New & Improved Projects list...

Here's a refresher on the projects I still have left from my first list:

 

1. Refinish the dresser in the basement. Yes, it's still there and incomplete. Turns out the color isn't the best (plus it's the wrong texture). So lesson learned. I'm going to find a new paint color soon and start over. Hoping the second time around is better than the first!

2. Write a book. This one is obviously going to be a continual work in progress. My being a perfectionist is definitely a hindrance, but I'll work it out. The one idea I keep coming back to is telling my G-ma's story. She really lived through some difficult moments in her life but she never lost her joy. I just want to honor her and her amazing faith through it all. 

3. Make a quilt. Now, this one can technically wait a while longer, seeing as how we aren't having another baby just yet. So it's going to remain on my list until that happens. 

4. Build a shelf for & refinish the inside of my antique trunk. Don't remember who gave me the idea, but once it's finished, I will be using the trunk for all my creative journey necessities. Thanks to whoever gave me the idea! I can't wait!

5. Make a hobo-style cable knit purse. Here is the yarn & handle that are waiting on me to use. I still have to find a cute fabric to line the purse with & I bought a cable stitch holder today (finally!) so I can get started any time.

Those are the remaining projects from my first list. Here is my extended list. Yes, it's pretty long & is probably a little too adventurous, but I honestly love tackling difficult projects. It makes things so much more interesting! :)

1. Disney Baby Doll Blankets.

This is  baby Belle &  baby Ariel. They belong to Lily (along with baby Rapunzel-whose blanket I've almost completed). I'll be knitting them blankets to match the colors in their outfits. They'll be similar to Rapunzel's blanket (size wise, at least & which I will post a picture of once it's complete). Lily loves any knitting project I make, so I know those will be a hit. :)

2. Scarf. Ok, this really doesn't sound difficult, especially since I've made scarfs. Several of them. In fact, every female in my family received one as a gift from me last year for Christmas. Anyway, what makes this scarf different is the amazing (and expensive) yarn I'll be using.

This is  100% handpainted Merino wool. It costs $16 a skein. Which is crazy expensive (to me at least). But I found it on vacation and couldn't pass it up. I just love it. So, I need to find a pattern I like and practice, practice, practice on not so expensive yarn before I even take a crack at this. So my goal right now is to find a really great scarf pattern I can use.

3. Corduroy's lost overalls.

I have all the material I need to make Corduroy some overalls. Now I just need to find (or create) a pattern and go from there. I'm considering making the straps of the overalls connect to the rest with velcro. Then we can pretend that his strap is loose when we read the story. And so I can easily wash his overalls. My child looks at something and she gets dirty, so it'd probably be a good idea to make them easily removable.

4. Circular Knitting Needle Holder & a Roll Your Own Needle Case. I still have to find fabric for both of these projects, but I'm excited to start looking! Currently my needles are standing in a vase, which works for now. But it will be so much easier to keep track of them this way. Plus, the circular knitting needle holder will keep my needles in numerical order (which is awesome because mine aren't labeled and I always have the hardest time remembering what size they are). It's a pretty nice sized sewing project & it's on the backburner until I'm done refinishing my trunk.

5. Slouch Hats. I have my friend Ginger to thank for this one. I've been tossing around the idea of knitting a hat for awhile. With the weather finally starting to turn cold, I opted to go for it. Once I made the decision, I remembered reading a blog post by Ginger about something called a slouch hat. I scoured her blog, found the post & copied the pattern. I'm way excited because the hat looks adorable. Don't know if I can pull it off, but I'm going to try! :) So thanks Ginger, for posting a fun new pattern for me to try! (Also, check out her blog-it's pretty awesome.Here's the link to Ginger's blog. Enjoy!)

So it looks like I'll be making 2 hats. Bought the awesome plum colored yarn last night. Came home & found the cute barley colored yarn in my yarn bin. Totally forget that I had it. It was supposed to be for another project, but I forget what it was so it's going to be for this instead.

So there it is. My updated projects list. I'm sure I'll find more to add as time goes by, which is alright by me!

I can't wait to get started!

Coming Soon!

A new & improved list of projects!!

Yes, I still have items on my old list that need to be completed, but I'm finding more and more everyday that I just can't wait to add.

I hope you're all as excited as I am!

Check out Goober's blog!

For some reason, Lily's most recent photo book will only post into her blog and not into my creative journey blog. So, make sure you check out Goober's blog for a look at her photo book for age 2-3! Just click on the link below!

http://brandonjesslily.blogspot.com/

Project 5...

...is complete!

At least, until Lily's next birthday that is. Although I didn't end up having her professional 3 year pics added to the book I still had a ton of fun. In fact, this may just be her best photo book to date! I actually felt like I had a lot more creative freedom because I didn't start and end with professional pics.

I highly recommend Shutterfly (or Mixbook) to any of you who enjoy putting together scrapbooks but don't necessarily have the time. They are so much fun and if you're a customer long enough, you get pretty great deals. Like free photo books! It's worth it. I only spent $8.67 for this one, and that's just shipping. It saved me $29.99 and I am all about saving bank when it comes to this kind of stuff. It really is a fabulous way to document your child's life in pictures. I'm looking forward to putting one together for our 1st family vacation when I get my next free photo book. Since I'm all caught up and everything. ;)

Hmm, now I just have to decide which project to work on next.

Forget That Missing Button-Where Are My Overalls??

Meet Corduroy. Remember him? He has trouble finding his lost button. Well, he's one of Lily's favorite characters. We read about him a lot. And today while I was garage sale-ing with mi madre, a very nice woman gave me this bear for free. Because I have a little girl who happens to enjoy snuggle-y things. It was originally wearing a hideous dress with an apron. But once we took the dress off, I realized he was perfect for a Corduroy bear!

You guessed it. Corduroy is my new project! In case you missed it, Corduroy isn't just missing a button. He's currently missing his green overalls. So, using a sewing machine for the first time ever, I'm going to make green overalls for Corduroy. It should be an interesting venture into creativity. And I'm excited to use the sewing machine. It's always fun to learn new skills! Besides, that's kind of the point to this whole creative journey, right?

She can't wait for Corduroy to find his missing overalls. And that button too, of course.

Dilemma!

Dilemma! I have an offer for yet another free photo book, which means I can catch up on Lily's yearly photo book for age 2-3. Excellent, right?!

Wrong! We haven't done her 3 year old pics yet. What's a mom to do?? This offer will save me $30 odd dollars, but I have to have her 3 year pics to include. Why, may you ask, do I have to have them?

Her book from birth to 1 starts with her professional baby pics to her professional 1 year old pics. Same goes for ages 1-2. It's a theme I have and helps show off just how much she's grown through each year. All the in between pics are fun, candid pictures of her throughout that year. I just love the contrast of starting with her previous age and ending with her current age. So I have until September 21st to complete the book and order it.

I've never been this far behind on her yearly pics before so I'm really kicking myself right now. Grrr!! I'm sure I'll come up with a solution. Then I can check Project 5 off my list until this time next year. And that will be  a relief!

Any helpful ideas would be appreciated! :)

Mission Complete (well, one of them anyway)

The nightstand is finished! Finally! While Lily was gone all weekend, I worked like maniac on a couple of different projects. One of which was my nightstand. For those who haven't yet seen pics or don't remember, here is what is looked like before:

Pretty cool yet unattractive, right?! Well no longer! It looks so much better. If you don't believe me, check out the after pics:

The finished project. Love it!

I spray painted the hardware with a cute champagne type color. I like it. I didn't want to dark or to bold. I think I aced the subtle...lol

Closer full on shot.

Close up on the leg detail.

So my first refinishing project is done and I'm already looking forward to starting another. But I should probably tackle more things on my original creative journey list, don't you think?

Making strides!

I've gotten some major work done on my night stand! It's taking me forever to sand it down, but the cabinet doors are painted!! I'm hoping tomorrow to get the nightstand painted, then working on finishing it up soon. Yay!

In the meantime, we've taken on a few home updates here at the Patrick house. The master bath (Brandon's bathroom) has been almost completely updated. No more wallpaper! It's been de-wallpapered, sanded and painted a beautiful green color. We added a new recessed medicine cabinet & a new light fixture. It's amazing how different it looks. We're still not finished (still have flooring and a new vanity w/sink to add) but it's a major improvement! 

I've also started working on the hall bathroom upstairs. Since I de-wallpapered when we moved in, I'm focusing on sanding the walls down and painting. I also bought a new recessed medicine cabinet today-I'm excited to see how it turns out! We're hoping by next summer to have new flooring & vanity's w/sinks in both bathrooms. Then they'll be complete. :)

In addition to all that, I've been working on a gift for a friend of mine. She's having a baby boy in October, so I've been putting together a gift basket of sorts in addition to the hand made gift. It's totally cute!

I'm hoping to build a shelf for my steamer trunk soon, and updating the inside. It's next on my list-after all this other stuff is done! I've decided it will be used it for all my crafty items. I can't wait!

Pics to come soon of all that's been keeping me busy!