New Year

Hello and welcome to the first 2015 post of my "At Home" blog.  It is a beautiful snowy February here in Michigan.  But as you can see by the header photo I must be looking ahead to Spring!  As usual I am thinking of new ideas for the year.  Or maybe just one major idea:  Let's Make Something Every Day!  (I must be realistic though and will be happy to just work on something every day:)

So what have I been working on?  I've made a pincushion for a gift.  I used some fabric by Cori Dantini (Blend Fabric).  I really like all her designs but now to figure out what to create with them!  Maybe a quilt?   Paper projects (cards and journals) are on my to do list along with new photography projects.

A few new books have made their way onto my shelves and hoping to add the books with the Anna Bond designed covers also!  So the reading time is definitely covered.

Things of interest to me that might be to you:

     •  Cori Dantini Fabric
     •  Anna Bond Products
     •  Doodling in French

Have a lovely day and enjoy the blessings that come your way!  

12.13.14 (almost)

I didn't get this finished yesterday which was the cool 12.13.14.  However because it is so fun to type it will be the post title for the day:)  I am using a header picture that I used in 2011 and it is really hard to believe how fast the years have gone.  I love the card with the three girls (a Lisi card I think). We don't have a Christmas tree yet but I had fun trying to make our house look more Christmasy!  I think lights make anything look better. Here are a couple of phone snapshots.  I also hung ornaments on the stairs but haven't taken a picture yet.

The lights look even better in person!

This is from IKEA:)

There have been so many fun ideas on different blogs.  Hope you are enjoying them.  Have a wonderful day!

Birthdays!

Today is just a personal post about how happy I am to have a birthday today!  I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who helps me in my (at least a week long) celebration.  Of course I am most thankful for every minute of life God has given me!  My three A's are definitely a blessing and my mother and siblings and mother-in-law and nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends are too.  It is a wonderful day even though it is cloudy and cold. I have not taken as many pictures this fall :( but here are some that hint at the beautiful color we enjoyed.  I hope you will have a day filled with blessings and a chance to be grateful for all of them!

I had to show the first snow fall!

I Like the Apple Watch!

Hello!  I am changing what I'm doing on this blog again.  The three posts a week was a good idea but it didn't work for me right now so I'm back to just posting when I can.  So today was a big day for Apple announcements and I think that the Apple Watch is a great!   Bigger screens for phones - a great improvement!  Apple Pay - probably an interesting idea but will I use it?  Not sure.  

So here is my picture of the day:

This is a notecard I recently made.  The bicycle was cut on the Silhouette Portrait.  The paper tape found on clearance at Target:)  Have a fun day!

Book Monday...

Well as they say "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"... So I am hoping that perhaps I will get at least one week done with my new plan:)  Since this is Book Monday I have changed the order and added a few things to the sidebar "Favorite Books".  Children's books have always been a favorite of mine.  One that motivated me to knit a pair of mittens is Sunny's Mittens by Robin Hansen.   If you or your children have any interest in knitting this is a great book.  Adding the thumb was the hardest for me but a good knitting friend can come to your rescue!  Another interesting knitting books written for kids but with lots of fun projects is  Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick.  I'm still hoping to try those spiral socks:)

Here is the picture of the day which really has nothing to do with knitting but love the colors:

Have a wonderful week and read a book and start a new craft!

Book Monday

Yes, I know it is Tuesday but I'm trying to follow my plan!  There are many types of books that I have in my library and a few favorites are listed here on the right side.  (This list will be reorganized soon:)  My book to focus on today is one I bought this summer from a book club sale.  The title is Patchwork, Please! and the author is Ayumi Takahashi  It is available from Amazon (just click on the book title).  It has a collection of fun "Zakka" projects and plenty of helpful instructions.  One of the things that I really like are the print fabrics (lots with type and some vintage inspired) and the natural linen she used.  I have been trying some online sources looking for these types of fabrics and will certainly share my sources if I find some.  Here is a picture of the book cover:

I will be using one of the projects for later posts.  Happy reading and sewing!  Just make something!

Reorganization!

As I have been thinking about the reason and purpose of my blog and looking for the direction it should take I haven't posted anything since April!  In the beginning my blog was more a pictorial record of my days (pictures I found interesting and also projects usually related to fiber).  When I read other blogs I have wondered if I should try and get more than my two followers/readers!  However, my research indicates it is probably not to make money that someone blogs but rather to share what they are doing with others.  I certainly can identify with Alicia Paulson's (Posie Gets Cozy) statement  "I love to make things".  Because I like to make things with fabric, yarn, paper, etc. my plan at this time is to focus on three posts per week.  Books, quilting, and a miscellaneous sewing project will be the first subjects.  Hopefully I will be able to include photos for each post. I am planning to start with Book Monday on the 18th of August.  I'm looking forward to trying a more organized approach to blogging and getting more done at the same time!  Here is a random photo from my summer:

May you be having a great summer!