Doug has hobbies too...

So, this blog has unintentionally become a showcase of all of my projects.  However, Doug has been busy as well.  He has recently taken up photography.  It all started with his sister Virginia's wedding.  Today we took some senior pictures of my cousins.  He is hoping to make it a side business, but he just loves doing it regardless of if he's making money or not.  He recently designed a website.  Please go check it out, and tell us what you think!  It's called Depth of Field Photography.  Oh, and if you want any pictures done...

http://www.depthoffieldphotography.com/Depth_of_Field_Photography/Home.html

The Latest Sewing Projects

Thought I'd post some of the latest sewing projects I have made.  These were for my sister for her baby shower. 

Boppy cover and Nursing Cover (Double sided this time!)

Carseat Canopy, Diaper Case, and Wipes Case

Wipes Case and Diaper Case

Wipes Case (First time I have made this.  Really cute, but a pain in the butt!)

Back to School!

Well, summer came and went. It seems like it hardly even came. I had so much I wanted to do, but between weddings, weekends, visits, and other adventures, my to do list is nearly as long today as it was on May 28th. Ah, such is life, I suppose.

I am wrapping up my first full week of school with my new kiddos, and let me say, I am EXHAUSTED! Not only am I not used to getting up before 9:30 every day (yes, feel sorry for me), but these kids have a LOT of energy! I have been complaining to Doug that I don't "like" this class as much as last year's, but he reminded me that I said the same thing at the beginning of last year, and I ended up liking them better than the class before. I suppose it just takes time. I hope.

I am starting some new things this year. Mostly integrating more small group work, because even I get bored of hearing me talk. One big thing on my plate this year is my Professional Development Dossier. In English, it's a big portfolio/project I have to complete in order to move up a tier as a teacher and get a much needed pay raise. What it seems to comprise of is tooting my own horn. Hey, I'll do anything (legal) if it means a raise ;) There are a lot of us at the school that will be working on it, so it will be nice to have buddies that are going through the same thing. That way, we can meet and compare notes and hopefully make this thing a whole lot easier.

Anyways, sorry if this was boring. I think I just needed to write about my thoughts. I've felt so discombobulated lately. (Hey, I think I just spelled discombobulated correctly!) So I don't feel bad if you skim-read this post, or even skipped it.

And mom, here's your picture of my first day of school. (Yes, I still take a first-day-of-school picture every year. Probably will till I retire.)

Beth's Reversible Apron

What can I say, I love aprons! They're the perfect gift for a new bride, and almost guaranteed to fit. With Doug's sister getting married in July, I knew I needed to find a cute apron to make. I found an awesome tutorial for a reversible apron here.

I had soo much fun making it! And I was only tempted to beat my sewing machine with a hammer once or twice.






Doug took the pictures with his new camera. I guess I should post some of his awesome pics, instead of only sewing pictures. We'll see.

Amanda

Christmas Gift Projects pt. 2

Here is my second Christmas gift project. I made matching mother-daughter aprons for my sister and my niece. I knew I had made the right choice when my niece refused to take off my apron last time she visited.

"New" chairs!

Ok, so I got a wild hair and decided to re-cover my kitchen chairs. Well, actually, we have never liked the fabric on the chairs and we have been meaning to cover them for almost 6 years. Last night was the night. I got the idea from this blog, which is going to get me into a lot of trouble: http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/

Anyways, here are the pics:
BEFORE: Ho-hum.

Yuck! Even though I've cleaned these, I cannot believe how nasty they are!

Naked Chair!

Taking off the old fabric:

SO MANY STAPLES!

We used the old fabric as a template...

So like most projects I start, Doug got dragged into it. Well, I think he just wanted to play with his new staple gun!


Here's a closeup of the fabric. I love the coral!

The finished product! Wowsa!


For comparison's sake...

Christmas Gift Projects pt. 1

Ok, so this Christmas I tried to make as many homemade gifts as possible. I really underestimated the time it would take me, and so I didn't get to do as much as I wanted. Next time I will start in September or so so that I can do more and not be so rushed. Anyways, the first project I did was stuffed kittens for my nieces Zorianna and Luna. I got the pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. They turned out really cute, I think. Like always, I learned a lot during this project. I learned how to do some embroidery stitching. I also learned how to edgestitch, satin stitch, and slipstitch. Anyways, here are the pics:

Happy Birthday, Michele!

I guess my blog is turning into a birthday card. Oh well...

Today is my sister's birthday. Unfortunately she has to share it with New Mexico (which usually eats all of the cake).

Michele is her name; funny is her game. My sister and I laugh together more than should be humanly possible. She is hilarious! She has a cynical and silly sense of humor.

She is also very smart. I've always been jealous of her brain power. She's always been a great writer and she can read big words. Nowadays she teaches high school students how to be smart. And I bet she does a great job. We always joke about her being like the teacher in "Freedom Writers". While I've never actually seen the movie, I do picture her as the type of teacher that pushes students to do more than what they imagine that they can.

This has just ended up being a lot of rambling. And I didn't even edit and re-write, which probably disappoints you, Michele. But I just wanted to tell you HAPPY BIRTHDAY and I can't wait to see you soon and really celebrate!