Zoo Day

Yesterday we went to the Zoo with my parents. The weather was gorgeous; it didn't feel like January at all. Many of the animals were out and enjoying the day as well.

The gorillas were very active, many came right up to the glass to check out us visitors. This kinda scared Daniel causing him to retreat into my dad's shoulder for fear of them. We told him he was safe and didn't need to be afraid so he would look back at the gorillas in timidity and with a meek voice say "Hello" while waving at them. But as soon as they approached the glass again he would turn away.

The monkeys were quite frisky, running, jumping and playing all over.

He is one good looking boy!

This was the first time I've seen the hippos out of the water. I didn't realize it, but apparently they are pygmy hippos with short stubby legs. I thought it seemed kinda funny to see these great big beasts with legs that leave their bellys hardly a foot from the ground.

This eagle caught a stray opossum in his cage. We were careful not to walk underneath as we didn't want his guts dripping on us.

We are blessed to have such a fantastic zoo in Fort Worth. It is ranked 5th in the nation!

25.25

25.25 yards of fabric.

Golden D'or you put JoAnns to shame.

From top to bottom: 3 fun Michael Miller prints I found for $4.50/yard, white fabric with green trees on it, brown and pink batik print, white cotton, ivory cotton, white flannel, red flannel, blue hexagon print for Daniel's new curtains, white lining for curtains

How does this thing work anyway?

Anyone looking for a sewing machine tune-up or cleaning? I recommend ABC Sewing Machine Services. Randy made a house call on Monday to give my machine some love. He really knew his stuff and for less than $70 I didn't have to drag my machine to be left somewhere for a few days.

Blue and Orange and Stripes All Over

Tommy and I have been talking about painting Daniel's room since we moved in. We painted the common areas (study, kitchen, living room) fairly soon after moving in. Then we did the bathroom. We kinda stalled out after that since it took so much longer than we anticipated.

A while back while reading The Tightwad Gazette I came across the idea of mixing leftover paints to create new colors with which to paint. We had a whole gallon of blue left from the living room accent wall and various shades of white left from the previous owners. We also had lots of leftover painting supplies from our other projects.

We purchased 1 quart of orange paint and some painter's tape all from our monthly budget, so our cost was very low.

We LOVE the results. It took us just under a week to finish. Stripes take a bit of time as you have to let one color dry before painting the next. And when you have a 2 year old, you can only paint when they are asleep lest you end up with multi-color finger prints on everything. But when said toddler doesn't like to sleep in the guest bed, and wants to sleep in their 'wittle bed' your painting time becomes even more shortened.

We started with a rough outline of the stripes we wanted.

Then we (Tommy) went back and taped off lines for the other stripes.

Daniel checked all of Tommy's measurements.

We ate ah-mazing Crispy Chicken Parmesan.

The final result. Nice crisp lines using the tips from Centsational Girl.

Daniel's quilt matches wonderfully. And his room looks bigger and brighter.

I have plans to make new curtains for his room, provided I can find fabric. And we would also like to get a new dresser. At least a new-to-us dresser. And add a few shelves. Yep. I've got a list for Tommy. :)

Quilts in the New Year

My list of quilts to make in 2011 seems to be growing by the day! I even met with a friend today to discuss my first commissioned quilt. It will be a t-shirt quilt, and I think it will be a nice break from using a pattern. It is also inspiring me to finish my t-shirt quilt and possibly throwing in some denim from old jeans too.

Also on my list is a sampler quilt in black and white, 2 quilts which have been promised to others, something using a jelly roll and a new one for Daniel as we are planning on moving him to a twin size bed.

I am excited to have more experience and a tad more confidence as another year begins. I hope to really knock 'em out this year and be more diligent about finishing what I begin in a timely manner. Hopefully craft night will become an every-other-month event. Having the encouragement and inspiration of other crafters is loads of fun. Plus it makes me clean my sewing table more often!

A few months ago while browsing at Border's I came across this book:

and fell in love! The fabrics, the patterns and designs, the photography, the inspiration from everyday sights and objects all had me drooling. When I found it at the local library today, I had to check it out so I could study it longer. Most of it is a bit beyond my skill level, but a couple might be added to my to-make list. (Especially the one on the bottom middle of the book cover.)

This is such a basic design, but the addition of striped fabric take it to an entirely different place.

Diamonds typically intimidate me, but this might make me overcome my fears.

Looks like I'll need to buy some more fabric...