Such a handy little bag

I saw this pattern on the Sew Spoiled blog and had to make my own Ladybug Mini Purse. My iPod and earbuds fit inside perfectly.

Hostess gift

Tomorrow morning we're flying out to the Midwest to spend a long weekend with some friends. For the hostess gift, I made another set of bird towels and crocheted some cotton washcloths to match.































I'd hoped that Olivia and I would get a chance to make our own soap for the package, but you know how that goes...so I substituted a set from Colonial Williamsburg.

Tiny embroidery

This little monogram took about 5 minutes to stitch but makes me very happy. The square will be appliqued onto a onesie for a baby named Jenna. The pattern is from "Six Alphabets for Monograms" by Aunt Martha's.

A Generous Craftsman

My parents moved into their dream house just as I was going through a divorce. For my dad, the highlight of his new house was going to be a basement woodworking shop. He generously postponed that dream so that I could move back home (“home” being where my parents were) for several months until I got my life back on track.

Nine years later, the basement I once shared with my three cats looks like this:














Dad creates some stunning furniture and treasures in his shop. Recently he focused on box-making and treated me to this:














Notice the dove-tail joints, felt lining, and secret bottom compartment.


























I love it. Thank you, Dad. For all you do.

Saving the Earth, one coffee cozy at a time

Inspired by Bean's genius chemistry, I thought I'd whip up two or three little coffee cozies last weekend. But as usual, I was way too optimistic; this is the first and only one so far. After stitching the monogram and sewing the cozy together, I was disappointed and bored with it. So I copied some floral designs on each side, and that's when my weekend ended.














When the stitching is complete, the finished project (and a Starbucks gift card) will be a thank-you gift for a friend who loves coffee as much as I do.