Ruffles and Toadstools

This is one of those reserve Christmas projects. I made it for my sister, Lola, the queen baker of our generation. Her kitchen colors are oranges and yellows, and she loves cutesy things. I had initially set out to find cupcake fabric, but this mushroom fabric wins. It's so perfect. A little girly, a little whimsical, and very much Lo's style.I had planned on a half apron, so I bought a scant half yard for the project. When she decided one day to expound on the utter uselessness of half aprons. Oops. Thus the apron became a skinny-ish full apron. No pocket, but plenty of frills.

Mustache Party Invitations

Was this a tangent or what? When I last posted I had fully intended to make the invitations to Beckett's birthday party from the wonderful stationery I mentioned. Then this idea happened. First of all, this was the best photo shoot we've ever hosted here at Chez Brewer, hands down. Second, how could you not laugh at a walrus with a costume mustache? It's like the Department of Facial Hair Redundancy Department! Third, look at the expression on his face. Indignation. Pure and simple. Love it. I sincerely hope we never outgrow the walrus thing, it's just too good.

I had fun with the inside of the invitations too, and I thought you might enjoy them if any of you are having mustache bashes of your own. So here's a free printable write-in invitation for you. Click here to download the pdf.

Happy New Year

Hello! I'm back from my unplanned blogging haidus. We came home last night, sans Daddus, and we're doing our best to readjust to the day to day. It's a little surreal - trying to get back to normal, but knowing that it's only a temporary "normal." It feels a bit oxymoronic, but I'm well rested and inspired, so I'll take it.

This weekend I'll be painting the new place, and I'm fixin' on a trip to Ikea. But for today I'm playing with ideas for my big boy's birthday. He'll be 4 (!) in a few weeks and he's asked for a mustache party. How fun is that? I'm thinking about bringing these guys back. And maybe a pin the mustache on the walrus game? Does anyone have any ideas? I picked up this awesome stationery today to play around with. So awesome.Anyway, I wish you all the best for the new year. Thank you so much for reading my blog, you make my small, housewife world feel wide open and inspiring. Here's to the many adventures and creative pursuits 2011 has in store for all of us!

Post Holiday Bliss

Happy Boxing Day, folks! I hope you all had wonderful holidays filled with family and friends and general cheer. I certainly did and now we're enjoying the calm and lazy playfulness of the day after. It's windy and stormy outside. The fire is cozy. And Beckett's new play kitchen has been churning out world class fare all morning.
I'm sorry I went dark there in the days leading up to Christmas. I had, of course, planned on sharing all of my completed holiday projects, the cards and labels, the handmade gifts and wrapping, but as usual the holiday crunch caught up with me and mothandsparrow took a backseat.

My slacker posting schedule may end up for the best though, as now I have a few reserve projects stored up to share during this crazy month of packing and moving and excitement and nostalgic meltdowns. I'm officially leaving my sewing machine at the new place, so I'll be without it for most of January. I'm also officially leaving my husband at the new place. GULP. It'll be an interesting month, but probably not such a productive one.

For now I just want to say here's to you and yours. Wishing all the best the Winter holidays can bring and the best possible New Year.

Santa's Workshop

My niece, Ella, is into the baby doll thing. Or "creepy babies" as my sister calls them. The seemingly requisite pinks and lavenders of baby doll loot really don't jive with the red and green apple decor of Ella's bedroom. So I made her this doll bedding. There's a mattress cover, a pillow and a blanket.The hedgehog is an iron-on transfer. It's based on a design I did for Ella's nursery before she was born. The apple print is a Minny Muu design from a few years ago (it's actually left over from the nursery's curtains) and the quilt backing and pillow are red corduroy. The corduroy gives it a nice cozy weight and feel. I had an abundance of unused white fleece, so I substituted two layers of that for the batting. It's a little dense, but I'm all about using whatever I have. Saves a few dollars, and means there's less junk to move next month. Actually I didn't spend a dime on this project - it all came out of my absurd stash.While I'm sure Ella will love this, and will use it plenty, it's really a gift for my sister - to give her a break from the pinkie babyland. I just wish I could do something about those uncanny rubber faces.

Peppermint Ribbon Corsage Tutorial

Making this little sweetie takes a few minutes more than the necklace. Maybe 12 instead of 10. It's still quick and simple and super fun to wear.

Materials
- 7/8" ribbon
- Felt
- 3/4" cover button kit
- Coordinating fabric - I used corduroy
- Hot glue gun

1- Follow the instructions on your cover button kit to cover 2 buttons with your coordinating fabrics.

2- Cut 2 felt circles one with a 1 1/4" diameter and one with a 1 3/4" diameter.

3- Take one felt circle and begin hot gluing the ribbon starting at the outside edge and spiraling in, pleating as you to follow the curve. Tuck in the raw ends. Repeat for the second felt circle.

4- Hot glue the covered buttons to the centers of your two ribbon flowers.

5- Cut a small strip of felt - about 1" x 2". Arrange the 2 flowers and hot glue their backs to the new felt strip.

6- I had a pin back lying around that I glued to the back, but you could just pin it to your shirt like a real corsage, or even sew it to your shirt, though I wouldn't count on it to wash well.

I hope you all enjoy these quickie projects. Please give them a try, it's a low input- high yield kind of thing. They're quite cute together and of course they don't have to be holiday themed. Have fun!

Peppermint Holiday Necklace Tutorial

This whole projects takes only a few minutes. It goes perfectly with a dress or a chic cardigan or any number of cheesy holiday accessories - think antlers and santa hats.

Materials Needed

-Red and white striped ribbon - 7/8" wide
-5 - 3/4" unfinished wood beads
-Red craft paint
-Bamboo skewers

1 - Paint the wood beads using craft paint. I like to string them on a bamboo skewer for this step so I don't leave finger prints all over them.

2- Cut a 52" length of ribbon. Trim one end at a sharp angle to thread through the beads.

3- String the first bead about 30" down the ribbon. Push the end of the ribbon into the hole in the bead, then use the bamboo skewer to push it the rest of the way through.

4- Tie a knot and push it right up against the bead. String the other 4 beads, tying knots in between. I didn't put knots on the outsides, so there are 5 beads and 4 knots.

5- Even up the ends and trim off any excess ribbon, cutting the ends at 45 degree angles.

There's still plenty of time to make this for any upcoming holiday festivities. I'll get the tutorial for the corsage up in a minute. I hope you enjoy!

Jingle Belles

I went out with my girlfriends for a little holiday fun. We donned our gay apparel like nobody's business, and as usual managed to go through the entire evening without snapping a single photo. Oops. I whipped up these little accessories to go with my santa hat and my red belt and heels. It only took me a few minutes, some peppermint stripe ribbon and some crafty bits I had around the house (cover buttons, wood beads, felt and hot glue). I'll work on a tutorial for tomorrow!

There Are Places I Remember...

So the big big news around here is that we're moving. We'll be leaving my beloved Bellingham for greener professional pastures at the end of next month. Even then they might have to drag me away. I'm picturing the new tenants peering wonderingly at the claw marks in the floor leading down the front stairs.

In all seriousness I'm excited for the adventure and reinvention of moving, not to mention the thrill of decorating a new place, but I've lived so much in this apartment. It was our first place together as a young couple. I became a wife while living here and a mother twice over. I became a gardener here. Started avidly sewing here. I mourned my Jasper cat here. My first born said his first words and took his first steps here. It's a lot to say goodbye to.

It's not as if these memories have irretrievably seeped into the walls, but I've already had a few weepy moments and I'm sure there will be more to come. Please pardon any sap that may ooze out over the next few weeks, I'm full of nostalgia and sentiment, and pardon any gaps in posting. I'll do my best to keep up, but apart from holiday festivities and gift making and packing and caring for my kids, I'm trying to really enjoy all that Bellingham has to offer.

Oh Christmas Tree

I'm having the most marvelous Holiday season. This time last year I was dehydrated, couldn't keep anything down, rapidly losing weight, and medicated with some garbage that would knock me unconscious for hours at a time. Not exactly the merry little elf I like to be. This year though, I'm fully myself and filled with even more obnoxious joy over getting to play Santa for my 2 boys. I'm overflowing.

This weekend we got a perfectly imperfect tree at a place called Tom's U-Cut, up here in Bellingham. Wonderful people, beautiful trees, very reasonable prices. We decorated and drank hot cocoa, then rode the bus to go see Santa and take a lovely jingle bell laden carriage ride.

I try not to go in for the whole corny deal, and I certainly abstain from the ugly retail frenzy that Christmas usually brings, but I'm a sucker for the trees and the lights and the magic of it all.