A Tropical Christmas!

My favorite girl cousin came to visit me this past week. She and I went thrifting together which was a lot of fun! I was lucky enough to score a Christmas tree for only $10!!! The box was marked around 200! What luck!

We dragged it home and I immediately began assembling, it took about 6 hrs, but I am proud to say all the pieces were there, more luck! I stared long and hard at it the next day before deciding that this would be my "Tropical Christmas Tree"! I mean after all we are in Florida!

I have been hoarding the perfect fabric, "Kris Kringle in Paradise", a really great print from Michael Miller. The 2 prints have been sitting on my shelves marinating for years and I finally had the perfect thing to use them for, more luck!!

I found a tute on the internet and went to work on Saturday, cutting and measuring, binding and sewing, took me all day, but I am so happy with the end result! Super festive and it really brought my tree together once it was on.

I went out with my mom and found some beautiful ornaments, get this, they were called "tropical!" more luck! They are wonderful and I can't wait to search for more. I'm sure it will take years before I am really satisfied, but the wait will be worth it in the end I hope. Oh and if you would like to try the tute, I found it here. There were lots of great tuturials there.

http://sew4home.com/projects/fabric-art-a-accents/390-citrus-holiday-simply-quilted-patchwork-tree-skirt

Small warning though, the middle looks really wonky before cutting the center out. If I were going to do it again, I believe I would sew 2 petals together, four times and then assemble the pairs. I think that would help.

I plan on giving the elf stockings a go tomorrow! Hope everyone is having a little Holiday fun!

Lots Going on...

Sew much going on lately! I am in the midst of my holiday sewing. I have so many things I would like to get done in the next week, only time will tell how many I will accomplish!

All of my custom orders were sent out last week, boy that is a good feeling! I love sewing for other people, but I really cherish the little bit of time that I get to sew for those closest to me.

I made a tee today that my little guy claimed right away. Truth be told I was sewing for my etsy shop, but luckily this one was his size and Star Wars, with Clones! His favorite thing at the moment!

I have sewn 3 crazy log cabin blocks this past weekend in Arcadia. I am hoping to make a bench seat with them next week. Just need to find time to go the fabric store and select that perfect solid to help me along! Here is a little sneak peek of them so far. This line has to be one of my favorites ever.

Noah and I took a little break yesterday from house chores to try our hand at candy making. We are hoping to do a new batch this week to give to all of his teachers and helpers at school. Just need to go to the store and find something cute to put the candy in. I was inspired by the http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/ blog. She made so much yummy looking Reindeer Bark, that Noah and I just couldn't help trying some too! We used the white bark and added it to pretzels and m&ms, yummo! Then we drizzled some chocolate bark over the top. It was really quite good, but the next batch needs more pretzels!

Well I am off to cut out more tees for the shop and hopefully sew something for my mom. I have things planned out to sew for all 3 kids, I need more time I think! I leave you tonight with this yummy close up, yyyyuuuummm, can't you just taste it???

So Much to Do!!

Time to write my list, and it's not the Naughty or Nice one! I have so many ideas and projects that I would like to get sewn for family and friends this holiday season. It seems like my time is getting away from me! Hopefully I can organize my thoughts onto paper and schedule some time each day to work on them.

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Mine was spent with family and it was so nice and relaxing. Ate way too much food, but it was well worth the tummy ache!! I have given the blog a little facelift too for the upcoming holiday season!

I have put a few tees in my esty store this past week, but I have quite a few more cut out. Hoping to have a Cyber Monday sale this week!

Here are just a few pics of last weeks tees!

My mom celebrated a birthday in November. I had just a few minutes one afternoon to whip her up some coasters using my favorite Arcadia fabric by Moda. I love how they turned out. I also gave her a coupon clutch made from Objects of Desire by Moda. I hope it will be well used!
Stay tuned for some more fun sewing this week! I will also be putting my Beanie Pattern into my esty shop this week! It's a lot of fun to sew and a great way to use up your knit scraps!!

Oops, 1 more tee to show. This one just added tonight. My last holiday one for the year!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35506563

Super Hero Custom Sets Flying OUT the Door!

Short post today. I have so much left to do before Christmas and so little time. Lots that I would love to accomplish before then. I am down to 2 more custom orders, yahoo for me! Then I would love to stock up my etsy store for the Christmas shoppers!

I really enjoy sewing on special sets that little guys love to wear. There is so much time involved in each of these, but I think they turned out cute! They were a special request from a mom that has a 2 yr old that just LOVES Batman, Superman and the Joker! I had a lot of fun creating these, but I hope he will have more fun wearing them.

Here are a few pics of the sets before I wrapped them up and sent them on their way.

Christmas Time....

is just around the corner! Unbelievable, this year has really flew by! My kids are already asking how many more days until Christmas, how many?? Little do they know that Santa could use the most he can get!

I have so much to get done this week and today is Friday, yikes! We are having a garage sale tommorrow and there is so much to still do to prepare. I have so many kids books that mine have outgrown or don't read. Sew much fabric too!! Why is it so hard for me to let go of my fabric, even when I know that I am not going to use it??

To make things easier for us, I decided to have hubby pull out all the Christmas decorations so we can find our way around the garage. I can't wait to decorate! I think it may be the earliest I have ever started, but I am excited! I just love Christmas!

Earlier this week I found this on the side of the road, much to my teenage daughter's dismay I couldn't resist loading it into the car. Great post to come, but here is a sneak of the before!

Last night I loaded up my store with some upcycled Christmas tees to put me in the Spirit. I sang the Grinch song all day long while I sewed much to everyone's dismay!! That's okay when I pull out my Rat Pack holiday CD they will appreciate it even more!

Here are a few pics of tees. I think this first one is the only one left in the store!

ZooTZ Facebook FAN page!

I finally figured out how to do a FAN page over on FB. I would love for you to become a fan. I will be posting fun contests as well as sneak peeks and listings for my store and ebay. Just hop right over and Click Become a Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZooTZ/177482377413?v=wall

Drumroll. If you please Animal.......

And the winner is.........................................................Di!!!

The random generator selected your post as the one to receive my FMF tote and some goodies inside! Please post in the comment section and I will send you an email!

Thanks to everyone who left a Happy comment. I have read and reread them when I needed a little pick me up during the day. It's nice to know that we all find happiness even when times are tough.

Just a little update on the job front, my hubby did receive an offer! Yeah. He is headed to his 2nd job interview today at a different place that promises better benefits and salary than his 1st offer. Please keep him in your thoughts. He has really had it rough these couple of months and I know a good job offer would really help to boost his esteem. We don't need much, just the ability to pay bills on time.

And I wanted to also say a special thank you to the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to keep our country a safe place and to their families. The sacrifices you make, so that my family can lay their heads down at night and dream sweet dreams, is something that I can ever repay. My heart goes out to all of those in Fort Hood. I pray that you will find comfort and peace in the days ahead, I just can't imagine the pain.

Halloween Fun!

All treats no tricks this Halloween! I hope everyone else had as great a day as we did!

The kids and I decided we needed to carve a pumpkin or two for the big night. We had lots of fun. I thought my 6 yr old would really get into the scraping of the guts, WRONG! He was a big baby about it and my 13 yr old daughter loved it! I must admit they make me a little squeamish!

We made another round of yummy mummies to snack on all weekend, yummo!

The kids had a few friends over for the big night and all in all we had a great time. Our neighborhood is a huge trick or treat stop, and I gave out over 7 JUMBO bags of Halloween candy. Ran out around 8:20! Next year I need to buy more!

Here are a few pics of the kids and their friends all ready to go out. Mine are Wonderwoman, Batman and the Joker(nurse). My mom made Dustin's Joker nurse costume and he couldn't have been more pleased. He said that it was the best ever. He received lots of compliments and was truly over the moon with himself.

Still Sewing and sewing and sewing....

I have been sewing just no posting.

Halloween is just a day away! Luckily this year I picked up the younger 2 kiddos a costume at the goodwill store. Noah is going as Batman and Skylar a very cute Wonderwoman. Dustin decided that he did want to trick or treat this year after much going back and forth. He is 15 and couldn't decide whether it was still legal or not, LOL. I told him as long as he dressed up I didn't have a problem with it. So he decided just 2 days ago that he wanted to be the Joker(heath ledger version), but in a nurses dress, not the suit. So I headed to the store and bought the needed materials and took the bag to my mom's. I know, not a good sewing mama, but I have orders and grandma is a better seamstress than I! So she is making a costume today, she is the best mother in the world!

I did squeak out some yummy mummy cupcakes for Noah's class yesterday. These were so easy to make and Noah said everyone in his 1st grade class loved them. Noah couldn't wait to tell me that his teacher snuck two! Must have been yummy!

I promised the other kids that we would make some later today for the weekend. Can't have too much chocolate tempation can we?

Earlier this week I finally put together a PDF pattern for my beanie hats. They are so easy and fun to make. Noah truly loves having lots of beanies for winter. Even my 2 oldest feel the need for a few new beanies! This will be in my etsy oliomomma store soon. I decided after finishing it that I wanted to add the adult size too, so I need to redraw the pattern. The next day, I ironed all of my Arcadia prints by Moda and washed up a piece of lovely linen. I am going to see how many things I can get out of 1 yd of linen and scraps of my beloved Arcadia. So far I have 2 patchwork sets of coasters almost finished and I am thinking of starting a bag this weekend. Stay tuned! So many ideas!

Yesterday I decided to tackle my pile of tees that I have been collecting from the thrift store! I managed to get 9 tees/beanies cut out and sewed up 3 of them and put them in my zootz shop. 1 already sold, but 2 remain!

I have so many cute tee fronts and I can't wait to finish the rest today. This one is my favorite. I think because it was made with a power ranger knit that was printed the year my first son was born. Don't think that qualifies for vintage, but it is old!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33509158

Then 2 Batman Lego tees, one for the smaller guy and one for the little bit bigger guy! The big guy one already sold, but the little one remains. I just love the colors, these are always so much fun to make!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33509514

And of course, all the time in between has been spent on custom orders and time with my kids and hubby. My husband is hopefully starting a new job on Monday. He was already to go last week when they realized he hadn't been given a portion of the paperwork, so that was finished and now he waits. My fingers are crossed and prayers have been said. If you believe in the power of positive thinking, we could use some.

My happy give-a-way has 5 days left! I have enjoyed reading what makes everyone happy. I think it's wonderful that people make us happy. All those little moments we cherish are usually with the ones we love. Well fabric too, but that is a given! I will announce the winner on Nov. 5! Still plenty of time to comment on the Happy post and let me know what makes you happy!

Hope everyone has a great and safe Halloween!

J. O. B. !!

I just had to come back and post again tonight. I am enjoying every one's comments immensely. The little things and places that we find happiness in are truly inspiring!

My husband got a call today. He has a job!!! He starts Monday and there won't be a pay cut. I am so excited and beyond relieved. I would have never dreamed that I could make the bills this month on my own, it was a lesson in patience and perseverance. I just hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon!

Happiness Is.....

Waking up to a brand new day ahead. Having a family to share it with and friends to laugh out loud with. Hitting the snooze on the alarm clock just that one time. Seeing your children smile. Holding someone's hand that you care about. Listening to someone tell about the old days. Just feeling the sunshine on your face.

Someone asked the question, "Are you Happy?" on a forum that I belong to, just the other day. It made be stop and think for a minute about what happiness truly is. Do we make our own happiness? Or are we born with a certain personality, certain traits that determine whether you will be happy or not?

I have come to the conclusion, at least for me, that I am responsible for my own happiness. Sure, there will be sad days ahead, life as we know it couldn't exist without rough times. But, I have decided that with the exception of those few days, I will be happy.

Today would have been my grandmother's 81st Birthday. Sadly Grandma passed away in January of '98, but it really does feel just like yesterday. I can still hear her laugh, it was infectious and funny. I can remember watching Steel Magnolias with her one day, and the laughs were plentiful. She was an amazing woman and her heart so big. I miss her, but I am thankful that I had the time with her that I did. She was always around; every birthday, every special moment, everytime that you needed an ear to listen. So instead of being sad, I can be happy today that I had her in my life for those 23 years. It was a priviledge!

So what will make me happy today?

My kids. Above is a picture taken when we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC, years ago. We had the best time and when I think back I remember this picture of all 3 kids in the biggest chair they had ever seen. Pure happiness.

This morning my 6 yr old son begged me to tickle the bottom of his feet. I think this was merely a ploy to stay in bed a few more minutes before getting dressed for school. Well, it worked!

My 13 yr old daughter managed to get out of bed on the first wake up call, get dressed and make breakfast for herself. Giving me just another few minutes to hit the snooze.

My 15 yr old son woke himself up(this part is miraculous!) and gave me the nicest smile when I dropped him off at the bus stop!

My husband, whom has been out of work for the last month, just left for an interview. He is waiting to hear back today on an offer from an interview this past Monday.

My mug. Yes, I know it is silly. My mom bought 2 of these for me a few weeks ago, no occasion, just because, I think she paid $1 each. They are apple green with painted white dots and were made in Spain. I'm not sure why it makes me happy to drink my hot tea from this cup, but it does! A few pictures here, because well my camera makes me happy too!

My curtains. As I sat drinking my hot tea and eating my cinnamon peanut butter toast(yummy!) this morning, I was reminded of how happy my cafe style curtains make me! I made them from a Michael Miller 50's Kitchen print. I haven't gotten around to the top curtain or the matching placemats, but these rather plain curtains make me happy just the same.

My scraps. I have the biggest tote full of scraps. I went through it the other day to give Noah's teacher a big bag full for her Kindergarten class to use. I put everything away, except for these scraps that remained on my cutting table. They just make me happy, not sure why.
My selvedges. I have to be honest and say that I have sadly been throwing these away for years! Oh, the horror! Not until I read all the great things that can be done with them here, http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/10/big-selvedge-project.html ,

did I realize their true potential. I have yet, to sew any up. But one day, oh one day, what fun they will be.So many things to be thankful for and it's only 9:30 in the morning!

I think my happiness should be spread around! I am going to do my first blog give away in honor of my Grandma, Clara Nell.

I have thought about it, for just a few minutes and decided my Scalloped Fancy Flea Market tote would be the appropriate gift. I had it for sale in my etsy shop, but it would make me happiest to just give it away. My first love of sewing was tote bags. My favorite line of fabric ever, Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt. And it even has a vintage button for the center of the flower, and vintage makes me smile too! I will even throw some things into the bag that make me smile and hopefully you too.

So just leave me a comment on my blog about who or what makes you happy. It can be the smallest thing. It can be silly or sweet. Just whatever puts a smile on your face. I will let you know in 2 weeks who the winner is.

Sew Much sewing!

I have been sewing a lot lately, just no posting! Some for customs, some for Noah, some for Ebay! I really need to get moving and put some more things in my Etsy stores. I plan on doing that early next week.

Here are a couple of tees that were repurposed and already sent to their new owner! These were repurposed from tees that featured a front and back, so I will be adding 2 tees to my store that are very similar to these!

Here is a fun set that I put on ebay earlier. A cute OOAK 3 pc set repurposed from a spidey tee. I added matching pants and a beanie. I love how this turned out and I hope someone else will too!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260491474041&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I have sewn about 3 new pairs of shorts for Noah for school, but no pics. I can't believe it is October and we are still over 90 during the day! Yuck!!