artsy-crafty babe

Beki vs Richelle, round 1

Well, my time with Richelle didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped.  Now I remember why I abandoned her.  I'm not going to focus on the negative (damn tension problems), but on the positive.  I did successfully wind a bobbin, which is pretty cool on this machine.  I also figured out the threading, which is no less than 12 steps, I kid you not.  I do love how fast and smooth she sews, when she isn't skipping stitches or breaking the thread.  I have a feeling that once I work out the kinks I'm going to find her very useful in sewing up bags and purses, especially when I need to sew through layers and layers of fabric.  Right now, el cheapo is sputtering over sewing through fusible fleece and zippers.  I know that if I could ever figure Richelle out, she'd pass though that like a hot knife through butter.  So no, our initial re-acquaintance didn't go so well, but give us time, we'll figure it out.  And if things don't improve, I'm calling the service guy to come out and give her a tune up.  I know when to face defeat, but I'm not giving up yet.

psssttt - I'm not afraid of her anymore!!!

the name game

Meet Pinkie, who Lily now wants to call Goldie, the newest member of our family.  Anyone want to take bets on how long this will last?  As if keeping a goldfish alive wasn't hard enough, let's hope that Oreo doesn't discover him.

In other news, while working on my Friday WIP, my el cheapo sewing machine has decided that it wants to die.  It suddenly started sewing a slight zig-zag stitch when it isn't on a zig-zag setting.  Not good.  The stitching is getting all crazy wonky on me.  I've tried all the usual things: clean, oil, new needle, tension, but that doesn't help.  I knew when I bought it that it wouldn't last long, but I didn't think it'd be this soon.  Of course I could bring it to get serviced, but I need a machine NOW.  This only means one thing, I must face my fear and use Big Bertha, who Cathy thinks I should rename to make less intimidating.  From here on out, my industrial machine will be referred to as Richelle, which means well built in French.  (I'm real original - the machine is a Riccar)  I think I'll also apply some stickers to pretty her up, that should be a nice touch, right? Tonight it's just me and Richelle.  I'm kicking my fear to the curb.  Wish me luck!!

Gratitude Friday with a WIP on the side

TGIF!  This was my first 5 day work week in what feels like forever, so I am so ready for this.  Hello weekend, here I come!!  I must say, I really have been enjoying my weekends.  Yes, they're usually filled with housework and laundry, but there's also a bit of crafting and quality family time thrown in there, which is what I live for.  These special times are what gets me through the week.

This weekend is special because I'm going to spend time with extended family that I don't see very often.  Tomorrow is a memorial service for my Great-Grandmother, Mama Helen, who passed away right before Christmas.  She was my maternal grandmother's mother.   How lucky I am to have made it to adulthood with a great-grandmother, and my children to have a great-great grandmother.  Only Lily really knows who she is.  My biggest regret is that we didn't visit her more often.  I'm ashamed to admit that I never brought Ava to meet her.  There are so many things that I wanted to talk with her about.  Her passing made me realize that we really do need to make the time to visit our elders.  They won't be here forever.  Tomorrow won't be a sad event.  We are coming together to celebrate her life.  I am very much looking forward to it.  While I'm there I am going to give my Mom and Maw-Maw an extra hug, because I'm grateful they're in my life.

Today, on this Gratitude Friday, I am most grateful for family.  My family isn't the closest of families, but we are all there for each other.  I want my children to know their Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, so I am going to make it a point to spend more time with them.  I am so very grateful that I have them in my life and I have the chance to get to know them better.

A few other things to be grateful for this week are:

1. Having lost more weight on WW - as of my last weigh in (Tues.) I was down 7 lbs.  I am so grateful to be feeling better because of this.
2. Matt working on our fence.  It's been such a long process, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  This week he was able to get the lattice up between our car port and courtyard.  Wahoo!!!
3. Craft time.  I know you'll find this hard to believe, but for the FIRST TIME, I sewed in my studio this week.  So far that studio has only been a place to store my craft supplies.  I go in there to plan, then I bring my cheapo machine downstairs to the kitchen bar to sew.  Since I'm still not over my fear of my industrial machine, I set up my cheapo machine next to it and sewed up some patchwork (you can see part of big Bertha to the right in the picture above).
4. Sunshine.  The sun finally came out yesterday, after weeks of gray, overcast, rainy days.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.

Now on to my WIP - yep, more strips of Valentine fabric.  But this time I'm not making pillows.  Hmmmm, wonder what it will be???  Stay tuned...

Happy Friday!!  Have a great weekend, y'all!

Corner

Though I LOVE my fabric stash and take great pleasure in looking at it, all that clutter kind of bothers me.  After reading about Autum's sewing room re-do where she hung a curtain over her fabric, I decided to do the same.  It's an idea I've toyed with ever since Matt built me the shelves, but I didn't think I'd like keeping all the fabric out of view.  Boy, was I wrong!  I love how it looks now with my fabric out of sight.

Because the shelves are in an alcove, all I had to do was wedge in a tension rod.  The curtains are scrim panels left over from a window treatment I had a long time ago.  At the time I had them puddled on the floor, so I never hemmed them.  I didn't want an unfinished hem this time, so I used the rod pocket edge at the bottom and flipped over the raw edge to make a valance look.  Not too bad, if I do say so myself!  Because that rod is only a tension rod, it's a good thing that I'm using a light weight scrim for the curtain.  I don't think it would hold anything heavier.

I may change this one day, but for now I like it. 

This & That

**Warning, this is a  hodgepodge post**

First off, I want to give a big THANK YOU to Mirre of KissKus.  Look what she sent us!  Isn't it fabulous??  This stuff came all the way from the Netherlands.  Ava now has her very own little doll, a "Poppe".  I just love it!  But to be honest, I want to keep it for myself.  For now she's mine, at least until Ava stops putting everything in her mouth.  I'd hate for her to ruin it.  Also included were those two patchwork lavender sachets, a postcard with a log cabin design, and some Miffy stickers for Lily and Alex, which they're having fun with.

My next big THANK YOU goes out to Mary of Mom Writes.  Right after Christmas I sent her this green bag.  When I made this bag last past summer I was thinking of her.  I don't know what, but something about it reminded me of Mary.  I thought about sending it to her right then, but didn't.  It's been haunting me ever since.  So, with my 2007 goal of being more generous, out the door it went.  I honestly expected nothing in return, so I was floored when I received a package from her this weekend.  She sent me Alexandra Stoddard's latest book, You Are Your Choices: 50 Ways to Live the Good Life .  I love Alexandra Stoddard's books.  I can't wait to start reading it.

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Next on the agenda is a meme, 5 things.  I was tagged by Kristen of Cheeky Beaks.  I feel like I've blabbered on about myself so much already, but I'll play along.  The goal is to list 5 things about myself that I haven't already mentioned on my blog (this was tough).

1. I have very straight teeth and have never worn braces (though when I was a kid I wished that I needed them).
2. That cheese in a jar that people sprinkle on their pizza, or any canned cheese like this, makes me want to hurl because I think it smells like vomit. I can hardly sit at a table with someone who has sprinkled that stuff on their pizza. GROSS!!
3. I've never had a brain freeze. I can't fathom what that's like.
4. I was called "Buckskin Beki" by my friends in high school because I wore an emerald green suede jacket that had fringe down the arms and across the back (I don't know what I was thinking).
5. I used to be able to stick my entire fist in my mouth, but my jaw no longer allows this (ouch!).  Of course, I have no idea why anyone would want to do this in the first place.

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 people, but I'll just leave it open to anyone who wants to play along.

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Now last but not least, thanks to all your wonderful comments to my Delurk post, I'm donating $55 to the Kid Smart foundation.  Thank You!!!

I {heart} patchwork

This weekend I cheated on my fabric diet and picked up some valentine fabric.  Not much, just 1/2 yard of three heart prints, but look what it inspired.  I {heart} these pillows!  I really do love putting patchwork together.

 

I was even able to fit in some buttons.

My house is a mess and I still have a mountain of laundry to tackle, but it's worth it.

I haven't decided, but I may put one or both of these shams in my etsy shop.  I'll have to live with them for a few days to decide if I can part with them or not.  This was so fun to put together that I know there will be more in my future.

Finished Projects

Boy, it sure feels good to finish projects and cross them off my list.  This past weekend I was able to do just that.

First thing off the list is the crochet hook case that my friend asked me to make for her.  I think it turned out well.  After my first failed attempt it had to - I didn't have any more of that cherry fabric, which started it's life as a dish towel.  I hope she likes it.

Next thing completed was my quilt square for the Kim's quilt.  I was assigned to make a square for Sabine in pink.  I decided to do an applique flower, my favorite thing.  Instead of my usual quick and easy raw edge technique, I went with hand stitched applique, which is why it's kind of wonky.  I really wanted the human element to shine through.  It was a joy to lay in bed in the evenings to stitch this up.  Hand sewing is very relaxing to me.

In the end, my square ended up being a bit too small, so I had to add an additional border.  There was no way I was going to hand stitch another applique!!  I'm not sure how that little border will translate once it's pieced with the other squares, but it'll have to do.  I can't wait to see these quilts assembled.

Because today is Thursday, Corners of my Home day, here is a picture of our "gallery" complete with the new art work, yet another finished project.  This wall also qualifies as a WIP because I have plans to paint this room.  I'm thinking of going with a light pumpkin color.  One day I'll get around to that.

Thanks for all your comments on my last post!  It looks like I'll be able to give a nice little donation to the charity.  I'll take a grand total after the weekend and let you know then how much it ends up being.  Thanks again!!!

Delurk and Wierdness

Yes, I'm a bit late joining the party.  Since having Ava, I'm late for EVERYTHING.  Oh, how I miss being on top of things.  So, last week was delurking week.  A time when all you lurkers come out of the woodwork to say hello.  *big wave* 

To follow in Brit's footsteps, I've decided to make delurking a charity event.  For every comment I receive on this post, I'm donating $1 to the Kid Smart Foundation, an organization that "teaches underserved children positive life skills though hands on life activities".  Anything involving kids and art sounds like a good cause to me!

Now on to the weirdness.  Claire tagged me to post 6 weird things about myself.  For some reason, I found this really difficult.   I guess because I'm not really all that weird.  Nope, not me (so I like to think).

1. I do not like mushrooms.  No way, no shape, no how.  They're just plain gross.  Yuck!
2. I've never been in real snow.  Yes, I've seen the occasional flurries we get down here, but that doesn't count.  I'm a snow virgin.
3. Feet totally gross me out.  My children know this and take great pleasure in putting their feet on me.
4. I do not like for the food on my plate to touch each other.  Maybe I should invest in some of those lunch room style trays?  All those little compartments would be ideal for me.
5. I like to dip my eggrolls in ketchup.
6. My thumbs bend backward at a 90 degree angle.

Now weird me wants some comments.  I know you're out there, so won't you please drop in to say "hi"?

Day off

Today is Monday, yet I can't even remember what we did this past weekend.  I tell ya, my brain is fried!  Since we're all home today, I thought we'd spend some time as a family creating.  Lily wanted to paint.  Oh boy.  I'm always hesitant to let the kids paint due to the mess, but they really do have fun (as do I). 

In the end, we made a huge mess, along with some great art.  I hope that these are the things they remember when they look back on their childhood.

All of our new art work will find a home on the gallery wall.

Oh wait, now I remember what I did this weekend - I worked on wristlets!  I'm kind of stuck on them at the moment.  I made two more similar to one that I made last weekend, and I started working on some red gingham ones.

These are available in my etsy shop, if you're interested.  Okay, now I'm off to take a nap.

Works in progress, sort of...

It's been a while since I've sewn an article of clothing for myself. After making a slew of skirts this past summer I haven't had much desire, until now. Yes, I've been dreaming about sewing some clothing. I think it all started when I came across the Prairie Dress pattern from Favorite Things. I don't know why I'm so drawn to that dress. I'm not completely sure that it will even look good on me. I think I may start out making it as a tunic, to be worn over jeans. Is that still in? I was going to wait until spring, but I'm ready now. I suppose if it is cool out I could wear a long sleeve shirt under it.

There are so many patterns that I want to try.  Like this, this, and this.  Then after seeing Melissa's recent top, I need this book too.

BUT I'm trying really hard not to buy any craft/sewing supplies right now, so I should focus in on a pattern that I already own. And fabric that I already own. I picked up this top pattern on sale a while back, maybe I'll go for that.

Oh wait, I can't sew any clothes for myself when I've promised a certain little guy that I'd make something for him. Alex scratches at the eczema on his legs really badly at night, so he must wear pants. I can't bring myself to buy something that I can make so easily, so sleep pants it is. Due to my self imposed fabric diet, I've had to be a little creative in my fabric choice. See, I really don't have anything in my stash that it little boy appropriate. I don't think Matt would be too happy with him sleeping in pink flowery pants. He already tolerates his son dressing up in tutus and skirts, but girly pants would be over the top. Then it hit me. For some reason, I've hung on to my childhood sheets. These would make perfect PJ pants for Alex.

Shoot, I think I may make a pair for the whole family.  Who doesn't love cats in red sneakers?

On the agenda this weekend is to:

1. make Alex some pants
2. finish up some more wristlets
3. list those babies in my etsy shop
4. attend a few family birthday functions
5. catch up on my sleep
6. finish my Kim quilt square

Okay, I think that's enough for a three day weekend.  Before I wrap this up, I need to express a little gratitude.  This week I am grateful for:

• the little guardian angel looking out for my family (we deserve the idiot of the year award for leaving our van RUNNING in the parking lot of wally world while we did some shopping this past week.  Don't ask how, we don't even know.  But I do want to clarify that I was not the one driving (ha ha)).
• for losing 3.5 pounds on my first week back following weight watchers
• for light Laughing Cow French Onion and Garlic & Herb cheese (thank goodness they're 1 pt per serving)
• for all the blog love I've received this week.  You guys are the BEST cheerleaders.
• for the health of my kiddos' caretaker, who had a scare on her mamogram this week (she's fine and all is well, thank goodness)
• for the kids getting to spend a little time with my dad
• that my wicked sore throat and swollen glands are starting to feel a little better
• for Lily getting a perfect report card.  Go Lily!!

I hope you all have a great weekend!