Wednesday, July 27, 2011

3 Days Makes A Big Difference


My last post was on June 15th. Three days later my world was turned upside-down. My mom was recovering from surgery when her body said, "No more, I'm done." She passed away on the 18th. I am sure I'll post about my emotions about that someday, but not right now. I'm in the library and without a box of Kleenex.

Mom and I had big plans for when she recovered. We had toyed around with opening a sewing lounge. She said when she was back on her feet we would do something to get us closer to that goal. I have wanted to have a career in something I love. It is scary though. What if no one comes? It's a lot of work and risk to do something different. But if you're right... if you discover a way to meet a need...you hit the jackpot. There is no way of knowing though. That's why it is a risk. Besides that, where do you start? The laws governing a business are enough to make most people run and scream....that's not even talking about the tax laws. I just want to make a living, being my own boss, doing something I love. Is that too much to ask? It seems it might be for right now. So how about just doing something I love? I have some resume's and cover letters out and about. I need a bite!
Next post will hopefully be of a new finished quilt! I am still sewing of course. :)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

To frog or not to frog....

Notice the tope white and blue are wide at the same spot?

That is the question! I have found a mistake in my current crochet project. I hate mistakes. I can probably work through it and no one would notice.... or I can frog it.... that would be frog almost 3 complete rows... of a blanket. Sigh....I am so mad!


The more I look at it the more I come to the conclusion that it must be frogged. Grrrrr..... I hate frogging. All that work, GONE.... so quick. The whole time I rip I am reminded of the time I wasted doing it wrong. Here it goes... RIPPIT>>> RIPPIT>>>>>>

Friday, June 10, 2011

One Week

Not much sewing going on this past week. Instead I have been spending the night in the 5th floor waiting room at Baptist Hospital. My mom had a pretty major surgery last Wednesday and there were lots of unexpected complications. This time last week the doctors and nurses were using phrases like, "I'm just going to be honest with you," and "I don't mean to sound all doom and gloom." Mom was intubated 3 times in 3 days and just got it out yesterday. She was unresponsive and having major issues with her heart rate, blood pressure, and swelling (3rd spacing.) It has been an emotional week. Walking back to the waiting room, down long empty halls after seeing your mom hooked up to tubes and wires and not responding gives you plenty of time to cry out to God. Thankfully our walks back to the waiting room the past couple of days have had a lighter step and they are full of praise. Mom is alert and mostly coherent, well, as you can be on drugs. She is eating ice chips and physical therapy walked her about 10 steps today.
My mom is my inspiration for sewing. She is the reason I sew. We are very different in our styles of creativity. I quilt and make home items, mom does French Heirloom Sewing and clothes mostly, but she can sew ANYTHING! If I have a problem with a pattern or a seam she is the one I go to. She says I have taught her stuff... I highly doubt that. :) I pray that I get to learn a lot more from her too!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Introducing "Crossroads"




It's finished! Pieced, quilted, and bound. I really need a real camera to show the true colors of this quilt. One day...
This looks like it may be my only entry in the fair this year unless I can get some major inspiration along with some free time. There is another in the works but I'm at a loss for design. It'll hit me....I hope.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Transformed!

Okay, so this project was just plain fun. Thursday I had to get out of the house so I went to Goodwill. I had been wanting to "redo" something. So I went to the picture frames and found 3 that I thought had some potential. Here they are again in their original state.


I got them home and cleaned them up then sat them out and stared at them waiting for inspiration. Aha! I got up and started gathering all my painting supplies, scrapbook supplies and well, just supplies. Then I just created, one of my favorite things to "just" do. The hardest thing was to wait for the paint to dry!
The first one I took was the square one. I painted it a cherry brown and then cut a piece of thick scrapbook paper that matched and framed it without the glass and the matte. Actually, I started with the paper and then picked out the paint.


I think it looks very classic and modern at the same time.

Next was the most fun. The matte had 4 cutouts the same size but alternating landscapes. I sifted through my supplies and found some 3-D beach stickers. Some were too big for the space but I found 4 that would fit perfectly. Next I found two coordinating papers to break it up a little. I painted it white and while each coat dried, I cut a piece of cardboard to fit the frame and adhered the paper and the stickers to the cardboard using the matte as my reference. When I put it together it was cute but the white frame with the white matte was too.....well white. So I painted it a kinda beachy blue. Perfect!.....no not quite. I took sandpaper to the edges randomly and exposed some of the white paint to give it a slightly weathered look. I love it. Again I ditched the glass.


The weathered look doesn't show up well here in the lighting of my dining room with my iPhone. But it looks cool.

Finally the biggest frame. I had my paper picked out for it way before starting it while I was looking for one of the others. I had to cover with white first but had originally planned on painting it a citron green and an orange in the original style to match the paper but after painting 2 sides decided it looked better plain white. So after a few more coats of white paint I had finished. Except it was too much space. It needed something. I remembered an idea I had seen in a magazine that had framed a letter. I didn't have a letter in my plethera of eclectic supplies. So I had to wait. Mom and I went to Girl's Night at JoAnn's last night and had a great time, even met Suede (I had no idea who Suede was but supposedly someone from Project Runway. My mom has decided to get some blue for her hair as well)


Sorry random people that made it into my blog.

Where was I? Oh the letter. So I got home after midnight and painted the letter white. I haven't attatched it because, well all of these frames are for sale and someone may want a different letter or color. But you get the idea...



So here they are




Would you have recognized them? Now to figure out what to do with the glass!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, May 20, 2011

Not my planned blog

Well, I am almost finished with a project I started yesterday that I am super excited about. Unfortunately I need one more item to finish. Here's a teaser though. The before picture.....



Okay, and maybe an in progress picture...



But, I do have another thing to show you. It's my special place recipes go when they are loved.


Some I rewrite, others are just cut out, but here are a few pages from inside.










Well, you get the idea. I've almost filled this book up and I've got dozens waiting for their special place!

Happy....recipe keeping!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Organized!

Okay, so the tittle of this blog may be a wee bit misleading. I'm far from being completely organized...BUT I have found a good way to keep one area organized. If your a quilter, designer, crafter, baker, cooking show host wanna be...anyone....anyone....anyway, I'm sure you tear ideas and recipes out of magazines. For the longest time these ripped out pages of future projects and delicacies were stuffed into drawers, folders, or just laying around with no way of knowing what I actually had. Plus, I found some from what had to be a late 80's early 90's magazine that made me wonder why I ever wanted to make that!
I finally have something to help me. A divided 3-ring binder. Sounds simple. Why didn't I think of this before? I have these as my current sections..."Want" "Ideas" "Recipes" "Buisness Ideas" and "Holiday Ideas". Beside my binder I keep a 3-hole punch and a paper cutter, for those times my tearing technique provides a less than straight edge.



I understand (I'll never get all of these things done) I just don't care!

So they're in the binder, and the magazine is in the recycle bin. Now what? Well my recipe section seems to get the most out of control. So while planning my grocery trip I go to my recipe section and pick out a couple to make. If I like it, it goes to the keeper folder (this is another monster that I'm getting under contol...see an upcoming blog). If I don't, well into the garbage it goes.

Just a little idea that I thought I'd share. You may say, "Well duh! I've done this for years. You're just now figuring this out?". Yes....I'm just now figuring this out.

Well I have 2 Country Living magazines to go through.

Oh, and my sewing, quilting, and painting magazines do not get torn up in general. Maybe if there's a gadget I want but I keep these as whole as possible. :)

Happy Tearing!


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