I made a tart.

(Crickets chirping...)

To follow up on my previous post, I think it's hilarious that I didn't get many comments. I do know that several people read it and called or emailed me personally thanking me for my thoughts. Those are the people that matter most to me, so that's what counts - and believe it or not, they all are in different places. I think it's a wonderful thing to share life with people that don't all have to agree with you 100%, but find common ground with you. I struggle with the "blinders" who think it's one way or the highway...

So apparently I am not good at sleeping in. Particularly with my consistent early morning wake-up time...so Saturday morning I woke at 7:30 after "sleeping in". What to do?

Laundry, kitchen clean-up, coffee and a magazine, bake a tart...

Yup.

I ordered this cool kit from my aunt who had a Pampered Chef party (can't find it online). If you like to bake you have to get it!

I used a Lemon Berry Tart from my Betty Crocker cook book. I LOVE it and use it all the time. I just find new helpful things every time I pick it up.

I used frozen berries, because that's what I had on hand.

It was pretty good...a bit runny, probably from using reduced fat cream cheese.

Happy Monday. Love to you, my friends.

by: Chicolino

Anne Marie is finally opening her shop this weekend! It's called Jack N Jill and it's a really cute children's re-sale boutique. If you are in Knoxville you should stop in! You'll love it.

These are some of the things that I made for Anne Marie to consign. We shall see how it goes! She advised that I make a label and so I called it by: Chicolino. Chicolino is a made up name my parent's gave me and it's still my name to this day. :) Sam has many of his own. I guess it's family tradition to make up a name for your little person.

Nursing Cover

Compact Diaper and Wipes Holder

Imagination Apron

Little Aprons

I have a friend who is opening up a children's consignment shop here in Knoxville and I am just so excited about it!

She has given me the opportunity to add in some of my sewing projects there. It's a fun opportunity to make a little bit of money (probably to continue funding my hobbies!) and be near my little Samuel.

Here is a little apron that I sewed to put into the shop - I thought it was the most adorable thing ever! The crayons just make it. Aprons seem to be the rage these days, and when sewn with the right fabrics they can be quite fashionable!

I am hoping to get to sewing more things too - maybe even clothes. There is another shop that Paige and I peeked into after our Sunday morning run and they have the most beautiful clothes in there! Ohhh...but a $300 dress? I *think* I can make that for less! We shall see...

Next weekend is the Chicago Half Marathon. Think of me Sunday morning. I will be sure to report on my results. Surely I will do better than I did last year, LOL! But how I will do, I am not sure. I will just do my best and enjoy the run...

Happy Day!
ariana

Who doesn't love a nap?

Sam is starting school this week! Right now he will be attending on Thursdays, but we shall see if he (or I) needs two days a week at school. ;)

When I read my mom materials I noticed that he needed to take a nap pad and sheet for nap time. I am not really sure that he will sleep during this time, but I thought the request needed further attention.

As I browsed through my stash of patterns (I hoard them when they go on sale at Joann's) I found the perfect item - the nap mat from McCall's 5604. I was able to use some of the fabric that I stashed (and hoarded too) from this last Thanksgiving sale at Joann where the fabric was $.99 a yard. It was the perfect use for it!

Well, it certainly isn't perfectly sewn, but it was made with love for my little guy. I hope he enjoys it and thinks of his mama when he snuggles (or steps all over) it!

In other home projects...

Here's pictures of the other pillows that I did for the couches downstairs. The fabric is from the ghetto fabric superstore in Chicago, but I am sure you can find it in other places too. :)

Again, I used the envelope pillow instructions in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern book.

Happy Monday! Do I post more than once a week? Hmm. I will check the record on that one.

Paper Action

I admit that the paper crafting has not been as abundant in recent days as I have hoped for. Sometimes my creative juices have too many good intentions and not enough time to work. :)

I do have some recent creations to share, though. The first are thank you cards that I gave to the people who attended Matt's birthday party. When giving them to our guests I emphasized that they were a thank you for attending and I did not want to receive any of them as a thank you for hosting the party! They were simple to make and package and I liked the end result.

The second item is an invitation to my friend Kristie's baby shower. These also were fun to make and a bit more work. If you can see past the horrible lighting and photo, you will notice that there is some sparkle to the colored images. Does it look like a baby mobile? That is what I was going for...

Happy Friday to you. I hope that in the coming weeks I can be rid of the terrible photos and give you better images to look at!

Catching up.

I know it's been a while and I have gotten some flack. Here I am.

What have I been doing? Living life with a toddler and procrastinating on fixing my software issues. They are fixed now and I can share more of what I have been doing!

Back in May when I was in Chicago I dragged my sister to the south side to check out a huge fabric warehouse. She was not so excited about the whole thing and noted the flashing police cameras on the corner. I assured her that we were safe - surely we were, right?

Well that place was unreal. You definitely had to know what you were in there for or else you would get totally overwhelmed and lost! Imagine a huge warehouse with bolts of fabric from floor to ceiling - two floors, actually.

I found a few things I was looking for...One was this zebra print fabric for our t.v. room upstairs. I wanted an animal print for the sofas and this one fit the bill.

I used Amy Butler's formula for decorative pillows featured in her book Midwest Modern. I liked the pattern because they finished nicely and didn't require zippers - fewer materials, less trouble. They are envelope pillows...

One more thing...Sam and I have been enjoying the summertime here in Knoxville. Yesterday we went to the sprinkler park and here's a snapshot of our morning. He loved checking out the other kids - he is such a social little guy. :)

Happy Thursday. I'll be back.

Baby where'd you get those cute shorts from?

For those of you who know the song, "I Got it From My Mama" by Will.I.Am, you can sing that tune to the title of this post. This song has recently landed in my running play list on my Shuffle. ;)

To those who don't know the lyrics, here is my (cleaner) modification:

Baby where'd you get those cute shorts from?
Tell me, where'd you get those cute shorts from?
Baby where'd you get those cute shorts from?
Tell me, where'd you get those cute shorts from?

I got 'em from my mama!
I got 'em from my mama!
I got 'em from my mama!
I got 'em, got 'em g-got em from my mama!


I made some shorts for my little man last week and thought I would show you my progress. It is progress because I would like to make matching shirts to go with those cute little shorts and I am holding myself accountable to sharing those with you at a later date!

Please note that the seersucker shorts are just like his pop's. We will see if I can get Matt to wear them and take a picture with Sam...

Oh. And props to the other bloggers out there who post pictures of their children wearing their creations - all with their children standing still! I never realized that could be challenging...hmm.

Happy Day!

The old is new again

I hate to brag, but this may be incentive for you family and friends to come visit us in Knoxville! We have this really neat store called McKay Used Books and it is a warehouse full of used books, CD's and DVD's. It is soo cool!

We traded in some books today and as a reward we each took some time to pick out some new books that we were interested in.

Check out what I got! A Singer sewing book from 1972. Pretty cool for $1.50! It's pretty neat and since so much is "retro" these days it has some neat ideas.

It's always a blast to visit McKay's. If you visit me I will take you there...

Reading Pillows.

Happy Monday to you!

We had a busy weekend of celebration. Saturday morning we celebrated my niece's 3rd birthday and then in the evening I was able to have some girl time with my girlfriends celebrating Christy and Jen's birthdays at Christy's place.

Sunday we went to church, got naps and celebrated Jen's big 3-0 again at a cookout at her place. Phew! Lots of good food and celebration.

I was able to sew a gift for the little birthday girl - a reading pillow. The pattern is by Montessori by Hand and it's pretty neat. There are page holders, a bookmark, a glasses pocket and a pencil pocket. The piping was a bit challenging for me, but I am hoping I get better with time!

You can see how the pillow works in the second picture. Oh - and another one of my Favorite Things! Those books by Munro Leaf are soo funny and cute. They are full of wonderful lessons for kids to learn and are communicated in a way that is enjoyable for moms and dads to teach too. Check them out on Amazon!!

Happy day,
ariana

Another one?

I know it seems like all I do is make baby gifts, but maybe soon I can show you something else? I can't help it that everyone is having babies these days...particularly girls!

My buddy Christy is almost done with producing #3, Allesandra Elena Bonifacio. She will be arriving in the next couple of weeks and we are so excited for her arrival.

We celebrated with a shower a week ago and we had a great time eating and talking! I made Christy a nursing blankie and another diaper and wipe holder. I took a picture from a different angle this time so you can see how it works.

My SIL Becca has worked out creating straps with D-rings, which looks pretty good. Check hers out.

Anyway, things continue to be quite hectic in our house. I can share more on that later...

Happy Tuesday! xoxo

A Quilt for My Boy

I have been moving along with projects, but sometimes I forget to share them!

One of the projects that I didn't post was Samuel's Zig Zag quilt. I was so excited to finish this project since

1. It was on the back burner
2. It was my first quilt ever

Here is what I showed you in January - I am so excited to have it done and I love the finished product. There are a few areas of structural weakness, but overall we did well.

I might have to make him another one for his bed when we switch to his little bed.

By the way - if I can do this, so can you! Try it out, you just might like it.

We are all winners, BUT...

My random number produced the number 4!

Yesenia, it looks like you are the one. Pretty cool, because I know you are a faithful reader and commenter. :)

Thank you all for your comments and letting me know you are there. It's pretty neat to have family and friends to join in the journey.

Love,
ariana

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

Many of you know that I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. Not suburban Chicago. CHICAGO city. Other than spending 4 years in the corn fields of Upland, Indiana at Taylor University I lived there all my life. That is, until I got married.

When I moved to Knoxville I experienced major shock: Getting married, culture, lifestyle, etc. Matt and I were blessed to be able to rent a house right away. So I moved in and started to learn about this new place.

A day that will go down in history was the day that I opened the front door, turned to look at the house and asked Matt, "Where's our mailbox?" He kindly pointed out that the mailbox was several feet in front of my house near the road. "You have to walk out to the road to get your mail." Ohhh...OK.

You see, where I come from, mailboxes are attached to your house. The mailman walks down the street with a wheeled bag and walks up your stairs and puts the mail in a box that is attached to your home. These are the little things about Knoxville that I was trying to figure out.
So yesterday was a busy day for me, but I was so excited for the mail to come and because I was expecting some items I purchased online and I wanted my Netflix to go out. While Sam and I were hosting a Valentine's lunch and I saw the mail truck go through the neighborhood, but didn't get the mail right away because people were over (running out to the mailbox while people are over might seem rude...).

After everyone was gone I went out to the mailbox. But wait. They didn't pick up my Netflix, nor did they drop off my mail. What the heck?! I saw the mail truck!

OK, so maybe somewhere in the USPS policies and procedures manual it reads that if someone is parked or blocking your mailbox the postman does not have to deliver. But really. Are you serious? No mail? So frustrating. You can only imagine (or already know) what the mailmen in Chicago endure every day. They walk down the street in heat! Snow! Rain! No truck cover!!!

I digress...

Fine.

So later on in the day I check my voice mail messages. My buddy Jen calls and leave me an excited message: "Ariana, I just got my mail and got the most exciting surprise in the mail! Check your mail and call me!"

Are you serious? The ONE DAY that my mail doesn't get delivered? Whatever. I will call Jen to find out what it is...I don't want to wait until tomorrow.

Guess what?!?! I GOT PUBLISHED! I am SOOO excited. I can't even tell you how happy that makes me feel! This was a goal from last year! Someone who doesn't have to appreciates my creativity!

TWO cards were published - a maternity thank you and Sam's birth announcement. This just is affirmation that Samuel is a blessing all around. :)

So I finally got my mail today and I can't tell you how excited I am to share this with the blog world! Thank you so much for reading this long post and sharing the moment with me.

Now I definitely need to stamp this weekend...

What a case.

Whenever I go to the fabric store I wonder why in the world there are so many fabrics for holidays. I mean, really. Do people wear this stuff? What do they do with it?

My personal taste dictates that you will NEVER see me wear holiday printed fabric. I promise.

But one day I saw a lady getting some Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day fabric cut. She asked my opinion on the prints and I asked her (politely), "What are you doing with it?" She replied that she was making holiday pillow cases for small pillows for her grandkids.

OOOH! Really? That's cool. Something to show a little person your love for them while celebrating a holiday and having something fun for them that is not totally obnoxious and overbearing taking over the aesthetic appeal of a room? OK. Sold.

So I recently started making some cases for my Samuel. The first picture is his January birthday pillow and it might be my favorite. The rest are just the following months, February, March, April and May. So easy and fun.

Happy Weekend to you!

recent creation

I made these little wallets for a Christmas party at Shawna's house last month...

You see? I am filling in the blanks. Just a little late.

new baby!

Ha! I may have got your attention with that title. But, NO WAY. Not a new baby like Sam, a new sewing machine!

Here's the story:

I have been wishing and hoping for a sewing/embroidery machine for months. I focused in on the Janome MC9700. It's seems to be a good machine for the price point and Janome has a great reputation for high quality. The down side? Sticker price is $2200. Ugh! You can get one used on eBay for a good price, but it's still pretty costly.

I have been using the Kenmore machine that my mom got me in 2002. At first it went unused. Especially with working and going to grad school. But it has gotten some loving in the last couple of years and even a tune up about 2 years ago.

In the last week I have been obsessing over a new project. Ask Matt or Sam. I get in "the zone" and can't stop sometimes and my intensity level gets pretty high. This is my project - isn't it beautiful? I never have desired to make a quilt until I saw this one and realized it fit me just right. So I went for it.

As I was getting to the critical part of my project - the actual quilting - my machine starts to act up. To the point of bringing me to tears! It could seriously ruin all my work so far. So I call for pricing to tune it up/repair. $65 + the cost of repairs. Ugh!

So Matt tells me...why don't you get a new one? We saw one on clearance at the store and for a little more money you can get a new machine. I hate to do that because the one I have is good and I don't want to be wasteful, but I will look.

So I went to the Sears Repair center this morning - LOVE that place! There are so many great deals. Basically I got this new machine because the box was torn a bit. It retails for $240. My price? $109. And now I have a newer, savvier, sturdier machine (returnable within 30 days if I don't like it).

But what about the old one? I am hoping my baby sister will take it with a tune up and see if she likes to sew. Keep it in la familia, if you know what I mean. Mom did get it for me after all and I do have a sentimental attachment to it.

But what about the Janome? Well, two things.

One, I found out that Janome manufactures a lot of Sears Kenmore machines. So I am thinking it's comparable.

Two, you just can't have it all. Especially not at once. I will be happy with what I can have for now and hope to someday be able to love a Janome sewing/embroidery machine.

In the mean time, I think I can create some cool things with my new gift...stay tuned. I will share.

Happy Monday, All.
me

Bailey's Birthday!

My buddy Kelly has a baby girl named Bailey - she is precious and was born about 8 weeks before Samuel.

Kelly commissioned me to do Bailey's first birthday invitations and they are now ready to go to Chicago. Here's the finished project!

Babies...

These babies keep coming...

Here's a nursing blanket for Shawna. She will be having Cameron this week for sure!

Oh. Then she will start training in 4 weeks for the Knoxville Marathon relay race. What a trooper.

I will start training this week for both the Knoxville and Nashville 1/2 Marathon too...Remind me that I said 1/2 and not whole!

Thank you!

I am behind on many thank yous. I hate that...I don't ever want people to think that I don't appreciate their kind gestures!

Here is the series of cards I made for my most recent thanks.

Happy Monday!