17 getting back into the groove of things, but first...

The holidays was a mix bag... happiness and sorrow... restlessness and peace...

Although I'm sad the magic is over, I'm also glad to put it behind and look forward to what 2013 will bring. Before we move forward, I wanna share with you my mug project.

Remember? Let's start with a refresher...

Mug #1.

This one started it all...

Post HERE.

Mugs #2 & 3.

My nephew and niece.

Post HERE.

So after MANY late nights and asking myself what ever possessed me to do this, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel...

19 mugs in total (Mr.'s mug was in the dish rack).

As I sit here looking at the pics I can't believe I did it. *chuckle* Now I do see the light, but I'm not out of the tunnel... yet.

I still have three more mugs to complete, plus mug #2 (my beloved nephew) accidentally dropped his in excitement. So actually that makes 4 more. *eyes rolling back*

Despite the cursing and loosing my eyesight, I actually enjoyed creating each one. Each mug was an opportunity for me to reflect and be thankful for having them in my life. 

So bare with me as I slowly get back into the groove of things. As if the busyness of the holidays wasn't enough, I threw out my back in the process while baking 14 red velvet cakes... yes... 14. Nothing is ever done in small quantities in this family. 
Sheesh!

4 All I Want For Christmas

1 and the winners are...

Jodi of usairdoll

"Oh I love the Kawaii Scarves, too cute. That would be my pick.
Thank you for a great giveaway and a chance to win. Two winners! Woot! Woot! You Rock!"

and

Laurie

"I love the hoody scarves- so, so cute! the pink one for my daughter would be lovely."

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Thank you so much everyone for participating in my giveaway! It was a lot of fun. Jodi and Laurie... please shoot me an email with your mailing addresses so I can send your lovely goodies!

Thanks again and have a wonderful weekend!

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4 A Stranger No More

Sometimes all it takes is one email to plant the seed.

via Everything Else We Do

Meet Ashley from Everything Else We Do.

She had sent me an email several weeks ago regarding a dress I had made for Lala. She wanted to make one for her little one and had a few questions how to go about it. Being that time of the year with a gazillion things on my list to do's, I could've easily just answered her questions and went along my way, but that's not who I am.

I blog to not only document my creative endeavors, but to inspire  and BE inspired from others. There are so many wonderful and talented women out there... it's mind blowing, and through the blogosphere, we are able to share and grow. I am a firm believer that you are greeted with fantastic "opportunities" throughout your life be it events or people. It is up to you to welcome it or dismiss it. As children we have no fear of going up to someone and saying, "Hi! Will you be my friend?", and as we grow older we loose that gift.

It's lonely isn't it? I know I'm lonely at times. Staying home most of the time, chasing a toddler all day and having little to no quality time for myself. It's tough. So being here in the blogosphere, it's comforting to see that I'm not alone. It's my "virtual therapy". So when another fellow blogger reaches out and asks for help, I make it a point to reach back. So through emails and a little guidance, Ashley made this beautiful dress in time for Thanksgiving for her little darling.

Isn't she a doll?!? Look at those curls... I would kill for that!

It turns out that Ashley knits. KNITS! *sigh* Some of you know me  and know I can't knit to save my life. It's like my brain goes on retard mode and I'm all thumbs. Seriously.

So when Ashley sent me this gorgeous knitted cowl scarf as a thank you for my help, I was beside myself. When I give, I NEVER think of anything in return. I give because I like to see others happy and when they're happy... I'm happy. It made me teary eyed to think that someone was so grateful of my help to take the time and make something for me. That rarely happens.

This is awesome. I LOOOOOVE it! I will be wearing this A LOT... thank you Ashley!!!

If you're a knitter or want to learn how to knit, I STRONGLY advice you head on over to Ashley's blog. It's wonderful! She's doing a weekly "knit-a-long" and for the next few weeks, she's doing a different versions of the cowl neck scarf. She's fairly new to the blog world and has so much to share. Please-please-please be a kind neighbor, pay her a visit and make sure to say hello. You'll be happy you did.

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Have a wonderful weekend folks!

21 Lala's Cowl Neck Tunic

After making a cowl neck tunic for Lily Moon, I had to make one for Lala.

I added big pockets with a slight gathering on the side. I think next time I need to add more gathering.

The fabric for the top is from JoAnn's and I lucked out... it was on sale (half off) and so I spent a total of $5. Not too shabby. The leggings are from Old Navy. 

Okay, so I made a cowl neck for Lily Moon, Lala and next, Sophia. Stay tuned...

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I'm linkin' up:

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202 GIVEAWAY!!!

Sew Mama Sew! is hosting their biannual Giveaway Day again and I thought it would be fun to participate. For those who are new to our little ol' blog, welcome! It's always nice to meet new people, so please make yourself at home and take a look around.

 It's been a long time since I've done a giveaway and instead of giving one goody, I'm doing two. So there will be 2 winners with your choice of any one of these prizes:

Kawaii Hoodie Scarves (size: 2-4 yrs)

 Miss Molly or Miss Jenny PDF pattern.

*For more information about these prizes, click on the shop bar and head over to my shop for product details.

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So here's what you gotta do:

-Leave a comment on which prize you'd love to win.

-Followers get extra entries, just leave another comment that you follow.

-Be sure to leave an email address in your comments.

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Giveaway ends on December 7th at midnight(PST)and two winners will be announced on December 8th.

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Please be sure to visit Sew Mama Sew! blog for more fabulous giveaways.

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Good luck!

5 Link Ups: Navy Sweater and Top

 Sometimes I have an entire outfit all laid out in head and other times it's one piece that leads to another. This is the "other" times. The cardigan is the seed and the rest grew from that. 

Cardigan: Old Navy

Top: Pattern V from "Les Couleurs Francaises" Japanese sewing book

Leggings: Drafted pattern

This is a great book.

Easy to follow instructions and what I really like about this book is most of the patterns are in both children's and adults.

Lily Moon had to dance in the back to get Lala to smile. First a cookie... now dancing... what next... a pony?!

*Sheesh!*

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I'm linking up over at Kilee's today and Morgan's tomorrow. Come on over and check it out!

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