artsy-crafty babe

studio spruce up

After seeing these curtains at the Cottage Living Idea House I  knew exactly how I wanted to use this "idea".  I've been wanting a skirt for my work table since I put it up to hide all the junk underneath, but nothing ever struck my fancy.  This was the perfect solution.  Boy, was this ever easy!

I pretty much copied the Idea Home curtains.  I used two yards of craft felt in the 72" width (which was 25% off at Hobby Lobby).   I cut it  with pinking sheers, threaded cheap yarn along the bottom edge, then attached it to my table top with thumb tacks.  I then covered the top edge (and all the thumb tacks) with a piece of green gingham ribbon.  Isn't it cute?  I couldn't be more pleased.

After that was complete my ugly gray office chair stuck out like a sore thumb.  What was I to do other than cover it?  This was yet another project on my to-do list that I never got around to.  I wish I had attempted this sooner because it literally took me an hour to complete.  What a difference a cutesy fabric makes!

Ahhh, I'm loving my spruced up space!

grrrrr...

The yarn shop opened back up today.  Lucky for me, it is situated right next door to my bank, and I just so happened to need to make a bank run this afternoon.  After pouring over dozens of free on-line patterns, I had settled on a very simple hat pattern to get my feet wet on knitting in the round.  I popped in the shop prepared with my little list of supplies.  When I requested the yarn, the lady at the shop told me that the weight of yarn I chose is too heavy for the climate down here.  She scooted me off into the pattern room to pick out another pattern.  Okay.  After looking through everything, I settled on something that looked fairly easy and they happened to have the brand of yarn that the pattern called for.  Okay.  First warning sign - I hated the color.  I had no desire to make Ava a cotton candy pink hat, but I went along with it because this "new" pattern called for it.  Second warning sign - the pattern did not call for circular needles.  The lady assured me this was okay because I could knit it using two circular needles.  Hmm, I didn't quite understand this, but I was in a hurry, so I went along.  I made my purchase, spending way more than I intended, walking out of there with a pattern, yarn I didn't like, and 2 pairs of circular needles.

After inspecting the pattern, I realized that it called for another size needle other than the size I purchased.  Okay, so that's something else I'll need to get.  This is turning into a much more complicated project than I intended.

When I got home I googled using two circular needles because I couldn't wrap my brain around what the woman was talking about when she briefly explained it.  Okay, I think I got the gist of that, so then I decided to cast on.  Not only do I already hate the color or this yarn, but it feels horrible.  Does this not look like shredded up toilet paper on the needle?  How in the heck am I supposed to count stitches on this crap?  102 stitches at that!  This is not going well.  I need to go back to the beginning.  I should have held my ground on my original plan.  So what if the yarn is too heavy for this climate, I'm sure Ava won't keep it on her head anyway.  It looks like another trip to the yarn shop is in order.

more big bags

It was a good weekend, a weekend where we did a lot of nothing, which is exactly what I needed.  We did the usual house stuff (cleaning, laundry), but I got the chance to plant my butt on the sofa and veg out.  The only bad part is that there wasn't much on TV, and we were too lazy to go out to rent a movie.  Oh well.  I learned that football on TV is much more tolerable with a knitting project in my hands, hee hee!

As you can see from the picture above, I did get a little sewing time.  These bags were already cut out and partially assembled, so it didn't take too much time.  I must say, I'm quite pleased with how these came out.  I tweaked the pattern again, because, well, I can't leave a pattern alone.  I am so in love with that town printed one, it's crazy!  I'm going to have a hard time letting that one go.  Denim + buildings + red rick-rack + yellow ticking (the lining), oh, I love it so!  For the other bag, I think I was channeling my inner granny, but I still love it.  That black background floral is gorgeous.  Both of these are going in the shop with the other two, probably Monday afternoon, if I get the chance.

This was my first chance to play with Richelle since her return from the shop.  She sewed through those layers of denim like it was nothing.  What a relief it is to have the old girl back in business!

thriftin' + moo

I didn't plan on going to the thrift store today.  My plan was to stop in at the yarn shop to pick up some circular needles and some yarn to start on a hat.  You can imagine my surprise when there was a "For Lease" sign in front of the store and a note on the door.  I pulled in to read the note.  Thankfully, they're not closing, but moving to a new location.  Whew!  I was relieved, but mad because I couldn't buy anything!!  So, with shopping on my mind, I went to the thrift store.  I didn't do as well as usual, but it wasn't bad.  Pictured above are two sheets and three pillowcases (there are 2 of the polka dots).

Better than the linens was this big lot of trims and zippers.  A few of these are really cool, like that navy & white rick-rackish bias trim right on top.  All these are sitting on a 4 yard piece of rust colored twill, which was a steal.

I haven't only been spending my cash on thrift stuff, I also received my new MOO cards and stickers this week.  I love MOO!  This is my second set of cards, my first set of stickers.  They both turned out great.

Okay, I think I've spent enough moolah on myself this week.  Shhhh, don't tell Matt!!  What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

first scarf - done!

My first knitting project is finished!  YAY!!  I started this at the end of July, right before my trip to California. The pattern I chose was from a teen "learn how to knit" book.  I figured that if it was written to teach a teenager how to knit, I could probably do it. 

It is amazing that it's finished, considering the state that I found it in yesterday.  My little inquisitive 3 year old son decided he wanted to try some knitting.  I found my almost completed scarf on the floor, partially unraveled, both needles OUT of my work, with my working ball of yarn along with another ball of yarn all twisted and tangled around the needles.  I was furious!  He knows better to mess with my knitting.  If I had left it out in his reach, shame on me, but he had to leap tall buildings with a single bound to get to my project.  I was too upset to take a photo of it, though I should have.  Once I got all the yarn untangled and the work back on my needles I was a happy camper.  Then Alex asked "Is you happy now, Mama?"  Yes dear, Mama is happy, don't you EVER mess with my knitting again!!  My boy is going to give me a run for my money, that's for sure.

The yarn I chose isn't ideal, it's the cheap wool from Hobby Lobby, but the knitting shop (the only in town) was closed the weekend before I left for the trip -I HAD to bring something with me.  Now that this scarf is finished, I give myself permission to move on to a new project.  What to tackle next?  Suggestions?  Being a newbie to the yarn/knitting world, I have no idea where to start, but I'm extremely excited at the possibilities!!

about the blog...

Ali tagged me to do this blog meme, which I thought was very interesting.  Here it goes:

1. Do you promote your blog?  Not really.  I have my blog link in my email signature and I have it linked on my flickr account and etsy shop, but I don't go out of my way to do anything special for it.  Rarely do I talk about my blog to people mostly because I dislike saying "artsy-crafty babe".  Confession time - I HATE the name of my blog.  I don't know what I was thinking when I chose it, but now that I have it, I feel like I'm stuck.  Oh well.
2. How often do you check hits? Not too often.  I only do it when I'm really bored or don't have anything else to look up on the web.  I'd rather spend my time reading blogs :-)  When I do check my stats, I find it pretty boring.  I don't get any bizarre search phrases or anything.
3. Do you stick to one topic?  Um, mostly crafting (sewing), some thrifting and family life.  I don't tend to go off on random topics or anything.  Call me lazy, but I don't want to blog about anything that I have to think too hard about.
4. Who knows that you have a blog?  Most people I know in real life know that I have a blog, though they don't read it.  I've never had a stranger tell me that they read my blog.  That would weird me out.
5. How many blogs do you read?  Way too many!  As now I have 235 feeds in my bloglines, and I read more than that.  See, this is why I don't check my stats!
6. Are you a fast reader?  I guess so, though I tend to skim most blogs more than read every single word.  I like the pretty pictures.  This is why I choose magazines over books any day.
7. Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?  Nah, the most technical thing I do is have a custom header.
8. Do you blog anonymously?  Nope.  It's all me.  I don't believe I've ever mentioned my last name, but Beki is my real first name and I use my real kids names and pictures.  I'm not too worried about my or my kids safety.  I worry more about someone in our everyday lives doing harm because that's usually the case, isn't it? (not that there's anyone I suspect or anything!!)
9. To what extent do you censor yourself?  I censor myself somewhat.  There are plenty of topics about my life that I don't discuss.  Also, I don't tend to curse on my blog, though I let lots of choice language fly out of my mouth!
10. The best thing about blogging?  By far, the best thing is the interaction with other like minded souls!  I don't just blog to say "look what I did" (though at times it seems that way), but I blog to make connections, to share, to converse.  I view blogging as a dialog, not a one sided thing.  Blogging has also been a road to self discovery.  I have learned more about myself in these few years than I ever could have imagined.  My eyes have been opened not only to myself, but to others as well.  Because I blog, I think that I am more observant of my everyday life and appreciate it.  I can honestly say that blogging has been life changing for me.

I'd love to know how you'd answer these questions.  Please, play along!

little tan jumper

This weekend I was able to sew a little something for Ava.  With fall on the horizon, I've been having the itch to make a little dress.  It didn't come out how I originally envisioned, but I'm pleased with the results.  It's a little big on her, but there's no doubt that she'll grow into it.

The main fabric is from that thrifted fabric I found last week, the bias binging is cheapo fabric from the dollar table of an un-named big box store, and the little owls are from Japan.  Cute combo, huh?  I threw in the buttons for good measure.

Here's Miss Ave Rose in action, playing in the rocks.  You'd better believe that those little pockets were FULL of rocks by the time she came inside.  Is there anything better to put in little pockets other than rocks?  I think not!  Which reminds me, I have some rocks to sweep up...

whew!

Is the school year over yet?  No, wait, it just started!  Y'all, I don't know how I'm going to make it this year.  This week is the first week where everything is happening - boy, am I ever exhausted.  AND, I only have 1 kid doing "stuff"!!!  Here's a little rundown:

• Monday - Matt has football practice, then class (3 hrs)
• Tuesday - after football practice Matt & Lily have soccer practice (he's the coach, like he has time for that!)
• Wednesday - Matt has football and class (another 3 hrs), Lily has religion
• Thursday - Matt's football game, Lily has dance
• Friday - Matt has football practice, then NOTHING, thank goodness
• Saturday - NOTHING
• Sunday - Church, then Lily's soccer games

The good news is that soccer only lasts about 2 months, then we won't have that to deal with until spring, and football will be over with at about the same time, but then basketball will take it's place.  With Matt's coaching and classes, we don't get to see him much.  That's the worst part of it all.  Poor guy.  On top of the assignments he has for the classes he's taking, he also has lessons to plan and papers to grade for the classes he's teaching.  I'll be so happy when he finishes this program, what an accomplishment that will be!  I am finding my groove with the little ones and the running around we have to do.  Yesterday I managed to do my grocery shopping while Lily is at dance, since the dance studio is right near the grocery store. Two tired kids at the end of the day in a grocery store isn't the best combination, but we made it work.  There was a 10 minute temper tantrum (with everyone looking at me while I politely smiled) and a spilled drink on aisle 3, but we made it.

You probably think I'm crazy, but even with all that's going on I've got a few craft projects in the works.  It's the possibility of working on them in the evenings that gets me through the day.  That's my time to unwind and decompress.  My cheap back-up machine has been serving me well since Richelle is in the shop.  Did I mention that the man who is fixing her is 84 years old?  I wasn't expecting her back any time soon, but I got a call yesterday saying that she's ready.  We should be reunited on Monday.  Wahoo!   I celebrated by ordering her some new feet.  That sounds weird, doesn't it?

Oh well, it's Friday, the weekend is ahead, and I have very little planned.  Amen to that!!

thrifty thursday

As usual, my recent thrifting trip did not disappoint!  I tell ya, I'm beginning to fear that my good luck streak will end.  Until it does, I'm going to milk it for all it's worth!!

Pillowcases:

I like the floral the best.  I thought Lily might like the other (she does).

A curtain panel and some fabric:

The curtain fabric is a bit faded, but it's still nice.  I'm sure it would make a great bag lining.  When I saw the tan fabric on the right I immediately thought it would be great as a swing top for Ava.

More linens:

The best part about this is that it's a set - a full flat sheet along with two pillowcases.  I love that soft pink. 

I saved the best for last, the pièce de résistance:

Vintage kiddy fabric!!!  It was so fabulously hideous, I couldn't pass it up!  You can't really tell from the photo, but this is a BIG print.  It's even louder in person (the incandescent light softens it a bit).  I have no clue what I'm going to do with this.

I love this little (big) snail, so cute!  And the flowers?  Love them all!!

Okay, you can all be jealous now, hee hee!!

just throwing this out there...

One of the things that I love most about this crafting blog community is how open everyone is with sharing ideas and expertise. Being a self-taught sewer, most of the sewing knowledge I’ve gained, aside from my own trial and error, has been through reading about sewing online. My first real lessons came from being a member of NMSL, Nursing Mom’s Sewing List. Rowena, a longtime member, is a wealth of information, as is everyone on the list.  It's a great place to learn about garment sewing, for sure.

 

I am most certain that I wouldn’t have the skills I have today had it not been for what was shared with me. So, if there is anything I do that you’d like instruction on, please feel free to ask. I often make assumptions that you already know how to do something, when in reality, you could be just like me, or rather, how I was just a short time ago (scratching my head wondering how in the heck to do that). Believe me, I’m still that way quite often!  Though I feel fairly confident in my sewing skills, there is still sooooo much I've yet to learn.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m not real good at following instructions (even my own). I’d rather look at a picture and try to figure it out than read the words, which usually confuse me more.  Hopefully, if I try to explain something, I won't end up confusing you.

 

I know that I may not do things the “proper” way, but it’s a way that works for me. Perhaps you have a way that’s better, if so, please share. One of my hesitations in doing tutorials is that I’m afraid that I’m doing something wrong. But the more I thought about that, it occurred to me how silly that was. So what if I do it wrong, if it works, then so be it! When I look up new recipes, rarely do I ever make one exactly as it is written. I usually look at 3-4 recipes, pick and choose what I like, then go from there. Sewing techniques can be the same way.

 

No, I don’t want to turn this into a sewing advice column or anything, but I do want you to know that I am here if you have any questions. I can’t promise that I know the answer, but I’ll take a stab at it.