Sharing

5.15.2008

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I wanted to share these totes that I made for my son's developmental preschool teacher and paraprofessionals, who went above and beyond the call of duty this year. These wonderful ladies completely "get" Joey, let him be himself, and love him for who he is, and I am so very grateful for that! I actually got all verklempt while I was making these bags and thinking of the incredible progress Joey has made this year.

For those of you who don't already know, Joey is 4, and on the autism spectrum (along with little brother Jack, 2). I never would have expected to have such a positive experience with special education in the public school system, so let it be known that it is possible! I can only hope we'll continue to have similar experiences throughout both kiddos' educations.

The patchwork and lining/pockets are in Amy Butler's Lotus line, and the pictures may be a little misleading as the bags are big enough to hold a few large "teacher" books. I couldn't decide on just a couple of pictures to show because I wanted to capture all the special details for these truly special ladies.

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Now to go find a few fun goodies to put in the bags!

Have a lovely Thursday!
Kim

Where to begin?

5.02.2008

I'm just now emerging from the post-house-falling-apart frenzy that has been the past few weeks. It's about the time you say, "Honey, let's finally get rid of all the carpet and replace it with that gorgeous laminate flooring we've been dreaming about," that your upstairs shower decides to start leaking through the kitchen ceiling fixture below it. Then the air conditioner suddenly stops working, and when the repair man comes to check it, tells you that it has an unreparable leak and the entire unit needs to be replaced. And you realize that this may not be the best time to have the landscapers tackle the Amazon jungle that is the backyard (you know what I'm talking about if you live in the South and have let even one tiny vine survive past infancy). And it's definitely not the best time to replace your stone aged computer. Sigh.

On the crafting front, however, I think I am finally getting into the etsy thing. I created my very first treasury the other day, and it was so fun to feature some of my favorite shops, as well as read all the sweet comments that were posted.

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And I was happy to discover that one of my totes made it to the front page in this gorgeous treasury last week:

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Then I tried out the fabulous reversible Emmeline apron pattern by Montessori by Hand for a Mother's Day apron swap. I got lots of suggestions/requests for me to make a sundress in this style, so one of these days when I'm feeling clever and brave enough, I may just tackle that task. In any case, here is the apron, in Amy Butler's Midwest Modern fabrics.





Things are picking up now that it's May: the end of the school year approaches, custom orders are rolling in, and a crate of pear pincushion-sized boxes will be arriving on my doorstep tomorrow so I need to get sewing!

I've also spent a bit of time planning out some new designs, which I would like to try out soon. Barring any more adventures with The Money Pit, that is.

Happy crafting and house-not-self-destructing vibes to everyone!
Kim