~Pamela Susan~

Almost Here

I returned from my checkup a few hours ago...it turns out I'm almost dilated to a 5 without even being in active labor!  The midwife says I'm very ready and thinks this little baby will be here sooner than later.  EXCITING! 

Good thing I was able to finish up a few projects I've worked on the last little while.  In my opinion, every little new baby needs a few handmade goodies to help welcome him/her into the world.  Do you remember the "plum" onesie and booties I made while visiting my sisters in New York?  Well, I finally made a matching hat to complete the outfit.

 

I had too much fun needle felting the stem and leaf.

 

Here's one with a cute little bow perched on top.

 

And of course this little girl is going to be adorned with a ruby bracelet!

Here's the last project I finished--a flannel blanket.  It was the first time I used Mable to sew a decorative stitch.

 

Remember the cupcake necklaces Leah made?  They are all packaged up and ready to go to give to the girls from the new baby.

And here's one last thing.  Last night I found this little "Sweet Pea" that I needle felted over a year ago!  Do you have any ideas what I should do with it?  I'd like to use it somehow to welcome this little Sweet Pea into the world...

 

Yup.  I think we're ready.  Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day/evening cuddling with the girls.  

Wish me luck!

xo,

Pamela 
   

 

 
 
 

Christmas JOY

I hope your Christmas was as enjoyable as ours!  My heart is full...it was wonderful having Dad, Lane, and Ashley with us over this special holiday.  Their presence in our home was a gift itself.

The first night they were here we joined efforts and created a festive centerpiece with greenery that Lane collected from my parents' home.  He and Ashley were lucky enough to find a box of beautiful vintage ornaments for only $1 from a local thrift store to decorate it with...how fun is that?

 

 

 

Ashley and I then cooked a batch of Mom's toffee.  I'm telling you...this stuff is ADDICTING.  I love it.  

I have no idea how much I've consumed over the past few days but I can tell you 

this...I enjoyed every  single morsel with zero regret.

 

As for Christmas morning I was delighted to see that Avery and Clara were excited over the quilts and Fairy Village I made for them. 

 

 

 

And later that morning we found Rudolph's track in our front yard!  I'm sure you can imagine Avery's excitement over this!

 

It was a wonderful morning indeed.

The following we day we enjoyed a much needed walk around the lake.  It was a gorgeous day!

 

 

As for a baby update...there's no sign of her arrival just yet.  

                      I'm experiencing occasional uncomfortable braxton hicks/contractions but other                than that I'm feeling pretty darn good.  I'll let you know when things start happening.  As for now I'm enjoying my time with the girls and knitting a few hats for the little one.  :)

xo,

Pamela  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

xo,

Pamela

A Snowman Pancake

Here's a fun breakfast idea for you...a snowman pancake!

It's amazing what a few raisins, a slice of dried apricot, and whipped cream can do!   

Happy eating!!

xo,

Pamela 

Santa's Little Helper

Whew!  I've been playing Santa's little elf the last couple weeks and I am happy to say that the bigger projects are ready for Christmas.  Oh, it feels so good to be able to write that!  The most laborious project were the two twin quilts I've made for the girls' new twin beds.  (We've moved Clara into Avery's room so the baby will have her own room)  They were so much fun to make but, WOW, they took some time!  I wanted the quilts to have a vintage look and I've taken time over this past year to collect "just the right" colors/fabric designs.  Some of my favorite ones came from Hawthorne Threads.  Check them out, and try to control yourself from not buying a little bit of everything from their store.

 

 

Here is a picture that displays the difference between a quilt before it's washed (left) and one that has been washed (right).  By washing the quilt after it's completed it creates a nice "puckered" antique look, which I love.

 

The second project I've been working on is a Fairy Village to add to the girls' block collection.  Dad helped me cut out the  different pieces and I've been busy painting and wood burning them.  I must say...I'm in love with the cupcakes...I mean, have you ever heard of fairies that wouldn't want a cupcake party??  All that's left to do with this project is to paint the remaining three fairies.  I hope to have them done tonight.

 

 

 

Speaking of cupcakes, check out these little glass beauties my talented friend, Leah Fairbanks, made. 

 I love them so much I think they'll be the gifts the baby will give to Clara and Avery once she arrives.  :)  Yes, I think it is safe to say both Leah and I love cupcakes...We just can't get enough of them.

And speaking of the baby, she is due NEXT WEEK!!!  So if you've been wanting a baby bump update, here you go!

 (38 weeks)

!

I can't believe she'll be here so soon!  

xo,

Pamela, a happy little elf

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

Today is my sister's birthday...

  
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELLEN!

I LOVE YOU!

xo,

Pamela

Family Night

For Family Night tonight we'll be eating these yummy bite-size cupcakes...

 

and watching this classic Christmas movie...

 
 I can't wait. 

If you're craving vanilla cupcakes you should try this SCRUMPTIOUS recipe...it's my first time making cupcakes from scratch and am thrilled with how easy it was.  And did I mention they are simply SCRUMPTIOUS??  Listen to me when I say I'm exerting the maximum amount of self control in not consuming the entire plate of these treats this very instant.  Aaron--you should thank me.

xo,

Pamela

I Love Custom Orders

Here is a Hand Stamped Sterling Silver necklace with faceted Green Apatite Gems...

 

And these three Hand Stamped Sterling Necklaces with birthstones will be given to three daughters for Christmas by the lovely gal who ordered the necklace above.

 

This necklace was so much fun to make...my client wanted a necklace she could wear to her daughter's all-star cheerleading competitions that was patterned after the Drip Drops necklace.  All the teams within her district are named after constellations, and she wanted this necklace to look like a comet using her daughter's team colors.  I love how it turned out.

 

Here is my very first Dandelion Wish necklace!  I'm definitely adding this to my shop once it reopens.  This client hoped I could make a dandelion pendant after seeing the 
"A Dandelion Wish--Designer Magnet Set".

 

This particular dandelion necklace represents a Grandmother's two grandchildren--notice the two birthstones dangling from the pendant in this picture along with the two dandelion seeds that have been stamped.

 

I've loved working with these different clients in bringing to life ideas that came from their minds!  I love them all!

Thank you!

xo,

Pamela

Busy

Yes, life has been busy around here!  

I've been busy filling Christmas orders...

 

Spending time with Dad and the girls while Aaron was gone on business...

(for some reason it's always been quite the task to get my Dad to smile for pictures...can you tell?!)

Cleaning "lipstick" (a.k.a. blue marker) off Clara's face...

 

and getting things ready for Christmas.  

Ahhhh....Christmas.  It is right around the corner!  And so is the arrival of our little one.  I closed my shop up over the weekend for this very reason.  As a mother of young children,it is very important for me to keep my life balanced, especially at this time.  I mean, I'M HAVING A BABY IN LESS THAN 4 WEEKS!  Wow.  I cannot believe it.  I cannot wait.  I'm so looking forward to meeting her.  A new little daughter to add to our growing family.  I feel blessed.

So, now you know why I haven't blogged for a while.  

But I'm very excited about some things I've been working on lately...I'm making most of the girls' presents for Christmas this year.  I'll have to share a few of them with you later this week.  Let's just say I've been keeping my sewing machine busy, and the wood-burner nice and hot.  Oh, I love this time of the year!

I hope you are all well!

xo,

Pamela

p.s.  check out this pic of Clara and Avery while scouting out our Christmas tree.  Is that the peace sign I see??  Where did she learn that??  (Actually, I think she learned it from Naomi--gotta love that one, right, Yumiko??)  

 

Life is good.

Snowball Cake Pops

(Post Edit: Since making these cake pops Bakerella has made me a Pop Star!  What a fabulous honor!  To see these snowball cake pops on her site click here.  Thanks, Bakerella!!)

 

Happy December 1st!!  

Now that it IS officially December I feel it is only appropriate to share this fun little treat idea with you.  By now most of you know Bakerella, right?  She is the inventor of the "cake pops"!  I first learned of her when she was featured on the Martha Stewart show.  Bakerella is AMAZING and she has inspired me to make my own version of these fun treats.  

How does a SNOWBALL cake pop sound to you??

 

 

 

 

To make these, follow her recipe here.  After dipping the balls in white "melting" chocolate, sprinkle large, white sugar crystals all over the ball...

This makes for a DELICIOUS crunchy combination with the cake.

ENJOY!

xo,

Pamela, a Bakerella fan