You Are My Sunshine

My good friend from college, Callie, has six kids.

She decided they each needed their own You Are My Sunshine pillow cover.

I think that was a fantastic idea.

I loved having the chance to come up with so many new color schemes.

The past week has found me immersed in finishing these up for her...

This one was totally inspired by Calico's sweet crocheted blanket.

I love that dark plum color on the bottom with the white stitching. LOVE it.

This was the original one she found in the shop that started it all.

Linking up with Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday, as I love to do!

Winner!

I love giveaways so much. What a great way to start a Thursday! Without further ado, the winner is...

#32 Laura, who said, "I 'liked' you on facebook!"


Good thing you did, Laura, because it made you win! Ha! I'll send you an email to sort out the details.


Thanks for playing along everybody, and don't forget you can still get 10% off ready-to-ship items through Friday 12/9...just put the code AMME10 in the notes to seller field when you order and I'll send you a refund by way of paypal.


BONUS: There's another giveaway about...you have a chance to win some really great stuff from my sister-in-law's etsy shop. Go check it out, her giveaway is open until Sunday!

Shop news

I'm excited about the giveaway--two more days to enter! But don't forget the 10% can be used through Friday. Speaking of Friday...in keeping with my policy of sanity-preservation during the holiday season, this Friday, December 9 is the last day I'll be accepting custom orders in December (to be shipped by 12/19). I'll keep the shop open and the ready-to-ship items will still be available, but my custom order queue is already stacking up so I want to be sure I have time to finish them all in time for Christmas. Once the new year starts we'll be back to business as usual.
Thanks, guys.

Lots of finishes this week - plus a discount and a giveaway! My head just exploded!

{scroll down for your chance to save and win!}

My oh my, the past couple of weeks have been somewhat of a sewing frenzy. It all came together this week. In an effort to stock up the shop for Christmas...the shop. is. stocked.

There are several new Christmas pillow covers. I made a few of the All is Calm, All is Bright sets and Christmas trees last year...and found the idea for the Peace on Earth jotted down in my notebook from way back then too. I guess I never got around to it before, I'm glad I had time this year. I love it.

I already mentioned the popcorn and cranberry garlands, but I haven't mentioned the others.

And brand new, because my kids think they are SO COOL, rice bags (heat them up in the microwave for portable warmth...as the temps drop around here, they all wish they had one).

Now for the fun part. With all this new stuff, it seems like a good time for a giveaway, right? You bet.

Up for free is any one thing in the shop.

Pillow cover, rice bag, garland--your choice. It's yours, it's free. If what you want to win is sold by time the giveaway is over, no worries. I'll make you another one (small print - in some cases there might need to be slight differences depending on the availability of materials needed). Giveaway is open until Wednesday, December 7. Random.org will help me pick a winner.

How to enter (multiple ways, multiple chances! leave one comment for each):
1. Tell me what you would want to win from the shop.
2. Blog about this giveaway.
3. Like Amme and Neb on Facebook.
4. Link to this post on your wall on Facebook.

Afraid you won't win? No problem. Now through Friday, December 9 you can get 10% off all ready-to-ship items. Just enter the promo code AMME10 in the "notes to seller" field with your order and I'll send you a paypal refund of 10% of the item's cost. (Discount does not apply to shipping, cannot be used for made-to-order items, sorry!)


This got way longer than I intended. Thanks for persevering!
{linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday!}

Popcorn and cranberry garlands

Things are getting mighty Christmasy around here. I made a felt popcorn and cranberry garland to add to our decor this year. I liked it so much I made a couple extra for the shop!

Recent custom orders

Love the colors a recent customer requested for her You Are My Sunshine pillow cover...

Another customer found my shop through the C'est La Vie pillow cover and asked if I could make something special just for her. I love that!

Linking up to AmandaJean's Finish it Up Friday!

Big finish!

  

About two and a half years ago I learned to crochet.

Soon Cally pointed me to this blog. Which is where I found this tutorial (fantastic, bytheway--best clear photographs and descriptions I've come across for crochet). Which led to the beginnings of this afghan. For the first eighteen months or so it was slow going. I pulled it out to work on so rarely that it was like starting from scratch (it pretty much only came out on these weekends). I had to re-look up the tutorial and spend as much time trying to remember how to switch yarns as I did adding stitches.

Then last winter something wonderful happened--yarn fever took over at my in-laws' house. Every time we went there to visit (which was nearly every week), my sisters-in-law and I would sit and work our hooks and needles through the whole evening of talking. Crocheting is a whole different animal than sewing. It's the perfect thing for conversation, intent listening, and busy thoughts. I think I concentrate better when my hands are moving. For weeks and months real progress was made. My s-i-ls each went through project after beautiful project while I just kept adding and adding to my big afghan. The goal was for it to be big enough for at least two people to share, keeping them well covered, from feet to chin.
5 feet 8 inches later here it is. Tested and approved.

All five kids can fit if they snuggle. Just right for a cold, rainy day like this one.
(It was sunny the day I took the shots of it on the ground.)

Here's why I wanted to make it:
When I was little, there was a green afghan. The green afghan. It was sought after and fought over and used and used and used. Movie nights, Saturday morning cartoons, naps on the couch, forts in the basement, it was the one everyone wanted most. My grandpa made it. I have fond memories associated with the green afghan, and I wanted something like that for our kids. Not that they'll be attached to blanket itself, necessarily, but that it will be something always there in the background of their childhood memories. Hopefully it will carry that same nostalgic magic that comes with smells and songs that transport you through time.

Just give them an audience and they will ham it up. "Let's pretend to be asleep!"

I feel a little lost now without that standby project to keep my hands busy. And I realize that rippling is the only thing I know how to do now. What next, what next.....

Rule #1 around here: if you take a smiling photo, you must take a silly photo.

{linking up: Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish it up Friday. There were in fact days I thought I'd never finish this. and: Celebrate Color's yarn category.}

Friday I'm in love

I stumbled upon Probably Actually the other day via SMS's Fall Sewing Trends post featuring some gorgeous handmade coats.

I mean, come on--look at this!

I was pretty much in love right from the start. The first thing I did was peruse from its deepest archives so as not to miss any of Gail's gorgeous workmanship.

In a grown-up size for me, please?

It's the details and fine quality that got my attention.

Sewing clothes still intimidates me. A lot. I tend to stay away from it. It's nice to be able to admire someone else's efforts and dream about one day cranking out some stuff that fancy myself.

Sweet rainbow stitching along the hem.
Maybe I could handle making a skirt?

{photos used with permission--thanks, Gail!}

Baby quilt finish

Um, yeah, remember that quilt top I made way back in March? Guess what? It only took seven months to make it into a finished quilt!

My friend had a baby shower last week (luckily she's having a girl) and it was just the motivation I needed to finish it up. My plan for closely-spaced straight line quilting seemed less awesome when it was in fact taking me all of forever to quilt it. I decided that the lines would ebb and flow between close together (1/4 inch) and further apart (2 inches). I think it turned out very nice like that, but then I saw crazymomquilt's big quilt that was done entirely with the close-together straight lines and I immediately wished I'd had the patience to keep going with the 1/4 inch spacing. I'm such a quilting baby.

the back

I love quilts. I love thinking about them and looking at them and planning them and even making them. I don't know why it takes me so long.

{Linking up to crazymomquilt's Finish it Up Friday! Fun way to celebrate getting stuff done!!}

New: Raven Halloween pillow cover

Is it just me or is the air getting crisper? The sleeves longer? The days shorter? The pillows spookier?

Nothing says Halloween like a raven perched on a broken old piano, right? I love this little guy. Available now in the shop.

{Entering this pillow cover in the Celebrate Color contest. Not very colorful, I know, but very fall-ish.}