Elephant

Had a "Sewing Sunday" yesterday and came up with this sweet little elephant. I used some neutral organic chenille for the body and ear, the On A Whim 2 blue cats for the body and reverse ear, the squares from Animal Party for the tail, and the Creatures and Critters dot fleece for the back of the elephant's ears.  Click on the pictures to see enlarged photos.

Love these!

Saw these last night on Etsy - love this shop.

Baby Gap

I went shopping last night for a baby gift and walked into Baby Gap. I was pretty surprised to find this - it was one of the very first designs I ever sold. Sweet.

... and here is the original print that sold:

Fabric Lions

Check out these sweet fabric lions by Mary Fedden. Read more about it here.

Bookworm Journal

I just received my Bookworm Journal in the mail. Here are some pics of the inside of the book... filled with lots of activities for young readers.

Etsy Love

Found some Etsy lovelies using some of my fabrics that I thought I would share.

 shop link

 shop link

shop link

shop link

Little Girls Big Style

I am sure by now you know about the new book "Little Girls, Big Style" by Mary Abreu. It is getting really good reviews and filled with gorgeous photos of gorgeous outfits worn by her gorgeous stylin' daughter.

Sunday Sewing

Spent this past Sunday sewing a couple of girl's tops with Animal Party Too.

Whooo's the Winner?

Congratulations to debbiekl. I will be emailing you shortly for an address. Thanks to everyone who entered. I will have more giveaways soon.

A Little Self Examination

A year ago I came up with this list and I thought I would check in and see how I did. It is AMAZING how much can happen in a year. And how much you grow without realizing. So how did I do? See below.

1. Be a better me - better mother, better daughter, better friend, and better wife.

I  can't objectively answer, but I am still trying. I am sure I have stumbled, but I am trying to pay attention.

2. Come up for more air - balance work time with living time more effectively.

Ha ha ha, sort of. I have a really hard time saying no to projects, especially in this economy. But I do really enjoy it, when I take a day to myself.

3. Explore my inner foodiness - that means more home cooked meals.

Yes and no. I ironically got slammed with some serious food allergy issues which is resulting in lots more home cooked goodness.

4. Pay it forward - I am so fortunate to have had so much love and support - I look forward to finding new and creative ways to give back.

Yes, yes and yes and I will continue to.

5. Travel to new places.

I was supposed to but couldn't (outside of my control) - so that is planned for this year :))

6. Take more pictures of the places and people that I love.

I failed miserably with this.

7. Paint more, draw more, paint more, draw more.

I really tried, and even started a blog, but in the end life came at me hard this past year, so I will give it a courageous effort this year. That said, I think my design and illustration work grew tremendously this year.

8. Be as kind to myself as I try to be to others.

I think this might be my biggest achievement this year.

9. Keep an open eye and an open mind.

Still trying. I think I want to add an open heart and put that at the head of the list.

10. And on a larger and more selfless note, wishing for all of us to strive for honesty, openness, responsibility, and integrity.

Yup!

So what do I envision for this year? An attempt to strive for maximum health, to do good work, to be a good person, and to keep growing. And to keep my eye on what is important - both universally and personally. I want to keep it simple, weed out the distractions, and go for it. (going for it = being true to myself and those in my orbit).

So cheers to a satisfying new year for all of us.

Bookworm Journal

I illustrated a journal this past year for Potter Style (a division of Random House). It is a sweet little journal to encourage reading for kids.

New Year - New Collection - New Fun

faI hope you all had a great break and wish you the best for the upcoming new year. I am not wasting any time this year - I have a new collection shipping out in April - "Animal Party Too" - and am offering a free give away - two samples from the collection. Sales from this collection, just like the first Animal Party, will benefit Quilts for Kids. I am offering a half yard each of two the prints. Scroll down to see how to enter and also to see which fabrics will be sent to the lucky winner. But first let me share a couple of things I stitched up with fabrics from the collection.


First a toddler sun hat - pattern by the very talented Betz White -

Detail -

Brim -

Next up, a sweet little bib, pattern by lil' ol' me -

The reverse side -

And now for the give away. One half yard each of the two following prints from the collection. All you have to do is leave a contact and a way to get in touch. I will announce the winner next Monday, so you have a week. Good luck!!