Sunday Stash #2

I feel like I might have shared this with you before...but either way, I think it's worth showing again. The dots are Michael Miller and the floral Heather Bailey. For some reason I thought I'd bought a few more fabrics to go with this little bundle...but apparently not. :( That's a shame...

I still haven't shared some of my most recent purchases with you. I must do that sometime soon! :)

Just a quickie...

(This is the tiniest woodpercker I've ever seen. Funny, just the other day I showed you the flicker, the biggest woodpecker I've ever seen.)

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween, whether you celebrated it or not. Though, is it really something celebrated? What would we be celebrating? Seems like the wrong word for it???

My boy was a clone thing, you know the white-clad guys, from star wars, and my girl was a rider of a(n) unicorn. Meaning, the unicorn has four feet, two of which were actually hers, and the rest she held up with reins. It was funny...we took them costume shopping and as soon as my girl saw the 'horsey' she saw nothing else in that store! Her mind was set. (it is pink, after all...) But we really had to shove my boy into a decision. He's so...thoughtful, as in, he thinks a lot. Man, they were expensive costumes. I'll tell you...$30 for hers and $40 for his. We got 30% off, but still... Please let them fit next year! Actually, we technically could have squeezed them into last year's costumes. They still play with them, but playing is one thing, going out into public is another...

So some of you may see the time...no, I'm not an early riser. My nose was bothering me and I got up at 2am. It's totally going to screw up my day. I'll go back to bed in a minute, but I mustn't take a nap this afternoon. That'll only screw up the next night of sleep.

Alright, this was supposed to be a quickie, and now that I've rambled, I don't even remember what I came here to say. It was something I felt couldn't wait until Sunday Stash...

Oh, I know! I was going to tell you about the super-naughty purchase I just made! Well, technically it is November now, and I technically get 'paid' today. But in reality jj may or may not have the money, and he may or may not have deposited it yet. You know...

But oh, oh, oh I couldn't resist! I just couldn't! Check it out... I'm so very excited about it! Actually, if I remember correctly, I'd been wanting some of that line...

Whew, that's a long link...OH geez loweez! Do you know what I just did (but you won't see because I fixed it)... I copied and pasted a web address right here on the post instead of linking it to a word. Wow, maybe I need to go back to bed! :) lol

I just went to get my camera to see if I have any pics to add...but when I got up I realized that I've been sitting here for 2 hours straight...literally. Cross-legged, of course. I can't stand having my feet on the floor! There, a nice tid-bit about e to complete your day! :)My not-so-attractive, leaning tower o' bird food. I showed this because you can see the fog, foliage and geese/ducks.)Once again. sorry about the clarity of the pics. (Hmm, you know, I don't even know if I zoomed these, I was in such a rush to take the pic before he flew away.) Anyway, when we got this camera we knew nothing about what the 'number' meant, you know D40 vs D90. So when we saw the price tags it was like, I'm sure this is just fine. Heck, it's a nice camera either way...it really is. I love my camera. But now I realize it's the clarity, the megapixels per inch or what have you. And I sure do wish I had the 90. (Or the D3x, which is a mere $8,000. Imagine what you could do with that...)

9 days ?!?

(My friend, the flicker, comes to tweet at me and eat the suet. Bad picture...but I can't get too close or he'll fly away. Hmm, actually, I guess that's a girl, she doesn't have a ruby cheek...)

Could there really only be 9 days until the convention? What about the weight I meant to lose? What about getting my glasses fixed? I'd wanted a new outfit!

I'm... not... even... in... paper mode... yet!!!!!!

Ahhh, calming breath... Yes, the time is creeping up on me and I'm in no way prepared. In fact, I've been, very literally, day-dreaming the last few days away... And no, I wasn't dreaming of paper.

But (was it last week?) I was very productive. Very productive indeed!

First let's talk about kits... That mini table runner I made a bit ago was a (mostly)pre-cut kit and pattern made up by a shop. They had me attach 2" strips round a 4" square. That leaves me with a 7" unfinished block...you with me? Then they had me trim it down to 5 1/8"! 5 1/8! You can't, without some kind of quilting ruler I've not heard of, neatly and evenly trim 7" down to 5 1/8" without either winging it, or having one side with an extra 1/8". Why have me waste almost 2" of fabric??? Why the extra 1/8? Okay, so I do that. Then they want you to cut them wonky...
But wait, 2 1/2" off of 5 1/8" only leaves 2 5/8. That's not wonky enough! In fact, it's just enough to make it look like the person sewing it wasn't very good at matching up seams!
It certainly doesn't look like their pictures...For a moment there I thought maybe one of the numbers was just wrong, but no, when I went to attach their pre-cut, correctly (to their directions) measured triangles, they fit! Amazing...

Then we come to our second kit. Another pre-cut one. I do love convenience...but what's this? Not enough of some, too many of others, and all sorts of inaccurate cutting! I had to use some squares that were a good 1/8" off, because otherwise I wouldn't have enough to complete the thing!(The top are rectangles, not squares. The bottom are extras.)

I say please...if you're going to offer a kit, make sure you cut correctly, and have someone check your pattern!

I did get two more little somethings finished all the same... The doomed by poor cutting, mini table topper...
And a cheery little halloween pillow cover, for which I have an improperly sized cushion. But I think it looks nice anyway...OOO! I just realized that I haven't received my convention tickets in the mail yet! I'd better check on that! :(

Sunday Stash #1

Number 1...how exciting! I saw a few Sunday Stash posts over at Red Pepper Quilts and thought it was a neat idea. Then I noticed she had a button on her sidebar which led me to 1/4 of an inch. I love to share my stash, so I've decided to join in the fun!

Now as I've mentioned multiple times now, my stash is in bins, and so to get anything I have to dig (usually to the bottom) to find things. But in doing so I've found some really cute stuff! I'm a very lucky lady...

Here is a little fat quarter pack that I barely remember buying...What a smart shop to put together such an irresistible little bundle of goodness...

Go on over to Tam's blog...there's a list of the other Sunday Stashes, and check out some of her blocks! Nice!

Just a quickie...

I needed to let you know (not just because I can get another entry, but because the shop is so darn awesome), that There's a giveaway at the Sweet Tidings blog, and you can win something from Holland Fabric House. I think you'll all love, love, love that shop. But please...don't buy too much. Save some for me! :)

I'll be back tomorrow with my first ever Sunday Stash! (If I can remember, that is...)

18 days...

(it was foggy yesterday... couldn't even see the lake.)

In 18 short days, I will be at the Creating Keepsakes Convention!* I can't believe it's so close! This year Bean, my mom, is going with me. Ooo, it'll be horribly fun with a buddy!

Last year jj surprised me with a hotel room for the duration of the event. We only live ~30 minutes away, but he wanted me to have a proper break.** I assumed he'd be up for that this year, but somehow he 'forgot' that he did that for me, and 'forgot' all the spending money he gave me as well. How convenient... So this year I 'earned' some of it. I did little things for his business, and I forget what else...maybe that was it??? Let's see if he'll remember telling me (only 2 months ago) that he was going to match whatever I saved. Saving money is not my thing...at all.

I find it hard to have so many interests. I don't have that much time for my own things, so I find actively engaging in all crafts at once almost impossible. (I do hope that when my craft room is finished it'll be easier to have multiple things going on at once. A table for each craft...that should work.) Right now I'm in full-on fabric mode. Although I must say I've been crocheting while waiting for my boy at school. Oh, and I bought some bead stuff...but that was Bean's fault! 0:)

So anyway, I'm going to be in full-on scrapbook/card-making mode here soon. I do so love to make cards. I love rubber stamps (haven't done that in forever!), sparkly glitters, bling, patterned papers....Oh boy, do I love patterned paper! Although half the time I wish the paper was fabric instead. (Have you noticed that a lot of the paper patterns are indeed becoming fabrics?)

I will certainly share my convention purchases! Maybe I'll even tell you what classes we're taking at some point. Share the fun, I say!

So yesterday I almost completed yet another small something! But when I went to quilt it, my top thread wasn't coming out nicely, and sometimes it broke. I thought at first that something was wrong with my machine, but I'm thinking maybe it's just the tension. You see, I use Aurifil almost exclusively, for both piecing and quilting and almost never have to adjust my tension. But I put a thicker Superior King Tut*** thread in this time, so maybe I have to. Wish me luck on that! I'll share when I have it all finished...hopefully tomorrow.

Oh yes, I finished my Attic24 bag as well! No more granny undies! I haven't affixed the handles, but I think I like it better as a 'basket.' Hmm, maybe it'll be a handled basket though??? We'll see...I didn't have the directions with me when I did this last scalloped row, so I played with it a little. It's a *sl st, sc, 2dc, 2tc, a quadruple crochet, 2tc, 2dc, 1sc* repeat. Yes, I wrapped the yarn 3 times to make a quadruple. Why not, right? I mean, you could go on and on... for all I know this is commonplace, but I've not seen or done it before. Unfortunately, though lovely, this yarn de-plied (is that a word?) a lot, making it a little difficult.
I'm glad that at least some of you don't mind my rambling on because it's happening again!

I saw a post about some lovely summer flowers over at Vanessa's blog (I love her blog!) I am going to miss the summer color, but my sweet little plants haven't given up on me yet! I took these pics yesterday...

Look at my miniature roses! New buds, after a few frosts even!

(Love the dew on these)

Primroses have got to be one of the hardiest plants...This is the third bloom for those snapdragons! I'm definitely doing more annuals next year! Annuals and veggies!
I love the color on the trees. This is no Vermont, that's for sure, but I'll take what I can get!

(This is so much brighter in person...)

And finally some cabbage roses. Literally! This is the bottom cut of a baby bok choy (left) and nappa cabbage. Cute, eh?
Hope you're having a most wonderful week!

* Don't be fooled, it's not in Seattle, it's in Bellevue. Seattle is a more marketable name, I suppose.
**Isn't he sweet? Honestly, he's an incredible gift giver. He hates getting gifts, but the ones he gets for me are so thoughtful, in a tear-jerking way. I'm so very lucky and spoiled...rotten.
*** It's way happier and brighter in person.

Such a Happy Girl...

(The lake at sunset)

For some reason, this afternoon, I am indeed a happy girl! Maybe it's caffeine. I get uber hyper when I have caffeine--and oftentimes, when hyper, I get happy.

I'm currently browsing my favorite digital scrapbooking stores. Like many other things, I'm rather addicted to buying, and rarely using, digi-scrapping kits. I'm just not a productive sort of gal, I'm afraid. I see some of these excellent bloggers who are constantly creating (and actually finishing) so many wonderful things. Why can't I? Maybe when the craft room of my dreams is complete, I will. Okay, who are we kidding...

But alas, I did complete something this weekend. Yes, it's a 7" x 24" something, but I chose it because sometimes a gal needs to feel that sense of accomplishment before she starts feeling completely disappointed in herself, you know? I was rummaging through my stash (which is in bins due to the construction) to find pieces to add to the yummy collection of fabrics I bought from Beata. She is so inspiring, and her blog is so lovely... Anyway, I found a little kit I'd bought during a shop hop 2 years ago. Here it is, my mini table runner...

Love that green, and the pink, and the yellow...okay, all of it!

Let's see, what else have I been up to?

I bought a new iron this weekend. I happened to have a Macy's gift card that I couldn't seem to spend. I wasn't going to buy clothes, and the kitchen gadgets just weren't appealing to me, so I got something I really needed...for free! :)Goodbye old iron. Sorry I didn't follow your cleaning directions and burnt polyester rick-rack all over you...

I also bought a new board cover as the old one was so stained and stiff. Didn't take a pic...too ugly and gross. But I have to ask, where are all the cute covers? I want a pink or red floral cover...give me some roses, or at least some color! I actually considered the naked covers where the undies disappear with heat...briefly (pun). But although it would be a laugh, do I really want to see that? NO! (I forget which quilt shop sells them...hence no link)We also went to Shipwreck beads. I thought I'd make some halloween beaded goodies to sell at Etsy, but I'll never finish them in time... But I'll still make them and either hold on to them for next year, or hope some goth-loving person is shopping! :) Anyhoo, the street leading there is lined with lovely trees...it's so horribly peaceful there, as it's in a business complex. We always go for a little walk... The area is called Hawk's Prairie. And indeed, we've spotted hawks.(pic from a moving car, hence the blur. I didn't realize I had my camera until after we left, which really stinks because I used my phone to take pics of the kids in the leaves.)

Hmm...I also did some sanding. I bought this table for a mere $40 and I'm going to paint it either white or a nice minty/seafoam green. Such fun!
My boy's school had a box-tops contest. The class with the most gets a pizza party or something like that. I've been saving all summer so our contribution was 187 box-tops and 45 labels. Not bad.
Okay...from this post forward I am going to try to be more organized. All my posts seem to be huge and miscellaneous. Wish me luck!