HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY

Today we decided to decorate Easter eggs.

I can't stand the thought of boiling the eggs, decorate them and then just keep them in the fridge the whole time (plus Aubrey doesn't like eggs, so that's a whole lotta eggs for us to eat!).

So I decided to blow them out again this year. Last year I just did two - one for Aubrey and one for me. This year I did 10 (I broke 2). I figure every year we can make a couple more and soon we'll have a collection to display every year.

 weighing down hollow eggs while dying them is hard, so thanks to Pinterest I had Aubrey use a whisk - clean and weights it down!

 We stamped some.

 I printed out some silhouettes from here, then I used a pencil to color on the backside to act as a carbon copy, placed the image on the egg and traced the outline on the paper leaving a pencil outline on the egg. I just filled it in with a sharpie.

Have you ever made your own basket filler? I couldn't be bothered to by the plastic colored stuff when I did my Easter shopping this year because I know it will end up in the garbage, so what's the point? Instead I took a brown shopping bag and shredded it in my paper shredder and viola!

The floral ones were just rub-on transfers - that was by far the easiest!

PARK DAY

We were bored yesterday so I decided to go for a drive around areas we hadn't been to before.

I looked up this park that has a view over the city so I thought I'd check it out.

If you look really closely you can see downtown San Jose buildings against the mountains.

The skyline is not very high as it has height restrictions since it's right in the flight lines for the airport.

And and on the other side are these rolling green hills (soon to be golden). It reminds me of the Okanagon (just with palm & citrus trees!).

ALMADEN QUICKSILVER COUNTY PARK

Jared had the day off today so we went for a hike in a nearby park, it was very pretty and green (for now). It was a 2 mile hike each way and straight up. Somehow Aubrey walked the whole way!

(There was some bribery with an ice cream cone to get back home).

Near the parking lot of the park.

It's an old mining area so there are a lot of historical pieces on display.

Near the top there were old buildings that were originally for military use and then were taken over by a school and now abandoned.

Right before we left to head back down and HUGE snake crossed our path. It was at least 2.5 feet long and thick. I'm not sure what kind it was, but I wasn't a fan of hiking after that.

There were a bunch of little alligator lizards all over at the top as well.

Further down the path we meet this guy below on the trail.

I looked up what reptiles and animals were in the area after we hiked and I never want to go back:

Rattlesnakes, King Snake (we saw one of the two), Horned Lizards, Bobcats, and I'm sure more.

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Well, it was just crackers but she seemed to think that was just fine.

NEW AUBREY'S CLOSET ITEMS

 I made this sweet, soft little sweater vest - it's approx. 24 months.

 and another pair of these felt/crochet shoes

FIRST PATTERN NOW AVAILABLE!

I took me a long time, but it's finally done and now available for sell in my etsy shop!

Goldie Locks & the Three Bears

3 LITTLE PIGS

Well, one anyways. I ran out of muslin so I could only make one of the three little pigs. I also need to get some more patterned frabric for the other two pigs clothing - so they aren't all the same.

I've also started making pattern pieces and instructions for all the dolls I'm going to make - which will be for sale in my etsy shop.

INSTAGRAM JOURNAL

Picnic in the yard

Making a wish

Can you believe she starts Kindergarten on August 14th!!

This is how she decorates around here

She's being a nice bandit

Sprinkler time

cozy warm

MR. FOX

I'm so excited for this latest project. I wanted to make these dolls, but making them look like my sketches was frustrating me until I got an idea. I painted this fox dolls on watercolor paper using the pattern pieces that I made then I scanned them onto the computer. Then to print them onto fabric I cut the fabric to the size of a piece of paper (8.5x11) as well as a piece of freezer paper (paper one side, wax the other). Then I ironed the freezer paper (wax down) onto the fabric and ran it through my printer. I think you have to make sure that your ink in your printer will work (or just try it).

You can buy bubble jet set and rinse for your fabric to use before and after printing to set the ink sets and you can wash it - I have yet to try it but will in the future.

 His trousers, suspenders, scarf and bowtie are all removable. 

He even has a little handkerchief!

I think in the future I'll make the image darker before printing, it's a little light here.

You can order one here on my etsy site.

DRESS PHOTOSHOOT

Getting Aubrey to try on things after I make them (or during) is like pulling teeth but if we do a "fashion show" then she's all over it. Yesterday I finally got her to try on all the dresses I made to take some photos - and it had been a while since I have taken any photos of her.

 of course I got one of these faces.

 I like her face here.

 I think I have to add some detail to the pockets on these ones as the stitching doesn't show.