Baby, hue make me so happy

I never planned to live vicariously through my daughter, but I have to tell you that I am positively reveling in all of the color that she has brought into our lives (both literally and metaphorically, of course).

from Sandra Boynton’s Blue Hat, Green Hat

Rae just wrote about her changing relationship to pink, and I am right there with her. I am having a blast putting together baby Grace’s room, with Michael Miller’s Pretty Bird fabric popping up everywhere.

check out the $10 dresser I repainted! And of course the old standby canvas-covered-by-fabric “art”

I’ve noticed that a rainbow theme is an excellent way to make a simple project exciting, like these little rice bags:

Some of them were supposed to have real pictures of our family on one side, but the photo transfer paper I used to iron on didn’t stand up to the abuse of a teething baby so that idea quickly fell by the wayside. (The unexpected bonus, however, is that I’ve started throwing a few of these in the freezer and they are excellent for gnawing.)

My big color-and-scraps project for the summer was inspired by a fellow blogger. When K at West Coast Creative started her landscape projects this summer, I was intrigued by her every stitch. And although I knew I wouldn’t do hand sewing at this moment in time, I decided to apply some of the free form principles to something that had been stirring in my mind for a while: a color and texture baby book for Grace. No patterns, no forethought, just using scraps as best I could! Some edges I incorporated into the design, others I properly finished, some I just zig-zagged in place. I was careful to stitch everything very securely, especially snaps and buttons. It’s not quite as sophisticated as the quiet book I saw a while ago, but it was age appropriate for her this summer and fun for both of us. I used crumply bags and ahem, cat toys inside a few of the pages for added texture and noise, and it was a hit!

And then there’s the stash enhancement that all of this color bliss brings along with it. I mean, I am using my scraps, but can you imagine how much fun I had when I won the PR Children’s Sewing Contest (the random entry prize, thank goodness, because if I had won for my sewing skills I’d probably have been too shy to share it with you) and got a gift certificate to the Fabric Fairy? Not only did I finally get my paws on an Ottobre, but I also got some fun and funky knits for fall. Thank you, Fabric Fairy and PR!

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