Thanks, everyone, for encouraging the addiction... until June.

I think I've read Harry the Dirty Dog twenty times today. And caressed hot foreheads even more.

I never expected the quiet, serene atmosphere in my home these past days from illness. Life has slowed down almost to a complete halt while children abandon toys, running, and play for rest, closeness, and stories.

Although I dread sickness entering our fast-paced little world here, it forces me to sit on the couch much of the day and just be with my children, while life moves on without us.

I kinda like that for a change.

I've waited all week to do something with my new stash of fabric. Finally last night, once absolutely silent, I crept downstairs, pushed away piles of who knows what on my table, and began cutting, piecing, and sewing. There was lots of ripping and redoing. And I learned I need to sew over tissue paper.

My obsession? Vinyl. Finding a way to sew vinyl onto all of my favorite fabrics, that is. Vinyl--which takes rice cereal, lasagna, and wash after wash. I'm hooked. It also is a far superior approach to art aprons.... hmmmmm.... give me some time. I've got to find some more time. I think I may be on to something.


And speaking of vinyl siding, we found our next home.

Here' s week two of the holiday Giving Guide: happy creating!

Take these 574,862 bits and pieces of crayons,

Peel and cut into pea-size pieces,

arrange by color, or let your excited four year old sort them,

then put pieces in your molds- whether muffin tins (which make round crayons), or other metal molds you have, fill roughly an inch high or less.

We did some "assorted" ones and others were a particular color scheme. I broke out my new brioche tins, which, needless to say, haven't been used since I got them two birthdays ago.

Bake the muffin tin (or individual molds on a cookie sheet) on 170 degrees until the wax is melted down to liquid state, about 20-30 minutes or so. Pull them out to let them set a bit and then into the freezer to make it easier for them to pop out of the molds.

Resilient, gorgeous, colors in chunky crayon-form is the end result. Depending on how you hold the crayon when coloring delivers totally different colors on the paper. They're so colorful you'll wish you could eat them--at least Johanna tried.

Bobby's birthday: he was pretty much gypped. Two days after the fact (and the celebrated prescription for antibiotics for me!) we actually gave him a nice birthday dinner. Happy 29th!

Don't be fooled by those chubby cheeks and dry nose; they were all sick, too.

Thankfully the weekend brought events away from the house; a missed baby shower for family gatherings...

kisses from never-before-met aunts were enjoyed...

and the most priceless photo of all: Ayumi opening a very special gift from all of the family for a very special person and new home.

Now it's Monday. I had to do something exciting this morning to make up for the drag of last week. Peeling a million broken crayons was it. You'll see the exciting tale soon.

I got the idea for this purse/diaper bag from my friend who made an adorable purse for Johanna with gathered sides. This purse can be used for a child's dress up, as a baby doll's diaper bag, or make one for yourself for a night out on the town. Just make it bigger!

Start by cutting the fabric roughly an inch wider then the size purse you're wanting in the end: two pieces for the exterior (like a home decor or sturdier fabric) and two pieces for the lining. I cut the pieces all like the letter "D" turned on its side; straight for the top, or opening of the bag, and a half circle for the purse itself.

Start with the exterior fabric pieces and pin them together. Put your machine's dial for length of fabric on 4 to baste to make the gathers. Simply start sewing from the straight line of the top down one side of the bag, following the curse of the bag, all the way to the other side, about 1/2 an inch from the edge. DO not back stitch the beginning of the seam or the end.

The fun part: as seen above, pull on one of the pieces of thread from either end and watch a small gather appear! Keep adjusting the gather down the purse and on both sides until you're satisfied.

Now you need to sew that gather in place. Sew a seam, after adjusting the length of your thread to about 2.5 again, and sew close to the gathered seam all around the curved part of the purse. Trim excess.

Voila! the gathered sides! Do the exact same process to the lining fabric.

Place the right side of the lining inside the exterior's pocket you've just sewn (right side of exterior fabric should be inside the pocket). Now pin your ribbon, row of sequins, or whatever you care to use as the strap, to the two ends of the bag, the ribbon being between the lining and exterior pieces. Make sure at least an inch will be sewn into the seam for security.

Sew at 5/8" all the way around the straight top of the purse, connecting the exterior and lining. Leave a two inch unsewn section at the top to pull the right sides of both fabrics through. Take the two inch opening on the top and pin it inwards for now.

You should have a mostly complete bag now.

Now you want to adjust the wide mouth of the purse. Pin the excess fabric on both the front and back of the top of the purse like the photo above. Sew a zig zag stitch to secure the make-shift darts you just pinned and finish off the edge. (I like to reinforce the zig zag stitch a little more around the darts.)

Simply take some adhesive Velcro squares, attach to the inside,


and the purse itself is complete. If you're making a baby doll diaper bag, you can include store bought baby bottles, rattles, real newborn diapers, or try this:

Here is simple baby doll blankie.

I stacked a rectangle piece of white textured fabric onto green fabric onto a piece of quilting batting. Sew around the border leaving a two inch gap. Snip corners and bulky salvage. Pull the blanket through the gap and finish off the edges with a zig zag stitch.

Sew a small rectangle in the middle to keep the blankie from bulking if washed.

Sew a coordinating ribbon on one of the short ends of the blankie, in half.

This is used to roll it up.

That leaves a small pillow. Same idea: sew two small rectangles together, leaving a two inch gap to pull the pillow back through. Fill with microfill, pin the opening closed inward, and sew a finishing seam, zig zag if you'd like, just at the one end.

And there you have it. A posh purse of sorts.

The Giving Guide Guru is now hitting the sack! See you next week with something new...

It's November: the month of anticipation.

The winter, scarves, hot chocolate, Nat King Cole singing carols, and the excited anticipation of loved ones opening something you've chosen or made with love. Real, meaningful gifts always take time to consider, research, order, and sometimes, make.

So I'm kick off the coming holidays of giving thanks and simply giving, with a weekly Giving Guide of uniquely handmade gifts.

Tomorrow, get the first of the Giving Guide with the how-to of this posh children's purse/diaper bag. See you then!