Two of Everything!

My sweet nephews, who are the most adorable little boys there are, just turned two. Incredible, as it seems just yesterday when I caused a near panic attack in my sis with my surprised blooper when she told me..."That means you need two of everything!"

Although, I am so darn far away from those wonderful lil ones I think about them daily. I can't believe their growth while I have been away and I tear up when I hear their little voices in the background of phone conversations.

Knowing I wasn't going to be there for Mason and Owen's birthday was a hard pill to swallow so instead I focused on what project I was going to make for them. I had been wanting to make these little cars from the book Fun Dolls, for a while and thought it would be a good time to do it. Once, I finished I knew it would be perfect for them. Constructed in felt and kapok filling I knew they would be close to indestructable for four little hands.

I remember my little brothers had this road mat that they loved so much and would play on it endlessy with their hot wheels. I knew I had to create something similar for their new cars and decided to create a little landscape town with lots of big roads for their big cars to roam.

To be honest I did have a few AHHH! moments that come with freestyle projects, but after breathing through it and getting the scale I began to have so much fun. The little mailbox, the tire swing, the school fountain, they all started to take life with the more time spent on the little stitches. I thought of how much Mace and Owie would want to probably touch the different colors and little bits and I got so very happy knowing they would soon be playing on top of it.

Hearing about their glee upon opening their presents made my heart just want to burst out. I was on cloud nine knowing they knew that even though their Tanta Mems wasn't around she was in spirit and she loves them very very much!

To their wonderful mom, you are amazing and I cannot wait to see you and make dinner and drink wine and talk talk talk. Love you lady.

Gifts for Kayda

Kayda Rose, a beautiful little girl, just finished her first trip around the sun and is just about the most adorable little one there is. To celebrate Kayda's first birthday I found the perfect pattern to create a little spring/summer dress. The Petal Dress by Ann Brodsky of the Sew Baby Line is a great pattern that is simple to understand and quick to make. After sewing furiously earlier last week I was stopped by the missing buttonhole guide for my machine. After doing a little Expert Village video watching I decided to just do it by hand and hope that the finishing touch wouldn't be too messy, it turned out okay butI know that I will need to get that guide for my next buttonhole experience :) Completing the little petal dress was my highlight of yesterday and so, so rewarding as I haven't done garments since I was in highschool and those are just laughable, think two square pieces sewed together with uneven straps. So this little number is a feat for me. The thing I learned with garments is it is best to take your time. I seem to be one of those ladies that likes a finished product right away and gets pushing on her petal the closer it is to being done. That is really not the way to make a little bitty dress though. The greatest thing about this dress is that each petal is only joined at the top and so they just lay so nicely and probably can have easy access for diaper patrol. I went with a bright pea green floral print with some shocking turquoise fabric on the opposing side to add a little flash. I used a soft cotton jersey for the bodice top so it would be stretchy for getting over the head and fit snugly. The buttons I found last minute and really pull it all together, ahh buttons how I love thee:)

I also started on this little guy a while back and will be putting the finishing touches to him tonight. I am thinking a ladder type stich at all his joints and a little embroidered heart, for lots of love for Kayda. Everything about this guy is great, he is filled with wool and beans so he flops around with his big head and gives the best hugs, I swear he hugs back! This pattern came from the funnest sewing book ever. I have created many things from this book and just absolutely adore it. I will post more details on my next post because that will have more involvement with my crafts for my little nephews who are growing so fast and also are just about the most adorable little fellows you will ever meet. Muah to their wonderful mama!

Happy Crafting!!

Spring's Arrival

With spring comes more rain for us up in Northern Cali. Fortunately we get submerged in wonderful golden light every other day. Today seems very promising with the sun shining and the blue sky above, I hope the weekend maintains this gorgeous feeling. Specially for the lil ones on Sunday. Tomorrow is the first of many Farmer's Markets on our Plaza and I cannot wait to see the emerging green starts and colorful flowers of the season.

Michael wanted to have a lunch date today and lucky me, we went to my favorite French cafe, Cafe Brio. The cakes and pastry are always gorgeous, always tasty, the coffee hand-dripped and strong, and the meals decadent. Their soup is my favorite splurge, I opted for a delicious cream of mushroom leek with turmeric while Michael always goes with sandwiche au fromage et jambon avec dijon! These are some great shots of Michael in action...notice the weather and eating on the patio! Very exciting stuff! ;)

I have been a busy bee myself and began the season with a fresh start to our bedroom. Then moved to projects for my neice and nephews, as all their birthdays are in April. What a wonderful month to get things started. I have also worked on my website, therefore the noticeable absence from the wonderful blogging world which you can check out if you would like http://www.naturalobjects.net/. It is still a work in progress but oh so much fun to fiddle around with. After my acceptance into Benbow Arts and Music Festival I have to change gears and get more inventory started. Like many crafters I seem to dump my money into my hobbies and this is a way for me to recharge the bank and start us on our way to Bali! A much needed getaway for us.

A tribute to Michael's heritage(Indo-Trinidadian -Indo for Indian) I decided to make him a Trinidadian Feast. From Top to Left; Roti or bust up shut (flat bread named after it's torn shirt appearance after tearing it to eat), Accras (delicious fried shrimp and pepper croquettes), my take on tandoori fish (I actually used an Ethiopian spice mix I made last week and lime juice), and of course the Sweet yam fries with the green Callaloo (shout out to Dead Prez!). There are two different versions of callaloo, this one is the coconut-taro leaf version with spinach replacement for the taro leaf as we don't live on the islands...just yet;)
I left out the very strong pina colada but believe me it looked and was delicious :)

Well, I hope to be posting photos of my crafting soon, I need to invest in a better camera this weekend!
Good Friday to yah!