All Things Crafty

Right now I'm in the middle of two darling baby quilts for twins. One is to be pink with a lime green and the other is to be lime green with pink. So far the pink is my favorite!

Recently I made a backpack for Babydoll. (pictured above) While I know kids won't want homemade fashions for long, she did pick out all the fabrics and happily totes it to school.

First Timers' School Daze

pictures intentionally removed div>Babydoll began her first day of school yesterday. And Cutiepie ventured to playschool for the first time. Lots of firsts. Mommy had a morning to herself--while not a first, it was surreal!

On the right is a picture of Cutiepie. I found her like this fast asleep about one hour after she came home from her first day at school. A bit zonked out, would you say?

Today is day #2. No work this week so I can be 100% mommy. And I'm finding the transition may be harder on the adults than the students. Yesterday was spent worrying--there were a few tears and several death grips on my clothes in the classrooms. Today I feel more like a deer caught in glaring headlights than a mom calculating out school run times. The clock is ticking away until I need to return to collect both daughters from different schools (and in two different villages).

My mind is spinning a million revolutions per sec. What do I do with 2 hours of freedom?
-Sew! oh, yes.

-But I should get dinner prepared, be organized, save time!

-Maybe I should get out taxes sorted, they are due in October--nah, plenty of time for that.

-That laundry piling high on the couch really needs folding before the girls think they can climb mount everest in thier very living quarters.

-Blog and read blogs, yes that should suck the very second out of all my time! Right, now that that's decided...

Lost in Translation

Me to DH: "An orientation letter came for Babydoll's school. It's being held later this week."


Overheard the next day:


Babydoll to Grandad: "I got my invitation to big school!"


That's right, Babydoll, life is one big party and school is just the beginning...

Summertime...finally!

One week before school starts and with rain on every day this summer, the girls were thrilled for some solid sunshine on Saturday! They were splish splashing with their cousin.

The Goods

These are some of my favorite works. You can see I do many baby quilts. I find them fun as I like the colors and the smaller size makes the project less overwhelming!
Sorry for the lousy photo shots. I am working on being a better photographer!

Click on a photo to enlarge it!

Chic Babydoll reads the dictionary in her spare time while awaiting the sun. (It's been a long wait this rainy wet summer.) She's quite talented, considering the book is upside down.

Anatomy of ABCs

Over the summer Babydoll has been gearing up for her coming first school year...in mere days, yikes! She appears to have inherited her mother’s fondness of writing, and she is frequently practice-scribbling her ABCs on grocery lists, cards, and basically, any paper within her grasp.

One morning she was addressing a birthday card to her grandfather. As she went merrily through the H-a-p-p-y, she strained momentarily on the next letter...B...

I motioned to help and quickly she shoo’d me away saying, “ I know it, Moooom!" in exasperation.

"It’s the line with the two boobies!” she said triumphantly with all the seriousness that a small wonder wielding a purple crayon can muster.

Think there’s a chance that her fellow students will be writing the alphabet with same associated anatomy learning? I'm off to see if we can refine boobies for humps or half circles...

Firstly, I don't know how ya'll do it! For months I have wanted to begin my blog. At long last, I have all the tools at my fingertips now, and the time, the time it just keeps slipping away from me.

I'm a fulltime career mommy and my days are long. The goal of this blog is to be far reaching. More literally than figuratively. While I don't believe in being all to all of the people all of the time is actually possible, I do think those who try must be extremely exhausted. The purpose of this blog is two-fold.
1. As a transplant from San Francisco I miss my girlfriends more than they will ever know! But as a mother of two small kiddies, I rarely get time to write my letters or pick up the phone. I hope to keep my family and friends updated on our little world here in Ireland.
2. As a huge enthusiast of crafts--mostly patchwork and quilting-- I am always wanting to soak up the nuances of crafts and the various people who craft. In my own diary, I want the blog to motivate me to finish projects stalled and stale.

We have lived in Ireland now for three years and yet, only recently it began with a few clicks of my mouse and I found myself among Rocks in My Dryer. From that blog, I've have since found several favorite mommy and craft blogs. So now I begin my own journey--who knows maybe one day I can help someone else out there connect to places, new and old!


So take your coat off, and stay awhile!

Well, I've arrived! With a little help from my friends...

And I'm very happy!
For some time now, I've been wanting to blog, but the name game and blog startup paralyzed me. However, yesterday was the end to that!

In the wee hours of the morning I headed to Dublin airport to meet Cathi and head over to the Birmingham Festival of Quilts. WOW! It was a fabulous day. I met several virtual-now-real people who all share the love of crafts and quilting. One friend is Barbara, who in her truly super shabby*chic style took all of 2 nanoseconds to dream up this very blog name for yours truly. Thank you very much!

And Cathi finished off the task when we took another 2 nanoseconds to create the blog while waiting in the Birmingham airport! And viola...another virtual conception!

All you need are friends! Speaking of which, let's just put a courtesy call out to the other very sherry (note, my url is actually http://verrysherry.com), and before you send me a 'cease and desist order, I'm sure there's room enough for two of us on the internet highway--this mommy will stay in the carpool lane, for better for worse, I promise!

Anyway back to the fun of yesterday. The quilts on show were wonderful--they were just delicious and appealed to my every sense! The ideas, the textiles, the talent, it was all so overwhelming. Photos to come--but it will never do justice!

My head is spinning with all the goodies brought home. Where to start? Which project will keep me most interested, till the next irresistable one lures me in? I'll post a list next to keep me on track and committed--afterall, that was the point of my blog!
My camera is coming up color challenged and the colors it's choosing don't do any of the quilts, or people, justice. Sorry folks! Will work on the visuals for blog as we go!

Seeing how I'm itching to spend time with the girls since being gone all day yesterday and at work all week, I'm tackling the first project with Babydoll--she is a first time back-to-schooler and we plan to sew her a groovy purple backpack. Wish me luck!

Other projects include:
My sewing kit (Birmingham) --lots of ooohhh and awwws had by us all--sorry you other folks will have to wait for pics in next post!
My throw quilt for the sitting room --the fabrics (some Birmingham purchases) are greeny peachy and while, I'm not a fan of the peach tone, the greens are winning me over!
Notice the 'my' theme here? You can blame my selfcenteredness on Cathi and Barbara, they're responsible for this corruption. hehehe
Handquilting on Babydoll's quilt started in 2004--following Cathi's great tutorial on handstitching in Terminal 2 at Birm Airport!
Color Pencil Case from Pink Chalk Studio-too cute to not do.
Baby Quilt 1-blue commissioned
Fall Quilt-Doll Quilt Swap
Baby Quilt 2-pink commissioned
Baby Quilt 3-commissioned
Memory Quilt--for February deadline

So I better be off, need to make a dent in the list.

Nice to meet ya'll!