Passion Fruit Princess

My Cross Stitch Goal for 2012

2012-01-26T22:04:00.002-08:00

Hello!
Some months ago I was able to get a great bargain on e-bay : Lizzie Kate's flip-it stamps.
My goal is make one a month. I just finished January.

I changed the colors to mostly blue, inspired by this ornament . The trim is ruched ribbon.
The pattern came with 3 tiny buttons but I decided to use snowflakes instead, like on the ornament I was copying :) But, I was not able to find such small snowflake buttons like hers. I had to use just one.
I finished it as a flat ornament, and the fabric on the background is the one I used on the back of the ornament.
I love this design and I am so pleased on how it looks after finished. I love it!

This has been a busy month, and I am happy I was able to finish it before January is over.
The plan is to display a new ornament on a little easel every month. Eleven more to go!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Cleaning, an old project, and a Cookbook

2012-01-21T17:57:00.003-08:00

Hello!
Not much crafting going on around here. All I am doing now is cleaning and organizing.
We took lots of stuff to Salvation Army and I still have more to take there.
I am working on a little cross stitch on some free minutes. I will share it soon, I hope.
Since I have no new projects to share today, I will show something that I made in December but never posted.
I am keeping it out because I love it.

It is very simple to make. You will need :

A bag of moss - I got it at Joann's.
2 plastic deer - You can find at Michael's.
Small toadstools - my friend Jodie made mine from wooden knobs in different sizes.
A pretty container - I found this one at Home Goods, but Tai Pan Trading has lots of them.

To make the little meadow scene, you cut a piece of moss to fit the container you chose and tuck it in.
Now you just have to place the deer and toadstools over the moss and you are done!

Since I don't have any real deer near by, these ones are good enough for me!

Now, on a complete different subject.
I got this on the mail this week.

I sent a recipe to Gooseberry Patch and it was published in this book, Fresh from the Farmstand.
If they publish your recipe, you get a free copy of the book.
My recipe is "Berry Sweet Trifle" on page 215.
I love their cookbooks and it was very exciting to have my trifle recipe published.
That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Christmas "Paper" Dolls

2012-01-04T23:25:00.001-08:00

Hello, and happy new year everyone!
I am late here again, there is never enough time, but I wanted to share something I made this Christmas.

The inspiration for the paper dolls set comes from here. Make sure to check it out, this girl has the cutiest blog.
I found the fabrics on e-bay, for a very good price.
I made some changes on my set (in reality I made two sets - one for Brenda and one for her best friend).

Here is one set with all the parts. Five girls, seven outfits and nine hair accessories/hats.

A close-up of some of the girls and some more pictures of the set.

I used spray starch and heat n' bond ultrahold to make the fabric stiff enough to cut all the parts.
I used a normal iron on by the yard for the case. I got everything at Joann's, including the polka dot fabric. Only the two paper dolls fabrics were from e-bay. I got one yard each, one with the girls and one with the clothes and acessories. I believe I have leftover fabric enough to make another set with less pieces.
I think it came out pretty cute, and the girls love it! Paper dolls are really fun!

Since I am talking about Christmas, I will share some new ornaments we got this year.

I finally have Elvis!

We got a Fancy Nancy ornament too. I made it from a fabric scrap and some fancy trims.

German toadstools.

A gnome.

A dessert stand.

We gave Brenda a piano ornament to celebrate her first year taking piano lessons.
That's our tree. From baby Jesus to annual pictures of Brenda, we have it all. It is a tree of memories and things that we love.

And here is my girl, waiting her granparents to arrive for Christmas dinner.

And here reading a Fancy Nancy book to her great grandma.

And opening a present.
Well, that's all for now. A big Christmas post in January!
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

Glitter Trees and a Couch Sleepcover!

2011-12-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope you are all having a great day and getting ready for Christmas. I am not ready yet. Still working on some projects.
Recently I got this lovely nativity on e-bay.

We have a Boyds bears and a Playmobil nativity, but I wanted a "real" one.
This is "A King is born" from Lenox, and it was a bargain. It is small, what fits our space and budget. After displaying it on a shelf I decided it needed some kind of background. I choose to make glitter trees. I got three cardboard cones at Joann's (sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the before).

Some glitter and spray glue...

And there you have it!

Just a little tip: Cover your work area very well with newspaper. Or use the spray glue inside a box.
Now, don't you think the nativity looks a lot better? Even with the bad light.

I just love it! I am very happy with my new nativity.

Another project I made this week.
We have this hand me down old couch that is so old style, but comfy. For now, we are keeping it. I wanted to make a slipcover to hide it, but it was a project way to big for me.
Other day Joann's had fleece for $4.00 a yard. The couch's fabric is some kind of plush. Fleece sticks well to it. I got six yards of beige fleece, made a big blanket from it, and after tucking here and there, here is how it looks now.

I know it is nothing like something from Country Living or a Pottery Barn catalog. But, it works for us. When Brenda arrived from school she said: You got a new couch! I liked the old one! She had to look under the cover to make sure it was the old couch. We added pillows and the Christmas quilt from my previews post, and we are ready to go.

Keep warm, and thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

Christmas Rag Quilt

2011-12-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

Hello! Very busy around here, but here is my last project.

It was made using cotton and corduroy for the top and flannel for the back, and it has a smaller
piece of cotton batting inside each square.

This kind of quilt is very easy to make, since unmatched corners will not show so much :) Perfect for me!

This is after 3 washes. Corduroy makes a LOT of lint. But the quilt is very soft and fluffy.
I love the paper doll fabric, and I think this little quilt looks great with my Christmas decor.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

A Christmas Table runner and Thanksgiving Decor

2011-11-22T00:00:00.001-08:00

Hello!
On the weekend I finished a new quilting project. There are lots of tutorials online for this quilt as you go table runner. I used this one. Her blog is great, many tutorials and beautiful pictures. I had made a similar table runner years ago, but this one turned out a lot better. I am really happy with the results.

I made it to fit on this Ikea storage trunk that I use as a coffee table.
It was easy to make. I used fabrics from my stash , cotton batting and a muslin back.

No Christmas decor for now, but I have some Thanksgiving decor to share.

We made this Thankful garland other day. Just a bag of paper leaves from the 99 cents store and twine.

Brenda wrote things that she is thankful for on each leaf. A simple and meaningful craft.

I put my Halloween stuff away and out came other things.

This sweet pilgrim bear is from Bearington bears.

Some Indian corn. I love their colors and variety.

A Cherished Teddies mini plate.

Brenda loves this little Thanksgiving display .

Today I went to her school to teach the kids to make a little craft.

Her class loved to make Tom Turkey, this cute craft from Gooseberry Patch. They have the directions on their blog here . We make this craft with the cousins every Thanksgiving dinner. It is so cute!
One last thing, a gift I am putting together for a friend's girl who turned ten years old.

Because she likes crafts, I got a cute craft book and some supplies that will help her on her craft adventures. A cool idea for Christmas, don't you think ?
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

2011-11-14T11:50:00.002-08:00

Hi! I am so busy around here that only now I am posting some Halloween pictures.
This year Brenda wanted to be Rapunzel. It was my first time sewing a princess costume. I used a Simplicity pattern.

We did a lot this Halloween. We went to Disneyland.

And to our church's party.

Brenda had the school parade and class party on Halloween morning. Of course she went trick or treating at night.

She had the chance to wear her old witch costume at the school fundraiser party on the Friday before Halloween. I got a picture before we left.

This year our pumpkin was turned into a witch.

With spiders on her hair.

We had some yummy treats, like this chocolate coffin our friend Jodie and her kids made for us.

How cool was that?

Around Halloween Brenda's best friend was baptized.

I made her a CTR towel. You can see more about CTR towels on this post .

On the weekend after Halloween we went to the Children's Tumor Foundation's San Diego walk.

It was a fun event ! To learn more about Neurofibromatosis (NF) and how you can help, please click here .
Time goes so fast. I have lots to do before Christmas.
Right now I am working on knitted hats and quilts that will be donated by our church women's group to shelters in our area.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

Slipcovers and fall decor

2011-10-25T09:52:00.001-07:00

Hi! Several weeks ago I finally finished the slipcovers for my "new" dinning room chairs.
Well, they were not really new, but had good bones. That's a very good reason to make slipcovers.

I used the directions from this book I got at Joann.

The fabric is also from Joann. It was my first time making slipcovers and I am all excited to make more. :)

Now, a little bit of Fall decor. My friend Jodie gave me this super cute spider.

She made it using the pattern from the 2011 Holiday Crafts magazine.

I was lucky to find this vase with our family initial at Home Goods. The flowers are from Tai Pan Trading. I was looking for sunflowers, but when I found these poppies I changed my mind.

As I said on a previews post, i don't do a lot of Halloween decor, but when I find stuff like this little witch, I can't resist. Sorry for the bad shot.

It was a bargain I found last year at Ross.

And here is my last Cross Stitch Sampler to share.

This is the Autumn Sampler from Janlynn. I got it on e-bay and I love it ! It is my favorite of the three I have. The colors are beautiful. I posted about the other samples here and here .

Sorry for another bad picture. I just can't get a good one from my framed cross stitch pieces.

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy and safe Halloween.

Ana Paula.

A Halloween Cross Stitch and a Fabric Pumpkin

2011-10-12T09:36:00.001-07:00

Hello!
Today I have a couple of new things to share. The first one is this Halloween mini pillow . The cross stitch pattern is from San Man Originals.

It was hard to find a matching orange print. I had the aida at home and got the bat fabric at a quilt show last Saturday. It is from Moda fabrics. I think next time I will do black and white... it will be easier to match the colors. I used tiny felt triangles for the fangs because I could not find the right buttons. I think it came out ok.

I am not big on decorating for Halloween, just a little thing here and there. Last night Brenda and I put spider webs over the plants outside. Halloween is fun.
And here is my new fabric pumpkin. With a real stem!

I made it using this great tutorial from The Simple Wife . It was fast and easy. I had one stem from last year and will use all the ones I can get my hands on this year to make more pumpkins. I loved this project!

Thanks for stopping by! I have a lot of cleaning to do now.
Ana Paula.

Two new finishes

2011-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I have two JBW designs finishes to share.
The first one is Christmas Purse.

I wanted to finish it a little different. This is what I came up with.
I made a pillow using a gold dusted cotton. With a dark red and gold fabric and the stitched piece, I made a "belt" tied with bows on both sides of the pillow.
I love the design and I think the finish looks very festive.

The second finish is A Very Merry Christmas.

I finished it as a double flanged mini pillow. I saw some pictures of this kind of pillow finish online but could not find any tutorial. After a while I came up with my version. I am very happy with how it turned out.
I used two shades of green Christmas fabrics, and some gold buttons.

Maybe I will write a tutorial for this finish one of these days. :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Ana Paula.

Handmade Christmas Gift #1 and more

2011-09-19T23:34:00.001-07:00

Hello!
I am starting working on several new projects. Some are Christmas gifts. So far I finished one.

This is the half way picture. And following, the finished scarf.

It is very simple pattern, since my knitting skills are a little rusted.

It will be a Christmas gift for my Mother-in-law. I love this shade of blue and hope she likes it too.

Now the projects I need to finish.

This will be one of the popular rainbow pencil rolls that are all over the net. I will use denim for the pocket and exterior.
Brenda will get it for Christmas. I will post the finished pencil roll when I finish.

And here are the 7" squares for a Christmas rag quilt. The back will be red flannel, and the top red corduroy and the Christmas paper dolls fabric.

I also started a new crochet basket, this time using t-shirt yarn. But I run out of t-shirts and the basket will have to wait.
I have some other projects that will be finished soon.

Now, some new treats I got recently.

A friend gave me this beautiful Moda Jelly roll. It is from the Hometown collection. It is the first time a have a jelly roll and I am trilled. It is a quite pricey little thing, really a treat because I only buy fabric by the yard at Joann using a coupon. I never buy pre cut fabrics and rarely buy fabric at other places. I don't have many choices around here.
I am still deciding what to do with this beauty.

I was crazy for this magazine. The new Just Cross Stitch Magazine Sept/Oct. My husband stopped by a Joann super store on his way from work to get me one. The two Joann's near by don't carry Just Cross Stitch.

And look what I got in the mail today. The Christmas Ornaments Special Issue and the new Halloween book. They are beautiful. I ordered about two weeks ago! Silver Needle was very busy.
As you can see, I have enough to keep me busy for a while.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

Summer and Little House on the Prairie Activities

2011-09-07T10:13:00.002-07:00

I am back on blogging. Brenda started school yesterday and now I have more time. Lots of projects waiting! :)
I want to share some of my summer stuff. Yes, now when summer is almost over.
I really don't have a lot of summer decor items, but here it is.

This is my beloved Summer Sampler in Cross Stitch. I got it on e-bay. It is From Janlynn. I got both Summer and Fall Samplers from a Canadian lady. A real bargain.

My friend Jodie made the seahorse and the picture frame I got at Hallmark. The little sailor girl is from Boyd's Bears.

The picture of Brenda at the beach is in Brazil, about 4 years ago.
That was it. I will do better next year.

Now... we gave Brenda the first five books from Laura's Little House for her birthday.
We started to read the books together and I decided to do some related activities.
My inspiration was this :

"Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday."

Little House in the Big Woods, pg 29

So, we started our work for the week, Ma's style.
I was lucky to find a washboard at a Peddler's Market.

Our wash day was a blast! Brenda loved to scrub her doll's clothes.

She loved to hang the clothes too. She thinks doing laundry this way is so much fun.

For our Ironing day we used a Barbie iron. I could not find my vintage toy iron.

For mending day we did a simple embroidery.

It was another favorite. She was very excited.

For Churning day we colored the cream like Ma Ingalls did. With grated carrots.

Now shake, shake, shake! After all the shaking the butter was inside the container. Like magic!

Now it was ready to eat on bread.

No pictures for cleaning day. It was a very hot day.
For the baking day I made muffins... way too hot for Brenda to be at the kitchen. Also, no pictures. Sorry.
For resting day, we went to church, as we always do. Here is Miss Brenda all ready to go.

She wants to do the activities all over again, specially washing day.
Hope you are enjoying your last days of Summer. Here in Southern California the heat will stay for awhile.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Summer

2011-08-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

We are having a stay cation this summer just doing local trips.
We also joined the summer reading program from our local library. We just finished it.
I will share some pictures of our little adventures. First, a Fourth of July celebration and breakfast at church.

Some days later we were invited by friends to go to the Paul Getty museum in Los Angels.

On the way back we stopped by the LDS Los Angeles Temple to see the newly remodeled visitor's center.

Of course we had a day at The OC county fair. Brenda got a new "carriage". It helped a lot, since walking the whole day can be difficult for her.

Fair food can be weird like bacon dipped in chocolate and fried butter. The corn looked good, but we got fennel cake with strawberries and went to a restaurant after the fair. A lot healthier!

At the crafts building they had some lovely things.
Beautiful quilts.

I love redwork. And Swedish weaving.

My favorite quilt was the one hanging on the middle. Amazing work!
Now the cross stitch. This one really looked like a painting.

More beautiful pieces.

I liked this one... so cool!

We also spent some days in San Diego where Brenda among many other activities, built a sand castle with grandpa.

But the best thing this summer was our visit to Brenda's leg doctor.
She is doing very well and now she is allowed to use the slide at the playground. When it is not crowded, to avoid accidents. This may sound like nothing for many, but for us it is huge! She is so happy, and we are too. The doctor even recommended walks around the block.
If you want to know more about Brenda's condition please visit The Childrens Tumor Foundation website.
Brenda does her best to follow the doctor's orders, but she is just a seven year old that wants to do all the things the other kids do. It is very hard for her to be "normal" but not to be able to do normal things. She is a very faithful child, and before the visit to the doctor she told me that she wished the doctor let her to do "one thing"...meaning less restrictions at her play time. And she got it! Yes, life is full of little miracles and my little princess believes in it.

Hope you are having a great summer.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

A late cross stitch finish

2011-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I have a new small finish to share. This is Celebrate the 4th, a freebie from Glory Bee.
I know, I am very late. But, as my husband said, I am getting a head start for next fourth. :)

I changed some of the colors and because the star button I had was too big for the flag, I put it on the yo-yo fabric instead.

I am happy with the way it looks. I love the pattern. You can find it here . They have some more nice freebies there.
We have been so busy doing "summer stuff", but this is another post.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hi! I am so behind on my cross stitching. So many other things going on!
I want to show you today a piece that I made years ago, and found it stored with my summer stuff.

The pattern is from Manequim Ponto Cruz, a Brazilian magazine. There is no indication of the designer, but I sure is an American designer.
The Magazine has the chart for the complete alphabet. I used the letters to spell Home Sweet Home.

I first had it framed, and more recently I made it into a hanging pillow.

Now I need to work on some ornaments and other things.
I just got some new patterns on e-bay.

I was lucky enough to get all the Lizzie Kate Flip it stamps for a bargain!
Because I am working on other projects, for now I am not starting these.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Happy Fourth of July !

2011-07-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you have a great and safe Fourth of July!
I just want to share my patriotic stuff. Just little things scattered here and there. Next year I will plan better.

These I have out all year long. I only put them away on Christmas.
Being a double nationality family, (American and Brazilian) we try to have a little display of both countries in our living room. It is on the top of the bookcases. I will show the Brazilian display in the future.
The flag pillow Is from Boyd's and I got it for Christmas some years ago. I just love the little bear
coming out .

This is Mason, a cookie jar also from Boyd's. Of course I never put cookies in it. He is the cutest thing, I love him.

More bears... this time a little family watching the fireworks.

Now, Uncle Sam. I found him last year after Christmas at World Market.

I decided to display him for Fourth of July instead of Christmas.
Now, the last one. She is a sweetie.

Can you tell how I love Boyd's Bears? I can't resist to something like her.
Brenda loves her too. But she knows she is not supposed to play with Mom's bears.

I truly love my country and I am very proud of being Brazilian. But I chose to live in America and I have an American husband and daughter.
I live here for almost nine years now, and about three years ago I became an American Citizen.
Brazil allows double citizenship. So, I am half - half.
I come a long way. Learning a new language and a new culture it is not easy. I do the best I can.
Sometimes my English is a disaster, I apologize for that. But I keep going. Practice makes perfect, right?
I try to teach Brenda what I can about Brazil, but I find it very important to teach her to love her country and to know how blessed she is for being born and live here.
Let's celebrate America !

Thanks for stopping by,
Ana Paula.

Patriotic Bandana Bunting

2011-07-02T20:46:00.003-07:00

Hello!
I wanted to make a patriotic bunting so badly. I have seen so many all over blogland, made of all kinds of materials. I decided for a bandana bunting.
I could not find red white and blue bandanas with the same print. I used what I got.

This is a very easy project. The hardest part is deciding what part of the bandana to use.
I had one bandana of each color and used the corners for the red and blue and the sides for the white. I cut the triangles, sew right sides together and turned.
For hanging, I got a package of bias. I tucked the triangles in the fold of the bias, pinned and sewed from one end to the other of the bias. I made knots on the ends. That's it!

I don't have a mantel or anything like that, so I hanged it above my living room window.
I like how it looks. A little patriotic touch.

Another thing I wanted to show you is Brenda's birth announcement.
I had it stored away but other day I found it.

This is an old pattern for a very detailed birth announcement. I don't know the name of the pattern, it is from a Brazilian cross Stitch Magazine called Ponto Cruz Bebe. The original pattern is from Janlynn.
I made some changes, leaving out five chubby babies and the words "Come ... Join the Fun!".
I made only the border with ribbons and birds, that I absolutely love. Her full name and birth date are under the paper. Another change I made was the colors. Had to be pink, of course. The original was mainly yellow. It was a framed piece. I decided to make a fabric border and turn it into a wall hanging.

It was the first time I made prairie points. I used the same fabrics from which I made Brenda's baby bedding and the rest of her decor.
Even with my poor quilting talents, I think it turned out lovely.
It is a keepsake that we will treasured always.
Ok, our scanner finally decided to work.
Here is the picture from the old Brazilian Magazine. You can see how different mine is.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula.

More room decor gifts

2011-06-24T17:39:00.003-07:00

Hi! I made a few more things for my daughter's room for her birthday last week.
A little over 2 years ago, when she finally got her big girl bed I made her a pink rag quilt with cotton, chenille new and vintage, flannel and minkee. With all that fabric, I ended up with a good amount of pink scraps. I was able to use some of those to make more items for her room.
First, I made a bunting. I love buntings... they are fun.

Then I made a little Tilda doily for her bedside table.

I love this fabric. I think it is perfect for this doily.

You can find the pattern for the doily in this book .
Now, one more new pillow. I am on a pillow phase.

I had the little Flower Fairy picture for ages. I got it on e-bay.
Finally I decided the right combination of fabrics to go with it. I used jumbo ric -rac for the trim.
The last project was a wreath for her door.

We had the metal sign for a while hanging on her door. For the wreath I just used a beaded vine from Michael's. I wrapped it around in a circle and tied with a ribbon. Simple and fast.
She loved all the new stuff when she came home from school!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

I am linking to these parties:

Orange County Fair 2010

2011-06-20T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hi! Other day I found the pictures from last year's local County Fair's crafts.
Each year they have less and less crafts, and sadly not many Christmas items (my favorites). But last year they had some real masterpieces.
Since it is almost County Fair time again, I will post some pictures. Here are my personal favorites.

This one is my very favorite quilt. Look at all the details. Amazing.

Now a lovely cross stitch piece. Just perfect. Full of beads and magic.

A Boy Scouts quilt. Simple piecing, but I love the colors, and how the themed fabrics were used.
I should try to make something like this for my Eagle Scout.

The jewel colors on this Log Cabin quilt are beautiful. One of my favorite quilt patterns.

A cool motorhome quilt. I love it. So creative!

A pretty machine embroidered picture. I like the small quilted designs on the border.

The same winter wonderland scene, this time framed. Nice to see the same pattern used in two slightly different ways.

A Halloween Quilt. I don't get why they fold it.

I want this cross stitch pattern! :) Simple and beautiful.

This California Missions quilt is so wonderful! Folded also. They hired an interior designer to do the display ... go figure! I love the mix of quilting and cross stitch.

I will close my post with this beauty. This pattern is from Patricia Andrle from the old Cross Stitch and Country Crafts magazine. You can find easily on e-bay. I love it, but I will never make one. I am not this talented. :(

Hope you like my selection. Have a great day!
Ana Paula

Recycling: One Stained dress - two projects

2011-06-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!
If you read my blog you know that I love to recycle my daughter's clothes.
It is a great way to turn something old into something new, cute and useful. Even better if you can turn it into two brand new projects.
Here is the dress. The before picture that I remembered to take this time.

It was a cute dress that got ruined when I washed it together with a black velvet blouse. The pink parts got all stained...completely ruined, what a shame!
I put it away to think of what to do with it. The embroidered parts were still perfect.

I had almost forgot the little dress, when one day looking in one of my several plastic storage containers I found it and had not one, but two ideas.

First I cut out all the embroidered parts. I went and got my pink chenille scraps and some pink corduroy. I sewed chenille borders on the two parts with gray background and made a corduroy back. Pink pom-pom trim was used all around the pillow.

Now, the project using the picture with black background. I don't have any during picture.
It's a simple tote bag - little girl size.

Again, I used corduroy and chenille. These two projects were given to my daughter with her other birthday gifts this week. Brenda will use this tote bag to take her scriptures to church. Not bad for an old stained dress, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Hollyhocks, berries and a new apron

2011-06-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got our first hollyhocks! This year I saved them from the snails, and recently from rust.
They are doing well now. I like the color. Last Summer we had pink ones, not many because the snails ate most of the baby plants. Was just one left. I planted more latter and would love to have some pink hollyhocks this year, but with assorted seeds, you never know.
More on gardening. Well, Grandma's garden.

My mother-in-law has a boysenberry bush in her backyard.

Very pretty, isn't it? Now every Sunday when we visit Grandma we pick berries. Lots of berries.
Because of her Parkinson's and other complications she can't pick as much as she used to. She can't bend and her balance is not very good. She falls a lot.

We try to help her with these small things. She used to be very active and it is very hard on her not being able to do simple things.

We end up with more berries than we can eat. They are very good. We make smoothies, or cook them with sugar to serve warm over pancakes or ice cream.
I am freezing a lot too . I will try to make a pie or a cobbler.

Now, a little bit of sewing .

I had this fabric for a looong time! It was a fabric panel with all the parts printed on.
I made one small change . I added a muslin back so I could have all the seams inside.
It came out nice and I really like it, it's perfect for the 4th of July.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula

Spring wrap-up

2011-06-12T09:50:00.003-07:00

Hi!
With Brenda's birthday just around the corner, it's time to think about summer. Her birthday is around when summer starts. Not too hot, not rainy... she will always have a beautiful day. Brenda is a lucky girl.
So, I will share some spring stuff that I had not posted before.
First, my birthday cake and my birthday flowers.

I made this rose cake using a bundt chocolate cake mix and it was delicious!

The cake pan I used is from Nordicware. The flowers were very pretty.
Another cake. It is our annual Easter bunny cake. Brenda has to make it every year.
It is a tradition.

You can find the recipe here .

Around Easter we had a tea party . We invited a couple of Brenda's friends and asked them to bring a doll.
The dolls had their own table.

Here are American Girl Felicity and Laura Ingalls waiting for their guests.

They had treats and the table was set with china and real flowers.
Brenda and her friends had a pretty table too. I made some Easter basket cupcakes.

Here is Brenda waiting for her guests.

Another view of the table. Simple, but cute.
Before eating they watched a Strawberry Shortcake tea party manners movie.

They did their best to act like little ladies at the table. They had a fun time!
I forgot to take a picture of the party favors. Easter candies, bubbles, and a chocolate Peter Rabbit inside a mini Easter basket.
We are having a good time this Spring, but it is almost over. School will be out at the 24th and start again in September. We are planning some fun stuff to do around here.
Keeping an only child occupied during summer is a bit of a challenge sometimes, but we do our best.
Have a good end of spring!

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Brenda's Cooking Class.

2011-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas, Brenda got a cool cookbook from Santa: Kids in the kitchen by Gooseberry Patch. It is a very cute cookbook with lots of easy recipes and even things like homemade face paint , bubbles and dog biscuits.
She can't really do sports or other physical activities because of medical restrictions due to her Neurofibromatosis / Pseudoarthrosis. We are planning other after school activities for her in the near future, but for now I decided to have a "class" with her every Tuesday when Dad goes to Cub Scouts.
So, every week we pick something new to do. Most of the time it is a little craft, and we always have a little treat at the end, like cookies or ice cream. Sometimes we cook something, and eat our creation.
She really looks forward for the classes, and calls it girl's time.
So, some weeks ago I told her she could pick any recipe from her cookbook.
The day before the class we went grocery shopping and she picked all the ingredients she needed.
You can see how happy she was making the recipe she picked: Cups of dirty with worms.

Please excuse my mess. I had bags of fabric all over and the sewing machine on the table.
Happens when you live in a small place.
But, we had a great time and had lots of dirt to eat! :)

Thanks for stopping by !
Ana Paula.

Blog Update

2011-06-01T13:40:00.004-07:00

Has been a while since my last post.
I was just not in the mood for blogging. But life goes on, and life is good.
A couple of days after my last post, a boy from our community took his own life. He was 15 years old. We know the family and it was devastating as you can imagine.
It felt like he was everybody's kid. What a tragedy. Now, after the funeral, things are going back to "normal". For that family and many other people, life will never be the same. Heavenly Father in his infinite wisdom and compassion will take care of them. We pray that they can find comfort and peace.

So, not much of crafting going on here.
I am starting some projects for Brenda's birthday later this month.
But, I was able to make a little gift for a boy from our church that turned 8.
In our faith, the kids are baptized at this age.
I found this cute craft at Rachel Berry's blog. Here is how my first CTR towel turned out.

The lds kids are very familiar with this shield. CTR stands for Choose the right, and is related with a very special day : The baptism day.
Sorry, I don't have a picture of the towel tied with a bow and the baptism poem, but Rachel has it all on her tutorial.
The boy loved it ! His parents and grandma liked it a lot too.
A sweet little gift and very affordable. I got a nice white towel at Home Goods. I had the blue fabric and other materials at home.

Life is made of both sad and happy moments.
Let's try to focus on the happy beautiful moments.
Like a lovely foxglove from my little garden patch. Spring is a miracle!

And, when life gets hard, because it gets hard many times, lets remember that we are never alone...
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!
Ana Paula

Ivy Letter Topiary

2011-05-14T14:02:00.001-07:00

Hi!
I wanted to make a big initial letter to display on a shelf , and when I found this cool idea
on Family Fun magazine, I decided to give it a try.
Great gardening craft to make with kids!

My problem was to find a rectangular pot that fitted inside a pretty container. Good luck on that!
So, I got two small ivy plants on two pots,and put inside a loaf bread pan as you see above.
When it is on the shelf, nobody will see inside, right?
I made the letter using sticks and twine. The magazine asked for 12-gauge covered floral wire, but the sticks worked better for me.
Now I need to be patient and wait the ivy grow and cover the letter. As it grows, I will tie it on the sticks.

Let me tell you, next time I will start with longer ivy plants. :)

If you don't have the magazine and want to make it, you can find the directions at the Family Fun website.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Cross Stitch Spring Sampler

2011-05-13T20:32:00.005-07:00

Hello!
I have done lots of organizing and cleaning around our home. It is a never ending job. But I found some time for gardening and sewing.
Today I have something special to show you, my latest sewing project.
The pictures came out a little odd... I think was the angle, but here it is.

Pretty, isn't it? I love this Janlynn pattern. I had to have it.
No, I did not stitched it, I have to tell you the truth. I have done big patterns before,but nothing as big as this.
I think I would take the rest of my life to complete something this detailed because I am a very slow stitcher.
Since I wanted this sampler badly, I cheated and got a finished one on e-bay. It came from Canada and is beautifully done by a exceptionally talented cross stitcher.

It is a very exquisite design. A collage style sampler including all the spring holidays, gardening and even spring cleaning.

I tried to frame this the way I always do, getting a frame and a mat at Michael's, but it did not work. I had it for over two years and finally decided to make it into a quilted wall hanging.
It was hard work for me. I really love quilts, and admire people that can quilt especially because I cannot really do it. I wanted to make a fancy wave border and make seams to machine quilt it. I did it after several attempts. It was the first time I did a quilted border like this. It is not perfect, but I am very pleased with the results.

I think is great when you go out of your comfort zone and try new things.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula

Cross Stitch Lavender Sachet

2011-05-03T23:03:00.001-07:00

Hello!
I love lavender. My sister in Brazil loves it too.
I am sending her a late birthday gift, and decided to include a lavender sachet.

The pattern is from Rico Designs. I made some changes. It was charted for Anchor, but I found a conversion chart for DMC online.

Another change I made: A ribbon bow instead of the cross stitched from the original.
I used lavender satin for back and lower part of the front. I also used some lace and tiny beads to add a little more to this very simple design.

I added lavender buds to the filling. I am sure she will like it. :) Smells wonderful.
Now, I need to make one for me too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Selvage Pillow

2011-05-01T19:33:00.002-07:00

Hello!
Some time ago I had a post about some pillows I wanted to make.
This week I checked one out of my to do list! Here is how it turned out.

Since I found the Selvage Blog I wanted to make something "selvage".
I started collecting the selvages (fabric borders).

I had more than enough for a pillow.
First, I cut a piece of muslin of the size I wanted for the finished pillow. Then, I started putting the selvages over it, overlapping the frayed edges until I was happy with the look.

After that I used the rotary cuter to make the strips of fabric even with the muslin base.

Then I started to sew the selvages on the muslin base. Sorry about the blurry picture.

It is an easy and fast project.

I made the back. I used a natural cotton fabric. After sewing front and back together, I turned it and inserted a pillow form.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula

Crochet Fabric Basket

2011-04-28T09:21:00.004-07:00

Hello!
When you have very limited storage space, you need to get creative.
I got a nice big basket for our board games at Home Goods. The problem was that it was not enough.
I needed one more basket to contain our ever growing collection , but the prices of big baskets are outrageous.
About a year ago someone gave me a big amount of craft supplies from a state. It included tons of scraps.
Most of the fabric I had no use for, until I had an idea... to make a basket.
So, I cut long strips of fabric two inches wide.
I folded the the borders, so it would make a "clean" basket. If you want a ragged looking basket, skip this part.
I made balls as I was folding. I think if I make another project like this one, I will sew the pieces together.
This time I just tied. With the big pieces of fabric I just left about an inch or two on each side making a long strip.
I am sorry, I have trouble expressing myself in English sometimes.
You can see this step here .
Anyways, I started to make the basket. Let me tell you, I am not a crochet expert. I had to call my Mom in Brazil. Here is how it looked like after working a while.

And a little bit more.

It is pretty cool to crochet with fabric. Goes fast! :)

The boring part is to cut all those strips.
As I said before I am not good on crochet. I had some trouble shaping the basket, but at the end was not so bad!

I like the colors and the texture.

I am happy that I could use part of the scraps, and make it into something useful for my home.

It was really a fun project!

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Recycled Baby Dress Matryoshka Doll

2011-04-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I love to recycle some of my daughter's baby stuff.
When I saw the cute dolls made by Our Shabby Cottage I knew exactly what to do with that cute dress Brenda had the opportunity to wear for only a short time.
I am sorry but I don't have a picture of the "before" dress.
Here is the Matryoshka doll.

I used pretty trims to dress her up. And pink polka dot for the apron.

Here is a close-up of her hand embroidered face. I had fun doing it!
And guess what? This doll is so cool, she has a sleeping side!

I wish the shape was a little better... but I am happy with the overall look.
I love the fabric... pink roses on pale blue background.

Brenda likes this doll. Well, she loves any doll. The good thing is that I have leftover fabric to make another project coming up soon.
Hope you like the idea and recycle some old clothes and turn them on new beautiful things.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Ana Paula

Some Very Special Books

2011-04-21T09:22:00.003-07:00

Hello!
Today I want to share some of our favorite Children's books.

Our collection of My First Little House Books based on the Little house books series.
Being a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, I started getting these books for my daughter when she was about three years old.
It's a great way to introduce the Little House Books and feed the excitement for the "real" ones.
Brenda loves these books. Every birthday and Christmas she got a couple of them.
They are lovely books. The illustrations are beautiful.

Brenda is in first grade and can read these books with little help .
We told her that she will get the "real" ones for her birthday in June. She can't wait.
But then she asked me - Mommy, when I get the Laura books, can you save these ones?
Please don't give them away... I want to save them for my kids!
You see? That's my girl! Of course I will save them.
Here some more pictures.

So sweet! These books are a real treasure! I love Pa Ingalls!

I don't think I need to tell you about the great values these books can teach children. Especially today's children. I really could go on and on talking about them.
Brenda asks so many questions. How things were at that time, why the Ingalls family had to move, about the chores the girls did, about Jack, about everything.
She is very impressed with the fact that Mary sewed a dress for Laura's doll on her birthday.
Last Christmas she asked for a Laura doll. I made one for her. You can see it here .
She also has two sets of Little House paper dolls.
Now, Brenda has to wait and be a good girl and she will get the "real" books for her birthday.
They are already in my special hiding place. We got a set of the first five books with full color pictures from Amazon at a really great price. We plan to get the rest of the books again for Christmas and birthdays, since she is still young to read all the books by herself.
I hope you have a great day!

Ana Paula

Girl and the heart flower tree

2011-04-16T15:01:00.004-07:00

Hi! I have a little cross stitch to share. I just finished it this morning.

The design comes from a magazine called "Special Burda - The best suggestions of Anna" from 1988.
It is a very special magazine to me. First of all, it was the first cross stitch magazine I ever brought.
Before of that I used my Mom's stuff - mostly from some kind of samplers she still has- pieces of fabric with cross stitch designs all over, not organized or framed. Just pieces of fabric where she "copied" designs when she had access to a new one. When my Mom was young, in her little town on the interior of Brazil, magazines were very rare.
Anyways, this magazine is also special because the cover and the instructions inside are in Portuguese. The rest of the magazine is in German. I don't speak German, but this is not a problem, anyone can understand the patterns . And there are many pretty ones in this cherished magazine.
The sweet girl and the heart flower tree is one of my favorite designs in it.

I changed the colors a little. The original had a blue dress. I "pinkified" it.
I decided to make it into a mini pillow decorated with white ric-rac. I am very pleased with the results.

The back of the mini pillow was made using the same polka dot fabric.
One more close-up of this darling design.

Have an enjoyable weekend!
Ana Paula

Cross Stitch Easter Eggs Pattern

2011-04-13T12:21:00.002-07:00

Hi!
If you read my blog, you know that I like crafts. Most of all, I love Cross Stitch.

Sometimes I go crazy looking for a pattern. Right now I am looking for this one.
I think this is just lovely! Especially the sampler style eggs.

I tried to get this a couple of times on e-bay.
An e-bay seller told me it is a Cross Stitch calendar page.
The last seller who had it said it was from a book, but she will not give me any more details.
There is no way I can find out, unless some nice lady out there can recognise this pattern and be gracious enough to give me some info on that.
I am sure someone saw this before. So, if you have any detail on this pattern, please let me know. It will be very much appreciated.
Here is the picture again.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Rabbit with Hyacinth Cross Stitch Cube

2011-04-11T08:26:00.002-07:00

Hello!
I finally have a cross stitch finish!!!!!
I am so late on my cross stitching goals...what a shame!
But...here he is:

This is "Rabbit with Hyacinth" a freebie from Ellen Maurer-Stroh
Ellen is so talented and so generous! She has tons of free patterns to download on her website.
You need to became a member of her Cross Stitch board. That is free and easy to do.
Here are more pics of the rabbit. He is the cutest thing, don't you think?

Now, I finally have a little Cross Stitch item for Easter and Spring.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Easter countdown - Resurection Eggs

2011-04-10T23:35:00.002-07:00

Hello!
Since last year our family is counting down to Easter Sunday to focus on the real reason we celebrate Easter.
My daughter Brenda is always very excited to learn about Jesus.

I have seen this all over, and after lots of thinking and reading I came up with my version.
You can make it very easily, mostly with things you have around the house.
You need to start the countdown on April 13th this year.

Here what you need:

- 12 plastic eggs (you can nest them in a basket or in a egg carton. I got my ceramic carton at Home Goods, but you can use one made of cardboard or Styrofoam, the kind you bring the eggs home from the grocery store- if you are using an egg carton, make sure to get small eggs that will fit.
- A permanent marker or scrapbook stickers.
- Countdown items and scripture references written on small pieces of paper.

Number the eggs using the markers or stickers. Put the appropriate item with the correspondent scripture reference inside each egg and place them on a basket or egg carton.
Here is the list of scriptures and items for the eggs:

1- Matthew 26:26-28 (small cracker)
2-   Matthew 26:14-16 (3 dimes)
3-   Matthew 26:48-49 (chocolate kiss)
4-   Matthew 27:15,17,21,24-26 (chunk of hand soap)
5-   John 19:2 (small thorny branch or a large thorn and a small piece of purple fabric)
6-   John 19:17 (small cross made of tooth picks)
7-   John 19:18,34 (a nail)
8-   John 19:23-24 (swatch of burlap and a small dice)
9-   Matthew 27:34 ( small piece of sponge)
10- John 19:40 ( bay leaf, whole cloves or other whole spices)
11- John 20:1 - Matthew 28:2 (small flat stone)
12- Matthew 28:5-7 (empty)

This countdown is great because you will read direct from the bible. We like to read just before school, but it would work at any time of the day.Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this meaningful countdown with your family.

Ana Paula.

Spring/ Easter Decor

2011-04-05T18:09:00.003-07:00

I love seasonal decor. I try to make a little something for every holiday.
My little girl also loves it. She gets so excited every time we get the decorations out.
It is not different with Spring / Easter. She loves the bunnies, the eggs, the chicks, everything.

I make this "tree" every year and keep out until the end of summer. After Easter I just put the egg ornaments away.

And here is Brenda's favorite bunny.
I made her using a pattern that I believe is out of print now.

I got the babies at Michael's.

I have a couple of Easter projects in the making, hope to finish on time!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Pom-pom Spring chicks on recycled mini pots

2011-04-01T08:29:00.003-07:00

Hello!
I love Spring! Like many moms do, I try to teach my child about the wonder of planting seeds.
Last year we got some cute polka doted egg mini pots with seeds at Target's dollar section.
The seeds were great : daisies, zinnias and sunflowers. The daisies survived the snails...In a couple of weeks or so I will have daisy flowers in my little garden patch.
I got the same kind of seeds this year. Looking good! The little plants are getting bigger and bigger now.

I saved the empty little pots from last year.
Here what I made: a little spring craft ... pom-pom chicks!

I used Bernat Sofiee Baby yarn, but any baby yarn will do.
I made two different sizes of pom-poms using Clover pom-pom maker from Joann.
The package includes two sizes: 1-3/8'' and 1-5/8''.

Of course you can make pom-poms the old fashioned way...will work the same.
I used beads for the eyes and felt for the beak.(just cut a little diamond shape on orange felt, fold in half and tuck in place with a little dot of glue).
Now, place the little guys on the egg pots, and you are done!
This is a great spring craft to do with the kids.
Adult supervision always!
A cute addition to your spring / Easter decor.

I am linking to these great parties:

Grandma's 90th birthday party

2011-03-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

Hello!
This weekend we celebrated my husband's grandma's 90th birthday.
She lives alone in her own house at a senior's community in Carlsbad California.
She is in pretty good health for her age.

My father-in-law lives not very far and checks on her all the time and helps with doctor appointments and other things that she needs.
We had family and friends over for a celebration at her place's clubhouse.
She was happy to see relatives from Northern California, Utah and Texas.
My step-mother-in-law and I were in charge of the food.
I got the fruits and vegetables, and made some "rose cakes".

I love nordicware pans. I used the "Sweetheart rose pan" for these ones.

I used this lemon bundt cake recipe and they turned out delicious.
I used powdered sugar instead of glaze.
The pan is beautiful and I love it, but let me tell you ... it is a pain to clean up because all the details it has. If you have a good way to clean it, please let me know.

My princess was truly in love with the " little rose cakes".
Maddie (my step-mother-in-law) had lots of yummy food. She is from Tennessee, a real Southern Lady, that's why.

I wish I had more pictures of her stuff.

She also had a kids table with lots of activities. I tell you, she is good.

Here is Grandma with her two "kids".

Some of her guests - ladies from the senior community.

It was a simple party, but it made Grandma very happy.
I used silk violets for centerpieces. I had them from a previous event we did some years ago. I also had the white tablecloths from the same event.
My husband scanned about 200 pictures from grandma's albums for a slide show. He scanned even her wedding invitation.

We had tables with the albums for the guests to look at. A lifetime of memories.
I think it was a sweet celebration. We are all glad that we were able to do it for her.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula

A couple of new projects: St. Patrick's Subway Art and Primary Theme

2011-03-13T17:55:00.003-07:00

Hello!
I got the flu. Not fun.
I want to share a couple of speedy projects I made recently.

First this St.Patrick's Subway Art. The frame is from Ikea. I got the subway art for free here .
You can find lots more here and here .

My second project is this year's Primary theme. I made it for Brenda's room.
At my church, the Sunday School for kids 3 - 11 is called Primary.
Every year we have a theme. This year is "I know the scriptures are true".
Valerie, from Occasionally Crafty made this cute printable. You can get it here .
My frame is from the 99 cents store. I made the roses using scraps .
Flamingo toes has a good tutorial for the roses and another lovely project here .
Very easy and fun projects! Now, I need to work on the hard ones.
Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula

Some pretty pillows I want to make.

2011-03-09T10:06:00.002-08:00

Hi!
I have so many projects on my to-do list!
The problem is that I keep adding more! :)
I have lots of DIY/ furniture painting on the list. My living room really needs a makeover.
So, I decided I also need some new pillows to change things a bit.
Looking around on blogland I found some amazing ones...

Mercedes in Spain, made this simple but beautiful selvage pillow. You can find her blog here.
I just started collecting selvages. If you like the idea,take a look at more selvage projects on the Selvage blog.

I always loved the cathedral window pattern. Since the first time I saw it. Amazing.
You can find many tutorials online. Some made by hand, some involving some machine sewing.
Warmth in the North has a great tutorial here.

And this Rolled rosette pillow using recycled t-shirts! How cool is that?
Wendy, from Craft Goodies made it and tell us how to make this beauty on her blog.

Three beautiful pillows on my list! There is more, but I have to show you another day.
I have some sewing to do!
Thanks for visiting!
Ana Paula.

Making new friends

2011-03-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hi!
S.J. at The Homemaker on a Dime is hosting her following party again.
Now is on every first Monday of the month.
This party is a great way to make new friends, find new blogs, and new followers.
Here is the party link. It is lots of fun.

I just found some new awesome blogs.
Visit The Homemaker on a Dime and join the fun!
Have a great day!

Spring and funeral

2011-03-02T08:44:00.001-08:00

Hello!
Here in California spring is almost arriving.
There is a little tree in my courtyard that looses all its leaves. Spring starts when one day tiny little green leaves appear. Then is like magic...suddenly the little tree is all covered in green. Its a miracle.
These things marvel me. They are not common in my homeland Brazil or even here in Southern California.
I will try to document the transformation this year :)

I got tulips. It is the first time I plant them. They are so perfect and beautiful, and bring me a smile every time I look at them. God's creations are wonderful.
Well, we have being busy.
My husband is the Cub Master at our church troop. We had the blue and gold banquet, and Brenda and I made a cake.
I got the inspiration online and here is our version.

It came out very cute for my bad frosting skills. Sorry about the bad picture. The boys loved the kids on sleeping bags.
They made some other cute cakes with their Moms too.

On the weekend we went to Utah to attend my husband's Grandmother's funeral.
It was cold, cold. Some adventures on the slippery roads.
Grandma was 89 and had a stroke recently. She is resting now.

Brenda liked the snow.

We all enjoyed the beautiful winter wonderland.

So, no time for crafting.
I started on some little things like pillowcases and repairs yesterday.
I will have some finishes soon, I hope.
Thanks for reading!
Ana Paula.

Casserole Carrier

2011-02-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I finally made my casserole carrier.
I did a lot of research on the web and found many nice ones.
After all of that, I came up with the style I think is the better for me.
If you look here you will find several awesome styles to choose from.

Here is how mine turned out.
I used a cotton print for the outside and plain red for the inside. For padding I used cotton batting.
I decided to use red piping for contrast.

This is very simple pattern. just two padded rectangles that you sew together on the part where the bottom of the dish will be (that will give extra padding for hot dishes). You sew the handles on at the same time.
You will need Velcro to hold the parts closed when transporting. I think I am going to sew one more strip of Velcro on each side of mine. just to make sure it will hold well.

It is good to have your dish on hand, so you can measure and make sure you have a good fit.

This is the tutorial I used for mine. I made some changes, but you get the idea. Hope this can help if you want to make one.
Talking about casserole dishes, I found this one at Home Goods other day. My favorite store.

So pretty! My daughter said that it is too pretty to put on the oven. I agree with her.
I love everything berries...so, I couldn't let this one pass.
Thanks for visiting!
Ana Paula.

Pretty new things

2011-02-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I don't have any craft pictures to share today.
I am making a list of projects to finish...to see if things really get done.
I have many small sewing projects. Lots and lots of them. And I have many cross stitch projects on my list.
Soon I will share some finishes.
Today I will share a couple of other things.

We got this picture for Brenda's room just after Christmas.
This is Story time in Galilee by Del Parson.
We got the print and used a frame and mat from Michael's.
I love this print. It is my favorite picture of Jesus with children. So sweet.

The other stuff I have to share are cute cute little cactus from the 99 cents store.
I had some small bowls I got on clearance at Joann some years ago.
I really had no use for them.

Now they grace my (ugly) counter top as pots for my "pokes".
I will keep them there all year long.
It goes well with all my red stuff. I got some red small appliances recently and all my red gadgets hang on the wall. It is hard to make an old kitchen look good, but since we plan to stay here for a while, I am doing my best to make this place look better.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula.

Give me a Kiss Valentine Cross Stitch

2011-02-10T19:14:00.001-08:00

One more cross stitch finish.
This is "Give me a kiss" from San Man Originals. It was a fun and kick stitch.
When I first saw this cute fabric at Joann, I thought it was perfect for this design.
It was my first finish as a little pillow like this, and I really like it.
I have a couple more valentine projects to finish until Monday, including a skirt for Brenda using this same fabric. She loves to dress up for any holiday. Valentine's Day is a cool one.
Little girls are so much fun, and I enjoy make things for mine.
Thanks for the visit!

Valentine Mini Cakes and Valentine Kitchen

2011-02-08T22:35:00.001-08:00

Today I made some mini chocolate cakes using this nordic ware pan my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas.

They are valentine gifts for some ladies from my church.

I just dusted them with sugar and Brenda decorated with the valentine sprinkles. My sweetie loves them.

Do you know any little girl that does not love sprinkles? I don't. Very Fancy Nancy.

Now, this is a little corner of my kitchen.
We live in a apartment with a small kitchen. Not enough storage.
I got this shelf at Michael's and painted it white. I like to put this set of canisters there. The empty canister usually holds cookies. I have a different set on the counter for flour, sugar and such.

I made the cross stitch pot holders and the grocery bag holder modeled after a clothespin bag. I also made the cherry print apron.
The cross stitch dish towel I made about 9 years ago in Brazil. My Mom made the crochet border.

I have several other dish towels from that time. It is a very popular cross stitch item there.
When we went back some time ago, I got several dish towels and table runners. They all have the part for the stitched design in aida.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Ana Paula

Follower Party #3 !

2011-02-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I am having fun with this party!
I found many awesome blogs to follow.
SJ from the Homemaker on a Dime is hosting this great party.
The whole thing is: I follow you, you follow me.
She gives all the details on her blog.
Click on the button and join the party.

Today, I found more great blogs to follow.

My Creative Escapes has lots of inspiration. Such a fun blog!

Vicky Loves to Decorate is a very creative blog. Vicky loves DIY and spend time with her family.

The Junk House is a new blog. Sam is buying her first house and starting the adventure of decorating it. I am sure she will have lots to show us.

Lucky Lees To Be is a great blog. Amber is a girl with many ideas. Her mini spinach dip bread bowls look delicious.

So many blogs, so little time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ana Paula

New Cross Stitch Pillow

2011-02-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is the year for getting things done.
I had this cross stitch piece maybe for 3 years now. I also had the Mary Rose fabric and the lace, all waiting to be made into a pillow for Brenda. It finally happened. I am very happy!
I love this design from Precious Moments/Gloria&Pat .
This is called We are all Precious in His Sight.

She is lovely, isn't she? And the saying is beautiful.
Just perfect for my little girl's room.
I am working on a couple of new projects right now. I wish I had more hours on my day.
Thanks for visiting!
Ana Paula

I am folllowing some new cool blogs!

2011-02-03T09:44:00.001-08:00

Hi!

I am having fun finding new blogs to follow.

I found these talented ladies at the Homemker on a Dime Followers Swap Party.

Jessica, at My world - Made by hand has a tutorial for a cute Valentine plate stand. She has many other inexpensive pretty crafts on her blog.

Karen at Joy, Junk and Juxtaposition has a blog filled with great ideas. I will take more time to look at everything.
I really need some inspiration around here.

Chrissy, at Roses,Rhubarb and Pearls is a new blogger with great potential. I love the name of her blog!

Alicia, at Purple Paisley Pinwheel is another great blogger that has so many great things to share.

Debbie at Slice of Pie Cookbook and Entertaining has great ideas for parties, beautiful tablescapes and recipes!

Thanks for visiting!
Ana Paula :)

Race day party and new followers!

2011-02-02T09:22:00.002-08:00

Hi!
Saturday we went to one of the Children's Tumor Foundation local events.
The Children's Tumor Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) medical foundation, dedicated to improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by the neurofibromatoses (NF).

What is Neurofibromatosis?
Neurofibromatosis encompasses a set of distinct genetic disorders that causes tumors to grow along various types of nerves. NF can also affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin. Neurofibromatosis causes tumors to grow anywhere on or in the body.

My little girl has Neurofibromatosis 1, as some of you may know.
She has no tumors. We pray everyday about that. But she has bone deformity, or pseudoarthrosis on her right leg. This means that her tibia was very week, and as she started walking the bone could not handle her weight anymore. She broke her leg two times. It was a very difficult time for us.
At two and a half years old she had a surgery to correct her leg.
We have no NF history on our family. Brenda's condition comes from a "spontaneous mutation".
To make a long story short, she now is 6 and a half years old, and has a pretty "normal" life.
She wears a brace to protect her leg, and has some restrictions that are very difficult for a first grader.
She can't run or jump, go on the slide, swing or monkey bars. The risk of breaking her leg still there.
Many days she comes home from school and tells me that nobody wanted to play with her. It breaks my heart. I try to make her understand how the other kids like her but also like to run and jump.
The school makes special adjustments for her on PE classes and other activities.
So, we have a little china doll, she is beautiful and we love her.
We don't know what the future will bring. She has a "mild" case. But things can change. NF can bring many issues. We trust the Lord and she is on His hands.

The foundation has a car that is every year at the 24 hours of Daytona for their Racing for Research program.
Saturday, the local chapter had a party here at the Los Angeles area.

The raffle table. See my Valentine's Basket there?

Brenda, Kelly ( the Foundation's representative at the Los Angeles office) and Ray, another NF hero.

Brenda and Ray helping with the raffle.

Some of the kids making bubbles.

The race is over and it was a success, but the "race" against NF is everyday.
Next year the car will be at the 24 hours of Daytona again, and we will be fundraising for this and other events through out the year. One day they will find a cure.

Now, the swap party!
Amy, from Petal picking designs is following me...and I am following her.
She has many darling projects on her blog.

Jordan, from Military spouse house is a very creative lady. Many great ideas on her blog.
She is following me, and I am following her now.

That's how the party works: I follow you, you follow me.

Here is the link for the Swap party again. Please join us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ana Paula

My January ornament

2011-02-01T18:39:00.001-08:00

Well, it is a very easy one. But it is cute.
This is "Le roi des rennes". I made some changes, leaving out a crown and a bow on his neck.
I have no idea who the designer is.
I had it on my freebies folder, but there is no designer name anywhere. I am sorry.
Thanks for stopping by.
Ana Paula.

Followers swap Party

2011-02-01T12:37:00.004-08:00

Hi! I am excited about The Homemaker on a dime Party!
I am joining again this week. I have found some great blogs because of this.
It is a great way to get new followers and find new blogs to follow.
If you don't know about her great idea yet, please take a look and join us!
Here is the link:

So... let the fun begin!
I found Jaymee at Crafty Hearts, Warm Home, and she has some cool stuff on her blog. You need to stop by and see her DIY wedding and her many other ideas.

I also found Jenn from Our Blessed Life and she has a beautiful blog and a beautiful family.

Enjoy the party, ladies!

Valentine Hat and Scarf

2011-01-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Today I want to show you a set of red hat and scarf I made to donate to the Children's Tumor Foundation.
Every year they host local little parties on different parts of the country to watch the 24 hours of Daytona race.
The Children's Tumor Foundation has a car on the race with the purpose to raise money for reaserch and awareness to Neurofibromatosis.
My daughter Brenda has Neurofibromatosis 1.
We try to help participating in events, raising money for reaserch any way we can.
So, I decide to make the hat and scarf set to be used on the raffle at our local party today.
It a very simple set, fast and easy to make.
For the hat, I used a loom from Provo Crafts. I love these looms. I have made many hats just like this for charity events at my church.

I used Homespun and Fun Fur from Lion Brand for the set.

I made the scarf using regular knitting needles.
I put the hat and scarf together with some Valentine candy on a little wire basket from the Dollar Tree .

And here it is, ready to go! I hope this can help the event today.
Thanks for stopping by,
Ana Paula :)

Sweet Treat Pincushion

2011-01-28T09:46:00.003-08:00

Hello! Today I have a sweet treat to share.

When I first saw this on the Quilts and More magazine ( Spring 2010), I new I had to make one.
Took me a awhile to find the glass. Finally I spotted it at the Dollar Tree. I grabbed some, an made not one, but three pincushions. I gave the other two as birthday gifts to friends.
They are very easy to make, even if you don't have the magazine. Felt crafts are so cute and easy.

I filled the glass with pink buttons. You can use it as a sewing kit and fill the glass with pins, needles, thread and a pair of mini scissors.
I just love how it came out, and my friends liked theirs too.

Thanks for stopping by!
Ana Paula :)

Craft storage corner

2011-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

I really love crafts, I always did. I come from a very crafty family.
My mom and all her female relatives were always doing some kind of handwork.
They did sewing, cross stitch, several kinds of embroidery, knitting, crochet, even bobbin lace.
So, I end up learning something. Being a crafter means that you collect a lot of "stuff".
I have several storage boxes filled with my things.
When you live in an small apartment, things can get difficult.
I needed something to hold my craft supplies, especially the small stuff in a way that could be handy and I could find when I needed it.
We are lucky to have an Ikea near by.
I got a Expedit shelf and Flort boxes that hide all the mess. They close with a zipper and have a place for a tag. How cool is that? I just love these boxes.
Now, things look much better, I don't have a before picture, but trust me, it was scary.
Here are the after pictures!

The tins and boxes hold buttons, lace and other small items. I love red, as you can see.
I still have boxes of fabric and yarn, but that's another project. :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Ana Paula.

A Christmas update and a blog party!

2011-01-25T18:21:00.002-08:00

Hello!

I know it is the end of January, but I forgot to show off this little elf that I made with the kids at my daughter's class.
I got the idea here . I made some changes to use what I had on hand.
I had wood beads with only one hole. So, I made the hat complete with jingle bell and hanger and glued on the bead. I made little kits for the kids using ziploc bags. They had the heads, pipe cleaners, pony beads, a big wooden bead for the body and a pre cut felt scarf.
They only had to thread the beads, fold the ends of the pipe cleaners and put the scarf on the little guy.
The kids followed the directions pretty well. We had other Moms helping at the class. The kids loved it!

Anyways, no more Christmas for now. Now the blog party!
SJ, at The Homemaker on a dime is hosting a great party to help you to get more followers and make new friends. She is a pretty cool gal, and very clever. I can say that because I know her personally. :)
Please check it out.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ana Paula

Recycled denim blanket

2011-01-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Things are slow around here. I am organizing. That's my New Year's resolution.
But, I will have a cross stitch finish to share soon and a couple of other little projects.
Anyways, I hope that after all this organizing I will be able to make all the stuff I have planned for the year.
I ordered some cross stitch patterns, and can't wait to start something new. And work on the old ones too. :)

Since I don't have any cross stitch to show you, I decided to share this denim blanket I made using old pants.
It is a very simple one, using big blocks, I even used parts with pockets. It's a very fun blanket!
The seams were clipped to make the "rag quit style". I used red tag denim from Joann for the back.
We use this for picnics and I always get lots of compliments. People stop by to take a look.
So, just an idea for recycling all those jeans you have around the house. Now, I am collecting old jeans for a new project. Recycled denim is so much fun. Thanks for stopping by.

Laura Ingalls Wilder doll

2011-01-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Hope all of you had a great Christmas and New Year celebration.
We stayed home for Christmas and after opening the gifts Santa left, we went to Grandma's here in town to open more presents. For New Year's we went to San Diego.
Anyways, here is the last handmade gift I made this Christmas.
Brenda told me that she wanted a Laura doll.
I am a Laura fan. I read all her books in Portuguese in Brazil when I was a little girl.
Brenda has been getting the My First Little Books for Christmas and birthdays since she was three, and just loves them.
So, I decided to make her Laura doll. After looking around a lot, that's what I came up with.
It was quite a challenge for me. My eyes are not the same they used to be.
I had never stitched over one thread. But, here she is.

Yes, she has no shoes. The pattern I used had no shoes. I could not find a pattern that fits her. Still working on it.
The cross stitch patterns for the doll's face is from Cross Stitch and Country Crafts March / April 1987.
The magazine only offers the cross stitch pattern. I used a pattern I got at Joann's for the doll's body and head..

The apron and bonnet pattern are from another source. The fabric for the dress is from Lakehouse Dry Goods.
I think her face is beautiful. I am very happy with the whole project. It was a work of love. I love Laura , and making this doll for Brenda was such a pleasure. My sweetie deserves it.

She was waiting Brenda under the tree on Christmas morning sitting on a little chair I got at Salvation Army.
My Christmas morning pictures did not came out very good. Many blurry ones.

This one is from Christmas Eve. Brenda loves dolls. She also wanted the Disney's Rapunzel doll. Santa took care of it.

Tonight I got this picture of Brenda on her Christmas Pjs.

Now, I can't wait to starting reading the "real" Laura books with my cutie. It will be so much fun!
Thanks for reading my blog.

More Handmade Gifts and Christmas Decor

2010-12-22T23:38:00.005-08:00

Hi! This is a huge picture heavy post!
Christmas is almost here and I am still finishing some gifts.
I made these bags for my nieces.

They are " In Cahoots" from Quilts and more winter 2010.
You can find the free pattern at the "All people quilt" website here .
I made them on the girls favorite colors. Each one is also getting a gift card and a Barbie dress that I have to make yet. Just a simple velvet black dress and a crochet wrap made from furry yarn (Fun Fur leftovers). They are ages 9 and 11 and had Barbie clothes on their wish lists.
Now some Christmas decor.
We live in a small two bedrooms apartment, what means not lots of space. But we do the best we can with what we have.
The Tree. This is the first year we have a big one. I need to make more cross stitch ornaments. This is a serious new year's resolution.

Some of my favorite ornaments.

One of my crochet snowflakes from e-bay. I just love them.

Our first Christmas together from Boyd's Bears and our first Christmas as a family from Hallmark

One of my Bearington bears ornaments. The little tired Santa I got many years ago in Brazil, my homeland. One of my favorites.

This little fireplace ornament is very precious to me, also from Brazil from many years ago.

This is from the same batch from Brazil. I got them at Mesbla, a store that closed several years ago.

This is ginger, from Bearington bears. I also have her brother, cookie.

A school bus ornament to celebrate the first year Brenda takes the bus to school.
We also have annual picture ornaments of Brenda. A fun way to document her growth.
Now some other Christmas decorations.

Bearington bears carolers. So sweet!

Cross stitch Santa bell pull. I made this but I don't know who is the designer.

I made this when I still lived in Brazil.

I got this Precious Moments "May your Christmas be decorated" cross stitch on e-bay.
The Gloria & Pat website has this and many more free cross stitch patterns . Just click on the pictures.

Part of my bookcase and my Boyd's bear nativity.

From San Francisco Music Box.

Snow globe from Hallmark.

I love this house.

My darling gingerbread doll.

Sleigh ride plate from Royal Albert. Another e-bay find.

Redwork Baby Jesus ornament.

My girl's room.

Redwork wall hanging. Pattern from the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book number 4. I made this about 6 years ago.

Cross Stitch Christmas pillow. I got the finished cross stitch on e-bay and made it into a pillow.

I made the cross stitch in Brazil. It is a Santa alphabet that you can find at Patterns online
Later I turned it into a pillow. Feliz Natal is Merry Christmas in Portuguese, my native language.

Last picture. Brenda's Christmas stocking. This cross stitch design is from the Cherished Teddies for the holidays book. She has the matching resin ornament.
Hope you enjoyed my long post.
I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.

Ana Paula

Handmade Christmas Gifts

2010-12-12T23:34:00.002-08:00

Hi!
Lots going on around here, but I managed to finish some simple handmade presents.
Hope you like my ideas and can get some inspiration.
First, a cover for Grandma's Kitchen Aid mixer. She loves chili peppers, and this was made using leftover fabric from her kitchen window valance.

A fleece blanket for Grandpa.
We have several fleece blankets and I made all this way. Just get two yards of fleece, machine sew the borders and make a blanket stitch by hand using crochet thread.

Now, a couple of pink things I made for my Fairy Princess.

A soft and furry reversible throw for her. I just love these fabrics. One yard of each one, to make a blanket that Fancy Nancy would be proud of. Sew the right sides together, turn and top stitch all around. I used a big paper heart to sew a heart shape on the middle of the blanket to hold the two pieces together.

A Precious Moments pillow. I had this cross stitch piece for a while. First I planned to frame, but finally I decided to make a pillow using left over chenille from her rag quilt that I made a couple of years ago.

Brenda loves Precious Moments. We got her some water globes when she was a baby and now she has a small collection . The one on the pictures is a favorite.

I am working on a very special gift for my sweetie. This week will be crazy, but I need to work hard on her gift, because next week she will be home from school, and will be hard to hide it from her.
Thanks for reading my blog!

More Thrift Store Finds

2010-11-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hi!
Things are going crazy here! My apartment needed so many repairs, and finally the landlord decided to do it. First were the plumbers to re pipe, them the dry wall guys, the carpet cleaners, today is floor replacement day. Soon they will send the painters.

Since all I do now is clean a mess after another, I will just post some fun stuff from Salvation Army.

First, a granny square blanket in very good condition, looking like new! I just love Thrifty Stores, don't you?

Them this cool room divider. I am still working on the pictures. I love it! Great way to display family pictures.

The Hallmark Family Tree. I got the set of ornaments on e-bay. I am trying to get another one.
Sometimes I am very lucky there.
Hope soon I can have a normal life again. I started decorating for Christmas, but things are going very slow.
Take care!

Recycled denim backpack

2010-11-12T09:49:00.005-08:00

Hi!
As I promised, here is one more handmade Christmas idea.
Usually when my daughter's clothes don't fit her anymore, I donate to charity or give to a friend.
But, there are some stuff that I just can't do it.
So, sometimes to put it to good use. How? Making something new! Recycling!
Here is an example.
I had a cute denim baby dress that Brenda wore just a few times. Too cute to get rid of!
I am a teddy bear maniac, and this little cutie is so adorable...I had to save her somehow.
I got some scraps of flannel from Brenda's baby quilt.

She loves bags to carry her things. So, I made her a backpack.
The dress was very small, I had to be creative putting the pieces of fabric together.
I used some crazy quilting embroidery stitches. I had fun making this!

As you can see, I used the material from a tiny baby dress and flannel scraps the best I could.
The pattern is very simple, A drawstring bag as a backpack.
Brenda loves it. She can carry a little snack , toys or a book.

My suggestion is to make something similar as a gift bag this Christmas.

I plan to make Brenda a new one and put a book and some little treats inside.
That's my idea for a fabric gift bag. A green gift bag that can be used long after Christmas.

Thanks for reading my blog! I hope this can inspire you as many of you talented ladies inspire me.

Garage Sale Finds

2010-11-11T10:12:00.002-08:00

Hi!

Today I want to show you something that I found some time ago at a garage sale.
If I remember correctly the lady of the house was going to a assisted living place and her nieces and nephews were there to clean up the house.

I looked around, was already very picked over, but them I spotted a pile of collectible plates covered with dust.

I am a huge Hans Christian Andersen fan. So... there is no need to say how excited I was to find it.

Everything was very dusty. I started to pick up the plates.
I saw some vintage crochet doilies and a tablecloth.
They told me that I could have all 10 plates for 10 dollars...I asked about the crochet stuff and all was included on the deal. Nice!

I feel sorry for someone that collected these plates for all those years...she loved them, I am sure. I always think how sad is when you get old or you die and your family sell your treasures . These are my favorites.

The little Mermaid

The little match girl. It is my favorite Andersen story.

I love this one too. I love all of them.
Looks like this plates were made until 1999. About 30 plates. I believe the 10 plates I got are from the first year they were made.
Now the crochet. I gave them a good soak.
The tablecloth has some holes, but the doilies are in good condition.
I will probably cut parts of the tablecloth to use in some Shabby Chic sewing projects.

Not bad for 10 dollars! What do you think?

Mini Quilt and Doll Bed Handmade Christmas Gift Idea

2010-11-10T10:05:00.001-08:00

Hi! With the holidays approaching I decided to share some handmade gift ideas. Things that you can make using scraps,recycled fabrics, thrift store finds, things that you already have at home and very little money.
Some time ago I made this for my daughter.

First, I found this cute bed at Salvation Army. I have a weakness for doll furniture.

Them I painted it white. I used a gloss white craft paint from Michael's.
I made the mattress using a recycled Laura Ashley fabric from a pillowcase and some fiberfill.

I had some Flower Fairies Fabric squares from England that I got on e-bay. I used the cutest one and some scraps to make this little quilt. My own design.

I also made a matching little pillow, and invited a little bear from the toy box to sleep on the bed!

She (it's a girl) likes her new bed, don't you think?
Please check back soon and I will have more handmade Christmas gift ideas.
Thanks for reading my blog.

Mystery Christmas quilt

2010-11-02T22:14:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago I found these pictures on the web and just felt in love with this project.
The problem is that I don't know where I found it. If someone out there owns the pictures, or if you are on the pictures, I apologize in advance for using them without previous permission.

I would love to see the finished quilt, that looks like a wall hanging to me. It must be gorgeous. I am not really a quilter, but if I can find out who the designer is, I will get this pattern and try it out. I don't think is that hard.

So, please quilters, if you know who is the designer, I would like to know.

Please leave a comment.
The ladies on the picture did a great job! Nice to see their choices of fabric.

I would love to hear from you. Maybe I can make this in time for Christmas!
Thanks.

Christmas elf

2010-10-31T17:27:00.010-07:00

Happy Halloween!
With Halloween almost over, is time for Thanksgiving decor .
I started to stitch Lizzie Kate's pair of pilgrims but it will not be done by Thanksgiving.

Well, Friday I went to Michael's to get this little guy.
I had seen him before, but since at the time I did not had a coupon, I had to come back to get him.
Even dear husband that is very hard to please on this things likes him.

Look his little face...just adorable!
They have other kinds, like a baker and a toy maker, all very sweet.

Now, I just have to think where to display him when the time comes.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Beautiful pictures on Flickr

2010-10-26T19:15:00.001-07:00

Some time ago I found some beautiful pictures on flickr.
Flickr has lots of cool talented people, and this lady from Craft and Creativity is just amazing.
Lovely little girls, lovely crafts, lovely everything.
Take a look here and you will agree with me.

Flower Fairies birthday party

2010-10-20T09:07:00.004-07:00

I am finally posting about my daughter's birthday.
It was on a Saturday in June.
Because we all love fairies, the beautiful Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies were the theme.
I tried to stick with the theme as much is possible, with some variations.
I saw a cute fairy ring cake and toadstool cupcakes at Cathy Gaubert's blog.
Also, I loved the idea of girls sitting on toadstools that I saw on flickr.
So, I had to mix Flower Fairies with toadstools.
We got the Flower Fairies Postcard book at Amazon. It is a cute little book with 30 postcards that you can tear off. They are so cute that I had a hard time picking the ones to send to the guest as invitations. I had some left that I used on frames and on plants - Lavender fairy on a lavender plant, Rose fairy on a rose plant and so on.

I made a Flower Fairy costume for my birthday girl... and she was so cute!

We live in an apartment, but I was able to use a little bit of space outside.

I made almost everything for the party. I love to make things for my sweetie and we had a small budget .
I think this cake was not only a very cute idea but also great for someone like me with no talents on cake decorating.
The fairy is an ornament from San Francisco music box that I already had.
My friend Jodie made the wooden mushrooms.

I made a Fairy Garden using a bowl, a silk plant, Spanish moss, two big mushrooms from World's Market, more of Jodie's mushrooms and another Flower Fairy ornament from San Francisco Music box.

The fairy wand cookies were made by my friend Anniece. I gave one to each girl as they left .
I made a little bag with their name on for each girl . They put the prizes they got after each game in it. They also took home their felt "toadstool".

The party favors were fabric yo-yo hair clips, bead bracelets, crayons and gummy candies.
I hanged some paper tag ornaments (freebie from a card making magazine) on silk flowers and twigs that I put on a pitcher.
I got the Flower Fairies mobile online. It is decorating my girl's room now.

We had a hard time choosing the games.
The birthday girl has some limitations because of her condition. We needed fun games with no running or jumping.
We decided to have Packing for Fairy Land, Spin the fairy wand and Fairy freeze. We planned two crafts but had time only for one.
The food was finger food ... fairy food. Strawberries, grapes, melon, veggies and cheese sandwiches in a flower shape.

The girls had a great time and I had so much fun planning and making my cutie's special day.

Halloween Fabric Bunting

2010-10-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi! Yesterday I made a fabric bunting. Very fast and easy. I got the fabrics at Joann.
I am really trying to make more fall projects this year.
I like the fall holidays, but not as much as Christmas. Because of that I have the tendency to make lots of Christmas stuff. Until end of fall I plan to squeeze a couple more fall projects while making Christmas gifts.

One more Cross Stitch Finish

2010-10-06T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hi!
This is French Country Pumpkin from JBW designs. I really enjoyed stitching it.

I wanted to make some new fall stitching this year and this is my first one. I am working on other projects but I don't think I will finish on time, since I have to start on Christmas stitching very soon.

Some Cross Stitch Finishes

2010-10-06T19:16:00.001-07:00

Some new cross stitch .
I finished these 2 blocks using the directions from the Twisted Stitcher.
She has a great tutorial blog with very easy to follow instructions.
First, The Chocolate Covered Cherries freebie from Casey Buonaugurio. Very cute design.
I just love how it came out.

Then, Teaching is a work of love from Lizzie Kate. I made this one for my girl's last year's teacher. She is great and was so helpful and understanding about Brenda's Neurofibromatosis. She has so much love. This design is really for her.

Doll Quilt

2010-07-19T23:45:00.001-07:00

I made a special project for my girl last Christmas.
I know, it was a long time ago, but only now I took pictures.
I was inspired by a doll quilt from the magazine Handmade from Australia. The quilt is on the cover.

I changed the size to fit the bed Santa was bringing. Of course, I changed the color and made it pink. I used scraps from Brenda's quilt. I just love the words on the border.

I did a lot less squares and quilted along the seams. On Christmas morning, the bed with mattress, pillow, quilt and a cute dolly were under the tree. My sweetie loved it!

Sara is her favorite doll, and she plays with her every day.
Due to her Neurofibromatosis, Brenda is limited in her playing and activities. She can not jump, run, go on slides, monkey bars, ride bicycles and so on. She wears a brace to protect her leg affected by pseudoarthosis. Her leg is very fragile and even wearing a brace and taking it very easy she recently developed a crack on her bone.
Because of all this we encourage her to play with quiet toys, like dolls, board games, dress up, and tea party stuff that she loves. She also loves books and movies... and fairies.
She is a brave loving little girl. She is a blessing.

I love to make things for her. She is always so sweet. At the and of the school year she volunteered to sing a song for her Mommy at her school's talent show. It was all her idea. She is a social butterfly, but I was very surprised when she told me about the "surprise".
She sung "The song of the double daisy fairy" from the Flower Fairies Alphabet.
After the talent show she asked me if I have liked her performance. I said: Yes sweetie, it was beautiful! And them she said : I did that "surprise" because of all the nice things you do for me... and looked at Daddy too and said : both you guys!

Christmas in July

2010-07-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

I finished 2 new cross stitch ornaments for my tree.

The first one is from an old Brazilian magazine with American patterns. I have no idea who the designer is. I changed some of the colors and finished as a round ornament . I think it came out pretty cute, being such a simple design. I always liked this.

The second ornament is Renne de Noel, a freebie from a french blog. An easy and cute design that I finished as a pillow ornament.
We had a 4 feet fake tree since we got married, then last January we got a taller one at Wallmart. I am very excited planning to make lots of ornaments for the new tree.
When I lived in Brazil I had several cross stich ornaments. Here I had none on the old tree. It was crowded with ornaments of all kinds, but no cross stitch. These are my first ones. I don't know why, but I never made even one. I guess was because the tree was too small.

2nd Annual Los Angeles Race Day Party

2010-01-30T18:07:00.005-08:00

2nd Annual Los Angeles Race Day Party

Support the Racing4research effort

Our little Brenda has Neurofibromatosis and we try to support the events organized by The Children's Tumor Foundation. They are a great non profit that does a lot for all that live with this condition.

Following #14 Children's Tumor Foundation/Autometrics Motorsports Porsche GT3 Porsche
Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona 2010

Thanks to Kelly and California chapter that lined up the party at BJ's Brewery in Torrance. BJ's staff was awsome!

The event became standing room only shortly after start time.
Great food and great people there.

(L to R) Mark Kelly's Financé, Kelly, NF Hero Brenda

The Raffle Crew

Stand room only at the Patio of BJ's Brewery Torrance

NF Hero Brenda Paola McCool with her race day medal

NF Heroes Raymond and Brenda / NF Heroes Brenda and Rob Schafer

Brenda with mom and dad

For more details on the Neurofibromatosis and Racing4research please see the following sites

http://www.ctf.org - Children's Tumor Foundation

http://www.racing4research.org - Racing 4 research

Tooth Fairy Pillow

2009-08-13T21:52:00.007-07:00

Summer has been busy!

Here is another little present I made for one of my daughter's friends.

The birthday girl loved her pink tooth fairy pillow with her name on the pocket and a ballerina applique.

She just started ballet classes, so the present was perfect,I think.

Today's girls have so much "stuff " that something different, made specially for them really stands out.

And the parents like it too.

That's all for today. Soon I will be posting my recent projects and new craft books. I am waiting for a special package from Amazon.

Tenho estado ocupada este verao!

Aqui est'a outro pequeno presente que fiz pra uma das amigas de minha filha.

A aniversariante adorou sua almofada cor de rosa da tooth fairy (fada dos dentes) com o nome dela no bolso e uma bailarina aplicada.

Ela comecou aulas de ballet a pouco tempo e isso fez o presente ser perfeito,eu acho.

As meninas de hoje tem tanta coisa, que algo diferente, feito especialmente para elas, realmente se destaca. E os pais gostam tambem.

Isso 'e tudo por hoje. Logo vou mostrar os meus mais recentes trabalhos e novos livros de artesanato. Estou esperando um pacote especial da Amazon.

Cupcake Apron and Chef Hat

2009-08-12T22:09:00.004-07:00

Hi !

My daughter had a lot of birthdays to go to, so I decided to make some handmade gifts this summer.
One of them was this cute set of apron and chef hat. I used the cupcake print from Timeless Treasures and the polka dot fabric from Michael Miller.
It was a success!
Soon I will be making more from the same fabric.
Santa will bring it for Christmas together with a baking set and some felt cookies!
Also, we are donating a girl's baking basket for the silent auction held at the Los Angeles walk for the Children's Tumor Foundation. It is a great non-profit organization that gives hope to families living with Neurofibromatosis (NF). To know more about the foundation and all the great things they do and about the LA walk, please go to http://www.ctf.org/How-You-Can-Help/walk-program.html
I will post pictures of the baking basket as soon I finish it.