creative little daisy

Way more about me than anyone should be forced to read.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to answer all those fun questions you asked. Maybe I should have broken this up into several small posts, I don't know, it's kind of like taking cough syrup- some folks want to get it down in one quick swallow, others need to take it in tiny increments. I'm counting on you guys being the one quick swallow type, so here you go. It's ok if you make a bad face and chase it with some soda if you like.

First question is from Shellie:

Hi! No more how do you stay so thin questions right! Where in Eastern NC? I am near Charlotte. I have been keeping up with you sewing and learned so much from you. Happy sewing.

Hi there Shellie in Charlotte, I'm about 3 hours away in a tiny town east of Fayetteville. I hear Charlotte is getting an Ikea. How soon? Happy sewing to you too!!

Stephanie asked:

What is your favorite place to visit and why?

Every summer since before we were married, we visit the beach at least once.  I'm sure that I'd love to visit a tropical beach, I've just never done it. For now, I'll say, I look forward to relaxing in the sun at Myrtle Beach.

Sunny,

If you could go back to when your kids were toddlers, what would you do the same or differently?

Hmmmm.... good question, but also a tough one. If I could go back to when they were toddlers, with the knowledge I have now, I would try to provide more structure and discipline. I believe dealing with disappointments is more difficult for them because all I ever wanted to do was make them happy when the truth is, you can't always have things the way you want them. I failed my children by not teaching them this early on. I'm sure they both could have been saved some heartaches if they had faced more disappointments and been lovingly guided through that disappointment when they were toddlers and young children.

Erin, you made me think too by asking about some favorites. I can never name one favorite anything- so I hope you don't mind if I give you more than you asked for.

favorite book: A Fine Balance, I Know This Much Is True, The Prince of Tides, Gone with the Wind, are just a few that I really enjoyed reading.

favorite movie: Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy, Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride, Letters from Iwo Jima, Notting Hill, Steel Magnolias, Throw Mama From the Train, The Shawshank Redemption, ET, A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music, just to name a few.

favorite song (s): This one was the toughtest, I have so many and they are ever changing, some constants are: Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Desperado (Eagles), Sweet Home Alabama, Free Bird, Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd) I can't help it, those WT roots run deep. The entire Rumours album (Fleetwood Mac), Soulshine (Allman Brothers), In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel), Crazy (Patsy Cline), I Believe (Brooks and Dunn), Your Song  (Elton John), Fire and Rain (James Taylor), In My Life (the Beatles), Live to Tell (Madonna), Against All Odds, One More Night, I Wish It Would Rain Down (Phil Collins)

favorite meal: I love steak cooked on the grill, could eat my weight in crab legs, can't get enough tomato sandwiches in the summer, and I can make a meal of the chips and salsa at our favorite local Mexican restaurant.

Lisa had several questions:

Hey, Autum. I'd love to know your favorite places to get all those great fabrics! Also, how do you organize your day? Do you just go from one thing to the next, do you have a favorite time of day for crafts/sewing, do you make lists? And lastly, how do you keep your fabrics & scraps organized in your sewing room?

Lisa, a lot of my fabric is purchased online, I have my favorites linked in my sidebar, over there to the right ---> See it? (You may have to scroll down a bit) Look under fun places to shop. Locally, I shop at JoAnn and Hancock Fabrics.

How do I organize my day? Not very well. I have a one track mind and tend to get very involved in what I'm doing, be it sewing or cleaning (or wasting time on the computer)   I've not mastered the art of multi-tasking. Not a list maker and most of my sewing/ crafting is done before 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

I do try to keep things fairly organized in my sewing room. I can't work if things are too chaotic. One of my favorite tutorials e-v-e-r, was Monica's fabric folding tut. It has made keeping my fabric organized so much easier.

Glenna,

Definitely!  Dish about where you buy your fabrics!

OK, I dished- see above.

And...if you go out to eat, what's your favorite thing to order, be it humble (I like fried bologna on white bread with mustard) or fancy?

I don't eat anything fancy, but I would have to be very very hungry to eat bologna. I've made many fried blologna sandwiches, I just don't eat 'em. I do like red hots on a hamburger bun though and that's a lot like fried bologna. I guess what I order depends on what's on the menu. If we go to a place that has steak, I usually order a steak, probably a ribeye, medium-well.

Kristin asked,

what would you do if you won the lottery and had enough money from your winnings to never have to work again.

Believe it or not, I really wouldn't want to win BIG in the lottery. I wouldn't mind winning enough to maybe pay off our debts, and buy a few nice things for those I love, but I think having that much more than you need only leads to problems- you know, that old money is the root of all evil business. Don't get me wrong, I  wouldn't turn down  several hundred thousand, a million would make life much easier, but I wouldn't wish to be a multi-million dollar winner, call me crazy.

Misty wanted to know,

What is the most meaningful/memorable thing you have sewn and given away?
I think any time I've made a baby quilt, I've put a lot of heart into it, but the quilt  and crib bedding I made for Bayleigh were extra-special to me.

I loved this question from Christina:

okay...heres a good one. Do you ever get insecure about the things you make? I make bags also and whenever I have orders they are never good enough for me. I end up feeling like I should just give them to the people...I see all the faults. Do you ever feel that way, how do you overcome it?

Do I ever get insecure? All. The. Time! I find fault in everything I make and I doubt I will ever completely overcome it. I do feel better about my abilities than I once did, but I will always be my worst critic. I just have to remind myself that the appeal of something handmade sometimes lies in those tiny "imperfections".

From Anne:

When you painted your kitchen cabinets did you just sand them or did you strip the wood finish? I'll be painting my with oil paint too.

I sanded lightly, just to take the shine off, using a scotch-brite pad. I also cleaned them thoroughly with TSP to remove any greasy residue. Before painting I primed with 2 coats of kilz primer.

What are the top five things that make you laugh?

My husband. He has such a quick, dry wit. He makes me laugh every day. The newest thing making me laugh, is watching Bayleigh. She makes the sweetest, funniest faces, I could (and do) just sit and watch her for hours. The dogs are a sure form of entertainment around here most days. Spending time with Alyssa is sure to include some laughter and I never talk to my friend Kelli without laughing. Casey shares his dad's quick wit, so when he isn't making me want to scream, he can be pretty funny.

Just a comment... I love your sense of color and style, from your sewing, to your house to your clothing. More importantly your strength.

Awww, thanks Anne! You are so sweet!

Lisa is sweet too!

I think your work is beautiful! My question is: Do you come from a sewing/quilting family or have you taught yourself?

Thank you Lisa!! I do come from a sewing family. I've said before that my granny was the original Martha Stewart. There wasn't anything she couldn't do. I never had any interest in sewing though until about six years ago, so most of my sewing has been self taught. I do turn to my aunt Mary anytime I get stuck with something and she always knows how to fix whatever mess I've made. A couple of years ago I signed up for a beginners sewing class but was able to attend 3 classes (the instructor had to return home to Japan for a family emergency).  Those 3 classes were quite helpful, though.  I want to try it again.

Leonie, I think that answers your question. You also asked to see my craft area. Here are some pictures.

Good grief, this is getting long. Only 2 more. Bless your heart if you've read all this.

Hi June! 

I'm from N.C., too (born in Kinston but never lived there, lived in Jacksonville and Wilmington). My favorite beach is Topsail Island, followed by Wrightsville Beach. Where in eastern N.C. do you live? And, do you go to S.O.S. in Myrtle Beach?

Wilmington is beautiful isn't it? We live east of Fayetteville, sort of between two very tiny towns that I doubt you've heard of. Stedman and Autryville. Stedman has one stoplight. Autryville has a caution light.
We don't go to S.O.S. but we've been to Myrtle Beach that weekend many times. It must be the first weekend in May, our Aniversary is May 2nd, so we've been there many times when the shaggers converge on the shore.

Amanda asked about the bedding I made for Bayleigh's crib.

I want to know how you made the bedding for your grandbaby? did you use a pattern or just figure it out? the bumper doesn't seem to hard to figure out if you had one to reference but i could never figure out the sheets. I'm asking because I am having a baby and there is NOTHING just right to buy.

I emailed Amanda about this, but in case anyone else had the same question, yes and no. I did have a pattern and read the instructions to get an idea where to begin. I didn't end up using the pattern, but it was a good starting point. I followed these directions for making the fitted sheet.

Happy Friday y'all! Go out and have some fun!

My cool new shoes are Camilla Engman Lil' Red Riding Hood Converse Allstars. I first saw these modeled by my buddy LLA (who I really miss, by the way) and knew I had to have a pair.  I was never able to find my size on the Converse  site, but with some searching, I got lucky and found them here.

And just like that, everything changed...

Of course, I knew things would be different. We'd be changing our routines, making room for the newest member of our family. I knew there would be joy and excitement. I knew I'd be proud. I knew I'd love the new little one, and yet, I didn't have a clue.  I have so much to say, so much to share. I wish you could sit at my kitchen table with a glass of iced tea and chat while I throw a load of clothes in the washer, catch up on the week's events while I do the dishes. I've been spending some of the weekend trying to do a little of the work that has fallen by the wayside while I've been attending to much more important matters, like staring at this beauty.

I'm learning a new role, the role of nana, and what a precious, wonderful gift is this new role. It's all together different from being a mom and yet I'm not sure I can put into words just how. All you other grandmothers know, it's just different. The love is pure and sweet and unencumbered by the worries and fears that come with parenting. Not only do I love this baby more than I thought possible, I have a whole new level of love and understanding for her mother. 

Priceless, that's the only way to describe the experience of watching my own daughter become a mother. Mitch and I were amazed by the strength and courage with which she brought this little one into the world and were so grateful to have shared in this precious moment in time. We were proud of how gentle and loving Derek was with her, even as he was scared to death.

I know the road ahead of them will not be an easy one. They have many sleepless nights ahead, but they will be just fine. I guess the gift of grandparent-hood is being on the other side of those sleepless nights and being able to just love.

Thank you,  thank you, many times thank you for all the sweet welcoming words for Bayleigh. Alyssa and I have read each and every one. I usually try to answer each comment personally because they do mean so much to me, but this time, please understand if I just say thank you to you all. I'm very busy these days, you know, with staring and such.

More pictures of the cutie here.

Let me introduce you

to Bayleigh Caroline

born Sunday at 8:41 pm weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces

I'm in love!

I knew I could count on you!

And you delivered. Reading your questions over the past few days has given me lots to ponder. Some have been easy to answer and some have required me to look a little deeper, think a little more and provided me with some welcome distraction this weekend. (I'll break up my answers in a couple of posts.)

The first question was from Molly:

When do you get up in the morning? Are you a morning person? night owl?

I'm definitely a morning person. My days of burning the midnight oil are long gone. When the light of day starts to fade so do I.

What crafts do you see yourself still doing when you're old and gray?

I've never thought of this one. I hope I'll still be doing crafts that are relevant to the times. I don't want to torture my grandchildren with handmade gifts from Nana that they dread getting.

Stephanie asked:

well..first of all, what is the name and brand of the wonderful paint color in the background of this photo! beautiful! we just painted some blue around the house and we love it...it looks very similar.

Stephanie, the paint is a Martha Stewart color called Vintage Kitchen from her Sherwin Williams line. I don't think they have her paint anymore but there is a color in her line at Lowes called Vintage Map that looks identical to me. 

second...i had no idea that you were so close..we are in VA!

Yep, we're down here in NC, not too far from Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. Howdy neighbor!

From Beth:

How did you and Mitch meet?

Well, we actually knew of each other before we technically "met". He is a little more than four years older than me- not a very big difference when you're 39 and 43, but when you're 14 and 18 it's a world of difference. He was dating a girl I went to church with. She was his age and lived right across the street from my best friend, April. We were always around, on our bikes, and to him we were just little girls. I'm sure he never gave me a second thought, but I thought he was really cute.  Fast forward three years, I'm 17 and he's 22, our paths cross by way of mutual friends one spring night and we've been together since.

Susan and a few others wonder how I stay so thin.

The only thing I want to know is how you stay so thin. Clothes look gorgeous on you. And I knew you didn't look old enough to be an almost grandma. I was 45 when I became one, and I thought that was young.

How do I stay so thin? I just do, despite my efforts not to.  90 pounds on a 5' 4" frame, is too thin, and clothes really don't look so gorgeous on me. There's not a curve to be found on me. My doctor attributes it to a high metabolism related to my lung disease. I burn lots of calories doing everyday things, sweeping the floor is a workout.

Yes, 39 is a young Nana. I was 18 (nearly 19) when I had Alyssa and she's 20. 

Cheryl had a few questions:

I have a few questions for ya tee hee.....

What inspires you to craft/sew?

What doesn't? I have way more inspiration than I have time or energy to actually do. I definitely have crafting ADD. I want to try this, I must do that... Lately, Flickr provides a wealth of inspiration. Now if it could also provide some motivation to go with all that inspiration.

Are most of the things you share your creations (dreamed up from you)? or do you use a pattern?

I'd say it's a mix of both. If I post about something that's been made from a pattern, I'll always reference the pattern.

Your creations are wonderfully crafted in great color combos. Do what do you attribute having such great color coordination in your projects?

I'm asked this one a lot. I can't say I have any particular color coordination methods, I just trust my eyes. I don't have any rules, I just go with what is pleasing to my eye.

Mallory, you asked a couple of good ones.

Thanks for allowing us to ask you questions and I have two! :-) 1. How did you get so skilled at sewing; and 2. How do you stay in your sewing room long enough to make these beautiful creations...and take such good care of a family too? I do not accomplish as much as you do! :-)

My sewing skills have improved purely by sewing- just like the old saying, practice makes perfect. I'm a long, long way from perfect, but I do a lot of practicing. The second part of your question really gave me lots to think about when I read it, because I guess if I were completely honest, I don't take such good care of my family. I hate to cook and we eat take-out way to often,  Casey has at least 10 loads of laundry scattered about his room, (should I be doing an 18-year-old's laundry?) and I only grocery shop when we are in danger of starving if I don't. I could write a whole post about this, but to keep it short here, Mallory, I am not good at juggling my time between sewing and the other stuff. It's all about balance, and I've yet to achieve it.

Hey there Anna, you asked some fun questions.

What's your favorite snack food?

I love me some chips and salsa, a Bavarian creme filled donut can't be beat, then there's cheese. I do love cheese, but I can't say it aloud because there are four other creatures around here who love it just as much or more and if you say the word, you better be prepared to deliver.

When you can sneak a few free moments, what's your favorite way to relax?

Me and the boys (Mitch, Toby and Lucky) love to hang out together and watch TV in the evening. Mitch likes to have ice-cream and the boys sit patiently waiting because they always get the last 2 bites. (They actually eat ice cream from a spoon)

And....what's the one thing you can hardly wait to tell that precious new baby girl????

I plan to tell her how much I love her and how much fun we are going to have together. I had the best granny there ever was, so I have some big shoes to fill and I can't wait to get started.

Lynn in NC had a couple:

Two questions:
1)why the name creative little daisy? (BTW, daisies are my favorite)

When I decided to start my blog, I had no idea what to call it. I gave Alyssa, Mitch and my friend Kelli a list of five or six questions requiring one word answers. Questions like, when you think of me, what food comes to mind, what flower, what movie... name one word that describes me... I took their answers and used them in several different combinations coming up with a few potential names. Creative Little Daisy was the winning combination, coming in close second was Fried Green Ravioli. Do you think I made the right choice?

2)where else have you lived other than NC?

Nowhere. I've only had four different addresses and two of them were next door to one another.   

OK, I'm going to stop there since this is getting really long. I'll answer the rest in another post.
Why the photo above?  I just wanted to share my cool new shirt. $5.95 at Ross.

What do you really want to know?

I've been tagged a couple of times lately to name 7 weird things or 7 random facts about myself. Sounds easy, right? Not so much.  Especially given the fact I've already listed 7 things at least a couple of times, that makes 14, plus I even listed 100 things once (way back when) and my about me page has 25 things. By my calculation that must be about 700 things you never even cared to know in the first place. Instead of me trying to narrow down my many quirks to seven, how about I do what Molly did.  You ask me what you want to know- that's assuming you want to know anything, and if you don't, that's ok too. I understand, you're busy and have other things to do. Really, it's fine. Don't give it a second thought. It's just that I was fascinated by the interesting and thought provoking questions that were asked of Molly, so I thought going that route would surely be more interesting than telling you that once when I was a child, six-ish, I put poison ivy down my shirt because I thought it would be fun to have poison ivy. It wasn't fun. And you really didn't want to know that, did you? What is it that you would like to know about this darn near 40-year-old wife and mom, soon-to-be-nana, sewing hermit and zoo keeper living in eastern North Carolina? Ask away! 

How I've been keeping myself busy

While we wait...

Making blankets,

and itty-bitty dresses

with matching shoes.

Lots of people have asked where to find the patterns for the shoes and dress. They are linked in the post, just click the word shoes (above) for the shoe pattern, and itty-bitty dresses for the dress pattern. Whenever a word is a different color in my posts, it means it is a link to another page- usually with more information about what I am discussing in the post.

Oh yea, one more thing- Rae has started an itsy-bitsy baby dress flickr group, if you use her pattern to make the dress, be sure to join the group and share a photo. 

Blowing in the breeze...

Sheets won on ebay- they came out of the box with that distinctive otherpeoplesoldstuff smell. You know what I'm talking about, thrift store smell. Into the washer with some hot water, a little white vinegar added to the detergent, then out to the clothesline.

Like magic, they smell like sunshine and warm breezes.

Hi, how was your day?

Mine was pretty good. Did a little thrifting, had Mexican food, went with Alyssa to the ob/gyn- not in that particular order. Alyssa's been having contractions, mild ones, but she wanted to get checked out.  It looks like Miss Bayleigh may have begun packing her bags and getting ready for life on the outside. No real labor, but the wheels have started turning. I know and have warned Alyssa, this could go on for days, maybe weeks, but I have a feeling, just like her mama*, this little one may arrive a little early. 
After the doctor visit, we hit a couple of thrift stores, no exciting finds unfortunately. I wanted a couple more sheets to make lounge pants. Thanks, by the way, for your nice words about those, the idea wasn't original. I knew I'd seen a picture on flickr or read a blog post where someone used a sheet to make lounge pants. It was one of those things I thought was a great idea when I saw it, but didn't have time to make any for myself- the seed was planted. I had a couple of thrifted sheets on the shelf waiting to be used. Why can't you find sheets like that new- smooth and soft, but at the same time crisp? They don't get all wrinkly and they don't pill. I miss sleeping under sheets like that. Ahhhh..... Where was I? Oh, the seed was planted, but I didn't remember by who. Then a few of you commented on what a great idea that was, so I thought it was important to point out, that yes it was a super idea, but not mine. All it took was a quick google search to find the original pants, and guess what, she was inspired by someone else. Good ideas  spread like wildfire through the blogoshere, don't they? Another great, but not original to me idea led me to make this pretty little bit of wall art for Bayleigh's room.

I was inspired by Erin who was inspired by Ali.  Alyssa punched the butterflies out of cards and gift tags from baby gifts she's received and I mounted them just the way Ali described, with foam dots. Easy art and I think it's pretty cute too. Thanks Erin, Ali, Leslie and Amanda for sharing and inspiring.

*Alyssa was six weeks early.

Loungey

I made some lounge pants from a sheet. A super soft sheet. Now I think I should go find some more sheets, or else I'll be wearing these everyday. I'm not completely happy with the fit. What is up patterns and high waisted pants? I do not wear my pants pulled up like Steve Urkel, but the major pattern companies seem to think I should. I made these from New Look 6060 specifically because the pattern jacket stated that they are worn 1 1/2 inch below the waist- they didn't say where the crotch would fall if they were worn 1 1/2 inch below the waist though. I ended up cutting about an inch off the top and they still ride higher than I wanted. Any suggestions on the best way to alter a pattern to lower the rise?

flickr makes me happy

so much beauty, so little time
Originally uploaded by creativelittledaisy

I sometimes lose myself in all the beauty on this wonderful site. I don't select a photo as a favorite with any theme in mind, yet they always seem to develop. This mosaic of favorites looks to me like a quilt, each square different, but somehow similar. None chosen for their color or subject matter- only because they were pleasing to my eye. It seems lately I'm pleased with babies, quilts, aqua with red and puppies. No surprises there.