Sunday, October 3, 2010

Lil Blue Boo's Blog

The frog pattern I used in my last post came from  Lil Blue Boo's blog.  It's a great little frog and so easy to do.  This creative and giving lady is now having a giveaway for a doll's dress pattern.  If you've got little people in the family, these dresses look like they will be quick and fun for dolls and also something that could be tweaked to fit other sizes and creatures.  Creatures sometimes need dresses, too.  I know this from my sock creature challenge.  Charlotte the Harlot comes to mind right now.

Check out the Lil Blue Boo blog.  This talented lady has an online pattern shop, too.  I do love shopping online--no checkout lines, delivered to your door, mailbox, or, in this case, email account, shopping at all hours in whatever grungy clothing you happen to be in at the moment...Life is good.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Use Your Crap Challenge

I have a closet (okay two) full of crafty crap and half the time, I can't remember what project I bought the stuff for in the first place.  I also spend way too much time downloading ideas and not enough seeing them through. Consequently, when I saw the Shannon Makes Stuff blog challenge to stop buying and start using up crafty crap I knew I really needed to join.    I didn't get a lot done this week but something is better than nothing, right?

So my first goal is to use up some of the flannel fabric.  Here is the "Frog in the Pond."

The little guy has a fly on his tongue.

The basic frog design is  from Lil Blue Boo's blog.  A big thanks to the Lil Blue Boo designer.  It was really easy to sew up.  Lil Blue Boo's is a bean bag, but I decided to go with stuffing on this one.  I didn't do her crown this time, although I really want to try that on the next one.  The blanket doesn't have batting, just two layers of flannel.  It's about receiving blanket size.

Another big thanks to Shannon for inspiring me to stop buying and get doing.  

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Pretty Poppy blog is giving away of beautiful necklace!

Stop by The Pretty Poppy to have a chance (or two or three or four) to win this lovely necklace!
 They have another one that says, "Keep Calm, Carry On."  I think most of us need that message.  How nice to have such an attractive reminder.

A special hi to Elke in Florida!  Hope you're having a great day. 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The New York Maker Faire

I made it to the Maker Faire!  My husband was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a lot more "Steve Jobs" than "Martha Stewart" stuff there.  There was truly an abundance of robotics, auduino and computer controlled things, ways to recycle all kinds of stuff, and opportunities for hand-on activities.  I'm not sure why there were half hour classes on lock picking from the TOOOL people or why men seemed drawn to that one like flies to a picnic.

I stopped at the Martha Stewart craft booth since they so nicely gifted me with a ticket.
You can see a wing of the giant two-sided butterfly activity set up at their booth just poking out from my bag.  You cut it out, put a dowel through, and tie some ribbon on.  Nothing shabby here.  The paper was thick, shiny, and  vividly colored.  Martha's group was also demonstrating the Cricut for cake decorating.  My lovely husband managed to get a cupcake from them.

The Craftzine booth was giving away Xyron Magic Sticker Maker Machines. Is this not the cutest thing?  I can't wait to try it out.  I'm lucky to get  my photos into albums, but I can see using this instead of writing.  I'll be able to type out blurbs in colorful fonts and not have to worry about mistakes..   

Xyron 0301-05-00 Magic Sticker Maker
Here is a conglomeration of things I picked up throughout the day.  I have a ton of websites I want to visit, a very bright red t-shirt, and Martha's butterfly.  I had never heard of Bust Magazine before, but they were giving away several issues.  It's a great magazine despite what I think is a strange name.  I didn't pick it up at first.  Bust?  As in measurement or sculpture?? But-- Helen Mirren is on the cover?  Turns out it covers many things with well-written articles.  Thanks to Bust for some on-the-way-home reading material.
People watching was fun, too.  Some were in costume, some were not.


I am amazed by this woman's hair!  My head hurts just looking at it.  Maybe it's not as heavy as I think it is.

While there were many booths we liked, here are a couple of our favorites.

I still haven't had the patience to solve a Rubic's cube and this thing did it in 13 seconds.

On the recycling side, you've got to go to  www.replayground.com.  There were so many fun recycling ideas on their table!  Even their cards were recycled cardboard with the information stamped on it.  You have to love people who walk the walk!  Last one--I promise!  Who doesn't need this book?
 
Brian went as a favor to me, but now says he'd like to go again.  Thanks to the Craft blog for getting us started on this venture with a free ticket.   

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Keepsake Quilting

I made it.  I not only got to Keepsake Quilting, I went twice.

(It seems so unfair that Lindsey Lohan even looks good in her mug shots, and I can't even manage to get a good one out of the hundreds that I take on vacation.  I was squinting into the sun here.  Okay, okay, it's a shoddy excuse.  The good news is that should I be arrested I can save them money by sharing one of my many, many pictures that look like mug shots.)

This is the more catalog-ish view of Keepsake.
I got an okay to take some pictures inside from the person cutting my fabric.  As soon as the camera snapped, however, someone else yelled, "You can't take pictures of the quilts!"  The cutter smoothed things over explaining that I was just taking overall shots.  I was not willing, however, to stir up things by taking more than these two.  They don't do the place justice.


(I'm not talented enough to Photoshop those two quilts out, so, instead, I'm going to ask that you don't look at them.)


I thought I was only there an hour or so, but apparently it was long enough for Brian to not only visit the neighboring stores but develop close personal friendships.  When I finally left, he took me around to meet his new friends in each store.

I could not pass up the ducks.  They match my rubber duck collection after all.
These are some fabrics that just starting begging me to take them.  I am in an orange mood lately.  This has never happened before.  I'm going to be redoing the larger bedroom in yellow.  These should make a lovely quilt, etc.  I passed up the first fabric, blue with tiny orange leaves, requiring the second trip. On the second trip, I found the rubber duck borders.  That little trip alone was another $56.  

Oh, yes.  The lake and all the surrounding area was incredibly beautiful.  The lake is enormous! We've got to go in the summer next time. 
Tomorrow:  The Maker Faire!!  

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Lake Winnepesaukee (aka Keepsake Quilting) for Our Anniversary

Happy anniversary to us!  We are going to Lake Winnepesaukee FINALLY!  I've been trying to get there for more than 20 years.  It's not THAT far from Upstate New York, and it has been just a bit off the routes we've taken for a number of vacations further north.  It was often on the list of places we would stop on the way to or from other places.  Something always got in the way.  We were running late, the kids were too tired, we'll do it the next time.  My reason for wanting to go there:  Keepsake Quilting.  I so want to see that store.  Their catalogs are eye candy. 

I guess when the sole purpose of the trip is to get to this lake, we might finally make it there.  When the hubster said we were going there, I was ecstatic.  He remembered.  He knew how much I wanted to go to Keepsake and was doing this just for me.  I had days of this fantasy.  Then I mentioned where we were going to someone in front of Brian.  Turns out Keepsake was not actually on his list of reasons for going there. Too bad he said that.  He had sooo many brownie points piled up before I found out he really wanted to go to the lake.

Be that as it may, I am going to Keepsake and to what I understand is a lovely lake to celebrate our 27th anniversary.  I shall post pictures of the too many fabrics I'm going to buy.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Art Journal Classes Online

I just signed up for "21 Secrets for your Art Journal."  It will be a collection of 21 lessons, each taught by a different artist.  I've been looking at Hanna of Stockholm's work on her blog for a while now.  She is incredibly talented.  Classes are going to begin on October 1st, but you don't have to do them at a specific time.  That's just when the classes will start being available.  The cost is $59 which is a bargain when you consider it's less than $3 a lesson.

Take a look at Hanna's blog to see the inspiring things that she creates.  She has some great tutorials.  Even I, with very little artistic talent, am able to do many of the projects.  There's a link on her site to join in the classes.  Hope to see you there!