Posting at LoLoCraft today!

We exchanged Christmas gifts with MaMa...wanna see?

Wanna See a Bench?

 

Go on. You know you want to see more. I. Made. That.

 

Heh. You’re totally impressed, right?

 

(Posted today at LoLo Craft.)

Posting at LoLo Craft Today!

Come on…you know you want to know how to make this thing! (It’s a door stop. Can’t you tell??!)

Posting at LoLoCraft today. (take two)

(You might have seen this a few days ago. Oops. Sorry about that! I got a little kerfuddled...but, whatevs, right?)

Well, it’s January 7…and I haven’t exactly nailed down my resolutions or goals for the year. BUT. I do know that they involve getting everything done, doing it beautifully, staying sane and possibly growing a second set of arms and adding four hours to each day.

Ahem.

So, in keeping with that, I made a few simple pillow cases. And I put up a tutorial over at LoLo Craft today. I’m also giving away the set that I made in the tutorial. WHICH MEANS…that all you get today is this silly little post here on LoLo Life…to tell you where the real action is at.

You’re welcome. See you over there!

PS – If you haven’t already, make sure you head over to this post to enter for your chance to win a $55 gift certificate for CSN stores. Hurry!

A Little Pillow, Perhaps?

 

Posting today over at LoLo Craft.

 

(As the holidays draw closer, and life gets busier, I am going to be changing up my blogging a little bit. If you follow all of my blog endeavors, posts might be a little redundant, but I am going to try to just put up one post a day. Here, on LoLo Life, if it is not a day for a LoLo Life post, I will provide a link to whatever I have posted that day, either food or craft related. Enjoy the holidays, y’all! We’re supposed to get snow this weekend here in Seattle, in the higher elevations. Brrr.)

Happy Halloween!

 

Wishing you a fun filled weekend of family, friends…and, let’s face it – CHOCOLATE!

 

(These ghosts were also blogged over at LoLo Craft.)

A Bit of Halloween Fun-ery!

I’ll keep this short and sweet. I broke out the sewing machine this morning and made up some costumes for the kids. They’re not perfect, they’re not gorgeous…but, by golly, I made them and I’m proud of them!

 

It was hard to get a good picture today, but you get the general idea. (I also blogged about these over at LoLo Craft.)

 

Siu Jeun is going to be Bam Bam for Halloween, and (theoretically) will be carrying around a small plastic “club” next weekend at a Halloween party. (I realized today that adding a club to this costume might make it….really dangerous to be standing within ten feet of him. *sigh* So, probably no club for him!)

 

 

Ming Wai is going to be a ballerina, using one of the fabulous (new to us) tutus in her closet. This dress was just sort of a whim, and it shows. I saw a tutorial this morning and thought, “Ooh! I could do that!” The dress was “done” at least three times, after the various edits that I had to make to it. However, Ming Wai loved it, and that was the main thing! The sweet girl asked me if she could wear it to church on Sunday. I…had to decline. I told her it was a great play dress, but it just doesn’t seem respectful to wear such a First Draft to church! Heh. I told her I would make another one that she could wear. One that…didn’t look so cobbled together.

 

(And, Debbie? If you’re reading this? Two years ago, I got BAGS full of fabric and you told me to make costumes. The kids are finally at a point where they enjoy costumes, and I’m finally taking your advice!!) 

 

Oh, and just because it makes me giggle.

 

That pretty much sums up Siu Jeun’s reaction when I make him do something he doesn’t want to do. Like…when I take off all of the clothes he chose for himself and shove him into something that doesn’t even look like clothes to him!

 

PS – The Bam Bam costume is made of orange broadcloth, painted with acrylic paint, and lined with yellow flannel. I kind of love it!

Ming Wai, the Model

The other day I carved out a few minutes (ok, an hour) and let the kids squabble made this dress for Ming Wai. It was super simple, just a tracing of a dress she already has onto the body of a polo that Daddy hasn’t worn in years.
Then, I asked her to model it.
This is what I got.
“Pose, Ming Wai!”
And…BAM. Fancy Hands. Man, I love this girl!
Of course, Siu Jeun wanted in on the action. Unfortunately, he doesn’t so much Strike a Pose as he does…let the pose just sort of wash through him.
 
He even tried to copy her Fancy Hands.
Sorry, dude. It just doesn’t have the same effect. But you’re awfully cute, all the same. And maybe if I learn to make something other than PJ pants and dresses, you can have some new clothes to model, too.

A Joy School Project

I loved how these turned out, and thought I'd share!

The tutorial can be found here, on my crafty blog. 

A New Day, A New Blog

Well, I just can't leave well enough alone, you know? I've decided to create a separate space for all things Crafty - www.LoLo-Craft.blogspot.com

(Bubba Bubbles will continue on as a place to share my adventures in Mommying. I also want to start posting a little more about things Chinese - customs, traditions, etc. If there is anything you'd like to know, let me know in the comments! I'll answer questions as a weekly series.)

I'll be posting tutorials over at LoLo-Craft for some of the things I come up with, along with my exploits in crafting, sewing, knitting, embroidering, appliqueing, gluing, cutting, taping, coloring...and anything else I feel like doing!

To kick things off, I've posted a tutorial for this skirt I made for BBJ today while she was asleep. Come and join the fun! Please?

An Etsy Christmas

Friends, Black Friday has come...and gone. Cyber Monday has met a similar fate. However, the mere passage of these major shopping days does not guarantee that all of our shopping is done for the holidays! I know there are oodles and oodles of options online - the real estate prices are hard to beat, but finding what you're looking for can be a bit daunting!

With that in mind, just in time for the holidays, I thought I'd put out a list of some of my talented friends/aquaintances/blogger buddies who have their own unique Etsy and online shoppes. I've highlighted a few of my favorite items in each shoppe, with specific recipients in mind. Enjoy!

For little cloth-diapered bums:
Happy Giraffe

Happy Giraffe stocks some of the sweetest little Fancy Pants you have ever seen! These cute little pants are made a little roomier in the trunk so there is plenty of room for a cloth diaper. Smart, yes?

She also has a lovely assortment of bags and cloth napkins. Go check it out!

For the lover of sweet, hand-painted, artist-signed art:
Blossom Time Creations
Miss Marie draws the sweetest little girls, doing the sweetest little things, and then sells the sweetest little prints and notecards. You simply must check out her sweet little shoppe!


For the knitter, toddler or baby:
Just Lovely
Oh, what can I say about this shoppe?! She handpaints wooden knitting needles - how yummy is that? Just pretend for a moment that you don't know the first thing about knitting - if you had a set of bluebirds painted on the end of a pair of Number 10s...wouldn't you be just the teensiest bit interested in learning how to use them?! You also must check out her sweet hand-painted onesie sets and vegan soap. Just so lovely! Oh, and her little toddler totes are the perfect size for little hands to store little treasures - BBJ has one and her "purse" must accompany us nearly everywhere!


For your Mom, Aunt, Niece, Daughter and God-Daughter, Secretary, Grandma:
Made by Myrnie
Besides being outrageously gorgeous (hi, twin!), Wonder Woman's shop is just plain fun. Seriously, what's not to love about beaded eye-glass chains (she does lanyards for office badges, too!), tiny felt barettes and seriously fluffy tutus?! She also makes some of the most insanely soft baby washcloths around. (I've taken some liberties in my description of her shoppe - not everything I've mentioned is listed right now, but it IS available. Convo her for more details!)

Gifts for occasions: Baby Showers, House Warming parties, Just Because, Birthday, Christmas...

LoLo Craft
Oh, what don't I stock? LoLo Craft is filled with gifts - gifts for toddlers, gifts for new moms, gifts for babies (or kitties!) - there are even some hostess gifts thrown in there. I love gifts, and I love the idea of making homemade gifts.

I hope you've found something new to love, or at the very least, a little inspiration for this holiday season! Remember to order soon to make sure your packages arrive before the Big Day!

LoLo Craft Update

(Front Shot)

This might very well be the last update for a while...or not. Whatever, right? 'cause I'm not in a hurry to have a baby or anything. Nope - not me.

He's much quieter where he is.

(Rear Shot)

I finished this apron up last night, and shot some quick pictures on my mantle. (The stockings you see to the right and left of the apron were a gift from the sweet, talented and gorgeous WonderWoman, last Christmas. They are embossed velvet, and they turned out so, so lovely.)

The apron will fit a size 2-5T, and would be great for any little kitchen helper - be it little girl or adventurous little boy! The whole thing is top-stitched - I like how crisp it makes the edges, and it makes it a lot more durable as well.

In other news, I had another doctor's appointment this morning - still "1 & 40" as the doctor so eloquently put it. If you haven't already guessed yet, go here to leave a comment and guess my dute date - there's bragging rights in it for the winner!

LoLo Craft Update

(Mama n' Me Burp Cloth set - Black and White Floral)


Yes, this is a day early...or 6 days late, however you want to look at it!
(Mama n' Me Deluxe Burp Cloth/Blanket set - Pink Queenie)

I finished my "photo shoot" while BBJ took her nap, so my little blanket/burp cloth sets are FINALLY up in the shoppe!
(Mama n' Me Deluxe Burp cloth/ blanket set - Rainy Day Blue)

The sale lasts for another 12 hours - let your friends know!

(Full Pink Queenie set - one blanket (3o" square), two burp cloths, one dolly burp cloth)

www.lolocraft.etsy.com

Cyber Monday Deals at LoLo Craft

I'm running a Cyber Monday Special in the shoppe today - 10% off anything purchased today, before 11:59 pm PST. I do custom work, so please let me know if you want anything special!

From Bubba Bubbles

(Baby blanket and burp cloth set)

I have several sets of Mommy n' Me baby blankets and burp cloths to put up today - those would make fabulous Christmas presents for anyone expecting a new sibling soon, or any little one whose dolly lacks their own blanket and burp cloth! All the items can be purchased separately or in sets. Again, please convo me for correct pricing and I will set up a "Reserved" listing for you so that we will not have to mess around with refunds.

From Bubba Bubbles

(Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths)

The Jingle-y Fleece-y blocks are currently not listed, but that is only because I sold them all! Please convo me, again, if you would like to purchase those for kids, babies or kitty cats! I have several fabrics available, including white, green, navy with ski hats and baseballs.

From Bubba Bubbles

(Fleece-y Jingle-y Blocks)

From Bubba Bubbles

(Handknit washcloth)

From Bubba Bubbles

(Handmade, floral notecards - set of 12)

From Bubba Bubbles

(Hand-tied bows for Christmas trees, banisters, wreaths or presents. Reusable and beautiful!)

www.LoLoCraft.etsy.com

LoLo Craft Update

Kids, it's Tuesday. That can only mean one thing - it's time for a shoppe update!

I had a lot of fun working on the shoppe this week, and the whole LoLo Clan got in on the act! Lo Gung stayed up late last night to help me stuff the little Jingle-y Fleece-y Block thingies, and BBJ (as always) helped with my "photo shoot" this morning. (You can see her in most of my pictures. I thought it added a sweet touch, so I didn't shoo her away.)

I learned how to make hand-twisted bows on Saturday, and thought they would make a really sweet addition to the shoppe.

Lo Gung picked out the ribbon - he thought it would be nice to have package toppers that we could use at Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries...any time! These look great on Christmas trees, wreaths and banisters, too. Best part - they flatten after you're done with them, so you can store them and pull them out again and again!

These blocks are safely wrapped up and put away shortly after this shoot. You can't hear it, but check out the pout on BBJ's face - she's just declared that these are "Mine!" and then gathered up as many as her little stubby arms would hold.
I need to make that poor girl a set of her own! I sewed the jingle bells into one of the seams on these blocks, making them that much safer for yitty-bitty nibbly babies! Oh, and I adjusted the price on the blocks I put up last week -who wants expensive baby toys?!
You can check out all these, and more, at my shoppe. Oh, and my "Pre-Thanksgiving Special" is still on - a free set of blank, handmade, holiday-themed note cards with any purchase before Thanksgiving. You've got until next Thursday!

LoLo Craft Update

For real this time! I got out to the craft store, and found my jingle bells. Oh, kids...these little toys make me so happy, I can't even tell you. I'm picturing an army of them, chucked back and forth between BBJ and Baby Boy. It could be an all-out, casualty-free, war!

This little set of three jingle-y blocks is up in the shoppe.
I've been saving every scrap of fabric from my recent projects (literally) and came up with this fun way to stop those little scraps from going to waste! A good friend taught me how to make something similar when I was about 14, and I saved all my scraps in memory of the hours she spent teaching me how to sew, attach teddy bear heads, cramp on glass eyes and always, always give back what you can. The blocks are from my larger scraps, and they are stuffed with my small scraps of fleece and cotton, plus a few jingle bells to keep things lively. You need some warning before getting smacked upside the head!

If I'd had more scraps in that pattern, the set would have been larger. ;-)

Go check out the shoppe for these blocks and everything else in there! My pre-holiday freebie offer still stands - any order placed before Thanksgiving automatically includes a free set of holiday-themed, handmade note-cards, perfect for those holiday thank you letters!

LoLo Craft Update

Oh, children...I don't know what to write, but I have good news! I made a sale! A real sale! (If you've been following my shoppe, you know that this isn't my first sale...but I never told anyone that the first sale was a sham - I begged Wonder Woman to purchase ANYTHING, just so I could see how everything worked.) I have the coolest readers, and friends, in the world.

These little guys are being shipped out tomorrow, to a friend of some friends. May they bring her much dryness of shoulders and peace of mind!
As promised, I do have an update for the shoppe. My sincere thanks, again, for all of your kind wishes last week while I was away from Lo Gung and BBJ, attending my grandmother's funeral.

A sweet reader, Mama Katz, suggested that maybe I try to make some aprons for boys. Because, you know, boys like to get into the kitchen and get messy, too!

I love this apron...I think I'll name it Ted. It's double sided, top-stitched and has a ginormous pocket on one side to hold...anything he can think up to put in!
If it were my brothers, the pocket would be full of a mixture of chocolate chips snitched from the counter, a nifty pocket knife snitched from Dad's drawer, and maybe one of Mom's bracelets...just 'cause it's shiny. Boys are like that, you know.
The whole thing is a beige-y cream, with baseballs on the main part of the apron. The straps came out a little green on my monitor..but trust me - beige-y cream. I love how sturdy this little guy turned out - like he's ready to bounce between Dad's tool bench and Mom's oven, toting all his treasures with him. (In my case, it would have been Dad's oven, and Mom's games with the bittiest children in the house...but I digress...whatever floats your boat.)

Go check out the shoppe for more LoLo Craft Goodness!

Come back tomorrow for the famous Apple Pie Filling Recipe that I've been raving about. Go buy your apples today - you'll need about 7 lbs of apples, and 7 quart-sized jars with lids to match, plus sugar, lemon juice, apple pie spices and cornstarch. Canning supplies can be procured at your local hardware store. What are you waiting for?!

Oh...and it's November 4. Don't forget to get out today and VOTE!

A Bit of Apple Pie (filling)

Welcome to November 1...the first day of NaBloPoMo! I've been informed, by a friend much more educated and knowledgable than I, that NaBloPoMo is actually a rip off of the original "National Novel Writing Month". (NaNoWriMo??) Sorry, Ara- I think our blogging one sounds cooler. :-)

I am home...I had a good time in Seattle visiting my family, all things considered. We had the funeral, we saw the friends, and we ate at least three dozen cookies apiece at the open house afterwards. I spent the rest of my time hanging out with my two sisters (my twin, and my "baby sister" who is 10 years younger than me.) ( No, I won't tell you how old she is! Some of y'all think I'm mature and stuff...and if I told you when I graduated from high school, I'd lose all that street cred! Then again, maybe you think I'm a lot younger than I actually am? Oh, shoot...decisions decisions. Fine - Baby Sister turns 17 in a few days. Oh, and she's single, guys...and cute, too!)

Thank you for all your kind wishes and prayers during the past week. The funeral was beautiful, and it was lovely to see so much of my family all together. Thank you, especially, to the ladies who took care of Lo Gung and BBJ while I was gone. I don't know if they read this blog, but one lovely lady brought dinner, unannounced. Aunt SheShe extended an open invitation for dinner any night during my absence. Someone else took pity on my and my funny looking bread that I entered into our church bread baking contest, and let me share First Place honors with a friend. (Megan, if you're reading this, I'm bringing the certificate to you on Sunday. :-))

Now, for my first post!

While the apples are still plentiful, my friend and I decided we simply must make apple pie filling. We used Wonder Woman's MIL's recipe (Hi, Nana!) and went to work.

(That's BBJ and my friend's kids. Aren't they cute?!)

We used two of these handy little Apple Peelers and tore apart about 6 pounds of apples. (In the end, my friend decided she really didn't want 7 quarts of apple pie filling, so she just helped me can my apples and kept one jar to make a pie.)

The recipe is super simple...it's just apple pie filling...in a jar! It takes a while, because the syrup needs to simmer for about 20 minutes to get thick.

You pile the apples into jars and then pour the syrup over the top. (Isn't Kim's kitchen great?! I mean, seriously - who else do you know who has silk plants on the counter in the kitchen? Some day I'm going to kidnap her and make her redecorate my home.)

After taking a nice long bath (25 minutes) the jars are ready to be removed from the pot. I certainly hope everything is nice and sterile and preserved! We spent all morning making these funny looking jars. Good news, though - if they did work, we'll be the only girls with really fresh tasting apple pie this winter!

(Nana, if you're reading this - I'm not entirely sure who's recipe this is, but do you think they would mind if I put it up on the Chow Review??)

A Costume for Mama

Alright, all - this might be my first tutorial. I made myself a Halloween Costume. It took me about 20 minutes to make, which is just fine since I will be on an airplane during all the Halloween festivities, returning from my whirlwind trip "home" for my grandmother's funeral. (My sister has promised to save me a spot at her Ward Halloween Party, so at least I'll have a place to wear my masterpiece!)

I found this orange top at Old Navy, on clearance in the Women's Section. It's a size Large, not a maternity top. My original plan was to buy an orange t-shirt and feed some ribbon through it to make an Empire Waist. This saved me some time!

I cut two eyes, a nose and a mouth out of yellow felt and then stood in front of a mirror and pinned them where I wanted them. (That's important, because I wanted his face centered on my belly, not just on my shirt. You have to think about things like this when you're shaped like the Southern Hemisphere.)

After that, it was just a matter of stitching them on! I used a straight stitch, with black thread. I think that might be one of my signatures - I sew almost everything with black or white thread. I love seeing the contrast along the hems of my garments, aprons, burpcloths...everything!

There. My first tutorial. What do you think?

(Don't let me fool you - the real reason I posted this today was because Wonder Woman is concerned that I'll embarass her at her party. She thinks people might mistake me for her, and she was dubious as to the "classiness" of a pregnant lady dressing up as a Jack O' Lantern. What do you think, Wonder Woman? Shall I embarass you, do you think?)

Oh, and I'm fairly sure nobody is going to mistake me for my twin sister...seeing as she gave birth over a month ago!

*This will have to count for my LoLo Craft update for the week. With the packing, planning, and cooking involved in this Mommy's Trip Home, there just wasn't time to craft, or to update the shoppe. I'll do my best to have some new stuff up next week. In the meantime, be sure to check out my shoppe to see if there's anything that catches your fancy!

LoLo Craft Update

I'm sorry this update is a little late in getting up! I was having issues with Etsy last night...that were ENTIRELY "user errors". Figures, right? (Turns out I can't be logged in from both my laptop and my desktop at the same time! Hmm.)

Anyhow, without further ado - here's the newest addition to my little shoppe!



On Saturday night, I just couldn't sit still after BBJ went to bed. I was antsy but didn't really have the energy or stamina to do a big project. Sewing seemed like the perfect solution! I sat down with an enormous sheet of packing paper, left over from our move here, and sketched out a pattern. I wanted an apron that would fit a toddler, with a girly, frilly pleated skirt...oh, and completely reversible, please. (Who wants to look at a bunch of hem edges on the back of an apron? Not me!)

The fabric is from my "stash". The black and white checked is from IKEA, and the black with butterflies is from a remnant sale at JoAnn's. I love finding little bits of fabric and coming up with uses for them!

I think the apron came out really cute! What do you guys think?

(Please visit LoLo Craft to see my other "bursts of energy"!)