bruises and snoozes!

So in my efforts to make Christmas vacation memorable the boys and I made a list of things we wanted to do and then sat down to downsize the list and figure out who, what, when and where etc. Here is the list:
*swimming *bowling *skating *sledding *playing Nintendo 64 *playing Hullabaloo *visiting cousins
I called Stephen to see what his recommendations were (he was working). He said "pick one we have to pay for and one that we don't and we'll see if we can't accomplish that this week, we just can't fit it all in". True enough! So we did secret ballot by writing for those that can and drawing for those that can't read. Much to my disappointment bowling won and skating got ousted! (I love to skate) We made plans with friends of our that we haven't seen in 8 years to go together bowling today. This morning they called and their kids were throwing up so we had to reschedule for later in the week. I turned to Stephen and said "so since we aren't going bowling today shall we skate?" I'm so sly!

The boys had fun, complained at first cause they could not stay up for anything....by the end they were starting to get the hang of it. They kept saying "I want to skate like you (with tears in their eyes)" to which I replied "honey, I've been skating since I was three, I had a skating rink in my backyard! That's like me wanting to play the violin as well as Daddy right away and he's been playing since he was three! It takes lots of work and patience!"
I'm interested to see how many bruises I'll find on them at bath time tomorrow, but with all the excitement and falling, there will be a lot of snoozing tonight!

**PHEW!!**

I've been busy trying to get some new covers and skirts posted to my Etsy shop. It feels so good to have them listed and not sitting here calling my name! Now I can move onto other sewing projects like Christmas pajamas that didn't get done in time, Hawaiian quilts for the boys beds, and many new aprons for my shop. Also I need to get the pattern finished and tweaked and ready for printing. With a to do list like this think I'll be busy until next year 2010! Happy New Year to all....wish I could boast of exciting New Years plans but sadly I have to work, so I'll be ringing in the New Year over the phone with my Jetblue customers. Stephen will also be working so at least I'll get a New Years kiss when he gets home right before midnight strikes! Hope 2009 is a successful, memorable and fulfilling year for you all. Cheers,
Kara

it's treasury time!!

Ellen of ellenmorrowarts on Etsy included me in a stunning treasury called pure...clear...COLOR! thanks Ellen!

The green goblin!

I just have to post this hilarious picture of my little Simon in his green goblin garb! Stephen says he looks like a little pro-wrestler. He has gone through quite a growth spurt and we have very few pairs of pants for him that actually fit, as they were all in the wash either drying or washing I put on these little leg warmers to keep him somewhat toasty in the middle of winter. This little guy just cracks me up, I can't get enough of him (except when he turns off the computer when I'm in the middle of an email/post ARGGG!) still I'll take him in whatever form I can get, he is such a treasure!

Fa La La La La.....little Cindy Lou Who!

Sorry for the marathon posts...can you tell we finally got a new computer after 2 months without one (I was dying!)
My neighbor, and might I add one of the most fabulous people on the planet showed up at my door with this wreath for me! She is one of those people that you just want to be around all the time cause she makes you feel so good about yourself and makes you want to be a little better a the same time. She just ooooozes love, you know the kind of person I'm talking about?? They are a rare comodity and such a treasure. This wreath is quirky and fun and reminds me so much of Little Cindy Lou Who, don't you think? I love it. My neighbor said that she wasn't sure if it would endure the cold with the glue and the glass and expansion and such, but I told her I would have to take my chances cause it's just too gorgeous to keep all to myself.

Ms. Montgomery's curtains!

So my children go to a charter school...since I work during the mornings until 12:45 and then my husband leaves for his work at 1:30 there is little time to volunteer at the boys' school. I often seek for opportunities to volunteer while doing things from home (sewing costumes for the play, making bean bags for math centers, typing things for the class website etc.) This year Gabriel's teacher asked me to sew her some curtains to cover the closets where she keeps the school supplies. Her walls are a fun cranberry red and so I went with something that would stand out and be a little fun. She thought they were a hoot, and Gabriel was so proud that his mother could actually sew as his friends commented "I can't believe your Mom made that, my Mom can't sew at all!".

Boutique display!

After much obsessing and very little sleep here is the display that I did for my first boutique in mid December. It went fairly well considering we had a huge snow storm that weekend and I was positioned in a freezing garage next to the designer jeans! Call me crazy but those that are looking for 200$ designer jeans aren't usually thinking "cloth diapering, save the planet and my pocket book while your at it" type, plus during a snow storm not many are thinking "swim diaper covers for the hot weather!" I could be wrong though. It was fun and met some really great people but it is torture for a multi tasker such as myself to sit at a boutique for 16 hours just 2 weeks before Christmas. I couldn't stop thinking of all the things I needed to be doing and most were not portable things that I could do at the boutique as well. It was a great learning experience and I was pleased to be part of a very classy boutique.

Blessings for Christmas!

I feel so blessed that we were able to have such a great Christmas full of love, laughter and of course energy with 4 little boys. During a season of great difficulty for many, I find myself giving many thanks for our jobs and the security they provide, our health...my kids are very healthy...sometimes I find myself wishing for a moment of lethargy from one or two :) Nevertheless health is something that can be taken for granted and I'm finding over the past year a renewed need to give thanks for such a tremendous blessing.

My mother, though still fighting her stage 4 cancer is in such great spirits and is a continuous example to me of the power of positivity in the face of adversity. She is still with us and blesses our lives. During this season I am so greatful for loving, kind parents that raised a family with so much love. My sibblings rock and I think that is one of the greatest gift they have ever given me...cool brothers and sisters. The ONLY thing that would have made Christmas better this year is to have been able to spend it with family, but then again I guess that's another blessing to count is that we actually have lots of family members that we would WANT to spend time with, instead of the toxic and annoying type you hear so much of.

Here is my wish to you for a fabulous New Year filled with much happiness, and many opportunities to count blessings!

ANOTHER AINA OHANA MIRACLE!

yesterday my darling sister in law had her fourth baby...she was so ready to have this baby, 4 days overdue and just tired of being pregnant. This is the 13th grandchild...all of them under 8 years old!
Melissa is an avid knitter and has beautiful work, you should see her stuff. She is so cute sitting there with her laptop with her pattern that she designed on a spreadsheet, finger flying furiously. Unfortunately I don't think she was able to finish baby's Christmas stocking in time, but Christmas is still a few weeks away. Congrats Melissa and family, it's always so exciting to have a new addition to our family...this little boy is so lucky to be born to such fabulous parents. Congrats!

Another treasury!

I was added to another Etsy treasury today. They only last for a few days so check it out before it expires. Click on it as many times as you care to...it increases it's chances of getting to the front page...a very coveted spot! thanks for looking!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=33298

And the winners are.....

Congrats to Melissa D Williams and Jennigirl who by random selection each won a diaper cover from this months giveaway. Thanks for entering. Ladies would you both contact me at olivejanedesigns@yahoo.com with your shipping info and confirm the size that you need for your wee ones! Thanks to all who entered, stay tuned for future drawings!

Come Visit Me at the Spotted Zebra Boutique!

http://thespottedzebraboutique.blogspot.com/

Etsy Treasury!

I was featured in my first Etsy treasury, which for those of you who don't know what that is..... basically an Etsy member competes for space available to curate their own mini "art show" based on items they like usually surrounding a theme. The treasury will expire in a few days so check it out ASAP feel free to leave your comments it will increase the chances of it getting promoted to the front page of Etsy which elicites big exposure! (many thanks to Sherry the curator, here is her shop) It really is a fantastic treasury and the color combination is like eye candy! Click here

Halloween Festivities!

Here I am 1.5 days before Halloween and still madly making costumes. Will I ever learn??? We are going to California to go trick or treating in our flip flops! I have finished 3 out of 4 of the boys costumes...C3PO (he didn't want a helmet and I'm not going to argue), R2D2 (the baby friendly version that allows a 13 month old to crawl and walk) and finally my little Yoda ("revealed your feelings are...), hopefully by the time our flight leaves tomorow I will have a storm trooper to add to the repetoire! I made the R2D2 costume out of old t-shirts that my husband and I had accumulated from 5K runs and promotional shirts from work (thanks JetBlue!). I'm feeling pretty good about my up-cycled creation costing a total of .75! Happy Halloween, may your children get lots of great candy for you to eat! (chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!)

The tip junkie kindly featured my giveaway on her fabulous blog! Thanks Laurie!
I haven't been able to post anything new lately because our computer is in the shop! But when it comes back beware of the marathon posts!

cover up baby!! and giveaway!

I have been meaning to update my blog for weeks but since I opened my Etsy shop I've been so busy. I opened it up meaning to get my quilts out there and start getting some quilts made....however, the diaper covers are really what's been flying and I'm finding myself sewing diaper covers nearly every night to get orders filled. I'm not complaining, it's been a fun ride over the last couple weeks and soon if everything works out the covers will be featured as a seller in an online baby/cloth diapering boutique...that's an order that will certainly keep me busy!...stay tuned. These diaper covers have mainly been used for those that want to fashionable cloth diapers their cuties but it also can be used as a swim diaper cover (law in Utah)to prevent cryptosporidium in the pools!

DIAPER COVER GIVE AWAY!!
***so to celebrate the sales of my diaper covers I'm giving 2 away*** Leave your comments on what amazing thing you think your baby (or someone elses) could accomplish in one of these cute covers, make it as creative as you can. Link me to your blog and receive 2 entries (let me know so I can check your work), also tell me the size and gender you want your cover in and we will have a random drawing on November 15th!!

my artistic counterpart!

OK, so I got a phone call on Monday night from my brother Justin (who lives in Manitoba, Canada) and he happened to be in Utah for training for his new job...much to my suprise!! He said he wanted to pop in and visit a little that night. For those of you that don't know I am the oldest of 6 kids and there are 3 girls (my BFFs) and then there are 3 boys (they worship us sisters...and they are pretty cool too!) Growing up we each had a brother that we were in "charge" of and also that looked like/had similar personality to their sister counterpart. Justin is my male counterpart! He and I are the ones in the family that are constantly creating something...painting, sewing, drawing, designing etc. I was thrilled to see him, and after he got some time in tickling and wrestling with my boys I put him to work drawing a mural on the wall downstairs in the family room (stay tuned also). I knew he was the man for the job...plus I needed his muscles to move the furniture so we could start the mural that I have been putting off for months. Now I just have to paint it....that's going to take a while, it's pretty involved eventhough it's all in one color! Hope it turns out as cute as it is in my brain! Anyway here is a picture of my HOT brother Justin....sorry ladies, he's married to the amazing Kaiti (we are lucky to have her in our family she rocks too).

skirting the issue!

I recently sewed a couple of fun and flirty little girls skirts to post on my etsy shop. They turned out so cute, I had a couple of neighbors girls try them on (since I am in testosterone heaven!) and they looked even sweeter on. I hope they will find a happy home! I will post a tutorial on how to apply the FOE for the wasteband and how to do the piping and border at the bottom...stay tuned!

my sewing class rocks!

A few weeks ago we had a sewing class and made it a work class so everyone could get caught up on projects and put finishing touches on some of them. As I was helping one of my fabulous students another called to me and said "Hey Kara, I need your help with this over here!" I turned around to see a HUGE box on the table. Secretly my students paid off the rest that I owed on the machine that I put on layaway. I have been saving for a new machine for 5 years, so it is a really big deal to me. I'm not going to say that I didn't cry, but not too much....just enough for dramatic purposes (yeah right Kara!) Now I can finally do all the things I need to cause I have a machine that can sew fast, acurately and does what I need to without ripping my fabric! Thanks gals you rock!

check out my etsy shop and bring your friends!!

Rag time!!

Just finished a commission piece for a baby shower gift. I haven't done a rag quilt in a long time....forgot how time consuming it is. I think it turned out kind of cute though. She could decide between light pink/bright pink with green so I did light pink/green on one side and bright pink/darker green on the other side. I did free hand embroidery of little flowers periodically on some of the blocks. I used rag snips this time instead of sharp manicure scissors, wow...what a difference. My tendons are thanking me, not like last time.

moonlets and prospectors!

In the name of creativity....The other day the boys built a rocket ship in the living room and donned their impressive explorer paraphernalia. I asked them what they were doing, to which they replied: "We are moonlets, little boys that explore the moon and other planets. First we are prospectors that dig for gold and then we use the gold to buy supplies to use on our mission!" Maybe I should not have asked :)

As they were playing I was in the kitchen trying hard not to laugh at the intensity and seriousness of their mission. This is what I heard:

G1-"On some planets they say that it is raining cats and dogs but in this case its actually raining lizards and frogs! Pray for us and give us your well wishes as we explore this new planet! There is some excessive damage but our 911 crew will fix it, we need to go and explore...."

G2-"Look, I see a flying crocodile in the sky!"

G1-"That's not a flying crocodile it's a purple Maggi, he has unusual powers, do not attack or he will throw thunderbolts at us! Remember flying crocodiles travel in herds!"

G1-"Where is our astronaut that is scouting for food? Oh, there you are...what took you so long young astronaut we were so worried about you!!"

S1-"I was getting food for the winter here is the banana pie and the garlic stew!"

G1-"Great young astronaut, could you please organize the beans, salad and chicken for the winter?"

It's moments like these that I realize that I really have the best job in the whole world...being the mother of these fabulous boys and watching them grow and become best friends. Priceless!