Polka Dots & Paisleys

This little apron is a favorite of mine! I think it's so cute...how can you go wrong with polka dots, paisleys, and rick-rack? This little honey would definitely help you out in the kitchen...don't you think your cooking would be much tastier if you wore this number while preparing it? I do believe so...it's up for sale if anyone is interested. Did I mention it is reversable? Two cuties for the price of one! Any takers?

Two Awsome Deliveries!

Today was completely wonderful! My best friend who I've known for many moons delivered her very first! Lily Grace made her grand appearance at 10:04 am, she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 12 oz. and 21" long...my, my, I believe it was time for her to show her beautiful face whether she was ready or not :-) The delivery went smooth...Cesarean of course. We were all so excited to meet her, especially her mama and daddy! They both have waited and prayed for this day for a long time...God truly blessed all of us this morning! Of course my 4 J's couldn't get enough of her...they LOVE babies :-) My honey couldn't get enough of her either...good thing we took care of that situation a loooong time ago or he would be trying for another! We love her dearly, and we're all so very happy we've finally got to meet her.

Secondly...some new fabric arrived in my mailbox this afternoon! I'm so excited...two great things in one day (I'm really not spoiled!) I can't wait to get on that sewing machine and start sewing. I have lots of projects already in the works...and a couple of items ordered I need to get busy. This weekend's going to be a jam-packed, loaded to the max kind of weekend...wish me luck!

Beginings...

O.K...what's this you ask? Why the weird photo of a calender date? Well I've decided to make some changes...starting by taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Why a personal trainer, well honestly I'm not a self-motivated person. I wish I was, truly, but I'm not and I recognize that. I met with a gal who was SUPER nice and very good at being a personal trainer. I think this may be exactly what I need right now. And...if paying for it is what's going to give me a good kick-start, then by golly, here's my $$$. Thanks Terri, your spot-on! I'll be meeting with her twice a week and we'll be going over weight training, cardio, and diet. She did say she really is a butt-kicker, so we'll see on Monday, that's my first "real" session. I'm nervous but excited, too...I really expect to make some serious commitments to getting physically fit. I hope I don't run out of steam...that's sort of my M.O. (is that the right term?) Anyways...I tend to give up when the going gets tough. I hope that all my bloggy gals continue to check in w/ me, I wouldn't mind a little pick-me-up now and then. I think that's something that will really help me stay focused and determined. So here we go...let's see what happens!

Camping Habit...

Camping again...I can't help sharing a little about this trip over the mountains. It was soooo beautiful and sunny, we actually started to sweat and had to change into our shorts one day, YIPEE! We were very excited about that. The pictures above are the beginning of a hike up Sweat'n Hill...I didn't feel quite right about posting the pictures after the hike...not pretty, but we did make it and I have pictures to prove it! The view from the tip-top of the hike is amazing especially with Old Glory flying high...I think camping is fast becoming a habit for the Watts Crew :-)

Just a quick Hello

Here's a purse that I started working on yesterday...I love the brown and green. It was super easy to put together and it's made out of nice quality fabric. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm thinking the next purse I make like this I'll use a firm interfacing to give it a stand-up-and-salute shape...won't that be cute!

It will be a few days before I'm back at the sewing machine...we're going camping again! Yipeeeee!!! I'm actually supposed to be packing right now, but I couldn't stand not posting something before I leave :-) Have an awesome weekend and keep your fingers crossed it doesn't rain on us again...

Summer are you ever going to visit us here in the beautiful Northwest? I keep asking this question. It's so hard to be inspired when I'm in desperate need of sunlight. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous...I took some snapshots of my very pretty white garden. Today I'm sad to say that the sun has once again deserted us and the clouds have settled in. I am thankful that there is no rain...yet. We're all keeping our fingers and toes crossed that the rain will stay at bay and we can have a sunny camping trip this weekend!

About my all white garden...I decided to have one big flower bed in our backyard that is completely white. At first people thought it was a bad idea...that I would get really tired of the white...maybe that it would become humdrum, I don't know. All of my peeps seem to feel the need to advise me on my decisions quite often :-) At last I can speak boldly and say, "You were all wrong" I love my white garden and I'm so happy I followed my instincts! Some of my flowers have just a touch of pink to them...thinking the flower would be white when I bought them. Thankfully I didn't end up with blue, purple, or red flowers popping out. I do have other flower beds that I can transfer the colored flowers to, but I haven't had to do any of that yet, whew! These roses and peonies are just a couple of my fav's...enjoy!

These are some purses I've been working on this past week. The first bag I used a leather belt for the strap and Posh fabric by Moda. One of my favorite gal-pals turned the big "30" and I wanted to make her something special. We celebrated last night with her and her family. We had a blast...and she loved her purse. That's what makes crafting and creating so special for me...I love to share it all with the people I care most about! Happy 30th La-Te-Da...hope it was a good one :-)

The next bag was really fun to make...I love the fabric! I found it on a rack at the goodwill, what luck! Can you believe it? I had to have it...it's really going to be hard for me to give it up...but I know some lucky lady needs it more than I do. I'm a little compulsive when it comes to bags and purses. That's one of the reasons I decided to give sewing a try...I could just keep adding to my collection at a more affordable price :-) This purse is for sale if anyone is interested just leave a comment or send me an email.

The last purse was a little harder than the other two. If your wondering, I don't use a certain pattern...I just wing it. I've looked at a lot of purses I like to carry, as well as bags online. My mom and I drew up these two patterns and we're still working all the kinks out for now. I'm sure the longer I carry them and the more I learn, I'll be adding more details to the purses. For now, I'm just working on getting better with my sewing techniques and tricks of the trade:-)

This is such a beautiful rose pattern fabric...I knew right away I wanted to try something with pleats. It makes the bag much more feminine and dainty, even though it's fairly big. It has a zippered pocket and a slip pocket inside. I hope to get much better putting this purse together...it's one of my favorites.

So back to the sewing machine I go...preparing to sew up a late Father's Day apron for my AWESOME dad. He's actually started wearing my mom's church lady apron that I made for her on Mother's Day, so I thought it was about time he had his own. So goodbye for now...I'll check back in when the Daddy Apron's are all complete and post some fun pictures! (That's if I can get them to put them on for a quick snapshot)

The Very First...

So...here's my first diaper bag. Let me tell you, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. No pattern, no direction, and to be totally honest, no business even trying to pull it off. However, after many, many long nights and frustrating weeks I finally finished it. There are a lot of things I would like to change now, but as they say, hind sight is 20/20. So, it is what it is and I think my BFF liked it regardless of how many times I've picked it apart. I really love the fabric and in the photos it looks even better!

As I've developed my own personal flair for fabric & sewing, I've learned so much from this incredible group of crafty women in my new found blog world and I positively relish in it! I don't go a day (well, o.k. maybe a few) without checking in to some of my favorite blogs. I'm utterly addicted...and I'm love'n it! The tips, advice, ideas, and inspiration I get from all of them is out of this world! So many things I've come across throughout my life ( keeping in mind to all things there is a season) and I've never really found the great "it" thing. You know what I mean? Not too long ago I would look around me at other women and secretly think: Why can't I be like her? What do I feel connected to? Am I good at anything? Why don't I have any special interests? Is there anything that's interesting about me? What is significant about me? This is tad bit deep, so bear with me. I shared all this only to say that I've found something. I'm not losing interest, I've become good at something, I'm inspired! So...thanks to all of you women out there that have brought me to this place...it's a great place to be :-)

Bursting with pride!

This last week was very chaotic at our house, but at the same time very rewarding as a parent. I'm sure you all know how proud we feel when our kids are successful. Jake, my oldest is very artistic and loves to act. He's actually quite good, and he enjoys every minute of stage time! He performed The Prince Who Wouldn't Talk...he was the prince (a very handsome prince I might add), not that I'm bias or anything, lol. The joy I feel when I see him doing something he loves is so gratifying. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams...and I don't deserve any of it. I thank him so much for reminding me that he's full of grace and forgiveness and he loves me unconditionally. God has allowed me to be a part of Jake's life and I will forever be amazed by his gentle nature, creativity, and giving spirit. Hats off to you son...I love you!