It's like Christmas all over again!

... No seriously... I came home from work today to a whole pile of boxes that came in the mail today!!

What did I get you wonder???

Well, first... our new iPhone 4's came in!

Yep, I even still have the plastic covering on... yeah, it's annoying but it's at least partially protected until my case comes in (expected later this week).

Also... my new sewing machine!

Yeah! I just had a basic Kenmore machine (not sure which model) before. It got the job done. Really, not a bad machine at all. But there were a few things that I discovered that I wanted that it just didn't do.

With a little bit of research and a personal recommendation from my friend Cyndie, I decided on the Brother CS-6000i.  It was super easy to set up.  The instructions were pretty easy to follow and I had my bobbin wound and machine threaded (with the automatic threader) fairly quickly.  I've only done a few test stitches but so far so good!

My favorite thing about this machine so far? (OK, maybe 2 things)... it's SUPER quiet, and I can actually do the automatic ruffle trick (where you tighten your tension all the way, and use your longest stitch to make it ruffle without pulling threads manually) - which I could never get to work on my old machine.  Whoo hoo!  This will probably be one of the biggest time savers for me because... well, I tend to do projects where I need to ruffle some stuff :)

What's next you wonder?  My new bedding... that's right!

Isn't it beautiful? It's the Amy Butler Bucharest Constanta Comforter, Smart Bed Skirt, and Sham Set. It's going to look so good in our room once we get it all put together, and some walls painted, and the headboard covered (more about that later...).  I just got the comforter, bed skirt, shams, and a set of the charcoal colored sheets.  I'm looking forward to making some bright colored throw pillows to add a bit of color to the room :)

See what I told ya?  It's definitely like Christmas around here - except for us big kids this time... hehe

OK, that's it for now... I'm off to go play with my new toys! 

Don't forget!  You can still register for my giveaway until midnight on Friday!

Ruffle Bottom Bably Bloomers - First Attempt

Crappy camera phone picture, yes... but aren't these just adorable?

I was trying to think of something cute I could make as a baby shower gift and was inspired to make these darling little ruffle bottom bloomers.  They were super simple, and only took an afternoon to make (Yes, it probably could have been done in about an hour, but when you've got the little ones running around under your feet while working on projects, then an afternoon...)

These are my first draft, so I won't go into a ton of detail... I do plan to post a tutorial from the next pair that gets made though, so please check back in the next week or so if you are interested. :)

My sister is a photographer (the lovely Whitney of Caught You On Camera), she happened to have a photo shoot with a newborn the day after I made these so she took them to test out for me.  Unfortunately, they were sized a bit too small.  The next pair will need to be enlarged a bit all the way around.  Again, more details later - a tutorial and pattern if all works out right.