Mama's Cuckoo

My first Amy Butler!

2011-03-26T12:21:00.001-07:00

A while back I saw this link to a free Amy Butler bag pattern on Sew Mama Sew. http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=11705 Now I'm a HUGE fan of Amy Butler's fabric/patterns but to tell you the truth, I've never sewn any of her stuff. The link to a free pattern got my attention.

Side note: My sister Sophia is a really special person. She knits like a maniac and always makes wonderful gifts for everyone in the family, especially my girls. Here's a pic of our most recent present. Matching hats, sweaters and dresses. Aren't they just ADORABLE?

Like I said, she's amazing. My sister's birthday was right around the corner and I wanted to make her something really special so I thought I'd give the bag a whirl... how tough could it be right? Well, the instructions, as I read from the reviews were very easy to follow. I'd consider my sewing skills to be novice/intermediate and the handbag turned out beautifully. I did change the closure for the bag as the magnetic clasp I had purchased wasn't the right kind. The thing had A TON of pieces to put together though. The handles themselves take a while to put together (I think I counted 70 something pieces total for the bag) but it's so worth it. Mailing it out on Monday and I can't wait for her to get it! I love the colour combination (kudos to my mom for that!) I love how the bag looks like my grandmother's old couch or luggage or something. The bright colours just scream Spring and with that right around the corner here (LONG winters up North) I wanted to finish ASAP so she can sport it in the melting snow and shining sun in Ottawa.

I'm back!

2011-03-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Back in blogging mode! Almost a year has passed since I last posted but, believe me, it's not for lack of being busy! Life with two kids is even better than with one. It's true, love just grows exponentially. I never thought I could love another child like I love Miss G but Mabel-Lou is just perfect... don't you think?

We're busy as ever, growing our family, growing our mini-farm and growing my crafting skills... always a work in progress. So that's it, first post back with many more projects to show/link to coming soon! PROMISE!

Mother Cluckers New Arrivals

2010-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

We received our order of chicks and ducklings last Wednesday. So far everyone is doing really well and the white rocks are already feathering out. They have provided much entertainment in the last few days. We received 50 white rocks, 6 rhode island reds, 6 barred plymouths and 3 ducks. Everyone is getting along thus far, though I have heard that we'll have to split the white rocks from the rest of the bunch soon as they get bigger and start to pick on the smaller chicks.

Here is a pic of Tom setting the chicks up in their new home and another showing just HOW excited Miss G was to see the chicks.

Bobble Diaper Cover

2010-05-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Just finished knitting this cute little diaper cover for the new babes last night (I still have to sew in the thread ends but let's face it, I never get that done anyways!). I've been eyeing up this Manos del Uruguay yarn for ages waiting for the right project. As soon as I saw this project in "Boho Baby Knits: Groovy Patterns for Cool Tots" by Kat Coyle I knew it was meant to be. The yarn is 30% silk and 70% merino and is oh so soft. It is hand-dyed by women in Uruguay. The organization's aim is to bring economic and social opportunities to rural women in the country. I've started knitting the bobble top hat that goes with the diaper cover. After all, every baby needs a special knit. I can't wait to see his/her little bum wrapped up in this! The flash made this second picture a little wonky but I wanted to show how cute the cuff looks undone.

Let's Learn to Button!

2010-05-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Since I am now home with Miss G every day I thought I'd create a few learning activities that we can practice together. I sewed this button-hole activity in less than 5 minutes (I knew I was saving those buttons for a reason!). It provides a couple of learning experiences. Firstly, the toddler learns to associate like colours with eachother by matching the different coloured squares of felt. Secondly, the toddler learns to do and un-do buttons by putting the squares together and passing the button through the hole. I like that the felt is easy to work with, required very little sewing and that the button holes are not too rigid for her little fingers. I'm hoping to create some dressing frames similar to the ones at montessorimom.com so we can practice zippers, laces and velcro next!

Mother Cluckers

2010-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Though we can't attest to being "hard-core 100 milers", my hubby and I have been making a conscious effort to eat as local as we can (which is very difficult being winter seems to be here for 8 months of the year!). We are also very conscious of the source and quality of the foods that we eat. We are (slowly but surely) attempting to lead a self-sufficient life, one in which we either grow what we eat or purchase it from local farmers/suppliers. In our effort to "own our food" my hubby built this wonderful chicken coop (Mother Cluckers). Mother Cluckers currently houses 4 of our neighbours hens (who produce 4 of the most delicious eggs every day!).

Being a chicken owner (babysitter) has also provided our daughter with a great learning experience. She collects her eggs on a daily basis and is amazed by the "caa caa" in our backyard. We recently placed an order for our own chickens (more on them in the next few months). We ordered 50 white rock meat birds, 6 rhode island reds, 6 barred plymouths and 2 ducks "the mallard's fat cousin" (as my hubby calls them). I can't imagine how excited the little one will be when they arrive!

First Birthday

2010-02-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

There is something so special about a first birthday. Though very few of us remember our first birthday it is so special as a parent. It is a cause for great celebration as our little ones have reached milestones we never thought possible a few months ago at 3 am, crying baby, stinky diaper, tired parents (the list goes on, right?) and is definitely a reason to celebrate for many more to come.

Our neighbour's daughter turned one a couple of weeks ago and Miss G and I attended the birthday party. I didn't manage to sew anything in time but did make this card for the cute little cupcake!

Valentine's Day Card

2010-02-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

I made this Valentine's Day card for our babysitter. I saw someone using conversation hearts to write a love note somewhere on the internet and thought that our babysitter would be the perfect recipient. She does such a great job with our little one and we are so grateful to have her in our lives. I never liked conversation hearts as a treat anyways (i'm more of a swedish berry, skittles kind of person) so they were better utilized this way. I did, however, eat the ones that had smudged ink or unreadable mesages... and I was sick from them later that night. I knew there was a reason I didn't like them!

The pic isn't great (I'm going to have to work on my photography skills) but the message reads:

"Just 4 u on Valentine's Day

How nice it is to stay here when mommy goes to work. I always have a good time with you, it's true. Because you hug me, love me and show me all the things I can do. I'm sure I'm not always E-Z 2 Plez and you are very good at keeping me cool. I "heart" you. Mega kiss, from Gretchen."

I'm New!

2010-01-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone (or no one at this point!)

This is my very first blog post. I've been an avid blog-reader for the last little while, obsessively trying to keep up with all the cool, calm and collected crafty moms out there. You never cease to amaze me! This post doesn't really say much, it's a practice run for me. So follow me as I blog about my life as a mom, wife, and craftaholic who can't seem to finish ANY projects. Hopefully this blog (and your support!) will entice me to finish a few and post some pictures.