feathering her nest

I am off to a bit of a slow start this morning after coming in from a birth at 3:30am this morning.  It was a sweet scene to behold as the parents welcomed their little baby to life outside the womb.  I love it when the sex of the baby is unknown...it is always fun to watch the new parents discover if their fresh bundle is a boy or a girl.  Little Grace was her mother's prize after 20 some hours of labor!! 

Okay, onto the curtains I made!

They were incredibly hard to photograph against the glare of the window.  The fabric for the valance was left over from my Emmeline apron- red polka-dots (and the little red pom-poms as just enough whimsy don't you think?)  The other fabric came from a sheet that I thrifted, it is always a bit tricky for me to work with such big lengths of material.  Her window is huge so each panel was 60" wide by 100" long! I used the pattern for curtains in Bend the Rules Sewing.  It was so easy- straight line sewing!  My only regret was backing them in muslin vs. blackout fabric.  Emma's room gets the bright morning sun and heaven knows we would all like her to sleep in a bit longer on the weekends!

(shhh don't tell Emma that Laurel Baby was in her room while she was at school- a full fledged flip out would ensue. also, the curtains touch the ground when they are not pulled open.)

This project has been on my "to do list" for quite some time so I was very pleased to get it finished. I was also glad to appease Emma who would ask me about getting them made every time she walked past the fabric on my sewing table. Relentless I tell you!

Onto the next project: dining room drapes (in yellow)

stop the merry-go-round

I want to get off!  The last few weeks of my life have been busier than I have wanted them to be and therefore, my posts have been less regular.  We have really been enjoying the warmer weather and longer days.  Fresh air feels so good.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do a little PR for my childbirth classes.  An adorable new store (the only of its kind) opened up here in town and I was invited to be there to hand out flyers.

It is the kind of thing that I am entirely uncomfortable with...you know, making easy and relaxed conversation with perfect strangers, promoting myself.  You never know how someone is going to react when you encourage natural birth. I read and article in our local newspaper last week that stated over 60% of women elect for an epidural at our hospital (that doesn't count Stadol or other narcotic drugs "to take the edge off") Natural Birth Nuts are clearly in the minority.  Everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject and I think they should, I just get nervous stepping out in a group of strangers like that. Thankfully, no one threw rotten tomatoes at me. None the less, it turned out to be a beautiful store and I was drooling over all of the merchandise.

Those cute Petunia Picklebottoms diaper bags are not helping me make a rational decision about having another baby!

In other news, I did some fun sewing and some awesome thrifting on Sunday.  I am running out of time for today though (hey didn't I say I wanted off this merry-go-round?)  Come back tomorrow and the next day to see the products of both.

color

Warning: this post is vain, frivolous, and totally useless--but I don't have much else to write about today.

(forgive my "third position ballet stance", old habits die hard)

I have been trying so hard not to buy black, brown, gray or white.  Color, my wardrobe needs color.  I am finding it very hard to dress myself these days.  It is such an "in between" time in the seasons right now.  Do I wear short sleeves?  Are ankle pants allowed right now?  Is it too early for flats without socks?  Clearly I think way too much about this.  I love fashion- always have, however, I am not so sure that it loves me back.  I know what I like and what I think looks good in the magazine...but putting it together for myself is tough.  So, I took a little risk with my funky green shoes and chartreuse scarf today.  Also, I was able to muster up the courage to wear my thrifted vintage coat for the first time.

Spring weather, cute shoes, what else can a girl ask for?  Well, maybe this bag to pull it all together!