the pj project...

I've been thinking about making pj's for the younger kids in my family for Christmas. Before committing to the project, I decided to make a trial pair of pj's for Lucas. I had just enough left over fabric from a previous project for these pj's. It took two afternoon (nap-times) to complete this project, several ripped seams and poked fingers. However, I'm happy with the end results and now I know that I can sew pj's for children. 

Tea Tray

I'm so excited to share my latest creation on this blog! It was a fun project.  I made this tray for my Mother-in-law's birthday. Several weeks ago, Lucas and I were strolling down the woodworking section of Michaels. I was actually looking for shelving ideas and toys boxes for Lucas's bedroom. Although I didn't find what I was looking for, I did come across this little beauty (at the time it was unfinished). I loved the idea of gifting this tray to my Mother-in-law. She is a tea drinker, and often hosts parties where tea is served. After a quick trip to pinterest for painting tips and inspiration, I knew that I had to do this project.

I started by sanding down the edges and surface area of the tray. I did this several times to ensure that I didn't miss any spots. 

 I created the Chevron pattern by drawing three vertical lines. Than I drew three horizontal lines. Next I took my ruler, and drew diagonal lines. 

Once I drew my lines, I taped them off. Before I started painting I pressed the edges of the tape firmly down sealing the tape to the surface of the wood. I painted with the chalkboard paint first. The chalkboard paint needed about three coats of paint. I let the chalkboard paint dry over night, as was suggested by the directions on the paint bottle. After allowing the chalkboard paint to dry overnight, I re-taped my lines and painted with the blue paint. In hindsight, it would have been easier if I had first painted the surface blue, than taped my lines, and than painted with the black paint. However, it worked out and my lines are near perfect. I used behr semitransparent natural ceder wood stain for the top, bottom and sides of the tray. After allowing everything to dry overnight, I sprayed the entire tray with Thompson's water seal. 

I'm really happy with how this project turned out. It is a special, one of a kind gift - for a special one of a kind person! 

17 months

This morning I grabbed my camera and took Lucas to a local park for a quick photo shoot. I wanted to take advantage of the overcast weather.  At first, Lucas wasn't interested in smiling for the camera. He was more interested in playing on the swings and climbing on the toys. However, I finally coaxed a smile or two out of him. This month he will be seventeen months old - where did the time go?

Alphabet Trucks by Samantha R. Vamos

"Start the engines, lift and load. Shift the gears and hit the road.....Day and night, just watch and see. Trucks work hard from A to Z."

Words cannot express how excited I am to have found this book. My son is a huge fan of trucks and recently has become interested in his letters.

With its colorful illustrations, engaging text and fun subject matter, "Alphabet Trucks" is a great addition for any children's library.

Mr. and Mrs. toss pillows

After I saw these Mr. and Mrs. pillows, I knew that I had to make a pair for myself. I'm really happy with how the pillows turned out. I'm definitely keeping this pair, however I can see myself making these pillows for future gifts. :)

27th birthday

Twenty-six has come and gone, and I'm moving on to twenty-seven! For my birthday, I celebrated with a family lunch and an evening under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. Kristin Chenoweth performed with the L.A Philharmonic. It was my first time at the Hollywood Bowl, and I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, I was warned ahead of time to bring snacks and a blanket. People take picnicking really serious at the Bowl. The concert was fantastic. Kristin Chenoweth was charming, funny and entertained the crowed with her witty comments and amazing vocals. I had a great birthday, and I'm thankful for all the people involved with making the day extra special.  

waiting for the concert to start

Fireworks @ the end of the show

Fireworks @ the end of the show

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Book No. 1) by Brandon Sanderson

"Mistborn: The Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson is the first book of the Mistborn series. I haven't finished reading the series, and will be withholding any final judgments regarding the plot, characters etc. until I complete all four books.

On the surface, the "Mistborn" story may seem predictable - A group of highly trained thieves rally behind their fearless leader as they strive to pull off the biggest heist of the century - but its not.

Sanderson weaves an action packed tale filled with unexpected twists.  The pacing is quick, with only a few slow spots. The characters are interesting and well thought out.

The magic system in "Mistborn" is its most fascinating quality.  Allomancy is a magic system based on ingesting and then "burning" metals. The "burning" of metals is what gives an Allomancer their special powers. The powers vary by the metal ingested, and not every Allomancer has the ability to burn every metal. Most Allomancers can burn one and maybe two metals. Allomancers who can burn all metals are referred to as Mistborn. Allomancy isn't something learned, its inherited genetically.

I think Vin and Arya Stark would be friends.

While reading this book, I was asked to compare Martin's "Game of Thrones" to Sanderson's "Mistborn". In "Game of Thrones" the content is clearly very adult. With death and destruction, crude language, sex...sex..and more sex...oh.. and graphic rape and torture scenes - at times I feel like the content gets in the way of an amazing story. In "Mistborn" there is violence, rape and torture (Steel Inquisitors),  however the content does not get in the way of the story.