ballerina pup

My very dear friend Jenna gave birth to her first baby girl back in the fall. I made this little dog for her daughter Sarah. It looks a bit more like a lamb than a puppy, but I can't get enough of the tutu.

moleskine planning

I've gotten a lot of responses on facebook, flickr and the blog about the baby dragon and whether or not there's a pattern. I'm at the point where I dream these guys up, sketch a bit in my Moleskine notebook, and then get to it. There's lots of figuring it out as I do it. But this time, the result is pretty close to the original sketch... minus the nails, which got nixed.

tiny baby dragon

Life has been overwhelmingly busy lately... with our anniversary, 30th birthdays for me and several friends, as well as a new top secret project taking up lots of time. So I've been dedicating the few free moments to fun things like outdoor movies and happy hour drinks rather than my camera and blog. But I did finish and give this baby dragon and matching blanket to two of my favorite parents-to-be. She was a hit!

mailed out to the baby girls

I've been making a bunch of these hats for friends who were expecting. Three little girls (one due to arrive any day) will be receiving these in the mail, including our new niece Rose, who gets the rose-topped version.

blue hippo

This little guy was a gift to my friends' new son Elias, who made a long journey from Ethiopia to be with his family.

hard to give away

I love the making and giving of handmade gifts. But every once in a while, there's one that's tough to say good-bye to. This little elephant was designed to match the baby blanket I crocheted for a great friend's shower. During a recent fabulous Girls' Weekend with my two former college roomies, I got to give it to her adorable, now four-month old son. But I'm going to miss it sitting on my desk... he's definitely a favorite. Another shot here.

fast runner

Since our table is in the same general area as the couch, I made this runner with the same fabric from the new pillows. It took no time at all to sew up two sides, making it reversible. Top stitching in a shiny blue tread finished the edges nicely.

dressing up the couch

I finally got finished the throw pillows for our new couch, with the fabric I bought from Etsy. After a delay caused by needing longer zippers (it's so nice to live so close to Manhattan's garment district... anything you might ever need is there) and then another delay of trying to remember how to sew in a zipper, they're completed and on the couch.

In the foreground on the ottoman: large faux-leather tray from Target, vanilla candle from Bath and Body Works, the very sadly now-defunct Domino Magazine and great coasters featuring buses of Buenos Aires through the decades purchased on the honeymoon.

tiny hats for tiny heads

I can barely keep up with the rate of reproduction of my friends. Baby hat in the works.

a glimpse of what's to come

We are finally getting the new place into livable shape. Almost everything's unpacked, the last of the furniture has been ordered and I can now start the decorating. One of my first projects is going to be throw pillows for the couch. I've been a fan of Amy Butler's fabrics for years and always wanted a reason to buy some. So I has a custom order made through FabricWorm's Etsy shop. She was lovely to correspond with and packaged everything up into a cute little bundle, tied with twine, and a handwritten thank you attached. Now to dig out the sewing machine...

yarny dessert

Last night, I crocheted this cupcake.

stitched with love

As a way to combat all the things that have been stressing me out lately, I've been crocheting a ton. I just sent this blanket down to North Carolina for the baby shower of a very good friend who's expecting her first baby, a boy. This zig zag stitch was the last one my Grandma ever taught me, and I think it's definitely my favorite. Details are here and here.

something old, something new

This will be the newest thing I wear on my wedding day... If I can get it finished in time, that is. It's a half-completed shawl that I'm knitting. I'm going to try to get it done on time. And if not, I'll just go without.

with a little help from my friends

Much love to Jaxx, Bexx and Laura who helped with the assembling, stuffing, and stamping of invitations. They're in the mail! Phew...

for little hands

I made this ring bearer pillow over the weekend for our nephew Zach to carry. The cloth is actually cloth napkins from Pier One, which I'm using for the centerpieces. The ribbon is also from the centerpieces, which I bought at M&J Trimming, and the button is a left-over from sock monkey eyes.

chin up, cheer up

A friend of mine lost her beloved dog this week. Clearly she was in need of homemade chocolate chip cookies. I used some leftover Pottery Barn ribbon and new Chinese food containers for the presentation.

new baby, new blanket

I started crocheting this blanket back in May, and hardly worked on it all summer. But as soon as the weather got cooler, I picked it back up and finished it just in time for our new nephew, Samuel James. Congrats to Tim's sister and her growing family.

bouncing baby bear

I knitted this baby hat for a lovely co-worker who knew she was having a boy. Ear inspiration came from Cute Overload. The tiny little guy just arrived this week, so many happy congrats to the parents and new baby Finn.

wedding-palooza

While some of our friends, like Jer and KB, will be attending the actual Lollapalooza in Chi-town this weekend, Tim and I will be taking a massive roadtrip through three states, covering over 800 miles, and seeing many, many loved ones as we attend two weddings and a birthday/family reunion.

I made the t-shirt for one of this weekend's brides, my dear friend Jenna, who loved it in spite of my used of Cooper Black. She wore it proudly on her bachelorette night. (The photos of us posing like rockstars in a ladies room mirror that evening will go unblogged though!) Hoping for luck and lots of sunshine for everyone's big days.

crochet in may

Started this striped blanket a few nights ago for a new baby who will be arriving in November.