little.amberguesa

a hundred days ago

2012-01-19T12:22:00.001-05:00

It seems like a 100 days ago but it has only been a little over a month...

My boyfriend was taking me out for a special dinner to celebrate Christmas before the craziness of traveling all over the southern United States to visit family began. (Technically it had already begun the week before, but who wants to add 4 more trips to the list of all the driving we did after this story takes place?!) We went to the Opryland Hotel in Nashville to eat dinner at Ravello (my favorite food is Italian) and to see Christmas lights (I may or may not revert to childlike behavior when I see them). Dinner was delightful. The view was incredible. We also went for a walk through the hotel and may or may not have crashed a wedding by walking through right before the processional began. Our next stop was a carriage ride to look at the lights...I had to make my outfit uncute by wearing a lot of layers and boots...looking back it might have been worth it to wear the heels. While the idea of a carriage ride is romantic, the reality is close to quite the opposite. Our carriage was too big and I had a terrible view and the horse was not wearing my favorite scented perfume. Since my view of the lights was hindered, I was asked if I would like to walk around to get a better glimpse of the lights. I was oooing and awwwwing and taking photos and making my childlike exclamations as we mosied around the lawn. Then my boyfriend began his usual niceties of sweetness. And then those niceties of sweetness turned into a proposal. Of course, I said yes. But not after inquiring as to whether or not my boyfriend was going to get his new suit dirty in the freshly muddied grass. He did but I then realized that he could always have it drycleaned...I have a problem with keeping things real.... So back to me saying yes. It was a perfect night and a perfect proposal. He knew exactly the sort of thing I would like (Italian and Christmas lights).

There's so much more to the story...like secret meetings and phone calls, nervousness, a not-so-near-but-near-enough-close-to-death-experience, ornaments, surprises revealed, surprises not revealed (I was completely surprised which is a MAJOR feat), comments about a couple on the other side of the restaurant, etc.

Now I am very busy making plans for a summer wedding. I'm even busier preparing for a marriage to a wonderful man. He's a keeper. ;)

craft days of Christmas part 5

2011-12-28T03:39:00.000-05:00

Here are the last of the little.things I made for Christmas - a tea towel and 2 scarves.

This towel was very simple to make. I added a ruffle to a store-bought kitchen towel. It adds a lovely touch to any Christmas kitchen.

I alternated the knit and purl stitches all across a row to create these scarves. (I'm listing a few of the details here instead of ravelry due to the time consumption of filling out forms.) Yarn used: Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Bigger Beige; Bernat Alpaca Blend in Lavender

craft days of Christmas part 4

2011-12-26T11:40:00.007-05:00

Back in September and October I made a bag using this pattern. I couldn't show you until now because it was a Christmas gift.

The Tohoku Tote is a very easy pattern to use. I did change the way I assembled the final portion of the bag. I like the method used for this bag better. I wouldn't mind making another one of these bags using the other version of the bow. It would be a cute bag for books.

I used a decorative stitch instead of stitching in the ditch. I did this on the bow center, as well.

This was my first time using a magnetic closure. They're quite useful. I do think that I will come up with some time of reinforcement the next time I use this type of closure. I will only see over time if this method rips the fabric.

Since I had extra fabric and a few moments in between projects in December, I made a coin purse. I modified this pattern from Noodlehead to fit a 3" zipper. In retrospect, I should have adjusted more of the pattern. The zipper-cover-things should be different dimensions; I could have made it so there was more room to get into the coin purse. This would be a really good pattern to modify to carry sunglasses.

Fabric: Amy Butler's Arabesque Paisley in Ivory from the Love collection and English Garden in Blue Stone from the Organic Soul collection

craft days of Christmas part 3

2011-12-22T08:12:00.012-05:00

Christmas is a busy time for everyone, so I try to soak up every slow moment I have. I also want to make each of those moments as special as possible. As I start new Christmas traditions with someone I think is rather special, I thought I would start out with stockings. I used fabric I bought around this time last year to make us stockings. I was going to make matching stockings, but my ideas for a man's stocking weren't very manly. I used my own design/construction, so there is plenty of room for improvement. I might follow someone else's pattern if I make stockings again.

Merry Christmas!

craft days of Christmas part 2

2011-12-19T06:29:00.002-05:00

Ingredients for a Christmas craft party:

1 person who has a good idea
5-15 guests who bring delicious snacks which might include cookies, peppermint/white chocolate popcorn, apple cider, etc.
2 pairs of scissors
1 hot glue gun
5-15 wire hangers for each person in attendance
1 yard of burlap per person - cut into 10 equal strips
1-2 rolls of pretty ribbon (other decorations optional)
1 set of pliers
1 set of wire cutters
1 lint roller
1 great mix of Christmas music

{This is not my original idea. You can find the tutorial somewhere online. I have no clue where to find this tutorial. If I do find out, I will tell you.}

Shape the hanger into a circle, fold the burlap pieces accordian style (I did mine messy to give it extra fullness), slide onto hanger, secure hanger, fluff, add bow, hot glue at this point is a good idea.

craft days of Christmas

2011-12-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

In upcoming weeks I will be sharing with you recent projects that were intended for Christmas gifts. I cannot show you all of the those projects now (not very many this year) since I haven't given those gifts away yet. However, I can show you a mug rug I started making last month.

I love eating soup once October rolls around, and I also really like saving money. Taking soup to work works out quite nicely. I have a soup mug that I can pour a can of soup (or homemade if I ever get around to it) to take on the go. I seem to have a problem with grabbing hot objects with my bare hands. I also have a problem with spilling everything. The mug rugs I previously made have turned out to be quite handy. I decided my soup mug needed such a rug so that I could have a space for crackers and a spoon - and perhaps have my fingers from burns and the table from large spills.

I used fabric from my vintage stash and leftover binding from the placemats I made at Mother's Day. I used a decorative stitched in the middle. I decided that stitching-the-ditch would be best for finishing since 1. I needed to move on to other projects, 2. I've seen enough other mug rugs to know that these sorts of things don't have to be perfect, 3. I don't plan on using this as a reversible rug.

book days of Christmas part 2

2011-12-08T20:48:00.001-05:00

Two more books you should add to your Christmas list are Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie and The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas isn't very Christmas-y. Murder will do that - put a damper on things so to speak. I thought it would be highly appropriate to read this book over Thanksgiving break to help set the mood for the holidays. It didn't. BUT it was a great way for my brain to vacate. Easy reads are always a delight during the holidays. HPC is a good mystery. There aren't too many characters despite the wealthy man's entire family being in attendance for Christmas. I also liked that I was able to make some early deductions. I feel like I'm part of the book when that happens. Agatha Christie gave the right about details about the characters as they entered the scene to bring you in on the mystery but without giving the plot away. This book gets my stamp of approval.

I attended a mini-reunion tea with my former music major friends at the end of the summer. I have one friend in particular who has recommended two of my favorite books to me (A Walk Across America and The Time Traveler's Wife). I read a paragraph of the prose and immediately wanted my own copy. Edith Schaeffer writes in a very poetic style. I like the way she puts together words and sentences. I also like the subject matter. I am a homebody and crafty, so this was a perfect book for me. However, you don't have to be either to read this book. I think that if you are the very opposite of me, this is an even better book because of all the tips it provides in helping making your life and everyone's life you touch just that much nicer by the little.things in life. The book is semi-outdated as it was published in 1971, but those small places in the book are few in comparison to the wealth of information. The music chapter was definitely my favorite in her ideas of making music a part of your family life "even if it is not earth-shaking in its talent" (p 38). And I starred "Stifling or squashing a natural expression detracts from one's personality." on page 39. I pretty much underlined the entire chapter. A lot of the ideas Mrs. Schaffer gave were ones my mother taught me as I was growing up, yet the book gave great insight into many areas of homelife that I had not considered. In the food chapter, I was inspired by this statement, "Meals should be a surprise, and should show imagination" (p 120). Since I am currently learning how to be a better cook (and show wider range than my three dishes I know how to make well that don't come from packages), this statement gave me hope that I can find cooking even more interesting than baking (we can only hope). I do recommend this book. I recommend reading it bits at a time to think over her ideas and see what you can come up with yourself.

For 10% off my Etsy shop, enter AGATHA at checkout. This coupon is good through December 31, 2011.

my military training

2011-12-01T07:09:00.008-05:00

I have been learning a lot about the military in past months. I do not come from a military family unless you count a great great uncle and great uncle and 2nd cousin-in-law who are all much older than myself. I have been quite ignorant as to all the military entails. BUT now I'm dating a Marine. And he's an awfully cute Marine! Ever since the first time we spoke, he has been giving me military lessons. I wouldn't be very good at taking a quiz, but my appreciation for all those serving in the military and their families has increased...exceedingly.

I recently attended a Marine Corps Ball* with said boyfriend. The ceremony was quite incredible and I felt honored to be in attendance. This year's ceremony included a video about 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. My boyfriend served overseas a few years ago and I am so incredibly proud of him and all of his years of service.

One lesson I received before attending the Marine Corps Ball was the reason for wearing different uniforms for different occasions. Here are you seeing Dress Blues "A." I wasn't a man-in-uniform type of girl before but now my favorite uniforms are Dress Blues "C" and utilities.  I don't remember what N's medals are without him retelling me, but I do think they look rather nice.

I am wearing one of my many bridesmaid dresses and 4" heels that I bought specifically ~~to cut off my circulation~~ for the occasion. I walked with grace (slowly so as not to trip on my dress) and required some assistance when dancing for any length of time. I wore borrowed jewelry from my mother that matched my shoes. N surprised me with gardenias for my hair to add an extra touch of vintage.

As Christmas comes upon us, it is time to remember to give to others. I have suggested other organizations to you in the past, so I will not revisit those in this post (and I will have a new ministry for widows and orphans to tell you about in the future that I am very excited about...if you want information before Christmas, please let me know). This year I thought it might be nice to highlight something for the troops. There are so many ways you can help support our troops. I do not have a comprehensive list for you, but one organization I recently read about is Operation Happy Note. Since I have shipped internationally (and domestically), I know how expensive it can be. I also know from friends that care packages for our troops are wonderful gifts to receive.  Music is a great way to lift the spirits of those you are making and receiving the sound of music. I have also heard of people sending over baked goods, letters, and other items to encourage the men and women who are serving overseas.

Etsy code: Enter MARINE at checkout for 15% off your purchase.  This offer is good ~~Monday, December 5~~ until I have time to write another post.

* The Marine Corps Ball is in celebration of the USMC birthday on November 10.

book days of Christmas

2011-11-27T14:17:00.001-05:00

Every year I spend at least an hour making out a list of books I would like for Christmas. I spent an hour plus a few more this year as I had to make separate lists and was slightly distracted by looking at dishes. Here are a few* books I've recently read that I can recommend for your reading lists.

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

You will recall that I read the fifth book in this series over the summer. At the end of the summer, I found the first book in the series at a used book store at which I had a groupon to get $20 worth of books on which I only spent $10...I should start paying attention to the grammar in the books I read so that I won't write so many preposition-filled run-on sentences. This book was written as a serial story in a newspaper. Knowing that made reading the book so much easier as it jumps from character to character and plot to plot. I liked meeting the characters in their original form since reading their character progression in the incorrect order. I viewed it as a prequel like The Magician's Nephew to all the books in the Chronicles of Narnia. I would like to read the rest of the stories in this series, but I will borrow them from the library instead of purchasing them.

* edit: I have completed a couple more books that will be reviewed later this week with Etsy coupon codes. I just wanted to go ahead and include an extremely good coupon code for my book on Lulu; it makes a great stocking stuffer!

Ruth on Lulu code: BUYMYBOOK305- 25% at checkout - expires December 14, 2011

birthday celebrations

2011-11-21T13:51:00.003-05:00

Often I have a birthweek as opposed to a birthday. The last four years it has been the result of Thanksgiving travels.

My birthweek began with a girls' night with my longest time bff's. We had an old-fashioned fiesta - painted pottery, ate Mexican, and roasted marshmallows. I painted an owl this time. I think I've given up on designing my own patterns on pottery since they never turn out like I want them to. My owl didn't turn out perfect either since the lady got my yellows mixed up when she was refilling, but I will be the only one (plus you, the reader) who will ever know.

The second portion of my birthweek was spent having tea with me mum. We've been doing this every year for quite awhile now. I consider it my official birthday celebration. If you have never been to tea with your mum, you totally should. This year I tried snowflake (a black tea blend with coconut, almond, and cinnamon) and creme brule (I don't remember what's in it, but I've had it before and love the depth of flavor).

On my real birthday I woke up super early so I could drive through Atlanta's rush hour to make a flight to elsewhere. I arrived in elsewhere in time for an early Italian (my favorite) lunch. I ate this early Italian lunch in elsewhere so that I would have plenty of time to primp for the Marine Corps Ball that evening. I will tell you about that Marine Corps Ball in a future post.

My boyfriend was so sweet and brought me a mix of yellow flowers (I don't have a favorite flower making things difficult/easy? for the giver). They were beautiful. The girl I am staying with put them in my room in a beautiful vase so that they are the first thing I see when I wake up.

As I said, I will tell you more about the Marine Corps Ball later. I am waiting for better photos before I share my evening with you. In the meantime, remember that you will receive a cup cozy with every bag you order in my shop (see previous post).

the giving of thanks

2011-11-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

Summer is my favorite time of year! But so is fall! Summer because I can comfortably wear sundresses & flip flops and fall because of the pretty colors (and the continuation of warm weather in the south is a major plus). November is the best fall month because my birthday week officially starts the holidays. This year is a busy one! Due to a bit of friend and family ~~cramming~~ gathering in the upcoming two weeks, shipping will be delayed until Friday, 2 December. BUT I'm going to make it up to you by including a Christmas mug warmer/ cup cozy like the one below for each little.bag that you order. {By Christmas I mean red/green Christmas themed print and by like the one below I mean the same size and by each I mean every.}

(The tree photo on the left was taken at Pigeon Mountain on this year's family fun day!)

I've been wanting to make cup cozies since last year. Sewing them is much easier than knitting due to the over elasticity of yarn. I am pleased with the way my mug warmer looks (used leftover fabric from my computer case and an antique button). I often burn my fingers when I first pick up my freshly poured coffee or tea. I don't have that problem any more. My mug warmer also fits a standard cup of coffee purchased at your favorite coffee shop or retail store. I plan to make many more in the future as little.gifts for friends. Sometimes I wish bed and a desire to get a full night's sleep didn't come at night so that I could drink a really large flavored coffee at this very moment.

Happy beginning of the holidays! Mostly happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to check back after Thanksgiving for more coupon codes for my shop. I also have some more books for you to add to your "to read" list.

a mess of things

2011-11-01T05:21:00.005-04:00

I'm rather busy, as usual. My living space is currently covered in Christmas and Etsy projects. My brain is full of ideas and my to-do list is ~~dwindling~~ growing. All the while, I am practicing walking in 4" heels so that I can dance in them on my birthday.

I recently finished reading Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie. I thought it was a wonderful mystery. I often have some trouble keeping up with all the characters in Ms. Christie's books because there are so many and with indistinguishable characteristics making them all blend together. That was not the case in Murder in Mesopotamia. While I did speculate toward the beginning that the murderer did, in fact, commit the murder, Ms. Christie quickly had me suspecting more characters as to confuse me and to create a real mystery.

A woman receives life-threatening letters from a mysterious man. I can't tell you anymore about the plot because that would be giving the whole thing away! The setting is an archaeological dig near Baghdad giving a great air of mystery. The characters are French, American, British, and Arabic giving the story more variety than to be expected from an Agatha Christie novel. The story is told from the direct point of view of the nurse. This perspective gave additional intrigue since the nurse was in the household at the time of the murder.

If you like a good mystery or archeaeological excavation, this is the book for you! I rather enjoyed it!

Be on the lookout during the months of November and December. I will be including Etsy coupons in my posts. Enter AGATHA at checkout for 10% off your purchase. The coupon code expires November 9, 2011. I will update my shop items as I have time over the next few months. If you have specific items you're looking for, let me know. I cannot guarantee they'll make it to the shop, but I can move it up on the priority list.

goin' to carolina in my mind

2011-10-15T12:48:00.001-04:00

I recently made a trip to North Carolina. It was delightful. The following are a few pics to summarize a couple highlights. Not pictured but very highlighted was a trip to see working (tracking) dogs at their kennel and it was scary when they barked and I couldn't look them in the eye. I got to meet one in particular who was very nice (and cute when he got jealous). And I got to spend a lot of extra time with the cutest little girl while her mommy was very busy cooking and baking.

I went on a surprise picnic....only, it wasn't a surprise. It's rather difficult to surprise me. Knowing that it probably wasn't a surprise, N did surprise me by taking me to pick out our dessert (first, of course) and sandwich.

It was lovely. I've never been to the beach in fall. It was windy, but N was prepared with a couple hoodies. Good job planning ahead. Gold star!

Not only did I have surprise, but I had a date night too! Here we are having a fall time photo taken.

We took a mini roadtrip to Wilmington to eat at Riverboat Landing. We had our own private balcony overlooking the river. It was a perfect evening. I highly recommend the food. We had crab dip as our appetizer; I would have liked to order more to make an entire meal out if it. Dinner was delicious. Looking at this photo is making my mouth water!

Too bad I don't have a private jet to take me there this evening!

If you ever go to Wilmington, eat at Riverboat Landing, take a little walk, and then head over to Kilwins for dessert. The bit of chocolate ice cream I tasted was decadent (so were the chocolates and truffle I gobbled up).

s books and a t

2011-10-12T14:23:00.000-04:00

I have currently completed 4 books that took me a long time to read - well, let me restate that:

1. I have completed 3 books. I will finish the 4th book while I'm sitting here waiting for all the recalls on my car to be fixed.
2. One book took me 5 months to complete because I was reading it in between all of my library books. The second book took me 1 month to read because I was busy. The third book took me 2 hours to read. The fourth book has taken me 1 week if I can finish it in the next 2 hours - which I can because there's not so much left.

Wow! What a boring introduction. I had a blowout on the interstate on my way to Atlanta 2 weeks ago. That's interesting.

Instead of my normal book review/questionaire, I am going to tell you a bit about each book because that will be so much faster.

The Tryst by Grace Livingston Hill is one of the many books I bought for $1 at an antique store. The title makes me laugh because you would think it was about a tawdry affair. Not so. It's about a girl who runs away from home (the tawdry part) and a young man who becomes a preacher. It was a rather boring book but very clean and not at all a modern tryst. The tryst is a meeting between the preacher and the Lord. GLH also referred to the gap in the mountains as something that would not be used to describe such a thing nowadays, but now that I want to tell you this, I can't remember what the word was.

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck is the sequel to Cannery Row. JS continues the story of the characters in Cannery Row - leaving behind the Chinese store owner and picking up Suzy, Jesus and Mary (one man not a man and a woman - do not be confused), and the brothel owner might have been a new one but I couldn't remember the name of the woman in the first book. Anyway - Doc falls in love. I am now awaiting the arrival of the movie through my Netflix. Both books were a little difficult to get through. I did enjoy Sweet Thursday more.

Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff was a delightful sit-around-while-the-entire-household-is-napping-however-not-appropriate-because-of-all-the-laugh-out-loud-moments. While staying at a friend's house last weekend, she recommended this book to me. Since she did a good job recommending my boyfriend, I figured I'd give it a try. And I was familiar with stuff white people like. You MUST read this book. So very, very true and hilarious.

The Silver Needle Murder by Laura Childs is the 9th-ish book in the tea shop mystery series. I have thoroughly been enjoying the book. As soon as I finish blogging, I'm going to finish reading it. Parts of it are still pretty ridiculous, but I don't have the mystery figured out yet. I also think that's because the author never gives really good clues as to who it could be. A director was murdered at the Charleston film festival. The books' formula: The tea in which the book was named after is introduced in the first chapter. If the victim hasn't been murdered in the first chapter (s)he is in the second chapter. By the third chapter someone asks Theodosia to help solve the mystery. There are a lot of chapters where each character is reintroduced and there are a few tea parties and other kinds of parties/events. A chase scene. Some weird event where Theodosia is alone. The mystery is solved in the next to last chapter. Life is back to happy tea parties in the last chapter.

oh so charming

2011-09-09T22:22:00.002-04:00

It's a good thing I skipped two of the projects in Stitch by Stitch because I might be pushing it to finish all the projects by the end of the year. There's hope if I stay disciplined. The charm skirt was time consuming. I feel like that should be in all caps, capitalized, and italicized...mmmm....but I'm being lazy. My time was consumed piecing all the charm squares and I still managed to have two of the same fabric prints/colors sewn on top of each other; sewing 84 squares together; ruffling and lining up all of those 84 squares; inserting elastic. Wowzers! That was two weekends of my life!

The charm skirt wasn't the most practical project since I don't have a daughter and my friends keep having boys. (If I had read all the way through the instructions, I would have learned that I could make an adult version of the skirt. Too late now and I'm not going back!) I do love all the bright colors, so despite all the time I put into this skirt, every moment was worth it.

I used two charm packs of Just Wing It by MoMo for Moda. The fabric is perfect for a little girl.

I like the billow-y-ness. Perfect for twirling which might have been one of my favorite activities as a ~~grown woman~~ little girl.

I used an embroidered stitch instead of a straight stitch for the hem. I thought I might as well go all the way with girliness -- except I guess that would mean using pink thread which I did not want to do.

The charm skirt turned out quite ~~lovely~~ charming.

I have now completed nine of the projects. Three more to go!

p.s. I got to use my picnic placemats last weekend. They were appreciated with great pleasure.

bossy bossy

2011-08-24T23:11:00.001-04:00

Bossypants by Tina Fey

How did I come to read this book? I immediately added this book to my summer reading list when it was released. It wasn't until the last day of summer that my name finally arrived on the wait list. Not very good timing but an easy read made cramming it into my now busy schedule.

What did I learn about the author? Lots of things. You should read the book to find out for yourself what I already learned.

Is the book romantic fiction? No, but there's a chapter where she goes on her honeymoon with her husband. It isn't a romantic story. It's funny.

Is the book illustrated? Yes! There are photographs.

Do I like the characters? Yes, Tina is hilarious.

Is there an identifiable central conflict? Nope. Unless being Tina is a conflict.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To be wittier.

Will I read any other books by this author? If she ever writes more, yes.

How long did it take me to read the book? One and a half week(s).

What does the book say? In reference to Will Ferrel: "He's the Michael Caine of sketch comedy. He could be in something awful and it would never stick to him." (p124) I like this comparison to Michael Caine since he's my old man crush and I watch all of his movies even though some of them are terrible.

What is one word that describes this book? fularious

computer bag

2011-08-13T15:39:00.000-04:00

I have finally completed some sewing! I {finally} got a new computer at the beginning of the summer, and I had the perfect fabric to create a great case/cover.

Fabric: lightweight canvas - Rose Garden in Natural, Far Far Away II by Heather Ross for Kokka
Hardware: D rings, Swivel latches, Buttons, Belt thing-a-ma-jig
Other noteable items: Leftover batting, Fabric someone gave me that I used for the liner

I used the basic construction used in this bag. I studied one of my messenger bags for help in construction. I did not take step-by-step pictures since I'm behind on all my projects and getting them done is more important than remembering how I did them. You really came here for the pictures anyway! And those aren't really the best either, but they'll do.

The picture below is of the semi-functional button that keeps the messenger flap closed. It's not a very necessary part of the bag, but since I only used one fabric pattern (instead of contrasting fabric) I added the buttong to add interest to the outside of the bag. Looking back I should have used contrasting fabric in various places of the bag to make it even cuter.

I folded a piece of ribbon in half and used contrasting embroidery floss to keep in folded. I needed this ribbon to be smaller in order for it to fit around the button.

I used a vintage button from the jar of buttons I bought back in May. I attached the button with contrasting embroidery floss.

I used to yellow buttons to keep the bag shut. The buttons are the super cheap kind from Joann. This is acceptable to the character of the bag since you won't see them much.

I did have a few issues with the button holes. Since this bag is my own design and I didn't do a complete test run on each step of the bag, I ran into a couple measurement issues. The buttonholes are a up at the edge of the fabric instead of being down at least half an inch. Getting the fabric through the machine to make buttonholes took a bit of innovation. I had to iron the fabric as flat as possible and then help guide the fabric more than you're supposed to when putting in buttonholes.

I used a natural cotton for the liner. The fabric was given to me by one of my mom's co-workers. If I had really thought things through, the liner would include a pocket or two. I guess I'll just have to make a matching clutch to hold all the small items!

I've used hardware before, but nothing quite like this. I had to study another messenger bag to make sure I was doing the straps the correct way.

This is from a belt buckle I bought last year at a garage sale for $1. It's too bag for this particular strap, but for now I am using a safety pin to make sure the strap stays in place. I'll come up with a better solution later. I like the extra character the buckle adds. I had hoped to use it in a really great project.

I'm happy with the way the bag turned out. I won't be using it to travel, but it will be great for the coffee shop.

my life during the summer

2011-07-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

I am aware that I have not updated my blog in a month. I've been busy talking on the phone, cutting things to sew (but not actually sewing much), coloring piano games, trying to read a book, and other things. I'm on a semi-vacation this and next week, so I'm finally ~~cramming in~~ accomplishing a few of my summer goals.

My Life in France by Julia Child

How did I come to read this book? When I was making my summer reading list (which I barely got through), I did a search for Paris, and this book came up. I told a friend and she happened to have a copy for me to borrow.

What did I learn about the author? She was much more 'real' than I imagined her to be - more carefree and less uptight.

Is the book romantic fiction? It's not fiction or even particularly romantic, but there are romantic moments - she is with her husband in France, afterall.

Is the book illustrated? No. My imagination was illustrated with the descriptions of food.

Do I like the characters? Yes, Julia and her husband, Paul, seem like a delightful couple.

Is there an identifiable central conflict? Learning how to cook, eating, pairing, writing, publishing, living.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To eat. And listen to French music.

Will I read any other books by this author? Probably not.

How long did it take me to read the book? I am ashamed to say it took me a month. I really have been otherwise occupied in the past month.

What does the book say? "But I was a pure romantic, and only operating with half my burners turned on; I spent most of my time there just growing up." (p99)

What is one word that describes this book? delicious

old school pillow

2011-06-26T15:45:00.003-04:00

My June project from Stitch by Stitch was a pillow. I've been making pillows since middle school, so they're fairly easy. Three new things for me in this project: how to better measure/cut a custom pillow cover, installing a zipper closure (other than an envelope or completely sewn closed), adding piping.

I didn't take many pictures along the way, so I'll just be showing a few things that caught my attention.

I decided to use the fabric I bought at the sewing luncheon. It's vintage polyknit and completely the wrong kind of fabric for this kind of project. I think if I used this kind of fabric again, I will adjust my measurements so that I can overcast the edges. Another alternative would be unfinished edges - this option would have to be done without the piping, of course. I wanted to use this fabric because it coordinated well with a pillow I have from World Market.

Since I was using vintage fabric, I used vintage buttons from my last antiquing trip in OK. I also mixed in a few buttons from my win. I mixed all the turquoise buttons I could find with a few white ones and then added one red button to tie in all of my colors.

I DID NOT follow directions. I was supposed to make my own piping, but I opted not to. I might make it in the future if I have a project where piping would be appropriate. I didn't want to take all that time to make my own plain white piping since I was already not using quilter's weight cotton for the pillow. Much easier to buy it in a package. It isn't dingy white, but the polyester blend reminds me of what I think the 70s might have been like.

I couldn't find the right color zipper, so I used white. I've installed a zipper this way before, so I didn't learn anything new on this step.

It looks okay on the outside, but the inside is a completely different matter. I had bobbin issues. I'm keeping the pillow, so I didn't remove the stitches and begin again.

The fabric being the polyknit that it was and the pattern calling for the quilter's weight cottong that it did, I made another major error in sewing. I'm sure I would have had this problem had I followed instructions, so I'll not be bitter over having to fix this huge hole.

I'm happy with the way it turned out. I don't know yet how I feel about zipper closures. Envelope closures are much quicker and I like pillows to be quick.

I'm moving right along in my sewing book. I haven't quite met my goals, but I do think I've learned a few helpful skills. Here is my progress:

* I skipped the hipster belt project that was before the pillow in the book. I don't really have a use for a hipster belt since I'm not the biggest fan of belts. I'm also skipping the curtain project that is next since I don't need new ones right now.

---

there are several new bags in my shop

lady detective at your service

2011-06-25T14:07:00.001-04:00

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
How did I come to read this book? I first heard of this story through Netflix (and I've been watching the series, and I recommend it). I put it on my summer reading list.

What did I learn about the author? I didn't learn anything new since the last AMS book I read.

Is the book romantic fiction? There is a very small storyline involving romance. My conjecture is that this romance will blossom in other books.

Is the book illustrated? No. I'm thinking I should stop asking this, but the little kid in me really wants photos in books - especially all non-fiction....should be required.

Do I like the characters? Yes, Precious Ramotswe is quite endearing. I like her mix of realism and naivete (that is such a difficult word to spell and I'm sure it's still misspelled even though I spent 5 minutes trying to look it up but not spelling it right in my search...). So her mix of realism and naive-ness help her solve mysteries whether on purpose or accident. {I also like references to Agatha Christie.}

Is there an identifiable central conflict? I read this book several weeks ago, so I can't remember for sure. There are several little mysteries and two of them are tied into one. I guesss the major conflict would be Precious opening her own detective agency.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To be a detective. I like solving mysteries.

Will I read any other books by this author? Yes. I will probably read at least one more book in this series.

How long did it take me to read the book? Less than a week. These books are definitely easy reads. Perfect for summer.

What does the book say? "She stopped. It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reson for going on. Pumpkin." (p 85)

What is one word that describes this book? detectivish

** I also read The Sunday Philosphy Club and did not like it. I read a lot, skimmed a lot, and then finally put it down. The characters were quite boring. And the plot was circlish.

2011-06-19T15:56:00.000-04:00

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
How did I come to read this book? It was on my summer reading list.

What did I learn about the author? That she grew up in Bartlesville. It happens to be home to one of my favorite museums and favoritest third-cousin. And that she was into ballet.

Is the book romantic fiction? Romantic non-fiction.

Is the book illustrated? No. A few photos would have been lovely.

Do I like the characters? Oh so so much. Ree is loveable and her mishaps and outlook on life were fun to read. Marlboro Man was interesting as well; loved his strong manly kindness.

Is there an identifiable central conflict? Love.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? Not very much except to maybe fall in love and that is currently not in my foreseeable future.

Will I read any other books by this author? Maybe. I do read her blog.

How long did it take me to read the book? A week. It would have been so much quicker, but I had other things I had to do, too. It did help that my mechanic was super busy the day I took my car in for an oil change.

What is one word that describes this book? iwassosaditended

Etsy for me...

2011-06-16T17:19:00.003-04:00

is a hobby.
is a way for me to use my scraps.
~~is original.~~
is a way for me to experiment.
helps me earn crafting money.
is fun.
can be frustrating.

I'm going to leap from my last statement into all the statements previous. Let me start with a story.

I heard about Etsy a long, long time ago. A few years ago my SIL opened a shop full of very cute and stylish onesies (and a few other items). It was a great platform for making homemade items available for a greater circle of people. Last summer my friend, Sarah (whose shop is supposed to be updated this summer), started a shop, so I asked her a ton of questions. My goal was to open a shop by October. I've been experimenting ever since.

The frustrating part: originality. I've been selling {generally} the same bag for 8 months. I tried my hand at aprons without success (but will be trying those again in the future). I really wanted to design my own wristlet instead of using someone else's patter, but I have very little time to design during the school year without feeling completely hopeless. I was also thinking about adding onesies to the shop since my SIL isn't selling hers through her shop, and I was getting several custom orders...and THEN one of my friends started selling them in her shop. {sigh} I really do not want to copy other people. I went back to the ~~drawing~~ idea board to design my own wristlet. Awhile ago, I had a perfect moment of inspiration when I got my free gift at Clinique. The makeup bag was almost exactly what I had been dreaming up in my head and I could now tangibly see where my ideas were going...and THEN I began seeing the same shape bags everywhere on the internet. {frustration} So I have been working on designing a new wristlet ever since. I'm still having trouble with the final shape, but I'm almost there.

in the throes of new design

Now let's talk about the fun and hobby statements. I have a rather large (large for me) request from a sorority of one of the girls who carries her wristlet everywhere. I've been working on new designs for the shop with little to show for it. And right before I started writing this post, I got notification of a rather large (large for me) order, so my shop's contents are dwindling and my goal to have 20 items in the shop or production is not being met. So in the meantime, I'm putting in the new bags of what-I-thought-was-original in the shop during the upcoming week. One thing I'm learning to do is see originality in a different light. I want the items I make for the shop to be useful to the people who know me and then appealing to those who don't.

Etsy has been a great way for my friends to know that I am capable of making more than a few things here or there. I'm much more interested in making things for them than I am for my shop, but my shop has given me a great platform for displaying the items that can easily be made and sold. It has also been fun to hear the stories of the ladies who have bought my bags. (And I've had fun buying a few things too!)

preview of what's to come

The new wristlet design is a temporary fill-in until I finalize my own design. (I also keep expecting to see my newly designed bag on other sites any day now since that has been the case with other items I've wanted to add to the shop. I'll reinvent the wheel if I have to.)
My other friends on Etsy are Natalie and Jenny.

A few of my Etsy goals:
1. Have 20 bags listed or in production....usually not a problem unless I get behind and then I get very behind.
2. Work on adding labels to the bags.
3. Print new labels for my shipping envelopes.
4. Create a new banner for the shop.

----

p.s. I can't begin to tell you how much time I save having a computer that doesn't freak out. I am so, so grateful to have it.

i'm new

2011-06-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

I finally have a new computer, which means sooooooooooooo many things.

1. Posting is going to be a little scattered right now as I move files around.
2. My computer doesn't freak out when I watch videos.
3. My computer doesn't freak out when I listen to music.
4. I see my blog in a completely different light, so I'll eventually get around to changing things around.
5. My computer doesn't freak out.
6. I have to get accustomed to a different kind of mouse.
7. My fall piano planning has been put on hold while I move files around. So much for being on top of things.
8. Moving files around has been a great break from all the frustration I've been experiencing while designing new wristlets and totes that aren't working out quite like I see them in my head.

I was gonna go to a book signing on Saturday but got the memo late that I had other plans that evening that I invited myself along for since it's for Father's Day. So instead I am posting this video to see if I might win the book instead. I have mixed feelings. I was wanting to go to Whipstitch and Octane with a few of the girls on Saturday night, but I have also been trying to stay away from buying fabric/craft books/patterns while I try to use up everything I own. This might be the better option? I'm much more apt to use things that have been given to me for free since I can't place monetary value on something I didn't buy. Logical? In amberworld.

So here's to new computers and the ability to watch what I'm posting.

I'd say I never win anything, but I'd be lying

2011-06-03T14:57:00.001-04:00

I enter at least one contest a week for fabric. Sometimes I enter contests for patterns or handmade items. I keep entering because one time I read this book and learned to never give up. I'm not a crazy contest enterer because I don't want to add unusable items to my ~~junk~~ collection, but I do stay busy commenting and answering surveys for free and discounted items. I see it as my third job that is compensated for less than minimum wage.

My sewing buddy had an amazing sewing buddy moment and reminded me that the Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway Day ended on the day in which she reminded me. I visited at least 100 blogs but only entered about 15 contests. I would have entered a few more, but my computer didn't like me doing so. I had hoped to win something, but I was also realistic knowing that I enter at least one contest a week where I don't win anything--and usually am happier that it's one less thing I have to add to my stash and then use up to make my stash disappear.

Anyway...the point!

I entered this contest. AND I won! I was elated. Through the process of entering the different contests, I came across several blogs to add to my reader. Carrie's blog was one that I was interested in seeing more of her work. I greatly enjoy mixed media art (because my analytical brain likes discovering something new each time I view it), so her art quilts were fascinating to look at. My favorite is the quilted bride: it's my favorite colors, it's ruffled, it has a dictionary print for the flesh. I never get tired of looking at it! It was also cool to find out I had a couple little things in common with Carrie as we conversed about the quilt I won. (I always roll my eyes when I see other sewing bloggers talk about the community in sewblogland, but I've been having a little bit of fun with the interaction with my sewing buddy, this contest, and a few replies to some other blog comments.)

SO let's talk about my quilt! It's now hanging on my inspiration wall where I keep other items friends have made. What was really exciting (besides waiting for the mail) to receive were extra surprises along with the quilt. Carrie was so kind to include a fat quarter, ribbon, buttons, and trim! I already have plans to put them to good use.

Christmas in May

Isn't the quilt delightful!? I had a perfect bit of ribbon to hang the quilt to bring out a beautiful light robin's egg blue. The splash of red in the quilt is perfect for my inspiration wall. I'm loving the better balance of color in that corner of my sewing area.

Let's summarize:

1. You should visit believemagic because you can
   a. see better pictures of the quilt
   b. see a lot of other great quilts
2. You should visit my sewing buddy's blog because
   a. she makes great things too
3. I would like to give something away if there's another giveaway of this sort because
   a. sending and receiving mail is pretty much one of my favorite things
   b. and, I guess I like to sew, too ;)
4. If you're local, you should come visit my exhibit because
   a. there are a lot of details on this quilt
   b. museums are pretty much one of my favorite things (little known fact: I started certification in such things during college and now analyze all exhibits when I'm museum hopping)

green babies

2011-05-31T19:54:00.000-04:00

I've been sewing a lot of green this year, so here is a post of green things.

The first picture is a baby girl's gift. My friends are still having boys, but my friends' friends are having girls. I'm happier with this cupcake than I was with the last one.

I also had some sewing for a friend's little boy. She said she's been crushing his stuffed animals when she rocks him, so she wanted a throw pillow. Envelope pillows are very quick to make, and I had learned some helpful things since the ones I made in December. I found the perfect fabric - green to match his walls and owls to match his woodland animals decor. The fabric is flannel assuring luxurious softness.

I overcast stitched all edges since I imagine this cover will be put in the wash multiple times. I also basted the pillow cover to double check my sizing.

I added baby's initials so that he can learn a few letters before laying his head down to rest. Before I found this fabric, I was going to use a solid and add a felt owl. I'm kind of addicted to running stitches right now. I've been using them in a lot of projects.

I went to a graduation celebration this weekend. I included all the essentials a college girl will need: chapstick, candy for late night studying, stationy for keeping up (the old fashioned way) with friends far away, pencils for math, a frog eraser for math mistakes, and a cute bag to put it all in. I used a vintage floral print with modern stationary to create a simple greeting card.

Happy summer! It's my favorite time of year!

my daisies

favorites + coupon

2011-05-28T15:33:00.003-04:00

Once I finish altering another bridesmaid dress (#8), I'll be caught up on all my projects that had deadlines. Now I'm busy designing new items for my shop. While it may take awhile for those new designs to make it to the shop, I want to take this special holiday weekend to help clear out a few items.

* For 10% off at my shop enter REMEMBER at checkout; offer expires Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10 pm EDT.

* Upcoming posts:
1. Two completed projects + lots of green.
2. I won something cool!

This post needs a picture, so I'm going to show you two of my favorite things to eat!

Ice cream from Braum's. It's the creamiest (next to Blue Bell) and very well priced (I think it was $1.23 for a single scoop). Since I drove to Oklahoma this time, I was counting down the miles to the first Braum's we would reach in Alma, Arkansas. (Have I told you how much I hate driving to Oklahoma? Because I despise it and I'm positive my aunt would approve of me saying 'hate' in this moment of deep dislike of being couped up in a car for 14 hours.)

chocolate chip

Italian excursion: cappuccino chunky chocolate and limoncello topped with caramel and strawberry

I've been told by friends that my next favorite isn't normal (normal being completely relative to Georgia). If I hear chili is being served, I wonder if spaghetti is available. And when I say I want spaghetti for dinner, I mean I want chili. The two were meant for one another. {WARNING: If you're vegan and haven't already done so, avert your eyes NOW.}

spaghetti, chili (w/beans), cheese a.k.a. chili threeway

I ate this delicious dish at Ike's. It's a family favorite, but it was my first time to go there. This is definitely 'normal' if they've been in business since 1908; it's almost as old as Oklahoma.

ike's

heavy scones and light reading

2011-05-27T17:45:00.000-04:00

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith

How did I come to read this book? My library isn't the greatest on the planet because it's one of the smaller branches, but I want to patronize it as much as possible during the summer months so that we can continue having libraries (they've reduced open hours) and because I have more time (yay for summer). Back to my library branch not being the best... I looked through the sewing books and didn't like any of them; I looked for Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck and couldn't locate it; I looked through some memoirs and couldn't find one I wanted (most of the books I want to read this summer have a wait list which I am now a part of); I was just about to give up...and then! I saw this book and liked the title. It was about quirky people in Edinburgh.

What did I learn about the author? He wrote the series The No. 1 Lady's Detective Agency, which has been made into a mini-series which was on my list of recommended movies on Netflix. I discovered this and that this book was number 5 in the 44 Scotland Street Series on my way to the checkout desk.

Is the book romantic fiction? Notice that I changed the genre of this question. This book is not romatic fiction, but there are a couple of romances going on between multiple characters. One couple is on their honeymoon, another has broken up, and there might be a budding romance emerging in the next book.

Is the book illustrated? Yes. There are small illustrations every few chapters.

Do I like the characters? Very much. I want to read the other books in this series.

Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Yes. There were so many conversations and internal dialogue that made me laugh or think "that's so true."

Is there an identifiable central conflict? Each character has his/her own conflict. It's like a modern and more humorous version of John Steinbeck's character driven novels.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To read all of this author's books.

Will I read any other books by this author? Yes. I plan on checking out another book on my next trip to the library.

How long did it take me to read the book? A week. I was reading it while visiting family and sometimes wanted to read more than I wanted to visit.

What is one word that describes this book? funny

i'm treasuring your trash

2011-05-17T12:10:00.001-04:00

My family goes antiquing and thrifting and garage sale-ing (but maybe I should say 'sailing' since we're often going from one to the next) for fun. We've been doing it since before it was trendy. My very first pair of "heels" were from the thrift store, first sewing machine from a garage sale, my first desk from an antique store. I have my favorite places to go, but there are more and more thrift and consignment stores' doors of which I have not darkened. I tried Goodwill for the first time a couple weeks ago and found three things to take home with me.

1. Full-size set of sheets to use for totes and prototypes. Sheets are what I usually use to prototype my own designs (especially after once using floursacks and vacuuming flour forever after) because they're large and usually mismatched with other sets of sheets.

full-size sheet set $5

2. The Second Jewish Catalog by Sharon & Michael Strassfeld. I'm not Jewish. I picked up the book because it's written from a Reformed perspective for people who are Reformed or possibly marrying someone who is Jewish and thinking of converting. They wrote in information for other types (i.e. Orthodox) of practicing Jews. So the book is about traditions and daily living and incorporating Jewish beliefs into the way the reader would live his/her life. I bought the book out of curiosity since most books I read about Judaism are written from and for the Christian perspective. I like those books, but I feel like this is a kind of pre-cursor to the You-Fill-in-the-Blank for Dummies books. I recognize a lot of the Hebrew in the book, but I have to write down 2-3 Yiddish words per page to look up. All adult paperbacks are $1.50 at Goodwill.

3. This delightful mug. Stoneware Cumberland Mayblossom made in Japan. It reminds me of my grandma. I've already used it several times. And it makes me even happier that I'll be sipping tea/coffee and eating breakfast from my Grandma's Grandma's dishes with Grandma in just a few short days.

mug $0.77

Thank you, dear people, who give things away. I agree with you that most of it is junk, but I found a couple treasures.

put a fork in it

2011-05-15T16:07:00.003-04:00

Rather have snazzy placemats instead of plain-jane? All of the placemats would have had a ruffle, but the tea cup placemats were too busy when I tried the ruffle. This is another semi-tutorial because I don't elaborate on making your own bias tape, how to miter the corners, etc.

Fabric: Metro cafe forks and spoons by Louis Cunningham for Robert Kaufman and Robert Kaufman kona cotton solids in cream, peridot, peacock, and chocolate. I used medium-weight interfacing.

1. Cut the front, back, and interfacing 12" x 17" (or to another size if you prefer). I also starched and ironed all of my fabric before I began sewing to give everything a nice, crisp finish.

2. I made my own bias tape (1") from the cream and brown fabrics. Cutting the bias tape into the length for the actual project made it a lot easier to handle. Using a bias tape maker was helpful, too.

bias tape

3. I added a ruffle to make the cutlery placemats fun and trendy. The ruffle is 3" x 17", turn the sides under 1/4" and press, baste-stitch down the middle to make the ruffle. (Your placemat should be stacked the way you're planning on using it - back and front right sides out with the interfacing sandwiched in between.)

ruffled

4. I ironed the ruffle flat and then sewed the sides. I used the seam ripper to take out the ruffling threads and then sewed down the middle to make it easier to maintain the ruffles shape through washes.

attach ruffle

I used a contrasting color from the ruffle and the back of the placemat the sew the ruffle.

ta da

5. Attach bias tape to the placemat.

binding

binding continued

6. I ironed and then pinned the binding to prepare for completion. (Forgive the lighting…the amount of time for decent photo-taking is short.)

almost to the finish line

7. I decided to hand sew the binding to the back of the placemats. Only time will tell if I did it correctly. Since the placemats were a gift for my mother, I couldn’t get her expert advice for how to properly whipstitch.

i don't really like handstitching so much

As I said before, placemats are a great way to change things up in your kitchen without investing in an entire remodel.

* 5:30 pm update: My shop is on vacation for 10 days. It's kinda sad to not see it on my sidebar. While I'm not on vacation all of those 10 days, I am taking as much off my schedule as possible while I wrap up loose ends with piano and promised projects. (Yesterday's recital was probably my favorite of all!)

reversible tea cup placemats

2011-05-13T19:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever told someone you like a certain something and then that's all they ever buy you? (Like purple bears when you're in the third grade) And you like that certain something for about a year, but after that you start liking something else? (Like Dreamsicles in high school) And then you realize you don't really want to collect anything at all because you own too much stuff and your taste changes on a semi-regular basis? Well, I have. And so has my mother (except she liked other things). Since my mother already has almost everything she wants with the exception of a house that cleans itself, her wish list seems to take a long time to conjure up. I set a couple perameters when I asked her what she might like this year for Mother's Day - was there anything I could sew for her that was simple. Yes. Placemats. She set a couple perameters herself - can't wrinkle and can't be fruit.

Back when I made this apron, my mom really liked the teacup side. (Please refrain from the temptation of buying her teacups!) The fabric is Metro Cafe Tea Cups by Louise Cunningham for Robert Kaufman in Vintage and Robert Kaufman kona cotton solids in cream, peridot, peacock, and chocolate. I used medium-weight interfacing.

This is a semi-tutorial ('semi' because I didn't take pictures at every step) for the simpler of the two placemats I showed Sunday.

1. Cut the front, back, and interfacing 12" x 17" (or to another size if you prefer). I also starched and ironed all of my fabric before I began sewing to give everything a nice, crisp finish. (I recently rediscovered my mild obsession for starch and have been starching everything. This probably isn't healthy.)

3 layers: back, interfacing, front

2. You're going to need to do a bit of rearranging before you begin sewing. The interfacing should now be the bottom layer, your back in the middle (if you're using a print, then you will want the right sides of your main fabrics facing each other), and your front on top wrong side up.

{tea} fabric sandwich

3. Set your seam stitching at 5/8" or 1/4". Leave an opening to pull the fabric back through. Don't forget to backstitch! I made the hole big enough to fit my entire hand in making it easier to push the corners in. You can always do it smaller and use something pokey to help you out.

unsewn opening

pull fabric through the hole so it's right side out

4. Trim the corners before you begin pulling the fabric through the hole. I also trimmed the interfacing all the way around. Trimming takes away a bit of the bulk.

trim corners

trim interfacing

5. Pull everything right side out through the hole.

turn right side out

6. Fold the open sided seams in toward the center. Iron the placemat because it’s a little wrinkled from pulling through; this also flattens the side seam that needs to be stitched closed.

press

7. Hand stitch the side closed. I did a kind of whipstitch. I’m still learning what the different finishing stitches are called, so there might be a better stitch (and better way of doing this particular one) that would suit this type of project.

hand stitch

8. Topstitch the placemat. (Again, you may choose 5/8” or ¼” seam. Remember to use the same width all the way around. This is also a good time to use a decorative stitch. I chose to keep these placemats as minimalist as possible since the print is so busy.) I used thread that matched the back of the placemats. They would also look nice with contrasting thread colors.

topstitch

And then you're done! New placemats are a great, quick way to change it up in your kitchen when you don't have time or funds for a complete makeover.

cannery row

2011-05-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

How did I come to read this book? This is the end of the books I received two Christmases ago. I was saving it for this year since I read several Steinbeck books last year and am trying to spread them out (except not too much because I want to read Winter of Our Discontent again).
What did I learn about the author? Nothing new, but back when I was about to start reading Les Miserables and my uncle was telling me to read Atlas Shrugged instead, we had a lengthy discussion about Steinbeck's political vews and that being the reason my uncle hadn't read more than the required amount. I made a good argument for Steinbeck's literary style, which reminded my uncle of his ownership of certain books I was mentioning. I should ask him if he ever got around to reading any of them...probably not but maybe he will once I tell him I read Atlas Shrugged...still probably not but I have high hopes that he might read something I like to discuss rather than politics.
Is the book science fiction? No. But one of the main characters is a scientist. I'm also thinking that each year I should change the genre of this question.
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes. Characters are Steinbeck's strength. I especially liked the wife who bought curtains even though she didn't have windows in her home. (At that point, the book was hard to get into and I was wondering if I was going to make it. Her husband's reaction changed my mind.)
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Surprisingly, no.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? I bet there was and I totally missed it. I made this one of the questions I ask of each book because this is always what I missed in high school. It made reading comprehension difficult. There were little conflicts within the characters, so I'm sure that contributes to the central conflict.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To read Sweet Thursday (the sequel) sooner. My local library has acquired more Steinbeck novels, so I'll be checking that out this summer.
Will I read any other books by this author? Dumb question.
How long did it take me to read the book? About 2 weeks.
What is one word that describes this book? friendly

repurposed for a purpose

2011-05-10T22:06:00.001-04:00

While I'm partial to the kids in Tumaini, I'm interupting the upcoming scheduled to-be-posted-posts-when-I-have-time for this - combining fashion and orphans! And I like her blog title. Miss elaini ous I spent a long time today wondering how I would survive wearing the same thing for 100 days--and what if was less (clothing/accessories/shoes) than that (one dress) and for a longer time (my whole life). I thought it was rough rotating a 9-outfit wardrobe when I was in Asia for a summer. Spoiled is an understatement.

spot of tea and forks

2011-05-08T17:01:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Here's a preview of 2 tutorials coming at some point in the next couple weeks. It would have been more appropriate to take the photos at a kitchen table but I was actually home during the time of day that my camera takes pictures that are truer to life.

Next Saturday is my piano recital, so my students and I are ~~cramming for the exam~~ busy practicing (~~and working overtime~~ and doing a lot of make-up lessons). My posts are being written in bits and pieces as I have time between jobs.

something blue

2011-05-07T04:42:00.002-04:00

My friend, Nikki, is getting married next month. I knew of her long before we were friends because we went to the same church. I'm unable to do the math on this friendship; I should ask her to do it since she's a math teacher. My math = lots of good years. Our families have a few connections, so becoming friends was easy once we were in a small group together. She's so kind-hearted, a straight shooter, and a godly woman. She also completes my collection of tall friends. And she makes me not look so pastey in this picture. And she always laughs at all the dumb things I say and the really long phone messages I leave her.

Whenever I'm in a wedding, I like to give at least one homemade gift if I have enough time to make something. Back in February, I made napkins for her home. I almost kept them for myself since they were yellow, but I decided I would chance giving them to her since her hubby-to-be is a Jacket fan (even though I'm positive he's not going to notice that they're yellow, but he might've noticed if they were Gator orange and blue--so I used orange tissue paper to wrap them). I told you I was going to make/buy blue napkin rings to complete the look, but I found something even better when I was bridal shower gift shopping. {And I would like to add that buying a billion bridal shower gifts has finally paid off because I'm getting faster at locating the correct items on the registries.}

Look at these super cute napkin rings. They weren't expensive, but they also weren't a part of my original plan of making something cute and blue. You would have made the same decision if you saw these.

I wanted to keep the napkins even more after I saw the fork/spoon napkin rings. Good thing the bridal luncheon was imminent.

This is the wrapping paper I mentioned in the reversible tote post. The bride and groom stamp has been one of my best craft investments.

invention number 315

2011-04-28T16:21:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, I had a wonderful piano teacher (not the ~~mean~~ strict one I had in college with the massive ~~man~~ woman hands) who moved far, far away. She sends a Christmas card to the fam each year, and I never get around to sending one back. She always asks for an update, but I always seem to put it off since I have lots to say. She was near, near to me and since her flight to far, far away was to be delayed, she called. And my heart was fully delighted. She was a woman who influenced me greatly in high school – and even though she was my piano teacher and taught me great piano things, it was in other things in life that she influenced me more.

I thought I’d take this opportunity to update you on my piano lesson progress. I’m still having a blast! My repertoire is growing week to week. I went in wanting to play inventions so terribly much. I’m starting my third now (not counting the one I didn’t complete in college)! I’m getting a tiny bit better at playing, hearing, and feeling complicated rhythms (my weakness). I’m learning new techniques and how to better apply old ones. I’m even preparing to play in the spring recital. And I'm definitely feeling a lot more confident in my teaching abilities, which is the major reason why I'm taking lessons right now.

I was wondering what life would be like had I remained a music major all 4+ years. And then I put that wonderment aside because I know my life has been in the Lord’s hands. I would have greatly missed out on so many other opportunities had I not followed the path that was set before me. I definitely never would have studied anything interesting in history and I never, ever would have gone to seminary. And when I say never I mean never. Saying that makes me want to hold on even tighter to the path the Lord has put me on...but loosely...if that makes sense.

“What made me change my major anyway?” Blog reader asks.
1. I couldn’t get my piano practicing up past 5 hours; I have better practicing habits now, so I’m sure I could’ve figured that out somehow if I had better motivation.
2. I think my piano teacher hated me; and I also think one of the other piano teachers hated me because I overheard some of her whisperings (about my jury the previous week) to one of the other teachers during one of my scale pass-offs. Several years later, when I was an assistant in the music office, I found my jury comments and one of the professors marked me off for not wearing a dress. I wore nice pants (black--that's very artsy, dontchya think? yes) and nice blouse; no one told me proper jury etiquette. Great way to throw a freshman directly under the Mack truck. Oh, and I laughed heartily when I read this. It helped me not regret my decision.
3. Music majors have it bad when it comes to credits; so, so much time, so very, very little credit.
4. I hated aural skills.
5. I didn’t want to perform; I really just wanted to do music therapy and my school didn’t have the program and I was convinced I couldn’t get into another music program.
6. There wasn’t a music minor—I was more suited for that.
7. I hated cramming in a whole lot of music into such a little time context - learning it and memorizing for performance - and not getting to enjoy it for all its wonderful music-making enjoyment.
8. Other stressful issues.
9. A whole lot of praying.

Little known fact: I didn’t play the piano for the entire year of 1999. Wouldn’t go within 5 feet (except when I had to walk by it to get where I was going). All of that seems like a lifetime ago. I've blocked a lot of it from my memory. But I don't want you to think I hated all of it. I really did have a lot of fun as a music major. I continued taking other music classes throughout college. Fortunately, my academic advisor was an assistant head who did a lot of credit substitutions for me when it came to graduation time.

I went on quite a tangent above. I really, really like teaching piano. I like that my homework is reading music. I like that I carry music and a metronome in my 'briefcase'. I have such a great opportunity to share music with others, but I’ve also seen something even greater this year. I have the opportunity to get involved in the lives of my students and their families. I kinda get to do music therapy. {insert happy face emoticon in your brain because I can't figure out how to do it on blogger}

-----
In other news:
* You should go check out this rug and then maybe enter to win the home. I happen to be a very close relative of the designer and am so very proud. I pretty much have the coolest relatives on the planet. There's never a dull moment in all of their accomplishments.

* Please remember in your prayers (and encouragement) the people affected in the recent storms in the South. I usually don't bring things up like this, but this time I had family affected by the storm. Fortunately, they are safe, but what happened has caused me to think deeply about all the others who must now pick up the pieces of devastation.

little things

2011-04-26T05:49:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time I spent $25 to attend ~~an old lady convention~~ a sewing luncheon (which included Steak & Shake, a terrible guest speaker that made a bunch of old lady things (tell me why crafting should be so ugly), interesting conversation, a good idea, and a good deal ($2.50).

I’ll tell you about the good things.

I'm going to make things with this fabric. I will start with some cute pillows (from the blue fabric) for my couch to match the cute pillow I bought at World Market last year. The blue fabric reminds me of pink fabric in my mom's stash from the 60s/70s. That's why I bought it. It's very 70s polyester doubleknit and smells like it (even after I washed it which is one thing I hate about the vintage fabrics I've been buying, so I need to look up how to get those dingy smells out of fabric without ruining the fabric). BUT it's fantastic. And there's 2 yards of it. The other fabrics are linen-like. I bought them because they were solid colors I could use and only 50 cents. (Why is there not a cents sign on the keyboard?)

Everything was half off ~~on the tables in the back of the room~~ in the store after lunch. So I got the pile pictured above for $2.50. I bought the shorts pattern because it reminded me of the time my mom took my brother and I to Walmart (the really old-fashioned Walmart where they had a huge sewing department) to pick out our very own fabric for shorts she was going to make us. One day I hope to do the same.

bro's choice

my choice

The only thing I really, really liked about the luncheon was the table I sat at. It was decorated with Betty Crocker items and wonderful vintage style aprons. I also went home with the following:

It's a cupcake potholder. I'm planning on trying to make a few. It's very cute.

dragons and things

2011-04-25T04:08:00.000-04:00

Dragonwell Dead by Laura Childs

How did I come to read this book? It was between this and a Grace Livingston Hill book. This one is set in the spring and the other in autumn. I thought spring would be more appropriate.
What did I learn about the author? Nothing. But I'm always really curious about the people behind the little snippet reviews on the book cover.
Is the book science fiction? No. I did learn that there are more poisonous plants than I thought. I don't really think about these things, so that means there are only a couple mentioned in this book. That's a lot when you've never thought about it before. I do think about poisonous snakes sometimes because I want to avoid them.
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes. I think this has been one of the better books because it didn't have so many silly names or character exposition. The silliness factor in this book was considerably less. If you're going to read any of these books, this is the one I'd pick. There's still a bit of silliness here and there, but it's helpful to all you who might like to entertain in elegance.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Theodosia reminded me a lot of one of my Bible study friends...sometimes Theodosia reminds me of one of my really tall friends, but Theodosia has more of the fiesty-ness and adventuresomeness of my Bible study friend.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Looking for a murderer, of course.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? I did really want to go boating around the time I read the chapter where they're canoeing (spellcheck can't fix this word--canning and canon are not correct), but I'm pretty sure it was the weather that inspired me more than the book.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, I still have one more on my shelf and two more on my list. And I bet she's writing another one as I write this post. Yep. I just stopped over at her website and found out there's another one I need to put on my list for when it's available in paperback.
How long did it take me to read the book? A week. I enjoyed this book.
What is one word that describes this book? exciting

may the bright future will be yours

2011-04-19T20:55:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, I was a summer intern in Asia. I haven’t been able to buy specialty imports ever since then due to the incredible mark-up Americans-who-have-never-been-to-a-third-world-country will spend.* Lucky for me, I have friends in far places. One such friend sent me a little something in the mail. It’s a hand painted ceramic necklace. I thoroughly enjoy sending and receiving packages!

Opening this package flooded my memory with the boring Saturday afternoons I walked to the mall to read Engrish in the store with free air conditioning.** And watch people buy corn in a cup like it's ice cream. And then play frogger through the streets on my way home.

* And for political and moral reasons, I'm sure I should insert something here about how I feel about cheap labor. I won't go into detail about how I greatly dislike world systems, but I will tell you that I do read labels.
** Emphasis on free and air conditioning. And free entertainment. And FREE.

bright and early next mornin'

2011-04-18T22:10:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, my mother worked with a very nice woman. Her daughter has given me lots of great hand-me-downs that have become some of my favorite staples—like my green sweater, and Scotch tape shirt, and favorite black sweater, and owl tank top, and teeth tank, and solid tanks…lots of things. I'm very appretiative because the clothes are very cute, my size, and keep me from having to shop and not finding cute things that are my size. It's a win-win situation. I have some hand-me-downs from others that have fulfilled my fashion dreams, as well. There's one wool, plaid dress that makes me feel very British. I digress.

i forgot what i looked like with short hair...sometimes i want it back

And she (this very nice woman) took me orienteering to see if it’s something I would want to do with my friends as I ~~drag~~ take them along on my hikes.

This very nice woman also makes things. She had scraps to give me. As payment I made an Elvis mug rug for her daughter.

I hand stitched the lettering to add dimension. Originally it was to make sure the felt piece stayed in place.

elVIS

I wanted to make it very reversible just in case a too-serious boss walks by and doesn’t appreciate the whimsy of Elvis.

serious side

I did a bias binding that ended up being a disaster. Fortunately, I had cut the original square bigger than the requested size. That gave me room to work with in folding over the edges.

rebel side

I am satisfied with the finished project. And I have some great fabric that I'll be able to use for upcoming projects.

Know which song this post's title comes from?

we both kinda liked it

2011-04-16T07:32:00.057-04:00

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

How did I come to read this book? It's on my very long 'to read' list. I received a copy as a Christmas gift.
What did I learn about the author? I didn't look up anything new because I did quite a bit of reading on him when Capote was released.
Is the book science fiction? No.
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes. This book happens to be a collection of four short stories. I happen to like Paul's character better in the film version of Breakfast at Tiffany's than the book. I like Ottilie's spunk in House of Flowers. (This was a very well-written, captivating short story.) A Diamond Guitar introduced characters that reminded me of loveable characters in John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? I definitely know a flighty person or two but no known ladies-about-town or no ex-cons (even though I've screen a few on paper).
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Each short story contained great character studies surrounding smaller conflicts.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? No.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, I would like to read The Grass Harp.
How long did it take me to read the book? About 2-3 weeks. It was the book I was reading every-once-in-awhile at night while I was finishing Atlas Shrugged.
What is one word that describes this book? quaint

my serious allergy side hates my fun open every window side

2011-04-14T13:58:00.000-04:00

The fifth project in Stitch by Stitch is an eye mask. I happen to hate such things. They're supposed to be relaxing, but they aren't. I find them irritating. BUT I'm trying to learn all the little things in sewing that I may have missed along the way. So I came up with a different plan - sachets.

The purpose of the eye mask is to practice sewing curves, filling, and finishing. I've done all of these quite a bit, but I wanted to try some of the tricks that are offered in the book.

Supplies:
* I used split peas and lavender for the filling. I am allergic to lavender and ended up with a terrible headache. I'm very glad I didn't make the eye mask!
* Fabric scraps to match the "mess-up" wristlets I'm giving a couple friends.
* Jar lid to trace.

I cut little triangles to make sure there wasn't too much bulk and kept perfectly aligned on my stitches.

Since I was making circles, I thought a better use of my time would be the use of my pinking shears for the remaining sachets.

I had three sachets and a whole lotta lavender by the time I was done. Two of the sachets are ready for gifting, one went to my mother since I didn't want anymore headaches, the leftover split pea and lavendar mixture looked great in a little jar, and I packed the remaining (because I can't do math conversions and bought a fourth pound) lavender in the bag I received it in to save for a few projects in the future.

the end

amber.shrugs

2011-04-09T09:08:00.001-04:00

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
How did I come to read this book? A group of my friends were reading this and I tried to get in on the action, but I kept asking the wrong people in the group for info on how I could join in. When I was about to start reading Les Miserables, my uncle told me I should read Atlas Shrugged instead if I was going to be reading such a big book. I finally got around to it.
What did I learn about the author? She too studied history and philosopy. We have that in common, except I'm guessing she paid better attention in her philosophy classes than I did.
Is the book science fiction? Would you believe that a central character is a scientist? And that there are elements of science fiction, as a result? It's more like technological science fiction and it's only a small portion of the book, so you can't classify the entire book as science fiction, but this is the closest I've come to this since 1984.
Is the book illustrated? Not in the least. And in the beginning of me reading this book, I thought she wrote it in the 30s, but she really wrote it in the 50s, so I had to rethink all the character's clothes and housing fashions in my head.
Do I like the characters? Yes. There are a lot to keep up with, but I liked them. Some of them were a little repetative, but I'm sure this is to help make the point of the book.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? There were character traits of a lot of people I know.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Technically, yes. If you read about Ayn Rand's philosophy, you will discover that she thought man was responsible for his own happiness. When you read Atlas Shrugged, you read about characters who either pursue their happiness or suck the life from others who are pursuing their happiness.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? Work harder. I don't agree with every aspect of Ayn Rand's philosophy, but there were parts of Atlas Shrugged that I could wholeheartedly agree with. I'm not going to elaborate because the book is 1168 pages long.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, I want to read her first book (We the Living) and maybe The Fountainhead.
How long did it take me to read the book? Almost three months. My original goal was to read a chapter a week. Then I found out the movie was going to be released April 15, so it would work out better for me to read 2 chapters per week so that I could finish the day the movie was released. I finished a week early as I usually do when I get closer to the end.
What is one word that describes this book? ohmygoodnessthisbookislongandihatepayingtaxesmoretodaythanididyesterday

march of the projects

2011-03-30T21:31:00.002-04:00

The following are the rest of my completed projects from March. Two of them are big projects I started too long ago. And the other two are projects I’ve been wanting to sew for several months.

Project #1: 2009 Scrapbook

start spreading the news

It’s done! I didn’t start it until 2010. Since I’ve been so behind on scrapbooking, I’m taking a long break. I spent time going through all my things to give away and throw away. I kept enough supplies to make cards and complete small scrapbooks.

Project #2: Baby doll blanket

a cpk in my strawberry shortcake rocking chair

A friend gave me some yarn in 2008 that needed to be used. I thought it would be a good time to experiment with patterns and needle sizes. This is a pattern for a much larger blanket, but I used really small needles. It ended up being much smaller than I originally thought. This will be a good gift for a little girl; I still have the ones my grandmas made me.

Project #3: Wristlet

This pattern is from Noodlehead. I wanted to make something to carry all of my receipts and budget envelopes for my Etsy things.

I have a couple extra zippers when I made this top and bought the wrong color and then needed a different size. The zipper I used was big for this project, but I followed the directions on the package for making it shorter. I used Dressform in yellow, Vintage News in yellow, and Scissor in white (Tailor Made by Cosmo Cricket for Andover). I used charcoal ribbon to cover up part of an advertisement for infant apparel because I thought that would be weird on a clutch. I added a strap to make it a wristlet.

I didn’t add the credit card holder, and I didn’t have interfacing. I used my appliqué heat bonding stuff instead on the outer part of the clutch to make it sturdier. That made it much more difficult to sew. Not all of my ruffles quite made it into the right place; this is a prototype for a much nicer one the next time.

Project #4: Mug rugs

I’ve been wanting to make a mug rug a.k.a. snack mat for quite awhile. I’ve never quilted before and I don’t really plan on becoming a quilter. Mug rugs are mini quilts for your afternoon tea time or morning coffee break or midnight snack or daytime diet coke emergency or you could use it for a mouse pad.

Anyway…I now have a rather large project before me to make placemats for my mother. I want these placemats to be suitable for company, so it’s very important that I know what I’m doing before I start making them. Mug rugs are a good way for me to make a few mini prototypes before making real size prototypes of what I really want to make.

I used three different methods when making these mug rugs.

Mug Rug One:

I simply sewed the two sides wrong sides together, turned right side out, sewed the open corner and then topstitched a border. I also outlined one of the tea pots as a bit of decoration. If I use this method for the placemats, I will have to be very, very precise in my stitching to make sure all of the placemats are exact.

i'm a little tea pot

Mug Rug Two:

The front side is a smaller rectangle than the back side rectangle. I folded the back over the front to make the binding and then topstitched to secure the two sides. I played around with one of the embroidery stitches on my machine for the decoration. I don’t particularly like the final product, but I like the idea of it. If I use this method for the placemats, I will have to be very precise in my measuring.

Mug Rug Three:

I sewed the two sides as I would want to look at them and added bias tape as the binding. This is the second go-round at the binding because I happen to be quite bad at that skill right now. On my second attempt, which you see here, I used larger bias tape. I don’t like the way it looks on the back. Also, I didn’t have enough bias tape, so I attached ribbon to finish that edge. I outlined a couple pots and cup. If I use this method for the placemats, I’ll have to be okay with bias tape binding not being perfect on the back.

I've had enough mug rug making. I thought I would enjoy them more, but I don't so much. I think it's because I don't really know how to quilt, so I'm not very interested in going all out in making them really cute. I really like making bags/purses/totes more than anything else.

norm a.k.a. n or m?

2011-03-23T21:30:00.002-04:00

N or M? by Agatha Christie

I'm at the point in Atlas Shrugged that I'm ready for it to be over...not because it's bad, but it's been two months and a week of reading the same book...and not because I started it and forgot but reading it almost everyday except weekends plus some weekends when I couldn't keep up during the week. That run-on sentence is kinda like what it's like reading a really long book. SO I'm still reading other books before bed. I even go to bed early sometimes just so I can read more.

How did I come about reading this book? This is the second in the collection of Spies Among Us. What was so cool was that I had just finished reading The Street of the City which was set in World War II in America and mentioned Fifth Columnists and then N or M? is about finding them in England.
What did I learn about the author? Nothing new.
Is the book science fiction? No. BUT I'm so happy to tell you that one of the characters is a chemist.

Is the book illustrated? No, not even an illustrated cover because the dust cover had been removed from my book at some point in the past before I ever owned it. I kinda wish I did have the dust cover because it has great 60s colors.

Do I like the characters? Yes. Except there are a lot to keep up with. That seems to be the pattern in the Agatha Christie books I've read so far. One of the books I read had a character list; that was helpful. I could have used on in this book.

Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Not really, but I did try working on my British accent as I read silently to myself.

Is there an identifiable central conflict? Yes. Tommy and Tuppence are on the prowel for two spies, N & M. I guessed one of them from the beginning, but I was oblivious to the second. I kept telling Tuppence who it was, but I'm pretty sure she didn't hear me.

Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? No, not really. I don't have any mysteries to solve, really, in my suburban world.

Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, I still have several on my shelf and then a long list.

How long did it take me to read the book? About a month and a week. There were a couple weeks when I was way too tired to read.

What is one word that describes this book? Spies.

my super power is reversiblity

2011-03-19T17:01:00.001-04:00

It’s a great feeling finishing projects that I started years and years ago. I still have a long way to go, but I’m seeing a flicker of an itty bitty light at the end of the tunnel.

Since I sold a few bags in my Etsy shop last month, I was able to buy the fabric for my next project in Stitch by Stitch which is the reversible tote. I needed to go to Hobby Lobby for zippers, so I bought some sale fabric (30% off which is a better deal than waiting for it to not be on sale to use the 40% coupon on one cut) while I was there. I’ve liked this black & cream damask for awhile. (I noticed this weekend that it’s similar to the wrapping paper I bought at Christmas. I think this year's color phase is turning into the non-color of black, which means I think I'm finally coming out of my everything needs to be blue-green phase.) Fabric: Cream & Black Polka Dots and Damask Cotton by Brother Sister Design Studio.

fabric selection

I’ve made many totes and purses in the past (and here and more not pictured), so the reversible tote was a pretty quick and easy project. I didn’t really like the dimensions of the straps when I was making them because turning them out was so difficult, and I thought they were going to look funny on a big bag. However, I really liked them in the end. I also thought that the bag’s bottom would be flimsy and look horrible with things in it, but it is surprisingly sturdy. I would like to make more of these bags for the grocery store. They’re the perfect size.

grocery + greater capacity

we all have a serious side. we all have a fun side.

What I learned along the way:
* I shouldn’t wash nice fabric with really fuzzy fabric. I spent a long time de-linting this fabric.
* How to better insert a lining.

oh baby baby

2011-03-11T02:20:00.005-05:00

I've been finishing up big projects, which is such a relief. However, I don't think my stash of crafting goodies is getting much smaller. I thought I'd go ahead and put up two of the projects now instead of waiting until the end of the month.

Sunday night I finished a baby boy blanket. It's not for anyone in particular. It was to use up as much boy yarn as possible. I still have enough left to make this exact blanket. This is yarn (and same pattern) from this blanket I made last year. I'll put the specs up on ravelry for all the curious knitters. You can't tell here, but I haven't woven the ends in yet (as with another completed blanket) because I like to feel like I made something especially for someone. When it's time to give these blankets away, I can weave in the loose ends to feel like I worked on the blanket for its recipient.

Pooh being a cooperative model

goin' in for the close-up

I also had another order for onesies. Another girl. Making little girl things is so much fun! The bird is my favorite. The cupcake is cute, too. I learned a lesson from the cupcake that I'll apply to the next one I make.

three little ~~piggies~~ onesies

yippee! we get a close-up too!

I hope both of the babies who receive these gifts know how much they are loved as they grow up.

fast as a comet

2011-03-10T14:17:00.001-05:00

The weekend after Powers Island, we needed to plan a hike to accomodate a stroller. We picked the Silver Comet Trail (hike 21 in the book; put in at Mavell Rd). I don't think this should be listed in my book because it is not like our hidden Atlanta hideaway hikes. It's paved the entire way, which is horrible for one like myself who has knee issues. The impact was quite stressful by the end...and not from the distance. The company made the trip completely worth it!

There aren't any fun stories to tell you because this is a very boring trail. It would have been more fun if we had been riding bikes.

*All of the photos in this post are courtesy of Jessica.

and we're off

the gang (minus V) on the bridge

we walked 4.8 miles

the gang (minus Jessica) at the end

goin' on a picnic

2011-03-07T20:33:00.002-05:00

My next project in Stitch by Stitch was a picnic place mat. I went the extra mile and made two because frankly, who wants to go on a picnic by herself? My original plan was to make a woman's place mat and a man's place mat, but I really liked this bird print from Joann. (I bought a little extra to make a few more things because I like the print/colors so much.) I decided to get fat quarters in male/female instead. I had already eyed a print months and months ago, but it had no purpose. It found a purpose! I loved all the colors.

fat quarters

I had the opportunity to practice making more bias tape. I did a little bit better and can do it mostly from memory. However, I couldn't find a 3" bias tape maker to help me in the ironing part, so that part was a little bit difficult. Applying it was a little bit difficult too since it wasn't perfect.

I'm skipping a lot of steps here. I cheated when cutting by using graph paper because I had major difficulty truing up the fabric; I also already knew how to baste.

Turning the corners was problematic. I had to read and re-read the instructions a lot. They finally worked out on the first place mat, but I had more issues with binding the second place mat and ended up having to do some hand stitching.

turning the corner

the corners have been turned

The mitered corners turned out well on the first place mat. I had a harder time flipping and straightening the corners on the second place mat because of bias tape problems as I mentioned before.

mitered corner

I used my heat gun on the ribbon to make sure the ends wouldn't fray. I used the clothes pin to keep from burning my fingers (and the carpet).

the amazing heat gun action

Since I didn't have man and woman fabric, I chose to use a red ribbon and a blue ribbon. The measurements were off in Stitch by Stitch, so I came up with my own for the pockets. I made three pockets for knife, spoon, and fork. I made a bit smaller pocket for chopsticks or straws and a larger pocket for a napkin.

I like the way they turned out. It was a fun project. If I make them again, I want to figure out how to apply a smaller width bias tape because I do have a 1" bias tape maker to help me with straight and precise folds.

my place mat

a man's placemat (I know it still looks girly but it's meant as a pair for a picnic date;
I'm sure if food is involved, he won't notice...maybe)

more power

2011-03-05T08:59:00.004-05:00

on the trail again...can't wait to get on the trail again

Hiking season is March through October minus July and August. Those are the months Georgia weather is so pleasant that you must go outside at least once a day to remember why you're alive. In honor of not going hiking on this very gloomy day on the first Saturday in March, I'm going to tell you about a recent adventure in its stead.

Amber, Jessica, Valina, Cheryl, Hannah

Spring has already come and gone...well, not really. February was unusually warm which totally threw me for a loop. I missed the first weekend of warm weather due to illness and was so sad that I could not join my friends for a little jaunt through the woods. It was chilly again for a week, and then we were blasted with heat. Thus, hiking season began early...except it was not I who planned the hikes because the loop that was thrown at me affected my brain because hiking season isn't supposed to begin until March...and it was February.

talk about hitches...trees down

Our first hike was originally to Cochran Schoals, but everyone else in Atlanta must have received the same memo, and the parking lot was overflowing. Fortunately for us, we knew to backtrack our lives by five seconds and parked at the Powers Island trail. If these people had only known that there's a little bridge that connects the trails (and if we had only known where that little bridge was at the beginning of our hike instead of halfway through) they would not have experienced an Atlanta parking nightmare.

enjoying the view behind us

So we ended up at Powers Island, part of hike number 3 in the book. It's part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which is this amazing forest inside a city. Every time we hike one of these trails we laugh at how our expectations of Atlanta are cement and metal and then you come upon these little woodsy hideaways and it's like you're in north Georgia (except you can't see for miles on top of mountains since the elevation isn't that high on these trails, but you do always get at least one peak of the Chattahoochee and sometimes something else that's wonderful).

way down yonder...

Back to Powers Island...

It's not the most interesting hike, but it was a great way to break us in. It reminded me a lot of Jones Bridge and the part we didn't hike because of how hot it was. We doubled back over the monster hill to add miles to the hike. We walked 3.5 miles.

a bird that my zoom couldn't quite capture

- - - - -
Photo courtesy of Jessica:

the monkey tree

40 years is a long time

2011-03-03T20:14:00.002-05:00

Lessons Learned in the Wilderness: The Wandering Years by Kenneth Winter

How did I come about reading this book? A couple years ago, I read the first book in the series. I bought a copy of the first book for my dad for Christmas and bought this one for myself because I liked the first one so much.
What did I learn about the author? I learned that he has made his book available as a downloadable copy on Lulu. I'm on Lulu, too. I happened to have bought the print book because I like to underline.
Is the book science fiction? No. I'm thankful that it's not.
Is the book illustrated? No, and this cover is just as pixelated as the first one. He should have hired my book cover designer.
Do I like the characters? Yes. Yes. Yes. Can I go ahead and insert here that I liked this even better than the first.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Yes. It was extremely relatable.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? The Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness. This book was more about them getting really close to the Promised Land and then just reaching it. Their story serves as the jumping point to encourage modern day believers as they go through years of refining.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? Yes. I was very encouraged and spent quite a bit of time examining areas of my life.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, if the third book in the series is ever written.
How long did it take me to read the book? 61 Days. I was eager to stay on track.
What is one word that describes this book? Thepromisedlandisohsoclose.

happy day that would be leap day if this was a leap year

2011-03-01T23:33:00.000-05:00

Show 'n' tell isn't going to be quite so fancy for February's crafts. I completed a set of onesies (pictured below), napkins, wristlets for my shop that are already gone, a couple fabric flowers, and a new music flashcard holder. Being ill at the beginning of the month set a pattern of behindness all month.

Let the showing and telling commence.

It was great making a gift for a baby girl. My friends keep having boys. I like that they're having boys, but I was getting a little tired of blue and green. These were for my co-worker's friend's friend. The E is my favorite.

My mom wanted a fabric flower for one of her sweaters. Here it is pinned to one of the mistake wristlets (hiding the mistake). Next to it is a bag I made out of the $2 thrift store skirt that I wore to a wedding, made into a purse for another wedding, and then made into a wristlet for another wedding; it was my first fabric flower attempt.

I cross-stitched a little boot whilst stuck on the couch trying to feel better.

I finally got around to sewing wax paper after seeing the idea somewhere on Martha Stewart's Valentine's thingy that I get each year.

And I topped it all of by drinking the last of the German tea imported from Italy in my new Anthro cup. It looked like blood as it diffused...or fused...I don't know the correct scientific terminology.

* March will be a much more interesting month. I'm finishing up a big project and I have a lot of fun projects in line on the project board (which I am still successfully sticking to).

* I have been hiking the past two weekends; pics to follow.

needles, scissors, glue, oh my!

2011-02-17T22:58:00.002-05:00

I've been busy telling you for the past few years that I'm trying to use up all of my crafting supplies. Here's a photo.

Included in the photos above: knitting, cross-stitching, sewing, scrapbooking, collaging, jewelry making, painting. Not included: all the started-but-never-finished projects, more of all the stuff in the pictures. I don't like that I've accumulated quite so many things.

This pile of stuff is why I'm
1. Not learning any new crafts
2. Finishing every project I've started
3. Not going to scrapbook every year of my life once I finish 2009
4. Not going to collage unless it's for a very specific something
5. Never making jewelry again
6. Only making baby blankets for extremely close friends and family
7. Giving random handmade items to my friends

*raising my two fingers in the scout's pledge*
I promise to use up/ or give away everything pictured (and not pictured) above.

{In the process of taking inventory, I found an earring I lost in early 2008. It was stuck to an old bouquet of flowers. I threw away the other earring late in 2009 when I had finally come to terms with never being able to locate its pair. Maybe if I had taken inventory a little sooner...or not kept that old bouquet that caught the earring.}

four little.napkins

2011-02-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

I'm a little behind on all of my projects since I was under the weather for a couple weeks. It's so great to be feeling well again!

It was time to pull out Stitch by Stitch again. This month's project was napkins teaching me how to miter corners. I learned some other things along the way. (Knowing how to properly miter a corner would have been extremely helpful when I was making table squares for my friend.

Doesn't it feel great when you can cut a little slit in wrapping paper and then glide the scissors along to make a straight edge? And have you ever watched someone cut fabric by ripping it? Well, I learned how to properly do that. I wanted to make a clean line by teasing out a tread, but the threads are so small and I'm not patient. Ripping was way more fun! This is also a good time to tell you that I kind of cheated in my fabric selection by picking a plaid so that I'd have a greater chance in having straight edges.

little.snip and you've got straight edges

Next I needed to cut out four squares to make four napkins. The first napkin I cut ended up being a little larger than the others. I measured differently since I hadn't straightened all my edges yet , and I folded the edges a little smaller.

one cut napkin

My sewing machine has an overcasting stitch, so I used that instead of the zigzag stitch. It allowed me to figure out how to use another presser foot and stitch. Good experience. If I had understood what I was reading in the book, I would have figured out that I could've skipped this step. But I'm glad I didn't understand. I decided to try it out on all the napkins. I think it was a good choice since this fabric like to unravel around the edges I ripped (which ended up being all but one or two since that was a really fun step).

overcasted edge. fancy

I then successfully mitered my corners. I enjoyed this step. I didn't enjoy folding everything back over and pressing again to do the topstitch. However, this step was necessary since these napkins are a gift. No cutting corners (except where I had to to properly miter!).

four napkins

I now feel a tiny bit more like a seamstress since I know how to properly overcast and rip fabric. I need to get better at mitering; I'll get more practice with that and bias tape in the next project!

About the fabric: Prep school plaid woven yellow from Whipstitch. I tried finding it in the online shop but was unsuccessful and I didn't write down all the details when I bought it in the store. It's a lovely, soft cotton.

I will complete the look/gift with blue napkin rings to match.

on the street where i live

2011-02-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Street of the City by Grace Livingston Hill

How did I come about reading this book? When I was either in middle or high school, my mom bought me a set of hardback Grace Livingston Hill books. I'm positive it was because of her name. One of those books turned out to be one of my favorite books. Since I've been reading so many classics, I decided it would be a good idea to put some easy reads on my list. I needed to expand from the tea mysteries and Agatha Christie mysteries, so I included GLH. The day I went antiquing with my family at Thanksgiving, we stopped in a shop that a very large collection of GLH books. I bought a couple for $1 each. I happen to be reading Atlas Shrugged, which is a very large book. It's very awkward to be reading in bed, so I needed a lightweight book (in holding and thinking). I chose The Street of the City because it had snow on the cover and it was near/during the time of my snowcation that I began reading the book.
What did I learn about the author? Once upon a time, I read something about her. It's been awhile.
Is the book science fiction? Not even a mention.
Is the book illustrated? No, but I do like the book cover throwback.
Do I like the characters? Yes except the side story of the two spies. I skimmed through most of their dialog because they were annoying.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Not really so much this time. We live in a different day and time...and reality.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? The central plot is Frannie's family settling into their home. They meet several challenges along the way - Frannie's mother becomes ill, two spies are trying to overtake their home in the still hours of night, Marrietta is trying to win over Valient. It all works out in the end. It always does in GLH's books. I should like that it always works out, but it's very predictable and unrealistic.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? No, but it's so crazy that the book I picked up to read immediately after finishing this one was also set during WWII and about catching spies and then the next night my netflix was a WWII movie about housing issues and love. We can pretend I did all of that on purpose.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes. The list is long. Even though the stories are pretty unrealistic (especially in the time in which we live), they do always have a great message, which is always good bedtime reading.
How long did it take me to read the book? About 3 weeks. If you really want to read it to read it, then it should only take you a couple days.
What is one word that describes this book? Heartwarmingduringacoldwinter.

coasting along

2011-02-02T20:34:00.006-05:00

My eyes have wandered to the greatness of all the wonderful yarns each time I've gone buying for other projects. {Since I'm on a quest to use up all of my crafting items, I am limiting my purchasing of lovely-items-I-might-want-to-use-in-the-future to I'm-using-this-for-a-project-this-week-and-I'm-selling-it-or-giving-it-away-immediately. I've been doing a mostly good job.} So back to the yarn aisle...every store I've been to has this wonderful yarn by Peaches & Creme. I love the variety of colors and that it's 100% cotton. I had been wanting to knit some coasters, so this yarn was way better than all of my fuzzy yarns--wouldn't want any stray fuzzies floating into your delicious beverage of choice.

I thought that I might share my experiment with you. The following pattern is not exact since I was gauging my size by each coaster that I made. The coaster is approximately 3.5x3.5" (very approximate because some coasters were a little bit bigger than others). You may find that you need to adjust the pattern to suit your own needs. This pattern makes at least 8 coasters.

Materials needed: 1 - size 7 needles (US), 1 - 2 oz skein Peaches & Creme yarn

Cast on 17 stitches (it is necessary that you cast on an odd amount of rows)
Rows 1-4: Knit, Purl (repeat all the way across)
Row 5 (and all subsequent odd rows): Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl until the last 3 stitches, Knit, Purl, Knit
Row 6 (and all subsequent even rows): Knit, Purl, Knit until the last 2 stitches, Purl, Knit {do this for about 14 rows}
Row 17ish-20: Knit, Purl (repeat all the way across)
Bind off

Let me know if you use this pattern. I would love to see how they turn out!

* This pattern is on Ravelry.

show 'n' tell

2011-01-31T13:49:00.004-05:00

I read this week from another writer that your earliest memories are formed from traumatic events. I'm not sure if I agree since I remember things from my very early childhood and cannot place anything bad within those memories. However, there was this one time in first grade that I so desperately wanted to be a part of show and tell that I painted (with bright pink nail polish and glitter nail polish) one of those little boxes that has a bit of batting in it for jewelry. I passed it around the class saying that my mom and I had made it together. My mother had nothing to do with it; I'm sure she would have stopped my plans somewhere along the way if she had known what was going through my head.

Hopefully my crafting has improved a little bit since first grade.

To finish out my snowcation, I practiced my fabric flowers. This one turned out better than the last, and I've come away with ideas of how to get the look I'm going for. I've almost used up all of this fabric.

A friend asked for a second scarf like one I gave her for a gift last year. It's a very simple scarf: 17sts on size 19 needles. I think this is called a stockinette stitch, but I don't want to look this up to confirm that because I could be very wrong. To make myself right--knit a row, purl a row. I use the majority of the skein.

Completing anything on my project list has grown to be a daunting task. One of my friends inspired me to keep a project/blog calendar. It was helpful, but then I got 4 project requests in one week from friends. Since I have my own very long list of things to make for friends and myself, I decided on making project request forms to keep me organized. As a result, I rearranged part of my project making space. I now have 3 projects that get priority each week and then I will rotate in my other requests as I have time and complete projects. My goal is to finish projects without starting too many at a time. We'll see how this works. I'm going strong after two weeks.

I had a bit of cabin fever over my snowcation. My first trip south (where the snow was worse) was to pick up fabric from Atlanta. The roads were still icey, but it was worth the sacrifice. Very soon I will be making great things.

The fortunate thing about internet show 'n' tell is that I don't have to watch your reaction as I pass my cotton filled nail polish painted cardboard box around the room! Come back soon because I have one more project I did in January that I will be giving you the pattern for and maybe even a giveaway.

Top 10 Albums Purchased in 2010

2011-01-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

Narrowing down the music selections for 2010 was difficult as usual. Due to the difficulty, I'm only doing a top albums list. You will also notice that the picture includes more than 10 albums; I've decided to count a few of the albums as one. It will make more sense once you get to reading. The list is in no particular order.

1 Oklahoma!

...where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. I have my parents' old time record and due to the amount of times "Oh what a beautiful mornin'" pops into my head at random times, I decided it was time to get the cd. I got this for Christmas and have already listened to it ~~a hundred times~~ a lot.

2 The Music Machine

I already told you how this was one of my favorite records when I was a kid. I also thought it might be time for an upgrade. I listened to this cd quite a bit and learned one of the songs on the guitar.

3 Gerle Haggard

This is one of the 2 cds I keep in my car. So much fun to listen to. They still make me want to be in a bluegrass band.

4 She & Him Volume Two

Umm...buy it. And you'll know.

5 Femmes de Paris Vol. 1 & 2

What could be better than combining my obsessions of 60s and French music all at one time?

6 Neil Diamond's Dreams

This is a good mellow album. And Neil always has a strange comforting affect over me.

7 Penelope

This features Shara Worden. Of course, I love it. It's a great modern classical work.

8 Edith Piaf's 30 Anniversaire

Once again, combine French with the goodness of old and you've got a great match. I like that these albums include all of my favorites.

9 Vampire Weekend's Contra

Great album. Great concert. You probably heard their song "Holiday" all through the holidays on a tv commercial for something. I like them.

10 Sufjan Steven's All Delighted People and The Age of Adz

These albums were released so closely that I'm counting them as one. I like both albums quite thoroughly. I really, really liked the concert.

Top 10 Films Viewed in 2010

2011-01-22T08:03:00.001-05:00

My viewing of chick-flicks and children's movies increased in 2010 leaving me fewer films to choose from to include in my favorites for 2010. As a result, I'm not making a list of top 2010 movies but top movies I watched in 2010.

1 Schultze Gets the Blues

2003 German film. This film is wonderful for so many reasons. First, it reminds me of my grandpa. Schultze retires and is left with a lot of time of his own. Each day he listens to a radio broadcast about Cajun life. Schultze becomes obsessed with Cajun culture--cooking for his friends and learning the music. Later in the story Schultze gets the opportunity to represent his accordian club by going to Texas for a polka festival. Then he gets a crazy idea to visit the land of all things Cajun. Ah, what a wonderful life. The film does not have a lot of dialogue if you're looking for a roving time, which could also be good for all of you who hate reading subtitles. I laughed. I cried. I guess that means it gets my stamp of approval!

2 The Blind Side

2009 Academy Award Nominee. I didn't expect to like this film. I thought it might be another feel-good sports film. It is that, but it's also a great movie about foster care. I walked out crying and ready to have my foster children now rather than later.

3 And Then There Were None

1945 Agatha Christie film. This was the first Agatha Christie book I read. I tried watching the film when I was younger, but it was boring. I watched it twice when I viewed it recently because it was just that good. It's intriguing and very well acted.

4 Never Let Me Go

2010 Drama. I cried. I cried. Such a very, very good story and very thought provoking.

5 Date Night

2010 Comedy. I laughed. I laughed. This was my first viewed film in 2010 that I knew would be on my favorites list. Perfect little crime spoof. I'm a huge Tina Fey fan.

6 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010 Family film. Third movie in the whatever the word is for triology times two plus one. This was 2010s Christmas movie. I didn't leave disappointed.

7 Madame Curie

1943 Classic film. I was expecting this to be a rather boring movie since it's older and b/w and about a scientist. I was riveted. The story was so good. I even added books about Marie Curie on my reading list. Me and science?!

8 The House on Telegraph Hill

1951 Film Noir. Ooooo, thriller.

9 The Best of Everything

1959 Classic film. I've been quite obsessed with the 60s this year. This isn't quite the 60s, but it gets close. I found out it's a book, so I added that to my list to.

10 Driving Lessons

2006 Dramedy. I had a difficult time choosing between this, The Red Pony, and An Education for the number 10 slot. I liked the relationship between the young and the old. The music was great, too.

on my snowcation, i...

2011-01-12T15:39:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to make the most of all these snow days even though I would much rather be working. I've watched six movies, read, written, sewn, knitted, eaten, rearranged. The good news is that I have something to show for it all. Several years ago I saw this apron. I've been wanting to make it for a long time and have been saving it for a rainy day. I settled for a snow day instead. Since I couldn't go out to buy new fabric, and the mail has been disabled to deliver any goodies, I used more of my scraps. I almost used up another one of my fabrics (and will definitely use it up when I move on to my next project of getting better at making fabric flowers). I didn't measure everything correctly because I kept forgetting 1/2" part of all the numbers. I also did my waist ties a little differently to save time and sewed my waist in a little differently. This is a prototype for an apron I'm planning in the near future.

Fabric: Main fabric that you can't see matches the ties - from a bag I made many years ago; waist - from the shirt I made last year; multi-flower ruffle - from a dress my mom made me in the 90s; pink batik ruffle - from a purse I made several years ago; blue flower ruffle - table toppers I made for a friend's church; navy ruffle - from the pillows I just made. I'm hoping the fabric flower I make with the multi-flowered fabric turns out cute enough to add to the waist of this apron.

before & after

snow is abrewing

2011-01-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

Another snow day so another post. I'm not enjoying the snow days as much as the holidays. Maybe if it had waited one or two more weeks so that I would need a break from my routine. I wasn't quite ready.

My mother has started reading my tea mystery books, so I thought it was time I read one again so that I can stay ahead of her. I read Blood Orange Brewing by Laura Childs rather quickly the last few days of the holidays since I wanted to start on one of the books I received for Christmas.

How did I come about reading this book? I have had this book for over a year.
What did I learn about the author? I took some time to look up the people who have review taglines on the book. I'm not sure where they find these people. I'm sure she could sell a few copies of her book in my favorite tea shop.
Is the book science fiction? Are you kidding me? Laura Childs does include a bit of biology this time - that's science.
Is the book illustrated? I think it would be really great if there were pictures of all the teas and delicious foods.
Do I like the characters? Yes. I like the new "love interest" more than the last one. He seems a lot more realistic. Theo remains very unrealistic. I'm also a fan of all the really southern sounding names like "Pooky."
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? I do have a very active imagination, so I might start transposing (I'm really looking for a different word here) book character traits onto my friends to make things more interesting and mysterious.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Someone is murdered. Again. Two people, actually.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? Yes. Have a tea party. Friends have asked me to do this before, but I'm not into fancy tea parties. I decided to have an extremely informal tea party instead. It will be very reminiscent of my craft parties I had in a former life except I won't be making big pots of food; I'll be making tea things instead. And I won't be teaching people a specific craft.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes. I have two more on my shelf and I think there are two more after that. I still refuse to read any of her other books; I'll stick with tea.
How long did it take me to read the book? Three or four days. I was very eager to get onto a classic.
What is one word that describes this book? Bloodymess.

Top 10 Books of 2010

2011-01-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

I reviewed 22 books on my blog in 2010. I think I read 25 or 27. I say this a lot to my friends - I enjoy reading the books I want! While I was in school, I tried to read a lot on my breaks so that I could keep up my ~~slow~~ reading speed. I'm getting better at my reading comprehension, but I still have a hard time remembering characters. I'm starting to wonder if that has anything to do with me reading multiple books at a time. I've been very disciplined in reading one non-fiction and one fiction at a time...until right now when I realized that I have two non-fictions and two fictions going (but with very good reason- one's a devotional that I'm only reading a day at a time, my regular non-fiction that's a book I read last year and now have my own copy to underline, fiction that has so many pages that it's too heavy to hold when I'm reading in bed, fiction that is light weight and light reading). Now that I'm off subject....

Twenty ten was a good book year. Making the list was a little difficult. Two books really stand out and there are some that need to be added to your reading list. As a whole, the list doesn't top 2009, but 2010's number one seems to overshadow the rest of the year's selections.

Here we go! [Click on the book title to read the review I wrote after I completed the book.]

1 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

2 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

3 The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

4 The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

5 The Word for the Wise by Henry Brandt and Kerry Skinner

6 The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

7 Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

8 Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

9 The Late Bloomer's Revolution by Amy Cohen

10 Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded by John Scalzi

promised projects

2011-01-09T18:15:00.003-05:00

I was internetless with my computer this weekend, so I'm even more behind than I already was in blogging. Here is a photo of the the appliqued onesies I did. My sister-in-law does a way better job than I do. I still have a pile of onesies, so I'm hoping to get better as I make more gifts. My favorite is the sombrero with the mustache. I like the idea of the bowling onesie, but I wanted it to look a little bit more retro.

Here is the "mommy" apron. It started with this tea towel. I didn't want to cover too much of the print, so I decided to do an embroiderey stitch to make the pockets.

I also didn't want to do the wraparound waist ties, so I used the waist from one of the other aprons. The main purpose of this project was to have a matching apron for the little girl's apron. I didn't want to get to bogged down in too many details making it too different from the little girl apron, but I wanted to make it nice for an adult. One other thing that is different is that it has three pockets instead of two.

I plan on listing the aprons sometime in the next week or two on Etsy. If you decide you want these aprons for yourself before then, let me know!

I'm loking forward to getting started on some new projects. I made a little wristlet this weekend that will also go up on Etsy. It's really cute, so if it doesn't sell, I'm keeping it for myself. I also have fabric waiting to make two aprons and napkins. I'm also halfway through knitting a set of coasters; I love trying out new textiles.

The only good thing about the possibility of snow tomorrow is having free time to sew--if there's electricity. I would really prefer no snow because I haven't seen my Monday students in a very long time.

mostly successful bias tape

2011-01-07T18:04:00.004-05:00

I have now begun the projects in Stitch by Stitch of really, really learning how to do new things. If you haven't already, now's a good time to catch yourself up on my stitching log.

I have mostly conquered making bias tape. As I've told you many, many times before, I have difficulty understanding instructions, so tackling bias tape was a little scary. I attempted to read most of the instructions beforehand and then had a hard time getting past "the first time can be a rough road." My first try took me 2 hours. My second try took me 30 minutes.

The first picture illustrates step 11 where I lost all confidence in my work and interpreting abilities. I stayed on this step for an hour before I finally just went for it. I shouldn't have ~~second~~ ~~third~~ sixth-guessed myself because I would have saved a lot of time. The second picture shows my continuous bias tape.

I didn't quite follow the pictures on my first attempt, so I made some more bias tape following everything to a tea. I was even able to make most of it from memory this time. It didn't turn out exactly as planned since my marking pen is gray and I couldn't see my lines very well. The bias tape isn't all the same width, but I think I'll still be able to use it on small projects.

I'm positive I will get better at this. I might buy a bias tape maker (not the fancy machine but the little by-hand tool) since I use bias tape on most of the aprons in my apron book.

* I will have pics of the "mom" apron and latest applique pics up soon.

you write about me in your diary

2011-01-06T19:53:00.001-05:00

I was spoiled the last couple weeks with free time. Posting is now back to once a week and twice if I'm rather talkative. I started a post on Monday, and it's still in the line-up when I have some time to really work on it (it's the first of the countdowns!). I have also finished the "mom" apron, but I haven't uploaded the pics from my camera. I'm hoping to list the mommy and me aprons on Etsy once I get better pictures and descriptions written.

I'm taking piano lessons again after a very, very long time. My last piano teacher was from Russia and had man hands (she's a she not a he). Needless to say, she was very intimidating. I have several students who are getting really, really good, so I need to brush up on my skills. I'm taking lessons from one of my friends, and I had a blast at my first lesson. I wish I hadn't waited so long in between. I guess I was expecting a lot of criticism since that's all I got in my college lessons. I couldn't wait to practice the next day and the next and the next.

I think I'm going to tackle bias tape tomorrow. It's the next project in my sewing book and I've been wanting to start it since I think it might take me quite a bit of time to figure out. It would be so great if the book came with a demonstration dvd since I have a hard time understanding instructions. I am definitely not the engineer in the family. Well, and I guess it's engineers who do the stuff and make someone else write the instructions, so maybe I don't need to be an engineer to figure out how to read instructions. Maybe it would help if I was a mathematician since they seem like they would enjoy reading instructions. I find zero pleasure in reading instructions. Even thinking about it right now has really put a damper on my mood. I should talk about piano again.

In other news, I sold my first book on Amazon today. I only know because my friend texted me afterward. I don't know when it will show up on my sales sheet. She'll be the first to own a copy with the ISBN since I'm still selling my remaining copies of the original version.

a stitch in time

2010-12-31T08:45:00.069-05:00

I have been trying to sew as much as possible this week since I have uninterrupted time. I will be back to my normal routine next week and even that will be changing as I'm about to start taking piano lessons again after 11 years. I'm in the middle of two projects right now, so I'm not going to post photos of those things, but I do have some other pics for you right now.

If you didn't read earlier this week, I'm going to be giving you updates of my progress through stitch by stitch. I've worked it out to complete one project each month. That doesn't necessary mean I'll do one project per month--I may do more or less. It will all depend on my other projects.

The first three projects in Stitch by Stitch were easy to complete. The first project was to try out different stitches on your machine. I had already done this several months ago and keep the sampler stashed in my sewing basket. The second project was thread art (pictured below). I used part of the template provided on the cd and then added hair. I was going to change colors and make it even more artistic, but I needed to get to work on my other projects. It was fun (and tricky) trying out one of my quilting presserfeet. The third project is learning how to applique. I have experience doing this, but I did get a few pointers from reading this section. It was good timing because I was wanting to start on a baby gift for a co-worker.

I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at some of my other stitching art--a different kind of stitching. Here are some of my cross-stitching projects. I still have a major one of those I'm working on, too.

"Sunset" during my 'buy everything Norman Rockwell' phase. It needs to be rematted.

Christmas presents in 2000

This took me way longer than I thought it would.

My first big project. It was my own design to match my bedroom at the time. It's now been closeted.

My first project after findingout that your stitches are supposed to go in the same direction. (Oh, and these projects aren't in order of completion.) This now hangs in my grandma's museum of all things girly.

And this is not stitching but my first foray into fashion design circa 2nd grade. My favorite part is the tights on top of the dresses and I might really like the donut shoes.

le beau et condamné

2010-12-30T04:21:00.001-05:00

The time is upon us for a review of classical literature. I've been quite busy reading so that I may begin the new year afresh with all sorts of literary adventures. I'm taking a break from my normal way of reviewing a book because I was getting rather bored (it is even more difficult remembering how to spell at 4am) with my former format.

Moments ago, I finished reading The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is, of course, one of the many books on my very long list of books to read in my lifetime. I bought this particular copy at a used bookstore this summer; I chose this specific copy to match the copy of The Great Gatsby that was either my mother's or father's copy from high school (I'm assuming).

The Beautiful and Damned was very much in the style of The Great Gatsby, which I found quite refreshing. When I read Tender Is the Night, I was frightfully confused and had to refer to wikipedia quite often for help.

The Beautiful and Damned is about a young couple, Anthony and Gloria, who are looking for happiness in their lives of leisure. The book is about their friends and non-friends, their materialistic exploits, their relationship and lack of relationship, their beautiful surroundings, their pursuit of success and a little bit of work. The book is mostly about their continual moving from one object to the next knowing surely it will be the thing that brings everlasting happiness. During each chapter, Anthony or Gloria (and sometimes both at once) received what they desired most, I was eagerly anticipating their fall knowing that nothing in this world truely satisfies what we desire most. I couldn't believe that the anticipation continued to build. I thought I would get tired of their pursuit and wonder when they had had enough. Fitzgerald's book was a success because he held me to the end. Such a great reminder of how fleeting life is.

While The Beautiful and the Damned wasn't exactly an easy read all the way through, I found the putting together of words quite palatable. Sometimes I would go back and read sentences just to read how wonderfully put together and painted were the the words and phrases. I haven't read a book like that since Les Miserables. I didn't know an American had it in him. [And that is why this post's title is in French.]

- - - - -

p.s. I recommend reading the last 20 pages on two hours sleep because it makes the drunken dialog contained somewhere within those pages that much better.

and on christmas vacation, i...

2010-12-28T13:53:00.001-05:00

...practiced Swahili. My friend brought fabric home from Africa for me to make some pillows for her guest bedroom. The Swahili on the print says: love is the light of life.

Two of the smaller pillows, I used an envelope closing. On the large pillow, I used buttons--always exciting using my buttonhole presser foot. This was my first and last time making a bolster; I was going to do an envelope closing, but I didn't cut enough fabric. My favorite is the ruffle pillow. I've been wanting to try using ruffles like that one something because I'm planning on using them in some upcoming projects.

This entire project took me about 10 hours...probably a little bit more if you include all the shopping and seam ripping. The pillows look way better in person than in this picture. I'm looking forward to seeing how they look on their new bed when I go to visit my friend in the spring.

on christmas vacation, i also...

2010-12-27T12:53:00.001-05:00

...received this book. And I'm telling you about it here because I have set my sewing goals, and I'm supposed to be sharing with someone what they are. I was already going to be blogging about this, but I'm even more excited that the book already included some of the things I was wanting to share with you here.

You may be asking why I received a book on learning to sew since I already sew quite a bit. I have a lot to learn when it comes to sewing. Within the last year I advanced to reading patterns instead of making things up as I go. My sewing has increased now that I have a machine that works all the time (except for user error which has dramatically decreased). There are so many things I want to be able to sew and sew well.

Here are a few of my goals:

* Sew the dress from the pattern I bought this summer at the world's largest garage sale. And sew it to fit!
* Learn the necessary skills to refashion my mom's wedding dress. I'm not getting married any time soon and maybe never, but I would love to be able to wear my mom's dress not in 1970s style. I have it all pictured in my head, and I would love to be able to make the alterations. May I also take this time to tell you that someone made her wedding dress for her? Because it was also handmade and beautiful.
* Make the cutest ever Christmas aprons for my friends' next year...and not just the ones in my 35 aprons book but ones that I design.

on christmas vacation, i...

2010-12-18T21:25:00.002-05:00

...spent Saturday Christmas shopping and sewing a cute little girl's apron that I've been wanting to sew ever since I got this book. Since I would probably be breaking a copyright law, I'm not going to give you a step-by-step even though I actually remembered to take pictures at every step. Instead I'm showing you a collage of most of the steps and the finished apron. The apron will probably go up on Etsy at some point. The plan is to make a complimentary mother's apron.

When I went antiquing with my family over Thanksgiving holiday, I was determined to find some good linens specifically for this pattern. I ended up buying two yards of this fabric, which is flocked ivory polka dots on a minty green background for $2-$4. The tag said it was vintage, but I don't know what year. I also bought a bag of various linens for $3.50; this embroidered tea towel was inside. I'm guessing it's hand embroidered. Since there was the start of a very tiny hole and to make it more durible, I fused it to cotton (from my old curtains). I washed the fabric and all of the linens, but they still have a dingy smell whenever I would use the iron. I think I'll fabreeze the apron. This was my first time using bias tape; I have really been missing out! And you can't really tell in this picture since it's not on a person or posed for selling, but the embroidered sections are pockets. And I don't know about you, but when I was a little girl, I could not tie a bow behind my back (and still have issues sometimes). This apron is perfect because it wraps around and then ties in the front! I wish I had this when I was a girl. My apron strings weren't quite long enough to make a bow, so I had to make a little knot, and a little knot isn't as cute as a big bow. I loved wearing aprons to help me pretend to be a perfect waitress. I don't think waitresses wear aprons anymore...or maybe they do at Waffle House.

amazon woman!

2010-12-15T09:36:00.000-05:00

My book has made it to Amazon! Don't forget to look at my other website every once in awhile. I've slowly been updating different pages and will shortly have updated links.

there aren't even 12 days til Christmas

2010-12-14T11:42:00.002-05:00

A virtual disaster hit my bedroom this weekend giving my computer a virus and my bedroom a bigger mess than I've had in awhile despite how I've been trying to clean every night before bed. The virus has been cured, but I think my room was just too much and my cleaning lady quit.

I got another custom order for bags last week and finished those up this weekend. I just need to make a few gift tags to put in the package. I'm really enjoying sending and receiving mail. I ordered my first thing from Etsy last week from here, but I can't tell you what it is since it's a gift. But those two friends don't read my blog, so I might be safe. If I were a soap vs. bodywash fan, then I may not be able to give away the gifts since they're so cute.

I think I told you last time that I had been doing a bit of Christmas shopping online this year. It's been mostly successful until I found out that since a very small part of one of my orders was on backorder, they hadn't shipped any of it. I only found this out after I sent an email a week and a day later to ask if my order had been shipped. They sent the ready portion of my order today, so hopefully it will make it in time. I hope so!

I have a cute little girl's apron all planned out and ready to make once I sew a button on a dress and make gift tags and wrap a few Christmas presents. But I'm really supposed to be starting on a pillow project for a friend. I said I would have them ready by the beginning of January. Sometimes you just want to sew what you want to sew.

I used my limited computer access this weekend to my advantage. I had an Agatha Christie movie to watch that was perfect for the gloomy weather. I made a couple cup cozies to keep my hands going and warm.

Below is a picture of a few of the latest projects. None of these bags are going to be listed on Etsy. However, I do have a bag to list once I get around to taking pictures. The cold weather and computer virus aided my procrastination.

just because it's Christmas

2010-12-06T22:06:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted a blog where I just share thoughts as thoughts in a long time. If I haven't already shared my thoughts with my friends who will listen in person or email, then I'm keeping the rest of my thoughts to myself. BUT now I'm making an exception because I was just reading friends' blogs and missing those days when I used to have interesting stories to tell the greater public.

It's Christmas time. I've been trying to incorporate a lot of Christmasey things into my life this year to make things bright...you know, like that Christmas song about snow.

1. I've been working on Christmas cards for a couple months now. That didn't take that long to make. I didn't have enough ink and had the wrong ink and then I was busy. I made homemade ones again this year and wrote little notes in all the cards. This was a great way to pass along a little Christmas cheer since I chose not to decorate this year since those decorations are usually only enjoyed by myself. It's lovely having all (but three) of the cards ready to be mailed.

2. Last night I went to a Cobb Symphony Orchestra concert since I have a friend in the choir this year. My favorite part was the Hanukkah medley. And I got a little emotional during the singalong from all the joy. (Major side note...I've been going through a months long phase of getting teary-eyed at silly things.)

3. My first Christmas party of the season is tomorrow. It's technically my only Christmas party since my work dinner is after Christmas to accommodate all of our schedules.

4. I'm going to my mom's church's women's Christmas dinner. I was asked by the coordinator to lead us on the piano in a carol singalong, but I didn't agree since I greatly dislike accompanying others. And I would rather enjoy the night instead of dread it since I don't usually like these sorts of things and am rather particular about which ones I agree to attend.

5. A Christmas wedding. I don't know if I've ever been one. I know it's two weeks before Christmas, but I'm pretty sure red is one of her colors. And they're both musicians, so I'm guessing there will be pretty music.

6. I've been buying a lot of gifts online this year. I can't share any more on this thought. Buying online has contributed to my Christmas feeling because I'm anticipating all of the lovely things coming to my house, so I can unwrap them and then wrap them for the recepient. It's like two Christmases.

7. I'm going to be able to make it to two of my students' family Christmas recital. I've had to miss it the past two years.

8. I have one weekend in between that that I need to come up with something Christmasey. I might include a Christmas movie night with my friends.

9. The last week of piano lessons before Christmas break is my favorite. It will be even more fun this year because ALL of my students have Christmas music. I have my students pass off their last Christmas song and then play all the ones they've passed off in the past month (or two). It's like a 10 hour concert that I get paid to go to.

10. And then there's Christmas. I've been enjoying reading the Gospels the past couple months reading about the life of Christ. During Christmas, I like to remember the beginning and the middle and the end that's to come. Each day I am making it a point to thank God for what He has done in my life. When we are bombarded with what we don't have or so desperately want, it can be easy to forget how blessed we are.

Merry Christmas!

little.project update

2010-12-05T16:13:00.003-05:00

I don't know how many times I've said it this year and there's no telling how many times more I'm going to say it: I love having a sewing machine that works. I'm a busy little bee making things all the time. Pictured below are a few of the projects that I've been working on and looking forward to designing.

1. New bags for Etsy and custom orders. I won't tell you which one is which because I know that a few of those are going towards gifts from the buyers. I'm loving the interior of the candy-striped bag; you can't see it in the picture, but it's a miniature holly print; it reminds me of something from my childhood, but I can't remember what...maybe cupcake wrappers. I think this was the end of the leaf fabric. I'm making a bag from the leftover apron fabric. And then that would be a TN Vols bag; special order - that one.

2. My fabric finds from an antique store. I plan on making several aprons out of the material. My book of aprons has a cute pattern for a little girl's apron using tea towels. I think I might make a matching mommy apron to sell as a pair. I also had the idea to use the hotpads as pockets.

3. A scarf I started at Thanksgiving and I'm trying out an idea for a gift card holder. The scarf was intended as a gift, but it's not turning out quite like I planned, so we'll have to see about the gift-giving part later. I'm trying desperately to use up all of my yarn. So far the gift tags have been a good idea, and I think I'll use Etsy's podcast about the knitted postcards this upcoming year for friends' birthday cards.

Not pictured: one baby boy blanket, Christmas cards going out this week, pillows for a friend, gift tags, um...I think that's it right now.

mysteriously she stepped

2010-12-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie

How did I come about reading this book? This was the first story in a collection of three that I bought at a used bookstore this summer.
What did I learn about the author? She wrote a lot of books but not as many as Grace Livingston Hill.
Is the book science fiction? No.
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes, I pretty much liked everyone.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? No. The book was a bit old-fashioned and set in a very different location.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Well, after a really long time of reading I figured out they were trying to stop a war. I think I must've missed something at the beginning of the book.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? To read more mysteries.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes. I've put all of her books on a list. This was only the second of her books that I've read.
How long did it take me to read the book? I don't think it was too long since I was trying to finish it before Thanksgiving so that I could take a different book on vacation with me.
What is one word that describes this book? Red.

....

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

How did I come about reading this book? I searched the bookstore for one of the classics on my list to help me spend the rest of my reward money; I couldn't find any that were small (for the plane) and a good price.
What did I learn about the author? Nothing.
Is the book science fiction? No. There might've been a science teacher in the book, but I can't remember.
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes, I found them all quite enjoyable.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Not really. There might've been a few instances here and there where the characters had certain traits that were recognizable in people I know.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Finding jewels and murderers.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? I was thinking about careers.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yep. But I need to read a classic first and some of the other books on my shelf.
How long did it take me to read the book? One week. Very easy read. Perfect for traveling.
What is one word that describes this book? ahead-of-her-time-strong-women

happy music day

2010-11-11T15:05:00.001-05:00

It's that time of month again...the time where I tell you about great music you need to download. September and October were full of great downloads, and I can already tell you that November is looking great so far.

Let me begin with September since that falls (or autumns) before October. I've been going through a major phase this year of really liking everything from the 60s. After watching the previews of a French dvd I was watching (wish I could tell you which one, but I have no clue since that was quite awhile ago), I found out about this film. I liked the song for the trailer, but I couldn't find it to download. That set me off on a few hour hunt around the great interweb for great French music that I didn't yet have in my library. I found out about Marie Laforêt and then couldn't stop my search for more music by her. I ended up finding three albums of French 60s music. I only bought the first two volumes that were on sale since I would rather not pay full price for anything when I'm already getting lots of great stuff at one time. The albums are Femmes de Paris Vol 1 and Vol 2. I was very excited that there was a version of These Boots Are Made for Walkin' because that was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid.

My Daytrotter downloads for September and October were Brooke Waggoner, Justin Townes Earle, Clare and the Reasons, Cheyenne Marie Mize, and Tegan & Sara.

October began with a free download of the Asthmatic Kitty October Digital Sampler. And THEN Sufjan's new album, The Age of Adz, which he so greatly performed last weekend at the Tabernacle. (It was also greatly priced on Amazon the day it was released.) The concert was superb. I'm always quite happy when Sufjan comes out with new music!

me helping you find a good book

2010-11-08T12:23:00.000-05:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

How did I come about reading this book? I had several very different individuals recommend this book to me.
What did I learn about the author? She currently lives in Atlanta.
Is the book science fiction? Nope. Why do I continue to ask this?
Is the book illustrated? No.
Do I like the characters? Yes, they are all full of personality.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? There were probably parts of all the characters that I could probably match up with someone I know.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Racism. Confidence in who you are no matter what your circumstances are.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? I thought about my own writing.
Will I read any other books by this author? I might. I liked her writing style. I'm hoping she doesn't change much after this book is made into a movie.
How long did it take me to read the book? Not long. I was on a waiting list and got called while I was supposed to be reading my book club book, so I only read 100 pages before I had to turn it back in at the library. When I got it the second time, I read it in three days becasue it was just that good.
What is one word that describes this book? Captivating.

fall projects

2010-11-04T17:17:00.003-04:00

The sewing has been non-stop lately. Right now I have a pair of jeans I need to hem, a hemmed pair of jeans I need to fix, and a pile of purses waiting to be sewn. Here are two projects I finished recently for gifts. The top project will look a little familiar since I've previously made two.

I hand stitched the ric-rac carefully.

The finished bag

I made a little bag for etsy out of the extra material.

I finally made my way to Whipstitch in Atlanta. I bought City Weekend (Moda) and Metro Cafe (Robert Kaufman) to make a reversible apron for a friend's wedding gift. She loves tea and coffee, and she's very girly. I wanted to incorporate both ideas so that she may use the apron for multiple occasions.

I modified a pattern from this book.

I used an embroidery stitch on the pockets. It worked out to align the pattern perfectly for the teacup pattern. I wish I had thought of that when I was cutting out the rest of the fabric. I rarely work with this sort of fabric.

This is showing you that it's reversible.

gorgeous fall day

2010-10-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

Family history - part two - the rest of the day. Here we are on at Lookout Mountain. This was a perfect autumn day!

What are they looking at?

...cars driven off the edge

saturday morning

2010-10-30T11:15:00.000-04:00

Saturday Morning by Lauraine Snelling

How did I come about reading this book? This is a book club book for a church I am currently visiting.
What did I learn about the author? She's written a lot of books.
Is the book science fiction? No. But one of the characters has a lavendar farm.
Is the book illustrated? Nope.
Do I like the characters? Yes, I liked them all. I think I liked Julia the best, so I wish the author had developed her character more.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Not really. The characters are much older than me, and I don't think I know any older women like these or if I know them, I'm unaware.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Each character has specific issues she's dealing with. Loss of money and husband, potential loss of building and child, marriage vs. career, search for granddaughter.
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? I did think a lot about contentment.
Will I read any other books by this author? Maybe, if any of them sound appealing.
How long did it take me to read the book? A few weeks because I was trying to spread it out so that I could remember the story for book club. It was an extremely easy read, so I could've finished it in a few days.
What is one word that describes this book? Friendship.

family history day

2010-10-27T21:39:00.002-04:00

Crazy but true story. My family's from Oklahoma. Been there for generations. My immediate family moved to Georgia when I was in middle school. After we moved here, we found out that several generations of my family lived in Georgia before they moved out west. I've been camping a couple times up on one of the mountains that creates the valley where the Hills lived; I knew I was close, but I didn't know how close. This past weekend, we took a little fieldtrip to north Georgia. (Please forgive the way I shortcut-ted the pictures into a collage...I'm having major computer issues.)

1. Top, left: Graveyard at Peavine Baptist Church. This is where a step-relative is buried. The story's much longer than that, but I'll save that for family reunions.
2. Top, middle: Lee and Gordon's Mill. Closing up shop. I hope they turn it into a good museum. This is when my public history certification would have come in handy.
3. Top, right: The no-longer-working mill water.
4. Top, right, down one: The whole mill.
5. Very center: The sign about Peavine Baptist Church. I'm interested in learning more later. It's been a little bit difficult finding out all the stories about our family at that time since records were burned in a courthouse fire.
6. Next to the very center, on the right: More of the mill creek water.
7 and 8. Bottom, left and middle: Private property. There's a Hill or two buried among the trees. I think it would be so cool if there were any stones there, but I'm sure it hasn't been maintained if there was anything there.
9. Bottom, right: Lee and Gordon's Mill was established one year before the Hills made their way out west. Did we walk through the same doorway?

More pics from that day are in queue when I have a bit of time again. It was a gorgeous October day.

october

2010-10-17T19:20:00.000-04:00

It feels like autumn in the mornings and at night. A few weeks ago I took a little jaunt to Cooper's Furnace and this weekend, I helped out a friend's friend for hair school. Cooper's Furance isn't in my book of hikes, but it's still a good hike. Here are some of the pictures!

the furnace

goldenrod

a bridge over a creek

etowah river

alatoona dam

scary face, the first hairstyle was my favorite, but i don't have a picture

little.stories

2010-10-14T16:26:00.000-04:00

The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

How did I come about reading this book? This is one of the books I received for Christmas.

What did I learn about the author? Nothing new.
Is the book science fiction? No. One day I might read a science fiction book again.
Is the book illustrated? No. The descriptive passages place right in the middle of each setting.
Do I like the characters? Yes, there was only one character I didn't like and I skipped a lot of pages in that chapter because it was about death.
Does the book remind me of anyone I know? Not so much but I was able to relate certain characteristics to people I know.
Is there an identifiable central conflict? Living in The Pastures of Heaven
Did any part of the book inspire me in any way? Not this time.
Will I read any other books by this author? Yes, I still have quite a few to read.
How long did it take me to read the book? Quite awhile because of interrupted reading.
What is one word that describes this book? Home.

little.shop

2010-09-29T08:57:00.003-04:00

All completed items are now in my etsy. I still need to complete the technical things, but you can go ahead and start purchasing items. Here's the one I decided to keep for myself. I still have more of this fabric. If this is the one you want, let me know. I'm also including the description I would have included had I decided to resist keeping it for myself!

This little bag is perfect for keeping all your little things together in your purse. The bag is even more perfect for crafters! Why not carry your scissors and thread in this cute little bag?

The navy fabric has red felted buttons. Both the red and navy gingham fabrics are from the 70s.

The ISBN has also been added to Ruth: The Reality of Redemption. I would like to sell the rest of my original inventory to make room for the latest edition, so please let me know if you would like a copy!