What a week (and its only half over)

My day job is hectic. Oh so hectic. Today I was hit on over the phone by a perfect stranger. I have been told numerous times I have a "sexy" phone voice. I dont think so, you should hear what I hear in my head! Actually my phone voice goes one of two ways either 1) its sexy 2) I am a young person and get talked to like I a child. While I am 24 and many may think that is still young, I hate being talked to like I am taking a message for my mother, sweetheart. (ick) What does this entry have to do about anything? Nothing, it is cold outside (wind chills are 45 degrees below zero) Leila is screaming like a banshee at the dog, and I am feeling yucky. Feel my pain.

Oh and this picture, nothing to do with the post either, had to make sure I was ALL over the place for this entry today. Leila has a thing for that hat (which I love so its good) and she walks around with her boots on her hands. Hey if it makes her happy and she isnt screaming in a shrill tone, boots on the hands are fine by me!

(she looks like a vampire in this photo I just realized!)

Tagged

I was tagged recently. And since I have never been tagged (that I can remember) I am happy to oblige!

7 random things about me:

+ BFF calls me ballerina legs. Not because I was a ballerina but because some strange creepy man yelled that at me while I was walking in a parking lot a few years back.

+ When I was younger I always would have to chew everything back in forth in my month. Basically chew on the left move over chew on the right. I guess I wanted to make sure that BOTH sides of my mouth had equal time with my food.

+ I wanted to be a country singer when I was a little girl. I still wish I would have kept up on my singing I think I could have gone somewhere with it.

+ I wear my hair in a ponytail almost EVERYDAY. My husband wanted to see me in long hair so I grew it out and now all I do is wear it back, go figure.

+ I bite my nails, have since I was little, and don’t think I will ever be able to stop.

+ I can’t whistle, I wish I could, I try and it sounds pitiful.

+ I am a loud person in general, I talk loud (and fast), laugh loud, and can sing (off key now) pretty dang loudly.

No pictures today (sorry guys) I am swamped at work and the weather is dark and grim here so no lighting is to be found.

Proper way to handle fat quarters.

1. Peel off the label
2. Unfold the fabric and let the cardboard drop to the ground.

3. Place the fabric on your head to stretch it out.

4. Twirl around to make sure ALL the wrinkles come out.

5. Show Momma what a great job you did!

I used to put towels on my head and pretend I was a nun. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! (Though I can say with confidence I didn't twirl around while pretending I was a nun.)

List it and it might get done!

What I have to do today:
* Laundry
* make dinner
* stay warm (freakin -15 degrees (thats the windchill) today eek!)
* Tickle Leila
* check my email a few more times.
* cut out fabric for my upcoming show



What I'll try to squeeze in:
* Take some pictures so I have something to blog about.
* Pick up Leila's room
* Keep working on my secret Valentine gift
* Finish up my doll quilt for another swap.
* bake something


Found this idea on this site.
Photo from this site which I really want to look at this weekend.

Miss you

I have given up coffee well actually large quantities of caffeine. I miss coffee boy do I miss it.

1.heart'>http://www.flickr.com/photos/chevap/1652845957/">heart shaped coffee

Momma's girl

This is how we spent the last few days. Just hanging out.

boo/hiss

The Packers lost today, I feel sad and want to hide, hence the photos. This is one Monday I am really not looking forward to!

Photos via flickr (love that site btw if you havent figured that out!)
Sadness
Hiding

Brrr its cold outside

It is freaking cold out so we spent the day inside under piles of blankets working on our artistic endeavors! Oh and kissing our favorite bear. Leila really likes to show her love lately to her bear and a recent doll she has received. I encourage it though because I find it so damn cute! Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Polka anyone?

Polka dots anyone? I hope this is an indication that polka dots are "in" this year. I love polka dots! Picture courtesy of Boden speaking of which, has anyone ordered from them, any feedback? I want to buy some staple nice quality clothes and donate my underworn clothes.

Big Hugs!

Congrats #55 Stephanie (see I have put of a list of labels and I am working on remembering to tag all of my posts!) please feel free to email me with your address and I will get your big box of goodies out the door!

Thank you everyone for entering my giveaway. There was a resonating request: tutorials, more vintage fabric, and keep the pictures coming of Leila. All things I think I can promise to do the rest of this year. I am nervous about making a tutorial but I will give it a whirl and if no one likes it so be it no sweat off my back!

Thrilled

I just got the notice that I was accepted into a local Valentine’s Craftacular and BONUS Faythe Levine will be there promoting Handmade Nation. Super excited!

I have a decent amount of stock from my last show but I want to make a few more things and maybe something V-day inspired.

Boy from not a lot of work to a heck of a lot!

So if you are in the Madison, WI area stop by I would love to meet you!

Rusty Needles

I started to knit again, the first time in a long time (read well over

a year ago) my Blythe dolls needed new hats and it was a quick and easy project to get me back on the knitting bike again.

Lazy weekend

Leila likes to eat bread, dry by the slice. Dont ask she is weird. oh and the purse? I have been collecting big vintage-esque purses since she was born for playing dress up and this seems to be the favorite lately. I didnt do much this weekend made a late xmas gift and knitted a little. Here is a picture of our "puppy" she was lazy this weekend too. (sorry for the dark photos sun is still limited here in Wisconsin)

Go Pack Go!

I have been a Green Bay Packer fan my entire life through the highs and the lowest of lows. Here is my crafty tribute to them and the GREAT game they played yesterday.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. The rest of mine will be spent knitting and watching football!

*credits given on my flickr site*

Giveaway!

So recently I hit my 200th post and with the holidays in the mix it basically went by unnoticed. Time to celebrate!!! To think I have had well over 200 different things I wanted to talk about and that you read them! So as a way to say thanks and keep the creative juices flowing around the world I am offering up a box to one lucky reader filled to the max with all kinds of crafty goodness but mostly fabric. We are talking new, old, and very vintage fabric. Buttons, ribbon, and various trims. I may even throw in a book or magazine.

You have until Thursday January 17th to sign up. Leave me a comment and let me know what you would like to see or not see on my blog this year.

Anyone and everyone can sign up, note though if you are outside of the US your box of goodies may be a little smaller due to the cost of shipping.

Swaps

I love them. So far my favorite ones have been my doll quilt swaps but none the less each swap has a special place in my heart. A few have even brought me new friends which always is a sweet bonus! I have limited my amount of swaps. I am once again doing a round of the 4 seasons doll quilt, we are working on the winter season and I am really excited about this quilt. I originally was going to go with a blue/white combo with the thought of snow and ice on my mind. I have changed my mind though. I am going more traditional, red, green, and white. I am really excited about this quilt. I am creating my own design and I am adding a little embroidery (redwork) in there as well. I am excited about it and may have to make one for myself.

I am also in a secret Valentine swap that I am equally excited about. Since it is a secret I cant say much more since we aren’t suppose to give away our identity but here is a hint… it will have red, pink, and white in it! (Ha! Hope you weren’t excepting a real hint *smile*)

Come back tomorrow I have a giveaway you wont want to miss!

Story of Stuff

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Watch it. Learn from it. I did.

Foggy

We have been having crazy weather around here, heavy heavy fog, warm temps (60s in some places!!), tornadoes (last time that happen it was in the 1960's). All of this crazy weather has put me in my own fog. I am crazy busy at work and feel like I am slipping from a happy home balance lately. I miss sewing and I miss lazy days. I cant wait for spring and I hate to say that because winter has only begun, plus this spring my baby will be 2 and I am NOT ready to handle that yet. I still remember my freak out when she turned 6 months old, it only seems like yesterday.

Hopefully soon, very soon I will have some fun crafty inspiring posts, lets keep our fingers crossed shall we?

Time for a BIG change

So last night I found this article which then led me to a few blogs that I HAD to read. This has brought me to the change I am purposing for myself this year and hopefully my life. I have too much stuff, stuff I can’t part with because I feel some day I MIGHT use it but have no plans to in the near future. I can already think of one box of stuff that I love but don’t know when or how I will use it.

I can easily admit I shop when I am sad and/or stressed. I justify my purchases and the bags pile up. I forget about things I have until I am in search for something else. I do not want this lifestyle to be brought on to Leila. I am ending it with me. I cant tell you what toys I had growing up besides lots of Barbies; lots of Barbies that I didn’t take care of (painted faces, cut hair, a few even the dog chewed on I am sure) and are now a collection of dust in my parent’s attic. I want Leila to have a few precious things that will last her childhood and that she will pass on to her own children. I want her to take care of her things not to have the attitude, why should I take care of my things I know I can always replace it.

I am overwhelmed by the stuff and I am done. I am not 100% give up shopping but I am being more conscious of my purchases. I am no longer buying a shirt because it was super cheap or wrapping paper that is marked down even though I have 5 rolls already at home that haven’t even been touched. I am vowing that this year (and hopefully the rest of my life) when I buy something new (used) I give something away.

I am amazed at the outrage some people have when people say they are giving up shopping for un-needed items. That this is some how child abuse; to say no to cheap disposable toys. Less is more for me and I stand by that. Leila will not be deprived in any way but I have come to learn she has more fun playing with our everyday item (pots pans and a spoon) than some expensive loud plastic toy.

I am torn however since I want to grow my own handmade business, how can I preach about frivolous spending and then ask people to buy my own items? Here’s how, I am no longer creating for the purpose of just selling. I am creating handmade items that will last a lifetime that will be timeless and hopefully will give a lifetime of enjoyment. I am no longer creating disposable items (in my eyes) and I hope that people see that and understand my intentions. I want to create items that will be considered a handmade heirloom, when I think of that saying I think of well worn quilts. A quilt that has been with a family for the good and bad times, through the everyday moments. That is the type of products I want to make and I am working towards that.

I am one woman, in one small town, with a tiny family but I am ready to make my tiny imprint, my tiny difference. The more people feel compelled to make a difference the bigger of a difference we make as a whole.

I am really hopeful for my generation, there are many people who I know will read this and think I am nuts, and that is fine. I am also happy to say that there will be others who read this, will understand where I am coming from and will be inspired enough to make their own changes.

A good weekend

Well today I consider the end of my holiday break. First full work week and I am ready to get back into the swing of things. This weekend was a great way to end the holiday break, I made some pumpkin chocolate chip bread, watched Roman Holiday, and cleaned.

I dont know what it is about the New Year but I do more cleaning during this time than during spring break. I have 3 large garbage bags full of things to donate to our local thrift store and I plan to purge some more of my craft supplies (check back this week there may be some fabric in it for you!). It is really amazing to me, I feel like I have nothing to sew with until I actually go through ALL of my fabric, I will have to document it somehow just so I can never say, I have no fabric. I feel like the girl with a closet full of clothes proclaiming she has nothing to wear.

So this new year I am making a rule: Bring something in to the home, take out something I dont use. I can donate the item, give it away, unless it is unusable and then it is trashed. I want to stay away from throwing things away I just dont think my "stuff" should be added to the growing landfills.

Also I am teaching myself to crochet, I am self taught knitter and I am ready to take the jump to a new craft I am hoping that Mrs. Happy Hooker can help me out, she is actually the one that taught me how to knit.

So no resolutions per say just a change of direction in how I live my life, any life changes for you all?

Please tell me I am normal!

Ken made a comment to me this weekend that got me thinking. He said that since Leila was born and I have started sewing he has to take out the garbage so much more. I think it has more to do with diapers than scrap fabric but none the less it got me thinking. Sewing has become a part of who I am. When I first started to sew I was so amazed that I had created something with my own two hands (and my trusty sewing machine) that I would tell any who would (and some who wouldn't) listen that I, Stefanie, had created something, a girl who hadn't sewn in her life. A year and a half has gone by and I no longer have to tell anyone, most of the time people just assume everything I have and wear I made myself and while half the time I hadn't made what they assumed I did I appreciate that they are that confident in my skills. I am not that confident yet but the more I examine other works (that of other independent crafters/artists and that of mass manufacturing) I have learned that I am WAY too hard on myself, flaws are pretty common in work but you dont see them with other people's work because you normally dont look for them. This can be good and bad, I know that everything I make to give and sell has been made to the best of my abilities and has been given a high inspection to make sure that it is as flawless as possible. This also takes up so much time and can be discouraging I want perfection and that isnt always possible and I have yet to accept that.

I am starting to embrace my need to sew and have started to notice that no matter how hard I try I am unable to keep it in one confined space in our home. My sewing area is basically any surface, I have accepted that and Ken is slowly starting to come around. Ken recently carved out a section of our main living area (we have an open floor plan where the dinning room and living room are in one large area) for just my sewing and this after all of the moving around seems like the best fit. However I still find bits and pieces of sewing around the house. It is like I leave spools of thread where ever I go. Mainly I think it is because I am always getting distracted. I grab a spool of thread have it in my hand and have to put it down for some reason. My latest destination for spools of thread? None other than in the bathroom on a shelf behind the toilet (loving the color combination it created btw). Its not glamorous in any way but it is just a fact of life now. I have a feeling that for the rest of my life I will have spools of thread left around the house like a trail of bread crumbs always leading me back to my sewing machine.

New blog

I have started a new blog for my crafty Blythe adventures. Mostly because I wanted a blog solely about my Blythe and secondly because I didnt want to bore you all to tears! I will still keep up this blog as normal, I am just adding some extra work to keep up a second blog.

If you like blogs feel free to stop by!

http://craftyblythe.blogspot.com/

Our New Years

This is how we spent our New Years Eve, some late night sewing and a goofy baby using my fabric as a blanket. I wouldnt have had it any other way.