Baby Projects

Last Summer I made this diaper bag from a really easy Simplicity pattern. I improvised on the changing pad, used a micro fleece towel I had on hand...shhh don´t tell my MIL about it (hey, I thought it was ugly, and it was a terrible size, and my husband never liked the feel of it).

After I finished that, I saw so many tutorials for making burp rags, that I thought I could do that, and it would be easy. Well, no prefolds to be had, at least not cheaply, so I found some birdseye at Nancy´s Notions, ordered it along with some cute baby fabrics, and made my own. I think they turned out pretty well all things considered.

Then I had some fabric left over and saw this really cute tutorial on the net a few weeks ago, decided that my baby might really like a tag blanket, ordered some minky and then went to work. It was really easy to do, and I hope it´s a hit with our little one. We´ll see!


I frequently read this and she had another easy tutorial for making a laminated changing pad, and I happened to have some laminated fabric to use for it. It doesn´t exactly match my diaper bag, but who cares?! Sewing with laminated fabric is a bit fussy, and I cursed a few times as my layers slipped, but in the end it worked out ok.


Now I´m busy learning about smocking, and can´t wait to get started on my first project....

Roses!

Constance Spry--
she only blooms once, but she is a gorgeous, showey climber. This is her second year in the garden.

The Pink Panther
Unfortunately he got frost bitten and isn´t as vigerous this year... I´m hoping he will make a full recovery because these blooms are awesome in arrangements.

I have no idea what this one is called, it was only labelled "pink rose" and put on sale for two Euros, and I couldn´t resist.

Also have no idea about this one. It was labelled white rose, and also cost only two Euros. It´s a bit of a pain though, the blossoms are huge and great for cutting, but I only get 2-3 at a time, and the rest of the bush is some wild rose which I have to keep cutting back...grrrrr. So much for hybradizing!

Peace. A gorgeous one, but unfortunately mine is not hardy and gets terrible black spot despite spraying, and spraying and spraying....

There are lots more roses in my rose garden, but blogger isn´t allowing me to upload any more pictures in this post :-( I´m particularly pleased with my Empress Josephine which is covered in blooms. She´s almost finished, though. I haven´t had any problems with disease with her, and she is super, super winterhardy. She and Jeaque Cartier, and Louise Odier make-up the pinks, and they smell divine. I added a Winchester Cathedral and Teasing Georgia this year, but they are still very small. I imagine that next year or the year after will be payday for those. I´ll share again next year!

Summer in the garden!

I really could have sworn that I took more pictures of the flowers in my garden, but apparently I spent more time enjoying them than photographing them, so these aren´t even the best ones! The delphiniums are almost finished, so they´ve been cut back in hopes of encouraging a second, later show in late August/ mid September. We will see if it works--last year was so so.

My salvia and Lady´s Mantle is gorgeous, and I cut some regularly for using inside. This one doesn´t actually have any Salvia, though! Guess I forget it when I was out cutting the delphiniums back....must be pregnancy dementia!

I´ve been busy

Making stuff, that is. And I´m just getting started, so stay tuned. Maybe I´ll actually get good at this making stuff thing.

Poor Ralphie

It must be love when your master gives up his warm and cozy spot in the bed to come spend the whole night on the kitchen floor with you.
Eating with the lampshade is a bit of a challenge as you can see, but it can be done if you´re hungry enough!
Pouting. What else is there to do when they take you to have your balls chopped off, and then they make you wear the shade?
I´m not moving. I think I´ll just stand here until someone rescues me. Somebody is going to rescue me from this torture, right?

Tea for Two?

Actually, it´s just tea for me. Sometimes you just have to pull out all the stops (or a few) on a rainy day. I guess if I´d really been pulling out all the stops I would have gone to the swanky pattiserie in Radebeul and gotten some Petit Fours and other goodies, but the sandwich from the local grocery and fresh strawberries were all I needed, or wanted for that matter. Tea lights, a favorite tea cup and a good cup of tea along with other treasures are like chicken soup for the soul. Really, I ought to do this more often. It wasn´t that much work to get out the silver, linens and china.

Spring!

It´s beginning to look a lot like Spring at our house!

After what seems like the longest winter, Spring seems to be on her way!! The snow is all gone and the first spring flowers are out. I spotted some forsythia in bloom on my walk this afternoon, and there are several snow drops that have come up in our yard. The tulips, crocuses, and daffodils are beginning to poke their heads through, and the nursery near our house is stocked with prim roses, pansies and other spring flowers. I couldn´t resisit, so here are some of mine now waiting to be put in planters.... that´s another story.


I lost several of my "frost tolerant" planters this year. I guess the fact that they were left on the patio sitting in snow slush in the sun did not help...I´m a bit bummed about the round one because it was one of my favorites, not cheap, and the perfect pot for my basil. Guess I will have to find a new one which is easier said than done. I looked at the pots at a couple of garden centers today, but didn´t see anything I really liked, and certainly not at a price that I was willing to pay! Sheesh, pots and planters are not cheap!