Compelled to craft

Blessed

2012-01-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

I am just so very blessed I can hardly contain it! My business is growing nicely (I was afraid January would be a drop from December, but my month total to date is already more than December's total) and I adore being my own boss (I'm really nice to myself): I'm eating well and exercising and very happy about it; I have more energy; I have grandkids just around the corner and get lots of good visiting time with Erin and sometimes Nate; I'm sleeping well; I get to spend time with Suzie & Matt in two weeks in lovely, temperate San Francisco; Zan just found out she's got the fellowship in DC after graduation that she wanted so much; and I just figured out how to sew in an invisible zipper and make it look good! Wahoo! God is good. :)

Oh, and I love being surrounded by fabric and working with it every day.

Reading Update

2012-01-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

I've started on the readings Zan sent me. The first one is called A Neural Basis for Social Cooperation. Let me know if you'd like to read along with me; it will be super fun, or at least enlightening.

I need a quick break

2012-01-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

. . . so I'm going to write for a few minutes.

On Monday of this week I started a new food plan (I don't use the word diet because it implies temporariness) that is already making me feel better: The 17-Day Diet. I already have more energy and my blood pressure has been a bit lower this week, plus I'm losing weight; what a great combo! Now the challenge is to find enough different ways to cook chicken and eggs and fish to keep me from getting bored. Thanks tons to MDF Marilee Durrant for sharing this food plan with me. :)

I'm busily preparing for the Valentine's Oh Sweet Sadie boutique. This time I'm redesigning my booth and am super excited to work on my ideas next week. I bought 2"x 6" white grid wall and plan to use lots of burlap (Erin found a huge bolt at a yard sale!) and giant paper flowers, plus arrange things by fabric rather than by type (ironing board cover, pillow cover, etc.). I really want it to have a strong visual impact both from a distance and close up.

This morning I asked Erin if she'd do freelance work for me, preparing items for shipping and I'm super excited that she said, "yes"! Even though I'm not yet making enough to totally support myself, I'm realizing that my time could generate more income by developing and posting new products rather than doing the shipping. I'm curious to see how it goes. I'm also planning to ask that same amazing MDF Marilee if she has time to do some of the sewing in prep for the boutique so I can have a nice full booth while still having time to redesign the booth. Wish me luck!

Ten minutes of thoughts

2012-01-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit backed up on orders after the holidays (a good problem) so I'm giving myself just ten minutes to write about what's up and what's on my mind.

First, I'm a bit overwhelmed and sobered and excited all at the same time about what I learned when I attended/observed 2 days of a short-term class at Harvard for which Zan is CAing (course assistant--same thing as a TA--teaching assistant). I don't know the course name; the topic--the portion I heard--was about including women in governmental and community strategy and planning following war. I had the privilege, the honor, to sit with and meet and hear the stories of women from all around the globe who have experienced war and its aftereffects personally. The professor, Swanee Hunt, was the US ambassador to Austria during the time of the Bosnian war and was directly and personally involved in observing, negotiating, etc.

I haven't yet read the course materials, but I was able to listen to the lectures and discussions and watch two movies about the Bosnian war--one a documentary, I Came to Testify, about the women who came to The Hague to testify regarding the systematic rape of women as a weapon of war (for the first time rape was recognized and prosecuted as a war crime), the other a soon-to-be-released feature film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, also about rape in the Bosnian war written and produced by Angelina Jolie.

None of what I heard and saw was easy to hear or see. I've been extremely sheltered, and have sheltered myself, from what is happening today in other parts of the world. I've been comfortable being apolitical, excusing myself on the grounds that knowing bad things gives me anxiety and on the false belief that all politicians and politics are corrupt and that there's really nothing I can do to change anything.

I no longer believe that and I'm committed to following whatever path God takes me on to help make the world better. My first step is to educate myself about the recent and current situation of women in war ravaged areas in the world and about women in politics. I'm going to start with Zan's course reading and go from there. I also want to find a handful of other people who would like to read and discuss and research with me, people with a variety of experiences and opinions so we can debate and challenge each other.

Time's up, in fact I took an extra 10 minutes. Thinking takes time. :)

Another of zan

2011-12-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

I adore this girl.

Zan outside her school

2011-12-31T11:28:00.001-08:00

Kindle Sleeve with Luscious Iota Fabric

2011-12-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

New Kindle Sleeve in My Etsy Shop

I'm super excited that I just posted a completely new product in my etsy shop: a padded sleeve for e readers! Charlet very kindly let me borrow her son's Kindle so I could finally take photos and get this first one posted. Now I've got a stack of other fabrics I can't wait to sew up; I chose pretty nitchey fabrics that just sort of tickled me or otherwise said, "I'd make a great gadget sleeve!" We'll see how it goes.

I'm also super excited to report that sales continue to grow and I'm more than halfway to the monthly sales I need to support myself! Wahoo! I'm heading to Boston to spend Christmas with Zan and while I'm there I'm going to do a lot of research on the internet to begin making some connections with bloggers who might be willing to feature my products on their blogs, including sewing and quilting blogs--an idea I hadn't even thought of which the fabulous Kristina Werner suggested. Thanks, Kristina!

Lucky me!

2011-11-29T12:06:00.001-08:00

This is me taking a walk in my lovely neighborhood in the middle of the day with short sleeves in late November! Wahoo!

And poor Ivy has a cold in her eyes

2011-11-23T18:38:00.001-08:00

Thankfully she only looks miserable but seems to feel okay. She was a big help tonight with licking the bowl after the turkey dipping in chocolate. She'll be one tear old on Sunday and is a pure delight to me.

Levi makes place cards

2011-11-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Can you figure out Levi's dad's name from this card?

Levi makes treat turkeys

2011-11-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

Can you see a turkey in there somewhere?

Take me home!

2011-10-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

These two chairs are looking for a good home. Text me at 801 913 2351 and they are yours for free!

Yes, Jen, two sales IS good!

2011-09-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

womantowoman.etsy.com

At our weekly picnic yesterday I told Jen I had sold two lanyards; she looked at me with a quizzical expression, wondering how to respond. "Is that good?" she hesitantly asked. She wasn't sure if she should commiserate or celebrate with me.

I've got to tell you that I'm pretty darn excited to have sold two lanyards, three as of a few minutes ago! That means I get to donate $3 to the non-profit program, Sister Somalia, (Suzie volunteers her time with A Thousand Sister, a non-profit that helps support Sister Somalia) plus that means that I'm a few dollars further away from having to go get a job. Wahoo!

I really like self-employment, especially self-employment subsidized by SU, not to mention naps subsidized by SU.

Getting organized

2011-09-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just put together this shelf in the basement to help me get all organized and tidy for my home business. It feels good.

New Machines

2011-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today I bought an industrial fabric cutter at Daines sewing center down in Murray so that I can cut multiple layers of of ironing board pad fabric at once. Right now I have to cut each one separately with my scissors and it takes a LOT of time! I'm super excited to try out the new cutter tomorrow and then to serge them on my new serger that arrived last week! I'll be sewing so fast you probably won't even be able to see me. :)

So while I was in Daines I saw two machines that I really REALLY wanted: one was a used Juki straight stitch industrial machine that is also as fast as lightning for a mere $375 which I promptly bought; the other was a ginormous Singer bookbinding sewing machine that just made me drool with it's beauty and size and cost close to $2,000 and would pretty much fill up any room it was in which I refrained from buying although it was really tough! I'll probably dream of large sewing machines all night!

What does $500 worth of thread look like?

2011-09-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

It looks like this! Twazy, huh!

Halloween is coming!

2011-09-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

And I've got my first bit of decor out!

Actually it's about time; my current cover is SO ready for a wash!

Levi

2011-08-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ivy

2011-08-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Developments . . .

2011-08-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here's my first version of a self padded and elasticized cover. I really like how it fits. Is there anyone out there who would be willing to test drive this cover? You can keep it when we're done; I just need you to use it quite a bit in the next week and give me feedback. The first taker gets it!

New bolt of Joel dewberry yumminess

2011-08-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yum

2011-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Brady's incredible raspberry jam makes everything taste even better!

Thanks for sharing, Brady.

Owen

2011-08-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

And here's Owen! Handsome, huh!

Anna

2011-08-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

I remembered to take pictures of our picnic with jen and kids this week! Here's Anna: isn't she beautiful!

Suzie and Matt and such

2011-08-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

I just realized I totally forgot to take any pictures while Suzie and Matt where here! Darn it! You'll just have to believe me that we had a lovely, lazy visit: went to two movies on Saturday, played games at Erin's house, slept in, and took little walks with the dog and the kids. Their car was packed full, so we didn't even attempt to do any yard saling on Saturday; Zan will be here next weekend and I'm wondering if she'll want to do any yard saling.

Did you know google has a calendar?! It's great! I just set up my new, revised v 1.1 schedule which now includes less nap time and more time to enjoy dinner with family and friends.

I'm recommitting myself this week to working all of the hours I've scheduled. It amazes me how easily the days slip by so quickly, filled with family and friends. Finding balance is always a challenge for me; I think that this new schedule better accommodates time with others as long as I just watch the clock and get back to work when it's scheduled.

Just so this post isn't too boring, here's an old picture you might get a kick out of: this is my graduation from Utah State University with a bachelor's degree back in 1993. Along with me and the girls, my mom, brother David, and sisters Kristine (glasses) and Sarah are also in the picture.
At the time there were only 10 children among us; now there are 22 plus 5 8/9 grandbabies! Go Hogans!

Opening Order with Moda Fabric: Wahoo!!

2011-08-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Moda sales rep is coming to my house this morning to set up a wholesale account for me and to take my opening order (a mere $750 minimum). Here are a few of the pretty fabrics I'm ordering. Have I mentioned that I really like fabric?

My next account to set up will be with Michael Miller: I've go to get me some of that Sandi Henderson goodness!

Better go hop in the shower so I don't scare the poor rep right out of his wits!

60 headbands

2011-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Aren't they luscious!

20 more!

2011-08-19T20:14:00.001-07:00

Fruits of my labor

2011-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a little moment of panic when I realized that I'd have to sew ironing board covers for at least 6 hours a day 5 days a week every week of the year to support myself and so far this week I had hardly sewn at all. Luckily Erin talked me through it and reminded me that right now I need to spend more time building up channels for selling and testing new products and that I've got my severance pay to get me through from now to then. Ahhhh, I felt much better--the joy of having a wise and wonderful grown daughter living nearby.

I want to remember to relax and have faith that I'll have everything I need. I don't have to do more than I can and that's comforting.

All that said, I still set a goal of completing 20 ironing board covers today in preparation for Oh, Sweet Sadie in two weeks and I'm delighted to say I did it with several interruptions to eat ice cream (this is becoming a daily event--okay twice today: breakfast and dinner) and think about taxes (self-employment tax is crazy high) and read about taxes (with a home business I can deduct part of my interest and some other home expenses) and think about houses (should I keep mine or move to a smaller place or move in with Erin and Nathan while I build my business) and walk Ursa--twice--and talk to Joellyn and Mom and Sarah and Becca and Erin and order some fabric and refill some prescriptions. I made it and it feels good. Very good.

Tomorrow I'd better think about ice cream, or rather less about ice cream. :)

And the first magically transforming Halloween pillowcase treat bag sells!

2011-08-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just think it's so fun when I sell the first of any item. :) What a rush to know someone out there likes what I made.

On another note, I met Jen Foxley and Anna and Owen at the park for lunch today and FORGOT to take a picture! Dang it! They are all so darn cute! I loved getting to sit on the ground under a shade tree and hear all about what Jen's up to and to tell her about my ideas. And the best part was watching Anna go up and down the swirly slide while Owen did the bear crawl on the bark since he refuses to walk. In fact we had such a good time we are making a standing date: every Tuesday at noon as long as the weather holds we'll picnic at the park. And I'll remember to take a picture next time so you can enjoy them, too.

Stacked

2011-08-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

I love fabric. I mean I REALLY love fabric. Here's a stack of fabric I bought this morning to make lanyards. Aren't they fun!

New Job Jitters

2011-08-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's kind of funny and definitely unexpected, but I've got the new job jitters tonight! Because I've had family visitors ever since I lost my job, I haven't actually had a real work day yet of working for myself. As I was walking home from Erin's after watching The King's Speech, I realized I felt some butterflies in my stomach about being solely responsible for my success. It feels just a mite overwhelming (or to answer Julia Stile's younger sister in 10 Things I hate about You, I could just say whelming since they mean the same thing).

Anyway, I'm going to take it as a good sign that I feel jittery about starting a new job and go jump in bed for what I hope will be a good rest. First thing on the agenda tomorrow: make a list of done and nearly done things I can post on etsy, prioritize the list, and get started in order. I will also begin clearing out Zan's room upstairs to get it ready to rent. Let me know if you know anyone looking for a room to rent in the lovely Daybreak community. Cindy (was Rhodes) Carroll, my friend and current renter, can vouch for it here. :) And I can vouch for her, too: it's a joy having her around.

Check it out!

2011-08-11T10:06:00.001-07:00

Here's my fancy schmancy business plan, made all by myself! Cool, huh!

And here it is in readable format:

I will sell the following quantities each month:

Wholesale ironing board covers (IBCs): 125
Custom IBCs to hotels, etc: 100
Retail IBCs on Etsy: 50
Retail IB pads on Etsy (compelledtocraft.etsy.com): 20 (there's not enough profit in the pads to sell them wholesale; I just offer them as a service on Etsy)
Vintage resale on Etsy (imavintage.etsy.com), KSL, Craig's list, Ebay: $500 worth (values vary) (this is to support my garage saling habit without overfilling my house, garage, life!)
Lanyards: 100
Various household decor on still-to-be-stocked Etsy (househomemade.etsy.com): $1000 worth (values vary)

And here are the hours I'll work:

Monday through Friday: 7am to noon and 4pm to 8pm, except Wednesday date-night with Levi when I won't work in the afternoon ). I've always wanted a quiet afternoon for lunch with friends, a siesta, grocery shopping, errands, a movie.
Saturday: garage saling 6:30 am to 11:00 and posting vintage items for sale from 4pm to 8pm

This is what I'm starting with and will adapt as I'd like. That's the joy of being my own boss! Wahoo!

Cousins waiting for trax . . .

2011-08-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

. . . after filling up at taco bell. Lots of cousins!
PS: the man is not a cousin or an auntie or a sister or a daughter, although after seeing all of the fun we were having I'm sure he wishes he were!

Ivy scrunches her nose and makes the cutest little snorting sounds!

2011-08-10T15:23:00.001-07:00

Vocational Musings

2011-08-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

So this new opportunity to be self-employed has really got me thinking about what I want to do and how I want to do it; about what's important to me and what's not important; about how I want to feel and about what I don't want to feel. I've realized that I tend to look back on my life with embarrassment and self-criticism rather than appreciating what I've learned from each experience, especially the tough experiences and the mistakes.

I've been thinking that I'd like to record the coming journey in an open public forum, to hear myself say aloud, "this is what I'm thinking and doing and I refuse to feel embarrassed about it today or ever." I give myself permission, in fact I give myself the directive to make lots of mistakes so I can learn lots and lots of things to make my life better and happier. I expect to do some dumb things and I expect to have some hard times. I know I get depressed and wallow in self-pity. I also know I always pick myself up, remember god loves me and I can love me too, and move forward again. God is taking me places I didn't have the guts to take myself and I'm pretty excited for the trip. :)

So here's my declaration:
I'm building a business for myself, doing what I love the most: making things. I'm putting love and good intent into every item I make, whether it's the first of the 10,000th. I'm partnering with a non-profit that serves African women. I'm living the life god wants for me because he is smarter than I am.

Enough rambling for tonight. As Tiny Tim said, "God bless us, every one."

Life is good.

Ivy likes olives and chicken. I like ivy!

2011-08-08T17:03:00.001-07:00

Cousins and an aunt (or is she a niece or a mother or a daughter?): a real Mormon family

2011-08-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Erin, Ivy, and Daniel meet for the first time and immediately sense a family bond, in fact Daniel is comfortable enough with his cousin Erin to eat her shirt.

2011-08-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

All Fired Up
Okay, I think I'm pretty funny. I decided my first post after being laid off should say something about getting fired. :) You'll just have to bear with me.

So here's what I've done today, besides celebrating Levi's first ever poop in the potty (bonus of being self-employed: I could run right over to admire said event), getting the oil changed and tires rotated, and feeling just the tiniest bit adrift: Magical Halloween Pillowcase that turns into a Trick or Treat bag!

I've got my first one posted in my etsy shop, compelledtocraft.etsy.com, with plans for more to come. Do you like it?

Suzie's graduation

2011-07-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Quick Update

2010-07-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here it is 5 months since the last post and I can hardly believe it. Levi had his second birthday, Erin is going to have a baby girl in November (or December?), I did my first boutique (Oh, Sweet Sadie show in May), enjoyed a lovely family at my house for several weeks (including the arrival of a wonderful baby), and, just yesterday, finished ALL of the preparations for a huge display at my work convention this coming week! Wow! It's been a wonderful spring and early summer!

Zan has settled in in Boston (well, actually nearby but I can't recall the name--just one block away from Cambridge) and will arrive here next Saturday for a lovely long visit. She's going to help me prepare for and be part of Craft Lake City on August 14th. I've got big plans for art smocks and oilcloth bags and some new ironing board covers for the show and am super excited to be part of it this year.

Well, I should probably post a picture, since that's what I always like on blogs. Here's a recent one of the boy (as he calls himself then he wants me to get him out of his car seat: he says, in an questioning tone, "the boy?" as if I could possibly forget him!). This is Levi at his art desk in my craft room, wearing his favorite reading glasses to provide the very best view possible. :)

Sweet!!!

2010-02-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

I finally just posted in etsy my first project pocket, something I've been working on for a couple of weeks now.

I really think it turned out cute and now I want to fill my own closet with them. Wahoo! I've got four more different fabric ones that just need the flower and button, then I can photo and post them too. Oh, yeah. On one of them I need to fix the closure--I sewed the velcro on the wrong side! Dang! Anyway, I'm pretty excited to see if these will sell, if others will think they are as handy as I do.

Next on the list: set up a photo spot with Dirk's help. I bought the lightbulb and clampy thing he told me to get, so I'm ready to go. Wahoo!

Happy President's Day!

Beginning of a New Era

2010-02-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a quick visit at Erin's. As I walked down the alley, enjoying the rooflines above me, I realized that I was treading a new path that would quickly become a well-worn trail for me and, I hope, for Levi, too. What a joy it is to have them so nearby, to drop by for a little bedtime chat, then to walk home along a clean and inviting alleyway directly to my own back door. Oh, I am blessed.

Tomorrow I'm going to tend Levi at his house--I'll take the camera.

Warning: This post is painfully honest, read at your own risk

2010-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

Shame

I’m sitting here in my craft room, absolutely overwhelmed (I could say just “whelmed” and it would mean the same thing, but you might think I was half asleep as well as overwhelmed if I wrote whelmed unless you, too, are a dictionary freak) with all of the fabric and other crafting supplies I’ve accumulated in the 22 months since I’ve lived in this house. Before moving here, I purged and purged, taking many, many loads of stuff to DI, selling some on Craigslist, and giving away a lot more. It felt good, cleansing, refreshing. Now I’m back at the point where my possessions are weighing me down, making me feel sluggish and depressed, shameful. At my worst moment, I wonder what is wrong with me that I keep buying fabric and various other craft things, always on sale of course (arghhhhhhh), far beyond what I’ve got the time to use; somewhere in my mind I live in a fantasy land where someday I will have all of the time and energy in the world to make all of the projects I have in mind, not to mention numerous duplicates of each project since I nearly always buy enough to make MANY iterations of the same thing. Today the excuse is that I can sell it on etsy; who knows what it will be tomorrow. The bottom line: I buy too much stuff.

I’m pretty sure the reason I buy too much stuff is fear that the day will come when I can’t buy what I want, so I’d better get it now while I can. The fear comes from a long period in my life where I didn’t have enough, where what I wanted or needed or even thought mattered little and where I felt I had no control, or very little, over the direction and circumstances of my life. Maybe in buying too much stuff, I’m thumbing my nose at that time in my life, saying, in essence, “I can have anything I want, so just back off.” I think that also implies a measure of selfishness or self-will and self-pity also, of wanting to indulge myself since, poor me, I’ve had such a rough time.

Well, I’m here today to say, enough is enough!!! I’ve had it with the past directing my today and my future. I don’t want to feel sorry for myself. I don’t want to live in fear of scarcity. I don’t want my possessions to drag me down, rather to enrich my life and the lives of others I love. So with that in mind, right now I’m going to get rid of fully half, if not more, of my fabric stash. And I pray to God that I can live in joy rather than fear and not rely on purchases of fabric and craft supplies for a temporary lift. Here’s to purging—hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

PS: Let me know if you want any of the fabric I’m purging, free of course; the rest will go to DI.

Home. Sweet, sweet home.

2010-01-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful and inspiring trip to CHA in Anaheim, I'm glad to be back home. As soon as I got to the house today, Erin, Nate, and Levi took me over to their new house for a tour: they signed the papers yesterday and got the keys today which means I will soon be rattling around here in my house alone.

Their home is simply beautiful. I'll post pictures this weekend for all to enjoy. I think I'm probably making Erin crazy by telling her over and over how lucky she is. And I'm incredibly lucky to have them a mere .17 miles away (as in about 1/8 of a mile). Wahoo!!

During the tour, Levi flushed every toilet MANY times while saying his newest word: potty. He's enamored of the new toilets and had a hard time dragging himself away to show me his new bedroom, the linen closet, and the pantry. I wonder how long his fascination with the potty will last . . . maybe long enough to get him potty trained???

Here's a pic of the bald guy just before I left for CA. He got away from me during a diaper change . . . and headed straight for the sword.

The Bald Guy Models Headbands

2010-01-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

At dinner tonight Levi took the headband out of my hair and put it in his--or more accurately he put it in his stubble. Anyway, I said to Erin, "I hope Levi doesn't grow up mad at us for letting him wear headbands." She doesn't think it will be an issue, especially since Levi tends to wear them more like a helmet or a sweatband than a hairband. So with that intro, here's the bald guy modeling some headbands. Pretty sharp looking, huh!

Sadly for me, he flat refused to put on the one with big white flowers. Party pooper.

Ribbon Headband Tutorial

2010-01-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

This morning I wanted to try making a headband with a row of gathered ribbon glued to it, so I cut a couple of yards of a wide ribbon and ran it through the sewing machine with a long basting stitch. When I pulled up the thread to gather the ribbon, it started curling and swirling in such a pretty way, I glued it down just as it was rather than straightening out the gathers as I had planned to do. It was such a happy accident.

I used a fairly soft ribbon with a fairly loose weave and it is about 1-1/2" inches wide. I don't know how it would work with other types of ribbon. If you try it, I'd love to see the results! Since this was so fun to make, I wrote up a tutorial and I listed a DIY kit on etsy. Cool, huh.

The “I Could Make That” Curly Ribbon Headband Kit Tutorial

Kit Supplies:

Headband

2 yards of ribbon (I used 1-1/2" wide, striped ribbon)

Needle

Thread

This clear and concise list of instructions

Additional Supplies:

Glue gun

Matches

Seal the ends of the ribbon with a match by quickly passing the flame along the cut edges.

By hand or by machine, do a gathering stitch in the center of the ribbon along the full length of the ribbon. On the machine, use the longest stitch length. By hand, keep the stitches about 1/8” long.

Pull the gathering stitch until the length of ribbon measures 12 inches. Do NOT try to flatten out the ribbon as you pull the gathering stitch, rather let the ribbon naturally curl around and onto itself as it pleases. Knot the ends of your gathering thread.

Arrange the gathered ribbon evenly.

Starting at the top center of the headband and working about 1” at a time, apply hot glue to the top of the headband and gently press the curly, gathered ribbon into place. Continue to glue and press until all of the ribbon is attached.

Trim any hanging threads.

Put the headband in your hair and go admire your handiwork in the mirror. Aren’t you an amazing crafter!

I'm Back!

2010-01-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that I just listed a headband on etsy--I want so badly to keep putting fresh items up as often as possible. It's a silky, lacy headband that would be perfect for a wedding. I kind of like the mix of sizes and blossom styles on this headband and want to try another one in something besides white.

I brought home some houndstooth fabric and some dark shiny stuff from a Phoenix garage-sale jacket that I think will make a cool headband. In fact, I brought home several men's shirts from a garage sale that I'm just itching to upcycle--I've got a girl's ruffled skirt in mind--we'll see what happens.

Heading to Phoenix tomorrow morning

2010-01-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'll be gone for a full week, first with work stuff then the last two days with Kristine and family. I've never even been to their house before if you can believe that. Good thing work is taking me there since I'm not good at getting there on my own. I can't wait to see pictures and hear all about EB and Jackie's wedding and to meet Jackie in person.

Yesterday I hung up some of the new Valentine's banner I made--here's the view from where I sit at my computer in the craft room:

I really like holidays. :)

And Levi really likes sticky dimensionals (note the BIG chain Levi is wearing--he's REALLY attached to it these days, especially when worn with his highly favored Tigger costume). It is serious business placing dimensionals on yourself and on Grandma's pant leg; not a job to be taken lightly or without the aid of a heavy chain:

It's Alive!

2010-01-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here it is Saturday morning and I've got a load of things to do this morning, but I just can't get started without reporting on the serger: it works!

The color coded threading diagram was amazingly helpful, right up until I got to the "red" thread path. Blue: check. Green: check. Yellow: check. Red: arghhhhhh.

I turned to the included manual (the one for a Bernette 1200 rather than my machine, the 334 ds), where, lo and behold (what does "lo and behold" mean anyway? anyone know?) I found this little gem: press the easy threader lever, draw up thread, and release the lever. Easy threader lever?

A close look (is there still oil on my nose) revealed a minute little bit of metal than when pressed shot out a whole new gizmo in the machine! Mystery solved!

The easy threader is circled--tiny, huh.

And here's the gizmo that shoots out.

And true to its name, once found, the easy threader lever was indeed easy.

Next challenge: figure out the thread tension.

New Old Serger

2010-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Since I just couldn't live another day without a serger, I bought one today, a used Bernette 334ds for a mere $105.00. According to the reviews, it's a real workhorse, the Cadillac of sergers. Wahoo!

She's a sweet machine, huh! Levi couldn't keep his busy little fingers off of it until Erin swept him off to bed.

Sadly, it came without a manual, so I'm going to see if I can figure out how to thread and sew on it on my own until the one I ordered arrives. Wish me luck!

Success!!!

2009-12-31T20:38:00.000-08:00

I got my first sale today!!! Wahoooooooooooooooo!

I guess you can see I'm a little excited. Some lovely person in Lethbridge, Canada, (some of my favorite people are Canadians; you know who you are), ordered a matching set of burps and bibs. Don't you just love her! I was so excited I even threw in one of the little ruffled onesies also, just to celebrate a first sale. I hope she likes it. Here's what they looked like all wrapped and ready to go:

Today I can also report day 4 of meeting my goals for the week; man, does that ever feel good.

And just for fun: here's what my little helper looks like today--front view and top view:

Goal Check

2009-12-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

Four more items posted on etsy. Wahoo!!!

Stitched bookmark

2009-12-30T08:08:00.000-08:00

Day three in a row! Wahoo!

Our craft today is brought to you by Renae Curtz, MDF who gave me the pretty little dish in the photo of the bookmark. YTR, Renae!

Inspired by this kitchen towel at Anthropologie, I wanted to try my hand at stitching onto a printed cotton. I did a little bird on a pincushion for Christy for Christmas and thought it was okay, but not as cool as I had hoped. So then I tried just stitching around the printed images of the fabric and, with this fabric design at least (I think it's a Heather Bailey fabric--can't find it online), quite liked the results.

I also figured out after making Christy's pincushion, the thread color needed to contrast highly from the fabric colors. I think the next step will be to stitch a piece large enough to make a dishtowel.

So Excited

2009-12-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

I found out today that I'm going to be featured on a blog later this month--well, actually I was invited to give away a heart wreath AND be featured. I'm super excited. Here's the wreath that will be in the giveaway on http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/: I figured it is well worth the giveaway to get some traffic at my etsy store. Oh, and somebody "hearts" my etsy shop! Wahoo! Baby steps to a first sale, I'm hoping. :)

I've been making these wreaths like there's no tomorrow, in fact today I actually ran out of straight pins even though I bought about 6 packages of them just last week. They are so super easy to make although they do take about 3 or 4 hours each and about 3 yards of wool-blend felt. I could make them out of the cheap acrylic felt, but I don't think they'd have the rich feel these have. I got the inspiration for the wreath from one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge which found the wreath on domestifluff. Kristin, the maker of the wreath, offers a great tutorial with good instructions and photos.I've gotta say, though, that I just don't have the patience for that, so I cut my circles with a Sizzix machine and the creatively named Circles #2 die: I can cut 6 at a time with that machine. Thank you, Sizzix! You are a lifesaver!

Update on goals:

I posted 4 new items on etsy this morning (still working through all of the bibs and burps I made months ago) and here I am posting on my blog. Ohh, it feels so good. I could really get used to this life of leisure, if only the paychecks would keep rolling in.

Goals for this week

2009-12-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

Since I have the whole week off of work (wahoo!), I've decided to kick start my etsy store (at long last--for 8 months I've had a bunch of photos taken by my uber-talented friend Kristina Werner just sitting there waiting to get uploaded! Arghhhh!). Here are my goals for the week:

1. List 4 items each day for a total of 20 this week
2. Post at least 1 project on my blog each day
3. Clean up my craft room (it was so bad this morning I couldn't even bear to take a "before" picture)

I'm happy to report that I'm starting out the week with a bang: I added baby boy and girl bibs and burps to my etsy store (compelledtocraft.etsy.com).

I posted some Valentine projects earlier today; and my craft room is MUCH cleaner tonight than it was this morning. Wahoo!!! I even had lots of help from {b} and still got it done. [grin]

Today {b}sat on my desk while I worked on a dark gray wreath for my living room, wearing (if it can be called that) a pair of glasses as he carefully emptied my tool mug. He makes me smile.

Valentines Decor

2009-12-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

Being the sucker I am for a good sale, I picked up four one-yard pieces of fabric in shades of pink and red last week, thinking I'd make a pennant banner for Valentine's Day decor--they were on clearance at The Material Girls quilt shop right here in town for a mere $3.00 a yard, minus an additional 20%, making them just $2.40 a yard. I simply couldn't resist. Then to my delight, the fabrics were just like the loaves and the fishes--they went on and on and on! I ended up with enough banner for the front and back porches (granted, my front porch is miniscule--we refer to it as "the servant's entrance") and the loft (I'll snap pics once the Christmas decor is down and the Valentine's is up).

With the leftovers I made a dozen 3-d heart ornaments.

Then with the leftovers of that I made two pretty kitchen towels.

Then with the leftovers of that, I pieced a little tree skirt for the ornament tree.

Then with the leftovers of that I made binding for the skirt.

And there are STILL leftovers!

That was perhaps the best $9.80 I've ever spent.

Zan!!!

2009-12-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'm just heading out to pick up Zan from the airport, coming to spend Christmas here from Belize. This is the first Christmas in three years that Zan will be home and I can hardly stand the excitement!

Button Overload

2009-11-06T17:03:00.001-08:00

Sometimes when I'm not home, I think about what I want to make next and it about kills me to BE not home. It's worst when I have a project in mind or half done--I absolutely itch to get at it! Such was the case with this seemingly simple lampshade project.

A couple of weeks ago I bought thousands of buttons (really--I'm embarrassed to admit the actual number) and hundreds of yards of ribbon (a sadly low estimate of the actual yardage--expect to see some ribbon projects here soon) at a clearance sale. Since then my mind has been racing with ideas for using them, hence the lampshade project.

Since the buttons, when augmented with some orange buttons, were the colors of my basement areas (craft room, sleeping room, bathroom) it seemed like a great idea to cover the plain little lampshade in the bedroom with buttons, a button mosaic.

So one evening I sat down to apply the buttons. An hour later I was still only about 1/4 of the way done! What I thought would be a quick project actually took 3 sittings and 3 boxes of glue dots! Arghhhhh! Fortunately I'm pleased with the finished project, so it was worth all of the effort. My skeptical daughter Suzie thinks the shade is now so heavy with buttons, it's likely to break through the table on which it sits and dent the cement beneath. Oh, ye of little faith, my Suzie!

Here's the lamp in all its buttoned glory:

And a close up of this thing of beauty:

Eat your heart out, my dear Suzie!

I felt like felting it, that's why

2009-10-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

When I first got into felting thrifted sweaters for crafting, my nephew asked, "why are you shrinking all of those sweaters?" I guess the answer is that I felt like it!

In the last couple of weeks I've found 5 wool sweaters at yard sales, four for 50 cents each and one for a mere quarter! After running them through a couple of hot cycles in the washer, they were fully felted and ready for crafting.

I've been wanting to try needle felting, so I used some of the sage sweater fabric to felt details onto a butterfly I cut with a Stampin' Up! butterfly die out of the lovely cream sweater fabric. Here's what it looks like all put together on a hair clip:

And then tonight I wanted to try adding a ruffle to a T-shirt, inspired by the blog, My Mama Made It. I quite like the results and am going to wear it to work tomorrow.

Erin is waiting for me to watch Levi now so she can sew a wedding gift for a friend. Hasta la vista!

Staycation Wahoo!!!

2009-09-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Right off the bat, you need to know that Levi is sitting on the desk next to the keyboard, so I'm blaming any wonkiness on him.

I just talked to Sarah on the phone and told her about all of the fun I'm having during my week of week off of work staycation: rearranging the craft room and buying a cutting table; putting together bookshelves for my sleeping room; spray painting garage sale frames; going to movies at noon and taking a nap every day! She wanted to see evidence and accused me of always saying I'll take pictures then I never to. Here's proof she's wrong and I'm right!

The new cutting table on bed risers to be easier on my back . . . It's 36" x 36" with really cool extensions that make it 36" by 72". Erin keeps upping the amount she'd pay me for it, but I'm holding firm.

And from another angle . . .

We moved over the central desk to make room for the table . . .

Dang, it always looks so messy.

My old bookshelf, but I like the combo of frames, etc. and the hooters picture from the salt lake city indie craft fair. . .. .

The latest bookcases with painted frames . . . and the garage sale duvet cover and the kiwi kiss side tables . . . I simply adore Kiwi Kiss.

Bed and tables again

Frames again . . . and yes, I do know the books aren't stacked the usual way. I have so many books and buy so many from the library that I really need to pack them into the shelves.

One more for the frames.

Now Levi and I are going to costco to buy wheat tortillas (thanks for the heads up, Amy) to eat with the savory pork (thanks for the recipe, Joellyn) we made in the crock pot. Yum yum.

Quarterly seems pretty good to me.

2009-09-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

It's only been three months since that last post so that means I'm on a pretty good quarterly schedule. It won't win me any prizes, but it's certainly doable and won't keep me awake at nights fretting about my blog. Now that would truly be a disaster!

I've kind of been stuck on trying to make the blog itself look better, so I stitched up a header with the blog title, then I realized it is way too square and should be much skinnier (hmmm--maybe that's a virtual reflection of my physical self . . .). Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, and thanks to the fabulous Dirk for photographing and editing the photo, I just plucked out the offending parts and ended up with a banner than works. At least it works enough to go with for now.

So there you have it--a fancy, schmancy header for a poor, ignored blog!

Summer Reading

2009-06-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Wahoo!! The Salt Lake County Library System has an ADULT summer reading program including prizes, a reading record, and a recycled art contest! I'm soooo doing it! My first book is Homefront by Chuck Logan, just because it is the one I found under my bed yesterday when I needed a new read. :) So far it's pretty good--nothing spectacular but not so bad that I have to skip right to the end. I finished our book club book while in Moldova and thoroughly enjoyed it, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it right now. I left it there for Taunya to read (I'm pretty sure I mispelled her name, but I know for sure her last name is Lasar--sorry).

Now I'm thinking about what I could recycle into art for the art contest . . . hmmm. I'm thinking something with fabric . . . Maybe inspiration will strike this morning while I'm cleaning out my clothes closet. I've come home from Moldova with a well-developed sense of guilt at the obscene amount of clothing I have in my closet. If I was wearing them regularly that would be one thing, but I don't, so there they sit, in messy piles or filling the hangers when they could be used by someone else. By the end of the day I anticipate 1/3 to 1/2 the clothing will be on its way to DI and I'll have a tidy closet and quiet mind. :)

New Etsy Listings!

2009-04-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Finally! Finally! Finally! I just finished posting two bulletin boards on Etsy and I'm quite pleased with myself. I keep making stuff and never posting it and then wonder why I never sell anything. :)

I found these fabrics at Ikea this week and they absolutely called out to be made into bulletin boards. I think the photos even turned out pretty good . . . for me, that is. Here--take a look:

How Fast Can You Type?

2009-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

I followed the link on Lauren's blog to the type test. Here are my results. I thought it was hard to type random words instead of typing sentences. Did anyone else have that experience?

82 words

Typing Test

Something Fabulous for the Five

2009-02-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yay! Thanks for playing! I made something for each of you and will bring most of them to work tomorrow. Holly and Emily, I'll give yours to Justin. Sarah, can you stand to wait until I come to Houston in April?

I'm not going to post a picture so you'll be surprised. I hope you'll enjoy what I made and have fun using it. :)

In other crafting today, I finished the big, ol' Christmas stocking and put it in the washer to full (felt) it. I just can't get over how cool felted knitting is. Every time I take a shrunk wool item out of the washer I get a little frisson of excitement! Now I'm wondering if I want to embellish this stocking or leave as is to enjoy it's simplicity. FYI, the stocking as you see it is about 15" long--it shrunk to about half it's original size.

I'm listening to David McCullough's 1776 right now and loving a deeper look and understanding of the America revolution than I've ever had. It's also been fun to hear about the places in Boston I've been able to see while visiting Suzie and Matt. I could picture it in my mind.

And finally, Levi and I had our first grandma date last night. At the advanced age of 7 months, Levi got to stay and play at my house alone last night for the first time. It was Erin and Nate's second anniversary and they celebrated with dinner and a movie. Levi and I played piggies and had nakey time on the floor (okay, he had nakey time and I patted his soft fanny) and ate dinner (grilled cheese sandwich for me and applesauce, olives, and toast for Levi) and watched Pride and Prejudice and looked at and tasted Goodnight Moon. He is a delight, as ever. Here's a self-portrait of us on our first official date:

Something Just for You

2009-02-02T07:44:00.001-08:00

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)

4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

One More Thing

2009-01-18T22:42:00.001-08:00

I forgot to post a Levi picture today. This one shows his two little teeth (did I mention that I was the first to discover BOTH of his teeth?).

So today Erin decides to let Levi taste bread. Now let me tell you a little about Erin. She's very particular about what Levi eats: one new food a week; fresh and unprocessed; grind your own baby food at the table; etc. I couldn't even let him lick the chili spoon today! So she comes down the stairs with some spongy white bread today, ready to let the perfect baby take a taste. I very kindly, no pressure, suggest that perhaps a good full-grain wheat bread might be better for the bebe, and she pretends to agree. I mean, that white bread will give him constipation and could totally choke him--all gluey and sticky in his mouth!

Then the minute my back is turned, Erin is shoving white bread into the little dear's mouth. And she didn't even have the guts to confess! I had to use my deductive skills: empty bread sack, flecks of crust on the blanket around Levi, and a glazed look in his eyes! I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!

A Late Night Preview

2009-01-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

I think I'm getting smarter. :) Tonight I have been taking pictures all along while working on a Valentine's project. It's not done yet, so here's just a little taste--I hope you think it's yummy! It's made with red and white felt and a pink purl cotton blanket stitch. Oh, yeah. This project was inspired by something Martha did with a pink napkin and a pair of scissors in the current magazine. And talking about Martha, while I usually like her stuff, sometimes she really has some wonky ideas, like this Valentine's hat for a baby. This is NOT an idea I will be stealing from MDF Martha.

PS: CTR (Charlet Totally Rocks)

TRIM training: Coupon Clutch

2009-01-18T16:52:00.001-08:00

At work last week I began TRIM training--eliminating waste and increasing value. One tool we learned about was called 5S--can't recall what it stands for but I remember that part of it means a place for everything and everything in it's place. That inspired me to clean out my purse, which reminded me of one of my biggest challenges at keeping paper stuff and my purse tidy: where to keep the coupons. So this morning I made a coupon clutch for my purse that was big enough for all of my favorite coupons: Joann's ads and Costco coupon booklets as well as printed-from-online coupons for Hobby Lobby and groceries. Now that I've got a place for coupons, we'll see how tidy I can keep my purse. (I'm not holding my breath while still feeling surprisingly hopeful.)

The next 5S project is my desk at work--arghhh! It's ALWAYS a disaster! I'll take before and after pics.

Renae's great idea

2009-01-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

Just lost everything I'd written--dang! I'll try again. I think the computer is still in sleep mode since it's so early in the morning.

I just finished hanging the three mini ironing boards that I made into cork boards, per Renae's suggestion. She's so dang smart!

Here's what they look like all together . . .

And here's the middle one, close up so you can see the cute pattern . . .

All three are covered with Heather Bailey fabrics from my latest favorite fabric store: Material Girls. I should just sign over my paycheck to them--it would be faster!

And since you're here and I know you want to see his cute little face, here's the latest Levi pic . . .
I call this one "Levi wants to taste the camera."

Yay! Both goals achieved!!!

2009-01-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here's what I just posted on etsy: a covered-button hair elastic and a pincushion. Boy, that feels good.

Cute little face

2009-01-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah . . . this is the face I'm talking about.

2009-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

A goal for today: to take pictures and post at least one new thing here and on etsy. Wahoo!

In the last three months, I've been crazy busy (and loving every minute of it) making things to sell at boutiques (two so far) and on etsy (one so far!). After seriously depleting my stash at the Christmas boutique at work (what a rush that was--so fun because it was so unexpected), I've been restocking and trying out some new things, too--felt snowflakes, felted wool pencil cases (idea from Patti that I made last year then refined last week with stabilizer ironed on to the wool before cutting out the pieces--I like it soooo much better than my last one) . (Thanks go to Annie, also, for passing on her unwanted wool sweaters--don't you just love recying!) I'm also working on some mini ironing board covers (thanks for the idea, Renae) to use as decoration/bulletin board in my sewing area. I'm just waiting for a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby (maybe this week?) to buy some cork board to put under the fabric and see how that works. Oh, and I want to make some mini covered-button tacks to go with the board.

An update on perfect-grandbaby Levi: he gets better everyday! It just doesn't seem possible. I never imagined the joy one little boy could bring into my life; his smile fills my whole soul with happiness and contentment; his solid little body, snuggled into me, brings calmness and warmth. Oh, how very, very grateful I am for him, especially today on his 6-month birthday. God gave me the most wonderful, personal gift ever when he sent little Levi to earth.

Photo frustration

2008-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have GOT to figure out how to take and edit a decent photo for etsy. I just listed my second item on etsy and I don't think the photos are one whit better than my first attempt. Here's what I'm talking about:

I wouldn't even buy from myself if all I saw where the pictures I took! :) It really is a cute onesie--really! I wish you didn't just have to trust me on that.

I'm spending Sunday with my folks downtown and plan to pick my dad's brain so we can all loo forward to an improvement next week (I hope, I hope). And if any of you have tips you want to share, go right ahead.

Bib Banner

2008-09-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

So I had this idea for a pennant/banner thing for a baby shower--it serves as both shower decoration and a baby gift--made up of real bibs that could be unpinned and used after the shower. The bibs are reversible--I used the back side and just taped letters on to spell "BOY." When the bibs are used as bibs you can just remove the paper letters.

Here's a first stab at it:

And here's one of the bibs close up:

And here's all three bibs from the front (obviously the backs are all the same). I love this little cowboy fabric from Material Girls and love working with it. I used one of the fat quarters to make along strip of bias and really like how nicely it turned out. :)

Man, I really need some help with taking photos and cleaning them up in Photoshop! Thanks for your patience with me while I learn. :)

Boutique

2008-09-27T20:09:00.001-07:00

So I was so excited about making stuff after doing the boutique with my friend and co-worker Christy today that I had to come home and try something new. Amazingly, I had the discipline to tidy up my work space (that discipline didn't extend as far as the rest of the craft room, so don't be too impressed) and to finish some half-done bibs, but now I'm going to piece together some 5 x 5 pieces of Moda fabric to make a tiny purse pouch, inspired by a little one Christy made for today's boutique. I want to try quilting it a little to see if I like that. Thanks for the fun day and the inspiration, Christy!

Oh, if you want to take a look at our boutique table, Christy posted some on her blog. She's got some totally amazing beautiful bags and purses on there, too, that you'll totally want to see. :)

This is pathetic!

2008-09-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been 4 months since I posted. I am such a creature of habit that once I get away from doing something (exercise, blogging, housework :) ) I have a really hard time getting back into the habit. I just talked with my sister Sarah on the phone (she and her family just got electricity back in their Houston home following Ike's visit, fortunately they had friends to stay with) and she reminded me to post to my blog, so here we go.

Of course the biggest news is the birth of Levi, my first grandchild and the most wonderful little baby that ever lived. I can't believe I was actually worried before his birth that I might have a hard time feeling a connection to him. :) Being around him gives me more joy than I've ever felt in my life (sorry Erin, Suzie, and Zan). He is a little miracle. Here's a recent picture of him.

He's wearing a onesie I made to sell on Etsy--isn't he a cute little model! I seriously can't get enough of him. Last night I had him for a whole hour to myself while Erin picked up Nathan from work--I chatted, Levi cooed, we played with his piggies, we took a walk--it was pure heaven.

Aside from Levi, I've been busy making things to sell on Etsy and at a craft boutique this Saturday that I'm doing with my friend Christy at work. I haven't done a boutique since Erin was an infant and that one was a total bust. Given that experience, I'm not holding my breath for this one either. I'm loving, though, the opportunity to make a bunch of stuff since making stuff is what I really love (right behind Levi). As soon as I take some pictures for Etsy, I'll post them here, too. So far I've made a bunch of bibs, onsies, and pincushions. Next I want to make some old-fashioned needle books with recycled/repurposed wool sweaters that I've felted. And I want to make some seasonal paper banners with the SU banner die. I'll keep you posted.

Okay, time to do some actual crafting while I listen to my new favorite podcast, Speaking of Faith, an NPR program hosted by Krista Tippetts. Mom and Dad enjoyed listening to her interview with Robert Millett when they were here on Saturday. My favorite so far is the program linking Buddhism and 12-step programs. Here's a quote from the program that really struck me as true: "The grace of spiritual life is how we live with our struggles, with our suffering. That's why happiness is not about pleasure."

Holy Hannah

2008-05-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I finally, finally, FINALLY got internet at home yesterday, so here I am! Wahoo!

Here's a quick update since the last post: I got moved to my new, wonderful house. I've been unpacking, ever so slowly, and setting up my craft room (I'll post a picture as soon as I find the rechargable batteries for the camera). I had the sewer back up in my new, wonderful home. I had a nasty tooth pulled. And Erin graduated (she finally really looks pregnant, which I love). I'm ready for a few quiet weeks. :)

More soon . . .

Closing tomorrow . . . I hope!

2008-04-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

I'm scheduled to close at 3:00 on Friday and will get the key Monday. And the movers are scheduled to come Monday at 9:00! Wahoo! I think it's really going to happen!

Wedding Album X 3

2008-03-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

While Suzie's been here we've (finally!) been working on her wedding album from August 2005--one for Suzie, one for Matt's mom, and one for me. Here are some quick pics of the project:

All mounted and ready to arrange . . .

Darling Suzie first thing this morning . . .

And arranging photos into spreads . . .

Happy Sunday! Can you believe the snow?

Must craft, must craft, must craft . . .

2008-03-23T13:36:00.001-07:00

It's just about driving me nuts to have most of my craft stuff packed! Arghhhh!

On the up side, I got to spend time in the new house yesterday while showing it off to my visitors. My dad took a bunch of photos that I hope to post later this week if he can burn them to a CD while at my brother's house. I already packed all of the CDs and he didn't have the cord to download to my computer. The house was just as beautiful as I remembered and now my mind is awhirl with ideas for arranging the furniture and decorating, and more than anything, how to set up the craft room. I think I've decided against built-in cupboards since that could be limiting if I wanted to sell the house sometime. Here's a list of work areas I'd like: sewing (including room for the ironing board to be always set up), beading, papercrafting, computer and paperwork, weaving, knitting, origami, gift wrapping--hmmm, that's 8 places. I think I'll need a rolling chair!

I don't have pictures of any new crafts to post, but it's so fun to put up pictures I'm going to find an old one.

Okay, here's one of me as a kid with a foreshadowing of the indie craft movement--check out the short, straight bangs! Way to go, Mom!

Yup, I'm still packing

2008-03-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing new here aside from the fabulous interest rate I locked in today, thanks to quick work on the part of Jeff W. at Stirling Mortgage. Wahoo, Jeff! I finished packing the craft room tonight, finished the laundry room, and am about half done with the downstairs bathroom.

Oh, I did get to do a little knitting and origami star folding during a long meeting today and Christy joined in with the stars. She's a whiz--picked it up so easily. Here's to Christy: YAY!

Oh, another way cool thing today: Annie brought in mini-cupcake lollipops today that were just the coolest thing ever--Kristina took a picture; I'll post it if she'll give it to me. :) Lucky Annie has her sister and nephew visiting. And I'm going to be lucky later this week when my sister Kris and her hubby, Kent, come up for the wedding of our growing up neighbor, Joy. Kris is the most amazing, totally cool person you could hope to meet, and she's the mother of 11 children!

Here's a pic of Kris at Bear Lake last fall when she and I took a vacation together. We weren't really good at relaxing, though; six days were definitely more than we could handle! And I'm pretty sure Kris was tired of me beating her at Boggle. :) (Don't pay any attention to Kris if she tries to tell you she was the one to school me at Boggle.) Finally on day 4 we came home early so we could get busy on her Neal's wedding. :) Back in Riverton we got to shop and eat out for lunch every day--now that's relaxing!

Packin' it in

2008-03-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday afternoon, my house is under contract! The buyers accepted my counteroffer and we are set to close around April 9! I can't believe how quickly it all went and I'm so, SO grateful. Now I can pack up the rest of the house, putty and paint the nail holes, and give everything a final scrub so when moving day comes it should be a breeze. I think I'll start with my bedroom/craftroom today and see how far I get. My folks are coming for a visit next weekend and are planning to come back for the move, and Suz is coming the following week to celebrate her 25th birthday, so the time 'twix now and moving day will go quickly.

I'm still folding origami stars to fill sconces--I don't think I realized how long it would take to make so many. :) Looks like it will be a long-term project. Here's the little pile I've got so far. Believe it or not, these little babies represent about 3 hours of work. Isn't that crazy! Each star is folded from a 1/2" x 12" strip of paper (beautiful paper, Jen!).

Here's a link with instructions for making the stars; and another link; email me if you have any questions. It's so much easier to show someone in person than with diagrams.

It's so nice to know I'm not the only one out there making crazy amounts of stars (often called lucky stars).

Oh, when my dad is here next weekend, he's going to begin teaching me how to take good pictures; I suspect you'll all appreciate his efforts. :)

Good News

2008-03-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

I got an offer on the house this afternoon; while it wasn't as high as I'd like it comforted me to know I had that option. Then Kelly just called to say another agent is writing up an offer right now and will fax it to Kelly. Sadly for me, Kelly isn't in the office (can you believe he'd have a life of his own while I am trying to sell my house!) so I won't know what the offer is until morning. I'll sleep well, though, knowing I've got some choices. Wahoooooo! I'm sooooo grateful.

As soon as I've got a signed agreement, I'm going back to the townhouse to look and drool and make plans and just feel happy. Who wants to come with me?

Tonight I don't have a lot of mental energy to make anything creative so it's a good time to fold up a bunch of origami strip stars. I'm thinking positively and making them in neutral colors to go in my new home . . .

Quick cards

2008-03-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Man, I wish I was a better photographer. These are all blurry and weird colors--you're just going to have to trust me that in person they are all the same colors and quite crisp looking!

I made these quick cards with the packet of bejeweled felt flowers I found in the Easter craft aisle at HL the other night. Did I mention that all the Easter crafts are 50% off this week, making the packet of flowers only 99 cents--BOTD (Bargain of the Day). I used extreme control by buying only one packet; it was actually kind of painful yet oh, so necessary. :)

On the house front, I had three more lookers last night, so here's to hoping that one of the lookers will become a buyer!

Fine glitter is fine: chunky glitter . . . well . . .

2008-03-10T20:36:00.001-07:00

I saw glittered eggs on Martha Stewart's site yesterday, so I stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home to buy the stuff: mini paper mache eggs, pastel glitter, and a little glass dome. I also brought home a couple kinds of glitter from work to try them out.

First I tried the Lobby's pastel glitter: YUCK! It hardly glitters, which seems totally contrary to its name, and it is too chunky to stick well in this application.

Next I tried the chunky glitter from work and, while it is truly glittery--YAY--it still didn't stick well to the egg. (I used the Podge for my glue.)

Finally, I tried out the fine glitter and, voila, it was perfect! Way to go, Glitter!

Here are the eggs in the little dish . . .

. . . here with the dome on it.

I'm happy. :)

On a side note, someone looked at my house tonight and two more are planning to come tomorrow. And here's what Kelly, my realtor, said about the people who saw it on Saturday: "Tricia, the agent who showed your home called back. Her buyers have
determined its a little too far South for them but they thought the
condition and price were excellent." That gives me hope. I'm so glad they didn't just hate it. That would have been really sad.

My dad called tonight to get all the details about the townhouse, so I directed him to the Hamlet Homes site and we looked at the layout together for the Mackenzie model, which is the one I'm getting. Just thinking about it makes me smile--I can so totally picture myself there, working away in the basement craft room (mistakenly listed as "family room" on the layout) while someone else shovels snow and mows the lawn. Ahhhh, that's the life!

Good Egg

2008-03-09T20:58:00.001-07:00

. . . and here are some eggs I made to put under glass domes.

Here's how they look in the domes. I got this idea from something in either Martha Stewart's magazine or in Good Housekeeping at Halloween time. I thought it was cool.

Easter Goodies

2008-03-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

I ended up making the Easter goodies . . .

Sweet

2008-03-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I could be any happier right this minute: I've got this whole delicious day in front of me with NO getting-the-house-ready-to-sell work in front of me. Should I work on the owl I'm knitting for grandbaby-to-be? Should I see what I can come up with for a paper valance? How about putting together the little Easter goodies I got for my friends at work? Or maybe I'll watch some of Kristina's MACM videos and get inspired to make cards . . . Oh, my word. It feels sooooo good to get to create today.

SMILE

2008-03-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't heard anything from the realtor, so I guess my hopes have been cruelly crushed. :) Maybe next time . . .

Fortunately my crushed hopes didn't get in the way of playing with paper tonight. I decided on the chocolate color scheme and used white flowers as a unifying theme (doesn't that make it sound like I know what I'm doing (grin)?). I wish the pictures were better so you could see the little dry-embossed dots on the M and the lines of stitching through the flowers on the E. I guess you'll just have to come over and see it in person. Maybe a hot cocoa party . . . ?

And here's the finished piece all framed and hung in the Not-Noah bedroom with my darling daughter Erin doing her best to look five-and-a-half-months pregnant.

. . . and the framed piece all by its lonesome. I wish the colors weren't so goofy--it really is very soft and pretty.

To backtrack a little here are the before and after pictures of my craft room today, the absolute final frontier in getting the house prepped for showing. The before picture reminds me of my desk at work, sadly. I just like to think a messy desk is the sign of a creative (rather than a lazy) mind. :)

Scheming

2008-03-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've only got 10 minutes to write this, put on some clothes and makeup, and get out of the house so I'll be gone while a prospective buyer looks at my house! Wahoo! I think they should just fall in love and make me an offer right away; Kristina thinks so, too. :)

So I've decided, upon MDF Patti's advice to decorate the white room at least a little. I bought a long frame with 5 openings at Ikea this morning and I'm going to put "SMILE" in it. I'm also going to make a paper valance for the window and I'm thinking about two slightly different color schemes. I think both look good with the bedding; I've just got to decide which accent color I want: rose red or chocolate.

Here's the one with a little chocolate in it (darn, you can't see it really well): The paper is lying on the pillow sham.

And here's the one with rose red:

Okay, I've got 4 minutes now. Gotta go. Let me know what you think. :)

Oh, soooooo close

2008-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Quick update before work: I painted the room last night and it looks so bright and clean then this morning I put the blinds back up, vacuumed, and moved what furniture I could. Maybe MDF Patti will follow me home from work today to help move the bed. :) Here's a picture of Annie's corner looking much better.

I can hardly believe that a week ago that room was covered with a contingent of Noah and friends! Now I'm wondering if it's better to leave the walls plain or to hang some things. The new owners (I'm thinking positively) might prefer to have no nail holes in the wall, but a too-plain room may not appeal to potential buyers. Any opinions out there?

The only, only thing left is to finish tidying my room and I suppose I'll have to make my bed, too, everyday that the house is on the market. Sigh.

Happy Friday!

Final clean up

2008-03-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hey! Today is the final cleanup to get the house listed on Friday or Saturday. I'm going to start at the top and work my way down, touching up paint, scrubbing walls and doors, tidying up, etc. Then I'll shop for whatever final little decorative touches it needs (the fun stuff) and be done! If I don't run out of time, I'm also going to paint Zan's room today and put it all back together. the photographer is coming tomorrow, but he's not worried about the bedrooms so I could paint Thursday night if I can't get to it today.

Last night I actually had fun caulking around the floorboard in Zan's room. I didn't think I could make it look good, but I did and I'm just bustin' with pride. I just had to breath deeply and go slowly. Wahoo! I'm surprising myself with how much I'm enjoying this home fix-up thing!

I heart origami

2008-03-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

I tried a little origami tonight--it's been so long since I've done much origami until I saw a flower made from three $1 bills in Craft:. I'm getting the itch to join the fold again, so I looked up one of my favorite origami sites online, Joseph Wu, and found a little box to fold. Cool, huh!

Wallpaper is nasty, nasty, nasty!

2008-03-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

After spending hours yesterday and today scraping at wallpaper, I consider it a swear word! I promise right now I will never, never, NEVER put up wallpaper.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad and I did have help from the amazing Annie who did all of the area in the pictures; it is quite a chore, though. And it was desperately needed. I'm a little embarrassed that Zan had to spend her entire high school life living in a room papered with Noah's ark. She did her best to cover it up with pictures and such (as witnessed by the plethora, and I do mean plethora in the real sense of overabundance!, of holes in the uncovered wall) but Noah's ark it still was. Sorry, Zan.

Once the walls dry completely, I'll paint the room a pristine white--all in preparation for putting my house on the market. After Friday, though, when I began to look at houses, I'm not so sure I want to sell mine. I saw only one house I liked and it's already got another offer on it.

Online I did just see a townhouse at Daybreak that looks interesting. I really like the idea of no yard or exterior home care. I think I'll take a look there next.

I was so busy tearing down wallpaper all weekend I didn't get to MAKE anything! Here's a picture of the paperbead bracelet I made last week, though.

I got hooked on the whole indie crafting idea while at CHA and loved attending a seminar given by an editor at Craft: magazine. I guess I'm already something of an indie crafter, albeit without the short, straight bangs. :) Anyway, in the seminar we got to make paper-bead bracelets. I'm tellin' ya, it just doesn't get any better than that!

I used a cheapie glue stick and a small metal crochet hook that was sitting on my desk to roll up the beads on. Then I gave the beads a good shellacking with the Podge. In the background of the picture are the long skinny triangles of paper for the beads. Okay, just thinking about the beads I'm itching to make something right now, so I'm going to sign off and say, "Happy Making!"

Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails

2008-02-26T18:55:00.001-08:00

MDF Patti told me today that I now have to post pictures, so here you go, Patti.

I just took some pictures of recent projects with my little one-step camera and my version of a back-drop (the flip side of some printed emails) and studio lighting (my desk light strategically placed near the back-drop).

Whadda ya think? Do you think Kiddie Kandids need worry?

I knit this little nookie buddy for my first-ever grandchild who is due in late June and who I'm sure is going to be cute when he's born even though he looks like an alien right now.

For Christmas, mother-to-be Erin gave me two really cool knitting-for-babies books: Itty Bitty Nursery by Susan B. Anderson and Essential Baby by Debbie Bliss. She then pointed out all of her favorites in the books, this frog from Susan's book heading the list.

I also made a set of cupcake mittens and hat from Susan's book in a lovely, girly shade of pink before we found our little-bundle of joy has his own little bundle! Now I'm thinking about frogs, and snails, and puppy dog tails . . .

Just FYI about the pattern--I knit it with Apple Green and Butter Shine Sport yarn, 60% cotton, 40% modal, from Knit Picks (great yarns, books always discounted, and free shipping with a $45 order). I changed the pattern just a bit because I was tired of making little bobbles after the two eye-bobbles (I obviously haven't much patience for bobbles). So for the arms and legs I just knit 3-stitch I-cord . . .

. . . and tied a knot in the end--the same effect with half the work. The next time I knit this I'm going to make it even faster by knitting only one long cord for the legs and one long cord the the arms and tying a knot in each end. I'll just have to remember to attach the arms to the body before I attach the head.

Well, I'm hungry and my fingers are cold, so I'll say adios for tonight. Happy Tuesday, y'all.

What's In a Name?

2008-02-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was walking (finally--I've taken a sadly long break from exercise for too many months) I gave some serious thought to something MDF (My Dear Friend) Patti keeps telling me: You've got to have a blog! I think maybe she'd just like to diffuse some of the attention she gets from me on a near-daily basis as I bring yet another creation to her desk for her perusal (and, I always hope, enjoyment).

The problem is that I am compelled, no, Compelled to Craft; whether or not I or anyone else actually has any use for whatever I make matters not a wit. When I see or hear about or read about something to make I fairly pant with excitement! The Barry Manilow song says, "I've never met a man I didn't like"; I'm that way about crafts: I never met a craft I didn't like. (I do like some better than others, though, somewhat like men, perhaps . . .)

Yes, I have a compulsion to craft, just like I have a compulsion to read and to eat and to listen to books on tape (I keep asking god to give me the compulsion to exercise; I'm still waiting). Making things relaxes me; making things refreshes me; making things makes me happy. :)

So there you are. And here we are. And ain't life grand!