Sunbeam Patchwork Pants

I finished these patchwork pants for my husband just in time for the Phish show at Camden. The sunbeam design was his idea. It was my first time doing random patchwork. It took a loooong time, but it was worth it:)

This is Why I Love Yard Sales

I am a yardsale-aholic. One man's trash is another man's treasure right? If you can find sewing materials they're always a steal. Yesterday, among other great finds, I found this funky vintage fabric for 50 cents. My head is spinning with thoughts on what to make. I'm sure I'll make a headband or two. Maybe a retro looking handbag? Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

New Dress for the Birthday Girl

One of the first things people assume when they find out I'm a seamstress is that I make all my daughter's clothing. Ummmm no:) While I do make her a few cute outfits here and there, I just don't have the time. Most of my sewing time goes into my business.

So I've decided to make a tradition of letting her pick out the fabric and making her a birthday dress each year. When we got to the fabric shop she was so excited. After scouring each aisle and picking about a million different fabrics she settled on this cute lady bug fabric. I usually make my own patterns, but this time I thought I'd save some time and buy one. I think that was a mistake:) While the pattern was fairly easy to follow I think I could have created something by myself in half the time. It did, however force me to do a zipper in the back, which was good. I don't do zippers all that much so it was good practice.

After all that work I hoped she would like it. She loves it! Project birthday dress...Success!

Mommy Guilt

**Today's post is one of a more personal nature. Those of you who know me know I'm not one to share my emotions so bear with me:)**

It's 1am and I should be sleeping, but my mind is reeling. My special little girl will be 3 next week. She's so cute, but where did my little baby go:) I'm so happy she's growing up, but I can't help feel a little guilt. Time is going by so fast and I'm worried that I'm not doing enough for her as a mom. Here are some thoughts that are keeping me up tonight.

-I used to play with her all the time, but now I feel I'm not giving her enough attention. Between work, trying to clean, running errands, and running my online business sometimes I barely spend 30 minutes a day just concentrating on her.

-I used to feed her a majority of healthy foods. I even made my own baby food so it was all natural. Now we eat fast food at least once a week. I'm lucky if I make a truly healthy meal once or twice a week.

-I raise my voice with her more often than I'd like to admit. I feel so guilty after doing so, but when I'm trying to get her to listen to me and nothing is working I seem to resort to it.

-I try so hard to teach her manners and good behaviors, but sometimes I feel that I'm being too hard on her. It seems like other parents are more laid back and their children are so well behaved. What am I doing wrong?

-How can I expect her to clean up after herself when my house is always a pig sty.

-I used to read to her every day. Now only four days a week on average. Is it that hard for me to take 15 min out of every day to read to her?

-She is basically with me 24 hours a day. I would love to have just 2 hours a day to myself. I feel so guilty about this.

Boy, it felt good to write that all down. I know my daughter is well adjusted and I'm doing my best, but I can't help feeling guilty sometimes. We all want the best for our children, right? Hopefully this will help some of you wonderful women experiencing "mommy guilt" realize that you are not alone. Now let's let go of some of that guilt and learn that there's no such thing as a perfect mom:)

First Craft Show of the Year

Anyone who does craft shows knows that they're anything but predictable. You can make a ton of money or not have one sale. Knowing this, I go into craft shows with low expectations, but lots of positivity. This weekend I went to my first craft show of the year at Art Walk in Lancaster, PA. It had its highs and lows, but overall was a great experience.

The show was in the parking lot of an art gallery. It was small with about 8 vendors. The first day another vendor and myself were kind of tucked away out of people's view which I was not happy about. I kept a good attitude however and sold a few headbands. I also met an awesome girl Brooke from Brookiellen Designs . She and her family made the day go by super fast. The woman in charge, Mary, was super nice and helpful. There were bands playing all day too.

The second day I expressed my concern of our location to Mary. She was very helpful and Brooke and I got moved up front and the bands were moved to the back. This made a huge difference. We got a lot more traffic and I sold some more headbands. Overall the show didn't get a ton of traffic, but it was the the first time for the show and that's usually what happens. I met some great people though and the weather was gorgeous. All in all a good first show of the year.

My first Diaper Cake

One of my best friends had a baby shower yesterday and I wanted to make something special. I decided to try making a diaper cake and I think it turned out great. There are plenty of great tutorials online already so I'm not going to post a tutorial. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. It only took about 2 hours to make so its a great project if you're short on time. Hope this inspires you to do something crafty for the next baby shower you go to.

Sunday's Super Cute Store

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big fan of anything over the top cute. Hello Kitty, super girly, kawaii, you name it. So I thought I would try to feature a shop each Sunday of super cuteness.

This Sunday I'd like to feature Violet's shop, VivaLaViolette. Here shop can be found here: www.vivalaviolette.etsy.com She has the most adorable cards and journals. Everything in her store just puts a smile on my face. Here are a few of my faves:

Isn't that panda just the cutest thing you've ever seen? I would love to have this notebook to use as a journal. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20553278

For the chef in your life, these adorable owl recipe cards. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20493646

And lastly, a set of super cool robot note cards. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19946