Look maw, it's 2013!

Happy new year to all 5 of you......2 of you who still stop by and still read my random drivel! I hope everyone had a fab holiday. We decided a day before we were hosting a New Year's Eve to switch rooms around in our house, thus creating a massive mess! Obviously, we like to thrive on stress. And caffeine with an occasional beer thrown in the mix. My stepson moved out, so we moved my son (8 going on 35) into the now empty room. Then we turned my son's old room into a toy room where all video games will be relocated  (pause for a moment of silence please for how kick ass this is - my precious living room will finally be mine again!). Not to mention I was able to move all Legos and Polly Pockets to the toy room. The bottoms of all mother's feet rejoice in the awesomeness of this. If you have no clue why this is awesome, then go find a Lego, throw it on the floor, take off your shoes and socks, turn off the lights and step on the Lego. I bet you just yelled many a 4 letter swear word, didn't you? Now you understand. By creating a toy room we were able to move many a toy out of the basement table, including a huge table that will now be used for Lego building and craft making. By doing this we opened up a crap ton of room in the basement where my studio lives. Do you understand what this means for me?

(wait for it)

A chance to redo the studio!!!!!!!!!! (No, I am not excited about this at all. Nope. Not one iota.) (Okay, maybe just a tad bit excited.) (Okay, fine. I may have skipped around the house singing with glee.) The reorganization part started out a bit hairy, giant mess.

BUT, I was finally able to clean the area and organize everything they way it should be.

Case in point, the fabric stash:

Please note that all fabric is now arrange by color, including a polka dot stash. What, doesn't everybody have a polka dot stash? Don't give me that look, you know you have one.

If you need me, I will be downstairs sewing. And gazing longingly at my fabric.

To gift or not to gift

Really, that is the questions. As a BzzAgent I was given the opportunity to receive a free 5x7 mounted photo. Of course I jumped at the chance. I shop at Meijer all the time. I am convinced if Meijer doesn't have a certain item, then it must not exist. On Thanksgiving I made my children wear decent clothes and actually sit next to each other, no fighting or whining, and smile real smiles. I didn't want any cheese with these smiles. Was I ever shocked when my two turkeys actually behaved and gave me the picture I wanted and NO whining was involved. All moms out there seriously understand why this could be considered a miracle. I then copied the picture to a CD and skipped all the way to Meijer (fine, I drove there. It was too cold for skipping). I put my cd into the photo kiosk computer and it was super easy to navigate through and choose what I wanted. I opted for the matte finish, because I'm more of a matter girl. Glossy is too shiny. The computer printed out my ticket and all I had to do was wait. You can get your mounted photos in an hour, but there was a problem with the photo machine, so I had to pick it up the next day. Not a problem at all, as I ended up running out of milk and was able to pick up milk and my fabulous mounted photo together.

(My two turkeys)

I also noticed that Meijer had other photo options, such as photo mugs and calenders. I now have some good ideas for some Christmas presents for those hard to shop for people. A photo mug would make a great gift for my dad. At first I was going to give the mounted photo to my mother-in-law as a Christmas gift, but the photo looks really nice up on my mantle. I may just have to keep it for myself........


(I was compensated for my time with a free mounted photo, but the opinions are all my own.)

From Wolverine Blue & Gold to Sparty Green

When we moved into our house 5 years ago, my son Aaron's new room was done in University of Michigan Blue and Gold colors. Fast forward five years later and my son is now a die hard Michigan State Sparty fan, who loathes his blue and gold room. We used Benjamin Moore Aura Waterborn Interior Paint and finally (after many months of begging from said child) updated his room, fit for a Sparty Fan. I received a free can of paint from Benjamin Moore through this fabulous website called BzzAgent. At first I was worried that we would have to use multiple coats of paint to cover the blue and gold, but was surprised that it only took one coat, with a few touch ups. The best part about this paint is that it is lower in VOCs (check out here for more info about VOCs) and is better for your family and the environment. Best of all, I now have a very happy son!

( I was compensated for my time with free paint, but my opinions are my own.)

Vintage Bicycle Ride

I have been in a vintage kick lately. I love to use vintage fabrics. It makes the item one-of-a-kind and I feel better about not adding more crap to an over crapped out earth. A few weeks ago a lovely friend of mine gave me two ginormous boxes of vintage finds from her stash. There were a few craft magazines from the 70's in the box too. I am going to have to take some pictures of these magazines. Flipping hilarious. Part of this stash was this unbelievable bicycle fabric:

I could make out with this fabric, I love it so much. (Pardon the hideous plaid cover on my sewing table.) Fun, no? I also made an apron with these same fabrics. This is definitely one of those items I will be sad to see sell. I get attached to my fabrics. They are kind of like my children. Only the fabric doesn't talk back. Or spill juice on my carpet. Details, schmetails. 

I miss sleep

After the birth of my second child I just assumed that I would be able to sleep the night through by the time she was three.

Who the heck was I kidding? Okay, to be fair she does sleep through the night a good part of the time, but then she goes through spurts, painful, agonizing spurts where she does not sleep. Last night (this morning?) I rolled over, just shy of 2:30 am to find a pair of big blue eyes staring at me. I don't know about you, but waking up to someone staring at you is just creepy. Or maybe that's just me remembering the year I had a stalker ex-boyfriend. Whatever.

"Mommy, I want to lay down and cuddle wif you."

"Mommy just wants to cuddle her pillow sweetheart."

I put her back in bed, give her a cuddle, turn back on her music, and go back to bed. I get all cozy and comfy again and am just about to fall back asleep when I feel those eyes back on me.

Rinse, lather and repeat. I am TIRED. Someone go get me a Diet Coke IV STAT.

Crafty Spaz

So, here's the thing.

I am a bit of a spaz when it comes to art projects. I call it crafty spaz. You may call it a lack of an attention span. Whatever. Potato, pahtahto.

My main seller at all my fairs and on my Etsy page are my little girl dresses. Only I can't stay focused enough to make the same dress 8500 different times and stay happy. I have to make something new. This is the same thing with jewelry making and drawing. I can only stand to make things for so long and then I have to stop. Thankfully my love of fun fabric at least keeps me interested in sewing. I just have to broaden my horizons to make new and fresh items. It's the only way to keep up my craft mojo. If I don't then you'll just find me sitting on the couch with a package of Oreos and NCIS reruns. And possibly drooling. Oreo cookie drool is not pretty people.

Which brings me to these new dresses:

Applique fun with a touch of embroidery! Weeeeeeeee! Oh the possibilities. I'm really digging the one color dress and having the applique being the shazam factor. I made this in a 4T. I expect it will sell at my 4 (4!) fairs I have lined up, but if it doesn't I am so making my daughter wear it. That's my prerogative as a mother and as a crafter.

Things that scare me

Seeing that Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I would create a (not so) spooky list of things that randomly scare me (and may or may not be sewing related).

1. Buttons. Dude, the whole button hole making thing scares me.
2. Sewing knits. Double needles. Shudder.
3. Spiders bigger than a nickel. 'Nuff said.
4. Pinworm
5. Sewing with knits.
6. Toddlers on sugar highs
7. Man colds
8. Car repairs
9. That bad smell in the refrigerator you just can't find.
10.  Paper cuts. Dude, they hurt like a mofo.
11. Pleated pants
12. Socks with sandals
13. Those socks that have toes separated. I'm sorry. My toes were meant to touch each other.
14. Bugs with lots of legs.
15. My sewing machine breaking.

Care to add to the list?