berries until they were the perfect jamming consistency.

And after 5 hours of preparation (picking, sterilizing jars, mixing, stirring, and waiting to hear that amazing little *POP* that occurs when the jars have been sufficiently sealed) we enjoyed the fruits of our labor on Ritz crackers. I think he likes strawberry jam; don't you agree?

Oh how I long to be "Super Mom"!

I have to say that I'm feeling a little down on myself today.  I wish that I could be a super mom/blogger/crafty business woman like Katie Did or Soule Mama or Angeline!  Oh!  To be able to stay home with my amazing kid and have time, energy, and foresight to make amazing meals, homemade clothing, and fun crafty stuff for my house.  This mama can't even meal plan for a whole week, let alone blog about it (as you can tell from the rather lengthy time between blog posts lately).  So, here is what I'm telling myself to soothe the longing in my heart to do something amazing....

1)  There is a season for everything.  Just because I don't have time to do all the stuff I want to do now, doesn't mean that I will never have time to do them.

2)  I love my new job!  I love being a nurse!  So, although I yearn to be a stay-at-home crafty mama, I also love being an anesthesia-assisting, spectator of teeth-pulling!

3)  I do have some new projects in the works....whaa-att-aaaah (that's how an evil laugh is spelled for those of you who don't know).

Until then... we're just motoring along!

A girl just can't get ahead!

I wish I was the kind of person who could get ahead!  But no matter how hard I try, I am constantly down to the wire (or over it) with crafting deadlines.  Part of the reason why is that I feel like I need to have all my "other stuff" done before I can start creating.  Why do dirty bathtubs and mountains of laundry call my name louder than fabric and wool?!  I have no idea!  Poor Jared has been waiting since Christmas for his felted zombie (pictures to follow when I finally complete it!)!!!  But I finally did get my act together to turn out two little gifts for some of my sweet friends...and just in the nick of time!

Anna is having a baby boy any day now, so she received a diaper wrap...  Only this time, a friend of mine suggested using iron-on vinyl instead of using the sewn vinyl I had been using on the changing pad.  Who knew something so amazing existed?  It literally changed my life!  :o)

And for my sweet friend and neighbor, Jordan, I made her a little sewn zippered pouch, using a vintage zipper that I inherited from my grandmother's stash.  I found a tutorial here, but I tweaked the pattern a bit so I could use multiple fabrics.
I just love the bright yellow lining!  

Maybe next week I'll be able to get enough done to stock my shop again!  Happy crafting to you!

Hello, my name is Amy, and I'm an addict.

I have known for a long time that I am an addict, and there is no end in sight to the controlling nature of this addiction...

No, silly, it's not a vice (at least not in my eyes)...it's fabric!  And even though my fabric stash extends far beyond my crafty endeavors at this point in my life, I cannot stop looking for it, buying it, and oogling over it.  I dream about it at night, think about what I'm going to make with it when I'm at work, and spend hours online trying to find the best patterns.  I am in love with the fabric designs available now from Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, and Chloe's Closet, to name a few!  I cannot get enough of vintage fabrics either!  Every time I walk into a thrift store, I cannot consider it a fruitful visit unless I walk out with an armful of old fabric.

  

Oh!  How I do love the warm hues, lovely textures, and ingenious thought that goes into fabric design and execution!  It must be so cool for these designers to spend their time dreaming up beautiful patterns and actually seeing them used by crafters all over the world to create their own works of art.  I am in awe!  Check out a few of my favorite online fabric shops:

www.purlsoho.com

www.reprodepot.com

www.sewmommasew.com

Happy crafting!!!

Beanbag toss

Another birthday has come and gone for our sweet friend, Brayden!  It was his third birthday, and I wanted to make him something very special.  After much thought, I came up with this fun beanbag toss game.

Colorful circles sewn onto a dark blue, starry background, and a bright yellow print on back became the play mat.  I had a bunch of Pixar-print scraps from other projects, and since Brayden loves those characters, the scraps became the bag fronts.  The other side of the beanbags have coordinating fabric to match the circles, and Jesse helped me stuff bags with navy beans.

I sewed a little "Made for You, by Amy Plew" tag on the back, and voila! a special present for the birthday boy! 

A bit about this weekend...

Jared's birthday was on Thursday, but I worked a 12-hour shift, and it happened to be one of the most terrible shifts of my nursing career (the kind of day that makes you ask yourself why you continue being a nurse), so we celebrated on Friday.  Putting Thursday's craziness behind me,  Jesse and I made Jared's favorite desserts - red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (((YUMMY!!!)))

Jesse especially loved the frosting, as you can see, and we quietly celebrated the birthday of my favorite boy in the whole world!  

Saturday morning was super warm (a pleasant contrast the barely-above-freezing weather we've been experiencing lately), so we hopped on our bikes, outfitted with the kid carrier, and headed down to the river for some exploring.  The banks of the river are covered in discarded oyster shells, and Jesse enjoyed "finding" the shells, and putting them back in the river where they belong.

A gigantic pelican was on the shore as well, trying his hardest to swallow his fishy breakfast.  Can you see the shadow of the fish in his pouch?  He finally got it down with a bit of a fight.

And just because I cannot stand to waste a minute of precious sunshine, when we got home, we decided to plant a few seeds in anticipation of the oncoming Spring.  Jesse was fascinated by the wet soil, and how the seeds were all different sizes.  The pumpkin seeds are much larger than the tomatoes, aren't they?!

Lunch.  Then off the car for the nearly 2-hour drive to Jekyll Island, with the hope that Jesse would grab a nap in the car (he didn't, by the way), to visit Jared's brother who is playing in an ultimate frisbee tournament there.  It was a nice enough visit, with a birthday dinner of lowcountry boil (sausage, corn, new potatoes, and shrimp) for Jared, and then back in the car for home. 

We were nearly home, when the terrible gurgling of a two-year-old's belly broke the silence, and out came the most ridiculous amount of projectile vomit you could possibly imagine from that sweet little boy in the back seat.  Poor thing!  I jumped from the confines of my seat belt, and scooped up as much partially digested sausage as I could from his little lap in the pitch dark of the car.  It was all so terrible, that the three of us just had to laugh!  And after one more gurgling blow out, Jesse smiled, laughed, and said, "I'm done."  We laughed the rest of the way home.

All of that to say, I feel like I've officially been initiated into motherhood.  Jared and I waited so long to have a family, and whether we are basking in the warmth of Spring-like sunshine, or experiencing the really gross, unfortunate parts of being parents, I see that it's all a blessing.  I am so thankful to have Jesse in our life!

Crafting for Babies

My recent crafting has revolved around baby showers and birthday parties.  I love giving a bit of crafty love to a new generation, and now that the recipients have received their presents, here a few photos.

This puzzle ball found it's way into little Collin's newborn hands a couple of months ago.  It's made from a pattern found in one of my favorite crafty books, Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.  The pattern is super easy, and the triangular pieces are whipped up in an hour or so, and then pieced together by hand to form the ball.  Very fun to make, and addictive to play with (even for a grown up)!

This fabric beach ball pattern is from the Purl Bee (my all-time favorite place to find free crafty patterns).  Lillian is a pink and purple loving baby girl, but I really wanted to give her something with a pop of fun color for her birthday.  And who doesn't love a bit of retro orange and red flower fabric?!

(((Please forgive the horrible lighting in this picture!  I took it seconds before the party started!)))  This one is my go-to baby shower gift - a fabric wrap with 3 pockets (one for diapers, one for wipes, and one for a handmade changing pad).  The changing pad has a vinyl lining so it can be wiped off easily, and the whole wrap is trimmed in vintage pink binding.  There is a terrible lack of fabric stores in my area, so Walmart is my only choice in a pinch, unless I have three hours of my life to spend driving to and from Savannah with a nearly-three-year-old boy, who hates the fabric store!  :o)  But this fabric was so cute (even for Walmart), and I couldn't resist!  And I think that baby Mary's Momma will appreciate having all of the diaper changing necessities close at hand in a pretty pink wrap!

crafting with the kid

Jesse is an artist!  We are so blessed to get a kid who loves to "make paint," sew, and be crafty.  It's been a bit of a challenge to find things that are age appropriate and can hold his attention, but we still try!  Here are a few crafts from the past couple of weeks: painting, embroidery, and making a mile-long paper chain to count down the days to Disney World.  Happy crafting with your little ones!

I am in love!

Since the first day I met him, I knew that Jesse would be a great addition to our family, but I never thought that I could love him this much!  He has made an undeniable impression on every life he and his story touches.  He is curious and smart with the most amazing facial expressions, and I feel blessed to be his Mommy.  He is the funniest thing I ever met, and I wanted to share some of his Jesse-isms with you.

*  Tylenol is "tiny lol."

*  Chocolate pudding is "chocolate penguin."

*  When he meets new people he says, "Glad to meet you," in his sweet squeaky voice, and shakes your hand.

*  When I asked him where God lives, he stated, "In a castle."

*  A couple of weeks after visiting with my family for the first time, Jesse was in the bathtub playing with a fishing game, when he grabbed up a green fish, held it tight to his chest and stated, "I just love Robin!!!"  (my little sister)

*  My mother-in-law told Jesse that we were going to hike when we go camping.  He grabbed my hand and said, "Mommy, let's close eyes and pretend we hike through Disney World." (his current obsession)

*  Jesse held onto this little heart-shaped rock for weeks after he found it on a nature walk.

*  He hates ice cream because it's "too cold."

*  If we're ever outside after dark he always warns us saying, "Watch out for the lions!"

*  He called us "Mommy" and "Daddy" from the day we got him.

I hope that you have a little love in your life, too, that makes you smile and brightens your day!

a new year...just a little late

OKAY.  I know that it is 21 days into the new year, but I've been running just a little late for everything lately.  Thus I think that this post is more than fitting for my recent state of mind/life. {smile and sigh} I have been thinking and puzzling things over in my head regarding the start of a brand new year.  So many things have changed in my little world and I am enjoying them!!!  My adorable new (soon-to-be-officially-ours) son is the most amazing change in my life.  He is both a blessing and a challenge! (Why does he feel the need to rip books, lick counter tops and shopping carts, and pull the pee guard off his potty seat, sending a yellow liquid trajectory all over my clean pants ?) {another giant smile}

Which brings me to the real reason for this post - my promises to myself for this new year! (otherwise known as resolutions...but I really dislike that word...it always makes me want to quit before I get started...)

1.  I will spend more time laughing and less time getting frustrated.  (This includes pee on my pants that I didn't put there.)  I will let go of having an immaculately clean house, perfectly folded laundry, and a tidy craft room.

{my embarrassingly messy craft room}

2.  I will be more conscious and conscientious in my daily life.  This includes taking some important stuff seriously -  reading my Bible and praying, investing in friendships, playing more and fretting less, and getting healthy.

  

{sunflowers}

3.  I will make something every day.  I get in funks where it's hard for me to be crafty, even though I love creating.  This year, I want to have a pile of goodies on hand to give away and sell.

{happy craftiness}

I hope this new year finds you well, and with a whole new perspective on your life, too.  Happy (21 days into) 2009!  

two blogs in one day...what?

Yes, I know that's it's out of character to post twice in one day, but I finally caught up with some email tonight, and I found the most wonderful "present" from Angeline waiting for me!  She has been added to a very fun blog/zine at heart handmade, and included little sheep felt in her Christmas wish list.  Thanks, Miss Angeline!

A new addition to our family

It has been quite a long time since I've posted anything on this little blog.  My world has been turned up-side-down (in a good way) over the last couple of months.  My husband and I have been trying to start a family for almost 3 years, and after many trials, medications, poking and prodding, paperwork, waiting, and more waiting, we finally received our little boy in October.  We decided to use the foster care system to start our family, and we are hoping and praying that we get to adopt him some time next year.  God knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us our little guy,  and we feel ridiculously blessed to have him in our lives!

oh how sweet!

Carolina Gudanowski, of From Tiki with Love,  posted the sweetest blog about my Little Sheep Felt.  Thank you, Carolina, for your sweet words!  Check out her etsy site, where she posts THE CUTEST bird prints, paintings, and greeting cards.

the lazy river and wool roving

I love being a nurse, but my days off have become a much-needed rest from the real world.  My sweet friend, Kim, invited me to come to the pool with her, and as we floated around the lazy river, we contemplated answers to the pressing issues in our lives.  Ah.....there's nothing like the leisurely solving of life's biggest problems!  And then, I finally got my act together and posted the wool roving and beginner's felting kits on my etsy site.  Hooray!  Another step closer to crafting independence!
 

it's done!!!!

After nearly nine months of felting/refelting and writing/rewriting, my little felting book is finally finished!  HOORAY!  Check it out here.  Oh...and I cannot finish this entry without thanking my amazing husband for doing all of the layout and printing.  He is amazing!

bunting and bird's nest

Oh!  How I do love summer - trips to the beach, sprouting garden, summer craftiness, and now a little bird has built a perfect little nest in the Confederate Jasmine on my back porch.  And not only is there a little nest, but also 3 little shiny blue eggs!  What a lovely surprise!

I am so privileged to have formed a friendship with the very talented Angelina Tsao.  Her company, Cake and Milk Paperie, has become one of my favorite sources of artistic and business inspiration.  She has a new line of graphic cards that just make me so happy!  Her bunting cards are so sweet, and to celebrate her new card line, I decided to make some bunting of my own.  (((BEAUTIFUL work, Miss Angeline!)))

an end-of-week tea party

I had a very long workweek!  When I'm not being crafty, I am a nurse on a very busy medical/surgical unit, and recently my patients have kept me ridiculously more busy than usual.  Between patient and family requests, medically necessary tasks (wound care, dressing changes, assisting patients with ambulation, giving out meds....) and the insurmountable amount of paperwork, I feel like most of my day is spent chasing my tail.  So, on my day off, I decided to have a tea party.  My friend, Lizzy, came over on her lunch hour and we got to share an assortment of tea sandwiches, scones, desserts, and of course - tea!  It was a lovely break in the week to indulge in something so girly, not rushed, and not ruined by the lingering smells of body fluids, that often haunt my workweek lunches.

the beginning

I have been busy in my studio lately!  My time is consumed with writing a short instructional manual on needle felting, and trying to increase my inventory.  So far, the progress has been slow-going, but I'm inching closer to this life that I want to live (thus a blog entry - finally!!!).   I am not sure where this little venture will take me, but here I am....willing to make this first step in this journey.