As I've mentioned before, I am making some totes for the summer. These were the first ones made and they will be on Etsy shop soon. I don't have full photos at the moment. Stay tuned for more...

I am playing with different fabrics and being less shabby at this time. I am loving the machine stitchery on linen. How about pleated tops for these bags ? Linen is so cool to work with. I am looking for true natural linen. At Joann I find this linen labeled 100% linen, but I wonder if there is any blended rayon in it...I purchased some linen look yards of blue, pink and yellow as well and they are blended...hmmm, if you know any shop that sells great natural linen, would you send me an e-mail? Thanks.

I am so very busy these days. Kids got the cold and I've been working on my last batch of bags for the summer. It will be my last try as a Etsy seller, if goes well I keep moving on this idea, if not, I will probably quit. I am taking notes of everything I put on each bag. Calculating precisely my expenses and the time I give to them. These totes I am making are getting really well made and I am proud of them. I allow myself to work 2 or 3 hours a day only. It's hard with kids around me. I don't work every day, some days are just impossible. I have this need of making something to myself, I like working, I like challenges, I like to see the results. I like to sketch an idea and put in practise...

I am migrating to a Mac computer and I am waiting for some super cool programs like Photoshop CS3 to install on this great machine. Oooh, I am so happy. My Sony laptop goes to hubby and the older one, the first laptop we got, goes to my brother. I am really loving this new computer. It's awesome. It has 1 GB of memory and I can add 3 more GBs. It's not difficult to deal with it, it's different, but it's a great choice. The images on this mac are incredibly beautiful. I have to forgive my ignorance, because not long ago I brought this computer home and I took it back to the store...I thought I did not really needed it. Maybe I didn't, maybe I don't...whatever...I am very satisfied now!

I will be back when I get more time! Have a nice holiday!

Little kids always have tons of questions, hu?

We walk my oldest son to school every day and nearby lives a neighbor that has 2 cars. One is red and another one is yellow. Vintage cars. Bebezinho always stop in front of their house to ask why those cars are the way they are. Why those cars are small mom? Are they for small people? What kind of cars are these? I usually don't have the greatest answers. I suck, speacially when I am moody. Ha, another day the small yellow car was inside the garage, the garage's door was open all the way up. The red one was parked outside. Little one asked again and I had fast answers at that time:

Him: Mom, why that yellow car is inside the garage?

Me: Resting, taking a nap.

Him: And why the red one is outside?

Me: sun bathing.

I know, it's probably silly. I am a mom, you know? So, these are my stories.

BTW, we saw a bunch of lady bugs without the dots (I don't know why some of them don't have the black dots) on the way home and we thought that they were dead. We brought some home and alas, they were all alive. We placed them with my succulents. A bit of watching and taking photos and we let them go back to nature where they belong.

I like succulents a lot. I have 5 different kinds in the office, by the window. It's the best spot for them (that particular window). All I can grow indoors are succulents, orchids, kalanchoes and mini roses. Everything else I tried to grow, did not survive. I don't bother with gardening outside. We got snow another day and it killed what I've planted. I give it up. We are going to a long trip soon and I can't watch my flowers. All I have indoors will be sent to my father in law, including the cats. I am afraid he doesn't really know about this yet!!!

Have you seen the snow we got here another day? Tomorrow it's going to be warm, up to 80 degrees or so. Crazy, but finally a bit of heat. One day is cold, super cold...the another day is warm!

As for our trip...I really hope that at this time, we can go to Brazil. I don't have the dates yet. We might even cancel this trip one more time. Because of that, I am doing a sale over my Etsy shop and the only thing that I will upload these days is the set of postcards. When I come back, I will decide about making things for sale or not. For now I have some gifts to make. I am thinking about dying some natural linen, printing fabric with my own designs, try some new embroidery, use my vintage camera I got several weeks ago, to make some ttv photos...

I am not being too crafty or creative lately. As I said, I've enjoyed home and kids. I think I will be blogging once a week, since I am not making stuff all the time. I think I am already blogging once a week for quite sometime, hu? I don't even know! I do want to focus this blog on the handmade by me thing. I can't force myself on making new things every week just to keep up with this blog. Wow, when I think about what I have done in the past to keep a blog...going to sleep after 1 am, skipping important things in life just to belong online...really people, loneliness stinks. I don't even like to remember. I promised to myself to manage my time, to cut half of my computer time and I don't regret it. I wanted to say hello to everyone, I wanted to visit all the blogs, I wanted to see what people were doing. Enough.

My son's room is getting nice, I think. I like to search for vintage items to decorate their room. I got that globe for 12 bucks in an antique shop. Those on the wall were pages of vintage kids books. I have more to frame. I really like vintage illustrations for children! The vintage quilt I got last year. It was a great find for a lovely price!!

I've learned a lot, it's true. This is a great thing. I never though that one day I would sew bags and make websites. I have stopped with the web design (hohoho, no I don't consider myself a designer or whatsoever) mania a long time due my new time management. I just know enough to put a simple website together and play a bit with Photoshop graphics, textures, layers, brushes...

As for sewing...oh my gosh, 5 years ago, I could not even think about it. Sewing for me was not possible. All right, I knew a little bit, because as everybody else, mom and grandma tried to teach me when I was a kid, but I wasn't interested. I wanted to climb on the trees and play cars. Kinda tomboy. When I tried to sew curtains for my son in 2003 I gave it up. I kept my brand new sewing machine (the one I use now) in the closet for 3 years and in 2006 I started from nada. Destroying fabric, making tons of mistakes...I still don't have the best skills, but I get there. I don't feel like going further with web design though. All those codes...nah...too much for my brain. I just wanna learn enough to make my own websites (if I need one). That's it.

I almost forgot some links that I kept on my favorites and I would like to share with you...

Brazil: Now I find this delicious açai (blended with other fruits) drink and coffe available in town. Also, Havaianas are being sold at the local Dillards. Yay!

Kids: Cool craft projects for kids over Bloesem (super cool blog for all things children, I love it!!!).

Crafts: fabric covered button tutorial, dying linen and thumbtack tutorial.

Inspiration + Window Shopping: Decorative Country Living, Flutter, Taj (love the song that plays too...haaaa!), House Doctor, Design for Mankind.

No more...you guys have a great weekend!!

How Am I doing reporting the weather? After this, I should look for a job here.

I was expecting a sunny and warm day again! Yesterday was windy, just like the other days, but it wasn't cold. We went outside without jackets...

This morning I woke up and the first thing I did was to open the curtains. I am shocked. Totally shocked! What is that? Is that snow? Really? Hahahahahahaha! I am still laughing. Schools have 2 hours delay due the weather conditions, that's the good part. Let me go back to bed...

We are probably skipping the summer and fall...my son just said: " mom, it's winter again!"

Mr. came home with a card and a cake. Our son, very excited, push me back in the bedroom and said that I could not go to the dining room, because daddy was setting up a surprise for me. The boy was truly serious about it. I loved that card very much. They made me so happy. My family mean the world for me. Because them, I've changed. Because them, I've learned a lot of good things in this life. I am very grateful to be alive, to be 35 and have my husband and children by my side. Hopefully forever!

I need to make this clear, this wreath below it's for my home. I am not selling it. The first time a saw a wreath alike it was on Danielle's blog, which is one of my favorites. She made this wreath inspired by this artist, that has a Etsy shop and sells her gorgeous wreaths.

For our home we can make whatever we wish, right? So, taking the idea of covering the styrofoam with yard, I followed my own taste to adorn it, with birds, fabric flowers, paper flowers, etc...

I was looking to make one for my home since a long time. I almost purchased one at Target some months ago, with pretty cherry blossoms on it, but seriously, I have so many supplies that I am not using and I love to craft...I just needed the yarn. So here is mine...

I am just not sure if I am hanging on the front door...can someone steal it? I would get really mad if that happens!!

After finishing this wreath, I got ideas to finish the styrofoam trees. I was suppose to finish them for last Christmas...hmmm, I show them later...