Bonnie
Learning to Roll Over Can Be Hazardous . . .
. . . especially when mom’s cooking and not paying close attention to you!
Isn’t he adorable? My friend, Michelle, made the sweet blanket. The cowboy print is one of our favorites, and it’s the perfect size for a floor blanket, except for maybe when the little guy playing on it, grabs it and then rolls over and over and over . . .
The deadline for entries into this week’s random drawing is 10 central tonight. Keep commenting and posting! Just a reminder, you don’t have to enter a photo to enter the random drawing, just comment on Monday’s post or blog about my contest or giveaway and send me the link.
And, keep the Photo Contest Entries coming! I’ll be posting a few fun photos that preview my next pattern release tomorrow.
Prizes for Baby Steps and Week One Giveaway!
We have a few photo entries already! I’m looking forward to lots more coming in over the next three weeks. Click here for all the details on the Fishsticks Designs photo contest. The prizes for each category are awesome. Each Friday during the contest, I’ll list prizes and offer up a random-drawing giveaway. Today’s prize listing is for the Baby Steps category, check back next Friday to see the prizes for the On My Own category. Read all the way to the bottom for this week’s random-drawing giveaway.
The winner of the Baby Steps category in the Fishsticks Designs Photo Contest will receive four prizes. First up is a beautiful custom-made minky diaper donated by Melanie at Canadian Cloth.
Second is a set of 10 adorable Mama Made tags for sewing into your handmade items.
Next, from Alison at Avi & Tali, your choice of one of her individual sewing or knitting patterns.
Finally, from me, a $10 Gift Certificate to SewZanne’s Fabrics.
This week’s random-drawing giveaway is for a set of 10 Mama Made tags and one of Avi & Tali’s patterns. There are several ways to enter. The first way is to enter a photo in the contest–each photograph will earn one entry. The second way to earn an entry is to leave a comment on any post this week. The final way to enter is to blog about this giveaway or the photo contest (just drop me an email with the link to your blog post). All entries must be made by 10 p. m. central time on Thursday, July 15. The winner will be announced on Friday morning, July 16.
The 2010 Fishsticks Designs Photo Contest
Are you ready to get started? I’m so excited about this contest! I hope you will all submit lots of pictures! We’ve had fun snapping pictures the last few weeks on our vacation and here at home.
I’ve had lots of great prizes donated by some amazing work-at-home moms . . . fabric, tags, handmade soap, patterns, even a custom-made cloth diaper. There will be prizes for several category winners that will be voted on by readers, as well as weekly randomly-drawn prizes.
I’ve set up a flickr group for you to add your pictures of the clothing and bags that you’ve made with Fishsticks Designs patterns: Flickr Group. You can start adding pictures right away, and you can add any pictures that you’d like of your creations to the group. Please give your picture a title before adding it to the group, ie A Kiss for Baby Brother orPeek-a-boo in the Walnut Tree. If you’d like for your photograph to be included in the contest, post to the flickr group, then send me an email at fishsticksdesigns@gmail.com. By submitting your photo and emailing me, you agree to allow me to publish your picture on my blog, my website and/or my store.
Pictures should include at least one item sewn from a Fishsticks Designs pattern. Alterations to the pattern are acceptable, as long as the item is still recognizeable as the original. The item does not have to be sewn by you in order to enter, but if another sewist made the item, please let me know in your email. Please limit submissions to two pictures of the same sewn item. (Except for the total entry limit, there’s no limit on how many pictures you can submit of one child, just pick your favorite two of each outfit.) Items should be modeled, but faces do not have to be shown. Each entrant may submit a total of six photographs.
Pictures must be your original work. You must obtain and submit to me written permission to use the image of any child who is not your own. For the protection of the children in the photographs, modeled pictures of the Little Fishies Undies pattern will be discluded.
I’m looking more for good quality, gorgeous photographs that show creativity than for perfect sewing skills. Composition of the photograph is important. Try following your children around with the camera while they play rather than posing them against a wall.
Winners will be chosen in three separate categories: Baby Steps (pictures of little ones age 12 months and younger), On My Own (individual shots of children over 1 year) and Friends & Family (group photographs). Finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges. Winners will be chosen by popular vote.
Submissions will be accepted through July 31st. Finalists will be posted and voting will take place during Photo Contest Week August 1-7, 2010. Random prize drawings will be held once a week during the contest period beginning this Friday, July 9.
Just Chatting
We’re really enjoying the tranquility of the mountains in West Virginia. I’ve been taking the time to just sit with my kids while we’re here and chat. I love to hear what they’re thinking. Sometimes it’s something profound that really makes us think. Other times, though, it just makes us giggle.
Samantha and I were swinging in the porch swing last night. She was sipping on a soda while I rocked the baby to sleep. She sighed and said, “You know why it’s fun to drink a coke when you have the hiccups?” “Why?” “Because everytime you hiccup, you burp, too!”
This morning, Allen and I sat down on the deck to enjoy the morning breeze while Maw-Maw cooked breakfast for us. Allen asked me, “What do you like about being outside here?” “I love how you can hear nature. It’s not like at home in Texas, where you hear traffic and construction. Here you hear birds and wind and leaves rustling.” Pause for a few seconds to listen, followed by a sudden eruption of barking from the neighbor’s house. “Mom, are dogs part of nature?”
Vacation Fun and a Photo Contest Update!
The Fishsticks Designs Photo Contest plans are coming along well. I sewed up this stack of Patrick Curved Raglans for my youngest four before leaving home last weekend. I’m working on getting some fun pictures while we’re traveling.
We’re having a grand time on vacation. We spent yesterday afternoon roaming around downtown Mayberry (officially Mount Airy, NC).
Waiting for a famous pork chop sandwich at Snappy Lunch:
A few kids in Opie’s Candy Store:
A game of checkers . . .
. . . after a visit with Andy.
When we finished downtown, we hunted down a couple of letterboxes before heading back to some well-deserved air conditioning.
This morning, we drove up to the mountains of West Virginia where we’re visiting Ray’s hometown for a few days before we head back home to Texas this weekend.
Patrick Curved Raglans, a Diaper and Undies
We’re busy getting ready to go on vacation this Friday! I’m so looking forward to relaxing and visiting with family. I have been sewing, though! I just finished up two sets for a friend who has a one-year-old son and a ten-year-old daughter. For the little guy, I made a Patrick Curved Raglan from turquoise Ooga Booga cotton interlock in a size 24 months/2T and a matching large Fattycakes pocket diaper.
For her big girl, I sewed up the feminine version of the Big Kids Patrick Curved Raglan in a size 10 with matching Little Fishies Undies.
Now I’m off to finish up sewing Patrick Raglans for my four youngest to take on vacation with us.
Baby Simeon in the Little One Layette
Is he not adorable? Simeon is the little guy that I sewed and knitted a shower gift for a few months ago. He’s such a big boy already. Here he’s modeling one of the soakers that I knit for him with a lap-tee that his mom, Michelle, sewed for him using my Little One Layette pattern.
And, here are a few pictures of him as a newborn wearing a gown that his mom made for him also from the LOL pattern. I love the cute little feet sticking out!
There’s a Contest Coming!
I love seeing the clothing and bags that you’ve sewn from my Fishsticks Designs patterns, especially when they’re modeled by your little ones! I’ve been thinking on this for a little while, and I’m working on putting together a photo contest. More details are coming soon, but until then start snapping photographs of the things that you’ve created with Fishsticks Designs patterns in action.
I would love to offer several prizes, so if you’re a reader and you’d like to donate a prize for the contest, just click here and drop me a line!
We Have Baby Mockingbirds!
Aren’t they sweet? This is the first time I’ve seen baby birds in real life. I was so excited! This is the last picture that I’ll be taking of these little ones, though. Mama bird came after me while I was snapping pictures, and really, I can’t blame her. I’m sure I’d do the same thing if I thought my babies were in danger!
Short Sleeves for Summer
It’s Mending Week over at Making More with Less which reminded me of these three shirts that have been sitting in my mending pile.
The top shirt was Allen’s favorite this past winter. The other two were discovered in the bottom of one of his drawers when I cleaned out the winter clothes . . . they’d never even been worn! I thought since they all had long sleeves sewn under short sleeves, I could convert them to summer apparel really easily.
I started by simply cutting the long sleeve portion off, just below the hem on the short sleeve, but that left this funky piece at the bottom seam.
So I grabbed my trusty seam ripper and ripped out the portion of that seam where the long sleeve had been sewn in. (A quick tip: When you’re ripping out serging, the easiest way is to find the side with the two rows of stitching that run parallel, slide your seam ripper under both stitches and rip them out. Every three of four stitches will do the trick. Then just pull the two pieces of fabric apart.)
Once that was done, I was able to cut off that little bit of extra fabric,
and then serge the seam back together. (If you don’t have a serger, it would be perfectly fine to sew those back together, too!)
Twenty minutes of work, and three tops are ready to add to Allen’s summer wardrobe.
Here’s Chewy, back in action . . .
