leather pouch

 

my dad comes over to see Leo and I once a week and he usually has change for Leo to put in his coin banks.  the last time he was over he mentioned that he wanted to get a leather bag to keep the coins in that he brings over (he had them in a sock because he'd collected so many to bring) so I thought I'd try to see if I could make one for him.

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but thought I'd Google it and see what other ideas there were before I settled on a design, and I'm glad I did because I love this one:

 

I have a bag of saddle scraps so I just used that, but I think I'd try it with suede next time.  the piece I had that was big enough had a cheap looking finish, so I sanded it off and used some old walnuts I had to oil it and make it soft and dark.  a good way to get the most oil out of the nut was to squeeze them through my garlic press to make a paste.

 

I cut two half circles out of a softer leather for the sides so they gathered easy, and measured around the curved side to figure out how long to make the rectangle then sewed the round side of the half circle to the edge of the rectangle.  after I did both sides I punched holes along the sides and put two on the front and back to lace a piece of cord through.

it holds quite a bit of change but it's still pretty small.  I like how it came out, but I think my favorite part of it is the smell!

it's a...

I had my Dr. appointment today to find out what we're having.  when I went in two weeks ago I thought I was going to have to wait another month for the next sonogram since we weren't going to do it at that appointment.  I was kinda bummed, but during the visit my Dr. said I could come back sooner than 4 weeks to find out - I didn't have to nag about it, let alone even bring it up!

with Leo I knew what I had my heart set on so I sorta felt more like he was a boy, but with this one I had no idea.  I knew what I wanted (another boy!), but I felt like it could be either or.  I was relieved to find out we won't have to buy all new stuff with this one!  I can't wait to go through all of Leo's old clothes again :)  sorry Naomi, maybe next time.

more baby crochet

 

I made these for a friend of mine who had her little girl a few weeks too early.  I looked online for some crochet patterns and found this hat pattern, and this really quick and easy bootie video tutorial.

 

after hunting for the hat, I decided it was simpler to find regular baby patterns and adjust to make them fit the measurements I needed (which I got from here) than to find a preemie sized pattern.

 

I added an extra row of puff stitch and two rows of single crochet at the bottom on the hat instead of one like the pattern said to do so it was closer to the measurements I was looking for.

 

for the booties I used a smaller hook than what the lady in the video did, and I only made the toe 1.5" long, and 1.5" for the sides and back so it was the recommended 3".

they look so small to me, but I've been gauging her size from photos of her head and feet compared to peoples hands as well as going off the size chart for 4-5lb babies.  I'm still worried they won't fit, but they worked up so quick I can always whip up another set if I need to.

crochet washcloth

I crocheted some washcloths to put in a basket for my Nana's 80th birthday.  I used a natural looking ecru yarn by Sugar 'n Cream and this pattern.  with an H hook, the 2.5oz skein got me two washcloths with maybe 12" left over!  cuttin' it a little close so I'm glad I was able to make two finished washcloths and didn't have to buy another skein just for a few yards or something.  I'd like to do more but I think each one took me about two hours to do, so if I have time and get a chance I might go get another skein and make two more.

I ironed some ribbon to a piece of 8.5"x11" freezer paper and ran it through my printer to make the label so she sees that I made them for her in case I don't get to see her open the basket.  makes it cute, too :)  there's so many tutorials out there that tell you how to use your inkjet printer to print on fabric, but here's one I found that covers the basics.  I don't recommend using ribbon for smaller fonts since it spreads a little before the ink dries and looks fuzzy.  since this is just packaging, and even though I heat set it after I printed, it won't make it through the wash.  there is some kinda liquid stuff (Bubble Jet Set, I think) you can treat fabric with to make it washable after printing, but I haven't tried any yet.

pancake doughnuts

I got Leo hooked on pancakes for breakfast a little while back.  it's always been one of my favorite breakfast meals, so I don't mind that much right now!  I was making them every morning for about a week and decided to make extra and freeze them instead.  I've never had much luck with pancakes holding their shape when re-heated, and Leo was super frustrated when they fell apart and didn't stay on the fork.  my mom used to have a sandwich maker that we'd make pancakes in and they were less flimsy than flat pancakes, so I thought I'd give the mini doughnut maker a try and see if that would work the same.

I like using the Hungry Jack extra light and fluffy mix that just needs water - super convenient!  I pretty much eyeball the water to mix ratio and they always turn out just fine. I found a clear condiment squirt bottle that works great to fill the mini doughnut maker without drips and wasted globs.  they're so much easier for Leo to eat and I think they have a better flavor after being frozen and re-heated than regular pancakes do.

 

I make as many as I can stand to do at one time and freeze them in baggies.  makes a quick breakfast for Leo that he will rarely turn down, and if I'm feeling like pancakes but not the mess of making them I can steal a few for myself as well!

weekend away

Matt and I took a long weekend just the two of us.  we left Leo behind and went to stay in a cabin in Broken Bow, OK.  it was really nice!  the reservation got mixed up and we ended up only being able to stay one night :(  but that was alright.  I love the place we stayed in - the cabin was covered in wood from floor to ceiling and smelled awesome!  we fell asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs.

we tried a nearby pizza place when we got there - it was okay.  I've had better pizza, but it was a pretty cool place.  I was feeling kinda sick from being in the car all afternoon and not eating soon enough, so we went to their gift shop the next day and bought a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt for Leo, some natural, handmade soap for my mother-in-law, and a tomato spread for my parents.

we went to Forest Heritage Center Museum and saw a bunch of old wood stuff and made a smashed penny for Leo's collection of smashed pennies from places he's been (even though he wasn't with us) to someday make something cool like the leather bracelet shown here.

we also drove around looking for antique stores and gift shops, and ended up going to an auction.  that was pretty fun :)  we bid on some small stuff and won an antique shaving mirror.  I love it!  I've been putting my rings and earrings in the little routed out spots at the front of the drawer (I'm not sure what would have been stored there originally - razor handles?) and maybe later I'll line the drawer with my leftover embossed felt so stuff doesn't roll around in the drawer when it's open and closed.

we plan on making this a yearly trip (or a when-we-need-furniture trip!)  they had some cool stuff that went for what you'd probably pay for new, but it was REAL wood and good quality.  we went later in the day and that might have been the difference because I noticed the smaller the crowd got the less were there to bid and stuff sold for less.  we'll be taking our truck next time and look for a dresser or something.  I wish we had room for some of the really cool things they were auctioning off - who couldn't use a giant 5' square glass pie safe in their kitchen or a 7.5' x 9' mirror in a gold frame? ;)