Heather Ann Melzer

Sew crazy

I am officially obsessed with sewing, and I can hardly believe it. It's amazing how enjoyable it can be when you work with a machine that actually does what it's supposed to do. My old machine jammed up every time I sewed and it was a nightmare to rethread.  My new machine sews through everything with ease and threads like a dream. I'm changing presser feet, thread, and winding bobbins like a mad woman - so so happy I am.

I finished the girls Caroline dresses earlier this week and already have 3 more sewing projects lined up. I'm looking forward to having some quality sewing time over the long weekend.  Nightgowns, simple sundresses and recycled jean skirts are all on the list!

Last weekend the girls and I had a girls' day out and went and picked out fabric for their dresses and for some pillows for their playhouse. I caught them using bean bags as pillows in there one day and had to rectify that situation. ha! We picked this striped fabric to match the playhouse accent colors (green and pink), and now they're so cute that I feel like I should put them in my living room and redecorate everything around 'em. They were sitting next to a vase full of sunflowers in my kitchen and it made me so happy. Maybe someday we'll crazy and redecorate in a bright color scheme - not after just repainting the dining room cool blue, though.

I sewed these like I sewed the kids' nap pillows, with an overlap in the back (for easy washing). The pillow forms are 16x16" and the instructions I found called for 18x18" panels. After I sewed them, I realized that I prefer a tighter fit, so I think 17x17" panels would have worked better.

So, for a 16x16" pillow, you'd cut the following:

(1) 17x17" piece

(2) 10.5x17" pieces

Steps

1) Sew the side edges of the back flaps by folding/pressing 1/2" and then folding/pressing 1/2" again.  Stitch along the folded edge.  Repeat for second back piece.

2) Place 17x17" piece right side up on table. Place one 10.5x17" piece right side down on top of square piece on left side and second 10.5x17" piece on top of square on right side.  (Back pieces should overlap.)

3) Pin to secure.

4) Sew around the outside edge of the pillow using a 1/2" seam.

5) Cut corners off.

6) Zig zag stitch around edges (optional).

7) Turn right side out (chopsticks work great on the corners).

*Tip: I have trouble concentrating unless my work space is neat and clean, so I've adopted Rachel Ray's garbage bowl idea for jewelry making and now sewing. Makes it so much easier to concentrate!

I'm going to try to stop searching for cute patterns online now and try to finish up some work.  Tomorrow afternoon starts the long holiday weekend - yahoo!

Thanks, coach

The kids' t-ball season came to an end last week and I wanted to do something to recognize the coaches.  I had all kinds of ideas in mind, but in the end I went with what I know and love and put together a little hybrid scrapbook page. 

I took tons of pictures this season, so I picked 2 of my favorites of the team in a huddle and printed them on a piece of 12x12 photo cardstock with a title, simple elements, and a poem.  While the kids were waiting in line to bat, I had each of them sign their name in the space I left in the bottom corner and then I framed it in a 12x12 black frame from Michaels. 

Here's the digital page (cute baseball is from Dani's MVP kit):

The poem reads:

You freely gave of your time and talent
to teach us how to play.
With patience and encouragement
you guided us each day.
You taught us all the basics
and made it so much fun.
That’s why we all agree
that as Coach you’re #1!

I'm so proud of Kenzie for being so enthusiastic about playing.  She really enjoyed going to the games and had her coaches laughing out loud at her antics.  She had to be reminded many times each game that the baseball field wasn't a sandbox and she did a little more dancing in the batter's box than her coaches would have liked, but they were very patient with her and told Tom and I that she has a ton of natural athletic ability, which was really fun to hear.  We just have to tune that focus of hers and she'll be ready for anything ;)

Here's a pic of Devin and Kenzie with their trophies (that Kenzie promptly dropped on the ground when popsicles were being handed out - lol!)

Movie night - on location

We took Family Movie Night on the road last Friday and went to our first drive-in movie as a family.  Thank goodness the kids fell asleep halfway through because it was SO not appropriate for them. I seem to remember parts of the first one really bothering me, but this one was off the charts. The language was horrendous, and for no good reason. Other parts were not appropriate as well. Jack fell asleep on me, Katie fell asleep in the backseat of the car, and Kenzie fell asleep on a blanket eating popcorn with Tom. It was a lot of fun, something I'd definitely do again (with a more kid-friendly flick).

We stopped at Burger King on the way and grabbed some kid meals, since they were Transformer-themed. Their Bumblebee cars kept them entertained while we waited for the movie to start. 

 

 

A few weeks ago we had HSM 2 movie night and the kids absolutely loved it. Even Jack was in complete awe over all the singing and dancing. Is that pic of him leaning up against the couch not hysterical? He's such a chill little dude - cracks me up. We had milkshakes in HSM cups and wore EHS bandannas. My kind of fun!

We have Inkheart on deck for this weekend and I'm cooking up some treat ideas now - hmmm...

A sad day

I thought my sister was kidding when she told me the news at the kids last t-ball game last night.  I've been a huge fan my whole life and I just can't believe that he's gone.  It feels like I lost a big part of my childhood, in a strange kind of way.  I remember having this poster on my wall, I remember seeing him in concert with my entire family, and I remember wanting a red zipper jacket so badly. 

We make new music CD's to play in the house every couple of weeks, and about a month ago I put a bunch of old MJ songs on one of the CD's.  It was wild to see the kids' reactions to his songs - hearing them for the first time.  They jumped out of their chairs and started dancing all around the kitchen.  Much like the reaction I saw when I was in Party City a few weeks ago and Beat It came on over the store's speakers - people literally started dancing in the aisles.

His music was amazing, and he put his heart and soul into his performances.  I had to rewatch this video today, because I remember it so clearly.  My sisters and I were trying to figure out how he did his famous dance move and practiced all night in front of the TV. 

The last few years certainly weren't good for him, but he was planning a comeback tour, one that I'm sure I would have tried to see if it came to the US.  Radio stations here are playing his songs all day long and I just heard one of my favorites while running errands at lunch - The Way You Make Me Feel.  I remember being so bummed that he didn't play it at the concert I saw.  Not that he didn't perform a million other great ones that night.

In between work and burning a new MJ favorites CD, we're getting ready for our first family trip to the drive-in tonight to see Tranformers 2.  Then I'm planning to do some fabric shopping tomorrow (yeay!), visiting with my step brother who's coming to town, and maybe sneaking in a visit to our new waterpark on Sunday.  It's hotter than hot here in Chicago - 90's with 100% humidity.  One extreme to the other, always.  Sunday is supposed to be sunny and 84, though - just right.

We might have to try to teach the kids how to moonwalk this weekend, too ;)

Caroline dress

A couple of weeks ago my sister asked me if I could make a princess dress for Emma for their upcoming Disney vacation.  I've seen so many cute pillowcase dresses online that didn't look too complex for my still beginner sewing skills, so I decided to give it a shot.  She picked up some coordinating fabrics/ribbon and I began the hunt for an easy pattern.

I needed one that I could download (because in true Heather fashion, I waited too long to order one).  I tried to follow a pattern I found online and ended up cutting a piece of fabric that was way too small, so I kept looking.  Then I stumbled upon the website of a fellow Illinoisan and I knew I'd found the perfect one.  She actually has two different dress patterns on her site that are equally adorable.  I purchased the Caroline Dress pattern and was cutting pieces again within an hour.  I can't recommend this pattern enough.  She goes through every step in beautiful detail and has gorgeous color photos to support each step.  My visual mind was very at ease.  I took my time with each step and within a few hours (in between working on other things), Emma's dress was complete.

She was over last night and finally got to try it on.  I think she'll fit in nicely with Cinderella and her friends.

 

Of course, now my girls are dying to have dresses of their own, and I'm equally dying to make them some.  I finally found a store near me that sells Heather Bailey's Pop Garden collection, so I'm sure I'll be visiting it within the next couple of days.  I could see this becoming very addicting :)

Mindy's Flickr group has some fun inspiration (you must check out her studio!) as does her website gallery. 

Half the fun is finding fun pattern combinations for the dresses, here are some that I'm loving:

Heather Bailey's Pop Daisy and Swirlybuds:

Anna Maria Horner's Sketchbook and Amy Butler's Cherry Wallflower:

 

Joel Dewberry's Sparrow and Woodgrain:

 

Dena Designs Peacock and Amy Butler's Belle Olive:

    

Amy Butler Star Paisley and Full Moon Polka

  

Amy Butler French Wallpaper and Seeds Olive

 

Baseball Krispie Pops

A few weeks ago I made baseball Rice Krispie lollipops for Kenzie's t-ball team.  It went much smoother than I expected, so I thought I'd shared my method.  The key ingredient was this life-saving mold I found at Michaels. 

I prepared the Rice Krispies per the box recipe (or see here).  After the mix was ready, I sprayed one of the molds VERY generously with cooking spray and then spooned the krispie mix in until it was full.  Then I sprayed a piece of wax paper (it will stick if you don't) and pressed the krispie mix into the mold. 

I shaped the edges, too, to make the pops nice and round.  Then I stuck a long lollipop stick (also at Michaels) through the bottom (trying hard to stay in the middle of the krispie mix) almost to the top of the lollipop.  Then I laid a piece of wax paper on the counter, sprayed the back of the lollipop, and placed it on the wax paper to set.  Once they were all done, I let them cool completely and then used red cookie icing for the baseball stitches.  *TIP: Place a cup along the side of the cookie and use it as a guide to draw your stitching lines.

Once the icing set, I placed them in clear bags and tied them with grosgrain ribbon.  They were a bit hit with the kids :)

You can really get creative with these.  Some more ideas I found:

Soccer balls

Chocolate dipped - YUM!

Halloweenie

Just sprinkles

Baby shower

Pink hearts - push the krispie mix into shaped cookie cutters

Sushi - use fruit roll ups to wrap (TOO cute!)

For the 4th

Summer's here!

Summer's here and we're feeling ultra lazy these days.  Tom and I needed a day off last Friday, so we dropped the kids off at school and had a really nice day together - the 11:45 showing of The Hangover, lunch out, and mailbox shopping (since someone took ours out with a baseball bat).  Then last weekend it was t-ball, Father's Day outings and grilling.  Yesterday Jack wasn't feeling well (caught something Tom had Saturday night), so I kept him home with me.  He slept almost all day so I was able to work a full day, which was great.  I intended to post this fun little video yesterday, but it took the entire day to upload to Vimeo (wow), so I'll post it now.  I present "driveway fun"...

Happy Tuesday!

Scatterbrained

I don't even know where to start today.  I have so many things on my mind this week and I've crossed so many things off my to-do list already.  I feel like things are settling back to normal, or what I consider "normal" anyway.  I think I'm just going to do a bullet point mind dump - it will feel good to empty my head.

- I'm finally caught up on my photo-a-days - whew!  I can't believe I've made it through half the year.  This last stretch was the longest yet.  While we're on the topic of photos, here are a couple from Kenzie's graduation last week and of the surprise party we threw for her and Devin...

- Let's see, I've been cooking again and it's been pretty disastrous.  We had thai peanut chicken on the plane to Mexico and I was in heaven.  I'd never had it before and couldn't wait to get home and try to make it.  Well, I found a recipe online last night, ran out to get ingredients after Tom and Jack got their haircut, and it was a total failure.  Poor Tom choked it down and I felt like one of those wives - who cooks horrible meal after horrible meal while her husband quietly eats it and talks behind her back about what an awful cook she is - lol.  Tom reiterated that there have to be some things I can't do well and that just motivates me to try even harder.  Maybe someday I'll give up.  I do know that I will never eat peanut butter chicken again - my lord was that horrible.

- Lionel Richie is making me feel better - so no worries.  One evening during our vacation there was a singer that sang Marvin Gaye and Lionel Richie songs and I remembered how much I love Lionel, so I bought a compilation today and it's been very relaxing.  I always forget how much music can change my mood and I've been listening to it more and more during the day now.  I may even be dancing on the ceiling before the day's over ;)

- I'm so caught up and relaxed today that I've actually started working on a new kit (gasp!).  It's been WAY too long and so far it's going great.  It always takes me longer to get back into the swing of it, but I'm having fun with it.  Any suggestions for kit ideas out there - what would you like to see?

- I'm also getting my haircut today - something I always look forward to.  I'm going every 3-4 weeks now that my hair is short - needs alot of upkeep.  I'm thinking of cutting the back quite a bit shorter or stacking it more or something.  I think I'm finally content with the fact that short hair is what I'm supposed to have.  I just need to find a style I can stick with - or not, does it really matter?  I guess it would prevent me from feeling like I have to change my profile pic every week.  The curls in my hair in the pic now are really driving me crazy to look at - lol.

- I've been doing a ton of internet research this week, too - looking for 10/11 pink mary jane crocs for Katie (not happening!), researching swingset ideas so we can possibly start the add-on project, father's day ideas, trying to convince Tom that we need to see Coldplay at Alpine Valley next month - note to self to look for a sitter!

- Milestone alert!!  I just got an email from Tom that Kenzie lost a tooth - or family's first, eek!!!  Must charge camera battery - my baby's smile!!

- I took some of the cutest pics of Jack with his train set that I'm dying to scrap, but I think I need to finish this kit first or I'll get on a scrapping streak and probably never stop.

- I'm thinking alot about what I want to do this summer.  Summers are getting shorter and shorter around here and I feel like we need to cram in as much as we can - waterpark? drive-in? carnival? zoo?  I asked the kids what they wanted to do this summer and Kenzie said she just wanted us to play with her.  Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?  I think we might try to do Transformers 2 at the drive-in next week, though.  They've been dying to see it.

Ok, I think that's enough brain dumping for one day.  Off to look up some pics on the internet of how I want my hair to look this week.  Hmm...

Let your love flow

I love happy music, and apparently so does my husband.  Every time this commercial comes on he says, "We need to find this song!"  It took quite a bit of digging today, but I finally found it - Petra Haden's acapella remake of Let Your Love Flow.  She even does all of the background sounds herself. 

You can download it free from Toyota's website here:

http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/commercial.html

And here's a video on how the commercial was actually made (using real people).  Truly amazing.

http://shalomimages.com/2009/05/the-making-of-the-prius-harmony-commercial/

2riffic

We did lots of celebrating this past weekend.  On Friday, we had a little party in Jack's classroom.  The kids loved the dirt cake and were cracking up over the worms.  A plastic shovel worked great as a cake scooper...

Then on Saturday we had both families over for a party.  Jack said he wanted a balloon party, so we blew up a bunch of balloons (and the kids tried to give us all a heart attack by popping them as fast as we could blow them up).  Jack was so freaked out when we all sang to him.  He's not used to being in the spotlight...

Tom grilled some crazy good meat - ribs, kabobs, and filets and I was a mess in the kitchen (as usual!).  I tried to make mini corn dogs with homemade batter and everything.  I will never try to fry something in a skillet again.  And then I tried to get fancy and make a double layer dirt cake with pudding in the middle and the cake slid off and broke down the middle.  Good thing we watch Ace of Cakes regularly - I grabbed a handful of wooden skewers and crazily tried to put it back together.  Tom threw it in the freezer while I had a minor nervous breakdown.  It tasted great, so it wasn't a total loss.  My brother-in-law said we should have poured hot sauce down the crack and made it a lava cake - haa.  I had to laugh at that one.  We do have fun :)  At least my appetizers turned out ok (garlic toast with laughing cow swiss/sprigs of dill, cocktail meatballs (with chili sauce, grape jelly, brown sugar and lemon juice - yum!), and pita chips with spinach parmesan dip.

After we had cake, Jack opened his presents.  He had a lot of fun with the kite Grandpa Melzer gave him and he got a bunch of Toys R Us gift cards to put towards a train set that we knew he would love.  Tom and I surprised him with his ride-on by giving him a helmet and having him stand in the backyard while Devin drove it around the house for him.  He was pretty clueless as to what was going on (and tired by this point, I'm sure).  We laughed hysterically while watching the two cars circle each other and while Dylan pushed the gas pedal while running alongside the car - lol.  Jack finally got the hang of it, though.

Whew - and that was just Friday and Saturday.  Yesterday we hit the farmer's market, Toys R Us, had lunch out, took much needed naps, put together the train set, played in the yard on the Slip n Slide, and I took another couple hundred pics.  Will definitely share more tomorrow.  For now I think I'm going to go soak up some sun on the deck since it's 80 and sunny here today (and we're expecting storms for the entire rest of the week again).  Gotta enjoy it while I can!