Southern to Northern California Trip

Its been a busy summer, and as we wined down from all the craziness, I am finally getting around to posting photos and information from our trip. We started out in southern California, near San Diego and enjoyed about a week in the area. We had Jared's 1st Birthday Part, which I posted about here, and I posted a ton of tutorials and "how to" for almost all the birthday items.

We enjoyed a grocery shopping trip, with a sleeping 1 year old and a wild 2 year old.

Love this ring sling.

Crazy 2 year old, helping us shop.

 I was able to squeeze in some well needed sushi dinner time with my family. I got to hangout with my nephew Jameson and let our two kiddos try all sorts of fun food. Well, Jared enjoyed drumming with everyone's chopsticks.

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew.

 I got to see some of my favorite friends, family, and kiddos.

One of my favorite Aunts! Aunt Gwen, she has loved me from day one, no questions asked!

 Grandma and Grandpa treated the kids, husband and myself to a day at the Safari Park (old wild animal park). It has been awhile since we have gone, and a lot has changed, but it was a ton of fun!

We enjoyed one last family get together, where I cuddled up with my new niece, Leila.

So adorable.

 The kids played nicely together, for awhile.

Cousins, they love each other.

We then had to say some sad goodbyes. I always hate goodbyes. They are getting harder as everyone is getting older (as in the kids, growing up too fast). I just want to enjoy every second I can with these cute kids. Once we said goodbye, we packed up and started our adventure along the coast of California.

The car is packed, and so are the boys.

 Had to make a few lunch stops, of course In N Out was a must. We even took advantage of the fun free stickers, and played with them. Jared enjoyed them more then anyone else.

Once we were back on the road, the hubby decided it was okay to give the kids chocolate. I think I am still finding chocolate in the car from this moment.  However, he enjoyed it a ton!

When my Mother and I went on a little drive to Hearst Castle a few years ago, we stopped off in Solvang, a super cute town that looks like a German or something pulled right out of Europe. It was so fun walking around in the old needle work shops, cafes, and toy stores. I love this little town, maybe when I am old and my kids are too old for me, Ill move here and open a fabric shop. Ohhhh dreams......

Family photo.

I have never been, but my in-laws said they use to come to Morro Bay all the time. I just was kind of bummed with all the fog, as they said the view is beautiful. It was a little cold too but we checked out the sights, and of course the aquarium, where you feed the seals.

My oldest feeding the big guy!

This octopus was so cool.

He would stand on his head for food, this guy knew how to get fed!

Family photo of everyone crying, lol

 Once we got back on the road, we stopped off at a little city called, Harmony, Ca; the population is 18. I mean come on, that is just so cool. We got to see the glass factory/store, and some of the window decorations were by far some of my favorites.

Mommy and baby polar bear, made entirely out of glass.

I can't remember where this is, but its suppose to be one of the highest populated Elephant Seal areas. They are sun bathing on the beach, and this area has been protected just for these guys.

The sights along the way, looking at all the cliffs, rocky beaches, treas, windy roads, and so on, by far gave me a new love and appreciation for California. I mean, I have and always will be a California girl, but now I know I always will be, and will always be drawn to this area.

This is from Big Sur, a gorgeous view.

Our last stop along the coast was the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. It was educational, hands on, and a ton of fun. The kids loved it, and I think even my husband and myself were overwhelmed with how much there was to see and do. I could have spend all day in that place. It was so much fun.

Once we made it back to Beale AFB, we did a little sight seeing in this area, and areas around us. We checked out a local food joint, with tons of beers (of course), and the food was great, but HUGE!!!

We also went to old Sacramento and stopped off at the train museum, and a few small quilt shops along the way. If you want to read about our quilt shop hop, check back here for a full run down of each shop and some photos.

Train Museum.

The greatest vacation I have taken in a long time. I thought it would be harder, but it turned out to be a lot of fun just exploring the coast. I did get a little sick along the way, but I eventually got over it. I am thankful to my in-laws for everything they did for us on this trip. Minus the one bad hotel. Other then that, the areas, places we visited, shops we went to, and Starbucks drinks we drank; they were all worth every moment and every smile.

If you ever get a chance, to just, take a week or two and drive the coast of California, I would recommend it! It will be a lifetime of memories. Beautiful, amazing, and worth it.

Sight See in Your Own Backyard,
Sarah

September Give Thanks, Week 1

September 1:
     Thankful for a very long, quiet nap today. I honestly needed every second of it, because of this horrible sickness.

September 2:
     Even if its 10 minutes, I am still thankful for those 10 minutes of adult time I get. I always need some adult conversation, here and there, so I don't feel like I'm going crazy!

September 3:
     Thankful that while out in public today (which is rare these days), BOTH of my kids were amazing! No tantrums, no crying, and only a 5 second upset when I took away some ribbon from Brian, who shouldn't have grabbed it in the first place. It was a great, well needed, adventure OUTSIDE the house.

September 4:
    Fruits and vegetables, oh how thankful I am today to have some FRESH fruit and veggies!! Our budget has been tight, and I have been slowly buying only what I need, but today I NEEDED an apple, so I got one! I really really am thankful for it.

September 5:
     Thankful today to have our master bedroom quilt TOP done!! Yay. Now I just need to find the money to buy batting and the back.... yeah, that might take a minute. BUT the tops done!

September 6:
     Thankful today for a small family bike ride. Its always nice to get a little workout in with a family activity. Plus I get to use my new bike.

September 7:
     Thankful for a decent dinner meal. I know it sounds silly, but when the budget is tight, you eat a lot of the same foods over and over again. Tonight, I made delicious tacos... yum, and yum!

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Binding Tutorial

I hate that kind of binding where you have to measure, sew, and measure, sew, etc. then some how hope you did it all correctly so you don't get any puckering. Yeah no, not me. I just sew. Want to know how? Read on:

I was putting binding on a quilt at my Mother-in-laws one day, and she came over and asked me how I did my binding. I showed her how, and she liked it so much she went on to use it on her quilt. I find that the way I do my binding is just simple, fast and easy. Not only that but it looks great and you don't have to do any measuring!

Thats my extremely easy binding video. I hope it all makes sense, and I apologize for the rough video. I was out of town when I made the video, so I had to use my iPhone. I apologize.

Finishing the binding by hand.

 Please feel free to share this video, pin this post, and be sure to come back and see more tutorials and posts about my everyday sewing and crafting life.


Quilt and Bind Freely,
Sarah

Hand Made Cards

With our tight budget, and being on such a limited amount of spending money each month; I found I could spend almost $10 on just two cards. Seriously, when did cards turn into this extremely expensive piece of paper we give each other and then throw away? I remember buying cards that were .99 cents. I mean, where did those all go?

Well, thats when I started to think, maybe I should just MAKE the cards. That way I could personalize each card for each person. How fun would that be!? I was so excited, so I set off to do some research, check out all the unique stuff I could attempt, and began using what I had, instead of buying a bunch of cards.

I have a ton of scrapbooking product that I have slowly been using for birthday parties and small projects around the house or for family and friends. I had pretty much everything I needed in my craft room. I even had stickers for most occasions and if I didn't, I could find tons of cut outs online.

The first card I made was for my Mother, for Mother's Day (sorry Mom, I know it was horrible). The next one I made was another Mother's Day card. I had more time to make my Mother-in-laws card as I was sending her card with my Father-in laws card for Father's Day. I looked all over the internet for just anything and everything. I then tried my hand at a flower in a pot... yeah, let me just show you:

I cut out each piece and used a small gem for the center of the flower.

I then added "Happy Mother's Day" with stickers I had on hand.

For my Father-in-law and my husband they both got these adorable cards:

This card opens from the bottom. I used brads for the buttons on the collar.

My husband and Father-in law both LOVED the cards, and they both said that it was pretty cool. Like father like son right? Even my oldest son was like "cool, shirt".

My Brother-in-laws birthday is the day after mine, and my sons birthday is late June. The last few posts have been about my sons birthday party and all the items I made for it. However, I didn't show off the card or show you the card I gave to my Brother-in-law for his birthday. Check the out:

This is the card I gave to my Brother-in-law. I felt it was fun, and classic for a California guy.

The inside, I wrote "Happy Birthday", but wished I had done it with stickers.

For my son, his party was nautical themed, so I just matched the theme.

The inside, so cute.

The back, with the "hand made by: Sarah Pitcher". Feels great to make a card for someone special.

I just loved how everyone who has received their cards, has mentioned how great they are, and how personal they seem. Which is why I like making them, but hey, my wallet is liking it too. I have spent zero dollars on these cards so far. I have used stickers, paper, scissors, brads, glue and sticky tape from my scrapbooking supplies. Its just great to finally be putting it all to use.

In July my sister and my brother both have birthdays. I was so excited to do one for my family! I wanted to see what they thought of my card making skills.

My sisters card, I wanted it to be colorful, and seem fun and full of cheer for her birthday. I always hate the fact that I can't be there to celebrate with them, because were military and we rarely can be in town for those events. However, now that I can make cards more personal, I felt like maybe it will make her feel like I am giving her a hug when she opens it. Sure enough, my sister said she LOVED the card.

It says "Happy Birthday Rachel!"

The triangles are only glued at the top, so they are loose and flip up on the end, which gives them that movement, and makes them feel more alive.

This card opened from the bottom and I added a few strips of colored paper.

I added some stickers to add a little visual accent, and I wrote a personal message inside.

 My brothers card, I again used those vintage cars, and cut each one out. I then cut out banners in two different paper colors, and glued them all together. I then alternated the directions and the card really came out masculine but super cute. I could totally change the colors to pink purple and maybe a soft yellow, and find flowers or something they like; and then it would be a perfect female card as well.

The cars are from fabric I had used for a project awhile back.

The inside quote went well with the idea of riding in a car.

Like all my other cards I have been adding this too the backs.

I made two more birthday cards in August for my Mother-in-law and my Father-in-law. I am starting to get better at this card making stuff, and really wanted to do some fun bold cards. I went with a little more modern style and also went with clean lines and a simple design. I mean, how do you not like this card:

This card is a lot more pink and purple then the colors show. I believe its the lighting.

 The idea was to make a cupcake. I hope everyone can see it?

I had some birthday stickers, which I loved the cake, because it matched the colors of this card perfectly.

The back, of course, had its touch.

 This card is a light pink with sage green diamonds. However, the colors are just not that bold in the photo... use your imagination. Bad lighting, next time Ill try to get better photos.

For my Father-in-law, I went with a fun tiered cake.

I just used different paper with different themed designs on them, and cut them into a cake.

I then used a velum quote and added the brown frame around it.

I cut out 3 curved pieces of paper, stacked and glued them together, added some stickers and it all came together nicely.

Had to add the detail to the back.

I wanted to make a few cards for the future, but only got around to one. Hey, I had some sewing projects I wanted to work on more so. Anyways, with everyone graduating this summer, I thought Ill make a graduation card.

I kept it blank on the inside for now, who knows when I will use it, but I sure do love it.

The tassel on the hat is made from embroidery floss. I again, have tons of that on hand.

Well, thats all the cards for now. I have a few more birthdays, and of course some holiday cards to make; so keep an eye out for those too. If you want to see a TUTORIAL or a few HOW TO photos, feel free to leave a comment and I'll do my best to make a few.


Give Your Next Gift a Handmade Touch,
Sarah

Mini iPad Case

My husband recently purchased an iPad mini and has already gone through two cases for it. Both being high end, great quality cases. However, I was not about to let him go purchase another. Instead I thought, why not make him a case COVER/HOLDER. This way when its not in use, in a backpack, or on a trip; he can protect it better.

I liked the idea of using his uniform fabric, so that way he can use it while at work or when he is deployed. For the inside fabric I used a t-shirt material. I wanted something soft and thinner, as the ABU (military) fabric is already really thick. I did add batting to give it that extra padding as well. The buttons I used are from his uniform, so they match the ones he wears every day.

I started out by using two rectangular pieces for the front and back. The front already had the pocket on it. I then cut a half circle and added a few inches to the back of the half circle, to make the opening.

Again, I used grey t-shirt material for the inside. I added batting in the to main rectangular piece, but not in the opening (half circle) piece. I also made the button hole and sewed the button on to hold the opening closed. I again, took this button from an old uniform to make sure it matched.

The smaller pocket is great for pens or pencils, an ID, wallet, etc.

I made his Father's Day card as well, which is a mans shirt with tie. Which is funny because I couldn't tell you the last time I saw him wear a tie.

Or oldest son helped Daddy open his Father's Day gift, and everyone loved it (by everyone I mean the husband and two sons).

Thats all. It was super easy and the only tricky part is trying to sew everything with the batting, and getting all the seams just right. I loved the finished product and hopefully my husband uses it more often then not (which I hope he does, because it will save us money in the long run).

Protect Those iPads,
Sarah

August Give Thanks, Week 5

August 29:
     Thankful to have my craft room back to functioning order, and even had a chance to work on my hexi quilt. Its so nice to get rid of tons of stuff I know I don't need, or never will use. I am thankful that I can pass those items onto someone who might actually use them.

New storage for under the cutting table (took these out of the closet).

Put both bookcases together to make it a wall of fabric.

From the door, when you walk in. Finally done and ready for me to sew in.

From the window. The room feels bigger, and flows so much better.

August 30:
     Thankful that my wonderful husband took the kids to the grocery store and let me catch a few extra minutes of sleep. I accidentally fell asleep on the couch while the boys watched a movie, and when I woke up they boys were all gone. Felt nice to get some extra sleep, since I haven't been feeling well.

August 31:
     So thankful that one of my closest friends from southern California was able to stop off at our house for the night, chit chat, and head back on the road. She was on a little trip from Oregon, and I am just so glad we could catch up and talk. I miss her so much. I look forward to seeing her hopefully soon.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Nautical Birthday Cake

This year was a long and exhausting year. With two kids and both being under 2 most of the time; I struggled to sleep and struggled to stay awake. For Jared's first birthday I had planned to make his birthday cake, and a small smash cake as well. When we finally arrived at my in-laws house, we were chatting with my Mother-in-law and she said I should just purchase the cake and that she would pay for it. I agreed with some hesitation, but after the party was over and done with, I was so happy I did. I wasn't completely tired from being up all day and night, I wasn't dealing with two kids while watching cakes bake, and I wasn't stressing over a cake meltdown or disaster.

I had made some decorations for the cake, before I decided to not make the cake. I also had redecorated a #1 candle, as I could not find anything that matched our colors or theme. I used puff paint and painted zig zags on the candle. It was super easy and only took about 2 full days to really dry.

NOTE: We did not light this candle. I do not know how the puff paint will react to fire. Please know that this candle was for decoration ONLY!

I purchased the 1/4 sheet cake with whipped frosting and a extra large cupcake for the smash cake. I then placed all the decorations on the cake (the ones I made before we even drove down to southern California).

This is the large cupcake, also with whip frosting, and I just purchased the blue candle last minute when I thought I forgot the one I made. When I didn't forget it, I just used the light blue candle for his smash cake, and we light that candle.

He had no idea how to blow out the candle but he sure was cute about the entire thing.

He wasn't to excited about smashing the cupcake, but once he got the hang of it he loved it.

A family photo of my happy birthday boy and wet brother. Best day ever.

In the end, I am so glad I made those cake decorations before we left, that way I already had something to put on it. I also was happier during the party, more relaxed because I got sleep and I wasn't stressed out. I am so glad my Mother-in-law paid for it and was nice enough to do so.

If I can help save at least one mom from doing what I did for so many parties, stressing out over all the baking, then I hope it was worth it. I know for myself, I felt like I captured so much more joy during the party, instead of being stressed out and freaked out. Remember, just because we order a cake doesn't mean we are being a bad mom, just means we wanted to have more time with our kids.

It Was A Beautiful Day,
Sarah