back to reality!

I'm trying to get back to reality....Last week went by in a blur...way too fast. Kristyn and the boys came and visited for the week. We all had a great time being together. There were tears when they left. (I think that's a good thing, not because I'm a meanie, but because that shows how much they'll be missed and it shows how much fun was had while they were here.) It might be a bad sign if when your houseguests leave you jump up and down and cheer. Let me assure you, there was no cheering here on Friday, just lots of long faces. If you want to see some of the photos from the week, you can click here.

Before Easter, I got a wild sewing hair....I had seen some adorable crayon/pencil rolls on Kirten's flickr and just knew they'd make the perfect Easter goodies. I touched base with her to see if there was a pattern...and there wasn't. bummer. But she gave me some good instructions for getting started. (thanks Kirsten) I started out with Maggie's and by the time I got to Spencer's I had it down. Unfortunately, Maggie's is lacking what I learned along the way. They were a lot of fun. I ended up making 7 of them....(I told you I had a wild sewing hair). Everyone got a pencil roll or crayon roll {depending on age (big kids got pencil rolls, littler ones got the crayon rolls with those twistable crayons)} and a blank drawing pad. They were all eagerly received and I've even seen them being used...which just totally makes me giddy! (thanks Dylan!)The littlest recipient, my god daughter who is 2, kept putting her crayons in the sleeves saying, "color goes to bed...nighty night." (makes you want to melt doesn't it?)While the sewing machine was warmed up, I made this gratitude wrap for Kristyn. I got the idea from Soule Mama...but ended up changing it just a bit. The hem tape I bought was too wide so I sewed it inside the edges to make a little bit different look. And instead of using the tape as a tie, I added an elastic and a button. I included some stamps, cards and a little notepad for writing down...notes.

Kristyn really liked it...turns out she had some notes to write while she was on the road and had forgotten to bring along some stationery...Perfect!