Well, to keep up with my newest addiction.... here's a super cute tutorial I found for saving a cute child's t-shirt at Make It and Love It. I've had some of those that I have had to throw out because I didn't know how to get the stains out... wish I saw this blog post sooner. Makes me want to dig through the girls' clothes to see what I can cut up! Seriously, check it out! (Image is linked)

Now, onto more sewing.... here's the two skirts I made a while back... I still need to add the ruffle ribbon along the bottom of the second skirt but for now, it still looks super cute on Isabella. The polka dot one is Sofia's although it would probably fit Isabella. I apparently measured wrong and made it a tad big for Sofia. Oh well, she will grow into it. The great thing, it only took 1 fat quarter of fabric for each skirt.

Gosh! I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged! Bad blogging momma! I had good intentions to try and keep up with this little thing but hence, it's summer, it's hot and hubby's away at work which means, more walking trips to the grocery store with the kiddies and more walks to the local coffee bar so Isabella can use her little shovel and pail in the pea gravel there (as our town has the most crappy and unsafe playgrounds I've ever seen!) Isabella doesn't mind, infact she usually asks to stay longer. haha!

So to keep my sanity I've been trying to get my crafty mojo back on. I've ordered fabric and I bought some more yarn... did I mention I sold my first hat the other day? Made 20 euro! Plus I got a few free things at the local coffee bar... The lady that works there (it's her family bar) ordered one for her 6 month old neice... she didn't have any colors in mind and had seen 2 different hats I made for the girls (a floppy hobo sunhat and a newsboy) and gave me full freedom on colours and style... I settled on newsboy as I figured it would stay on baby's tiny head better. Little ones are always pulling at hats (or at least my Sofia did). Anyways, she loved it, and I mean LOOOOVVVED it! The last 2 times I went for coffee I didn't pay for anything cuz she paid for my stuff then the second time the baby's mom was working and offered everything on the house again. Woot Woot! Apparently it was a wild hit!!! Auntie even asked if she could ask again in the future for more hats.... I said sure, I could do up a little kitty winter hat if she liked. I think I'll be getting another order :) This is Sofia modelling it.... it's a bit tight as it's for a 6 month old but it sure is cute on her!

So anyways, back to fabric, I ordered some cute fabric in the past and made some skirts for the girls out of some fat quarters.... and now I'm hooked. I ordered some more and saw this shop (see below) with the most adorable items and thought, I wanna make something cuter than just a skirt. I didn't get a pattern yet, I figured, I'm crafty, let's see what I can come up with.... I'll keep ya posted on how things go. This is the fabric... isn't it fun?


This shop has awesome patterns, click the picture above to check out her blog. She also has an Etsy Shop.

Happy Monday!!!

Or should I say sad Monday.... hubby starts his new job today.... he's off to Venice and then all over Europe. This new job is "supposed" to work better for us (the operative word is SUPPOSED). He's on about 20-23 days on and around 20 days off..... we'll see how it works. He might even see if it works to do 20 on and 10 off. Anyways, he'll be doing japanese tours so it should bring in more money than he's making now, plus he's used to doing these tours.... the people are so much easier to work with and not such long hours like his last job. The only part that sucks is that he's gone a bit longer. The sacrifice better be worth it. Anyways, we enjoyed our couple of days with "Ba" a lot! We went to Sarnico on Lago d'Iseo to visit with our friends Marino and Elena and their family. That town is so much nicer than ours! They actually do stuff for their citizens like installing AWESOME parks for parents and kids. They have great markets and the city is just so pretty on the lake.... we would totally consider moving there if we could.... G even told me to look into the real estate listings on the web. Even Paratico would be nice. It's on the other side if the river but it literally feels like all the same city. That little bridge in the photo is what joins the towns. Plus the city has so many beautiful villas all along the lake.... like so beautiful George Clooney should seriously consider buying one. They are fantastic. If you google Sarnico you should find some amazing picts.

Anyways, I know I am trying to keep up with the Monday Mojo thing but I'm not really upto it today.... sulkingis more my mood I suppose.... but I won't leave you empty handed... I found this little linky for a great do it yourself project at The Long Thread... It's an adorable little kids' drawing case.

Happy Friday!

So last night was the premier of Sex and the City 2....

OMGosh I want to see this! I just caught wind from my mom that my sister got herself some tickets to go see it in Red Deer with some friends.... I HATE HER! haha! Just kidding! I want to see this so bad.... I saw some picts of how the girls were all decked out... GORGEOUS!!! I loved SJP's dress! I could never pull off a neon yellow/green dress but she sure could. Oh how it makes me want to go shopping!!!

Anyways, not too much else to post. Hubby will be home for a few days (YAY!) before he starts his new job (hope it goes well). Isabella keeps telling me she wants to go to the beach so I called Ba (that's what we call dad) this morning and told Isabella to tell him. He laughed. So we'll see if we can at least swing a trip to the lake where our friends live.

Well.... that's just it. Yep, I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday. I must be trying to bump up the days so hubby can get home sooner. I swear i already went through Wednesday this week but apparently Tuesday was so much work it equalled 2 days in my head.

See, Sofia woke up at 6:30 yesterday morning (usually she's a 7:30-8 am kinda girl) and it totally threw off her whole day. She was whiny and cranky and grouchy and throwing herself on the floor in a fit kind of mood.... ALL DAY!! I swear, I asked myself why I haven't taken up drinking yet as a hobby. It was just that kind of day and of course when Sofia is like that it affects miss Bella too... oh, 2 cranky females under the age of 4.... so much fun! Then Sofia cried bloody murder cuz she didn't want to go to bed even though she was sooooo tired. That went on for about an hour.

Then hubby mentions on the phone last night he might have found a new job... (ok, it's so hard to find jobs here now it's next to a miracle to find one). Now wait for it... hubby calls this morning to tell me he'll be home Friday for a few days!?! Ok, at this place now, he's hardly been home... ok he's been home 3 days in a month and a half. Then he tells me he changed jobs!!! Ok, here we go again. Ok so I usually leave that stuff upto hubby as he's more experienced in that field and knows a lot of the companies or people who have worked for them.... wow! I hope this works out the way he wants it to. He said he had an agreement to work a little and then have some time at home, etc....

Anyways, I'm so glad I got the kids pooped out this afternoon... they're both sound asleep at 9 p.m.! Can I get a woot! woot! Ah.... momma might just relax with a glass of wine tonight and work on the skirt I've been making for Sofia. Evening folks!

(Image is linked to my photography shop "Eye Poetry")

I love this show.... Gillian McKeith is so flat out honest. I'd love to have her help in losing the last 5 kg from both pregnancies. I've decided to try (and the important word is TRY) to eat a litter better, lighter and just basically get this body back to what it used to be.... curvy and sexy. I have this sort of (I think) lumpy body.... ok hubby would say I look fine but I AM the one who would like to be like I was and that's why I need to do this. Wish me luck cuz I sure could use it!!!

Sweet Notes on Sunday.

Well I've been busy this week. I had a few card orders and I'm trying to finish up some work for a bride-to-be for her wedding. I also got asked to make a hat for a lady who works at the coffee shop right by my house. She wants one for her neice and said she just loves the hats I made for the girls. Friday my best friend back in Canada had a baby girl... Alyssa Eileen... she was almost a 9lber!!!! Very cute. I'm anxious to see more photos in the future and to hear how big sis Brenna is adjusting. I guess I better get that surprise for the new baby finished now!

Yesterday hubby was home. He's been gone for 2 weeks for work, oh the life of a tour bus driver (especially these days with the whole after effects of the hit on the stock market.) Hubby was lucky to find work... it just really sucks that he's gone for 2 weeks and only home for 1 day. The girls are totally out of sorts when he's home too. Sofia especially. Ok, so she's the baby and can be a bit of a whiner sometimes but holy man! Seriously, she is so draining the days G is home. All she does is cry all day and wants to be physically attached to G all day. If I try to change her she cries. If it looks like I'm coming to pick her up, she cries. If I'm actually holding her and need to put her down, the waterworks come flooding in! Seriously, I think I need to drink the days G is home... Sofia just might be more tolerable! haha! Thank goodness Isabella usually behaves.

Just a little shot of my table-top-balcony cherry tomatoes. So cute!

Anyways, we got some good news! We got a new playhouse for the girls... FREE!!! Ok so it's not new new... but it's new to us and that's all that matters. Everyday when we walk to get groceries we pas "nonna Maria's" house and her neighbour has a playhouse in the backyard I have been eying up. It doesn't look like they use it and I never see any smaller kids there so maybe they are all grown up I think. Of course I never remember to ask Nonna Maria. So yesterday I made hubby drive by to take a peek at it and see what he thought... there were people in the backyard, YAY! So he asked them about it and first thing they said was "want it?" HELL YEAH! G didn't even have to pay for it!! BONUS!!! The cheapest one we've found costs over one hundred euros!!! Can this frugal momma get a WOOT WOOT! So hubby brought it upstairs to put on the balcony (with a little help from our friend Adriano who showed up at the perfect time might I add.) It just needs a good cleaning. It's covered in cobwebs and dirt. Should be a fun day today when I let the girls go out on the balcony.

Yeah, I think they like it.

Just a shot of our little "garden" and playhouse.

Thursdays, Thoughts. I've been busy lately... apart from my girls that is.

I have a few Etsy shops (see the right side for my links) and my birthday cards (especially my ice cream one) have been selling like hotcakes! The ice cream theme must be a wildly new popular theme for birthdays! I actually did this card up for a friend a couple of years ago. Anyways, I have it in a sort of girly style so I thought I'd offer a version that would suit the little gentleman in your life. I also added a cuppy cake invite for my clients. It's oh so scrumptious! I'm just in love with it now! I might have to try and spin it for a baby announcement! We'll see. Here's the two new cards:

So I have been staring at this computer so much lately I felt I needed a non-electrical craft release. I bought some fab fabric fat quarters off Etsy and have been trying to decide what to do with them. Originally I though I might make a cute little clutch but I've been seeing so many cute skirts on Etsy lately I thought I'd use the fabric for a new skirt for Isabella.... I'm trying to figure out the best way to work it so it will work for Sofia too.... we'll see what I come up with.... I am sewing it all by hand... yes I'm throwing back to the days of pioneers...haha! I actually am doing this by hand because I don't have a sewing machine... it's on my "honey I want" list. Apparently hubby's brother has their mom's old sewing machine so I asked G to call Davide to see if I can steal it from him for a little while until I get my own. G's sis is coming this weekend to bring some little ride on cars for the girls. We are in search for a little playhouse for the girls to put on our balcony for the crappy rainy days and for the super hot days. See our condo's backyard is in full, super hot sun in the afternoon. It's just too hot even for me to be out there. I figured at least they can play in the playhouse on the balcony with the blinds pulled and still get some fresh air. I hope we can find a used one cuz really, those plastic houses don't really get too worn out before the kids grow out of them.... heck, then maybe we can pass it onto Elisabetta and Alessandro. Ale is G's nephew and we recently found out they are expecting! And it gets better! Betta is due right around Sofia's birthday! Maybe we can celebrate together! I'm already on the hunt for baby gift ideas!.... I might have to make a cute monkey hat or something!

So that's about it. I'm trying to get my Suzy Homemaker on and actually craft something by hand. It's no less strain on the eyes but for some reason it just feels so much more relaxing. As soon as I get it done, I'll post some photos.

Have a great Thursday and I'd love to see what you are all busy with!