The Juices are Flowing

The creative juices are flowing again. It feels so good to be behind the sewing machine again. I have instituted a schedule for the kids for the remainder of the summer which enables me to have time to do what I enjoy. It also gives me specific times to be creative, to be domestic (including cleaning which I hate to do!), but also makes the kids responsible for the messes they make. There are two scheduled pick up times for them. At those times, they must pick up any messes they have made that morning and that afternoon. If they finish with what they dragged out, then they move on to their rooms. But since it can all be overwhelming to kids, I am starting small. I set a timer for 10 minutes for pickup, and then 10 minutes in their rooms cleaning up. Today, they had one task--to put away toys. Tomorrow their one task is to put away clothes and shoes. While they are doing their pickup, I have time to get lunch fixed. It is working out much better for me than them. I love knowing I only have to clean for a specified amount of time before I am on to something better.

One of the creations from this week may just be the most unnecessary makeover ever--my mailbox. But it was so drab and dreary, I decided to give it a facelift. I hit it with a shot of black spray paint and some adhesive vinyl and voila. I love the way it turned out.
I have been sewing baby shower gifts, but wanted them to be something personal. I am so tired of the pinks and whites of store bought gifts. Yes, they are beautiful. But I wanted something with some zing. So, I stepped behind the sewing machine. It's been months since I have sewn, and I love the sense of accomplishment that I feel every time I complete something. These are the shower gifts I completed today.