Doodle La

29.1.12

I'm so excited to be almost done with writing my first diaper tutorial. It's a lot of work! Writing, taking photo's, editing photo's, getting everything in order and explained correctly. It all takes time. Time I squeeze in between building Lego towers with my two year, painting my (almost) 6 year old's nails, and helping my oldest with his school work. I also have diaper orders that need completing and mailing, and some free-lance art work that I've taken on. It's all very exciting! Often times I feel like I've been swept up in a hurricane, but in a good way.

My daughters birthday is this coming up Tuesday, so I'm hoping to have some things completed soon so I can focus on making goodies for her to take to school. She's bringing cake pops to share! She wants them decorated with pink and blue flowers. Have you noticed how precise everything has to be when you are almost six...It's quite a precocious age!

I'd love to take the time to make something cute and sweet for Valentines day. I'm thinking something like these hearts...so pretty!

16.1.12

I'm doing another giveaway!

Can you tell I love to do giveaways? It makes me really happen to brighten someone's day. It's as simple as that!

For details and a chance to win, visit my Facebook page!

15.1.12

How's this one for cute? :) You can bid on it here.

I've been experimenting with different things on the bottom of some diapers. I'm really enjoying being more creative with it and not just making plain 'ol diapers:) Though, those are good, too! I just need something to challenge my creativity more.

Now I just need to do some more that are a little more masculine...Maybe a Love Bug for boys as a Valentine's Day theme!

13.1.12

Where does the time go...It's all gobbled up by my kids. (See above, from the summer!)

They have me running here, and there, and everywhere. And reading lots of Dr Seuss while doing it, too.

I must admit that my little brood often times have me swept away in the large and important things of childhood. You know, dinosaurs and dolls, trucks and blocks, why the moon is out even though the sun is out. My oldest, who has Asperger's, saves up from his days now spent in school being dutifully quiet, and shares with only me every thought that might have entered his mind throughout the day. It's a lot to keep up with, and often times a lot to explain. My daughter is full of knowledge, (as in, she is a 6 year old suffering from the chronic I-know-what-I'm-talking-about's.) She always makes me laugh with her diatribes. And Mr.T (as in Trouble) standing on the highest rung of that ladder in the picture, (the older two were attempting to keep him from jumping in the pool by himself), is constantly testing the forces of nature. He likes to see how loud things can crash, how helpful he can be with my scissors on the furniture (or nearest cloth diaper), and if he can get you to pay attention by pitching his meal across the room.

I have been BLESSED. With so much patience! Lord!--Thank you for blessing me with the patience you have given and continue to give me!

My work waits. Long hours, some times DAYS, my work sits and waits for me on a table, or more likely shoved in a closet where the youngest can't reach it! It's why I work so quickly when I get the chance. My work lets me give them small things like toys they want, or a movie they might want to see. Nothing too extravagant, but those small treats count for a lot in their small little universe.

And....my work lets me be a little bit of ME. Without it I get lost in the laundry basket full of socks, and the hours spent trying to get homework done, and the tantrums, and the constant questions, and the struggles that sometimes seem to be bigger than life.

Thank you, friends, for giving me something to do by letting me make you cloth. Your business is so important to me, in more ways than one!

14.11.11

Good morning. Here is a super quick nursing pad tutorial.

You will need some soft fabric, like fleece. Enough for three or four layers. Scissors, obviously. You also need a pattern which is really easy to draw up!

(This tutorial assumes you already have some sewing experience!)

This patter fits in a 5 inch square. Simple draw a 5 inch square on some paper, and use the sides and corners to guide you in making a circle. Or a cup, or bowl would work as well. Mark the middle and one inch along the edge of your circle. Connect from each end of the one inch mark to the middle mark and cut out your triangle.

Lay your pattern out on your fabric and cut three or four layers for each pad.

Using a serger, or sewing machine, close your triangle on the under side and sew it closed. It will form a teepee shape! You can do two layers at a time for this. For mine I sewed one together, and then the other two layers together as one piece.

Lay your teepee layers together with the wrong sides together if you are going to serge!

Serge your pieces together. And trim the loose threads.

Tada!

If you are using a sewing machine you will want to lay your pieces together so the right sides are facing. Sew them around the edge, leaving a small opening to turn them out. Then simply topstitch around the edge to finish them. Now go make a bunch! :)

10.11.11

I love this time of year! I love the colors, I love the weather, I love love love the Fall inspired foods. Pumpkin! Who can beat pumpkin...You just can't. It's delish.

When I last went shopping, I grabbed a can of pumpkin to make something with. I wasn't sure what, but something! In a frenzy of baking bliss I decided I'd try the recipe for the pumpkin roll that they print on the inside of the can wrapper. I am incredibly lazy, however, and easily overwhelmed by my almost-2-year-old's need to have his tiny hands in everything. To heck with rolling some cake up! Before it even got there it would be all over the floor or full of holes where he had helped himself. (It's happened before!)

Instead I whipped up that recipe and made cupcakes instead. There are a couple of good reasons for that! Everyone gets their alotted amount, none of that "He got more than I did" business. Reason #2 is that if I eat more than two cupcakes, I will have eaten that such-and-such a % of a dozen and that just doesn't look good on my hips. And reason #3, I don't have to try to roll up a cake.

I've got to say, the thing I love about these cupcakes is that they turned out more like a pudding inside. They are super moist and really yummy. Put that big dollop of cream cheese frosting on top and you come out looking like super duper snazzy chef.

When the kids are in bed put one on a pretty plate you save for special occasions, make some hot cocoa and enjoy some special "me" time with a good movie!

7.11.11

Source: theblissfullycontentlife.blogspot.com via Gin on Pinterest

Hello Bloggy World! I thought I'd come out from behind my sewing machine for a minute to say hello. I've been working like a busy bee lately, which I appreciate, but sometimes it's nice to do something just for yourself in those 5 minutes of free time. Maybe say....make yourself something? The mornings are starting to get nice and crisp, and the leaves are changing through a rainbow of gorgeous colors. Each morning I stand out at the end of our drive way and wait for the bus with my little girl and breath out those "air clouds", as my daughter calls them. We keep our fingers tucked in the end of our sleeves to keep warm, which works well enough. I thought I'd give some pocket sized rice hand warmers a go for me and my little one. That way we can tuck them in our pockets, and it is safe to send her off to school with.

Here is a great tutorial.

21.10.11

The winner of the screen-printed Linen set is...

That would be....

Danielle who said...: Also Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have several younger cousins so this year I'm going as Marceline the Vampire Queen and eating red the whole night.

Congratulations Danielle!

11.10.11

Are you ready for this month's giveaway?

I'm doing something a bit different this month! This time around I am giving away a set of 4 linen napkins and a matching table runner that I screen printed with cat tails. October gets me in the mood for entertaining and celebrating with family and friends. What better way than to begin with a pretty table? :)

There are three ways to enter this giveaway:

~Come like me on Facebook! (If you already do, just let me know in the comments here!)

~Leave a comment here about what your favorite holiday is and tell me how you celebrate.

~Share this giveaway with your friends and let me know with a link back to it in the comments.

So you can do all three of these and get three chances to win!

Easy peasy!

The winner will be chosen using random.org and notified within 24 hours. This giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada. Comments will close on October 21st, at 10am EST.

Good luck!

Source: hgtv.com via Valeta on Pinterest

I love Fall. I love it most especially out here in North Carolina. I'm from Northern California, where you don't really see much as far as changing of the seasons. The seasons out West are much more mild. Here on the Southern East Coast you can see it much more clearly. The leaves start to change, the weather cools down, (thank you for leaving, humidity-monster!), you see the countryside start to develop those fall colors.

Here is some pretty Fall inspiration!