Goal Update

September 15, 2010



Goal Update


To have success with the goals I've set for myself I need to adapt them a bit.


* Wake at 8:00 am. I do OK with this one unless Chris takes Freya to school. I'm OK with sleeping in here and there.

* Fewer 3:00 Am's. Only two, in 16 days.

* Walk Freya to and from school M-F. I will walk Freya to OR from school M-F.

* Blog M-F. I need to blog during the day instead of 10:30 pm. This goal is very important to me.

* Start an Etsy shop. I got it up and a few banners listed. This goal is going to take a lot of work and dedication. Computer skills are not my strength.

* My Christmas list is complete and I know what I am making. Deciding on projects is usually the most difficult part.

*Freya's school clothes finished by October 15. I have made a dress and a blouse. I'm nearly finished with a cute pleated skirt.

New music from Graywhale. I don't listen to CD's any longer now that we have a Bose stereo. (Oliver puts them on my ipod for me).
I will always buy CD's though.
Graywhale's used CD's are half as much as itunes and new releases are the same price as itunes.
I will always love owning a album on CD compared to a digital down load.

A lovely high school friend whom I haven't seen in twenty years came to visit yesterday.
We had a great time! I am so excited to renew our friendship.
Julie and I set a goal to see each other every other month.



Julie brought treats too.
She wanted to make aprons but knows she will never finish them so she gifted all the above to me!


I am in full Halloween decorating and crafting mode.

Kitty, mouse and pumpkin finger puppets.

I have a werewolf, ghost and witch cut and ready to sew.

I made these decoupage hats last year.
I had forgotten how much fun they were to make.

I plan to make a few more though they are extremely time consuming.

I made these pumpkin candle holder several years ago and the tissue paper has begun to curl and distort.

Today I'm going to make a glue/water mix to brush over the tissue.

I think it will smooth the paper down nicely.

I don't buy Modge Podge. It is too expensive and a glue/water mixture works just as well.

I'll post photo's of how the turn out!

I would love to hear what Halloween projects you all are working on?

Cheers!

Geography Lesson

September, 10 2010

Geography Lesson

One of my favorite things about hosting a giveaway is Oliver and Freya's excitement of finding on the atlas where our packages are going.

I'm mailing a banner to Sweden this giveaway. Oliver and Freya had a great lesson about the Scandinavia countries. Norway and Finland have a special place in our hearts because my grandpa is from Norway and my best girlfriend is from Finland.

Also I love spreading joy and meeting other creative women with similar interest.

P.S. I couldn't resist posting this photo of my beautiful babies.

Old Halloween

September 8, 2010

Old Halloween

Today I gathered a couple half-finished Halloween projects that I want to finish this season.







This denim piece was in the process of becoming a trick o' treat bag.
I'm not fond of how the bat and moon turned out but I like the 'trick or treat' patch a bunch.
I'll salvage the patch, buttons and denim and throw the rest out.


I am really excited to finish this piece.
I paper pieced and appliqued these squares three years ago.
I wanted to make a twinish size quilt with them but I never will.
Instead I am going to make a baby blanket size quilt. (Tied quilt).

I love English paper piecing.

If you like to hand sew and always have a take along project with you,

English paper piecing is super great!

Gratitude List

September 8, 2010

Gratitude List

I have been feeling a bit blue lately.
I decides to make a gratitude list which I have never done before.
I didn't list the obvious, i.e. family, food, a roof over my head.
I decided to focus and reflect upon five small things that I am grateful for.

Please let me share my small list followed by some photos of a quilt I made for Oliver many years ago.
(Because what fun is a blog without any photos?)

I am grateful for:

1. Soap
2. Oliver and Freya's teachers
3. My creativity
4. Success growing our first tomato plants
5. Hand written letters

Thinking about these small things has helped brighten my mood.

I need to think of what I am grateful for much more often.

To Oliver's quilt:

This quilt is a variation on the Log Cabin design.
I like to make up my own patterns for quilts so I can use sloppy sewing.
If I had to match small exact squares and corners it would be frustrating and I wouldn't quilt at all.

I intended to embroider elephants in several block centers but this french knot elephant took 5 hours.

I embroidered two more,

One with very large french knots ...

and an elephant embroidered with back stitching.

I hand quilted it using 'in the ditch' stitches.

It is one of my favorite quilts I have made.

It is wearing now and will need mending soon which means Oliver loves and uses it.

P.S. I began writing this blog at 11:46 pm so it qualifies for Tuesdays blog entry.

I have kept my goal to blog Monday through Friday, sans yesterday because it was a holiday.

I'll have a full goal update this week.

Cheers to a new week!

Freya's School Clothes #2

September 3, 2010

Freya's School Clothes #2

I finished Freya's blouse and it is awesome and delightful!
Freya posed in the bathroom for me because it has the best lighting for an evening photo.
(I know nothing about photography and I take all of my photos on the 'auto' setting.
Expect more bathroom photos now that I have a goal to blog Mon - Fri.)

Have a super, fantastic weekend.

Sewing Clothes And A Treat

September 2, 2010

Sewing Clothes And A Treat

I found these super beautiful napkins today at the thrift store.
I stopped even though I left my bag at home.
Fortunately I scrounged up two dollars from my car.
Usually Freya has already riffled through the car for change so I was a lucky treat to find two dollars!






I almost finished Freya's blouse.




I have another blouse cut out and ready to work on this weekend.

Freya's School Clothes #1

September 1, 2010

Freya's School Clothes #1

I finished a dress for my sweet girl.
I also dragged her off the sofa tonight to get a few photos in her new dress.
As you can see from the photo Freya didn't want to take her cozies off and at 9:45 pm she is not a good person to pick an argument with.

I also sewed my girlfriend a couple more book covers.

Her $400 book investment is a little more protected.
(Are the wealthy the only ones who should be educated?)

Tomorrows list includes a blouse for Freya and a book shelve reorganization.