Archive for the ‘Swaps’ Category

Still not 100%

September 7th, 2010 Shelly

I am still sick, at first I thought it was allergies because I kept waking up with this awful headache every morning and was having some congestion problems.  I kept taking allergy medicine and Advil, but it wasn’t going away.  Then about 5 days ago I woke up with a sore throat and it’s all gone down from there. I have a headache, congestion, sneezing, coughing, etc…now.  I slept awful on Sunday night, but took some Nyquil about 30 minutes before bed last night and I actually slept all night without coughing.  I will definitely be doing that every night until I feel better.

I haven’t gotten too much done the past few days.  I did get most of my laundry done and I have been finishing up some projects for my swap that I need to get sent today.  Most of these were done while sitting and watching TV though.  I was able to sew them up really quick, but the bindings on all of them had to be hand sewn so I did that while watching 3 episodes of Being Human, 2 episodes of Firefly and the first hour of Planet Terror!  It’s hard to hand sew and watch TV, but all of the TV episodes I have seen before so that is a big plus.  I am a nerd who likes to re-watch my favorite shows so it’s a good time to catch up on stuff!  Here is what I got done this weekend.

I made 3 quilted pot holders or hot pads, if you will.  I have never made any of these before, but I will be very quickly replacing all my 14 year old hot pads with some like these!  I used 3 different piecing techniques on these, all were new to me.  These are very thick and will hold up well for a long time.  I think I will just make a bunch of them and start giving them as gifts too!

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I also made this…in the Flickr community it’s called a mug rug.  Basically it’s a mini quilt that you use as a coaster, but since it’s a bigger size it’s perfect for a mug and maybe a cookie or a muffin!  I bought this mug at Target for my Swap partner and I wanted to make a mug rug to match it.  I did a little hand stitching on it as well, my first time with that too.  I printed off some clip art and just made my own pattern.

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Here is my completed swap package.  I have the hot pads, mug rug, a sewing machine cover and a pin cushion caddy!

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Everything that I made here is a first for me.  I am pretty proud of that sewing machine cover, it’s quilted and reversible.  If I don’t get one from my swap partner I will be making one for myself straight away.

Right now my house looks like a tornado hit it…I really need to get some stuff picked up now.  Have a great day!

Posted in Movies and TV, Sewing, Swaps No Comments »

Twas the day before school started…

August 17th, 2010 Shelly

The kids are all SO excited for school to start tomorrow!  I get serious déjà vu this time of year too.  The first day of school was one of my favorite days of the year, even in high school and college…I always loved the first day of school.  The boys have their clothes all picked out and laying out ready to go in the morning.  I don’t think I will have any problems with bed time tonight!  I did tell them that they had to clean their rooms today though, so we’ll see how well that goes.

I don’t really have a to do list today.  All my laundry is done…I need to clean bathrooms, but that’s about it here in the house.  I do have a lot of work to get done, but it’s not really worthy of a to do list.

I don’t know if I have mentioned how much I absolutely LOVE my Kindle!!  Oh wait, I think I have!  Seriously, it’s the best thing I have bought in ages…I don’t know how I lived so long without it.  I don’t miss books at all.  It turns out it’s what is in the book, not the actual book that matters!  I have discovered a couple of new authors that I would never have found if not for the Kindle and Amazon’s amazingly cheap (sometimes free) prices.  I just read 4 books by Amanda Hocking, actually all of her books, in just a few days.  I am not so patiently waiting for the 4th book in the first series and the 2nd in the other one.  They will both be coming out very soon.  I also just started reading a series by S.L. Naeole last night.  I haven’t gotten far yet, but it sucked me in right away and promises to be very good.  They are are all YA urban fantasy or paranormal series, but lately those have been my favorite to read.  I have a pretty good wish list started on Amazon, but I am going to try to read all the ones I have on my Kindle before getting any new ones!

I have been getting a lot of work done lately and then a little sewing for fun.  I made my first project for my {Urban} Home Goods Swap the other day.  It’s a pin cushion caddy from the new Seams to Me book by Anna Maria Horner that I bought the other day.

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Well, I suppose I should get started on something new today!  I finished up 3 orders yesterday, but they were all smaller ones, I need to do a bigger bag today.  Hopefully once school gets going I can get adjusted to a regular schedule again.

Have a great day!

Posted in Books, Family Stuff, Kindle, Pink Punk, Sewing, Swaps No Comments »

No to do list today!

August 10th, 2010 Shelly

I am not doing a list today.  I got most of my stuff around the house done yesterday.  Today I just need to get caught up on work stuff.  I had to take the 2 oldest kids to the dentist this morning. Neither of them had any cavities, so that was good news!  The bad news is that Bailey has to see an orthodontist pretty soon.  She has a lot of crowding (like my whole family does) and some of her permanent teeth aren’t going to come it with out having some orthodontic work done.  I am not looking forward to the expense that comes with this.  We have dental insurance that does cover orthodontics, but I don’t know how much.  I guess that’s something I need to start checking in to.

I started working on something with my hex swap goodies the other day, but I only got as far as stitching the hexes together!

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I just haven’t had a chance to work on it anymore.  I have too many orders that I really need to get done and shipped.  I have to finish a camera strap for one and it’s ready to go, and I have the next one almost cut out.  My goal for today is to get these 2 done today and shipped tomorrow.  I also have a tote bag to make for my niece for her birthday on Friday…I still need to pre-wash the fabric for that one!  I guess I need to get on the ball!

I guess my pictures that I posted yesterday helped make everything better…especially the one of Alcide (Joe Manganiello).  I had a really nice dream about him last night and I woke up in a much better mood today!  I think that deserves another picture!  I will give you a more polished picture this time.

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I am not one to like a full beard, but you can’t deny that he wears it well.  I am so glad he got picked up as a regular character, I can’t wait to see what they do with him in future seasons, hopefully he will have a bigger part than he does in the books.

Well, I have work that must be done…have a great day!

Posted in Family Stuff, Sewing, Swaps, True Blood No Comments »

Another quick post

August 5th, 2010 Shelly

As you can see I updated my blog template, I wanted something a little more me…I am not sure I am quite there, but I do have the pink so I am at least halfway there!  I have been trying out the blog memes because I want to try to post more and this gives me a quick post even on those days I have nothing to talk about.  I know that I did a Flickr mosaic for my WW post, but I think I am going to do a Flickr Friday from now on.  I don’t know that I will do a mosaic each time, but I will be sharing some of my faves and maybe doing some themes.  I will have to think about what I want to do tomorrow.

The reason I came back to post is because I got my Round 2 Hexie Swap in the mail today.  It is awesome!!  I love Heather Ross prints and I tell you they are VERY hard to get a hold of these days.  I have a few pieces of these prints, but I tell you I am loving these hexes!  I am going to think of something extra special to do with them so stay tuned to see what I come up with.

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They are bigger than the ones I have been making too…so that will be fun!

Ok, I have work to get done and I have played around enough today!

Posted in Craftiness, Miscellany, Swaps No Comments »

Getting geared up for another busy week

August 2nd, 2010 Shelly

Of work, that is!  I packed up and shipped 2 orders off today.  I have another one cut ready to put together and a lineup that is going to keep me really busy this week.  Here is the rundown of what I finished up last week

Here is what I made for my swap

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I had fun with the pouch.  My boys wear holes in the knees of their jeans in no time, it seems like.  When the summer started I cut a bunch of them into shorts for them to play in and I kept the denim just in case I ever found something to use it for.  The little pouch is made out of the recycled denim.  I made this one out of one leg, so have enough to make LOTS more of these pouches!

Sydney is spending the night with Bailey tonight.  Bailey wanted to have a sleepover before school starts.  They are watching a movie now…hopefully they will all get along all evening!

There isn’t too much else going on here, just lots of work and cleaning and laundry…the usual!  Speaking of, I need to get back to work.

Posted in Family Stuff, Pink Punk, Sewing, Swaps No Comments »

To Do List Tuesday!

July 27th, 2010 Shelly

I am testing out some daily themes, I don’t know if I will keep this one, but we’ll see.  I am just going to go with it and see how it feels.

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This is my list for today, nothing too spectacular on there, just another day at home!

I don’t really have too much to post about today.  I pulled something in my back yesterday and it hurts really bad today.  It’s kind of in my shoulder just under my shoulder blade and it hurts when I move my shoulder or turn my head too far to the left.  I hope it doesn’t last too long because it’s very annoying!

I am afraid that I am quickly becoming addicted to these mason jar fraps!  I ended up making 2 yesterday afternoon.  I am going to have to start buying skim milk and low fat liquid creamer for them!!

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They are really too tasty to resist!  I just make a full pot (5 cups) of coffee in the morning and then put the leftover in the fridge in a cup with a lid and use that in the afternoon.

I am doing another swap on Flickr.  This one is the {Urban} Home Goods – A Modern Swap, it’s run by the same girls that do the Hexie swap that I have been doing.  They do THE best swaps on Flickr and I am super excited to be doing this one for the first time.  This is the mosaic that I made for inspiration and to give my partner and idea of the things that I like

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1. crown & stars linen art journal cover, 2. Urban Circus, 3. {Urban} swap – finished!, 4. 105.365, 5. Hexagon’s framed, 6. Custom ipad cover for Julie – Front, 7. Olives String Quilt, 8. Progress, 9. the summer bling quilt, 10. Joy, 11. { urban } home goods – done!, 12. gathered clutch, 13. MMmmm.. Orla Kiely, 14. Pillow {Talk} Swap…Received!, 15. Mermaid Mini Quilt, 16. Pillow Swap – A little bird, 17. blumenkorb, 18. Happy Birthday Fan pillow, 19. SHUT the DOOR!!!, 20. Bubbles 7.0 Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

You can click on any of those links to see the full pictures.

Well, I gotta run so I can get started on that list!

Posted in Craftiness, Family Stuff, Home & Family, Swaps, To-Do List Tuesday No Comments »

It’s raining…again!

June 14th, 2010 Shelly

but at least it’s not 95* out!  I am just glad that Jake finally mowed the yard on Saturday.  I think everyone on both sides of our street on this block mowed over the weekend, it looks nice!  Now if I had the time to go out and clean out my landscaping we would be good to go.

This weekend was a long one…I spent all day Friday and Saturday working on the Bridesmaid bags that I needed to have done on Sunday.  I managed to finish them at about 7pm on Saturday.  They turned out super awesome, if I do say so myself!

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I ran out of black ribbon and our Walmart didn’t have more so I had to put white on one of them, but I figured she could switch that out on the bag for the Maid of Honor and then hers would be a tad different.  This was the one BIG order that I had left and now that it’s done and delivered I can breathe a little easier.  Now I have 3 orders that still need to pick fabric, but I should be caught up with all the rest in a little over a week.  I am closer now to being caught up than I have been in a long time and it feels really good.

I took yesterday off, but I did sit and work on this yesterday afternoon.  It’s the start of a pincushion that I am making for a scrappy pincushion swap.

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These are 1/2” hexes.  I have to make about 10 more and then finish sewing them all together.  I have the fabric picked out for the rest of the pincushion, but I will have to make sure that it all matches, so we’ll see…

Did you watch True Blood last night?  What did you think?  I don’t like that they stray so far from the books, but I live with it and I LOVE seeing more of Eric!  I was hoping to see some Alcide last night too, but no such luck, hopefully next week.  This will have to do for now…

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Well, I have tons to get done today!  Have a great one!

Posted in Craftiness, Entertainment, Movies and TV, Pink Punk, Sewing, Swaps 1 Comment »

Is it the weekend already?

June 11th, 2010 Shelly

This week has flown by and I haven’t gotten nearly as much done this week as I thought I would.  I started working on these 8 bridesmaid bags on Tuesday and I have them all cut out and all the interfacing cut out and 1/2 of it ironed on.  I will be working my hardest over the next 2 days to get them done since I am delivering them on Sunday.  I did manage to get a camera bag, camera strap, a nursing cover and 3 accordion wallets done this week while I was waiting for my fleece though.  So when I get these bags done it will end up being a pretty productive week.

I did get my hexagon swap stuff the other day.  It was a pretty awesome package with a little surprise inside!  Here is what I got

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That is my Eric Hexagon!  I LOVE him, he looks as old as Eric should look!  This is a funny thing…I bought this pack of fabric scraps from a lady on Etsy so that I would have a bigger variety of Heather Ross fabrics to make Hexes with and this fish fabric was in the pack and this particular fish just happened to be on one of the pieces…

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When I posted the picture on my Flickr account I made the comment that I needed and Eric fish (even though Eric is the character name (on True Blood) and Robert is the actors name (on Twilight).  There are no Eric fish on that fabric, but my swap partner was very thorough when she was coming up with the ideas for my swap hexes and so she embroidered Eric on this gnome hex for me and I LOVE him!!  I have to come up with a very special project for these 2 hexes!

I am doing a scrappy pincushion swap this month too and I am going to incorporate teeny tiny hexes into that somehow.  I have to work on those this weekend while I am watching movies.

I was able to watch Remember Me the other night and it was an excellent movie.  Thanks to Perez Hilton, I knew how it was going to end but that didn’t make it any less sad.  I was crying, tears streaming…very good movie.

We have Valentines Day for this weekend and a couple others that we are going to try to watch so we’ll see how that goes!  We also subbed to HBO so that we don’t miss True Blood, NO was was I going to have to wait to see it!!

Well, I have piles of yellow fabric and interfacing calling my name so I have to get going.   I also have to jump in the shower so I can run to the PO to mail some packages to Canada.  This is when having an assistant would really come in handy!

Have a great weekend!

Posted in Movies and TV, Pink Punk, Sewing, Swaps No Comments »

Not sure that I am liking summer so far…

June 8th, 2010 Shelly

I am so busy that I haven’t had time to enjoy it much and it’s been so hot that the kids don’t even want to play outside.  So, that leaves them in the house making a bigger mess for me to clean up when I don’t even have time to clean at all.  I am about 2 weeks from being caught up with all my work, but I doubt I will ever be truly caught up!

I am finishing up a DSLR bag and camera strap today then I am starting on a big order of 8 bridesmaid bags.  I think they are going to be super cute!  They are yellow and black.  I should be able to do all the cutting today, but I am out of fleece interfacing.  I ordered it over a week ago and it’s scheduled to be delivered on Thursday.  That gives me a day in between to do one other bag if I have enough fleece left for one.  I do have a couple of smaller things that I will do then too, wallets and a camera strap.

I do actually have other sewing projects that I like to do, but I don’t have as much time for them.  I have decided to make some time for a couple of swaps though.  This is the first one I have done since last summer.  It’s a hexagon swap.  I have recently become addicted to these and they are quick and easy to do while I am watching TV at night.  This is what I sent out to my swap partner.

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That little pouch is the perfect size to take your hex supplies with you on the go.  Or it makes a great little make up bag!  I haven’t gotten my package from my partner yet, but I will be sure to post it when I do.

I set up a new shopping cart on my website yesterday and it was super fast and easy.  I was able to customize it pretty easily myself and I can skin it and change the template very easily which is a GOOD thing!  I am going to keep the one on Facebook for the time being, but I may phase it out if I think this new one is working out okay.  I am having a sale right now,  you can read all about that here.  Today is the last day so take advantage of that while you can!

Well, I need to get back to work…have a great day!

Posted in Craftiness, Family Stuff, Pink Punk, Sewing, Swaps 1 Comment »