For all those who come to this happy place, Welcome!

I'm giving away these two child size smocks that I made - just go here to enter for the cakes/presents one. Don't enter on this site, I'm hosting it through my sewing blog.. There are no restrictions so you can enter as many times as you like. And click HERE to enter for this yellow and black one. Both of these are child size 2T/3T. In a week I draw a random number for each and mail it out to you. I hope you win.

I am hosting a giveaway on my other blog, The Secret Stitch Club. It is a double sided apron made by me. Follow this link to enter (Sorry entries on this site won't count)

Yeah!! I just joined the Secret Stitch Etsy site . I made 3 bath aprons, if your wondering what that is - basically an apparatus to keep you dry while your kids get clean & then use it to dry them off once they finish. You can see them if you look to the right ( red , blue , and cream towelish looking aprons) aren't they pretty? Okay so to celebrate I'm giving away this kids apron that I made o n the SSC site and Christie is giving away a lime colored apron she made adult sized. You can't enter the giveaway here - You have to go to the SSC page and leave a comment. I hope you win!!

I had some innocent victims over today. Sometimes it's just nice to play with other peoples kids instead of your own. My cousins kids were left up to my care and we had us some good times.  I thought they would love the pool.They liked the pool... the whole 15 minutes they were in it. Then they liked the snacks and sitting on their towels in the shade chatting. I think they are still too young to check out the hoard of teenage life guards (who blew their whistles like mad and dove in to get James out quick as he strayed to close to the rope, while I was chatting up other moms not paying attention to anything much at all. yes, still going for worst mom of the year 3rd year in a row now.) When we got back we decided to make dolls, like glamtastic Raggedy Ann dolls. These took 6 hours longer then we anticipated. Thank goodness for hot glue guns or they might still be over here working away like Santa's elves on Christmas Eve. This is Macey's Annie doll. All she needed was a pi...

This is a doll that Paige & I made together for the Annie Doll swap. We signed up through Aunt Pitty Pat who hosted the swap. She connected us with our swap partners and I ended up with Jennifer the mother of 8, who sounds a little glam. So we decided to create a Glam Annie to match her new home. The best thing about this project was it reminded me of my mom who made us all Raggedy Ann & Andy's one year for Christmas. That was something I will never forget. Here is the final diva in all her feather-trimmed-jacket glory. check out her MJ's. Aren't they perfect for a diva? I love the curly yarn we used for her hair. What is a diva without her pearls? Isn't she delightful? Paige & I had a lot of fun making her. James has been begging me to make him one. I think that might be my next doll making project. It was a lot easier then I had expected. If you want the pattern I can email it to you. The doll swap host found it free online - I'm happy with our first a...

"Who knew that sewing would make me ... feel happy, feel like myself , give me a sense of accomplishment and purpose, help me be more patient and content. Who knew some simple stitches could complete your life? :) Maybe that's how it is in life, you need to find your own "stitches" whether its cooking, sewing, writing, organizing, scrapbooking, it's something and its YOURS. So, I'm grateful today that I was able to enjoy some simple stitches last night that put a smile on my face." - Stacey Reed

We opened our Etsy shop today - and to celebrate we are giving away this apron. Just go over to the SSC site and leave a comment . In fact you can enter up to 3 times . Leave a comment on the SSC post, email a few of your friends to tell them about it, and or blog about it. So cool.  Here is a link to our Etsy site.   Christie & Jill have made a bunch of cute things! I haven't made anything for it yet. I have 4 half-finished aprons and I will post them once I finish up with school (I have to stay focused - as hard as it is sometimes)

this is the survey for my thesis, the first part is a disclaimer... yada, yada, yada  if you didn't email me but are interested in taking the survey perusing it over - I will love you forever & your childrens children - Please copy & paste it into an email and send it to: maren_buchanan at yahoo {dot} com Survey for SSC Thesis Paper Maren Buchanan 3/21/2009 Thank you for volunteering for this survey. Your answers will help me to get a better understanding/feel for the relationship that you have with blogs, online/offline relationships, and your creative outlet (ie sewing, scrapbooking, etc.). Any information that I obtain will be used for academic purposes. Please complete the survey as well as you can. If you have any comments, do not understand what I am getting at, or need further clarification, you can email me or respond to that effect on your survey. If there is anything you don’t want to answer just state that, please don’t leave any blanks. Completion of this surve...

So I just posted this on the SSC , but I'm posting it here as well. As many of you know, (or not know) I'm in my last semester of grad school at ASU. Right now I'm working on my thesis, the title is "Those who stitch together, stay together; the modern June Cleaver's Relationship with online group blogging and an offline social sewing community"...  So basically I'm examining a women's community's relationship between blogging online and offline social connections. I'm focusing on the SSC , but I'm also looking for some other outside perspectives. SO this is where you come in. I'm looking for willing blog readers, stalkers, lurkers, friends, or relatives (like they read my blog by choice) who will fill out a survey for me in the next few days and have it back to me in a week or so. You just need to be a wife, mother, grandmother with a creative outlet (sewing, scrapbooking, cleaning, etc.) and a blog. Are you up for it? If your in just ...

So we are hosting our first FREE giveaway on the SSC (Secret Stitch Club) site, which I am a proud member of. The author of the book featured below gave us a free copy to give away... (she's kind of a celeb in the apron blogosphere subculture). Anyway, what I'm more excited about is the stink'n cute apron I made to giveaway with the book. This is our first combined project and launching point for Christie, Jill & I, (we will hopefully be opening an Etsy site next month to sell these suckers for actual money)   Okay so one reason I love this apron is that it is green . Let me hug a tree for a minute and tell you how cool this apron is. The book is about vintage kitchen linens, and this apron is made from r epurposed household linens . The main white section came from a laundry room curtain , it has the sweetest white on white flowers along the bottom. The red gingham ties and bottom ruffle are a repurposed bed sheet . How cool is that? This apron has a generous fit (I...

Calling all apron lovers (aka dorks)! Get you Apron Pride t-shirts.  Aren't these t-shirts so much fun? My friend Christie designed them. And people have actually asked us if they could buy one (weird, I know. If you want one click on the link at the right side of this screen, if you can't find the link - you've spent too much time on the internet and should probably put down your mouse and go read a book)  I have to explain where the name ( Apron Dorks ) originated from: My sister-in-law invited me to a "come-buy-stuff-so-I-can-get-free-junk" kickback party at her house a couple years ago and I took my friend Rachel with me, when Ashley first saw Rachel she didn't offer the usual (Hi. Nice to meet you, bla , bla , bla ) - she said, "Are you one of those apron dorks?" Well, we embraced the term and if you've spent any late nights sewing with us, you would know we proudly own the term. It doesn't get much more slap happy or dorkier the...

I am temporarily on a sewing fast. For the next few weeks I am making a decided effort to work on my thesis and that has meant lots of library time. Almost all of my research is online which I could do at home, but it is so hard to do anything at home. I am way too easily distracted... so I try to spend a few hours every night at the library MCC (if Jason is on call) or ASU (If he' not - their open 24hrs.) Anyway, my friend Jill stopped by tonight. Normally I would be getting ready to sew, but instead I was packing up my lap top to head off to the library. Being the wonderfully thoughtful person that she is she brought me a study kit. 2 bottles of Coke (what would I do without the stuff), pens, notebook, coloring kit (when I need a break - yet I here I am blogging), a letter "M" to remember motivation (oh and Maren... look at that), and a cd with "brain food" music. It was all so sweet and thoughtful. Can't you see why I love my "sewing ladies" ...

my friend Christie made these adorable baby shoes for Abbey. I ran across a pattern for them and posted it on our Secret Stitch Blog . I had no idea they would turn out so cute or that she would make them for Abbey. I figured I'd get around to it by the time they wouldn't fit her anymore. So here's to good friends. Also check out the matching onesie she made. Is Abbey the most stylish baby or what?

Paige got to have a Girls Day - on MLK day, since they were out of school. She decided to have a tea party (this is becoming an annual event) - She was allowed to invite 10 friends. She loves all kids and the ages ranged from 2 years to 7 years. And here she is wearing her own special apron that I made her. Here are some of the girls getting ready to frost the mini cakes we had baked. This is the "little girls" table and the table that Paige wanted to stay at. She doted on Myla (age 2) and Lydia (age 3). James was spoiled even though he was exiled from the party. My friend Christie picked him up, took him for a ride around the airport, got drinks at Sonic, and then they got to play trains at Christie's house (one of his favorite things to do) with his best friend, Cade Here is Paige & Myla. Paige let me do her hair & she did her own gorgeous makeup. Here is our group. The girls could come in costume if they wanted. We had out our dress-ups if they were so in...

My apron made it into a photo shoot (in New York) to be featured in the Hallmark Magazine. To hear about more of the details - click here (above a picture of me during a preschool photo shoot) to read why there is such a hullabaloo over a slightly homely apron... click here .

I've been sewing - trying to keep my mind off my ever growing belly. So check out ssc blog at http://secretstitchclub.blogspot.com/ to see what I've occupied my time with.

It's official. I'm nesting - and when I "nest" I paint. Maybe it's just an excuse to get high... not enough chemicals & crap in my body while I'm pregnant I guess - Who knows? But whatever the case. I love the end result. I never could have done it without my sister Kelly & my mom here for the weekend. They were the worlds best baby gift - to come help me out. My mom is a champion professional painter: She is the best color consultant, a work horse, and as anal as I am about painting. It was like having 2 of me. I loved it! Keep in mind that my photographer is 5 and three quarters (as she will tell you) - so you must excuse the somewhat blurry photos. I'm "cutting in" my least favorite part of painting. ROOM #1 This is was our computer room/guest room/ library (pronounced "lie- barry " room), I actually took this picture before we moved in. This room was so hideous I never tried breaking my camera to capture it's hideousnes...