Burlap Bag to Bison

 Last weekend started out cloudy and ended with snow flurries. Tim started the garden on Saturday while I started a bag for his sister Krista. Her work had some extra burlap sacks that she thought I might like to play with. It was definitely a challenge to work with, but I really enjoy the final project and can't wait to start playing around some more.

The beginning of the garden. At the far left there are two rows of peas, a square of spinach, and a square of onions. The rest will be put in when it is a little warmer.

Handles for the bags.

Lola loves to lounge in the project room.

The handles turned and ready to add to the bag.

I did a few stitches to keep the burlap from unraveling after cutting it to size and before putting the bag together.

 

 

 

 

The bag after turning it.

When I turned the bag it all had to fit out this little hole.

The finished handles.

The design that came on the bag. One of Krista's co-workers made a bag with this same logo on it and I love it!

The reverse side with a pocket. Tim picked this material because it reminded him of the actual coffee plant. The bag was used to ship coffee beans, so I agreed that it was a cute idea!

The coffee beans on the plant!

This weekend we spent all weekend outside playing. Saturday we ate breakfast on the patio with all of the animals, hens included. Then we headed up to Antelope Island with my brother and his cute family. I have to say that I went with very low expectations. I had been warned of biting gnats and other bugs, but we lucked out. There were hardy any bugs and the weather was perfect. The water was warm and we could wade out with the boys for a long way. When we were done at the beach we went for a pleasant hike and finished by driving around looking at the wildlife.

Today we spent at the Chariot Races with Tim's family, a yearly tradition we enjoy (pictures to come later!)

What beggars.

Such sweet faces...they might have gotten a little breakfast burrito.

The lovely view at the beach.

Playing in the water.

My brother, his wife, and their youngest.

Me and the middle child.

Me and the oldest of the three children. Poor kid had just ran in front of his brother while rocks were being thrown and was hit by two. He recovered quickly when he learned bison and doughnuts were in his future.

It is so refreshing to see green coming up.

This is what we found that the end of our hike. The boys called this the "Big Rock Playground."

Pictures don't do justice to the size of these bison.

The view coming back across the causeway.

Surprise!

This past Sunday I co-hosted a surprise birthday/sprinkle shower for my best friend Rebecca. The idea started with Jessi and I wanting to do something for Becca to show our appreciation for all the things, big and small, she has done for us.
For those of you who don't know Jessi, she is pretty darn amazing. She is one of those gals who is always hosting fun parties and makes it look like a breeze. Her no nonsense, get it done, drama free attitude has always impressed me. We decided to have the party at my place and I couldn't have asked for a better co-host.
Then Aunt Mary called the night Jessi and I were getting ready to finalize the invitations so Jessi could get them ordered and sent out (yep, yet another of Jessi's talents, picking out adorable invites.) If you haven't heard of "Crazy Aunt Mary," Becca's fun loving aunt, then you haven't spent enough time with the Stiremans. She has definitely earned the nickname. Mary also happened to be planning a surprise birthday bash for Becca. Mary's ideas happened to be on a much grander scale, but when she heard we were already planning to have it at my house (my NOT very big house, I should say) she agreed to downsize things. Things took off from there.
I wanted to make some homemade presents tailored to Becca and Dave's tastes, but had just finished a big project for the Moda Bake Shop contest. So every day after work I would come home and get to crafting or sewing in my studio. Here is what came out of it.....

I wanted some simple but useful party favors, so I bought some magnets and picked some cute paper out of my stash.

After lots of gluing, waiting, and gluing some more this is what I got. I put them on paper with a cookie sheet beneath them to keep them from trying to get together and ruin my hard work.

Of course I had to make a dog burp rag with a dalmatian in honor of Lady! She probably would have tried to eat it back in the good old days.

I drew an octopus and squid for fun.

And the coral fabric from Parson Gray was perfect for this project.

More Parson Grey material for the elephant. Oh, and the onesie idea was another Moda inspiration from this cute blogger! There are templates for the elephant and giraffe on her blog.

I loved the frayed edges to go with the ocean look.

Silly squid.

Cute fish cut from Moda fabric scraps.

A "cuddle" fish inspired from a blanket Ali, Jessi's talented sister, made.

Some of the party favors just happened to match the boxes.

The surprise!

The arrival of the main guest.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day. Belly friends. VaRonica is due THIS WEEK (an extra thanks for showing up is due here!)

The day was just about perfect. Thanks again to all the lovely ladies who came and a special thanks to Mary and Jessi for helping make things happen!

And here is one more special gift I put together Friday night for another important gal in my life. A dear friend's daughter was turning one year old, so I made a funky rag doll. The ribbon hair is fun to rub or play with and the bottom material is a pocket for her to keep "surprises" in. Inspiration came from my neighbor's pintrest which let me to this link.

All ready to go to her new home.