Elizabeth the 1st

This sweet little clutch in the batik design was named Elizabeth the 1st by my husband Mike. When I asked him why Elizabeth he paused and replied: "because it's beautiful enough for a queen to carry." Enough said.
Elizabeth's MeasurementsA fabulous little clutch that can hold a whole lot of goodness. Appx. 6" x 8"
Closure: vintage button
I hand delivered Elizabeth to her new owner today and she absolutely loved her! Thanks Kim!

Hannah Mania - custom order

Two Hannah Montana fans who love the colours pink and purple will soon be receiving these tiny totes and pencil case their mom ordered for them.

Tote Measurements
Handles: 6" drop
Bag: Appx. 13" x 12"
The perfect size for a child's tote (worn on the shoulder) or a hand-held adult tote.

The eldest of the girls is going into grade 1 this September and her mom wanted a special pencil case for her, I hope she likes it. I lined the little pink tote with the same fabric seen in the pencil case below.

Pencil Case Measurements
Appx: 9" x 5"
Yes those are brand new pencils - I laid a few in there just to be sure they would fit comfortably. Phew!

Hannah Banana

Another 'to do' checked off the list.

For details on these children's' tote bags and pencil case please pop over to gingham skies.

It Was Better Than Fair

It was a lovely day spent with one of my all time best girls: Tanya. We drank cappuccino (yep that's a pic of mine up above) and ate yummy fresh salads and sandwiches at a new Fair Trade cafe located Uptown Waterloo: Seven Shores Urban Market and Cafe. It is a wonderful little cafe where you can find good eats and beautiful handcrafted items to decorate your home and self. Of course we ate gelato today as well, how could we not when it was right there in front of us and oh so mmm.

Only a week and a half until Mike and I leave on our trip out West which I am crazy excited about BUT that means I only have a week and a half left to get in all the Tanya-time I can. She heads off on her year (maybe two) long adventure in Russia when we're vacationing in BC. Did that 'two' sound more like I meant 'too'? It wasn't an accident. I'm very excited for Tanya but selfishly sad for me, I'll miss her like crazy!

This is...what makes my skin crawl.

cockroach
Originally uploaded by phrenophile

Brown bugs, cockroaches, nastiest creatures on earth: same difference. Whatever you like to call them these disgusting little buggers make my skin crawl! I worked for a family up North for a few summers and these little buggers were everywhere (they like damp wood so a cottage on an island is like a little piece of heaven for them).

I woke up as I slapped my chest one morning to find that I had smashed one of these nasty guys to bits under my pajama top - from that night on I wore many layers to bed and tucked my pj pants into my socks!

You learn to shake out your bathing suits really well after finding a cockroach inside... thankfully I saw it before it hit skin. Ewwwwww!

Thanks to flightless boyds for this weeks theme.

Flashback Friday

Isn't it funny what memories stick in your head? So much of my past is made up of foggy recollections but there are some days/moments that are crystal clear.

The moment this photo was taken is crystal clear in my mind. My best friend Martha (her back is facing the camera) and I were playing charades on the front lawn of the house I lived in until I was 7. I was pretending to be a lion here and she was just about to guess correctly when my when my Aunt Alison came out and snapped the picture.

While riding my bike yesterday I had a few other random memories pop into my head,, things I haven't thought of in years: popping tar bubbles that formed on the side of the road, we would be covered in nasty sticky tar and could have cared less; riding my bike with no hands and showing off to my brother and cousins when WHACK I smacked into the back of a parked car. I'm not sure how bike riding triggered these two but I had a good laugh yesterday recalling them.

Mikey Likes It!

I'm always thrilled to find a new recipe that both Mike and I like, it's not always easy but thankfully in his old age my man is willing to try new things. This might not seem like a big deal to some but Mike is known for being a bit of a 'selective' eater... I think it's safe to say that he was known to be picky but in my opinion he is moving out of the picky zone.

I found a yummy recipe in June's issue of Chatelaine and when I read the words pork tenderloin I figured it would be safe to suggest it to my husband. The part I wasn't so sure of were the peaches... he wasn't so sure himself until he took a bite and YUM!

This is a really easy, healthy and filling summer salad. Speaking of healthy and lazy I'm too lazy to type out the entire recipe so I snapped a pic of Chatelaine's original recipe.

I couldn't find minced chipotle in adobo sauce at the discount grocer near my house so I just chopped up half a jalapeno and tossed it in. Mmmm mmmm good.

See, super easy and really yummy!

She'll Walk Like a Cowgirl

Tomorrow I may very well resemble a cowgirl.

For the first time this year I hopped on my bike and I'm very proud to say that I rode it 8 km to my parents house; I spent 3 hours scraping paint off the back of the house, cooled off in the pool and then climbed back on my steed and rode 8 km back to my place. I will admit I took two different routes ensuring I had big hills to ride down each way, that being said there was no getting around big hills to go up on both routes as well.

On the way there I honestly considered stopping and turning around when I was less than half way - it suddenly hit me that I would have to complete this journey a second time in the same day. Thankfully I talked myself out of turning around and I completed my trip.

I said that my holidays would officially start following the presentation on "Abuse in the Deaf Community" I had committed to giving at the university and that took place this morning soooo HAPPY HOLIDAYS to me!

I've been terrible about keeping active even though I continuously publicly declare my intentions but here I go again. I will do something physical, even if it's just a 20 minute walk, every day of my holidays (now until August 24th) because I have absolutely no excuse not to.

Two Mer Sisters Named Amelia

I cannot believe that I'm nearing the end of my second week of holidays already! Time flies. What have I done for the last week and a half? A little bit of this and a little bit of that, I have been busy so I haven't blogged much but I'll try to be a little more regular for the remainder of the summer.

Last Friday I spent the afternoon with Neve. We started our playtime with a swim shortly after I arrived at my parents place where Neve was spending the day with Papa (as per her usual Friday routine). After playing "sister mermaids" for half an hour Neve decided we should call each other Amelia for the rest of the day and I suggested that the Amelias take a trip to the park. Surprisingly 'Amelia' agreed and we ventured off to the nearby school yard where I often played as a kid.

A sweet little girl named Ping ran straight over to us when we stopped by the climbing equipment. You've got to love kids. When Ping asked Neve what her name was her response was to tuck her chin into her chest, scooch closer to me and then growl at poor little Ping. Thankfully Ping wasn't put off by this display of Neveness, she asked Neve a few more questions which received the same growl of a reply... I tried to coax words out of my beautifully stubborn niece but not surprisingly I had no luck. Ping looked at me confused and asked "Why can't her talk?" I couldn't help but laugh.

Ping asked Neve to play with her and suggested a few other things before giving up and focusing her attention on me. She looked up at me with a big smile and proudly announced that she was 5 years old, went to this school and could swing across ALL of the monkey bars. After glancing nervously at the growling girl tucked against my thigh I asked Ping if she would like to show us her very cool talent.

It was Ping's excellent display of monkey bar crossing that caught Neve's attention (as much as she didn't want to watch she couldn't help her eyes from looking in Ping's direction). Before I knew it Neve was chasing after Ping copying her every move, you would have thought the two were old friends. Ping showed Neve how to do a cartwheel, Neve watched carefully and then avoided having to try it herself by announcing "I can do ballet. Want me to teach you ballet?" She then spun around and fell on her butt which threw drew giggles from both girls.

A very sweet moment for me to watch was when Ping suddenly stopped what she was doing and crept closer to Neve. She peered into Neve's face, smiled her beautiful smile and chirped, "You have the same hair as me! You have the same kind of eyes as me too!" Neve smiled back at Ping and said, "Yes, we match."

Ping and her dad left the playground around the same time my dad drove by honking his horn, he surprised Neve and I with ice cream cones to devour before we made the short but hot journey home.

While sitting under the shade of a tree on the playground eating our ice cream Neve asked me if I thought we would see Ping again, she liked her new friend and hoped they could play again. Neve talked about the fun she had had playing with Ping and me and told me, "I was shy and then no more."

I asked her why she had been shy at all and her response made my day: "I didn't want to share you Aunt Jaime."

Little Bits Bag with Button Accents

This the finished Little Bits Bag that goes with this tote here.


I was surprised when the bag was finished, I wasn't too impressed with the batik fabric on its own as a Little Bits Bag. I added the tiny white buttons on both sides to give it a little bit of glam.

Amelia

The Amelia is a perfect sized tote to carry all of your essentials.

Straps: 9 inch drop, 21 inches from end to end.
Bag: 14.5 inches from seam to seam along top, 10.5 inches along bottom
From zipper to base of bag: appx. 8 inches
Inside Pocket can be open or zipper style


Amelia in batik fabric: a custom order made with a zipper closure, front pocket and longer straps. Straps: 15.5 inch drop, 33 inches from end to end.

The Charmer

Photos really do not do this lovely little handbag justice - this is the purse that seems to earn the most compliments from complete strangers.



This pattern was borrowed from the book Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

Little Bits Bags

Little bits bag sizes vary depending on my mood or an individuals request.

Spots: 6" x 4 1/2"


Stars: 7" x 6 "
Orange: 6" x 4 1/2"

Sweet: 7 1/2" x 4 3/4"

It's Time!

I figure it's time to upload shots of my completed projects here on gingham skies so that people don't have to bounce between my personal blog Jabbering Jaime and here to see what I've got on the go.

Feel free to email me ginghamskies@gmail.com if you're interested in purchasing a bag - your fabric choices can be found by clicking here. What type of bag I create with your most loved fabric is up to you.

My plan is to open an Etsy shop within the next couple of months so stay tuned for that!

This is my most treasured childhood possession.

The item I loved most when I was a kid was a small pillow lovingly referred to as my "stinky" pillow; my dad always called it that and the name stuck. I used to suck on the corners of that nasty little thing and loved it until the foam insides turned to dust. I thought I still had the pillows stashed away but I can't seem to locate it so today you'll meet the runner up: Garfield.

I was obsessed with the Garfield comic strip when I was little so when I tore the Christmas wrapping off of this little guy one year I was a very happy little girl. My big brother picked him out for me and as you can see he chose well, this was one loved cat.

Thanks Danielle from teacups on treetops for choosing the 'This is...' theme this week.

New Bag & New Blog

The first bag from my first order has been completed! This one has a zipper closure.
If you're interested in more details please check out my new sewing blog Gingham Skies.

I LOVE this fabric!

The first bag for my first order is finished! I'm really pleased with it. I absolutely love this batik fabric; I just wish it would go on sale!

This is the same design I used for this bag but I lengthened the straps at the customers request.
Here are the dimensions:
Straps: 15.5 inch drop, 33 inches from end to end.
End to end: 14.5 inches from seam to seam along top, 10.5 inches along bottom
From zipper to base of bag: appx. 8 inches
Pocket: 7 inches x 4 inches

Sherequested a pocket in the front for her sunglasses (there is a velcro closure) and a zipper to keep all her goodies safe inside the purse. This is the first purse zipper I've done and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Although it was quite time consuming it wasn't difficult, thanks to Google I found a fantastic tutorial on adding zippers to purses over at Enthral.

I hope the new owner loves it! Now on to the matching Little Bits Bag she wants for inside!

Flashback Friday

Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario holds many fond memories for me. I remember visiting it on many occasions and for old times sake my dad (aka Chops in this picture) took my niece Neve last summer - we tried to pose her next to the less creepy Humpty Dumpty that now sits on the wall but she would have nothing of it! Thanks big bro John for holding on in this shot and not taking advantage of the moment to throw me to the ground.

A Journalist in the Family

I introduced Mike's blog Samsquanch to you last week and now I am very excited to show off the article that he had published in the Georgian Bay Today thanks to his first post!

I opened the mailbox this afternoon, snatched up the pile of goodies and spotted the newspaper immediately. There was Mike's article on the first page of the paper! I bolted home and made him read it to me... that just seems like the right thing to do once you've been published, a public (even if the audience is only one) reading. How cool is this?


We were both thrilled to find that the article continued beyond the first page and better yet, it took up an entire additional page!
Mike was planning to head to Blue Mountain tomorrow to hit the trails, how perfect is it that his article on Blue arrived in the mail the day before he heads there?

Getaway

After receiving some terribly sad news last week (which I will share with you at a later date) Mike suggested we get away for the weekend. He swept me off my feet and took me to Niagara Falls for a two night escape; it was wonderful.

We stayed at the Marriott and when we walked through the doorway into our room we sighed "WOW" in unison: the view was spectacular! When they say "Fallsview Room" they mean fallsview.

Yes that's a shot taken from the floor to ceiling window in our room; breathtaking isn't it? Here's another from our window:


The weekend was ultra relaxing, we ate, slept, laughed, relaxed in the whirlpool, ate, enjoyed the view, ate, wandered the cheesy streets, laughed, ate and snapped a zillion pictures of the view from our room.




The Maid of the Mist is the boat shown below, we didn't hop on for the tour this year but one day we will!

I'm posting more pictures than is probably polite in the land of blogging but I like to go against the grain... so there.

This shot makes me laugh, read the sign carefully and then look at the surroundings. Something tells me that the WWF and the Rainforest Cafe might not be an 'authentic' part of Niagara Falls


Mike and I were talking about how badly we want to visit Egypt about 20 minutes before we stumbled upon this Pharaoh. With only a little prodding from me Mike hopped up on his lap for a pic; I should have taken a picture of the looks on the faces of the people around us. Hilarious!
No the picture isn't supposed to be rotated, this is the top of the Museum. I remember visiting the Ripley's museum when I was a kid but I don't think King Kong was on the roof then.

I love this one!

I was a bit disappointed to find out that what I thought was an old school Ferris wheel was actually the new and 'improved' version where you sit in a pod. Rather than taking a ride I took a picture.

After taking a nap Saturday evening I hopped out of bed to grab my book and what to my wondering eyes did appear? A rainbow!! This is my favourite shot of the weekend.

A mega-big thanks to my fabulous husband for a great escape weekend! It was a wonderful break from reality.