I'm very good at my disappearing act, aren't I?

Ugh, life sure can catch up to you and suck up all your time......

I was so excited to get back into my craft blog and then life just sort of...... happened.  I got busy with work and the child and a new job and the continuing battle with my depression.  I'm also super lazy.

Things are looking up though! I've changed direction lately, so let's start again with this whole blogging business! I've been wanting to come back to this blog for a while now, and today's as good a time as any!

More to come, I promise!

New direction

As a celebration for the two most important changes in my life (the birth of my daughter and the end of a years-long creativity-arresting nervous breakdown) I'm changing to this new blog with a new fancy title. I've moved the last few posts from my other blog, Eccentrically Crafty (formerly Creative Sufferings/Aspirations), to get y'all caught up.

I'm still planning graphics, so you get this bare-bones interface until then. Enjoy my laziness!

The title "6 Ideas Before Breakfast" is inspired by the fact that I have so many ideas for art projects and things all the damn time. I get OVERLOADED with ideas and my dirty secret is that I have more unfinished projects (UFOs) than I do finished ones, and a couple of my journals are really just page after page of ideas, many of which will probably never see the light of day.

If I'm going to teach Sophia to be the best she can in this life, I've got to be the best I can. That means I need to start burning through my creative clutter. Here goes!

That lion's been to hell and back

Here's the most exciting thing to talk about... Mr. Lion had a bath! That poor pacifier's been puked on too many times to count, so I waited until Sophia was asleep and I put him through the wash. Here he is hang-drying.

I haven't had ANY time to craft lately, as I started back to work on September 12th. These two weeks have been extremely busy with such things as getting myself on a schedule (and attempting to actually stick to it), trying to keep up with the laundry and chores around the house, and pumping and sterilizing. It takes a LOT of dedication to keep a kid breastfed while working fulltime!

Thankfully, I get two pump breaks while at work, and I have enough time on my lunch breaks to drive to Sophia's daycare and feed her. It's such a lovely break during the work day, even if half the time I return to my job covered in spit-up!

Near the end of making my awesome baby bag, my machine started to squeak as it sewed and it began to be a bit sluggish, so I know it needs a cleaning and oiling. I'm afraid to use it until I have the money to take the machine in to the shop, so I've been strictly limited to hand stitching projects and drawing. But then, when do I have time to even sit down and enjoy such things?!

I still have a quilt to finish for my friend Jessica's baby Sunny Delilah, and my UFO (unfinished object, an acronym I only just learned!) box badly needs attention.

But when I sit down and feed my daughter, look at her face and see her smile, I'm reminded of the proverb:

Quiet down cobwebs,

Dust go to sleep

I'm rocking my baby

And babies don't keep!!!

The different meanings of "baby bag"

I've been incredibly frustrated with having to sling several bags over my shoulder when toting the kid around, so I decided to make a baby bag big enough to carry all of Sophia's baby stuff, my purse, and any journals I care to bring with me. (Never know when the urge to write will strike.) I told Dane I was making a bag and showed him the pattern I was going to use, and the first thing out of his mouth was "You're going to put the baby in that?!" Silly husband doesn't understand.....

The pattern I used can be found here. There are quite a few tutorials I've found online for baby bags, but I thought this one looked like the most fun to make, and I also thought it would be the sturdiest and longest-lasting. (If I'm dedicating a significant portion of my precious time to this project, then damn it, it better last until this kid is 5 frikkin' years old!)

I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use up the rest of my On A Whim owl print fabric that's been sitting around forever waiting for the PERFECT project. I just bought some coordinating colors from the fabric store to go with it.

After some mistakes in seam allowance, fusible fleece that didn't want to fuse (and that I ended up buying WAY TOO MUCH of), and a lost magnetic closure, I finally finished the bag. It only took me several days of frequently-interrupted work (babies don't understand patience). And I'm immensely proud of the outcome!

Behold!

I love the elastic compartments on the inside!

And if I wanted to, I really COULD fit the baby in it, a fact that concerns Sophia greatly...

I made a few changes to the pattern as I put it together. The original only has one elastic pocket, but I chose to line both inside compartments with the elastic pockets for extra storage space. I also used scraps of the different prints to make the strap, but that came more out of necessity. I didn't quite have enough left of the owl fabric, so I improvised.

Next project on the agenda is a baby book of different colors!

Sound advice

1. If you want anything in this life, you must be prepared to work for it. You must be willing to put in as much effort as you expect a reward.

2. Failure is okay. Trying again is okay. Taking things one step at a time is OKAY.

3. Beginnings, middles, and ends all have the same potential to bring you joy.

4. Letting other people into your world is okay. While some people can't be trusted, others SHOULD be.

5. You are a beautiful and valuable person, and your true best friend is yourself. Other people only enhance the love you feel for yourself.

6. Allow yourself the pleasure of enjoying and relaxing in life. For as much hard work as you put in, your reward is sweeter and your relaxation more deep and meaningful.

7. Listen to the secret language of your soul. Love and accept the beautiful person you naturally are.

8. Give yourself over to emotion and creativity. Allow yourself to be swept up in the experience!

Important stuff to remember when you begin to feel like you've lost your way...

My most important project...

I had a baby!

So, yeah. An entire friggin' year since I've said anything. Among the many things that have happened over these last several months, the thing I'm most proud of is the creation of that cute little thing up there.

Having my daughter has done more for my self-esteem and confidence than all the antidepressants in the world. I grow happier and more capable and self-assured every single day, because there is no way I could ever second-guess or downplay the significance of her, my most treasured possession.

I plan to funnel this incredibly uplifting boost of confidence into my crafting. There is so much stuff I want to make! I also need to do a drastic redesign of the site, something centered around owls as a graphical element. Consider this notification of impending posts to come. I've already got tons of stuff I was working on during my pregnancy that I'm just dying to show you all!

I end with little Sophia practicing her SuperBaby pose.

(This post was moved over from my last blog, Eccentrically Crafty. Please visit there if you care to see more archived posts!)