Nitchfield News: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Re-fashion: Sweater 1, Refined Ruffles in Lavender

Now that all the Christmas surprises have been opened, I can reveal the projects that kept me busy in December. I decided to get four plain-jane sweaters and pretty them up for four well beloved ladies on my christmas list. I had SO much fun doing them! I'll be posting one every Monday for the next four weeks so you can have a break from cute baby pictures. Just for variety, you know. ;-)

Sorry, no before pictures, each one was just a normal sweater. I couldn't find any ribbon that matched this one, so I made the ruffles from a special occasion fabric. I used the "wrong" side of the fabric, which had a little sheen to it without being gaudy. I also decided not to gather the ruffle in the middle, which made the look a little more interesting.

One day I think I'm going to make one of these for myself!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Simple Craft

On a weekend not long ago, Kyle wanted to do something fun with Alaina (other than going out in the single digit weather). We found a fun and simple craft idea that was actually do-able with a two year old!

We cut the fingers off a rubber glove and drew faces on them for finger puppets. Our colored markers didn't work very well, but the sharpie was great.

Alaina enjoyed it, but I think Kyle and I had the most fun! The Girl spent most of the time watching us play with the puppets.

Now that the chicken-footed man has slipped past security into the presence of the queen, what will he do? To be continued . . .

(Considering the age of the audience, I can assure you it won't be anything scary or stressful. I'm guessing he probably wanted to borrow the royal dehydrator to preserve the rest of his strawberry crop.)

I'm glad Kyle reminds me to make room for fun times like these. Such fun!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Something on my mind.

The question isn't "Are we busy?". Busyness is not a virtue. The question is "Are we busy doing the important things?". - Nancy DeMoss

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Siblings

Do they look alike? I don't know, but at two and five months, they are already starting to enjoy each other as sister and brother.

Stephen loves to watch Alaina - she is pretty active, after all. He also thinks that she is the funniest thing ever! He laughs at her during the most unexpected moments.

Alaina brings Stephen his toys and is learning to set them gently and slowly on his lap. She is quick to let me know if he spits up or works his way off his blanket. She tells him "Good morning Stephen.", "I love you Stephen.", and on a few occasions when she has startled him into crying, her "I'm sorry Stephen!" has been quite sincere.

It's so fun to watch these two!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Re-fashion: Weekday Ruffle Flats

Here's the "Before" picture on a little project I did in my spare time last week - it was a fun one!

Ta da! Girlie, ruffled everyday shoes.

I picked up this pair of shoes at least five years ago for less than $10, and just haven't worn them much. I think that's about to change. ;-) The ruffle fabric was something I have on hand, so no money down for this project. Happy, happy!