eye spy...what I want for christmas

So, this is..has ended, but Cindy of bugandpop has started a new Sunday theme! Eye spy....with my little eye...and this week it's "something I want for Christmas":

The truth is, I don't want much of anything. We're working to get stuff out of the house, not into it. And I'm trying to stick to only bringing a new thing in if it replaces and/or upgrades something that's left. So generally, I just want things I can use up (like fabric!) or eat (I haven't bought my semi-annual box of maple candy yet...) or do (like a holiday, which is out of the question).

I have to confess, I may break my own rule though! I only recently found out about Momiji dolls, which are just too cute for words. I mean, urban-vinyl design + cute + kokeshi + small world avon bottles? I am so there!!



I don't know how I could pick just one, there are so many cuties. I actually put four of them on my kaboodle wishlist! now what's going to have to go to make some room for these girls...

barnslig borkum, a.k.a. the litle bear bathrobe

This bathrobe, I'm sorry to say, is my first farbenmix failure. not a total failure, it's still cute! But basically....FAIL.





The pattern is KleinBorkum, and my motivation for making it was this design example, which as you can see I totally just knocked off!

We already had been using the ikea barnslig bath towels for Emily, and loved them, so when I saw the robe made out of them, I thought it was just too cute (and so did Emily!). I wasn't sure how I'd trim it, but when I picked up the towels to make the robe (a size 98/104 took two towels), I saw these matching barnslig burp cloths in the next bin and ended up getting those to make the belt and the appliques (you can see them in close up here and here), which worked out really well.

Here's what didn't work: first, this was the first farbenmix pattern I've used where the pattern pieces didn't actually match up. I had to really work at getting it to all go together at the shoulders and the sleeves. Then, I realized that I had never checked the measurements since Emily always fits into a 98/104 so well, and the robe is really short! If you look at the design examples a little more closely than I, you can see that the longer robes all have the sleeves rolled up quite a bit. I'm guessing that everyone sized up quite a bit on this pattern. And it's really far too short for her. But the final blow? The bathrobe has been added to the Great Clothing Boycott list of 2008. She loved it in photos, and she thinks it's cute....but she does not like wearing it. Sigh.

I still think the final result is actually quite nice. And if the boycott ever ends, I will actually tackle this pattern once again, this time measuring for proper length and checking all pattern pieces against each other before cutting.

And I did get an awesome bonus -- tons of new household goods made from my leftovers! I have a big set of lovely half-washcloths made from the towel remnants, cute coasters made from the burp cloth leftovers (backed with felt), and as a super-extra bonus, discovered that the burp cloths make the best kitchen towels I have ever had. So good, in fact, that I bought more just for that purpose (and so did my brother)!

the only non-ikea element is the red gingham westfalen bias tape from bunte fabrics.

where am I? in a circle of hell called "insurance land"...

I am currently having to research and choose FIVE new insurance policies, yes, that's right, FIVE AT ONCE. With just a week or two left to make all my decisions. So, all my draft mode posts about sewing and cooking and fun things will have to sit just a bit longer... see you then!

Thankful for: the internet, especially google, without which this horrible process would be 100x worse!!

goofy happiness

The Bedroom Philosopher's "Wow Wow's Song". Should so totally be on YGG!

Thankful for: great prices on yummy things I want at ikea's food mart! Hello Kristian Regale at 1/3 the price at Scandinavia house! Hello delicious Pepparkakor! And Ballerina cookies! And cloudberry jam!! Yum!

forest friends muriel

The fall sewing checklist continues! Next to be finished was this forest friends muriel, made with some corduroy Emily picked out herself and trimmed with some lovely farbenmix ribbons.



I honestly bought the corduroy she wanted without the slightest clue what i was going to do with it. It was only after getting the ribbons and realizing they were a perfect match for the colors in the fabric that the idea for this dress developed.



And I have to say, thank goodness for fabric.com's generous cuts -- I actually only ordered a half yard of the green and without the extra few inches that were actually there I could not have made the dress!! I added an applique based on the adorable deer designed by paulapü to match her ribbons. Someday I'd like to get some of the iron-on motifs made from her designs, or the fabric! So cute!! I am so envious, to have all these cool notions and things made from your designs must be so awesome! (At least I can make fabric, thank you Spoonflower!) Anyway, the applique:



Emily declared it cute and then...asked when I would make her "orange stripey dress". Which I didn't know I was making! So...have to start figuring that one out next!

And today (yesterday, actually, I fell asleep before posting this after writing it!), I am thankful for too many things to list. I will just say..yes we did. and yes we will.

the fabrics are Robert Kaufman "cool cords" from fabric.com; the ribbons were a gift but can be bought at bunte fabrics.

this is... a favourite recipe I would like to share

Boy, do I hate picking favorites. I am not a "favorites" kind of person. But, 3-year-olds definitely have favorites!! And the "favorite" recipe that Emily thinks I should share is banana bread! She asks me several times a week if our bananas are "speckly" enough to make banana bread. The bananas rarely actually last long enough to make it to bread stage...but when they do, yum! I have actually posted this recipe before, but here it is again.

Banana Bread
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2-2/3 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil. Blend in the bananas and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients and then add all at once to the banana mixture. Mix quickly but thoroughly, then stir in the sour cream, mixing until just combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9"x5" pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. (I have substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream in a pinch, but I don't like it as much).

This is especially good warm (fresh baked or toasted) with butter. Hmmm..I wonder if those bananas downstairs are speckly enough?

In other news, Halloween went fantastically, but was exhausting. I'm still tired! I never did get a good photo of the little witch, as she refuses to wear her sleeves down. But if I find any decent trick-or-treat photos on the camera I'll post them later!

I'm playing along with Mary's "Thankful for 30" meme -- I am too tired to have thought of something yet today, but yesterday's note? I am thankful for that sour-cream apple pie recipe, no kidding. I will be baking for as long as I can get decent apples this winter!!

This week's This Is... theme brought to you by Angela of three buttons.