two ten designs

Valentine's Day - The Sweet Treats

2012-02-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

For not liking Valentine's Day very much at all, I do like to do a lil' something special... like heart pancakes, or cookies, or just a little sweet treat or handmade trinket or thoughtful 'something' for someone. So, I started out collecting my inspiration on my Valentine's Day Pinterest board, most of which ended up being baked goods, printables and easy crafts.

Brownie Bag & Pom-Poms
When I saw these kraft bag printables from Twig & Thistle, it was game on for brownie bags. I found kraft sacs instead of the cookie-type bags, so I adapted the size and layout of the original to fit my bags, and they turned out adorable! Bake brownies, instant adorable. I also made pom-poms with a tutorial from Creature Comforts - literally a 5 minute or less pom-pom, I made a gaggle of them and have no idea what to do with the left overs!

Printable Cards & Bear Hug Baggies
The best thing about having Lilly has been coloring. She's obsessed with it, so I was thrilled when I found these printable-colorable cards from Prudent Baby. They're so adorable, and I clipped them with pinking shears and had Lilly color them in over her breakfast pancakes. The Bear Hug bag idea came from FamilyFun. There's a bag full of Teddy Grahams and gummy bears, with cute tag that says "Bear Hugs for Aubrey ♥ Lilly" tied up with pink & red ribbon. They were a hit with my niece and nephew, not to mention Lilly!

Read more after the jump!

Fortune Cookies

These were so. easy. to. make. The tutorial goes like this: print, cut, adhesive, fold. Give it a try! Thanks Design Wash Rinse Repeat for the wonderful tutorial and idea! I used the provided circles, though I changed the fortunes for Lilly's mom-mom to be Lilly friendly, like "lets color!" and "let's go to the beach!" For my husband, I made ones that say "let's makeout" and such. You know. Wink. These are adorable, though I would love to get my hands on one of those double-side-tape dispensers for scrapbook folks -- I didn't know there was such a thing until I made a scrapbook page for a friends' wedding, as I'm the opposite of someone who scrapbooks. I used scotch tape in teensy pieces after my Elmer's glue got annoying and wet. These little cookies were adorable, and I'd like to make some with double sided paper, or put the effort in (read: not notice that part of the tutorial description where she said she printed red on one side and the print on the other side. Oops.) and print two sided graphics/colors.

Breakfast

Lilly and I made some cinnamon rolls from scratch, and rolled them into heart shapes! They were so tasty and the recipe didn't use any yeast, so there was no waiting around. I adapted an original recipe, and made it Weight Watchers friendly(ish), here's the recipe:

Weight Watchers Friendly Cinnamon Roll Hearts (makes 12 rolls, each roll is 5 points)

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
4 Tbsp low fat margarine - melted (this will be divided through the recipe)

For the filling:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp melted margarine (from the original 4 above)
3 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

For the icing:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup skim milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Over low heat, melt the margarine. Whisk the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter in small bowl. Add the wet to the dry, mix with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be ridiculously sticky and loose. In another bowl, combine the filling ingredients together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll out to a large rectangle, about 13x9. Brush remaining margarine over the dough, and sprinkle with the filling, leaving a 1/2" gap around the edges. To get 12 heart rolls, I rolled one long side into the center, then started to roll the other side into the center, then cut with a sharp wet knife. Spray a baking sheet or casserole dish with some cooking spray, and arrange your hearts onto the sheets, so the cut sides are facing up and down. You can fix your hearts at this point to look more like, well, a heart. Bake these at 375 for 10 minutes, then check on 'em. Mine took a total of about 13-15 minutes, but depending on your oven, that could vary.

While they're cooling down, you can make your icing - this is more of a light glaze than a frosting. In a saucepan over low heat, heat your milk, vanilla and sugar whisking until combined and warm. You should be able to stick a finger in there without getting burned. If it's too hot, let it sit off the heat for a bit. Arrange your rolls onto a plate, dish or container to keep them in, and drizzle your icing over the top. The glaze will harden, and will just be the right amount of sweet. I freeze mine, or you can keep them in an airtight container for up to a week, or in the fridge. (Also, I wanted to mention, if you don't want hearts, just roll em up like usual.)

Enjoy!!

Baking for Valentine's Day!

2012-02-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Each major (or minor) holiday, my sister-in-law Sharon, myself, and all 3 kids get together and bake things and have a little family memory makin'. It started with Christmas before the kids came along, and I always look forward to it. We have this obsession with cookie cutters from the Target dollar section, so it makes holiday cookie baking that much easier. Today we got together to have a little Valentine Soiree!

We made heart-shaped pizzas by getting the pre-made ready-to-go pizza crust, and used the bigger heart to cut out our shapes. Then the kids sprinkled their cheese and pizza spices onto the pizzas and we baked.

Lilly getting pretty excited for this pizza business.

Lilly & Aubrey discussing their pizza cheese application.

Lilly and Aubrey watching Michael eat leftover cheese.

Ready to bake!

The pizzas came out perfect and were delicious, they all loved them! This is on our must-do list for next year.

Deeeelish!

On to cookies. Obviously. The kids have experience cutting and putting the 'frinkles' on the cookies, so it's always a fun time. We did sugar cookies with the heart shapes, then added some pink icing & sprinkles! These are always on our list, they're the best sugar cookie recipe I've ever done... thanks Martha!

3 Bakers. Aubrey, Michael & Lilly.

Lilly cutting out some X's and O's.

All done! Frinkle success!

I have more crafts and baked tastey treats that are going to be posted tomorrow morning... I'm hoping my heart-shaped cinnamon roll breakfast treats are a success... if not, I think they'll still taste good! Go make some memories with your valentine!

The Headboard Project

2012-01-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

I've never really had a headboard to speak of, unless it came attached to an Ikea platform bed, and I've always wanted one (especially since we got rid of the Ikea platform bed). Torn between the upholstered headboard and a salvaged one, I opted to go for the salvage type. Ignore my basement.

Oak doors, minus original hardware, pre final sanding.

My mom told me she had 4 old solid oak doors that she found in an antique shop in Ocean City, NJ, and they had been collecting dust. Naturally, I took them and they sat in our basement, collecting dust. There were 2 doors (pictured) that I think came off a servant entrance or something like that, and 2 more doors half the size of these that I'm saving for another project. Undecided, obv. But they also all came with original hinges, screws and these kooky locks.

I'd been pinning ideas onto my pinterest for quite a while trying to decide what to do with them... then I stumbled over to Infarrantly Creative, and this tutorial for her Roadkill Rescue - Door Headboard. Total fate. I swear.

After Andrew ~~was forced to~~ volunteered to sand them, I rummaged through our 'scrap pile o' wood' we keep in our basement (you know, waiting for a renegade project that requires the most random selection of wood scraps), and I found left over trim from our bathroom chair rail, as well as a pine board we had left from our kitchen remodel.

We glued & nailed the trim and board together to fashion a mantle top, and I'm so thankful for that tutorial because I probably wouldn't have went the extra step because we weren't sure we'd like them just painted white or with the top rail. Glad!

Around the 3rd coat.
(Yes those are spray painted star outlines from
another project. Messy. Shh.)

Anyway, we filled the holes, sanded them and then started painting. Note to self... follow directions and prime the doors. Five coats of white paint later, I was finished! Up to this point, the whole project took about 2 days. We used wood filler and wood glue, so we let them completely cure before continuing with paint. Oh, and I distressed the mantle portion with a hammer, and lots of banging. It was great!

Mmmmm. Iron.

After they were dry, we assembled the doors using the hinges across the doors to hold them together. The screws themselves are amazing, they're squares, which I've never seen before, and the hardware is all iron (I assume) and is really in tune with the vintage vibe we have going on here.

After the doors and all were together, we used a french cleat like the tutorial suggests, except I opted for a smaller one because the large ones were gone. I'm glad the tutorial explained what to use, because I had no clue, and Andrew wanted to just screw through the doors and into the wall. After I recovered from my heart attack, I convinced him the cleat was the way to go. And it was. Kim 1, Andrew, 0.

And here is my finished product!

Distress! And a starfish.

Voila! That's Martha Stewart quilting, btw.
But there are 2 shams to the set. Our daughter stole one.

I like the height of the headboard... our house is pretty small, and there's no other substantial size furniture in our room, so I think it makes a statement when you see it. Like, boom, there it is! I also am in the market to add a ton of decorative pillows... I need pillow forms. Talking to Andrew about extra pretty pillows is like torture, he doesn't get it. He doesn't get it!

Holiday Crafts ... Part 1!

2011-12-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

This Christmas, we (really, I) decided to go with a rustic gold & beige themed tree and decor, and of course make mostly everything. I used Pinterest, which I'm currently obsessed with, to log all my idears on my Holiday Decor board.I had made a tree skirt & matching stockings last year, and of course I didn't like them again this year. Nor did I want to use my glitter disco ornaments from Target again, so I started pinning things that I liked, and figured I'd make new stuff!

This No Sew Ruffle Tree Skirt tutorial came courtesy of HGTV & it turned out SO cute. I didn't make mine as large because our tree is one of those tall skinny ones, but it looks adorable, and it was incredibly easy, just a little time consuming. Here's the finished product!

I also did stockings, these I made 4 of them from 1 pair of khaki pants & skirt and an old linen top, and a random assortment of vintage buttons. The mice candy cane toppers are from a Martha Stewart tutorial - they're so adorable!

Lilly's stocking - the pleated bottom of the shirt.

My stocking, also the bottom of the shirt.

O'Neill's (our Kitteh) stocking, made
from the sleeve of the shirt.

Andrew's stocking, made from the hem of the skirt.
It's tactical looking. Manly.

Then there are the snowflakes. These I figured I'd give a shot and see what happened, and they were kindof addicting to make. I made a handful of 'em using Martha's Snowflake tutorial - so easy, and pretty cute!
To dress up my usual decor, I added scrap pieces of felt and a few leftover snowflakes into my picture frames & made pillow covers for 2 small pillows. One of the pillow covers is made from an old silk tank top w/pleats at the top, and the other has a yo-yo tree on it.For my wreath, I always change it up for the seasons, so I put my felt flowers back in action, and added a cute lil' reindeer from Target. Awwww.

I decided to go with gold glittery ornaments, and I also made some button ones from my ridiculously huge tins of buttons. All I did was hot glue random buttons together, thread the ornament hook through the button hole in the top button (which I picked extra decorative ones for those) hot glued it down, and added a twine bow. Super easy, and a nice way to use up some buttons. I also added some scrap fabric that I cut into strips with pinking shears to add an extra texture and a bow-like feel.
Voila!

It's Dress Up Time, Folks!

2011-11-10T15:54:00.001-05:00

Lilly, holding the finished wings for Leah.

I love to bookmark links of projects, and hope to at some point actually get around to making them. In my travels, I had come across a tutorial for these dress-up bird wings on Craftzine (posted on Prudent Baby, created by Eri from Llevo el Invierno), and knew I'd be making these for a few little folks I know.

I followed the measurements she provided pretty closely, for the 3 kids I was making them for - Leah (3), Aubrey (a month shy of 3) and my Lilly (15 months). These were so easy to make, and really fun! The hardest part was figuring out what fabrics to use and how to pattern them. Instead of the ribbon (I was out), I used rick-rack, and think it turned out adorably! Here are a few action shots from Leah & Lilly, borrowing Leah's wings. Aubrey has yet to see hers, but I'll add photos when she gets them for her birthday.

Lilly modeling Leah's wings.

Leah enjoying her wings!

I have an almost 2 year old nephew, Michael, who I think would enjoy these as manly owl or eagle wings, made with some pinking shears (read: no scalloped pink flower feathers). I'll be sure to update those as well!

Enjoy!!

The Martha Stewart Show!

2011-11-06T21:07:00.001-05:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in how long?!

THE tickets!!

Over the summer, I tried to get some tickets to The Martha Stewart show, but there were none available. I regretted waiting so long to try for some, I figured I'd never get to go... there are what, like 100 people in the audience? So on a whim, I decided to go online (read: I was already on marthastewart.com) and looked for available shows to enter my name into. Apparently, they need every single detail of your crafting abilities to apply. I had to write a bio of what I was interested in. Things that were suggested were obviously all things that Martha are perfect at -- gardening, cooking, crafting, sewing, petkeeping, housekeeping, ruling the world, etc. So I filled in my bio & contact information, expecting to never hear from the show, ever. 3 weeks later, I got an invitation. Boom!

Way excited before the show!

So you have to RSVP to the show, and the information they give you is like the strictest instructions, ever. Worse than the SAT or PRAXIS tests, even. "Martha LOVES when her audience wears bold, bright colors (Read: wear bright things, or you will die.)" "DO NOT wear: white, ivory, cream, beige, black, grey, or red. No prints. (read: wear something solid and bright, or you will die.)" So obviously, I have nothing to wear because my wardrobe is white & grey, with bright accessories. I do not wear hot pink. Ever. Ok, except that one shirt, but it's more purpley-pink, and it's got lace on it. Anyway, I missed the part about no prints until the day before the show, so the print kimono top I originally got was vetoed. Shopping trip!

Props to the chick at Torrid in the Cherry Hill Mall for helping me pick out what I wore. Shout out! Andrew also got an outfit. He looked fabulous in his new denim & new sweater. Mmmm.

But back to me.

So the day finally comes, and we have to leave at 5:30am, which meant I had to be in hair & makeup (aka: my kitchen) by 5:00, which meant I had to get up at 4:30. We actually left on time and drove up to Hoboken, hopped on the PATH train & walked to the studio. Naturally, I was having a heart attack because we got there at 8:45, instead of 8:30 "sharp"but there was still a line to get in.

Mmmm.

Once we got inside, ushered by these 2 chicks with microphone headset things, we gave our names, got our tickets & went through the metal detector (no beeps, yay us), and were ushered into a holding room with a zillion other women. There were literally like 10 men. I'm not a real social person in the morning, so I was outnumbered by all the chatterboxes.

Amen for free Starbucks!!

Joey Kola came in and gave us signals for when things are yummy ("mmmmmmmm"), cute ("awwwwww"), and funny ("hahahahahaha"), and when we should clap and make lots of noise and hoot-n-holler. He's a funny guy. Once we got to our seats, we were allowed to take pictures (no video, but obviously I did anyway) before and after the taping. So I took a bunch of pictures... her set is like, fabulous. Everything is perfectly in place, and there were a boatload of people running around and cameras all over the place.

Prep Kitchen & Set Kitchen

There's a prep kitchen, the set kitchen, craft area & the greenhouse area. Fantastic cabinets, and can I just say that her sink is like sex, but better b/c it's marble (or granite. whatever.)?!

Anyway. We found out the guest was Isaac Mizrahi, and I knew we were in for a treat because he brings the crazy. They did their opening segment, and the stage manager was going apeshit because he wasn't following the prompter, at all, and was babbling on and on. Then the table caught on fire, which was hilarious. That person is probably fired. No pun intended.

Craft Area & Greenhouse Area

Getting to see behind the scenes of the whole show was awesome, and to know how many people are involved and are running around like crazies flashing cards, coiling wires, pushing cameras, organizing things off set, was really awesome. The whole time, Martha was fabulous, and she's such a sarcastic 70 year old broad, I loved it. She's so much better than everyone at everything, and she will tell you so. Take that! During the taping, Joey Kola gives out free stuff and makes everyone clap and laugh and carry on, and it was a lot of fun. Even Andrew clapped and yelled (once. He yelled once.)

Ask Martha! Notice the sink!!

After the show and before she recorded promos for upcoming shows, people got to ask Martha questions, and they asked ridiculous things. Like what kind of favors should this woman give for a winter themed bar mitzvah for 250 people -- Martha suggested mugs to go with their hot cocoa favor the woman said they were giving already (b/c you need more than one favor at a ~~wedding~~ bar mitzvah? For the record, Martha almost had a heart attack when she said there were 250 guests) and Joey said that she should give iPads. BAWAGHAHA. Someone also asked about what are some healthy halloween treats - is there such a thing? No, there is not. NEXT QUESTION. I wanted to ask her about how to go about pruning my fabulously giant rose bush & tricks for getting my Hydrangea to not die each year I plant one, as well as what designer her shoes came from (gorge!!), but I was too chicken, so I didn't. Booooo.

I did not come away with a new Kitchen Aid mixer or food processor, but we did get a bag full of swag from Nautica, and Seventh Generation, as well as a boatload of Martha Stewart Crafts for halloween, and Table Topics coasters & game cards.

This is obvious, no?

I did some googling before we went to get an idea of what to expect, and I found a bunch of blogs whining about how Martha doesn't greet or talk to the audience before or after the show & during commercials -- most of these people were super bitter about it. What on Earth did these people expect -- Martha Stewart is a stone cold felon. I'm not sure if these bloggers thought she was going to give snuggles to everyone and thank them so much for coming to support her in her efforts to maintain her MSLO empire, but I found her to be exactly what I expected - perfect, wore amazing shoes, great hair, great skin, button down shirt, sarcastic, cold-yet-warm, really funny (I know, right?), and really interested (and good at) in what she was doing. I think she's fabulous, and we had a great time! I'd like to go back & see her show again... maybe I'll get that new mixer.

Thank you Mood.

After the show, we went for lunch and decided to walk to Mood. MOOD. Designerrrrrssssss. Mood was like heaven, and though I didn't have the patience or the time to stand in that cutting counter line for hours, I'm planning a day trip w/my mom to get a boatload of fabric. So much jersey knit. So much. Thank you Mood.

I also am 99.8% sure I saw Kenley Collins there. Kenley from Project Runway, season 5. I didn't say anything, b/c I can't stand her and think she's a total B, but I loved her work. Hello from afar.

So, all in all, it was a fabulous day trip & I cannot wait until I'm eligible for tickets, b/c I'm dying to go again. Mwwaaahahahaha.

Moi!

Andrew!

Treasury Listing & A Sale

2010-09-02T22:55:00.000-04:00

My Blue Pucker Belgrade Tote is featured in a Treasury!

See the treasury here!

Froggygoo of Gooblythe Creations created the "A Calm Misty Day" treasury, featuring some really awesome finds! The blues, greys and pale greens of this treasury are probably my favorite colors to work with, and the items she chose are fantastic; I'm happy to be among them. My favorite are the candlesticks by claylicious - so unique and one of a kind. Stop by her the treasury to leave some love and don't forget to swing by Gooblythe Creations to check out some of her Button Bracelets - super adorable!

The Retro Gold Checkbook Cover has been sold!

Stop by the shop to see the other checkbook covers available as well as bags & pouches!

xoKim

Flower Hairbands!

2010-08-24T19:39:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty excited about these cute lil' headbands I made for Lilly!

My brother in law makes fun of them, but they are so cute I think. So basically, all you need is a flower or something you'd like to put on the headband, elastic, hot glue, a needle & thread, and felt.

All I did was measure her noggin and add 1", then cut elastic to size. I overlapped the elastic by 1" and hand sewed it together. You can do it on the machine, but I had the needle and thread handy. Hot glue a piece of felt (I used a pale green color) which I cut into a circle, to the back elastic where I overlapped the ends. Then hot glue the flower onto the top of the band, making sure it's stuck well to the felt also.

Voila!

Baby Crafties!

2010-08-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

The Shop
So, finally, the shop is out of vacation mode and I took the opportunity to list a few new things! My favorite so far, is the Grey and Rose Belgrade Tote Bag:

I am in love with this bag. I made this tote from some grey bottom weight suiting material, and I enjoy that there are so many shades of grey visible on the fabric, it makes things a bit more interesting and fun. Especially when paired with a rosey pink lining! I like pleats, so of course I added a few on both the front and back. There are a few other new items in the shop including another tote bag, key chains, checkbook covers and zipper pouches... go take a peek!

Crafties

Here are some things from her nursery that I really enjoyed making...

Seagull Mobile
I couldn't find any mobile I liked (except for the Phillie Phanatic one we are currently using until the season is over) that fit the vibe I was going for, so Andrew helped me make this one. I downloaded a pattern for the birds from Spool - a wonderful local fabric shop here in Philly. You can download the pattern & instructions from their blog, right here.

After I made the birds, we used mono-filament to string the birds at various heights over the crib and tied them to an embroidery hoop we spray painted white. We then hung the piece from a planter hook over the crib.

Braided Yarn Octopus
I got this idea from the HBIC, Martha. I was reading Martha Stewart Living and when I saw this idea, I had to try it out.

Octopuses totally fit my beach theme, especially when I saw this dark grey wool yarn. I also decided to enlarge the bird pattern from Spool make a single sea gull to keep the Octopus company. I had a skein of yarn, and wrapped it around a folder (like a school-supply-type-folder). Once the whole skein is wrapped, cut off some yarn to save for tying. I took a small piece of yarn, looped it through at the top of the folder, tied it off, then cut the loop of yarn at the bottom of the folder. What you end up with looks like the beginnings of a tassel. Then spread out the yarn over a styrofoam ball, and tie the yarn at the bottom. Divide up the remaining yarn for your tentacles and braid each one. I left off the eyes because I plan on eventually letting Lilly play with the pair I made. Each octopus I made was made with one skein of yarn. The one Martha made in the magazine is floppier than mine - she used yarn that was much thinner, and a smaller styrofoam ball. Here are some photos of hers, as well as the instructions she provided in the issue.

Family Tree & Scrap Box

I got both these ideas from the February 2010 Living issue where Darcy Miller created a ton of illustrations and scrap box art for a family reunion.

Andrew and I made an outfit for a boy and a girl, since we didn't know what we were having. Waiting to make Lilly's coming home outfit scrap box was torture because I had to wait until she actually got home to make it, and I was tired of looking at an empty box on the wall.

For her outfit, we found a pale pink onesie with puffy sleeves at Old Navy & ironed on an "L" I got at Joann's. I pinned the outfit to the backing, and layered on her bassinet ID card and all of our hospital bracelets.

The family tree was so simple to make. I downloaded the PDF of the tree & name tag illustrations here. I used Photoshop to create my tree, beginning with Andrew, myself and Lilly in the center. Andrew's side of the family branches off to the left, mine to the right.

Growth Chart Scrap Box

Again, I got this idea from Darcy's family reunion article. So far we're only up to the 1 week height & weight, but I love the chart. I included the measuring tape from the hospital, two of my ultrasounds which I shrunk and added a pink border around, as well as Darcy's baby girl illustration. You can download the PDF for the chart here, and there's more clip-art for boys and girls here.

Mom-Mom's Giraffe

My mom made Lilly a super adorable giraffe, from a pattern. I have to find out which pattern she used, but I know it has a piggy, cat, elephant and a giraffe. When I fnd it, I'll post it in here. Isn't he cuuuuuute!!

Happy crafting!

xoKim

Choices, Betting, Diapers & 3am Feedings

2010-08-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

I like choices. These were ours:

a) Wait it out and hope I go in labor on my own. (read: Things I am not interested in. Should this child get any bigger, I will have a toddler on my hands. Not to mention I will die of Summer.)
b) Wait until my due date and schedule an induction if nothing happens on its own. (read: While we're at it, go ahead and schedule the c-section for when my induction fails because I am not progressed enough. No one in the room was interested in this option.)
c) Cut to the chase and schedule my c-section. (read: bingo.)

After deciding to schedule the operation, we were presented with a pair of choices...
a) wait a week (read: whatchootalkinbout.)
b) tomorrow (read: sh!t, I should've packed a bag.)

So we schedule our appointment for the following day (7/29). Talk about making progress!

Now, you'd think someone who's 39 weeks pregnant would have a bag ready to go, right? Yeah, well I didn't. Not only am I starting to want to toss my cookies at the thought of having major surgery the next day as well as literally having the baby, now I have to pack a damn bag?! At least I wasn't running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off in labor throwing junk in a bag. Besides, do you know what even goes in a hospital bag? Clothes, a book, toiletries, a camera and all the necessary chargers. Know what most people bring? Their whole house. I was proud I crammed my clothing options (waistbands or no waistbands?!!??!?!) and my other things into one bag with a boppy pillow on top of it. I am such a winner.

Cut to the next day, where I'm laying on a real comfy bed in a smokin' hot gown, with a fantastical IV dripping fantastical things into my body, I asked my nurse to hook a cheeseburger up to my IV. Dead serious. After I begged her for a burger & chicken nuggets, Andrew says, "on a scale of 1 chicken nugget to 10 chicken nuggets, how hungry are you right now?" I was a 10 on the nugget scale.

I really enjoyed the company of the nurses while I was being prepped for the surgery, while poor Andrew was waiting out in the hallway. The doctors and nurses and whoever else is in that room (I like morphine) started making bets on the sex & weight of the baby. Andrew said he could hear me laughing from the hallway, while he was trying not to throw up. Poor guy.

Spinal taps apparently make my entire body numb from the neck down, which ended up being pretty cool... but not when I couldn't tell if i was breathing or not.

Anesthesiologist: Is this hot, cold, or can you not feel it?
Me: Cold
Anesthesiologist: Now?
Me: Um. I don't feel anything.
Anesthesiologist: Ok, now?
Me: Am I breathing? I'm pretty sure I am, but I can't feel my lungs. Or my lungs moving.
Anesthesiologist: Yep, you're breathing. I'll let you know if you stop.

After Andrew came in, he hung out with my floating head and the nurses made small talk with us, and before we knew it, Dr. B. asked Andrew if he wanted to look and see the baby. It's worth mentioning that his brother Michael looked during Sharon's, and had to be escorted out for a few minutes. I didn't think he'd look, but he totally did.
Dr. B.: Andrew, what is it?
Andrew: I'm looking for balls, looking for balls! I can't tell! No balls! It's a girl!

The folks who picked a girl in the pool were winners, and they held her up over the curtain for me to see and all I can remember thinking was how huge her cheeks were. Way cute. Super loud. Giant cheeks. They weighed her and got her swaddled and Andrew brought her over and I'm pretty sure we just stared at her and cried while she screamed her head off.

Lillian Margaret, tipping the scales at 9lbs 6oz, 21 inches. She's awesome.

So awesome in fact, that she spent the next 3 days in the NICU hooked up to an IV of sugar water because she couldn't regulate her blood sugar levels.

The next day is when they make you stand up and move and shower and walk the halls. This is not a fun process, espcially when they do it before you have food. The food at our hospital is fantastic too, by the way. It really is (I'm serious). After a shower, I felt like a thousand bucks. After breakfast & a percoset, I felt like a cool million.

Lilly was in the NICU for 3 days getting an IV of sugar water until her body figured things out. Trying to nurse and supplement and snuggle your kid when they're hooked up to an IV and 4 other monitors is such a huge pain in the ass and really brings the blues. Her sugar finally regulated itself, but then she was tested for Jaundice because she was starting to yellow. By this point, she was able to be taken off the IV but had to be placed on a Wallabee blanket. Instead of putting the baby in the bed of lights with the eye protection, they have a blanket of lights that wraps around their belly and plugs into an outlet. We were thankful enough to have her out of the NICU and were able to keep her in our room with the blanket. After our lovely 4-night/5-day stay in the hospital, we were allowed to go home! But. We had to bring the blanket with us and plug in the glow worm. The next day we had to bring her back to the hospital for blood work, and found out that her levels were fine. She made friends at the pediatrician's office with the ladies at the desk, and was given the all clear. Hot damn!

Lilly is pretty fantastic, and we're thrilled to have her here, puffy cheeks and all.

Here are one-week pictures I took of the nugget, and some of her nursery!

I have so many crafty things in here, I'll be dedicating a post just for those soon.

I told you, I'm awful at updates!

2010-01-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

I know I'm horrible at making posts, I need help with this.

Anyway.

The last few days, things at the Tritz estate have been totally insane. I've been dealing with the pregnancy omgz and wtfz... but today I actually feel like updating rather than rolling over.

My old pillow cases were a hot mess, and I really will think twice before buying a down-feather pillow form. The little feathers keep poking through, and not only am I allergic, they really hurt! No matter what I do, they keep coming to get me, but at least they look cute. I took some vintage buttons, an old linen dress and some scrap fabric and whipped up some new cases to replace the condemned Ikea ones.

I also started taking some new pictures for the Etsy. I used my night table, my grey walls and some white tree branches we have, and went to town. These photos I have on my compy...

I like these so much better than my other ones!! I'm finishing these up this week oooh la la!

Treasury West! (a drive-by posting)

2010-01-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hot Damn! OverallBaby created an "Apple A Day... Keeps the Etsians at Play" Treasury in Treasury West and included the Orange Apple Belgrade bag in it!! :D

Check it out... the treasury expires Sunday.

It's been a few days!

2010-01-20T10:28:00.002-05:00

So I finally figured out how on earth to make a facebook fanpage. Why do they make things so darn complicated?! Anyhow, here's the link, and lookie there, I have 20 fans. Awwwwwwwwwww!

Two Ten Designs @ Facebook! C'mon, fan me, you know you want to. It's good for your soul. >:)

So Meg's baby shower was a success! All the guests came, and hooked Meg up with some fantastic gifts... a million onesies, medicine cabinet necessities, the stroller, carseat, pack n play, oodles of sheets, and some other adorable clothes.

She and Sam are waiting to find out the sex of the baby till he/she is born, and I'm doing the same thing. I think once you find out, there's only the new little turkey to look forward to. Granted, it's like the greatest present ever, but still... a little 'is it a boy or girl' surprise can't hurt! Andrew thinks we're having a boy, I think we're having a girl, and as long as this kid has 10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 arms, 2 legs, and functioning insides, I'm golden (I kindof want a boy though).

Enough baby babble!

I decided that today, yes today, I am going to make some new pillow covers for the 3 living room pillows. They are in a sad state of affairs, and I haven't really broke out the sewing machine because it's in a war zone of a studio (it's progressing to be the nursery). But I'm going to clear a space, and get to work.

Also, it's almost Valentines Day. What's up with that!? I got the new Martha Stewart Living (I know, I know, she's satan, but I love her) and there are some cute little crafty idears for Valentines cards and gifts. Here are a few that I lurve, that I stumbled on here @ Martha's Valentine page...

Both from lovarevolutionary @ Etsy
(not to mention, she has a billion other 100% to die for items!!)

Oh, I think I'm inspired now.

The Baby Shower Progress!

2010-01-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, the shower is tomorrow and everything is going smoothly, except my feeling like ick. I'm not really enjoying being pregnant right now! I finished the quilt yesterday, and here are the photos...

It turned out really well, and I hope she lurves it! I can't wait to make one for my lime and for the new nephew Michael!!

In other baby shower developments, I've got the centerpieces finished also! I went for Martha's tutorial for tissue paper napkin rings and produced centerpiece flowers with white bases and yellow or green centers, and some solid white so I can have 3 per table. Ta daaaaaaaa....

There will be photos to follow tomorrow!!!

Megan's Baby Quilt

2010-01-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

So here is the progress on Meg's baby quilt! Since she is waiting till the little turkey arrives to know the sex of the baby, I went with a butter & sunny yellow and a pale green backing felt to coordinate with the baby duck and baby frog "little friends" print cotton, and there's a coordinating satin edging too. My granny used to have me make a zillion yo-yo circles for her quilts, and I really love the look of these quilts when they're finished. They're completely made by hand, so they're so time consuming - but there is literally love in each stitch. I need 120 yo-yo's for this blanket, and so far I have half. Today will create the other half, and hopefully begin to lay out the stripe pattern and sew them together, then tomorrow will be backing the quilt and edging, pressing and such. So for now, enjoy the progress!

Baby Shower, Pregnancy, New Things

2010-01-11T14:43:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness. So I'm the worst blogger ever, I know. Two Ten was in 'vacation' mode for a little under 9 months because: I got married, I went on our honeymoon, student taught, got bogged down with school, renovated our house, and got pregnant.

So, enough excuses, I'm back!

Christmas was nice, I made candles for everyone!! I used soy wax and some scents I got at candlescience.com. Christmas Cedar, White Tea & Berries, Vanilla Hazelnut, Amaretto Nog, Black Currant and Nectarine... and boy were they delish. I never made candles from scratch, so I was really surpised that it was so easy. Here are some photos:

I'm getting crafty with Meg's baby shower (I can post this stuff b/c she doesn't do the internet thing) with my favorite felon Martha Stewart's tissue paper flowers. They're going to be centerpieces. I'm getting my supplies together for these and the chocolate covered pretzel stick favors; I'll post photos soon. I'm working on her yet-to-be-determined-sex-of-the-baby quilt and photos will be coming of progress tonight. I also was contemplating on offering custom yoyo quilts for babies, but I haven't decided because I really like making them for my loved ones and giving them as a shower gift. Who knows. I'm definitley expanding Two Ten into the baby arena because, like I said, I'm pregnant. I wanna make a real cute headband for my neice and see what happens.

I re-posted all the merch back in the shop, and I'm pretty excited to get things rollin' again! And I promise, I'll blog.

xoxoKim @ Two Ten

Sports and Phone Sleeves

2009-04-04T22:08:00.006-04:00

Ok, so the Flyers game was a minor let down, but this Villanova game really needs to come through for me. I generally have a hatred for basketball because the scores are in the triple digits, which really just signals to me that it's too long a game. Much like arena football. I love hockey, but I really would love them to just be able to throw down like they used to. Meh, I'm really just in baseball withdrawl, but that will be cured soon enough.

In between flipping between my sporting events and cleaning my house, I found this really amazing iPhone sleeve!

FeltTheLove is gracious enough to make me one to fit my Blackberry Stizzorm. Isn't this pretty... the embossed felt thing is new to me, and I lurve it! Keep your drool off my item please.
I also have just finished ironing... yes, ironing, my table linens. They look fab. I think I have officially turned into Martha. Or Andrew's grandmom (who irons her sheets). I love them both.

I am going out with my mom tomorrow. To the mall.

Dear Macy's,
Please don't let me spend all our monies. Especially on hats and dresses tomorrow.
Love,
Kim & Deb

Anyone for Coco Krispy Treats tomorrow!? Me me me!
Anyone for the gym promptly following the above? Me me me!

Morning!

2009-04-04T09:33:00.010-04:00

Well, I'm officially on spring break from work. This is the part I love about working at a high school. We're closed for a whole week, and I think it's super! That means, alot of cleaning, and sewing to be done!! Martha Stewart Crafts, here I come!

I found out that I made the worst cup of coffee ever this morning. Wanna see? Here it is... it's awful. So basically I know it's horrible because I use a coffee single (the Pathmark brand no less), and I don't really care. My issue is with the creamer. I don't understand why Coffeemate hazelnut creamer is so... so... thick. I think this just goes to show that they need to make coffee singles in hazelnut flavor. Someone get on that, please? I'll make a new cup with my regular milk, I suppose.

So I was all up on Etsy looking for a some linen fabrics for the new items for the summer, when I saw a bunch of it at Variegated. Which will be my Etsy Find of the day (or week, or month, depending on how often I actually do it.) So I'm dying for this lilac linen and some of the seafoam linen, it will totally make a great bag with nice fluffy pleats!

T-Mobile G1's

2009-03-31T23:38:00.002-04:00

2 TMobile G1's For Sale on EBAY!
Bidding starts at 175$
http://tinyurl.com/cnkpmo and http://tinyurl.com/dbvn5b

Cookies!

2009-03-28T12:16:00.005-04:00

Omg, long time no blog, ehhy? I totally made cookies this morning. My mom got me a copy of Martha Stewart's Cookies and I took the liberty of making not one, but 2 kinds around 8am this morning.

I definatley made the Chocolate Charms and the Iced Applesauce Oatmeal cookies. I'm partial to the sugar cookie and pecan sandies type cookie, so I'm torn on the oatmeal cookies... but Andrew & The Debster love them. Hey, they have Craisins in 'em!

Basically, these oatmeal cookies have raisins & applesauce, but I despise raisins, so I compromised and used the Cranberries & Raisins in a bag... like the Ocean Spray things. The applesauce in the cookie was supposed to be chunky, but I just used the regular kind. Get this, they're iced with this neato icing... maple syrup & confectioner's sugar. Mmmmmmmm. They're growing on me!

Then there's the Chocolate Charms. There is like, nothing, in this recipe except butter. The photo over there is while they're cooling, but basically, they're bite-size chocolate biscotti type cookies, and they're supposed to be dusted with cocoa powder before you serve them to folks. I am in lurve with these little chocolate pieces of tasty!

I've gotten some extra photos printed up for The Deb and Meg, as well as a nice little picture frame for our livin' room (awwww), and since the machine in the Target in Springfield ate my photos, I had to get them reprinted. This time I'm going to try the one by my house... so far, I've been told they're finshed printing and are ready for pickin' up. Hooray! Afterwards, I will be hitting the gym until my brains explode because I had 5 beers and crab fries at Chickie's & Pete's, and like 4 cookies today. Shhhh. Then it is off to The Deb's to get my hair did!! Andrew is allegedly going out with a few guys, but I'm betting he'll fall asleep on the couch after work today.

I have about 2 million 40% off coupons for JoAnn's and plan to get making some new things with this fabulous suiting and linen... just as soon as my ATM card decides to function (I love credit card fraud).

xoxoKim

Spell Check Please.

2009-03-18T17:11:00.005-04:00

So I've been on the hunt for some new crispy spring linens for some new summer bags, and I'm happily finding a few things. I'm getting interested in the color pink though.

What in the hell was this guy thinking... I mean, I'm all for writing on a dirty truck "Muck the Fets" but this is a big fail. I had to read it more than once to even figure out what the heck he was trying to communicate with travelers. I read the Angry Grammarian, and I enjoy it. I have been told that I'm a spelling and grammar nazi by some folks. But it's true... I really am. I expected to see a random middle-aged truck driver and assumed it was just some weird guy that wrote on the truck. False! It was in fact (what I would assume to be) a Vietnam Vet on board. I have some questions...

1) Why is there a comma after 'Vietnam' and 'On Board'?
2) Were (Where) you drafted before you covered grammar, spelling and correct word usage in school?
3) Was your main goal to let your truck get that filthy, solely to write things in the dirt?
4) Do you have other phrases for other wars that you participated in, or otherwise?
5) Do you rent out the back of your truck as ad space? If not, you totally should consider that as an option.

Andrew and I went to the gym today... that makes me going habitually as of late. Which is working out, because I am suddenly 7 pounds lighter. Don't ask, I like Wawa Bagel Sammiches & Skittles. But whatever, it's working and I am enjoying myself.

St Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T12:20:00.005-04:00

St Patty's Day is here!! I am actually Irish, but I am not out getting wasted. However, I will enjoy a frosty cold one when I get home, after I hit the gym (pointless, I know.)

So as I sit here at work, listening to high school students cuss and complain that their Skittles are stuck in the snack machine, I'm waiting for Andrew to come and take my car. Basically, I sneezed on my way here. I sneezed so hard that when I did so, I turned the wheel and careened into the 4" high curb on Bartram Avenue by Island Ave (if you live here, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout). I clocked the curb, jarred myself, swerved back into my lane and a little into the other, and then was fine in my own lane. I'm sorry I intervened your commute, but I was having nasal issues. Now my tire is a little jacked up and is missing a 2" chunk from it, and my Honda-rffic rims are scrapey. I continued on my commute, and stopped by my mom's house to check out this gash in my tire and made it to work ok. My neck hurts now, but my gosh I don't feel like getting a new tire for inspection at the end of the month. This is added to the new taillight housing I need b/c someone hit my car in a parkinglot at the bank, and the new windsheild I need because a 2 foot crack caused by Winter Time isn't going to fix itself.

My poor Element. I need a name for her... she's rough and tough but a kind hearted soul... maybe Rhoda. Like from Mary Tyler Moore.

Photos!

2009-03-14T15:22:00.006-04:00

I just got our Engagement Photos back from Liz, and oh my I love. We went to Water Works, Kelly Drive & the Art Museum on a warm cloudy afternoon!

There are 15 which I'm printing out for my mom, and I'm putting 2 or 3 in frames together (aww creativity), and another 15 that I'm going to print just to print. Here are 5 of 'em... the others will appear on the Flickr at some point soon. Enjoy!!

xoxoKim @ Two Ten Designs

Bonjour Blogger!

2009-03-14T09:22:00.012-04:00

Well, I have bid adieu (is that how you spell that?) to Tumblr. I'm not really sure why, maybe because all the blogs I read are here. Anywho, I am now officially blogging at blogger for Two Ten! I'm pretty thrilled, it's like... shiny and new.

Two Ten has been found! Sam from The Point in Chadds Ford, Pa got in touch with me last week to consign some of my items in her shop. So of course, I whipped up 2 new Belgrade Totes and sent those along with some checkbook covers and zippie pouches just in time for her official grand opening party. Andrew and my mom came along with me, and it was so fun! This shop has pottery, earrings, clothing, bags, paintings and photography, soaps and all kinds of Etsy finds. Speaking of, I am 97% sure that every artist in the shop is an Etsy seller... pretty cool if you ask moi. She had some folks playing music and the shop was jam packed with crafty folks. The store itself is the sweetest looking thing, and Sam is a very nice gal, so I highly suggest taking a mini road trip over to the store. It's located in Old Ridge Village off Route 202 in Chadds Ford (think Delaware state line). If you're in the market for some fabrics, there's a cute shop around the walkway from The Point called Quilters Corner, which I will be visiting soon!! She's also got a myspace goin' on, which is myspace.com/thepointstorepa. I definatley appreciate her finding my goods on Etsy & requesting them for her shop, I was totally floored!

The photographer that Andy & I hired for the wedding is the sweetest ever!! Liz Warneck needs to be hired for like, anything you possibly need. Andy and I had so much fun at the engagement photo session, I just kept laughing... so I'm sure, all our photos... will be of me laughing my ass off. Anyway, she found the coolest shots, and I really think they're gonna be great! She and I are going to try working on a Look Book with a friend of hers, so hopefully soon I'll be showing you guys all a sassy look book with real people!

I've been working on some new patterns for the Spring/Summer items. Mostly purses and clutches. My camera is charging, so I will be sure to post a photo of the new Belgrade Tote I finished the other day. Think pleating and modern fabric with a vintage flair (hint hint). Clutches are my new obsession, and I plan on making some new ones also, but I haven't perfected the pattern yet!

My Etsy loves for "ruffle dress":

That's all for me now, I suppose. I must be off to find a pattern, or make one... for a vintage Mexian wedding dress!

xoKim @ Two Ten