(photo taken by Sosi)

Summer is still being a bit elusive in these parts. So I’m very happy to have my “Swinging Stipes Cardigan” sweater finally finished.  Not only is it super warm and cozy (I don’t ever want to take it off) but it is impossible to be grumpy about freezing cold weather at the end of May while wearing this colour. I love it.

(photo also taken by Sosi with my phone, during a super fun afternoon spent on the town with her this weekend.)

Oh, and french fries help with grumpiness too.

I’m not a great sewer. I’m a much better knitter, I understand knitting with everything right there in straight lines, and numbers… it’s straight forward. With sewing everything is inside out and backwards, so abstract. So when I find something I can make, I stick with it. That how I feel about the Lazy Days skirt (free pattern is here for downloading). I made a bunch last summer for Sosi and she lived in them all summer. I can’t imagine anything being easier to sew.

This weekend I found some time to bang out a whole bunch of these skirts for both Sosi and Ila (definitely inspired by the much warmer weather).  This green one is my favourite by far. The fabric was thrifted and the ribbon was in a stash that was handed down to me from a friend many years ago. They look like they belong together, and on her.

It is freezing here. It is sunny and green… but cold. I’m using that as my excuse for my lack of sewing anything for the kids’ summer sewing challenge. (I can’t imagine wearing anything summer-like, I spend most of the day wrapped in a blanket.) I’ve also been busy with a couple of exciting jobs which are eating up any free time I have. I hope to get the sewing kick-started soon though.

I sewed the patch on those pants, does that count? I didn’t think so…

We’re slowly get back into the swing of things here.

Poor Ila is taking the longest to recover. She’s sure had a rough month, being hit by 1 thing after another.

I’m sure I’ve said this before, but getting your world turned upside down by sickness sure makes you really appreciate the boring normal-ness of life. So that’s what I’m doing right now, enjoying the boring-ness… and trying to catch up on lost sleep .

Life is getting back to normal. Not only did I get to do some cooking (see the gobbled up bowl of spinach soup?? it’s rare that everyone loves something I make! ) this weekend, but I also got to do some sewing.

This is the first of 4 placemats I am planning on making. It is made from a thrifted linen table cloth and various scraps stitched on. I worked roughly from the pattern in Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki. I love it!

I also made a batch of our favourite butterscotch pudding for our family Easter dinner (which I actually didn’t make it too… more on that in another post). I found this recipe in the February issue of Gourmet magazine at my local library (sadly this magazine is now out of print). If you like pudding, you have to try this recipe.  It is a great simple desert and only takes about 15 minutes to make.

Here’s the recipe:

Butterscotch Pudding:

serves: 4

Active time: 15 minutes from start to finish

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 heavy cream

2 Tbsp butter, cut into bits

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

*Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt in a heavy saucepan, then whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently, then boil, whisking 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vailla. Pour into bowl, then cover with butter wax paper and chill until cold, at least 1 1/2 hours.

See? so easy!

My barn paintings have been put on hold while I have been tending to little ones. In times like these, when I find myself with no time to work, I always turn to knitting. Knitting can be done just about anywhere, sitting on floor playing lego or playmobil or holding a feverish clingy baby. It always gets me through, and  helps me to hold on to my sanity.

These bunnies were supposed to be Easter presents, but when you are knitting something this cute and fluffy right next to the person you are making it for, it  is pretty hard to hide it. This little bunny (pattern free from RebeccaDanger’s site.) is  a huge hit with Sosi. For Ila, I think I will make a Tofu dog (how can I resist that name?).

I have been doing a lot of research lately and dreaming about future projects. I wasn’t expecting much when I requested this book from the library, but was very surprised when I opened it and saw these gorgeous colour plates.

I have a little 4 (almost 5) year old home sick with me. We made crayon cakes with her old crayons that have been sitting around for years. They were a bit hit, except for her hurting herself cutting the crayons (see the bandaid).

These little cakes are great for making big messy fun drawings. I think we need to be making more things like this. I’m trying to teach her not everything has to be perfect. She can be really hard on herself sometimes. I wonder where she gets that from?

I’ve made some little Christmas Ornaments you can download and colour. Just print them on some card stock (if you have it, regular paper is fine too), cut them out and use a hole punch to hang them up with some yarn or thread of your choice. Have fun!

You can download it by clicking on the button below.

I often find Sosi tucked away in her room alone leafing through the 1 photo album she has. Since I rarely print up pictures from my computer,  the only pictures she has are random ones my mom has sent us over the years.

I figured it might be time to make her some albums of her own. I got the idea for these little felt photo albums from Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Craft . I printed my favourite photos from each year of her life and put them together in separate little books. She loves them!

This was such a simple and fun project. They would make fantastic Christmas presents. I made a little tutorial, you can download it here, if you’d like to make some too.