Until Next Year, Winter

Well, the first quarter of 2013 is just about over. This is kind of sad because it means time continues to fly, but it's also really great because it means winter is almost over and the cloud of depression from this grayness that is hanging over everyone's head might soon be lifted.

At the start of the year, one of my resolutions was to sew more in general, but to focus more on making clothes. I've sewn myself several tops (sorry, I only took pics of one top, so you'll just have to trust me on that) and I've sewn quite a few things for Charlotte. I've also tried new techniques out of my comfort zone to broaden my skills and expand my sewing options.

So far this year I have sewn almost as many things as I did in all of 2012. I'm pretty surprised at that but also quite proud, if I do say so myself :) I don't really have any more free time than I did last year (though Charlotte does play more independently and for longer stretches than she did a last year), but it's amazing what I can get done with a few minutes here and there, a couple hours on a weeknight after Charlotte goes to bed, and on Tuesdays (the day Charlotte spends with my mom). It also helps that sewing is how I like to spend a lot of my free time.

Here's a look at what I've made this week. It includes yet another Ice Cream Social Dress (using the tutorial from Craftiness is Not Optional). I do believe this is my favorite item to date that I've made my girl. This will be her party dress for her 2nd birthday (which will be here in almost two months...what??).

This dress looks like a warm, sunny summer day and makes me want to sit outside with an ice cold glass of lemonade and have a picnic. Also summery? This top, which is made in the same style as the Sesame Street top I made last week, minus the rickrack trim on the bottom.

And just for fun, I went through all the photos of projects from this year so far and put them into a collage. It's very colorful :)

Are you ready for Easter? I'm not hosting this year (good thing, my house is a mess) and I'm bringing a salad. Well, I am once I go to the grocery store. Along with the other ten million people that will probably be there today.

Happy Easter!

~Stacy

Coloring is Serious Business

My girl loves to color. Well, really she seems to enjoy anything related to art but coloring is her favorite. Oh, and drawing. If she's scribbling on a piece of paper she'll usually tell us what she's drawing, which mostly means she's mentioning highlights of her day or things in the room and claiming to draw them. Just the other day she was drawing away with a marker and I asked her to list all the things she was drawing. Her list: "A cow. A ducky. A nice kitty. A boy." A boy?? I thought I had at least another 10 years until she started doodling anything about boys, but there you have it.

Today we went grocery shopping at a store that has a bunch of closeout deals. I found this gigantic coloring book for $1 and she had some fun with it this afternoon. She was very focused on her coloring and I think she liked being able to lay down and have all that space to color on.

My left-handedness did not rub off on her, I see. That's good. I used to hate writing left-handed in school because I would always smear whatever I was writing or end up with pencil and pen all over the side of my hand. Not to mention, none of the desks in high school were made for lefties so I had to twist to the right side to write papers. Charlotte won't need to deal with such hardship :)

Chad's off for the rest of the week so today feels like Friday. I almost wished you a happy weekend, but it's a bit early for that. Instead, Happy Wednesday. I'm off to watch Modern Family--finally, new episodes!

~Stacy

Projects Lately

I've been sewing like crazy (again) lately, making some things people have custom ordered, making inventory for the Bay Arts shop, and making spring and summer tops for Charlotte. I like that I've gotten to work on a variety of things, sometimes all in the same day. It keeps me from getting bored, it forces me to follow through and finish everything, and (most importantly) it means I have to constantly pick out new fabric :)

I never shared a photo of the items I sent to Bay Arts for their gift shop. I made so many bags in such a short period of time and then they were out the door before I could even catch my breath, but here's a photo before I packed them up:

After that I started working on a custom order for a large patchwork tote. The fabric line is new: Honey Honey by Kate Spain. This fabric is spring. Just looking at it brightens my mood:

As for tops for Charlotte, I've discovered how much I love making clothes for her (except pants. I'm not crazy about making pants and since she mostly wears knit leggings, which are very inexpensive, it's not really cost effective for me to make them anyhow). I've made her several dresses but I've recently been working mostly on tops. I had a hard time finding a pattern for a cute short-sleeved top--it seems like everything I found was either a dress pattern or a sleeveless top. I ended up using Butterick Pattern #B4176:

I'm working on a few of these, but the one I just made is for her Easter basket. I usually stay away from clothing with characters, logos, writing, etc. (I'm picky) but she loves Elmo so I thought it would be cute if I could find an Elmo fabric to use. I found this:

I thought it was sweet, and she was with me when I picked it out and exclaimed "Wow, Elmo!!" in the store so I knew it met her approval.

It was a fairly simple shirt to make, except I wasn't paying attention and ended up with a front that looked like this:

Hmm...upside down isn't really the look I was going for. So back to the fabric store I went and tried again. This time it worked out, and I'm really happy with the finished shirt:

I've got a few more in this style in the works with different fabrics and they're really fun to make. Plus they only take about a half yard of fabric so it's a good way to use up some of my fabric stash, which my little assistant likes to look through and pick out her favorites:

Note: I always put pants on my child, but she often takes them off when she's playing. It must be more comfortable? But don't worry, the pants are always replaced before we leave the house.

Happy Monday. Happy snowy, snowy Monday. Stupid snowy Monday...

~Stacy

March Weekend

I just made the mistake of looking at the 5-day weather forecast. The highlight of the next week is Thursday, where it is supposed to be 39 degrees and partly cloudy. That's the highlight. The rest of the week showed pictures of clouds and snowflakes, so I clicked away. It's too depressing. I yearn for the days of summer where I can complain about the excessive heat :)

Yesterday, though chilly, was a great day to be outside. I did some early spring yard cleanup (yes, this is something I did happily. I just wanted to be outside, it didn't matter the reason). We went to the beach and walked around outside until we almost froze. There were a few new signs of spring: all the ice has melted off the lake, there were buds on the trees, and the fencing that goes up every winter to prevent snow drifts into the street had been taken down (though if we get the snow tonight that they're warning about, it may have been taken down too early...).

And a pretty spring day wouldn't be complete without a picnic.

An indoor picnic, but a picnic nonetheless.

I hope you're having a nice weekend.

~Stacy

Hitting the Reset Button

Since Friday I've been working on getting my mojo back. I was not prepared for how much I would miss Howard and how sad I would feel not having him around. That being said, Saturday was pretty awful. I missed him so much and everything was a reminder that he wasn't here. The house felt so quiet and empty without him. I must have been convincing myself all along that it was just going to be like when we dropped him off at the kennel for vacations, but the finality of it hit me hard. I was just down and I didn't feel like doing anything. 

I felt like this:

She wasn't herself either. These tears were because she was sitting on the couch and her toy was on the floor. Seriously.

My house looked like some variation of this:

Saturday night Chad and I talked about it after he discovered me bawling in the kitchen by myself after looking out the window and seeing Howard's old Frisbee. Not my best moment. Definitely not. And so we decided that it was time to stop moping and being sad and start getting back to being active, happy people. Basically, fake-it-til-we-make-it. It works, for real. 

So we started on Sunday by going shopping (retail therapy, when done sparingly, works). After that we had lunch, then dessert (dessert therapy? Also works.) and then discovered this little greenhouse/garden place nearby called Miller Nature Preserve. It had an indoor garden display and an outdoor area that was connected to a whole park and woods. We spent most of the time inside, since it was still pretty cold and windy out (also not helping my mood). 

Since then, despite still feeling a little down at times, I've definitely been getting my mojo back. I started sewing again and have a bunch of new projects planned. Yesterday I made this:

I don't know why the blues look so different between the two photos, but the most true representation is  the photo directly above. 

And I have since removed my child from the dining room table and replaced her with this:

This is the beginning of a patchwork tote bag I'm making. I made my sister-in-law one for Christmas in a different fabric and her co-worker really liked it, so she asked if I'd make her one in this line (which is called Honey Honey by Kate Spain for Moda). 

It's good to be back :)

And I got an update on Howard yesterday that he loves his new family, has basically taken over at least one floor of the house as his own, has discovered the healing effects of aromatherapy (in that he falls asleep almost instantly when someone pets him after applying lavender scented lotion), and finds the Newfoundland down the street to be his new enemy. I hear he's also been playing lots of ball and Frisbee, which is probably the most important!

Oh, and this is feeling better too:

Look at that hair! It's growing, slowly but surely...this is the closest I can get to a ponytail. It's longer in the back, but the sides haven't caught up yet--they're still pretty wispy. Maybe she'll be ready for pigtails for her 3rd birthday? :)

I hope you're having a good week.

~Stacy

Howard's Story

I've started and stopped this post a few times in the past month, but now that the dust is starting to settle I think I can finally write it. We had to find a new home for our dog, Howard. He's been absent from this blog since January, even though he just went to live with his new family on Friday. The decision to find him a new home was made awhile ago though, and it just felt too weird to post any pictures or stories about him when I knew he wouldn't be with us much longer.

So to back up, I've mentioned that Howard is "quirky" and "disgruntled" and has "questionable" social skills. Those are all true, and they're also nice and somewhat vague ways of saying that he has  aggression issues. In particular, he's not a huge fan of kids or other dogs (and some other things, but those are two that stand out). While he's never done anything physically harmful, he has acted in ways that convinced us he was unpredictable and could not be trusted to behave safely in an environment with a young child. So, rather than live in situation that could be unsafe to our child or work around the issue by crating him often or gating him away from us (no fun for him at all), we decided that the best situation for everyone involved would be to find him a home that was free of children and animals with a family that understood his needs and behaviors and was willing to work with him.

We had been working with a local Corgi Rescue group for over 15 months now. We originally reached out to them when the behaviors really starting causing a problem and they were able to connect us with an animal trainer and behavior specialist who came out to our house and showed us some things we could do to work with him. While some of his issues did improve the major concern that we had all along remained the same: the safety issue with our child and children in general. Over the summer, we had decided that we were going to look for a new home for him as soon as we returned from vacation in Maine. Well, I missed him a lot on vacation and dragged my heels and kept putting off what I knew was the inevitable. Why? Because it was easier to tiptoe around him and manage his attitude than it was to deal with the emotional difficulty of giving him away. I couldn't go through with it, even if I knew deep down that I needed to.

It became clear around the start of this year that dragging our heels was simply not an option anymore. I reached out to the Corgi Rescue agency again, and they ended up working with me to place an ad for Howard on Petfinder. They screened applicants who fit both their requirements and Howard's and sent me the ones who "passed." It was then up to me to reach out to those people and talk to them and determine who would become Howard's new family. We kept Howard with us the whole time until we found a match--I knew that putting him into a foster situation would have wreaked havoc on him. Also, I wanted to know where he was going, who he was going to live with in his "forever home." It was important to me that we picked the best home possible.

Well, we didn't have to wait very long. A couple weeks ago I contacted someone who was interested in him and we ended up talking on the phone one night for almost two hours. I felt like we had known each other for years after talking to her--the conversation just flowed so easily. I gave her the whole Howard story, withholding nothing because it's important that whomever ended up adopting him understand everything about his personality and why we've made the decision we have. They needed to know about everything--his positive traits and all his negative traits.

It turns out that the person I spoke to that night had recently lost her beloved Corgi in January after almost 14 years together. That Corgi also had some, ahem, "behavior challenges" so she knew what she was in for with Howard. She and her husband and college-age daughter had fallen for Howard in his photo (even his name, which made me happy!) and after hearing his story they were still smitten. After several emails and more phone calls, it was decided that they were definitely going to be Howard's new family.

So, this past Friday, we loaded him and his belongings into the car and made our way to Oakmont, PA to deliver him to his new home. I thought I would be more of wreck that day, but I was surprisingly calm and ready. I had been saying goodbye to him for two weeks and having moments of sadness the whole time. I was ready to move forward and focus on the positive parts of what was happening: that Howard was going to his forever home, a place where he could be his quirky self without any barriers in a place with people who could love and appreciate him despite some of his issues.

When we arrived, he sniffed around their yard and then went inside and immediately hopped up on the couch. He seemed a little unsure, but much more relaxed than he typically is when he goes someplace different (particularly the vet or the kennel, where he hides and shakes). We immediately felt comfortable with the B. family, like they were people we'd known for a long time and had visited before. They had even made up a bag of Easter goodies for Charlotte and didn't blink and eye when she starting rummaging through things in their living room and attempting to climb their stairs. We stayed about an hour, talking and laughing like we were old friends. When we left, we kept it quick. I didn't want to start bawling in their house and making things super awkward for everyone and besides, I'd had my moment like that with Howard that morning (and all week). I was relieved that he didn't try to follow us out; he stayed in his comfy spot on the couch, almost as if he knew he was staying and that he was okay with it.

It wasn't even an hour later that I got this picture:

That's him snuggled up to his new sister. He took to her pretty quickly, and I found out the next day that he slept with her that night. They've texted me updates, which I appreciate so, so much. It makes the transition much easier knowing that he's doing well and seeing photos like this. In fact, last night they texted me a photo of him totally relaxed on couch, watching "Tootsie" with the whole family. It made my day :) He also got to show off his agility skills at the park and went on a long walk.

He's already happy there, and he's going to love it even more as he gets more comfortable and settled. In fact, he gets to go on vacation to Martha's Vineyard with them which makes me terribly jealous! I truly could not have asked for a better family to come along for him.

This is not a situation I ever thought I would be in. Growing up, we always had at least one dog in our home and we've always seen our dogs through until the end of their lives. This is not a decision I wish on anyone to have to make. I had many times where I felt like I failed him, or where I felt horribly guilty, or where I just felt sad. But no one ever promised that a good decision would come easily. And I owed it to him to make sure that he ended up in an environment where he could thrive. He put his trust in me to keep him safe and happy and cared for; the hardest part was admitting that I wasn't the best person for the job.

Since making this decision, I've had a few people reach out to me who are in similar situations with their animals. It's such a personal decision that it can be hard to give advice on this topic. What was right for me is not right for everyone. The best thing I could offer is to trust your gut. Chances are you know what the right decision is; it's just a matter of admitting it and taking action. I believe this is true for every major decision in life.

This weekend has been tough. We are really feeling his absence in a way I don't think we were prepared for. It's very quiet...we have hardwood floors throughout our house, so if Howard was up he was making noise. Those paws were constantly tip-tapping on the hard surfaces and not having that makes it eerily quiet. When there's a noise outside or the mailman comes, there's no barking. This is the first time we've ever lived in this house without a dog, so it's a big adjustment.

So that it my epically long story, and thank you for reading. This has taken the wind out of my sails for the past few weeks and I've had a hard time getting motivated to do much of anything. I woke up today determined to make more of an effort to get back into the swing of things, so I'll be back to my regular blogging and positive posts soon.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~Stacy

Ice Cream Social Dress

This past week has brought some interesting and exciting opportunities. I found out over the weekend that I will be selling some of my makeup bags and wristlets at the Bay Arts gift shop, starting this week! Bay Arts is a program and a destination--as a program it offers a bunch of art and design classes for all ages and abilities. They host events and exhibits on a regular basis with an ever revolving display of art in their gallery. It is located across the street from Huntington Beach in Bay Village. There's a series of old homes that have been restored into a gallery and a gift shop, along with Huntington Playhouse (a small community theater) and a restaurant and coffee shop. It's a beautiful area and in walking distance from my house, which makes it even better that I'm able to sell my things locally.

I originally sent three samples and received the call on Saturday that it was a "yes." They asked if I could do an initial display of ten bags starting Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. I blurted out yes, but that meant that I had to hurry up and make seven bags in three days. Thankfully I've made enough that I have the pattern and measurements memorized, so it shouldn't be a problem to fulfill my promise :)

But back to the original point of this post: the dress. Before I got the call about Bay Arts, I made Charlotte an adorable spring/summer dress using the Ice Cream Social Dress tutorial from Craftiness Is Not Optional. This blog has the best tutorials; I could seriously make everything on there. The dress was super quick to make and I got to use some of my new fabric from last weekend's trip to Miller's Dry Goods.

This dress was so fun to make. It's such a simple and sweet design and really shows off the fabric. The best part? It's comfortable. No straps falling down, nothing itchy or tight or too fussy. Perfect! I originally made this as a test dress but I got the fit pretty spot on the first time, so I'm definitely going to be making more. 

I asked Charlotte if she wanted to try it on and take pictures, which she did. She was having a miniature fit at first because she wanted to jump on the bed (?) but I distracted her with a basket of Easter eggs. The pictures aren't great since we took them inside on this cloudy, rainy day but you get the idea.

Love this dress.

I'm still getting used to the time change. Every time I look at the clock I'm a little surprised at what time it is...more than usual. Have a good day!

~Stacy