advice?

okay, so i know i'm not the first person to ever have a close group of friends in college and then graduate before, which is why i'm asking for help from anyone who knows what i'm talking about.

i'm finding it very hard to maintain my friendships from college now that i've been graduated for 3 years. while i have my own life, and they have theirs, how do you find a balance of how much time they want to spend with you and you with them? so for instance, i have friend A that works a lot and spends a lot of time with her boyfriend and family, but i also have a friend B who spends so much of her time working that she doesn't have a boyfriend and sees her family minimally, and i have friend C who is married and works 40 hours a week. the time A, B and C are willing to spend on friendships are variable and hard to gauge. i don't want to evolve into a person (mom if i ever bear kids) that spends all her time at home, with no social life outside of her household. while i love my husband and my dogs and my home, i value social interaction with people outside of that circle.

so when i email/text: i usually don't get a response back from A until she has time (weeks sometimes), B's schedule is all over the place that i feel bad asking her to hang out when she may be working, but if she can she'll email me back, and C is horrible with communication in general and the odds of a response are about 50%.

and here i am, feeling like the puppy chasing it's own tail... running after friends that don't respond to me or my attempts with any sort of enthusiasm or drive. the harder i try to spend time together the more frustrated i am that they don't want to hang out with me. frankly my feelings are hurt but i don't know if they should be hurt or not because i want them to have their own lives.

has this happened to any of you? how do you deal with it? is there an easy way to find balance with friends in your 20's?

Nappy for Jaxson

i completed the nappy bag by Amy Butler for my expecting friend Carli. Carli is having a little boy this next Monday so it was a rush to get it done in time. Here are some pictures of it (more can be found on my flickr photo stream)

when i got it done, my husband (we don't have kids) looks at me and says "so is Carli going to put the baby in there? i don't think that's very safe". i love him.

this is a whopper of a bag measuring in at 24" wide and 29" long

pictured with the rolled up changing pad - i didn't have enough time to make the cover for i

close up of the topstitching

close up of the changing pad pattern

rainy sunday

fun things to do when it's raining:

• embroider
• play a board game (i recommend settlers of catan)
• read (i'm reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert right now, 2 thumbs up)
• go to a movie (just saw Kung Fu Panda and LOVED it - great for all ages)
• or my ever favorite - sew.

happy dryness everyone!

to: wrist... from: elsie

Awhile ago (several months in fact) i made mention that I was asked to create wristlets for 7 bridesmaids. That wedding is coming up soon, and after several trials I have created the finished product. Here are 3 of them. I am very proud of myself and intend to make some to sell on etsy.

and break

i know i'm not the best at posting every day, but with my in-between jobs section of time happening tomorrow through the 27th, i should be able to devote some heavy hitting time to my blog and to elsie...

on my plate:
- nappy bag by Amy Butler
- clutches for my friend's wedding party
- purse for lindsey
- jewelry roll for mom
- sofia carry all by Amy Butler
- new skirts for me for summer
- examples of all my stuff for my etsy page!

embroider

my grandma used to do cross stitching when i was younger, i used to love to watch her do it, but instictively knew that i wouldn't ever have the patience to do it. i feel i have now found an alternative that could produce some beautiful from needle work with less of a time commitment... embroidery.

Jenny Hart at Sublime Stitching has inspired me. i ordered my first kit and can't wait to get started. there are so many awesome patterns that i can't wait to try and spruce up my sewings with. i started with this one, but know there are several more i want to purchase... like this one, and this one, and this one... oh this is going to be awesome :)

picture from Sublime Stitiching

hectic

holy cow have i been busy! i've gotten a couple orders from my etsy shop (here is one) and i've gotten a ton of orders from people around town. what an awesome feeling... clearly if you buy a new machine, orders will come :)

i have so many ideas for new things but i don't have time with all the orders. Really not too bad of a situation to be in. i have even had some graphic design work come through - which is awesome because my photoshopping skills were getting dusty.