New Quilt

 A new quilt for my oldest. This was "supposed" be finished in time for Christmas. Better late than never I guess. Sometimes getting gifts just because on random days is better than a holiday anyways. A nice unexpected surprise upon returning home from school.

 It's the perfect size to drag all aroundd the house wrapped on his shoulders, or a nice lap blanket while reading. It looks super cute laid across the center of his bed too. It has a nice mix of my favorites, and his favorite fabric prints. I love it for all it's colorful, crinkly goodness. I love him for his creative soul, quick whit,  and determination.

New Curtains

I finally finished our new bedroom curtains. While these are not the "greatest" pics, but it's one of the projects I've been working in that isn't a Christmas gift. Yay-something I can show you. They are made from a really thick, warm fabric-perfect for our giant, super old, drafty window this winter.  I got the fabric on clearance with an extra 50% off coupon, so they were a great price too!

As an after throught, I almost cleaned my dresser off, but ehhh, that's how it looks so "normally", that's how it stayed. I have 4 kids & a house to clean and a business to run, what can I say?

Enjoy your day!

Today

So today didn't go exactly as I had planned in my head. {if rarely ever does} I managed to {possibly} break my serger this afternoon, find out one of my sewing machines isn't "exactly" working and the new fabric I purchased to make curtains is ridiculously difficult to work with. {insert reason for broken serger here}

All that aside, we had a great day! Some knitting was done, those silly curtains,finally  did get finished and we had a wonderful day celebrating our daughter. Lots of hugs, smiles & laughter. I'd say it was a pretty good day after all. Nothing better than being a mama!

Made Monday

With the recent start of school, crafting time has slowed a little for now. [It's only temporary!!] With Dylan and Mia both in school and Julian napping several hours each afternoon, I'm finding myself alone.. with ONE kid for several hours a day. That hasn't happened in YEARS. I'm hoping to be able to get some "extra" work done in that block while he paints, or sews along next to me a couple times a week. Just the "idea" of being able to have a few more hours a week with the option of sewing or painting has me giggling with glee.

I made this pillow and chair cushion a few days before school started. I was in my glory-all super stressed about school starting, so cranking out sewing projects left & right. [I go crazy knitting & sewing when I'm anxious or stressed] I actually still need to finish the 2nd seat cushion, but one is better than none. I've had this Amy Butler fabric in my closet for a few years waiting to make it into a handbag, I thought it was time to actually use it.

We picked up these two chairs recently on a thrifting hunt. They were originally destined to be painted immediately. Once I got them home and cleaned them up, I realized they matched our dining table wood color-perfectly. Now I'm not so sure if I'll paint them or let them be. I had imagined a nice crisp white, or bold blue. For now, we are enjoying them in their natural wooden state.

The pillow was made with the leftover scraps from my living room curtains. I'm so into yellow right now. I find it particularly peculiar because I NEVER liked yellow-ever, even as a kid. About 2 years ago, all the sudden yellow was like the long long friend I hadn't even realized I was missing.

What will you be making this week?

tip of the day

To keep fabric from unraveling and making a crazy, string web in your washer {and losing less of the fabric, esp. on short cuts} serge the cut ends before washing. Only takes a few extra minutes, but the result is oh so nice. I think I love my serger more than my husband today.

Some new capes

Little {L} asked for his own cape the other day. He was watching his big brother run around with his. About 20 minutes later, he had his very own. He picked this fun circus fabric because it had zebra's, his current favorite. I love caps for little kids! It allows them to be villains, hero's, a fairy princess-whatever they can image!

The kids decided to play villains, with Little {L} growing and chasing the other kids through the house. Lots of fun & laughter!

Some Sewing

New dresses for Miss {M} & Mama. I love the cute print on her dress fabric. I picked this up about a year ago. Originally it was going to be a birthday dress...then Christmas....and now a summer dress. Sometimes, time just gets away from us! She loves it and I'm happy too. It's nice and twirly, which my little girl is a fan of.

I made a smocked dress for myself too. It's a little too big, so it's been hanging in my closet after only wearing it once. I need to take out some fabric and move the straps. I need thick straps on things right now to cover up nursing bra straps--hate those little snaps showing through.

I'm working on some fun upcycled & new t-shirts for the boys right now. Hopefully I can get them finished this weekend. Little {L} is waiting very patiently for his new skulls hoodie, t-shirt. I'll share those when they are complete!

Baby Booties

Last night around 8pm, I had the sudden need to sew-anything! I have so many projects 1/2 started and I want to finish those up, but......new book, sewing for baby? Yeah, it won. I sewed these cute little shoes from the new Anna Marie Horner book. I debated starting with the 3-6m size because my kids tend to be large at birth. At the last minute I went with the 0-3m and I'm glad I did. They are not super tiny, but actually look like they will be a little big [yay!]. Some bootie patterns run so small! Not these.

The fabric is a cool, Alexander Henry print featuring tattoo designs. I LOVE this fabric and only had a small piece left, the perfect size for this project! I already started on another pair in sweet yellow, with frogs, from the Heather Ross far far away line. [I can't wait until Part 2 of the line arrives next month! I better start saving $$]

The ultrasound went great yesterday. Baby looks good, amniotic fluid looks good! They are guessing the baby will be between 8.5-9 lbs. So not that big after all! Yay! They were worried about a 10+ pounder. I got a last peek at the baby before he/she arrives. I sure hope it's soon [as in tomorrow is perfect] , I'm so anxious & getting quite uncomfortable! The baby was sucking on it's hands, which was super cute to watch! My older kids thought they were going to tell me the exact day the baby would arrive. They were thoroughly disappointed when I told them, no one can guess that!

Off to sew a pair of "sweet" booties to go with these "cool" one's. Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday!

I'm so happy that Friday is here! Rain is in the forecast all weekend, but I don't even care. I'm so looking forward to having my husband home to help care for the kids and getting some last minute things done before the baby. [hopefully sewing if I can find the energy]. We all had a great time at the birthday party last weekend, but this weekend is slated for rest & relaxation!

Here's some bright & warm colored brooches for any of you out there also dealing with rain. Hope they cheer you up! They will be added to my shop over the next few days. Enjoy!

New Spring Brooches

SHOP UPDATE:

I've added some new brooches to the shop. I love these colorful designs for spring. If your looking for a specific color scheme, and you don't see if. Send me an email and I can make a custom one for you.

View the current selection:
Kunklebaby Brooches

Happy Birthday

Today is my Birthday!! I decided to use a little bit of "free" time [aka-nap time] t finally sew this makeup bag. I've had the pieces cut for this since Thanksgiving. If today isn't a good day to make something for myself, I don't know when is. I love the blue circles of this print. They pair nicely with the blue lining fabric. The pattern is from the Heather Ross book, Weekend Sewing.

This year will be my very last year in my 20's-man am I feeling old today. I remember when I thought I'd never be 30, and it's looming in the near future now! To counteract this feeling, I've been thinking of all the amazing things that will happen in my 29th year. I will give birth for the fourth time. My family will grow, which is always amazing! I plan to try and find a tiny bit of "me" time and get back into painting. I will get to watch my children grow and learn through everyday experiences and homeschool. So many unknown and great things can happen in the next year. I want to enjoy each and every one!

Spring!

We are so excited about the arrival of Spring!! The kids helped me make this fun spring wreath out of scraps today. It's quick, easy and fun to do with little helpers. They can be customized to any season or event by changing colors and adding little trinkets. Mr. {D} is already planning his approach to the Summer wreath.

I really like how the colors turned out! It's cheerful and bright, which will help us get through the rest of the rainy, yucky weather that is still waiting to come.

On a side note, we're 30 weeks into the pregnancy!! Yay! Crazy that it's passed so fast. Even crazier is the thought that in a few short weeks, we'll be a family of 6!!!!I hope the rest of my pregnancy passes as smoothly as the past weeks. My last two babies came at 38 weeks, so we are in preparation mode, making sure everything is set up and ready for the arrival. I'm getting so impatient to know if we will be adding a boy or girl to the family--we'll know pretty soon!

For Baby

I finally did some sewing for the baby last week. I finished a cute little kimono from the pattern in Weekend Sewing, and a little sweater shirt inspired by that pattern. I love how they turned out. The little bird fabric is organic fabric from Cloud9-ahhh, pure love! I've been saving this fabric for the perfect baby gift to our upcoming addition. It will be perfect whether the baby comes out a boy or girl. I'm taking this one to the hospital with me.

The pink and green bunny shirt is wishful thinking. I'm hoping for a baby girl this time, but if she is actually a he, I'm sure this will make a lovely baby gift in the near future. This is the first time I've been pregnant, and no one else I know is! No friends, or family. What's up guys? :D

The pattern in the book is really easy to follow, and can be sewn up in a flash. Making the bias tape is the longest step. I try to keep a bunch here, so if you have a nice "stock", these are incredibly fast. What I don't like about the pattern is the kimono ties on the inside, as well as the outside. Not super comfy for a new babe. I am going to make a few more, but alter the pattern to use a snap for the inside closure.

Mermaid Pillow #2

Here's the sister to the mermaid pillow I posted recently. Blue has been my favorite color for years, but I've also been into orange lately. I used some more Heather Ross fabric here...yes, they really are my favorites I love these pillows! The pillow inserts are from old pillows we had purchased for the couch. They covers were never comfy, with scratchy material and stitching, but the new pillows are awesome. Now they are soft and comfy inside & out!

Color!

We are getting snowed in again here in Ohio. Lots of snow falling since yesterday afternoon. All the city schools are closed for a snow day, so we are too. My husband thinks it's silly that we have snow days when the kids are homeschooled, but snow days are fun for everyone!! A little break from the expected!

With the total lack of color going on outside, I needed a color fix inside! I made these new curtains and a rug for our kitchen last Friday. I love how they brighten up the space and make me feel more cheerful and warm!

The curtains are made with a sunny, Heather Ross print. I've been saving this one for over a year and finally cut into it. Heather Ross announced on her blog she will be doing a new line of some of her retired fabric prints with Spoonflower! I CAN'T wait!

-Please ignore my sink full of dihes and messy counters!!-

Happy Valentine's Day!

I finally finished the kids embroidered dolls- on Saturday night at 11pm! Just in time. The front pieces were embroidered over the past few weeks. Once complete they are backed with a coordinating fabric and then stuffed like a pillow. Add a few stitches to seal them up and your done!

We also made little mailboxes for the kids from pretty scrapbook paper to hold our handmade cards. [yes, my husband actually helped!] It was fun making something with him, and the kids were thrilled to play with them all day on Sunday...well inbetween eating cupcakes, brownies and candy! I think they ate more "goodies" in one day than they have their whole lives! It was a nice special thing for them.

It was really fun, and the kids love their dolls. A great gift idea if you plan ahead and have the time. I'm glad I started these when I did, or they would not have been finished. Lots of time, but lots of smiles from the kids when they got them too! So worth it!

My sister got me the cool girls pattern as an early [2months early!] birthday gift. Thanks little sister!! You can get your own -here-

The little cowboy and batboy pattern can be found on Badbird's blog.

Fun little paper mailboxes made from this easy & quick tutorial! Also a placemat for Daddy-couldn't share that one earlier cause he peeks here from time to time!