Sew Plain

Remember me?

2012-01-31T20:35:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's been a hell of a long time ... too long in fact. My life has taken some wicked turns in the last little while, but I'm finally coming out of that "dark place" and venturing back into life ... slowly but surely.

Today is my birthday, and my gift to myself was to get back into the hobbies that I love so dearly. I managed to start going through my bins of fabric ... just feeling the cool cotton in my fingers and seeing all those beautiful patterns and prints that I fell in love with, just made me feel right back at home again.

I found some blocks that I had started, and I found the old bee blocks that I owed (at least 2 of them). Guess I better get on that this week. I also found 8 of the blocks that I was going to turn into a king size quilt. That's dead in the water ... something that I'll tackle when I have plenty of time on my hands again (too busy now). I pulled them out though, and the thought of just packing them away again was too much to comprehend, so I sewed them together to make a table runner for my dining room table. I'm going in a different direction as far as my bedroom goes anyway, so it doesn't hurt me so much that they won't be made into a bed quilt.

How do you guys do it? How do you find time between working, raising kids, making dinner, doing laundry, taking care of the animals ... I feel like I'm drowning sometimes! What are your secrets to pulling off domestic bliss??

Anyway, to those of you that are still following ... thank you! I hope you don't mind seeing me again here and there ...

I'm going to crank it up tonight!!

2011-03-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

I am so embarrassed about how far behind I am in my quilting bees ... like 6 months behind.

Ouch!

So tonight, I'm popping a movie in for the kids and cranking up my machine! My goal is to get at least TWO blocks finished! I'll post again soon with my progress.

Thank God for crock pots and RedBox. Just sayin'.

Oh, and I felt like this blog was getting taken over with non-sewing related stuff, so I created a new blog to keep everyone in the loop about the house and the updating that's going on along with it ... you can find it here. Become a follower over there too - I'd love to see you!

Totally MIA

2011-02-06T22:11:00.001-05:00

I wish that I could say that MIA was the name of a friend and we've been hanging out having a grand old time, but really, MIA means just that.

Missing

In

Action

Or, lack of action. In fact, I've pretty much gotten the house unpacked, but organized is a completely different story. I've been going through so much stuff - figuring out what's staying, what's getting sold on Craigslist, what's going in what room - and my hours at work leave little time to get any amount of organizing accomplished.

I am proud to say that the kids are now in their bedroom (shared), although Big T is without a bed at the moment (will be remedied on Wednesday). The main bathroom is completely organized, although in a few weeks it will be completely gutted and redone. And the dining room / living room is finished. Although, I believe that my beautiful cream couches are now going to be a permanent shade of dirty cream. I guess that's what slipcovers are for, right??

The kitchen, my bedroom, and the sewing area in the family room are the last few rooms that have yet to be tackled. It's my reason for being SO late in my bees (yes, I am MONTHS behind in sewing blocks - so if you're in one of my groups and you're reading this, and I owe you a block - PLEASE be patient). My goal is to be 100% moved in and organized by Easter. Hey, I'm all about being realistic. If I said next week, I KNOW it wouldn't get done. Just sayin'.

I'll post progress, along with what I've been working on sewing related, soon.

For the record - Craigslist rocks. If I could bring it home and introduce it to my folks, I would totally marry it! I've been saving so much money buying stuff for the house (and selling crap I don't need) for weeks on Craigslist now! It's been a lifesaver (and a wallet saver!!)

Guess what I'm up to ...

2010-12-05T19:56:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah ... this is "real life" for me right now.

Every night, after I get home from work, I try to unpack at least 2 boxes. Sometimes, this actually happens. Most times, not. Not because I'm tired (I'm exhausted actually), but because I'm busy making dinner, chasing kids, paying bills, and all the other duties that are involved with setting up a new house.

First order of business this week though is finishing the unpacking. I can't stand seeing another cardboard box for at least the next decade! Ugh!! My goal is to have everyone over for Christmas Eve dinner at my new place.

Wish me luck ... I think I'm gonna need it!

I did manage to at least get the tree put up, with the help of my Little M. This year, his ornament purchase was "Baby Sockey Monkey". Every year, I let the little guys pick 1 new ornament for our tree. Big T wasn't feeling it, but Little M was all over this monkey the minute he saw it at Cracker Barrel (of all places).

So, from our (new) house to yours - Merry Christmas!

Midnight snacks ...

2010-10-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

Since I'm sleeping like ... well, I'm not sleeping really, so why bother pretending. Rather, I've been up late at night, getting in some sewing.

Like last night ... I went to bed at 1 a.m. Why? Because I was up making a sandwich. Not just any kind of sandwich, but the good ol' quilty kind.

I figured this was the perfect opportunity to finish one last project in my studio (not including the quilt blocks that I owe to my bee peeps). I'm talking one last, honest to goodness, quilt for yours truly.

This quilt was actually started this time LAST year. So, I guess it's time to finish it anyway. Right? And who is really going to pay attention to the fact that the label was incorporated into the back piecing of the quilt (last year) and that it's dated 2009 ... no one's going to look at that, right!?

It's good to stay up late and get things accomplished. Now if I could only feel that way about packing ...

I have no words ...

2010-10-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

I have started, and stopped, this post about a million times in my head. How do I say the words? How do I explain what's going on? I feel like I can't.

What I can tell you is that my husband isn't here.

He hasn't been for about a month.

Yes, I am still married, but I'll be doing the "single mom thing" for a while. And I hate it. I don't know how you single moms out there do it. Granted, I was a single mom before I married my husband, but that seems like ages ago, and things have changed (gotten harder) due to the economy.

I just have no words right now, but please understand that I'm still here, still sewing (when I have time), still working, and still holding the fort down. I just may not be posting as often.

Hope you all are doing better than I am!

We'll talk later ...

2010-09-13T22:48:00.002-04:00

Winner!!

2010-09-10T23:23:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lateness in my announcement of the winner ...

So I went to random number generator, put my data in, and it picked lucky #13 as the winner! Which happens to be:

Patty said...
Yes you truly are awesome. Thanks for the great giveaway.

September 4, 2010 3:50 PM

Patty, thanks for telling me how awesome I am (I don't feel like I am most days, but it's nice to hear, isn't it??) ... make sure you contact me with your mailing address so I can get these goodies out to you!

:o) Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Tomorrow is giveaway day!

2010-09-09T21:12:00.000-04:00

Don't forget - the winner of my little giveaway will be announced tomorrow night! Make sure you get your entries in before the deadline (9 p.m. EST).

And because this is a buyer's market, I figured I'd put this out there ... Anyone looking for a gorgeous house?

It's GIVEAWAY time!

2010-09-03T17:28:00.000-04:00

I have been frantically cleaning up my studio, and I'll explain why in another post at another time, but I have been putting together this awesome little pile of goodies for you guys.

How would you like to have these bad boys in your hands?

What you're looking at is:

"Pretty Little Cozies" which is chock full of little doodads and cutsie little things you can make for yourself or loved ones. (Whoever wins this giveaway: I hope you make me a sewing machine cover because I never made one for myself, and that was why I bought this book ... just sayin').

"The New Handmade, Simple Sewing for Contemporary Style" ... I bought this one for no particular reason, but it's also filled with goodies that you can sew up for gifts.

"Lots of Dots, Quilts & More" by Cotton Way. Need I say more? Bonnie is a genius and this book has several easy patterns to prove it - all with, you guessed it, dots!

There are 4 random quilt patterns, 1 of which is an adorable paper piecing project by Paper Panache!

And of course a beautiful charm pack of Fresh Cottons designed by Joanna Figueroa (Fig Tree & Co.)

So ... there's quite a bit of inspiration packed into this giveaway, and it's all going to go to ONE lucky person. Want to nab it for yourself? Here's what you do ...

For ONE entry: Leave a comment for this post. Tell me how awesome I am, or how awesome you are ... or anything really. Just leave a comment.

For ANOTHER entry: Become a follower of my blog. It's easy - just click the button right over there (yeah, the one on the right, under the other followers). Leave a second comment letting me know that you're a follower (or already were a follower).

For a THIRD entry: Blog about this giveaway. Come back here, and leave a third comment with a link to your blog - hey, I want to see it, and become one of YOUR followers (if I'm not already). It's only fair, right?

So, you have 3 possible chances to win. I can assure you that I will probably ADD to the stash of goodies before it goes out, so I'm going to let the giveaway run a FULL WEEK to give me a chance to go through my stash of stuff in the back. I'm not going to post about the extras that were included for the winner, you're just going to be surprised if you win. ;o)

That being said, the winner will be chosen via Random Number Generator on Friday, September 10th at 9 p.m. EST ... give or take an hour or so.

GRADUATED!!

2010-09-01T23:45:00.000-04:00

This evening, I graduated from The Salon Professional Academy in Tampa as a full specialist. It was a bittersweet event. Good, because now it's finally over ... and sad, because now it's over.

As a graduation gift, my husband told me that he bought me one of these:

This little phrase is popping up all over our house. I have it hanging in my studio, there's a postcard hanging on the fridge ... you get the idea. I say it a lot too. Whenever someone is having a bad day, life is throwing lemons our way, or just as an everyday little "pick me up" ... there's usually not a day that goes by without one of us saying this catchy little phrase. It's only fitting that I should be wearing it around my neck too.

If you find you need one of these too, you can find the Etsy seller here. She makes them in all kinds of colors.

And on another note, stay tuned and make sure you visit me on Friday. I'll be updating with the giveaway information! :o)

A productive day

2010-08-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

I finally managed to lock myself in the studio long enough to get caught up with my bee blocks.

Ahhhh ...

That's me breathing a sigh of relief. One commitment down, only a gazillion to go.

I was thinking that I might rip apart Big T's closet to make it more of an office. Here's my inspiration picture:

Here's what I'm working with:

Yep, it's going to be quite a feat! First order of business is buying primer & paint and finishing his God-forsaken walls. Those have been khaki and yellow for longer than I care to admit. The hubster managed to prime the trim forever ago (think about how long ago he was laid off and you're somewhere in the ballpark of that time). We haven't done anything else to them since ... yikes!

His closet is actually roomy, so I don't for-see having a problem getting this sort of design to work. Now, if I could just get him to keep it organized, we'd be in business!

So, first order of business is painting the walls, taking down the closet doors, uninstalling the closet system, and THEN building his new computer area. Little does he know he's getting a laptop for Christmas (I can say that here because he's NEVER visited my blog - it's too girly for him). And by laptop, I mean one that we've had and don't use anymore. His grandpa is going to fix it up for him (clean out the hard drive & make it faster). But, it's new to Big T, so that's what really matters.

I'll be sure to chronicle the progress, so stay tuned!

And I haven't forgotten that I mentioned having a giveaway ... I'm still looking around for goodies to include!

It's the final countdown!

2010-08-20T11:22:00.000-04:00

As of today (8/18) I have 7 days left of school before I can proudly call myself a full specialist! Of course, 4 of those days are me busting my hump to get my services in before I can sit for finals on the other 3 days ... ouch. I still need about 20 services (mostly acrylic nails and fills).

So, for the last 3 months, my house has suffered, my kids have sacrificed, my husband has become slightly disgruntled over my lack of house cleaning ... BUT it will soon be over.

I've had 2 interviews, dropped off my resume at a few places, and talked to a few salon owners. The prospects for finding work right out of school are amazing! And I am so excited!

I hope that you'll continue to bear with me through these final 2 weeks. I promise to get back to my more crafty side then and I'll celebrate with a small giveaway!

Until then ....

Here's the deal ...

2010-07-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I started working. That's why I've been pretty MIA in blogland lately. I'm still trying to figure out this whole "juggling-of-the-schedule" thing, but I think I'm finally starting to grasp it a little bit.

If you've been wondering where I am, that's it in a nutshell.

We also sent the oldest (Big T) to camp this week. He left on Saturday and doesn't get back until Aug. 7th. The house is peaceful, and quiet, but in an eerie sort of way. There's definitely much less chaos in the house whenever you are able to get rid of your kids for a little bit ... or at least that's the way it is around here.

And in other news, Little M started preschool when I started working. He's adjusted well, which surprised the heck out of me, but I'm glad just the same.

What's nice is that I'm working part-time hours, and my boss is the hubster. Doesn't get much easier than that! What's not so nice is that I feel like a mad-woman Monday through Wednesday because I work AND go to school those days, and by the time Thursday rolls around all I can do is catch up on housework and laundry. Ugh ... however, I think that Friday I'm blocking out my afternoon for sewing ... I'll let you know how it goes.

Toodles.

Life ...

2010-07-13T21:20:00.000-04:00

I'm still here ... I'm still alive. I'll update later, when life takes a bit of a breather ... maybe sometime next week perhaps.

Better luck next time ...

2010-06-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

Today hasn't been one of those "hit it out of the ball park" days as far as sewing goes ...

First, I was trying to follow a tutorial for one of the requested bee blocks for Mary, and let's just say I was losing my mind trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. After a lot of cursing (thank the man upstairs that the kids weren't in the room), I decided that it would be best to send Mary her stuff back, as is, and let her finish the blocks. I'm sad to say that she's getting a bunch of fabric scraps randomly sewn together and nothing looks remotely close to a log cabin block.

Then, I was trying to finish up the circles block for Lori - and as I was cutting the circles out, the rotary cutter got away from me and made three tiny slits into her background fabric, making it useless to me. Ugh. So, she's also getting her block back, unfinished ... sheesh.

Finally, I thought I would try to redeem myself by tackling a Henrietta turtle pin cushion, compliments of the Heather Bailey pattern I bought forever ago. My Henrietta looks incredibly bloated. In fact, her feet don't touch the ground. I won't be posting a picture, don't ask.

It's been one of those days, full of sewing, but little accomplished.

I did manage to get this finished though:

And I hope that my partner for the Scrappy Pincushion Swap on Flickr enjoys it. It was the only good thing to come out of my studio this morning.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-19T23:53:00.000-04:00

Make sure you hug Dad and tell him that he's still cool.

Movie night quilts ...

2010-06-15T09:56:00.001-04:00

Between school, and the projects I've got going on here at home, there's not much time for quilting, but I am slowly (ever so slowly) working on sewing projects too.

I'm still participating in a couple of bees. One of them is soon to be finished, and then I'll just be in 2 bees. Whew ...

I'm also participating in a couple of swaps. One of which (the Pillow Talk Swap), I've already completed the work for that one ... my partner got her pillow and loved it! Here's what I sent:

I'm also participating in the Scrappy Pincushion Swap, but I'm still brainstorming as to what I'll make for my partner there. Unfortunately, there's no Flickr mosaic for inspiration, so I'm sort of winging it here.

And, on top of those things, I'm working on 3 quilts. We're trying to start a tradition of movie night at our house. At first, I thought this might be a once a week thing, but with the pressure of school, summer camp (for big T), work for the hubster ... anyway, movie night has turned into a "when there's a spare moment" thing. It's harder in the summer to get us all in one place to watch a movie. Not to mention that as soon as the lights go down, so do my husband's eyelids. I think he's probably seen 1 or 2 movies in his life, the rest were just opportunities for him to take a nap.

Because of that, I thought it might be nice for each of us to have our own movie night quilt. Something that reflected our personalities or what not, or just pretty. So, I'm working on 3 quilts at random. Luckily, 2 of those quilts have had a lot of help from the 2 bees that I'm in. But the third quilt (for Big T), I think I'm going to do all on my own, sampler style.

I love sampler quilts, and when I saw that Amy was doing a quilt-along, I couldn't pass it up. Here's a button to her blog with all the info you'll need if you decide to join along! I think I'm going to use scraps for this ...

Wanna win something cool?

2010-06-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I'm sharing this news, because really, if you all signed up that hurts my chances of winning ... BUT, Amy is having an amazing giveaway where you have a chance to win a Go! Cutter!

Don't know what that is? Head on over to her blog and check it out - the details and how to enter are there too.

Don't say I didn't ever do anything nice ...

I get by with a little help from my friends ...

2010-05-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

I sent out the fabric yesterday for "Bee Addicted", since I'm now taking over June. My idea was to have the girls do blocks for me based on Rita's block (pictured here). However, what I failed to realize is that I suck at quilting math.

You might think that there's no difference, but oh yes there is!

I can add, subtract, multiply and divide about as good as the rest of you, but when it comes to seam allowances and things of that nature, I'm all of the sudden stupid.

You see, I sent out jelly roll strips of printed fabrics for the block, since they're already cut 2.5" wide. I also sent out a 5" strip of Kona Bone for the solid. What I didn't think of is that when you actually make the hst's (that's half-square triangles for you non-quilting peeps), your little square is no longer 2.5".

DOH!

What I am lucky for, is that someone in our group caught my little mistake before the fabric even got to anyone. She's also a killer quilting math person! (Hi Debbie!) So, Debbie was able to make proper cutting measurements for all of us and this is the result:

A thing of beauty isn't it?

What it boils down to is that you're going to cut a total of 16 solid squares at 2" and 16 printed squares, also at 2". Then, you'll cut a total of 16 solid squares at 2.5" and again, 16 printed squares at 2.5".

To begin, take your 2.5" squares (16 solid, 16 printed) and make your hst blocks. I like to follow Rachel's instructions here. What I did differently is press open my seams rather than to one side. I figured that since there were going to be so many seams close together, it might help with the bulk. When you've sewn, cut, and pressed your hst's, cut them down to 2". Now they're the same size as the rest of your fabrics.

Once that's done, constructing the block is a breeze. See ...

And here's the finished back:

What you end up with is a block that measures 12.5" unfinished, rather than the 16.5" unfinished block that Rita made.

So, there it is, a mini-tutorial compliments of Debbie and her fine quilting math skills!

Tutorial coming soon ...

2010-05-13T08:26:00.000-04:00

In one of my quilting bees, it's my month in June. I had thought about doing this block back in January, and time got away from me with everything that was going on in our little corner of the world. So ... I was moved to October, but then the June person couldn't stay in the bee, so now I'm working the June month. Cool, huh? Did I lose anyone?

Anyway, I'm going to have the girls working on this block:

Rita, from Red Pepper Quilts is where I first saw this block. Now I'm seeing everyone on Flickr accomplishing it, but I contacted Rita anyway and asked if it would be okay to make a quick tutorial on this block on my blog for the girls in my bee. She graciously gave me permission to do so. Rita is awesome! If you've never been to her blog, I highly suggest that you do so, and also check out her Flickr photostream. You can be "oohing" and "ahhhing" for hours on end.

So, for all of my bee peeps, and the other followers I have here in blog land, you're in for a treat real soon, as I'll be posting a quick little tutorial on how to cut, piece, and make this beautiful block!

Check back soon - I hope to have this posted by Monday!

What I did on Mother's Day ...

2010-05-09T22:33:00.002-04:00

I had a fantastic Mother's Day. Did you?

The hubster went out and got us all donuts for breakfast (which I didn't need, but absolutely loved). I played with the kids for a little bit, then got to hide out in the studio for a big chunk of the day.

See ...

What does this mess mean?

The creative juices were flowing today and I made several sparkly things - most of which will show up in the shop this week (sporadically, mind you). So, make sure that you check out my Etsy shop throughout the week, because I'll be adding things just about everyday.

My hope is that once I've tapped the juices on the jewelry train, I can put this tote away again for a long time and work on some more quilting. I've been working on squares for bees, but not much for myself ... although I am slowly working on one of these. I'd like to make a few table runners or pillow slipcovers to put in the shop too.

So, what did you do for your Mother's Day?

I love beans ...

2010-05-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing a lot of wreaths done with lima beans lately, so I thought it might be cool to do something with them as well. However, I'm not very "wreathy" ... in fact, I don't know how to decorate a good wreath that is worthy of my front door, so I have this skinny, almost-falling-apart "thing" on my door now. I think it used to be a nice circular grapevine wreath, but over the years somehow got stretched into the shape of an oval. There's a lot to be desired there ... but anyway, moving back on to the lima beans ...

Since I've been changing the decor of the house, slowly transitioning into things that are more contemporary / primitive ... sort of like Pottery Barn meets an actual barn ... anyone know what I'm talking about? No?

Well, I used to have this huge collage of photos hanging behind the couch. Not lots of photos in individual frames mind you, just a bunch of photos in one frame. You've seen them ... it's the lazy girl's way out of doing photos the right way. I say lazy because we still have the collage hanging up (on a different wall), but the photos haven't been changed since the day I hung it the first time ... there are no pictures of Little M in there at all. Yeah ... it might be time to do something about that.

So, now I have this big blank wall behind my couch. I was thinking that it might be cool to do something with lima beans and showcase it on the wall. And maybe later on down the road I'll hang some plates or something around it. The jury is still out on that thought ...

Here is what I came up with:

And this is how I did it (in exactly this order):

Step 1: Get thee to a JoAnns and buy the biggest initial you can find in their cardboard section (you know, where they sell the boxes for decoupage and all that jazz). They run about $8, but I used my coupon, so it was a score for me.

Step 2: Go to the grocery store and buy yourself some lima beans. I used the big fat ones and the baby lima beans. The baby lima beans were good "gap fillers".

Step 3: Take your supplies home, start gluing beans to the letter and realize after about 10 minutes that you're not cut out to use a glue gun. The blisters on your fingers prove it.

Step 4: Soak your blisters with some aloe gel. You may or may not say bad words when you do this part (at least I did ... oops).

Step 5: Call a friend who knows what they're doing with a glue gun and beg and bribe them to glue those suckers onto your God-forsaken letter for you. (Thanks Glenna!!) When they agree, get the supplies over to them before they have a chance to reconsider.

Step 6: Wait patiently until your friend finishes the gluing for you. This may take a while. Your friend will probably get blisters of her own - be sympathetic, offer her some aloe. ;o)

Step 7: When you finally get that hot little letter in your hands, paint it, glaze it, or do whatever you like to it to make it your own. Hang it up!

I thought long and hard about what I was going to do with my "S". I was going to paint it initially because that's what I'd been seeing everyone else doing online. But when I saw the work in person, the texture and the detail ... I just couldn't "cover" all of that, so I decided to let the beans shine in all their glory. All I did was run an antiquing glaze over it, wiped it down, and let it dry. Now, instead of looking like lima beans, it almost looks like it's covered in little rocks and pebbles. I adore it - and I am so thankful to Glenna for doing all of that gluing for me - you are the bomb girl!

So, what do you think? Do you like my "S"? What else should I put on the wall? Plates? Photos? Nothing??

Time Flies ...

2010-05-07T18:28:00.002-04:00

Six years ago I went from having a super easy last name, to one that's constantly butchered and mutilated by strangers ... it's nice though when the telemarketers call, you can tell right away. Sometimes I pretend I'm the cleaning lady, who just happens to have permission to answer the phone. Anyway, I digress ...

Six years ago today, we were having our rehearsal dinner. Right now, as I type this. The restaurant is no longer there - it's been changed into new restaurants twice since that night six years ago.

In about 4 hours from now, I would've been going to one of my best friend's (at the time) house to stay the night. I figured that way I wouldn't have to have the groom see me the morning of our wedding (bad luck and all). Sadly, I am no longer on speaking terms with that friend.

In about 12 hours from now, I would be driving to Publix to pick up bagels for everyone at my parent's house. All the girls were coming over to have their hair and makeup done ... and we left on time to get to the church. I never wore makeup back then, but now I try to have a little lip gloss or mascara on at all times.

I got married May 8, 2004 at approximately 2:30. I say "approximately" loosely because the groom was late. The limo driver apparently thought he knew a short cut to the church. Either way, it was a beautiful, and simple, ceremony.

And now, six years later, I'm still just as much in love with my husband as I was back then (probably more so). And I'm happy to say that my dress isn't so out of style that I'm embarrassed to show this (blurry) picture. :o)

On a side note, my wedding inspired a business that I ran from home for nearly 4 years ... and it's still up and running, but with a new owner. (waving - Hi Shelli!!)

Aside from no longer working out of the house, I can say that a lot of other stuff has changed over the past six years as well. But it all seems like it happened in a blink of an eye ...

Spring to Finish Challenge 2010

2010-04-19T15:03:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I didn't participate in this last year because I wasn't really sewing or doing much of anything at that time. However, I did manage to start seeing (and following) a lot of blogs because of the projects I had seen that were finished on Flickr.

This year, I get to participate!

I have a couple of quilts that I'd like to finish (probably 4 to be exact) - although I'm willing to concede that by finish, I mean I will do the tops and then send them off to be quilted. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

I also (desperately) need to finish the media center that I started way back here. The side cabinets have been a thorn in my side for the last 2 months. Time to get motivated again.

And the studio ... now that it's "finished" I really need to get going in there with organizing things and decorating it the way I want it. Hello gnomes ...

So, those are my goals. And you'll see over on the left that my finishes as up to a big fat, 1. That's because today I managed to finally make the ironing board cover that I wanted for my studio. Yay me!

Now, if you have your own list of things to get done around your house ... whether they're crafty projects, painting projects, building, whatever - you can join here: Tallgrass Prairie Studio.

I am humbled ...

2010-04-12T13:03:00.000-04:00

Mr. Matt came to my house today and started doing this:

I am both amazed, and humbled, at how quick and efficient a tile guy can work when he knows what he's doing. Mr. Matt is awesome (and if you're in my area and looking for any kind of work, let me know and I'll give you his info).

To think that this room started like this, and is now becoming something so fantastic is just mind-boggling to me! I was so overwhelmed before, thinking that I would be stuck with some God-awful ugly (and incorrectly built) room forever to work in - and quite frankly - refused to work in, because of how it was ... just ... wow. That's about all I can say!

Mr. Matt thinks that he'll be done by Thursday, completely. I can start moving stuff in very soon, after we have the AC guys come in and work their magic so that the room is cool this summer! (Yeah, apparently the duct work is all kinds of messed up too) ... *sigh* If that gets fixed, that means I can finally yank off the foil from the skylight!! YIPPEE!!

Comfort

2010-04-06T23:51:00.000-04:00

My comfort zone was tested this month.

In one of my bees, I was asked to make a block featuring pieced circles.

Pieced. Circles.

Now, some of you may not know this, but I only started quilting last August. That's less than a year ago. I'm doing well to manage straight lines and only recently started doing an awesome job (if I do say so myself) of matching points. But pieced circles? No thanks. They weren't anywhere near anything on my quilting radar to try.

But, I didn't want to disappoint, and I was lucky enough that another bee member posted a link to an AWESOME curved piecing tutorial. So, I cut out the fabric, set my machine to sew as slow as possible (in case I screwed up), and got started.

And about 8 hours later (remember that I'm dealing with a toddler here, and a preteen that's home for spring break) I had this bad boy in all it's circle-y glory:

That's right. It turns out, I can do pieced circles. Is it perfect? Heck no. But, it's a good starting point for me and I think that I just *might* try this again in the future ... a table runner perhaps, but probably on a larger scale. Smaller circles are hard.

I hope you enjoy your block, Melissa. I didn't really know if I liked the fabric choice at first (it shouldn't matter to me anyway since it's your block and your choice), but I think it totally reminds me of some of the Pottery Barn fabrics I've been seeing around. Like this one:

Winner - a little bit late!

2010-04-01T23:56:00.000-04:00

We had some toddler tantrums tonight, which totally took my mind off of the giveaway.

As I was laying in bed, replaying the day's events in my mind, I realized that I had failed to choose a winner for the Mill House Inn honey bun strips! Without further delay, I got up, logged in, and the random number generator chose the number THREE as the winner, which is Henny!

Henny also happens to be in one of the quilting bees that I'm in, so Henny is getting a nice little prize and I don't even have to bother her for her address (I already have it).

So, congrats Henny - enjoy your prize! And for the rest of you, stick around because with the studio remodel going on, I'm sure I'll find lots more crafty goodies to give away soon!

My 1st ever giveaway!

2010-03-19T17:49:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow, we're having craft night at my house. That means that I've spent the greater part of today organizing my fabric so that we can mess up the dining room table ... again. What, you think my dining room table is used for anything like eating?!?

Anyway, I was going through a lot of fabric today and came across this sweet little bag ... who doesn't love a honey bun every now and then?

I won this honey bun in a giveaway last year and figured I'd pass along the Mill House Inn goodness the same way I got it. So, the winner will receive this gallon size baggie of Mill House Inn honey bun strips. They're all there, I just managed to take apart the honey bun almost the second that I got it (I wanted to run my fingers through the strips and FEEL them). Yeah, I'm weird like that.

I giving you a few chances to win here, so pay close attention. For each entry, you'll need to leave a separate comment so that I can use a random number generator to pick the winner.

For 1 entry: Leave a comment in this post.
For 1 more entry: Become a follower of my blog (then leave a comment and tell me you're following me.
For yet 1 more entry: Blog about, twitter, or facebook about this giveaway (then leave me a comment with the link where you did it, just so I can see that the deed is done).

The winner will be chosen on Thursday, April 1st @ 5 p.m. EST. Ready ... set ... go!!

Answers to a couple questions ...

2010-03-19T11:59:00.000-04:00

Apparently, ya'll are really liking my recovered stool. So much so, that a couple of you have asked for a tutorial. Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have one, and I don't know if I could put one together for you either. HOWEVER, I did get my inspiration from this tutorial: Round Cushion Tutorial. That should help point you in the right direction. Obviously, you're not making a pillow, but it will show you how to do the piping, cutting, etc., etc. for the round shape, then you'll just cover your seat as normal with the staples underneath. No biggie.

You also asked about my fabric. I LOVE that fabric. It was made by Alexander Henry and it's called "Sew Now Sew Wow" ... here are the Google shopping results for you: Fabric. It looks like a few places still have it available and in a couple of different colorways. I still have about a yard and a half of it left myself, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it ... I've never made a sewing machine cover ... maybe?!? I don't know. I'll figure it out later.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that I've gone so long without posting ... time flies!

We spent last weekend searching and buying tile for the studio. I settled on 20x20 neutral colored porcelain tiles. Two different tones, that will be set on a diagonal, checkerboard pattern. I can't wait to see it come together, it'll just be a while before it happens so we can save some $$$ to pay the guy to do it.

I have spent the last few days getting some things done for the studio. I found this ugly chair at a thrift store yesterday.

I paid $12.99 (plus tax). The stool was in excellent shape, heavy and sturdy, and the cushion was still bouncy yet firm. All it needed was some fabric to bring it to life. So, I worked on it this morning and came up with this:

I also worked on some artwork. Now, those of you that really KNOW me, know that I haven't picked up a paintbrush (for this purpose) in several years ... like 10 years to be exact. Shocking ... I know. I felt like I was overdue in the art department, so I grabbed my curtain material (thank you Heather Ross) and made this little guy:

The room is finally coming together. I can't wait.

Little M Gets Big

2010-03-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

A week or so ago I noticed that Little M was trying to escape out of the crib. I figured it was time for him to transition into his big boy bed. Since I didn't want to buy some "cheap" toddler bed that would barely get him through the toddler bed years, I decided to build one, using Ana's plans from Knock Off Wood. This is the Farmhouse bed, toddler sized, but of course to Little M - it's a big boy bed.

I used China Red stain from MinWax. I also distressed it a little bit by rubbing the edges with my trusty sanding block. All poplar, so it was a little more expensive than if I had used common boards, but I loved the grain in the poplar. Not to mention, I think this bed will last through quite a few toddlers - not just Little M.

And speaking of the little devil, I couldn't get him out of the bed long enough to take pictures. He seriously refused to budge. So, we put the sheets and stuff on it and let him veg out in the living room while we took apart the crib.

I think he likes it.

Big plans ...

2010-03-05T18:40:00.002-05:00

I have big plans for this window, so I felt it was important to take a "before" picture. It's going to begin with a custom window treatment/building project that I'm going to do myself.

I'm even thinking of pulling this stuff out for it ... my last. two. yards. Eeek!

As you can see, I spent a good portion of today painting the studio (the texture on the walls and ceiling are SO much better than what they were)! The color is called "Skywriter", made by Valspar. I LOVE this color. It matches Heather's gnome fabric perfectly.

A little post I like to call ...

2010-03-03T14:02:00.004-05:00

So, what's a girl to do while there's men working on fixing the studio and the craft bug bites? Why, change something of course!

Little M went down for his nap and I began searching the house for something that's been on the "to do" list, but never actually got done. Mission accomplished ...

I bought this clock at a thrift store AGES ago. Case in point, the baby picture. I put that picture in it when I bought it (it was a recent picture). That kid is now 12. Yeah ... time for an update.

First things first. I filled the nail holes with wood putty. I left some of the nicks and scrapes for "character". Gave it a light sanding, then wiped it clean (then vacuumed it clean with the crevice tool since the layer of dust on it was just about jurassic).

I removed the picture from the bottom, covered and taped the top clock portion, and went to play in the garage with the spray paint.

Since I couldn't leave the house (there were guys working in the studio and the baby was napping, remember), I had to use what I had on hand. Flat black will work. I also sprayed a thin layer of poly for good measure (satin, because I hate shiny).

Let it dry outside since it's the perfect day for it - windy as all get out - brought it in after about an hour, popped a new picture in, which is only two years old, set the correct time and presto-chango! New clock!

Not bad for about two hours worth of work and supplies that I had on hand, and I'm linking back to the Shabby Nest to share ...

You are TWO!

2010-03-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

I can almost remember every detail of the day that I gave birth to little M. It was a day, just like today ... a little cloudy, a little cold, but beautiful just the same. He came (finally) in the morning, after 16 hours of labor and a little bit of pushing.

Little M was loved instantly. And here it is, 2 years later, and you still make us smile and make our hearts swell when we see that sweet little face. And boy, what a personality you're getting!

Right now, your favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. You jump up and down (as best as you can) when it comes on. You even sing along to the opening theme song.

You are a bookworm. You can't read yet, but you could sure look at books for days and days and days. Your favorite spot to "read" them, is tucked inside one of Mommy's Longaberger baskets.

You can count to 10, and have been for about 2 months now.

Your favorite letters are X, S, and W, because you push those letters constantly on your talking fridge phonics Leapfrog thingy. Constantly.

You are all about Mommy, until the second that Daddy walks in the door.

You can tear up a room faster than anyone I know.

You yell at your big brother when he comes around for hugs and kisses, but he makes you laugh harder than anyone else can. It's magic.

You're the best thing that ever happened to our little family of 3, and I'm so glad that you are the one that rounded us out to 4. We love you Little M!

A weight off my shoulders ...

2010-03-02T11:31:00.000-05:00

For months, I have been working on this quilt. Granted, I worked on it in spurts ... moments of time here and there when the moment was right and all was quiet around here. You see, my great-great-Grandmother and my great-Grandmother were both quilters. Not like me, they did everything by hand. And it was how they made their livings, and they were good at it. In fact, my great-Grandmother was still quilting until she died at the age of 99. Could you imagine?

Anyway, my grandmother never took up quilting. Sure, she could sew (I'm sure she was taught, although I never saw her do it). Her "thing" was crocheting and raising kids - she had 4 (3 of them were boys - so I KNOW that was work).

I used to live with my Grandma, briefly, in 1995 when I was transitioning from being a kid and growing into an adult. I hadn't found my niche in life, and it was a great time for her and I to be together. We had a lot of fun that year ... we went so far as to decorate everything in purple for Christmas. We were a couple of crazy girls, I tell ya.

Last August, when I started sewing and quilting, I thought it would be wonderful to make a quilt for my Grandma. She was worried that the art of quilting would be lost in our family, since no one else had made an effort to learn. I surprised her last fall with a letter and a picture of the quilt that I was working on for her ... I promised it for Christmas ... then time got away from me.

Luckily, her birthday is April Fool's Day. How funny, right? So, now that her quilt is finished, it's turned into a VERY late Christmas / birthday present. She doesn't mind, and I'm sure she'll love her quilt as it's very cold up there in Ohio right now.

So, Grandma - enjoy your little quilt from me and remember that while I was stitching this, I thought of nothing else but our time together.

it's been a busy week ...

2010-02-26T20:59:00.000-05:00

Even though I didn't manage to get Jen's block finished, and I didn't get to finish the side cabinets for the entertainment center, I still managed to get a lot done. Grandma's quilt is completely finished. That alone is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. I will blog about it tomorrow when I take better pictures of it ...

I also managed to get the "drapes" finished today. Say hello to the new look:

We used to have valances covering the top of the sliding glass door. It was okay, but still lacked in design and "oomph". I went to Target and bought a nice double drapery rod and hooks (with clips), bought 5 sheer panels for $5 each, and spent $20 on 2 drop cloths which were washed, ironed, hemmed and hung. So, all together I spent $132 for the new window treatments. The rings with clips and the drapery rod were expensive (the rod was $40 because it's a longer rod). However, what it's done for the room is beyond putting a price tag on it!

This is a nice shot too because you can see my new loveseat, there's a matching couch too - thanks Craigslist! You can also see how well everything goes with the new end tables I built. And of course I bought new lamps ... we call these the "bowling pin lamps" ... gee, I wonder why?

I could really use some inspiration to decorate the huge empty hole above the sliders. I was thinking a vinyl wall quote, maybe some big barn stars ... I am open to suggestions here!

Oh, and there's Mocha, doing what she does best! LOVE her!!

2 down ...

2010-02-23T22:13:00.001-05:00

I managed to get Grandma's quilt, quilted and the binding attached. I still have to hand sew the back of the binding. I hate that part. My fingers always hurt, and the thimbles never fit.

I also managed to finish the two blocks that I needed to get finished for the pinwheel quilt along (button located on the right side bar for those interested in following along). I think they came out nice ... see ...

AND, I also started Natalie's quilt. It went from cut fabric squares this morning to a 70% finished quilt top tonight. No pictures until it's finished, because it is a gift and I want to keep some element of surprise. ;o)

So, I'm knocking out a lot of the things on my to do list for this week ... and now back to the hand sewing ...

To do's for this week ...

2010-02-23T01:00:00.003-05:00

It's gonna be a busy week for me. Yep.

I have to do the following, before Friday:

~~Finish binding my grandma's quilt (yes, it's FINALLY quilted).~~
~~Begin piecing Natalie's quilt.~~
~~Hem the new "drapes" that I bought (a.k.a. drop cloths turned curtains).~~
Finish building the two side cabinets on the entertainment center.
~~Keep up with the pinwheel quilt-along.~~
Make my block for Jen (another bee that I'm in).

It's not that there's anything going on that I HAVE to finish these things by Friday, it's more of a wish list of the things that I would like to accomplish. I've done so much to the house in the last couple of weeks, I feel like I could really use a vacation.

Keep checking in for updates on the studio progress (the floor is gone back there and the walls are bare). I think that Monday the walls will get the new texture.

I'm tired.

One more post for today ...

2010-02-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

Only because I forgot to mention it in the last "room of doom" post - and quite frankly, it doesn't really "go" with that post. :o)

I built two end tables this past week for our living room. These were the secret, but not so secret, things I was building.

One more thing crossed off the to-do list, and now I can focus on finding a new couch and loveseat for the room. Not an easy task since I have a very small budget and no one will return phone calls or emails from Craigslist. I'll keep doing what I'm doing though ...

Enter the room of doom and dread ... if you dare ...

2010-02-15T13:34:00.002-05:00

Let's take a tour of my soon-to-be changing studio. As you may remember, this is the room that took nearly 2 years for a general contractor to complete. This is the room that needed several "fixes" once we fired said general contractor. Did I mention that it took nearly 2 years to build, and the room is only 12' x 10'??

Upon entering the room, if you were to walk with me, you would notice that there's a slight slope to the floor when you walk in. This is because the floor in the studio is not level with the rest of the house. Lovely, yes?

If you look to the left, you will see my ugly storage cabinets. And my even uglier wire shelving unit. I have been using the cabinets to store fabric for quilting ... no, I will not open them and show you. It will make your eyes hurt. See that lovely mannequin head on top of the smaller cabinet? You may remember her from an earlier post. No, I do not usually decorate my living spaces with gaudy heads. Let's move along, shall we?

To the right, you'll notice that there are 2 sets of doors here. The doors that are leaning against the other set were once installed between the bedroom and the studio. I felt that removing them opened up the room a lot more - making it feel bigger and brighter. The doors are listed on Craigslist for a deal if you're interested. If I found out that the buyer was a blog reader, they'd get a hell of a deal! (wink wink) ...

Anyway, the doors that give us access to the outside are actually not the original doors that were installed. The original set of doors were not properly installed. This caused leaking into the house, which also caused leaking onto the flooring. See the ripped up flooring near the door? Yeah, apparently he didn't install a moisture barrier between the concrete and the laminate flooring. So, I have a lovely patch of concrete there that I've been looking at for about a year. Isn't it pretty?

And finally, let's turn our eyes to the sky ... or should I say the skylight covered in foil. When I had it uncovered, the natural light in here was amazing ... gorgeous even. Until you walked into the room, then you felt like your skin was on fire. I was assured that the glass (or plastic, whatever it's made of), was tinted and would be energy efficient because it was also covered with something called Low-E film. What I've discovered from living here is that, tinted or not, this room BAKES in the summer! So, the foil was put in place over this past summer. I don't know what to do ... do I replace it? Do I have it uninstalled and just have the hole plugged up?? Ideas ... anyone??

Oh, and let's not forget to take a closer look at the texture of the walls and the ceiling. You see, in the rest of my house I have a very pretty texture called "spanish lace" on the ceiling and "orange peel" texture on the walls. In the studio however, I was given something called - "looks like a child threw oatmeal at the walls" texture on the walls ... and "didn't give a crap not even going to try" texture on the ceiling. Here's some pictures that show you what I'm talking about.

So ... my game plan is this ... next Saturday, a fine gentleman is going to remove the laminate flooring in here. He's getting a great deal on it - it's free - he just has to do all of the labor. I estimate that there's about 10' x 10' of good laminate in here that he'll be able to use. Once those are removed, there's another fine gentleman coming in to try and match the texture on the walls and on the ceiling to the rest of the house. From what I have been told, this is not an easy task (the matching) and I'm hoping for the best here. I will be sure to post photos of the progress of the room as it transforms.

Once the walls and ceiling textures have been established, the next task is leveling the floor and installing tile. I figured that tile would be more "sewing room friendly" as I can use the grout lines as a grid of sorts when I'm making quilts. It'll also hold the heat / cold better than the laminate was, because I do intend to figure out SOMETHING to do with that gosh darn skylight.

And thanks to Ana and her fabulous blog that I can't talk enough about ... I intend to build a few Cameron storage systems in here for fabric storage, a bench seat that is the length of the window (I don't think I showed you the window, it's just a window anyway - you're not missing anything), and eventually try and tackle building a Bedford Project table similar to what Pottery Barn wants to charge an arm and a leg for. Again ... all with pictures of the progress.

I'm guessing that this project is going to take a while to complete, but I'm also guessing that it won't take nearly 2 years. Take that Mr. lame general contractor! (And if you want to see any of the pictures bigger, just click on them ... but be forewarned, I can't be responsible for the hideous-ness of what you see)!

sigh

2010-02-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

My secret-but-not-so-secret project is almost done. I should have pictures tomorrow evening of my results. I tried to take a break this weekend and get some sewing done. I'm about 75% done with my grandma's quilt, I'm completely caught up on my quilting bee blocks, and I've got some of the pieces cut for the next quilt I have to complete before April 1st. So, it was a big sewing weekend for me. This was one of the blocks I finished this weekend, and I LOVE it! The fabric line is Meadowsweet. I actually have a layer cake of this line laying around in the studio somewhere ... I love the line. It's bright, cheery, and fun. I hope Rebecca enjoys her block and I can't wait to see her finished quilt.

We also had people coming in and out of the house this weekend for estimates.

Two years ago, we had a room addition built onto the back of the house. It was a nightmare that lasted nearly a year and a half. When we fired the general contractor, we had a structurally okay room, but a cosmetic disaster on our hands. I couldn't even look at the room for a year because every time I went in it, all I could think about was the turmoil that it caused. It ended up being used for storage for a while.

Well, this past week I decided that I'd had enough. Someone is coming next weekend to rip up the laminate flooring in there, and we're going to basically start from scratch and get everything fixed. Maybe I should post some before and after pics??

Who wants to see my disaster room??

What's happening!?!

2010-02-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

OMG - what's happening to my little sewing blog? What am I doing surrounded by all of these power tools?!? Why do I have a palm sander to thank for my new jacked up manicure?!? Seriously!

I have been playing with wood again today, but rather than show you what I made, I'm only giving you a sneak peek. "They" will be unveiled when both of them are finished and in place. Thanks again to Ana, who has given me the inspiration and the means to finish all of these projects - my head is spinning with all the possibilities yet to be dreamed up!

We're also getting ready for a yard sale this weekend. Have I ever mentioned how much I loathe yard sales? Yeah, I love the extra cash because it feeds my fabric addiction, but I hate the hassle of dragging everything out, pricing everything, then haggling over a quarter in my driveway. And, it's supposed to be chilly this weekend.

I think I should probably put the power tools away for a couple of days, focus on the yard sale, and then maybe do some sewing ... that's what this blog is about anyway.

Hope you all are having a great day!

All done!

2010-02-07T10:36:00.027-05:00

Late last night I finished my first building project ... ever. Aside from the ship that I made in 7th grade wood shop, but still.

So, here was the inspiration piece. It's the Logan collection TV stand, available at Pottery Barn. The cost is $799, plus shipping, plus a $75 surcharge for delivery.

And here's my TV stand. Total cost, about $200, but only because I had to buy a few extra things like drill bits, sanding blocks, a table saw ... you know, tool stuff. So, there's probably about $50 worth of materials invested in the stand itself.

My next order of business are end tables. I'm either going to start on them today, or wrap up some quilting that I need to finish, haven't decided yet.

oh yeah, it's happening ...

2010-02-06T00:44:00.000-05:00

Two posts back to back, oh yeah, it's happening ... just go with it.

Just wanted to share my progress on the Logan TV stand project. Last weekend for my birthday, the hubster bought me a table saw. It was very much needed, since the cabinets were an issue.

I had to have them cut a total of 4 times. The first time, they were too short. My fault for not getting things cut as I went. The second and third time, both Home Depot AND Lowes cut the cabinet doors "off" ... so one side was shorter than the other ... on BOTH cabinets. I mean really ... how hard is it exactly to cut a square piece of wood or MDF for that matter? Seriously!?

So, I took matters into my own hands last weekend and found a wonderful used table saw on Craigslist. I cut my own gosh darn cabinet doors and they came out perfectly. See, it's not that hard if *I* can do it!

Everything's been sanded and primed. At this point, I just need to paint, cut the hole in the back for the cables to feed through, and put it in place. I'd like to have this project 100% complete before the Super Bowl starts. No, I don't watch football (I don't even know who's playing), but I do enjoy the commercials. Anyone else? Just me??

Anyway, here's a couple of snapshots of my progress as of almost 1 a.m. Saturday morning (yep, it really is that late - I'm going to bed now)! Pay no attention to the crooked shelf in the middle, it's kinda just sitting there since it's still drying, the cabinet doors are just kinda sitting there too - not attached, just wanted to take the picture.

A little something about my dad ...

2010-02-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give my dad a little "shout out" today. He's come to be my hero in the last couple of days ... not that he ever stopped being a hero, but he was a tremendous help to me with the entertainment center that I'm working on.

When I was growing up, my dad tried to build everything that he thought we needed. Entertainment centers, tables, decks ... he was a pretty good woodworker. When his eyesight started getting the best of him, he sort of put his hobby of building things on a shelf and took up other hobbies that were better suited for a man with limited sight. You would be amazed if I told you that he crochets now - and he's nearly 100% blind!

Anyway, when I told my dad that I was going to start building some furniture around here, I saw a little part of him light up again. I think he was just as excited as I was, and he's been helping me with ideas, tips, and "rules" that I didn't know about until he taught me. To say that I could've done this without his help would be a lie. A part of me would like to think that I'm giving my dad back his old hobby, even if he can't do as much as he'd like to do himself - he's doing it through me. I guess it's true that at some point, parents do live their lives through their children.

So, this post is for you dad. Thank you for helping me with this entertainment center, and thank you for all the help you've offered for my future projects. I'm blessed to have you as a dad and I'm looking forward to "talking shop" with you for many years to come. Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll even let you teach me how to crochet.

Love you!

34

2010-02-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

I turned 34 yesterday. I don't feel any different. I don't look any different. I'm just older, I guess. What does that mean, anyway? How are 34 year-olds supposed to behave? Just curious ... because I think I might be doin' it wrong.

I like to play video games with my soon-to-be teenager.

I like to play blocks with my toddler.

I don't clean up my room.

I tend to stay up too late and have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.

I hate vegetables and I love junk food.

I think that the PTA is for the other moms.

I can't balance a checkbook to save my life.

I could spend all day at the mall if you let me (or the craft store - it's a toss up).

But I guess there's a lot of good things about being older ... I just haven't thought of anything life-changing yet. Care to share your words of wisdom? I could probably use the advice ...

Oh, and this picture HAD to be posted! Have any of you seen the LOL Cats? Click for the bigger picture so you can see the cat in the background. This picture is dying for a funny caption!

ouch!

2010-01-28T00:34:00.004-05:00

Did I say that I would be "cleaning" this week? What I meant to say, was that I would be sidetracked from the cleaning by starting yet ANOTHER project. I can see how the two could be easily confused. What I'm working on, is building a new entertainment center for our living room. We finally sold the dark, giant wooden thingy that took up too much space and lacked appeal. What I'm building is the Logan media unit designed by Pottery Barn.

Apparently I can handle it, because I started the project on Monday (which consisted of buying the materials), and by this afternoon I had what you see in the top picture - it's resting on the top of the piece, waiting for the glue to set so that I can screw in the top and make it sturdy. There is maybe about one hour of work put into it at this point. I had to keep starting and stopping to take care of Miles, run some errands, and just take lots of breaks. Building is exercise - I broke a sweat several times while doing this!

Around 7:30 we went out to dinner to celebrate the hub's birthday (Happy 36th, my love!) and came home to enjoy some ice cream cake. After the kids were snug as bugs in bed, I went back to my project. And as of about 11 p.m., I have what you see in the second picture, as well as several blisters on my hands. Ouch indeed!

All I have left to do before this is finished is build the doors (there will be "cabinets" on each end), attach the shelves in the middle, attach the decorative trim, and then sand, prime and paint. We have a few pieces of Pottery Barn furniture in the house right now, but it's nice to know that I can make the pieces I love without spending the small fortune that they charge for essentially the same thing I can make! So, blog on Ana - blog on! You rock girl!

And where was Little M during this furniture-building-extravaganza? Well, he was really a trooper for a large part of the day. He hung out in his playpen, vegged out on TV, and yelled at me for making messes on the floor. Yes, he's turning out to be a neat freak like his father ...

spring cleaning ...

2010-01-22T08:27:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but I'm horrible at cleaning my home. And organizing ... forget that. I've been saying for months that I'm cleaning my studio, but in all honesty, I manage to clean the house and shove everything into my studio.

Well, I decided it's time to put a stop to it and I'm going to really stick to a cleaning routine. I have tried FlyLady in the past, but it got to be complicated and I gave up. Way too many lists. So, I'm going to try this one at Just Mommies. Consider it my New Year's resolution, so to speak. It's a small daily list of "to do's" and if you do a little more researching on the website, you'll see that they have an organizing schedule too. Just one small task per day. I can handle that.

So, if you want to join me in my resolution to become more organized, leave a comment and let me know! We can check back in with each other once a month to see how everyone is doing.

Meet Mocha ...

2010-01-17T12:28:00.002-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to Mocha.

Our girl has been here a little over a week, and already, we're attached. Mocha was "adopted" from a family who just didn't have the time to show her the attention that she craves (and boy, does she crave lovin'!) ... so, we met her last Saturday and she's been here ever since.

Mocha is 7 years old, and obviously, she's a golden retriever.

To celebrate her arrival and adoption, I baked her some yummy treats (recipe below). She munches on one a night - like dessert.

Mocha's Munchies

Ingredients: 1 egg, 1/3 cup of peanut butter (as little sugar as possible is better), 1/2 cup of mashed banana, 1 TBSP honey, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of wheat germ, 1 cup of carob chips, 1 TBSP shortening.

Directions: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside. Stir together the egg, peanut butter, banana and honey in a medium bowl, blending thoroughly. Stir in the flour and wheat germ and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick (I tend to go a little thicker than that for a bigger dog). Cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until dried and golden brown, about 30 minutes, depending on size. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Once cool, melt the carob chips and shortening in the microwave. I found it best to do so in 25 second intervals, stirring in between. It took about 3 spins in the microwave to get a nice, creamy consistency. You can then dip the treats into the melted carob chip mixture, or do what I did and pipe it on to half of the treat. You can also add a small amount of sprinkles (like I did), but be careful not to go overboard with the sprinkles. Refrigerate overnight to set the "chocolate" and store in an airtight container. These will last for approximately 6 weeks if stored properly in the refrigerator.

So, bake some goodies for your four-legged friends and celebrate Mocha's homecoming with us!

catching up ...

2010-01-07T23:48:00.001-05:00

I had my graduation yesterday at school. I'm not finished completely, but I graduated from the esthetician portion of my studies. Whew. So if you're wondering where I've been - that's my reason for going into hiding. I had projects to finish, notes to finish, and finals to study for ... but for now, it's over. At least it's over until I go back on Monday night and start the nail portion of my studies. Can't wait for THAT graduation, because that means that I'm officially DONE!

We had some quiet holidays around here. No big elaborate parties, but we did enjoy some simple and sweet family holiday get togethers. We rang in New Year's Eve and then went promptly to bed at 12:02 - when did I get to be so tired all of the time?

I did manage to finish up some quilting bee blocks before the holidays started. I still owe blocks for December, and now January. It's my "turn" in one of the bees, so I need to get my fabric sent out - it's coming ladies, I promise! I decided I'd use my turn to get rid of some of my stash, so the girls are going to get lots and lots of random scraps! It should be a pretty colorful quilt when it's done.

We're also "on the market" to add a new family member in our home. We've been doing some research, contacting some rescues, even posted an ad on Craigslist, and I think we're going to be adopting a dog soon. We feel it's time for the boys to enjoy growing up with a dog, especially considering that the cats could really care less if the boys are here or not. It's not much fun trying to get a cat to "play" with you.

There are 2 really high-potential girls out there that we'll be meeting over the next few days. Be sure to check back often to see who's coming to live with us!

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to all that 2010 has to offer! I know we are!

A little "me" time ...

2009-12-07T08:10:00.003-05:00

With everything that's been going on, I decided to declare yesterday a "me" day.

I spent some time in my studio. Organizing (a little bit), finding things, and testing out my machine's quilting abilities since I had to take it to the shop about a week ago ... gotta make sure that I remember what to do. ;o)

Anyway, I found enough of the quilt blocks that I had received from my group (A Piece of Work B) to complete a table topper. It was originally supposed to be a finished quilt for my bed, but I never made it that far and ended up stashing the blocks in the messed up studio as soon as they came in. Since they were scattered to the four corners, I have no idea who completed what, but the ones in this table topper are to die for!

I was able to piece the blocks together, quilt and bind this quilt all in about 8 hours. I'm so proud of myself!

As soon as I find the others (I know that there are at least a few), I have pillow plans.

So, no quilt again for my room this year, but at least my dining room table is ready for the holidays.

Ah, the holidays ...

2009-11-28T13:31:00.005-05:00

It just wouldn't be the holidays around here unless things were chaotic. :o)

Is it just me, or is time going by WAY too fast?! It seems like I just took my Halloween decorations down yesterday ... okay, so maybe I did ... kind of.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with our families, enjoyed some Wii competition, and pulled out the Christmas decorations.

To me, there's just nothing quite like seeing Christmas for the first time all over again in your children. Little M is finally at an age where he's starting to enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays. He hammed it up during dinner last Thursday and kept everyone entertained. And he's starting to figure out just what the decorations thing is all about, even though he hates that he can't touch the ornaments once they're on the tree.

So, with the teeny tiny break that I have from school this week, I spent some time catching up around here. First order of business was to work on my grandma's quilt, which is also her Christmas present. I HAVE TO get that done this week!

I also spent some time getting caught up on gift wrapping ... I'm about halfway done. Whew!

And last night we spent some time cleaning up my studio. I still have a lot of cleaning to do, so no pictures of the mess for now. ;o) Trust me, you don't want to see the "before".

Did I mention I'm also SEVERELY behind in getting my blocks finished for the bees that I'm participating in? Yeah, I haven't had a chance to get those bad boys done since October! Ouch!

You are 12

2009-10-24T21:03:00.010-04:00

It's difficult for me to realize that you are twelve. The years have flown by and I've seen you change from a baby, to a toddler, a child, and soon - a teenager. And even though I've witnessed all of this, you have made me feel young, and I love you for that.

So, in honor of your birthday, here are some things that I'd like to share that I love about you ...

You enjoy snuggling on the couch while watching movies with family.

You're very athletic and love playing sports.

When you put your mind to something - you do a great job!

You're protective of your little brother.

And you still call me "mommy", even when the other kids pick on you about it.

I'm looking forward to the next year - seeing how you change, seeing how your personality develops even further. You're my "little man" and I love you dearly. Happy Birthday!

I've stocked it!

2009-10-10T09:55:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, I've finally put some stuff up in my Etsy shop. There's a link to it all on the right ... be sure to check it out!

No quilts yet, but there's some cute Halloween jewelry that I made. I hope to have a quilt or two up soon.

It's that time of year ...

2009-10-09T18:03:00.002-04:00

I am in love with Melissa's blog. Seriously. I go there, like almost everyday and just drool over her creativity. To have an ounce of her energy and ability to finish projects ... it's really awe inspiring.

Well, she's giving away one of her fabulous Halloween banners.

And I want it.

Badly.

So, I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that I'll be lucky enough to win this spooktacular banner. And if not, I guess I'll be draggin' my butt out somewhere to get what I'll need to make my own!

24 hours ...

2009-10-02T11:26:00.003-04:00

What a difference a day makes.

Flora isn't finished yet, I need to buy more flowers, but here she is. I also need to buy another bird because the cats apparently felt that my little styrofoam bird was a chew toy. Good thing it wasn't real.

So ... now that I'm "almost" done with Flora, it's time to hit the books and get started on my notes for class.

My Flora

2009-10-01T19:14:00.002-04:00

I am loving school so far. The people there are great, the course seems easy enough, and I'm learning something new everyday. I also get to do crafty things ... I LOVE crafty things.

We're having a contest on Halloween based on fantasy makeup. I love a challenge. ;o) Anyway, we were each given heads to make all pretty for the competition. With this in mind, I'd like to introduce you to "Flora" ...

She's not the prettiest head I've seen, but I hope to fancy her up a lot over the course of the month. Today was day one. I took her outside and spray painted her a nice, creamy ivory color. She's currently perched on my nightstand getting an "air bath" by way of my fan. I hope she dries out, I'm so anxious to paint her.

Obviously, all things quilted have taken a back seat for the time being. With the demands of school, and all the things I have to make for Christmas, well, my own fun has been put on the back burner. Oh well, at least I'm still making pretty things.

OMG - are you SERIOUS!?

2009-09-30T15:42:00.002-04:00

Monday, I came home to find a box sitting on the front porch ... and inside were some yummy prizes that I had won from entering the giveaway from the Fat Quarter Shop! How lucky am I?

Thank you SO much FQS for the chance to win such yummy goodies! I won a luscious jelly roll, honey bun, and turnover set in the Mill House Inn pattern! They are gorgeous, but I have no pictures to show you just yet. (You know how I am with pictures ... *sigh*).

If you're still interested, head on over there and sign up for the Fig Tree Club! There's still spots available and you'll get to make some pretty things for around your home (or for gifts)! The link is in an earlier post ... (below this one).

Anyway, school has been kicking my rear end and I also just joined a gym ... time to lose the mommy fat! Wish me luck - it's been a whirlwind of things to do around here! And now I'm gearing up for the holidays too ...

If I was a rich girl ...

2009-09-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

If I had an over-abundance of money to just spend on a whim, my poor studio would look like a fabric shop exploded in there ... oh wait, it already does ... okay, maybe it would look like an ORGANIZED fabric shop then.

Hee hee ...

Okay, so seriously ... if I had some extra funds to play around with, I would give my left arm (that's right - the LEFT one - the one I use ALL the time) to sign up for this club. I have been a serious Fig Tree stalker for quite some time, I just haven't had the money yet to really get down to business! Hurry up and get that job, honey!! :o)

Fig Tree Quilts is putting together a club. Members will receive kits and patterns to make things like lap quilts, totes, home decor items, etc., etc. The Fat Quarter Shop still has some memberships available, so if you're more of a rich girl than I am, run over there and sign up!

one down ... several more gifts to go!

2009-09-09T13:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I finally finished one of my handmade Christmas gifts for this year. (You might recognize the yo yo pillow from an earlier post ... well, here's mine in finished form.) This little beauty is going to a very special girl who's an honorary member of our family. Her mom has been one of my best friends since the 9th grade ... that's almost 20 years for those of you who are keeping count!

Her little Nut is about a year older than little M, and the last time we went to visit, they had a chance to play together. I thought it was only fair that little M snuggle the pillow one last time before it gets packaged up to go to the Nut's house. So, Nut, when you get this you might still smell a little pb&j on it ...

Oh, and little M made sure to point out which yo yo was his favorite. ;o)

Now that this is finished, I've only got about 6 more sewing gifts to complete.

out with the old

2009-09-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I need more clothes. My closest friends all know this, as they've seen me wear the same stuff several times ... the washing and drying of clothes that goes on in my house is insane. I always make sure that the boys are well-dressed, but I neglect my own closet.

So, I'm going to fix this.

I'm starting with pajamas for myself. When I saw this on one of my favorite blogs, I couldn't pass it up. An opportunity to make some pj's with other sewing enthusiasts and a chance to win a $20 gift certificate when it's all over. Umm, yeah. I'm definitely in.

My pattern is ordered, some fabric is on the way, and I'll let you know how it goes. Making clothing is definitely NOT one of my strong points, so cross your fingers for me.

so many crafts ... so little time!

2009-09-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

I have been a craftin' fool the last few days.

Aside from sewing the yo yo's together for my pillow, and working on the "Merry & Bright" quilt (yes, I'm STILL not done - it's a LOT of work!!) ... I made some bookmarks, decorated a notebook for me to carry at school, and made myself some pretty jewelry.

Who says ADD is a disorder? I think I'm handling it well. ;o)

Now that I'm all crafted out, and the house is in perfect disarray, Little M gave me some friendly advice:

"Mom, it's time to get a shower, open the blinds and clean up this place! Oh, and fix my bed head, please."

they're getting too big!!!

2009-08-30T13:12:00.000-04:00

My babies that is ...

Over the summer, a family friend had her granddaughter down to visit. She is close in age to Big T. And they spent most of the visit hanging out, playing, and having a good time. Then he wanted to take her out to eat ... his first "date" ... when did he get big enough to date??

He wanted to sit with her alone, he wanted to pay for her food, and we weren't allowed to talk to them or interfere. Those were the rules. Of course, as two grown women are - we couldn't NOT interfere, so there's now photographic evidence of their first date together. So cute.

sneak peeks and beach day!!

2009-08-29T09:20:00.000-04:00

I started working on my Christmas gifts. I have a bunch of things to make, including a quilt for my grandma, which I'll show later.

For now, here's a sneak peek at a yo yo pillow that I'm making for someone special. I saw the pattern at Oh Fransson ... Elizabeth is awesome! Mine isn't as color coordinated, I'm using some of my favorite scraps from my stash for the yo yo's. See:

Aren't they cute all laid out on a cookie sheet?

We're also going to the beach today - yes, I plan on getting burnt. I always do. *sigh* Venice Beach, here we come!! And thanks T for taking care of little M so that we could enjoy the day baby-free!

I'm blocking up ...

2009-08-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

The hubster got me up early this morning while he prepared for an interview. It was a brave thing for him to do, as I have not been sleeping well and I very well could have kicked him in the shins in my half-awake state. Yes, he FINALLY got an interview. Apparently, it went well, so pray for us that it will lead to something!

While he was gone, I figured it would be fun to get going on the quilt blocks that I owe to Anna and Kyra for the virtual bees that I am in. Anna's was pretty easy, as I didn't have to think about it. Anything that requires very little brain power is fun. Here's Anna's block:

Kyra's block was a challenge for me. Not because of the construction of it, it was because of her request ... she wanted "wonky". I don't have a wonky bone in my body. It was hard for me to get her block done, but I did, and I'm not sure what I think about it. It's nice, it's cute, but it's not terribly wonky. Here's Kyra's block:

Kyra, you won't hurt my feelings at all if you hide this block in a drawer - never again to see the light of day. I tried though, I really did, I guess I'm just not a wonky person!

Nothing to see here ...

2009-08-24T22:46:00.001-04:00

No photos today, as I was unable to locate my camera. Hmm ... me thinks I'll have to come up with a solution to that. But I digress.

Today was the first day of school here, or as I like to call it, "Mom's Christmas". Big T was up and at 'em by 6:45 ... the bus didn't come until 8:05 ... a little anxious? I made him some eggs (over medium), some toast, packed his lunch, and helped him pick out his first day outfit. Even after all of that, we were banned from watching him get on the bus. Apparently, that's what moms and dads of babies do. He's a 6th grader now after all. (sigh) ...

When did the time start going so fast?

the little things ...

2009-08-06T11:04:00.000-04:00

We got some horrible news this week ... the hubster was laid off from work on Monday. And while I had taken a couple of days to mope around feel sorry for us, there's been a lot of little things happening around here to make me realize that it's not so bad.

For one, the hubster hasn't taken a vacation in a long time. Even though this isn't "technically" a vacation, the time he's been home has given us a chance to enjoy our little family - even more so than the normal weekends off.

Secondly, the layoff has given the hubster the final push that he needed to sit for the CPA exam. He's been putting it off for far too long. Just something he needs to get finished, and now he has the time and the motivation to do it.

And finally, he's found out just how marketable he really is. Today, he's out and about meeting with 3 different recruiters - all of which have positions that need to be filled. The prospects are good and I am hoping that we won't have to be without cash flow for long.

In the meantime, we've been focusing on the little things ... like snuggling on the couch to watch a movie, cooking dinner together, and giggles during bathtime.

Merry & Bright

2009-07-31T16:41:00.000-04:00

I've decided to join another quilt-along.

Why yes, I am crazy actually.

Apparently, my need to quilt trumps my desire to keep a spotless house. I've heard that a spotless house is a sign of a wasted life anyway, so I think I'm doing a good job of living on the edge. ;o)

So, here's a sneak peek at the quilt I call "Merry & Bright". It should be finished in a week or two and will be put into the Etsy shop. We just don't need anymore quilts here, in Florida, during the summer.

And if you think you're up to joining the quilt-along, you can find us by clicking on the logo.

Reflecting on summer so far

2009-07-31T16:15:00.000-04:00

Summer is FLYING by! More so for the kiddos than for me. Big T is dreading starting the 6th grade - more scared actually. Little M is still trying to figure out a new routine. I think we're finally dropping a nap, but we haven't merged the two naps into one yet. He's been taking two naps, but they're shorter and getting closer together. We'll get there. We still haven't lost the binkies yet. I just don't have the heart, especially now that he can say the word "binky", which comes out "peen-key" in Little M style.

Both boys just seem to be growing like weeds ... *sigh*

Picking up Big T from summer camp.

Little M playing in the grass in Ohio.

Okay ... my feet HURT!

2009-07-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

I managed to get a LOT done today, but didn't take a single picture. Not. even. one. I bought some rechargable batteries at Target last night, but failed to actually put them in the camera. So, no pics today - and now that it's raining and dark, I can't take any now either.

I WILL have some pictures tomorrow though - and I also intend to work on a nice header for the blog ... I'm full of ideas and fresh out of energy to get it done tonight.

The most exciting news though is that Rachel, over at p.s. i quilt is giving away a $50 gift certificate for the Fat Quarter Shop. I don't know about you, but I have my eye on some Christmas fabric (among other things). Head on over to her site and sign up for the giveaway!

I have a blog!

2009-07-27T15:59:00.001-04:00

I figure that now is as good a time as any to start blogging ... it seems like everyone else is doing it, why not me?

I finally have the house cleaned up, getting ready for taco night with the family. (I LOVE tacos!) Of course, it's always nice to have the house clean anyway, so tacos or no tacos, it needed to get done. I also managed to clean off the dining room table so that we could use it tonight ... imagine ... eating on the table instead of wherever we can find a spot! Craziness!!

Anyway, no quilting today, but I intend to drag everything out later this evening after dinner. You didn't think that the table would stay clean for more than a few hours did you? ;o)