A tale of two diaper bags...

        To be honest, I waited awhile before I took a pregnancy test. I don't know if I was scared, or in denial or what it was, but I waited. And waited. And waited. When I did find out for sure, I was probably 8 weeks along. After telling my husband, I called my mother next. Then, a few weeks later, I called my older brother. His response, of course, was, "Well, it's about time." :) A few weeks later, he called me, laughing, to tell me that he was having a baby, too.
         It's been really cool to be able to go through this experience with my brother. We don't physically live close to each other (the Army made him live in New York, where he settled down, and the Marine Corps made my husband and I live in California, where we settled down), but this experience has brought us closer. It's very cool to be able to talk to each other about nurseries and baby names, and doctor's appointments and all of those things. And, as it turns out, we're both having girls, so we'll have even more to talk about. It's been wonderful. It's also really great to know that my brother is having a child because he is going to be an amazing father! He has always been really great with kids, and to see him with one of his own will be SO COOL!
        Now, as soon as my husband and I found out we were expecting, I knew that I would make our diaper bag. Making bags is kind of my thing, so that was a no brainer for me. I wanted to make sure, though, that whatever I made would be something that my husband would be able to carry if I asked him to. Now, I could count on one hand the number of times that I have ever asked my husband to hold my purse, and I think that all of those times involved me leaving a hospital. He would do it, if I asked him to, but I just don't. So, I wanted to make sure that, even though we're having a girl, our diaper bag would still be manly enough for him. So, I decided to chop up an old set of his cammies, and re-purpose them into a diaper bag. I've made a few of these bags for the shop before, but I like the idea that the diaper bag that I'll be carrying for my daughter is made from the actual cammies that her father wore. I just think there's something cool about that.

      These are the pockets from the front of the blouse. I took them off, and moved them to the sides of the bag to be used for extra storage.

      I didn't take a picture, but the inside is a solid brown that matches the cammies. As you can see here, you can see some of the uneven fading from where I took things apart and moved things around, but, to be honest, I think it's cool. It shows that these cammies were worn, and there a great sense of pride that comes along with that.

    Now, for my brother's diaper bag, I wasn't so worried about making it manly. I'm not sure if he'll ever end up carrying it around, but the idea of him carrying around a super girlie diaper bag kind of makes me chuckle anyway.....So, I focused on making something that his girlfriend would love. I asked him what her favorite colors are, and this is what I came up with.

Like ours, I wanted to give her an adjustable strap, so that if she needs to carry it over one shoulder, or across the body, she'd have those options. 

 I added the ribbon on the front and the bow to break up the zebra print, and to add a touch of femininity. You can't tell in this picture, but the bow is attached with a heart shaped stitch.

 

 There is a back pocket for extra storage, just like on ours.

 The inside is lined in a vibrant purple and have plenty of pockets for storage.

I hope she likes it!!!

Things I love....

     Obviously, I've got a baby on my mind these days. With that said, Etsy has a ton of amazing things for babies. Here are a few that I have my eye on these days....

I love this adorable baby album by alabouffe.

 These baby blocks from  TarasElegantDecor  are precious

I love these baby shoes from  petitebelleboutique

 My husband loves hummingbirds, and it would be wonderful to have this print from paintedbliss   on the walls of the nursery.

My husband may not be an active duty Marine these days, but our daughter will be raised with the sense of pride that comes along with that. These shoes from  mysweetbabylove are so cute!

 I am a huge Wizard of Oz fan, and I love this print from sugarfresh

And finally, this giraffe print from beththompsonart would match the nursery theme perfectly. 

I'd love to hear about your favorite handmade baby items.....Please feel free to comment and leave links in the comment section so I can check them out!

Oh baby!

Two posts in a week? Holy moly! See, I really am making an effort here folks. :)

 In other exciting news, along with all of the big changes to my shop, there area also some big changes in my life. Shortly after my birthday, I found out that my husband and I are expecting our first child! It's a girl, and she is due in early December.Please forgive some of these pictures. I was horrendously sick for about the first 6 months, and so despite my best efforts to look like a glowing, radiant, pregnant lady, I look like Ma Gorg from Fraggle Rock.

 

22 weeks

 26 weeks

 28 Weeks

 

30 weeks

 I thought that it was important to have a diaper bag that I could ask my husband to hold for me if I needed to, but that would not be an insult to his manhood. I didn't want to have to hand him something pink and sparkly or whatever, so I made this for us. It is made from one of his old cammie blouses (or shirts, for you civilians out there....). I chopped it up, moved the pockets around to where I needed them, and sewed it back together again. You can't tell from this picture, but the pockets that were on the front of the blouse are now on the sides, so that I can use them to hold things that I need. The inside is lined with black duck cloth, and has lots and lots of pockets. The entire thing is machine washable as well. Word on the street is that babies can be messy. ;) I also really like the idea that this is made from something that my husband actually wore. There are stories in this fabric, along with lots and lots of starch from mamasan. I think it's cool, and hopefully my husband will too. (He is currently deployed, so he hasn't seen it in person yet.)

 I also started, but haven't quite finished, making a baby quilt. Hopefully, once I get it finished up, I'll be able to post some more pictures for you to see.

So, that's my big secret! This does mean that I'll probably be closing my shop early for Christmas, so if you have your eye on something, it's better to order sooner, rather than later. 

Long time no see!

I have been missing, for quite awhile, and for that I apologize. There have been big changes going on behind the scenes during this absence however. First and foremost, I made the decision to re-brand. When I chose the name "A Stone's Throw," I had the idea that I would be making lots of quilts, and with my last name being "Stone," the name fit. However, my business ended up taking a different direction, and the name didn't really fit. A name change, however, does mean losing everything that I have built with A Stone's Throw. I wasn't able to keep my shop hearts, sales information, feedback, or any of those important things, so I've been building these things back up from scratch. On July 4th, I opened J. Stone Accessories, where you will find the same quality handcrafted accessories, but with a new name, and a new look. So, please, stop by and check out the new shop!

NiceGirlNotes- Cute Stuff Sale

Okay, so I am very, very excited to announce that I am going to be participating in the NiceGirlNotes- Cute Stuff Sale this Saturday night from 8pm-10pm EST.

With that said, I've been working like a maniac to prepare. No joke. I'm offering 21 items up for grabs, all at 25% off! Plus, there will be a sweet coupon code that you can use after the sale in my shop and all of the other shops that are participating. I worked for hours and hours and hours cutting fabric, sewing, ironing (I have an insane burn mark on my arm from that....) ignoring my husband (sorry, babe). I even worked as long as I could during the impromptu blackout that we had here last week. (I did eventually run out of things to do without power, and went and had a flashlight barbeque with friends, although it would have been way better with candles from LilacAve instead of military issued flashlights and nerdy headlamps.....). Then my supplies were delayed, and then even more delayed from the blackout. So, I frantically searched all of the local stores to find the stuff I needed, but to no avail. One fabric and craft store claimed to still be without power, and was closed, another didn't have any zippers, another had zippers, but in every color but the ones I needed.... Eventually, I got it all done, and hopefully you guys will love it. If not, there should be plenty of other stuff for you to LOVE. The lineup is fantastic! You can check out the lineup and the details about the sale on the NiceGirlNotes blog!

New!

As promised, I've been working very hard to get some new goodies made, and added to my online shop. I've been slow to add them all to the shop, but here are some pictures....







I've also finished a couple of new pleated hobo purses....
And this is my first with an adjustable strap!

And this one is a solid black one made from linen, with adjustable straps!

Awesome find!

I wanted to share something with you that has nothing to do with sewing, fabric or my shop. Basically, one of the things that I have been struggling with lately is remembering whether or not I've taken my medicine. I literally find myself dumping out my medication and counting it at least 3 times a week lately because I just can't remember if I already took it or not. Silly, right?? Well, people keep suggesting that I get one of those pill boxes with the days of the week and just use that to help me remember. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It makes me feel like if I go and buy one, I suddenly turn from 29 to 89 with that one small purchase. So, I've just continued to struggle. Well, yesterday, I was in Seaport Village with a friend when I stumbled upon the solution!
While in Urban Girl Accessories, my friend found the cutest pill case ever. It's made by Fluff, and I love it. I do get that if you take the pill case out of the fun zippered pouch it's in, it is one of those plain boring pill cases, but that fact that it's hidden just makes me feel better about it.

Updates galore

First things first, my sewing machine has been broken for quite some time now. The good news is that it is being repaired as I type this. The bad news is that it's going to cost both arms to fix. Well, maybe not both arms. It's much, much less expensive to have it repaired than to buy a new one, and, with the amount of abuse I put that thing through, it's actually held up beautifully. I should have it back by the middle of next week, and if things go according to plan, I will have some new things to add to my shop soon. I've been using the time since I dropped it off to work on cutting fabric, and prepping everything, so that all I need to do is sew, sew, sew once I have it back. :) Here's a sneak peek of what I've got ready so far....

The pile on the left is the fabric for 7 new pleated wristlets, and the pile on the right will be turned into 3 new pleated hobo purses. I do hope to get some more fabric cut before the machine returns so that I'll have plenty of new goodies to introduce to my shop. I am going back into the hospital for another surgery at the end of the month, so things will slow down a bit again after that. If you have any requests that you'd like to see, please feel free to let me know!!

HF Community: Monday Meetups

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch the homefront blog for a few questions that you can take, post and answer on your blogs and then link back to the HOMEFRONT BLOG so that we all can come around and visit.


This adventure is open to everyone! You DO NOT have to be a part of the Homefront Team. We just ask that when you leave your link here, you have a post that pertains to the set of questions.


1. What song is your personal anthem? If you don't have an anthem a favorite song will do.
Not really an anthem, but "Gunpowder and Lead" by Miranda Lambert gives some insight into how I think.

2. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
I love, love, love roller coasters. I am, however, terrified on heights, so I spend the entire time I'm in line freaking out about it. My favorite roller coaster ever is at this amusement park in New Hampshire (where I'm from) called Canobie Lake Park. The roller coaster is one of those old wooden ones that creaks and sways and makes the whole experience even more terrifying.

3. What was your favorite restaurant at any of your past/present duty stations?
I don't have a favorite restaurant at a duty station. There is a lot of fast food on base, and I don't eat fast food if I can help it. However, there is a place called Mowi Wowi here that makes some delicious coffee.

4. Where is your favorite place to go for supplies?
I love going to craft shows where I can find fabrics that aren't the same fabrics that everyone carries in the stores. I also love checking out the smaller local shops where the owners remember who you are. That always keeps me coming back.

Sick kid...update

As I mentioned Monday evening, I had surgery on Tuesday morning. I thought that I should pop back in and give a little update. From what the doctors told my husband, the procedure went well. Everything ran smoothly and there were no complications. I'm still quite sore, though, so I'm confined to either the couch or the bed, per my husband's orders. It's still too soon to know if the procedure did anything to help me yet, but I should know once the initial soreness goes away. Hopefully, I can get back to sewing in a few more days. In the meantime, my shop is still open, and my husband is in charge of packaging, and shipping any orders that come in.

Sick kid....sick kid.....

In the morning, I'm going to the hospital (again) for a procedure. As I've mentioned before, I'm a sick kid. One of the conditions that I have is called Interstitial Cystitis. Basically, the lining in my bladder is stiff. It doesn't stretch the way that it should. Instead, mine tears. (If you're interested, here's a link to the Mayo Clinic's section on IC http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/interstitial-cystitis/DS00497). I take medication, which helps, and see a physical therapist several times a week. I had to stop working outside the home, and have become the public restroom expert among everyone I know. :) I've also tried several treatments. Some have helped, some haven't. In the morning, I am having botox injected into my bladder. The idea is basically that the botox will block the sensory nerves in the bladder so that I won't be in so much pain all of the time. It's a fairly new procedure, and from what I can tell, the recovery is rough. So, basically, if I'm MIA for a bit, I haven't run away. I'm probably just resting..... Don't worry, though, I'll be back as soon as my husband says I can..... :)

A day at the zoo

My husband came home from deployment not too long ago, and he's just now taking his leave. Since I have surgery next week, we're staying here in the area. The other day, we decided to take a trip to the San Diego Zoo. It was nice and cool outside, which was perfect weather, and since it was the middle of the week, the zoo wasn't too crowed. It was wonderful. The San Diego Zoo also offers free admission to active duty service members who show a valid military ID at the gate.

Welcome to 2011

As we are now a few days into the new year, I thought it was about time to update my blog. The holidays here have been wonderful. My husband made it home from deployment a few days before Christmas. As any military spouse will tell you, getting to spend any holiday with your spouse is an enormous blessing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. :) While we didn't get to go back to visit family, our Christmas was full of laughter, good food, and wonderful friends.
New Year's Eve was very low key for us. We talked about going out, and when it came down to it, the hubby and I decided to get Chinese take-out and a bottle of wine. We spent the evening with each other and with our dogs. It was a wonderful way to start 2011.
Now, as for the business......I've been reading a lot of blogs where people post their business goals for the new year. I think that's fantastic. However, for me, my business goals will always be dependent on my health. My goals are to put my health first, to not push myself physically beyond my limits, and to work on my shop when I can. Of course I would love to continue to grow my business, participate in new shows locally, and continue to introduce new designs. I am optimistic that I will be able to do all of those things, but I also know that above all else, I need to take care of myself. After all, what good is having a successful business if I'm too weak to enjoy any of it?? So, if I don't post for a bit, just know that I'm still here. :)
With that said, here's wishing all of you a wonderful, prosperous, and HEALTHY new year!

Fabric Banner How-To

At the last show that I participated in, it became very clear to me that my booth display needs work. Aside from being cluttered with too much product, I also didn't have any signage. Since I have a show this weekend, I decided that I really needed to fix that, and make a sign. I really like the way that fabric bunting looks, but I also wanted to do this process to be as easy as possible. So, here's what I did.....

1. Gather supplies. I used burlap for the fabric, since I like the look of it, and I had a bunch of it in my fabric stash.

2. Cut the triangles, or whatever shape you want your fabric pieces to be. I found this triangle ruler at Joann Fabrics in the quilting section. It was on clearance for $3.97 and was the perfect size for my banner.
I just placed it on my fabric and cut around it with my rotary cutter. I cut one triangle for each letter in my shop name, as well as few extra pieces, just in case I messed up somewhere....

3. I used this stencil by Hillman Sign Center to pain my letters onto the fabric. I bought this stencil set at Lowes, in the mailbox section. They did have some at the local craft stores, but they were a bit more expensive. These letters are 4 inches tall.

I used a round sponge brush to blot the paint on, and I used DecoArt Dazzling Metallics Elegant Finish Paint in Rich Espresso. They didn't have fabric paint in the color that I was looking for, but this all purpose acrylic paint worked just fine. (If I planned on washing my banner, I would have gotten fabric paint, though).
4. Once everything had been painted, I let it dry for 24 hours.
5. Attach the triangles to a string of some sort. I used double fold bias tape. I simply slide my triangles in between the two pieces or bias tape and pinned them in place. I set everything up on a flat surface so that I could make sure that my placement was good and my spacing was correct before I pinned everything in place. Then, I used two rows of zigzag stitching to secure it. Since burlap tends to unravel, I thought that two rows of stitching (one at the top and one towards the bottom of the bias tape) would make everything more secure.
Here is the finished product!