Sewing for the Camera

Photo credit: Birdful Stitches (used with permission)

My great friend and personal webdesigner, photographer and parenting mentor Stephanie suggested that I make her a few padded camera lens bags using a pattern from the etsy shop Birdful Stitches and I happily obliged. During our last playdate she picked out her fabric and then I set out sewing last night.

The first Lens Luggage case that I made for Steph - more are on the way!

This was super quick and a fun sew. The pattern was great, clear and illustrated with lots of photos. I highly recommend it for anyone with a DSLR (Birdful Stitches also has camera strap patterns as well as case patterns for e-readers such as the KOBO or Kindle).


Are you a photographer in need of a lens case? I don't think that I will be adding these to the readymade section of beebee buttercup but I would be more than happy to make up a few at a fair price for any photographers that are unable to do so for themselves. Just send me an email (bonnie@bumpsandbuttercups.com). (If you can sew, just click on the link above to go to Birdful Stitches to get your own PDF).

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I am reading Left Neglected with the everythingmom.com book club through the month of March. I didn't get a chance to read any last week but the good news is that this week I can read twice as much!

I have been waiting for ages for this book to be available from the download branch of my local library and so far it has been worth the wait!

I plan to start Her Mother's Hope this week. I am reading it for my own group, the Domestic Diva book club.



I really like the idea of having a book on my ipod at all times! Now I don't have to decide between sewing and reading!



SO..... what are you reading this week?



Sweetpea is finally getting her quilt!

It nearly broke my heart when after Ladybug got her quilt Sweetpea looked up at me with those big doe eyes and said "Do I get a quilt too mama?" The answer was "OF COURSE YOU DO!" So the other night out to my local quilting store I went to find the perfect combination of orange, green and purple as per her request. This is going to be a super simple pattern because I don't want it to take 3 years to finish but I know that she is just going to love it.

All cut (actually it came precut from the store - even better for my schedule this week) and ready to go. This quilt has everything Sweetpea asked for, purple, green orange and flowers!

It just happens to be snowing something crazy outside today and I'm actually hoping for a bit of a crappy weekend so we can stay inside and I can get started on sewing this up!
While I was out I also found the perfect boarder/backing for this quilt that I posted about. When I showed my mom the fabric she got this funny look on her face and said "You know who's room this would look really good in right?" Uh hm.. Mom subtlety is not your strong suite!


What is up next for you? What will you be spending your weekend doing?

Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

Jacob is in love with a woman whom he cannot have, and Lilly’s life has been devoted to caring for her mother and teaching the children in their community. Jacob and Lilly had grown up together but never thought of the possibility of a relationship, until a series of unlikely events throws the two together. They impulsively decide to marry as a way to protect Jacob and save Lilly’s reputation and so begins the story of their courtship – after their marriage.

Issues of trust, kindness and compassion manifested in several ways that I found to be really interesting. Jacob’s love of and work with horses, Lilly’s teaching and efforts with a young special needs student Able (as well as Jacob’s caring for this boy), and the way that the community responded to Lilly’s mom’s depression. It was through seeing how Lilly and Jacob cared for others that they were able to trust each other at first to find a common ground, and later to discover a love for each other that they had denied due to their past hurts and heartbreaks. Long made sure that Jacob and Lilly had a strong foundation of friendship and respect before they loved eachother romantically.

The character of Kate Zook really bothered me and seemed so inconsistent with what I thought I knew about Amish youth – although her character helps to illustrate the Amish belief in forgiveness. “It is the Amish way, to go beyond fairness and to think about forgiveness first. Then we can be angry, or hurt, or sad” (p. 229). I can see why her character was developed as she was, but I could have done without this added drama.

Other than the story line of Kate Zook, I really enjoyed the second installment in the Patch of Heaven series by Kelly Long and am interested to see where the author takes the characters in her next book.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

God's Wisdom for Mothers - Jack Countryman

God’s Wisdom for Mothers is a beautiful Bible study and collection of verses relating to motherhood. It is well organized and easily facilitates reflection and prayer of those issues that are central to many mothers.


Found within this book are chapters about seeking and growing in your relationship with God, raising children in His wisdom, and receiving encouragement from His word to name a few.

If I am being perfectly honest when I first opened this book I expected a little more from Countryman in the way of a foreword or at least a written introduction to each section. If you are looking for a well thought out collection of verses only to do your own study and reflection, this book is an excellent resource. However if you are looking for a more guided study, or a collection of verses with questions, explanations, and discussion or thought points, this may not be the book for you.

I think that this is a volume that I will go back to time and time again, to read, and reflect, in small sections.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…



• What are you currently reading?

Left Neglected by Lisa Genovia, The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg, Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast, The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley (we have been struggling with Sweetpea for a few weeks now and I am desperate - have you read this? Can you recommend a good gentle sleep book for toddlers?)

• What did you recently finish reading?

If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Sarah's Garden by Kelly Long, Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long (review)

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, God's Wisdom for Mother's by Jack Countryman (review), The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (if it comes in the mail)



What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

Thank You God for Mommy by Amy Parker

Thank You God for Mommy is a sweet children's board book about a young panda who is thanking God for all the wonderful things that his mommy does.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with small children, it was a lovely read  and my girls both loved this book (they are 2 and 3 years old, it was perfect for them, even though it is listed for the 4-8 year old crowd).

The illustrations are absolutely adorable and we loved the story. I chose to receive this book as an e-book, rather than the print form which is a board book, and I think that I would have preferred this as a board book. When we read it together on my computer we were able to really see the beautiful illustrations, however on my gray-scale e-reader it lost a little bit of its charm. Obviously that is an equipment problem of my own and not a problem with this book. Regardless I am still happy to have a sweet book on my e-reader to read to the girls when we are out and carrying an actual board book would be a bit cumbersome. 

Off to read it again, I can hear their requests getting louder!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.