My working vacation

I went to Colorado in September to baby sit  while my niece Jess and her husband Mike were on their 10th anniversary honeymoon after they renewed their vows…

I missed the ceremony and festivities as it was on Saturday and I flew in on Sunday.  Such a beautiful family!

So, this is Brady! He always crosses his feet when he eats!  He loves blueberries and has a binky addiction!

He’s a big boy and a baby all at the same time.  Quite a snuggle bug, he sleeps 12 hours at night and is such a good baby!

He loves to be outdoors…

He can escape almost any form of restraint, opens the front door if the deadbolt isn’t locked.

He is just soooo cute!

He keeps a close eye on the neighborhood bunnies…

He would rather be doing something else other than shopping at Ikea…

but he did hold hands with me while we were shopping.

I made him a teepee which he was cautious of at first, but he gradually warmed up to it!  You can see how I made it here.

He helps water the flowers and vegetable garden…

He spotted this bunny that he needs to talk to up close…so off he goes.

The bunny lets him get a foot away and then hops underneath the bush.

So of course, Brady must go look at him underneath the bush.

Who knew they made little converse sneaks in size 5?

Sweet little baby shoes…and this boy loves to smell feet!  Even his own which can be pretty stinky sometimes!

He loves his Yaya!  Yup that’s my family nickname…used to be Lolly but one of my nieces couldn’t say Lolly so it got changed to Yaya (I believe that is grandmother in Greek too!).

This is how he is usually moving…top speed!

He’s really a big helper!  Loading the dishwasher here…

and throwing his crayons away after he is done coloring!

He required rescuing a few times…like this time where he got stuck in the back of the dump truck. That’s not a real cry by the way!  He can fake a good cry like crazy!

Watching me finish watering the plants, as you can see by his shirt he helped some.

This boy loves the park…

Swinging

and swinging…

and running on the jungle gym walkway, and sliding are his specialties.

Happy boy!

Some snuggling with Aunt Sarah..the park is so tiring!!

And he does love a good bubble fest!  Here Suz and Rob are keeping him entertained with lots of bubbles!  He pops each one with his index finger.

A little Diet Coke right before bed never hurt anyone, right?

A warm bath and he is ready for bed!

More snuggles and he is asleep!

Love it when a baby knows how to sleep!

So while his mama was sending me pics of St. Lucia, I was looking at these great views!

Grow big and strong Brady boy, your Yaya loves you so much!  And thanks Jess and Mike for trusting me to take care of your little man!  He’s a keeper!

Upcycled Phone Case for Kate

My mom always says that it is hard to cook in someone else’s kitchen…I find it difficult to sew or craft away from home.  My niece Kate asked me to make her a new phone case…

So I challenged myself to create one from a few thrifted items.  I found a tea towel (50 cents) and an old wool/cotton baby blanket (I think $1) at the Restore in Loveland, Colorado.

I borrowed Kate’s sewing machine which was almost exactly the same model as one of mine, so that part was easy, I also borrowed her sewing supplies.  Problem was, her straight pins, well they just weren’t straight.  I got her a new pack of straight as machine rent so she doesn’t have to deal with this…

I found some 1” masking tape in the garage and used it as a guide for quilting. I quilted the tea towel with the baby blanket tucked inside and measured Kate’s phone and cut it to the appropriate size.

A Velcro closure and a iron on applique monogram were purchased to finish up the deal!  I would have used my serger and would have done the flap a bit differently if I could have used my own machines at home, but I still think it turned out pretty nicely!!

I love this photo prop rock at my niece’s house.  Tried to stuff it in my suitcase, but it just wouldn’t fit!  Such an interesting frond/leaf pattern.

I might be linking to these great parties!

Visiting Old Town

Before I left Colorado my niece and I did some running around.  We went to Old Town and stopped in this really neat shop, Walnut Creek.

They have all sorts of handcrafted items.  This piano bench was made from a wool sweater with a needle felted design.

There were lots of really unique furniture pieces in great colors.

Jess and I both loved these printed signs. 

The red console was great…

The black table and chairs were really sweet too with bright print cushions for the chairs.

I loved these purses and look at the wooden spool hooks they are hanging from!

The blue and peach flower print one is my fave, although the pears print is also cool!

We both loved the screen printed owl on a pumpkin yellow pillow cover.

And this crate with the chalkboard end (love those pumpkins too!)

The numbered jars…how easy would that be to do?

Another orange dresser/chest…just tons of really cool stuff!

This little blue painted stool is from Ikea, it was only $22, which is a great price!

I liked the felted wool soap.

Jess liked this bicycle print sign.  By the way those are feathers in a vase behind her head, not her hair, just to clarify!

Baby Brady didn’t feel too good that day so he was pretty sedate as long as the stroller was moving…

he was a happy camper!

There were really neat baby onesies and t-shirts, lots of baby items like bibs and blankets and stuffed animals.

These wooden children’s toys were works of art, beautifully made. 

This is what I bought, a phone case that is very practical.  I think I may make a similar one too for a gift.

And here’s the packaging for purchases!  Love it just as much as I do the store!