Woo Hoo!!

I just got news that the CPSIA law has been suspended for a year for them to take more time and figure out a way for people like us to continue to make handmade things for kiddos without spending a fortune getting them tested and certified.. This is REALLY good news and something we have been keeping our eye on as Don and I get ready to launch our little toy making business.

To read more about this update, go visit one of the very best places to buy handmade treasures... Etsy!

I am so happy!

i need a maid..

Seriously.. Even if all they did was clean my craft room, which, I am not exaggerating, looks like a bomb exploded in there!!! I have not really cleaned it up since before Christmas... it is awful!!

I am hoping to at least get started on it tomorrow...

Because I have LOTS of stuff I want to make and do in there and it really is out of control!!

Somehow, I did manage to fight my way over the madness to make a few gifts during the past few weeks. One was the shoes and shirt I shared about on Thursday and then I just have to share with all of you ...THESE:


Aren't they awesome?!! They were for one of E's best little buddies, who had a birthday last weekend. "I'm turning FIVE!" he kept saying...

I'd noticed that whenever he comes over, he goes for the super hero capes and will put little leg warmers or something on his arms for super hero bands. For awhile now, I've had the idea to make him some "real" super hero bands. I used his birthday as an excuse to finally get them done!
A big gigantic thank you to my son for being such a fabulous model for me!

And, I have to say that I tried them on and I think they really do make you invincible..

(maybe I should make some to help me get my craft room cleaned up? hmmmm....)

my go to baby shower gift

I love making these little shoes!! They are the first little crafty project I ever did with my sewing machine just over a year ago. I had really wanted some for my daughter, but we had no money so I decided to get my sewing machine out and make some myself.

My mom had bought me my sewing machine a couple of years earlier, but I was kind of intimidated to get started. I really did not know how to sew, completed maybe 2 very easy projects when I was a kid (which really means my aunt "helped" me aka did it for me!). But as a mom, I just really wanted to be able to make things for my kiddos. So I asked for a sewing machine and it collected dust for a couple of years.

Something about being pregnant with a little girl gave me the nudge I needed to just TRY. So I did and a pair of these little shoes were what I made.

Now, when someone I know is having a baby, I find that this is the thing I want to make and give them for the little babe. They are just so dang cute!

And, the little baby boy who will be wearing these after he is born, gets to be super matchy cute! Cuz, super cuteness should not be a girls only exclusive, don't ya think?

For my friend's little bugger (Oliver, LOVE this name!) I decided to applique a baby elephant to a onesie in the same fabric I made the shoes with.


This is a super easy, totally personal gift that I know I will make time and time again.

more dreaming

Ok, so part of the drive for doing the website that I shared about yesterday is to free up our time and create the financial resources to pursue other things we are passionate about..

Something that I have had in the back of my mind for a long time is to get really good at photography. I LOVE taking pictures. Love it, love it, love it!! But I don't know much about all the "real" photography stuff like aperture, depth of field, etc.

So, one of my goals this year is to practice.. Practice using all the features on my camera and teach myself how to be a "real" photographer. You know one that can take an amazing shot without using the auto function...

I have yet to dive into my users manual, but one of things I am hoping to do is to participate in more photography type things.. blogs, contests, clubs, etc..

Last week, I came across this totally awesome project, where you can enter a photo every week and have it be viewed and judged by a pro... And you can check out all the other cool entries for inspiration and ideas.

It is called "i heart faces" and focuses on taking pictures of people, which I love most of all..

Every week they have a theme and this week the theme is JOY.. so, last night while laying in bed, I was thinking about this and thought about this photo that I took last year while we were camping...



Total blissed out joy!!!

And it's official, today I entered my first photo contest!! Look at me go...

a new start

We have a lot going on around our household...lots of new projects, new possibilities, new dreams. I truly feel that this year is a new beginning for us. For awhile now, we have just been surviving, working on things just to pay the bills, wishing for more, you know how that goes....

Well, we are at the start of a new way to live and "be"...

Don is making stuff and is really happy and he is REALLY GOOD! I am plotting and planning on how to grow his little enterprise and support his wishes and hopes. Soon I'll be sharing about all that, but today is about sharing what I've been up to.

For a few months now, I've been staying up late, being a busy bee here at my computer, starting my own little business...

What matters most to me is getting to stay home with my kiddos. We plan on homeschooling and really want to travel and give our children an adventurous life. I've been hunting around for awhile for a way for me and Don to both be able to stay home, but we still need to pay the bills, ya know?

Sometime last year I said to myself, wouldn't it be great to just be able to dink around on the computer doing what I like to do and make money doing it? Well, I have found a way...

It is going to take some work and some time and patience, but I have found the perfect thing for me to do...write and create websites on topics that I love!!! And the opportunity of making a much better income than what we are used to is a reality. AND, this will allow us to live wherever we want to, travel, Don can go crazy with his woodworking, etc...

So, finally, I have written enough info on my first website to be able to share it with you.

Cloth Diapers Made Easy

This is one of my most favorite topics that I can go on and on about!! I so love all things about cloth diapers (well except washing them!) and I love helping people get started using cloth. I love writing and babbling on about stuff and I can spend hours goofing around on the computer doing layouts, choosing fonts, etc.

See....it's perfect for me! I feel really blessed to have found something for me to do and be passionate about AND that will eventually be able to support our creative little family.

I have so many plans for what I want to do with this site, including tutorials for sewing your own diapers, reviews, sales announcements, etc.

So, go have a look and let me know what you think!!

speding time with sis - part 3

A trip to the zoo with the whole clan...


I am loving the fascinated look on her face this whole day...



Most of the crew...
Father and son..

spending time with sis - part 2

All of these pictures are from the day we walked around Manitou Springs with my mom.