Purty Pictures

Christmas at the lakehouse provided opportunities to enjoy time with family and beautiful scenery. Here are a couple of shots taken from the "back yard."

Christmas Craft Round Up!

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely holiday season! Just wanted to share some of the handmade gifts straight from Robyn's Nest. These all provided great learning experiences and a great excuse to use my newish sewing machine. Hooray!

Purse for Miss Tara

Monogrammed hankies for Grandpa Bart
Amigurumi turtle for Mama Diana
Fringey poncho, for and modeled by Grandma Rella
Basket with quilted lid for Grandma Nell
Placemat and coaster (along with owl tea set) for Megu

yum!!

Anybody hungry?



I made this apple cake for my neighbors. It's hard to see in the photo, but there are cute little gingerbread people on top. This is courtesy of a sweet little loaf pan I received from my dad in Christmas past. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know!

Personalized Coffee Cozies

Here are the fabulous coffee cozies I made for my coworkers! Each one has the recipient's name embroidered on it. Thanks to the tutorial by "pink milk and fairycakes" on flickr for this lovely holiday gift idea!

Blouse for Maria

I've been working on many handmade gifts for Christmas this year, and I wanted to share this one! My awesome friend Maria is pregnant and will have to suffer through the Atlanta heat next spring. So, I made a top that will keep her both cute and cool while awaiting the arrival of her little one. It's inspired by those adorable pillow case dresses you see all over Canton.




Since Maria received her gift package today, I figured it was ok to share it with everyone else. No surprises spoiled here!

Santa's Helper

Here's my baby all dressed up for Christmas! Isn't he so cute? He just turned 9 last month!

Uberati

I'm a member! Thanks to Jim for the invite!


Visit uberati

My House - Before & After

Hooray!! My house has been painted, and I'll share the "reveal" with you below. Here's the "before" picture:


And here's the "after" photo! I am so excited! Doesn't my house look more like a graceful lady now?

Take the Handmade Pledge!

Hey everybody! Be sure and check out http://www.buyhandmade.org/. Handcrafted items make extra-special gifts! I hope you will all include them in your holiday shopping this year!

Yum!

I decided to experiment with mascarpone cheese and made these yummy muffins:

Plus, it gave me an excuse to use the lemons and blueberries I had on hand. See SpongeBob on the paper liners? Hee, hee!

Yay for Internet Access!

Ok! I can finally get online at home now! Here are the promised photos of the monarchs that were in my backyard.



The last one is a little "where's Waldo"!

Stitch 2007

Hey everybody! I know I haven't updated my blog recently, but my home internet connection has been nonexistent. I though I'd share this picture, though! My friend Diana and I went to the Stitch show in Austin last Saturday, and we had a blast! I think I look a little crazed/maniacal...what's going on with my face in this photo? Of course, Diana is glowing, as she should be since she is embarazada.
I'll post much prettier pictures of the monarchs I had in my yard a couple of weeks ago once I install my new internet package at home! Plus...there will be fabulous before and after pics of my house, which will be painted soon! Hooray!

Maker Faire 2008

Well, I finally received a USB cable for my new cell phone, so I can share the photos I took at Maker Faire in Austin. It was a lot of fun, with activities for crafty folks and geeks alike! Yay!

Here's the giant mouse trap that had bowling balls rolling through it:

Here's Diana learning to make a pin cushion with very expensive Bernina machines:

Here's an art van covered in all kinds of cameras and tv monitors:

Here's some neat 3D origami art:

And here's a big owl made of cardboard and masking tape (this one's for Meghan):

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

Here's beautiful Hailey in her Halloween costume!

Apparently, she was better behaved than the dwarfs, who kept jumping out of position! I look forward to receiving more pictures of all my honorary nieces and nephews in costume! Happy Halloween!

Ladies Night Out!

It was definitely a full moon last night as the Locklear girls, mom, and I fought traffic (both auto and human) to get into our seats at Jones Hall. Every time I go there, I remember how much I dislike that theatre! However, author David Sedaris made all the stress worthwhile! He was hilarious, and I was so pleased to have my mom laughing out of control next to me. Yes, we both have quite the penchant for dirty jokes!
Anyway, I highly recommend him if you're looking for some comic relief! Plus, his short stories are easy to finish before falling into a coma at the end of the day!

Hooray! Quilt Finished

I'm so glad to announce an end to this project! For my first attempt at quilting, I kept it fairly small. It will be a nice cover while lounging on the couch if winter ever gets here. And I DID manage to make the whole thing by hand, which was a good learning experience. However, I doubt I'll ever go through that again. In fact, I bought a sewing machine at Sears today!

Atlanta Photos

Just returned last night from my trip to visit Maria in Atlanta. Her son Austin is now 2, and he is quite the "spelunker."

We drove up to The Last Resort in Blue Ridge, which is just beginning to show some autumn colors. Here's the view from our cabin:

We took a hike out to the spot where Maria and Jonah were married and enjoyed some pretty things along the way! I'm already missing the trees and the cool weather!

Cute Scarflette Demo

Here is the scarflette I sent to Erin to keep her neck nice & toasty this winter in China. It has 3 different flower pins to keep it snug and stylish!

Project Update

Here's an updated photo of my quilt. This week, I finished making the top, put the quilt sandwich together, and actually began to quilt it. What do you think?



While I was placing my new plants last weekend, I noticed a shoot emerging from the empty lot next to my house. This lot has been a treasure-trove of bulbs and plants, and the owner gave me her blessing to dig up anything that interests me. This bulb produced a particularly beautiful flower. I also dug up some oxblood/schoolhouse lilies, so I'll have those flowers to look forward to in a year!

Hooray for Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! And here's an awesome picture of Miss Sofie Locklear, all ready to go trick or treating! Jeff, are you planning on dressing up as Chewbaca? Check out Sofie's new blog on my links to the left.

Fabulous Baby, With Cloche

Here is the absolutely beautiful Hailey wearing the crocheted cloche I made for her. She will be so cozy when a real cold front comes through!

Fall Plant Sale Success!

Hooray! My friend Shelby and I had a wonderful time at the master gardener fall plant sale yesterday. My best buys? Gingers!



Aren't they gorgeous? I also wanted to share the photo I took of my hamelia as the sun was setting last night. Hopefully I'll catch some hummingbirds around it this morning.

My Baby

With all the photos posted of my friends' babies, Sindri has become a bit jealous. Here is my 8-year old little boy enjoying a favorite pasttime - going for a car ride!

Quilt Progress

Ok, here's what I have so far! I'm still not sure how big the finished product will be...I'm figuring it out as I go!

Weekend Update!

Well, better late than never! It was a good weekend as I was able to visit with Lina and Andy, and their gorgeous daughter Ava! Though born at only 2 lbs., she is now an active 15 lb. girl!

More Garden Photos!

This little guy was chillin' in my back yard the other day. Isn't he cute?

And here are the first signs of tropical storm Humberto on my orchid tree: