vonnylein

An Official Pause in the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:32:00 +0000

To our Vonnylein & the Carpenter followers, we are sure that you have noticed a serious decline in our blog posting! We have discovered that using Facebook exclusively to share our thoughts/creations/interests has been wonderful for us. We are happy with how our business is slowly growing, and look forward to continuing this progression. We see ourselves adding new products to our line of Vonnylein & the Carpenter creations as we discover where our true passions and interests lie.

For this reason, we will not be posting on our Vonnylein blog at this time. In the future we may decide to pick up our writings again, but for now we are happy to be crafting and designing, and sharing that joy with all of you through our Facebook page and Etsy account.

To new folk who visit our blog: Please direct yourselves to our Facebook page by clicking on the blue Facebook button to the right of this page, or by following this link >>Vonnylein on Facebook<<. Alternately, please visit our Etsy shop to peruse our handmade products: >>Vonnylein on Etsy<<!

We look forward to seeing you around on Facebook.

Have a fantastic day!

Sincerely,

'Vonnylein & the Carpenter'

Shop Opening Day: June 7th!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Clickable Links:
>> Etsy Shop
>> Facebook

A Table Full of Colour!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:47:00 +0000

Just a few photos of our display from the Mom2Mom Sale we attended on the 11th. What a wonderful time we had making new friends and meeting lovely mommies and babies! It is such a treat being able to share our creations with others. If only I could express just how much love we put into each and every thing that we make. Creating pretty, colourful things for our own family is something that makes my heart smile! Being able to do this for others too, is a real honour.

We did not make many changes to our display; however, I was busy crafting some new wooden photo displays before the show: "Family is everything." Those sold like hot cakes! (Mmm....hot cakes...now I'm craving fresh crepes with strawberries...yum!) I will definitely be making more, and would love to include personalized options as well.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us, and a big thanks to my best friend, as well as Grandpa for babysitting!

Happy Victoria Day to all of our Canadian friends. Enjoy your long weekend!

yvonne.

Chalkboard Speech Bubbles - 3 Fun Styles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Lovingly crafted by the Carpenter alone, these chalkboard speech bubbles look fantastic! (I can't take any credit for these, other than lending him painting space on my sewing table.)

We've used ours in just about every photo shoot we've done. Birthday party decorations. Daily words of inspiration in our home. An impromptu writing surface for our son. I personally love the cloud version. Definitely more work to complete, but well worth the effort!

I've been busy working away on my Etsy shop learning curve, discovering the ins and outs of selling online, and hope to have the basics covered by June! This means that we could very well be open for business to the 'world wide web' in just a few weeks. Eek!

Oh, and see that adorable tie he's wearing in the photos below? I have some fun fabrics lined up to make those as well, together with a tricky new way of tying the tie that is much neater looking. Yep, I've been having fun in my spare time (tying ties and rifling through my fabric stash!).

Happy Wednesday (again!).

Coming Soon to the Shop: Wooden Growth Rulers!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:21:00 +0000

From the Carpenter (and Vonnylein):

Coming soon to our shop, for local purchase only: Wooden Growth Rulers!

We have had fun creating these, paying attention to the little details such as font style, sanding, and even in how the ruler ticks are drawn. These really are a labour of love. (I had to give up my sewing table for staining purposes, since our weather has been so cold until now. That in itself is love!)

Currently we are making striped and chevron style rulers. Personalized styles are definitely an option.

Here they are!

The little babes are waking up. It's another happy Wednesday!

Our First Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 02:01:00 +0000

It has been months and months and MONTHS since I last posted anything new on the blog. Without going into detail, I must say that the break was actually quite nice and much needed. During my time off, our family of three grew to four as we welcomed a beautiful daughter into this world. She has brought much excitement and busyness to our lives! (Good busyness of course).

Today was a special day for us, as it was the first time we ventured out to sell our handmade goods! We have always enjoyed creating things for our own home, and finally decided to take the leap into creating for others as well. It was a wonderful experience that the entire family was a part of.

We are excited to be opening an Etsy shop and Facebook page in the near future; more details to follow soon. But for now, have a peek at some of the photos I snapped this morning:

Happy Crafting!

Baby Taylor's Nursery Reveal!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 04:28:00 +0000

Wednesday morning we welcomed another beautiful little one into our ever-growing extended family! My sister-in-law gave birth to the most gorgeous baby girl, and as I held her in my arms, I couldn't help but marvel at the amazing-ness of God's power to create such intricate and graceful detail in such a teeny tiny, perfect being!

Then as I stared into her perfect little eyes, I also couldn't help but long to hold my own itty-bitty miracle in my arms. What a blessing it will be when our second joins us early next year. (Doesn't Mr. vL look so handsome with a baby in his arms? I cannot wait to see that 'proud daddy' look on his face when our next little makes his or her entrance in this great big world!)

And now, moving on from my baby-gushing session... my sister-in-law finished in perfect timely fashion, her baby girl's nursery!

Baby Taylor's Nursery Reveal...

I just love the soft, soothing colours, with pops of turquoise, green and peach throughout!

"Tweet Tweet!" Stenciled driftwood draws your eye to artwork above the wardrobe.

A little lamb sits atop the thrifted wooden rocker.

Little details like the embroidery hoops, which display the same fabric as used in the baby quilt, a yarn-wrapped "T" (made with thrifted yarn), and a mason jar lamp, demonstrate Nicole's creative sense of style.

The hanging basket holds some of baby Taylor's stuffed animals, while the chandelier gives the room that extra girly feel. And of course an super-useful and convenient changing station, with matching baskets, finishes off the space.

Congratulations Nicole and family on your newest addition!

Thank you for letting me share baby Taylor's beautiful room with my 'vonnylein' readers.

I plan to link up to these great blogs:

Tip Junkie, Someday Crafts, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sew Much Ado, Polka Dots on Parade, Thrifty Decorating, House of Hepworths, My Simple Home Life, Homemaker in Heels, WhipperBerry, The Blackberry Vine, Kojo Designs, Debbiedoo's, Simply Klassic Home, Six Sisters Stuff

Oh where, oh where...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Last night I wrote some new lyrics to this song:

vonnylein's version:

"Oh where, oh where has my motivation gone?

Oh where, oh where can it be?

With my time cut short, and my list so long,

Oh where, oh where can it be?"

Ai yai yai! I know that I'm not the only one who has days (or weeks) like this. But HONESTLY, I have so much to do! I really need to kick it into high gear.

My brain feels as though it has turned to mush, and my legs have hardened to cement (except for last night when I took Baby J on a power walk along the same route that I used to run. 40 minutes from start to finish...oh baby, we were moving' and grovin'!).

Now if only I could translate the outdoor physical energy into the indoors.

Here I go to give it a shot! Maybe some music will help?

"Oh where, oh where has my..."

Oops! Don't worry, I'll choose a different song!

Wordless Wednesday :: Remembering His First

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Project: A Quilt for Baby Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Several weeks ago I shared with excitement a stack of beautiful quilting squares I had waiting to be transformed into something even more beautiful:

Then I posted photos of my favourite part: quilting by hand with my Oma:

Any now, without further ado, here is Baby Taylor's first handmade quilt. I wish I could show you how perfectly it matches the nursery. My sister-in-law has phenomenal decorating taste!

Pretty blue buttons. :)

My first attempt at mitered corners. A success...hurrah!

The 'girliness' of this quilt looked so at home in Baby J's room, that I almost had trouble gifting it.

I'll just have to make another! You never know.... ;)

Happy Sewing!

I plan to link up to these great blogs:

Wordless Wednesday :: In the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Linking to:

The Paper Mama, Live and Love Out Loud, Project Alicia, Spilled Milkshake, Mama to 4 Blessings

Sunday: A Few of My Favourite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 01:38:00 +0000

1. How excited Baby J gets when it's time to go outside; grabbing his shoes and bringing them over to us.

2. Baby J's meticulousness in certain things. Example: lining up his cars and trucks, sometimes on the bench, other times on the coffee table, and sometimes in a perfectly straight line. He is definitely our child (of course, there was never any doubt!)

3. Reading, reading, and more reading. I will never get tired of this part of our lives. :)

4. Lining up cars, trucks and trains at a friend's house. I love this kid!

5. Ah....sleeping baby. This "favourite" will never get old.

6. Old playground equipment. Weren't those 'spinny things' banned years ago? We LOVED them as a kid. Of course, a photo with the boys was necessary as this may be Baby J's only chance to ever enjoy the thrill of the 'spinny thing.' Who knows, this could be the very last one still standing in Canada.

7. Day trips into the city to the Science Centre and to visit 'old' friends. Don't the moving fish look fun? Baby J sure thought so!! The ramps were a huge hit too!

8. The way that Baby J gets excited to crawl into bed with "Teddy" and "Bunny."

9. Rain. RAIN. GLORIOUS RAIN!!! Yes, it finally rained around these parts. *happy dance* !!!

10. A new homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe that Mr. vL loves. His happy-tummy smile is totally worth it.

Happy Sunday!

On Becoming a "Good Mennonite Housewife": Making Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 20:20:00 +0000

Oma was over on Monday helping me along in my "become a good Mennonite housewife" journey. This time is was a delicious jam-making session!!

Mr. vL, fantastic as always, took Baby J (who isn't looking so much like a baby anymore!) to our nearby "petting farm," while Oma and I got to work peeling, grinding, boiling, and canning 17 jars of Peach and Peach-Orange Jam.

In hindsight, some 'during' photos would have been lovely. And I should have remembered to write out the oh-so-simple recipe for the Peach-Orange Jam. Another day I suppose.

For now, enjoy the following photos demonstrating my our hard work, complete with a vintage egg-picking basket and fruit farm sign. Oh how I love my farming roots!

Happy Canning & Happy Peach Season!!!

Wordless Wednesday :: "Be awesome! Be a book nut!" - Dr. Seuss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:04:00 +0000

'Saving the Environment,' One VHS at a Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:46:00 +0000

We have been purging our video and music collection over the last few days.

It may sound silly to some, but as part of a decision that handsome hubby and I made regarding our personal faith journeys, we have been purging.

Our collection has dwindled...CDs, DVDs, and some old-fashioned VHS'.

To add to this remarkable, mundane story, I asked Mr. vL if we could recycle the VHS cases. We are avid recyclers around here, and it bothered me to just toss these into the trash.

This my friends, defined "true love" last night:

Mr. vL spent his evening unscrewing each case, taking out the film tape, and separating it from the recyclable parts.

Something that seems so small to most, and yet is so important to me....yep, he *gets* me!

Here's to husbands that figure out a way to recycle VHS tapes (or any of those others things we ask them to do!)

Wordless Wednesday :: A Treasured Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:52:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday :: Chasing Ducks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Project: Here-we-go-a-quilting!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Oma and I spent the morning stitching together my sister-in-law's baby quilt. I enjoyed learning the proper quilting process, and actually really enjoyed hand-sewing! I did not expect to have a positive response to this; however, found it to be quite therapeutic. I suppose this could be put into the same category as running, rowing and cycling - repetitive, almost mind-numbing sports. (I just referred to "sewing" as a sport, didn't I?)

Here are a few photos my handsome hubby, "Mr. vL" snapped while we were working:

All that is left is the binding, and I will have completed my first (tiny) quilt! More photos to come, of course. :)

Happy Sewing!

A Stack of Pretty Colours

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 03:22:00 +0000

I have the honour of sewing a decorative quilt for my sister-in-law's second baby girl.

During Baby J's nap today (which was nearly FOUR hours long!), I was able to cut all 63 of these beautifully coloured squares. My sister-in-law sure knows how to pick 'em! Cutting is not at all my favourite part of any sewing project; however, the end result of a nice, neat stack of quilting squares is satisfying enough for me.

More to come over the next week as I piece these pretties together, and my Oma teaches me how to hand-stitch (!!!!) the quilt.

(Sidenote: the yellow is definitely my favourite!)

Happy Sewing!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Sunday: A Few of My Favourite Things

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 02:57:00 +0000

1. Baby J's LOVE for reading.

2. Mmmmm....strawberries. The satisfying tummy rub.

3. J's love for pens and sneaking around in our bedroom.

4. Baby J discovering that he can sit on his barn.

5. Two words: SPLASH PAD!!!!

6. Watching Baby J chase (i.e. "speed crawl") after his friends on play dates.

7. Spending the morning playing with Opa on his deck and in his garden, getting dirty. Around this house, a dirty baby = a happy baby. :)

8. Teaching J how to go down the slide on his own, and then actually watching him shove off and do it! What a smile of joy and pride that boy wore on his way down.

9. Helping Opa on the farm - Baby J waiting patiently in his stroller while we did so.

10. Baby J STANDING up and WALKING on his own. WAHOO!!!

11. Spending the rest of the week trying to get Baby J to stand up and walk on his own. He did not.

12. Father's Day pool party and J's love for the water.

13. A surprise visit at bedtime from Amma.

Have a Fantastic Week!

Mirror, Mirror in My Book...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:15:00 +0000

...who has the cutest baby look?

THIS little man!

A box of books came to me via a friend just the other day, and after pouring over every.single.car.book in the box, we found this little gem: "Mirror Me!"

Baby J spent a good 10-15 minutes saying "hi" to himself in the mirrors, inspecting his features up close, and peering at himself from every angle possible.

"Mirror Me!" provided us with an impromptu learning moment that filled the air with baby gabber, my heart with smiles, and my camera with photos.

Happy Reading!

Wordless Wednesday :: Scholarly

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:13:00 +0000

Gift: Notebook Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:29:00 +0000

This is a gift that I put together for our friend's daughter. She turned 6 just yesterday, and I remember my love for writing (and notebooks) beginning around that age. I still have all my little diaries, full of nonsensical thoughts, describing friends, feelings and the weather. Many girls in her kindergarten class are currently on a writing kick, and apparently, so is she! Cute notebook cover - you have a purpose. May you be well used! :)

{Elastic & Button Closure}

{A Little Spot for Stickers}

{Personalized}

Happy Sewing!

{Notebook Cover Tutorial}

I plan to link up to these great blogs:

Wordless Wednesday :: Amma Snuggles and a Snack

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:22:00 +0000