Stuffed Animals

I have never sewed stuffed animals before so I wanted to challenge myself and use up some leftover fabric. I found this really cute pattern that required fleece fabric which happens to be a fabric type that I have tons of. I was at my grandmothers house in Pittsburgh and needed a birthday present for my niece turning 1 the next day. My grandmother is like me and also had tons of fabric leftover. So we decided to watch a movie and sew and this is what I came up with. The yellow one is my second attempt at the same pattern. I think they came out super cute :) And had to make one for myself.

Before he had stuffing

Cutting out the pattern

Being silly and putting the horse in jail :)

Valentines day 2013

So tonight is 2/13/13 and I had to work until 8pm. I am on my way to Pittsburgh in the morning bright and early so I will not see Caleb on Valentines day. When I got off work I new that Caleb and his parents would be at church so I snuck some gifts into their home while they were gone. I left flowers for his mom and double stuffed Oreos for his dad in hopes they don't get mad that I went without them knowing. Caleb works night shift so he went to work directly after church. So when he gets home at 6:30am on Valentines day this is what he will see. I only hope I get a laugh and a smile out of him :)

Farm sign

Here is a bad picture of a rough sketch I did and the final product I had made by a local welder. The sign is for The Long Shot Farm and winery AKA my parents' farm.

10 minute doodle

Watercolor pencils and sharpie.

Charlottes ham?

Handsome Stud, Leif

Here is a watercolor I am working on. I started with a light grid and lightly drew in basic shapes with a 6H pencil. 6H doesn't seem to smudge when painted over. I'm also using my first watercolor block. It seems to be working so far. And the paper is really nice too.
So far I have only used watercolor pencils. Caleb got me a nice set for Christmas and I am still learning how to use them. I think I have gone as far as I will with them in the face. I'll continue with paints to get a smoother look. I like the texture I'm getting on the cape and still need the detailed pattern in the shirt. It's coming along though. Something about the face still seems a little off to me but at least it looks like him. Hopefully as I continue to paint it will get better. I think part of what is throwing me off is how intense the eyes look. If I wanted it perfect, I would have just made the photograph larger right?

So much knitting!

Some times when I have a lot on my mind I need to do something with my hands to either occupy my thoughts, or, to be able to do it so I can think and be productive. For Christmas gifts this year I decided to knit wash cloths for my family and some of Caleb's relatives. After the first 3 they became so easy so I was able to work on them during any free time I had. It also gave me time to think about everything that I might have been stressing about. It was definitely a way to make me relax and calmly work through some things. Any kind of project like this is very helpful. I guess you could consider it a type of therapy. So if you are ever feeling overwhelmed, make something. The feeling of completing a project definitely helps! And gives you time to think through problems you may have or things you may worry about, or just kills some time when you are waiting for it to pass.

I also have some cute ideas on how to wrap them or present them. There are some pictures showing that too. So far I finished 16!