Daydream believer

Last fall I was commissioned by my cousin to make a baby quilt and travel diaper changer for her pregnant sister-in-law. The mom-to-be already has two boys and wanted very girly items for new daughter. The mom-to-be was getting a pink and brown leopard print car set cover custom made, so my cousin wanted a coordinating pink and brown leopard print blankie and diaper changer.

Sounds easy, right? Just go down to your local fabric chain and pick out pink and brown leopard print fabric.

Wrong!

We both had the hardest time finding leopard prints... let alone pink and brown leopard prints! We decided to just go with a chocolate brown and light pink theme, but even that was hard to find. Finally after I trip to a quilt shop, I picked up a few fabrics, including "Swirl" by Alexander Henry Fabrics. The pink and brown swirls tied everything together:



You can read more about the quilt at my post on craftster.

Honestly, it was difficult to find cute brown and pink fabrics last season. Really difficult. If you are in search of any this season, lucky you! Moda Fabrics has a new line called Daydreams and it has lots of cute pink and brown fabric combinations.

Blog Graffiti

I win! Kelley has actually responded to a chain letter! Granted, not one that I sent her, but she's finally fallen to the dark side... buh-hahahaha!!! I don't expect her to do another one of these for a very long time, so I will oblige her request.

And what does all this boil down to? It means I've been tagged.



I present... Seven things about me.

1. I grew up in two states... kind of. When I was six my family moved to Arizona, but we always spent our summers in Minnesota. The trek was only 40 hours long, each way... piece of cake right? Its not so bad, really. When you have to get somewhere, you just gotta get'er done! My dad always designated me as his navigator: I read the maps, consulted freeway changes and exits, and calculated distances between cities. Which kind of leads to number two...

2. I'm a total math geek. Was it all of those hours spent in the driver's seat of our family car, studying the maps of the Rockies and the plain states? It might have been my "math quiz" hand held game I played continually from the ages of 7 to 11. Or maybe genes play a factor -- my grandpa Brekke only went to school through 6th grade, but he was always the smartest guy around a card table. From what I've heard, he could count cards like nobody's business, and after playing just the first round of whist, he knew what every player held in their hand. All I know is, after I almost won the Around the World math game in 3rd grade, I was hooked!

3. Speaking of Brekkes... it's pronounced Breck-key, not like the shampoo.

4. I don't have allergies. [knocks on wood] I've lived in central Texas for 8 years and haven't succumbed to cedar fever yet!

5. My boyfriend loves tags. Not virtual tags, but the kind on walls, bridges, cars, and trains. Yeah, that's not a fact about me... but this post is about tags. A little bit related, no? He took the photo above.

6. When I walk into a house, I secretly redesign the home in my head. I'm not talking about furniture placement or design schemes, but tearing down walls and adding additions. Some people think its PSYCHO, but I love doing it. When I was younger, I used to draw house plans for fun. I loved reading my grandma's Better Homes & Garden magazine, just for the two house plans they printed in the back. I would study them in great detail, imagining walking into the house, through the living room, into the kitchen, and upstairs to a bedroom.

7. I'm an excellent boat driver. Remember list #1? During those summers, I lived on an island. Since most cars don't drive on water, we spent a lot of time in boats. I passed my Minnesota's boat driver's license when I was 14 and at that moment, along with my sister, assumed the role of official island boat captain.



And that's it! I'm going to tag Janell and Jessica. Besides Kelley, they are the friend blogs I read daily! Anyone else want to play?

New Year Swaps

I am loving the new year and all the craft projects that are coming up... including two swaps!


One is a coaster swap organized by Ibby Bee.


The other is a simple photo swap organized by The Scent of Water.

Its the most wonderful time of the year

I hope everyone's Christmas was merry! My trip home to Arizona was short, but very eventful for five days. I spent time with my family, opened presents, saw old friends, and ate the most delicious burritos at Mr. G's.

Highlights include:

The Nintendo DS
My niece and nephew LOVE playing my gameboys when I visit. I bring my Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS for every visit and they are great at sharing. Kate has become an excellent reader and LOVES Animal Crossing. Its not just a video game... its also a reading tool! Joey is the king of Mario. For being just five years old, he's better at Super Mario Brothers 3 than I am!



Bling!
My niece turns eight next month, and for the past SEVEN YEARS (yes, seven!) she has been wanting to get her ears pierced. The day after Christmas my sister, my niece, and I drove over to the "new mall" to fulfill her wish!

Kate picked out the girliest stud earrings she could find -- the ones with pink crystal flowers, of course.


She was a super trooper when it came to the pain.


It was well worth it... Check out the after!


Speaking of bling...
Joey also had fun with body art. Baby Adeline sent Kate and Joey Christmas presents. Kate received awesome Hello Kitty stationary. It is going to come in handy this spring when she starts to learn cursive handwriting in school. Joey received an art project, along with a little surprise. He wasn't sure if Adeline gave him tattoos or stickers, but he found out soon enough!


Am I going to be seeing my nephew on Miami Ink one of these days?


Old friends
Last fall my high school graduating class had our 10 year reunion. Most of my best friends from high school couldn't make it, but we were all in Yuma for Christmas this year. Everyone brought their families and ate lunch in the park.


Left to right are: Davena, Janell, Rosalie, Becki, Beth, and Bobbi

It was so nice to see everyone for the afternoon... For those of you there, I apologize for Joey's behavior in the park at the end. Boys will be boys! We had already had a long day, which had included lunch at McDonald's before we got to the park. Yes, Aunt Bobbi took them to play at McDonald's AND the park that day, plus I got them Heely's for Christmas gifts.



I really wanted to win the Aunt of the Year award!!!