frilly and pretty...

...is not something i'm usually very good at. so when i was asked if i could make something "frilly and pretty" to give to the swazi women as favors for the conference, i was sort of at a loss. luckily, my friend abby suggested flowers, and we both said, "brooches!" at the same time. i looked around online for ideas, knowing i wanted to make something sort of organic looking (no precisely cut felt flowers, for example),
and i finally came up with a workable plan. eight dollars worth of fabric, some glass beads and a lighter later, and i was set!

initially, i was understandably daunted by the idea of making 60 of these, but really they come together pretty fast after the first few botched experiments i made. and i sort of enjoy the mindless repetition, especially after yet another sleep-deprived night with a three-week old. in the space of one movie ("a good year"--i love that movie) i whipped out thirty of these babies in cream and peach. fun! i didn't get any pics of the peach because i was lazy. whaddya think??

this little piggy went to...swaziland?

i missed church today because mal has a cold, but i used the time alone to make this little cutie. isn't he just adorable?

swazi stuff...so far

here's what i made so far: a blanket (i have enough fabric for three more like it), a platypus and kitty softie, and some weird balls. i'm still hoping you'll join me on this--i'm having so much fun making this stuff!

i'm also pretty excited that i haven't had to buy anything yet--well, except the stuffing. but i have so much scrap fabric that i think i'll be able to make quite a bit of stuff without having to buy supplies. which is great because i'm pretty broke, ha.

pattern ideas and the like

SO
if you are on board, and want to help, i figured there are three categories we can work on:

1. cloth diapers
2. blankies
3. soft toys/softies

here's a site i found with free patterns for softies. oh my gosh, i love the platypus.

for cloth diapers, it appears there are quite a few different types. here's a site that shows you how to make fitted cloth diapers out of old shirts and stuff. i'm sure you could probably just sew rectangles out of absorbent material, too, if you don't want to bother with all the other steps.

here's a pattern for a soft stuffed ball. these would be easy to whip out using fabric scraps (of which i personally have a TON).

as for blankets, i don't even think we would need a pattern for that.

softies and such for swaziland

okay everyone, some of you may have read this already but i'm posting here again anyway. on september 15th three women from my church are going to swaziland, africa to minsiter to the women there and also to look into what can be done for the large amounts of orphans there.

i really want to use my crafty skills to help out and bless these kids who have nothing, and i'm hoping you will too. first i'm posting this email (i'm only including the info about the orphans for the sake of brevity) so you have an idea what is going on over there. later i will post some ideas and patterns, etc., if you want to help out. okay, here it is:

Dear Family and Friends ~

I just want to share with you an exciting opportunity I have been given...

Several months ago, I learned of the desperate situation facing many orphaned children in Swaziland, Africa. As you know, Swaziland is where I spent many of my early years and it holds a very special place in my heart. I recently found out that a dear Swazi friend named Lucy, has begun taking in orphans. These children have been left totally abandoned, seeking food, shelter and with empty, frightened hearts, they are simply trying to survive. Lucy and her husband Isaiah have very little themselves but are giving everything they have to assist these small children. Having no place to keep the children at night, they come during the day and are feed what is available and taught some basic education and most important, about the Lord! I spoke by phone with Lucy and Isaiah a couple weeks ago and heard their hearts. I am told that just in the small town of Siteki (where Lucy resides), there are already 25 coming to them and the numbers are increasing by the day! A local hospital has contacted them, asking if they "would please come get some newborns", left abandoned on the side of the roads and paths. It is so amazing to me that as Americans we are also in a financial crunch, giving up our daily Coke (or Pepsi) to save a buck, yet these Brothers and Sisters in Christ are giving EVERYTHING they have, on the front lines of the battlefield for the sake of the little ones and the gospel. At this point, because they have no place to house these little ones, the children return to the night, often sleeping by themselves under the bushes and stars. There are 5 year old children walking miles, often carrying infants on their hips, to receive the food and love Lucy has...this breaks my heart! I can not sit back and just watch without asking, "Lord, is there something I can do to come along side my Brother Isaiah and Sister Lucy, to encourage them, sending in reinforcements to help them in this fight".

On September 15, 2009, I will be returning to Swaziland to "scout out" the need. I have companies willing to send packets of food containing protein and vitamins mixed with cereal. I have people who have said, "let's go build a structure to house these children and keep them from harms way". I have medical supplies ready to go. I have others asking to send money, BUT I need to see it first hand. I need to see the accountability. I need to see the numbers. I need to see if there is a place we could send a team next summer to build or refurbish a current structure, I already have at least 15 people ready to go! I have a "medical team" willing and ready to go! Though Africa and other parts of the world are filled with the need for such things, God has lead me back to my hometown of Siteki, Swaziland. Who would have ever thought that God would work in such a way. He does far more than we could EVER think or imagine...

yep

teepees and cookies

i was feeling creative again today, so i decided to try my hand at making a hooter hider, or as my brother likes to call them, a titty teepee. i picked up some pretty orange fabric (i love orange), some corset boning, and a packet of D rings and was on my way.



it was actually much easier than i thought. and it turned out well i think.



i also decided to make a little pocket on the inside corner to put boobie pads in, and i made it out of soft flannel so i could also use it to wipe the baby's face when he gets all milky. which he does pretty often. he's a messy eater. anyway, i liked the way it came out.



in my spurt of domesticity i also made some ridiculously rich cookies. dutch cocoa added to chocolate chip cookie recipe, plus half the butter replaced with peanut butter. i swear these things are so sweet i could only eat one. the kids sure liked them, though. they're outside right now running off some of the energy before they go into a diabetic coma.

old friends and new faces

a few months back i posted some ideas for future projects here. well, in a brief attempt to break free from diapering/nursing robot mode, i've finally gotten around to finish one of them--the orimono pillow from anthropologie. i saw this awhile ago in the store and fell in love (as much as one can with a pillow), just not with the price. Eighty dollars is considerably more than i'm willing to pay for a pillow. i'm just sayin'. so i bought some cotton canvas and a pack of fat quarters that had colors i liked, the appliqued the leaves onto the front. it took forever, which is why instead of two pillows for my couch i now have one pillow for my chair. and i'm not likely to make another after all that hassle. still, i like the way it turned out. looks pretty close to the real thing, don't you think?




since my newest little addition so enjoys screaming his head off, i decided to try making a sling to carry him in. i get pretty tense carrying a baby around all day, and i loved the idea of having my hands free, but i was apprehensive about the sling itself. i tried making a maya wrap for my oldest when he was a baby, and i hated that thing. i could never get him to sit right in it, and there was so much fabric that i was constantly hot. and we don't need to be hotter in florida. so it was with trepidation i set out to make a simpler sling with some leftover amy butler fabric i had. well, i'm pleased to say it turned out great, and i love it! it's not too hot, and he sits nice and snuggly inside it. he fell asleep as soon as i put him in, and that's saying something.



aww...look at the little pookie.

this made me laugh a good long while

by far the funniest and most creative matryoshka i've ever seen. i actually cried when i saw the nose.