Midnight Creations

I Declare: Sewing for ME Week

2012-02-13T11:22:00.009-05:00

I have declared as of about dinner time Sunday night that this week would be devoted to sewing for me and my family week...Hooray!

I just finished a show on Saturday (which was great) and in getting ready for that I have an epic amount of product made so to sort of energize my sewing I am going to take this week to work on FINISHING a few items that have been hanging around.

First up, Sherbet Pips, this is a quilt I started for my daughter, in spite of her desire to have everything princess themed this will be for her use around the house. I bought most of the fabrics from this line last summer when it came out. I had cut it out and had a few measure issues, mainly trying to do a pattern in which I did not have the right amount of fabric (I bought the fabric before deciding on a pattern). Anyway I had to do some creative piecing along the way to get it to work.

Piles of fabric that I had to dig out from last summer, I had some notes with changes I made, though I would say not as good of notes as I would have liked. Though I am pretty certain I did not plan on packing it away unfinished more then 6 months.

Quilt about half done, it is actually pieced now, I am hoping to find a back this week and drop it to the machine quilter on Friday. Yay, one down! ! !

Next are these tropical placemats, I think I started these at least 3 years ago - sad, huh? They are completely pieced I just need to do some light quilting and sew backs on and use. This is next up, this will be a set of 8, the interior features a fruit print and a tropical print as the focal. It is bordered by lime green and then orange and watermelon squares, finished with the lime green.

Then a quilt I am super excited to start in this aqua and brown combination, this will be a throw for my bedroom. I need to get a solid cream or something like a cream, making a fabric run lunch today. I think once I get rolling on this it should go quickly.

Then there is this lovely basket of half finished quilts, grrrr...that is what I think when I look at this. Things half completed, random notes and lots of folds in odd places. It will be somewhat of a nightmare sorting this out. In this basket are the beginnings of 3 quilts and a Christmas table runner. In my sights this week are the table runner, and one of the quilts from a line called "Surf and Sand" this was/is also to be for my bedroom, going from memory I also have fabric to make matching pillowcases, ah the sorting and memory jogging needed.

Also in this basket is another line that I LOVED, actually still like it but not sure I want it for what I originally intended, so I need to sort this one out as well. And lastly in that basket was a quilt that was fully pieced just needed some applique flowers, this is not on my need to finish now list, so it will probably get a looksy but to be finished later this year...hopefully. I hope to post finished (or at least my part finished) this week or early next week. For quilting I usually hire this out, so I may space them a bit plus I need backings, I hope to get 2 ready to go to a quilter this week or next.

New Product Labels

2012-02-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

I am swooning today over my new labels I got this weekend. I used Vistaprint and I think they are fabulous, or they will do just a-ok until the day comes I have a logo made that is just for me. I got these 2 inch circle labels to use on bags for craft shows, I will use these on my medium bags, and hope to get bigger labels for large shoppers.

I have recently switched over to a brown bag theme for my bags as this was somewhat predicated by what I could find locally and at a cost near a wholesale rate and NOT pay shipping.

These are a burgundy, soft pink, khaki and black, they will look smashing with the other labels I also use for small lunch sack sized labels.

Crafters Clearance Show This Weekend

2012-02-08T12:42:00.004-05:00

Getting ready for my first show of 2012, remember I was going to be serious and proactive to do more show this year. This first one will be used to be "out with the old" and in with the new. I have spent this week prepping everything for the show including lots of sale creations.

In my "clearance " baskets I will have a mixed lot of my creations. Odds and end items and fabric choices, along with prototypes, single items, and a few items I am discontinuing from my "line".
I also will have two new items, first is my E-reader cover, this is a sleeve that you can slide a reader or tablet into for safe keeping. It has an exterior pocket and button closure, I will have about a dozen on hand and will also be dropping a few off to Yellow Door this week too.

I also have a new style coin purse that I will have with me, simple pieced design that features a small scale print in the middle.

I will also be offering a selection of $10.00 and $12.00 totes and purses, and a few "show specials".
I made up some cute freebies with Valentines chocolate as well. Valentines and St. Patrick inspired tissue cozies and pocket mirrors, free with $25.00 purchase, and a chocolate heart, just for fun!

12th Annual Crafters Clearance
Saturday February 11th
10-4pm
Henry Ford II High School
11911 Clinton River Road
Sterling Heights, MI
Website

Craft Show Transport Idea

2012-02-06T13:34:00.007-05:00

I am getting ready for my first show of 2012, I had seen this idea in use a few years ago and thought it was brilliant. A large wheeled garbage can for transporting your craft goodies in and out of shows.

I picked one up today for a show this weekend, I find getting ready and loading the car to be somewhat stressful, cutting down on lifting and carrying is a huge help. This can will hold quite a bit and keep items inside safe from the elements as well.

You can see how much I put in the can, I load my items in the baskets they will be displayed. I always have a few items that get put into baskets at the show and those basket are packed nested in bins as well.

First layer, I have some studio scrap bundles I will be taking to the show, they made a good filler for the first layer.

Then I started stacking baskets of my creations, the squared shape of the garbage can helped a lot, fit more of my type of display items then a round one would have.
Next layer, more product and as a buffer I put my bags of merchandise bags.

Just about filled to the top with product, the most recent additions are loose and will be put in their baskets at the show.

As an added organization feature, I added to the inside of the lid an envelope, this is to put any forms or paperwork I might need upon check in. I hope to use as one of the first items to go into the show as it will carry a lot. I also put on the envelope a list of items packed in their so I can look at a glance for items.

Nifty transport, unfortunately this would not stand in the back of my vehicle, that would have been an added bonus. I will lock the lid and secure it so I can just slide it out of the back of my vehicle.

Earring Mini Shopping Spree

2012-02-01T12:54:00.006-05:00

I happened onto the cutest little beaded earrings, simple and easy to wear with lots of things. I could not resist grabbing a few pairs. This etsy shop Amula was having a sale and I also got a birds nest necklace as well.

Amula was having a great 1.00 earring sale so I felt a mini shopping spree was in order. Good thing about this purchase is sadly I have a tendancy to loose earrings as well as other small things, so this price point was the perfect impulse purchase.

Check out Amula and treat yourself too!

Snowy Sunday

2012-01-29T16:11:00.004-05:00

We have been somewhat lucky here in Michigan to be having a mild winter (types while knocking on wood). Today we have had a few inches of snow, the kind that sticks to the trees and is quite white and beautiful. The only thing that would make this better if we had a bright blue sky.

This set of tree and bush is right outside my sewing room window so I have a front seat view to this pretty winter day.

You know what they say if you don't like the weather wait five minutes and it will change. This blue sky picture was taken maybe 15 minutes later to this gray overcast pictures above.

I am still rooting for an early spring though!

Mass Producing the Handmade Way

2012-01-27T08:49:00.006-05:00

I find the only way I can make and keep up with stocking is to sort of "mass produce" my items. Often this is done in big steps, this is about cutting. I use rotary cutters to pretty much cut everything out, scissors are used for trimming and snipping and some items that have curved edges, though I often rotary cut those as well.

I use primarily two sized rotary blades, 45mm, and 60mm and use two different sized rulers, a 6 x 12 inch and a 6.5 x 24 inch. In tandem and in use with my rotary mat I can efficiently cut all my items. The above pic shows both rulers used to cut an item that is 13 inches wide, using side by side, I can cut easily items up to 18.5, bigger then this I often use the markings on the rotary mat.

In this picture I have cut coin purse interlinings, I simply lay out interfacing to on the entire rotary mat, I cut and my needed size, and sub cut the width. Lucikly I am able to cut from three sides as needed on my table, which allows me to move around the cutting area. It takes a bit of practice to get the most you components to reduce waste.

This picture shows how little waste there is for me when cutting in bulk, this shows linings for totes, and small leftover pieces that go into wristlet handles.

Stacks and stacks of coin purses and such, stacked with their respective sized item. I cut most fabrics individually and often cut all fabric I have, so I have coordinate items ready at all times. Offline I sell items in sets so cutting it at that moment is a time saver, just stack by respective item.

I spent Thursday cutting, literally about 8-10 hours of cutting. During this stage I try to cut as much as possible to prep for ironing (which my husband does, see this post) and sewing. I plan the items to be made from each fabric and work to cut in most case all the fabric I have, if I have something 1/2 yard or less I almost is cut fully into items. Many items are fussy cut, so it needs one on one attention to make it look its best. I have several places and a pretty good system for sorting and stacking.

This is a three shelf bookshelf that I have on one end of my sewing table, I stack items here to keep somewhat organized.

This is stacks of a "new" item I am working on (post to be coming soon) on an ereader cover. This has been a bit of a challenge to get a good size, so I have actually cut a few times this item. As this is a new item and this takes 3 different sizes of interlining, I have had to label these as they are easy to confuse with other items. Cutting multiples allows me to do many at once without shifting gears, clearing space or tracking down a component during sewing.

These are tote linings that are awaiting their bags, this used to be a much more labor intensive task, thanks to my industrial sewing machine these are so much easier and kind of fun to make now. Work in like color both fabric and thread and it is easy to get a lot done in a shorter amount of time. These will be stored until bags and handles are ready. I am now confident enough in my items and all my selling outlets that for some of my totes I make 3-5 at a time. I am also trying to do more solid and more uniformed linings to help speed up production.

Valentines Crafts Revisited

2012-01-19T08:56:00.006-05:00

I did a few simple and fun Valentines craft tutorials last year about this time, I thought I'd revisit those posts with pictures and links to the original inspiration. Enjoy!

Above is a Conversation Hearts Valentines Topiary, my 5 year old and I did a few of these, the one above survived I double wrapped it in ziplock bags and kept it in my china cabinet. The link for this can be found here.

Simple goody bags you can use to tie up Valentines treats, add a tag and use as a class room handout, link for this here.

The above is one of my personal faves to make, I have been making these for years. Glassine paper and ribbon make little pouches to hold a variety of candies. Post for this can be found here.

New Team Crafting a Home Party

2012-01-19T08:49:00.004-05:00

I took a spin through the forums yesterday and happened onto this discussion looking for a team that focused on selling in a home show format. After a few pages of interesting conversation on a whim I set up a new Etsy team "Crafting a Home Party". Within an hour or so we had about 20 members and a few discussions underway.

While I am the captain there were a few others who volunteered to be leaders and help run the team, this is an open team so everyone is welcome to join. Hopefully this can be an active team sharing ideas and inspiration for hosting home shows.

January 2012 Treasury Features

2012-01-12T21:29:00.001-05:00

Skillet Fries

2012-01-09T08:46:00.003-05:00

Simple potato recipe when you need a quick side. Wash potatoes, peel or not peel it is up to you, slice I like thinner then 1/4 inch as it reduces cooking time. I also add a few slices of onion, what ever you have on hand, if you don't have onions, dried onions will add a nice flavor.

Add sliced potatoes and onions to pan with butter, spread around the pan and cover, flip potatoes a few times as necessary to get a fried or golden color. Potatoes are done when a little bit crispy and cooked through. You can add butter as necessary or to speed up cooking add a splash of water and cover.

This also makes the pan seasoned for cooking a meat if you wish, I often will push the potatoes to the side, or remove and cook up pork chops or chicken, return potatoes to the pan after meat cooks to reheat and serve.

Photo Editing with Picnik

2012-01-07T14:04:00.002-05:00

Just a few quick examples of how you can easily edit and improve pictures. I took these 2 pictures from a shop on etsy, as part of my ideas for some ideas for picture improvments I did these two. I use Picnik a free online photo editor, you simply upload and make the changes, for me I pretty much only use the "exposure" and the "crop" feature. Below are the pictures and respective changes. These lovely items are available in the etsy shop Starality, check these and other great jewelry pieces.

Original

Brightened and cropped so object is closer

Original

Brightened

Brightened pic, off center cropping

Sewing Room Trash Buckets

2012-01-07T08:34:00.004-05:00

Another entry in the "dumb blog posts" world, this time my use of "trash buckets" I have these little galvanized buckets I keep on my sewing table and around my sewing room to help keep things tidy.

I find in general, though this is not the rule the more organized and clean I can be the more productive I can be. Having a spot to toss bits of fabric and threads in arms length keeps me more efficient, yes silly but true.

In addition to the buckets I use constantly I have this little one right next to the sewing machine, it hangs on the wall along with the bar that I use to drape items waiting to be sewn. Not having to move and reach around for a basket on the floor keeps me in the groove of sewing, which makes me more productive.

2012-01-06T16:31:00.008-05:00

I am super excited today, I just got in the mail my acceptance letter to a show I applied for that is in February. This was the second time I applied to a juried show, which I find (in a good way) kind of stressful, the validation of being excepted is truly inspiring. Hopefully this will carry over into getting lots ready for the show.

It is put on by Henry Ford II Music Boosters, through Henry Ford HS in Sterling Heights. This is the 12th annual event and is well attended. It is called "Crafters Clearance" and the name should not be deceiving it is a full juried show with many local crafters and artisans.

However that being said the element of a sale is advised for participants. I actually love this idea and having a sort of clearance of some items is very appealing to me, you know out with the old and in with the new. I will be bringing along onesie, twosies of things and will bring along some $10, $12, and $15 totes to share with hopefully eager shoppers.

I submitted a rather large collection of photos to be considered, including about a dozen of my items, works in progress and studio shots. It was a good exercise I am sure to repeat for future shows.

I will also use this to premier a few new designs namely by new ereader, hopefully I will have about a dozen to bring along.

Crafters Clearance

Fine Art & Handcraft Show

Saturday February 11th 2012

10am - 4 pm
Show Website

Christmas Light Storage for Sewers

2012-01-05T09:28:00.004-05:00

I am always emptying bolts of fabric which leave these cardboard "boards" as they are often called by fabric enthusiasts. We took down the Christmas tree and were packing up the lights, oranaments, etc. I had a few emptied boards and my husband smartly wrapped up lights on them, each held 3 sets of 100 lights and tucked perfectly into the storage bins. I thought this was a great use of these sturdy boards which often end up in the recycling bin.

Kanzashi Flowers and New items

2012-01-04T08:36:00.010-05:00

I have attempted my first four Kanzashi flowers, two were completed (semi) successfully. The others did not go so well, one is already tossed the other I will share below and one is now on a coin purse.

I got for Christmas "Kanzashi in Bloom" by Diane Gilleland. Overall this is a good book with good descriptions and pictures and a good number of ideas. While I usually have no problems doing new sewing tasks I had a lot of trouble with sewing my petals together, I think the round petal directions are missing some information, I am actually going to see if I can contact the author (she has a very nice website) and ask if I am just missing it totally or if the directions are lacking what I would call a key component.

I finally got one completed this was after viewing several Youtube videos, a few multiple times. For me the trickiest part of this was sewing the petals together and the location of this in relation to all the layers. My fist one did not work based on the directions, the stitch was not going through all layers, the result it fell apart pretty much completely on the back, then the flower as a whole no longer held it shape.

Here was my first attempt, above the petals will not hold their shape in the left view, which is the front, looking at the back all the folds have not been stitched down as they were too far from the sewing line. This is the step I found to be off in the directions, I had to trim back farther to catch the folds in the stitching, the second flower below was more successful.

For the blue flower I also used less petals, only 6 instead of the 8 I originally tried. This also shows the back view with a fabric cover glued down to hide the stitches and also protect the flower petals from coming undone. This is also a good base to add to something, like bag, hairpiece, etc.

I found I had to do more cutting then the book described to get an accurate sewing placement. This then made the flowers smaller then the books described they should be. I think I worked around it and a few tips from the Youtube videos I was able to complete my flowers. I also did a second stitching from the back to help make the flower lay flat.

This is the latest one I did, and the one that ended up on the coin purse. This was a trick I found on Youtube video that had you string the petals directly onto a needle, this way you can also gauge petals are the same size, I did not pin these petals as they went straight to threading.

The supplies are quite basic for simple flowers items most sewers would have on hand, fabric, scissors, thread, needles. I did need to buy a low temp glue gun, I just got a cheapy at Michaels as I have never had a need for a low temp glue gun. I gathered my supplies and happily started ironing and folding, I thought I will be making loads of these in no time. Alas, it was not so simple, but with any new task I think sometimes you have to make some errors to fully understand the process and improve upon that.

Also being a sewer the thought of gluing fabric is not a comfortable one, I imagined I could/would sew these parts, however I think for some of the construction a glue gun will be loads and loads easier, as long as they are durable and can withstand some wear and tear I too will be gluing fabric.

This is my fist completed project I will keep for myself to test the gluing of the white start button and the durability of the flower staying in place. This was constructed entirely of batik scraps, from this pillow set I made a few summers ago, you can see that blog post and pillows here. Hooray for scraps!

New Fabrics Sneak Peek

2012-01-03T08:42:00.008-05:00

I have been busy planning and buying new fabric for the new year and for new items I have planned. Here are a few lovelies that should be in my hands by the end of the week, I shall be stalking the mailbox each day!

This is just a sampling, admittedly I have ordered so much I cannot recall every piece that is coming my way. I often buy focal fabrics online then shop locally for coordinates to complete the look. I hope to hit 4-5 local quilt shops in the next two weeks.

Ah, The New Years Resolution Post

2012-01-02T18:56:00.005-05:00

Ok, not really but sort of in a way. Don't we all hope to resolve to do something? Something small, something we were/are trying to do anyway? There are the old stand bys; lose weight, be more organized, keep in touch with others more...I will not bore you with those...you're welcome :)

In the years since I have had my little business I always seem to start out the year with new ideas and visions for where I can take my business in the coming year. That is the joy of this young venture for me there is lots of room to grow, lots more I can do.

This year I want to move forward but feel I need to work through some of the old first, so that is my first idea, or hope or resolution to use up supplies and back track through items I have not worked with in awhile. The result, I hope to add a line of pieced and embellished items, this was actually my goal when I first started selling handmade purses and accessories. Items that had a more quilted look, using my love of piecing and saving all sorts of scraps to create one of a kind accessories. To this I really have wanted to do embellishments to add more character to my items. I have done this limited amounts with yo-yo brooches and am going to expand into Kanzashi flowers, a folded fabric art that has endless possibilities.

Yo yo brooch embellishing a small satchel

Do more offline, this means shows, I hope to do 8-10 shows in 2012. I have been somewhat proactive having already sent my package off for a show I hope to do in Feburary. I have also tracked down websites of other shows and put into my calendar when applications go live or are due.

Blog more, ok maybe just in December, I did none in 2011. I also hope to actually get my mailing list off the ground, and spend more time using Facebook.

More organized, as it comes to receipts, expenses I am looking into Outright.com to aid in this task.

To my organization, I also need to track my production, hours spent and items produced more closely. I did this in November and December and was both surprised and happy how this helped and motivated me to do more, be more efficient. I am working on a few spread sheets to help this task.

I hope to and feel I will finally need to accept credit cards at shows, with this I am hoping to find a device or tablet that will allow this at point of sale, so researching options.

So that is a few, and looking at it is exciting to have a plan, may not get everything done but it gives me something to aim for.

So, onto my personal crafty goals...sigh these can get long so just a few. First and foremost finish some of the many many works in progress or ufo's-unfinished objects. I have stacks and stacks of quilts pieced to be quilted, quilts halfway through, it is sad that so many things undone for so long. I tried to do this last year and post about it and sadly only 2 entries in the 2011 UFO Completed tab, it will be deleted to not remind me of this defeat.

New things for my family, myself, gifts, etc. When I got out my Christmas Stocking book I was sort of bummed I have not made stockings for my family...really we are still using these dollar store stockings? I actually said this to myself, they were intended to be cheap stand ins while I made us real ones...this is the year 2012 Santa will deliver to handmade stockings. I sort of actually fantasize about doing a stocking challenge for myself like weekly or monthly...we'll see :)

Learn a few new things, I already hinted at my fabric flowers so that is top of my list, I actually had to buy a few items to get started, namely a low-temp glue gun, and a few other glue items. I also asked (and got) some soap making kits for Christmas, I should be able to make about 30 bars of handmade soap. They are simple melt and pour that is about all I feel brave enough to try.

I also have this strong desire to do decoupage fabric, so look for some of those creations for my personal fun, who knows maybe a new item to offer in the future...

Happy 2012 to all, I will hopefully be back to post some of my successes and of course revisions :)

Potato Pancakes

2011-11-25T09:29:00.004-05:00

Let the leftovers begin! I made a mountain of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and this morning we had potato pancakes for breakfast. Super easy recipe that you can easily adapt to your taste or what you have in the fridge.

This recipe made 6 medium pancakes.

2 cups mashed potatoes
1/3 small onion grated
3 slices cooked bacon
1 egg, beaten
butter for pan

Beat egg in bowl, to that add additional ingredients. Melt in skillet butter, drop spoonfuls into pan and press flat, I found them to be gooey so I sort of had to pry them off the spatula with a butte knive. Let cook about 8 minutes until crisp, flip and cook additional 6-8 minutes, watch for done-ness.

Serve with chives and sour cream.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sale

2011-11-22T13:42:00.005-05:00

I rarely do sales, sure I mark things down from time to time, but an all out shop wide sale, not so much. But since I elected to not do any shows this holiday weekend I thought I would join in the online fun, well I hope anyway.

Etsy is or will be promoting 3 tags this weekend, Free shipping Etsy, Black Friday Etsy, and Cyber Monday Etsy. You can read more from the etsy November Merchandising Desk here in this blog post. I will be doing a combination of offerings; free shipping on some items and discounts on other items and in particular my BlackFridayCyberMonday section will especially be discounted.

I have been busing getting my shop ready, here is what I have done so far and what I still need to do to be totally ready.

I am using a few off etsy apps to help get ready as well, I signed up for Etsy On Sale over the summer and finally did the full read through to apply sales, and change tags in my shop. I also bought the 25.00 package and got 125 credits to use. You can use these credits whenever you like, each action you apply to your shop costs credits. A sale is 4 credits, and a tag change/addition/delete is 1 credit.

I also will be trying for the first time a few of the apps on Craftopolis there you can edit a title and the first paragraph of your listing, these are suggestions made by etsy if you are participating.

Readying my shop:

I cleaned up my sections, condensed items and reduced the number, this was to help reduce cost of using etsy on sale. Since credits are applied by entire shop or by section having less sections will reduce that cost a bit.
Reviewed ALL my tags, this has actually been an ongoing project but I finally went through one by one and made my tags more relevant and also made sure I had enough room to add the 3 etsy tags for this event.
I am listing...a lot, I hope to have nearly 200 items listed by Thursday, I have been doing this since early October, I have listed about 125 items since then.
Created a "Free Shipping profile" to be applied to some of my listings, this will only be for US transactions.
Writing my new first paragraph for my free shipping and % discount that I will add via Craftopolis later this week. I like to type it out and live with it for a few days first.

I plan to have most of this and ready to go on Thursday, with EOS you can schedule so mine will begin at various times late Thursday to midnight on Friday.

You will have to check out my etsy shop for the sales and deals, and free shipping items. I hope it will be a fun sale for buyers to get some of their shopping done!

Shrine Show November 18 and 19th

2011-11-19T07:40:00.002-05:00

Had a GREAT time at the Shrine show Friday night and will be heading back this morning. My spot was next to my friend Molly, from MollyCoddle Tiles. I had a great time meeting new people and hanging out among such creativity.

This is just a few quick pics to share of my space, looking forward to this morning, and going to grab a few bake sale goodies as well.

Craft Show Craziness...Readiness

2011-11-14T10:29:00.008-05:00

I do a limited amount of shows each year so for me they are always a panic, so much to do above and beyond making the items. This year I am hoping to be more organized and less panicked. I have the first of three this coming weekend and now that it is Monday and set up is Friday I am actually starting to pack up now (really RIGHT after I post this to my blog).

I also thought I would give a checklist of things I need and want to take along, I know when I started I was somewhat guessing. Here are a few of my essentials.

Change, I bring $80.00 in paper money, usually 4 10's, 4 5's, 20 1's, plus coin since I collect sales tax, I just bring a lot, at least 30.00 in coins.
Sales tax license
Secure location for money
Receipt pad(s)
Pens, scissors, tape, small notepad
Calculator
Clip board, for checks and receipt signing
Merchandise bags, I have 3 sizes
Business cards, postcards, fliers, etc.
Table coverings
Gridwall hardware, I keep this stuff in a small plastic box, also I need for some assembly screwdrivers, plier and wrench, good to have all.
Apron, I also stock this fully before the show with some cash, business cards, pens and a small calculator, also a lip balm :)
Bowl of candy - obviously optional
Small decorations, I sometimes bring a few nutcrackers along to add a festive touch to my table, since the shows are actually Christmas I am not worry about offending, just be mindful of the crowd if you choose to decorate.
Signs or pricing, I often just price in bulk and use mini frames to help sign, I once did a blog post on this idea here
Cosmetic bag with a few personal items, make up, brush, toothbrush, etc.
Small cooler or lunch bag, I always bring water, soda, and dry snacks such as pretzels, granola bars.
Grocery bags for garbage collection at my booth
Printed list of above
Admin basket or bag, I use this to keep things I will always need to know right where they are, like my apron, cash, lists, etc.

Some pics of my spare room, top, stacks of stuff needing to be priced and placed, middle my growing collection of baskets, its good to have options, and the guest bed, which is really just another table.

I am lucky to have a good size extra bedroom and am able to set up a 6 foot table, which seems to be the standard size for inside shows. Here I can play with my displays and items and have a good idea of set up before I get to the show. I also draw a little diagram and refer to it when I get to the show. For me my mind is always racing so having this for references does help. If you cannot use an actual table, mark out your space on the floor or bed a visual before the show helps a lot.

Here is a sort of picture of what I will do at the show, I have a fair amount of flexibility to move around as needed. Making this and stapling it to my checklist and make sure it goes to my admin basket for the show.

Columnists | Crafter turns fabric into practical items | The Detroit News

2011-11-13T09:49:00.004-05:00

I am super excited about my weekend feature in The Detroit News. I had the chance to share one of my accessories and talk a bit about my selling life. I did an event Saturday at "State of MInd" it was fun to have several people say they saw me in the paper. Here is the link to the article below.

Columnists | Crafter turns fabric into practical items | The Detroit News

I still need to actually get my hands on a copy for myself, as I sort of missed it when it came out on Friday. I have a few nice folks who will be saving it for me.

New Item Stocking Stuffer Coin Purses

2011-11-07T09:49:00.010-05:00

I have a new item this year, very Christmas like, which is unusual for my shop. I rarely sew any holiday items as they don't do very well for me...really, not everyone wants a Santa purse?

So, I have had this idea for a few years and finally did it. I was in the sewing room on Saturday and actually felt kind of bored - very unusual feeling. I remembered this idea and having a few holiday shows and stacks of Christmas fabric I finally worked up a design and started making these. I am calling them "stocking stuffer coin purses" kind of cute, huh? This way I can also legally use "stocking stuffer" on etsy and be found by eager holiday shoppers...tee hee!

A little bit of the design process, pattern pieces for the stocking and lining, then the revision, I wanted it wider and rounder, I re-drew my pattern and ended up with the perfect size.

So this is how it starts, I need a stocking shape, I have several books on stockings so I pulled those out and adapted one to the size and shape I wanted. Luckily I only had one that was done first that was not my desired size, a quick edit and I not have the sweetest stocking coin purses. Added to each a vintage jingle bell and these will great to use all season long. I plan on using mine to keep all my Christmas Receipts in ONE place in my purse.

While I am really planning these for offline events and markets I could not resist adding a few, above are the first two I added to my etsy shop.

A close up peek of these vintage jingle bells, and all the colors one last time!

Jack O' Lantern Quilt

2011-10-28T12:54:00.005-04:00

This is just a show and tell of a Halloween quilt I made several years ago. I love pulling it out each year it is so colorful and fun. I have some guests coming so I thought it would be a fun addition to the guest bedroom.

This was from Fons and Porter, originally it was in a magazine, probably in early 2000's, it was later found in their book "Best Loved Seasonal Quilts". I made the quilt pretty much to spec, however it took me the course of two or three Halloweens to find the fabric for the border and then the flannel back.

Fun quilt to have around this time of year, I usually leave it out through Thanksgiving.

Greenwood Cemetary Tour

2011-10-16T09:56:00.009-04:00

It was a fall blustery day, the kind you just want to stay in and sew or nap, or anything not outside. But for a cemetery tour it was probably the perfect day, the sun was shining so it ended up being a great way to learn a little about the early days of our town. A guided tour that featured local volunteers who told stories of notable pioneers buried there.

I live in Birmingham MI, a northern suburb of Detroit which was founded in 1818. The cemetery was founded or started in 1821 as the result of a double murder. The Utter family who were a farming family had employed a veteran of the 1812 war, he axed to death the mother and 1 daughter. It was a fellow resident who was so upset at this news that he donated a part of his property for their burial. During that time most were buried on their own property or farm, the Utters however leased the land they farmed so there was no place for them to be buried, so Greenwood Cemetery was formed.

Above first monument, burial site, Utter double murder

Utter family monument

The cemetery became the place for most burials of that time and has many founding and formative members of Birmingham early pioneering days. There are many civil war veterans, and many from both world wars as well.

The cemetery's only Revolutionary war veteran, above, also the earliest born within the cemetery.

This was a "first members of flight" those early aviation pilots who flew solo before 1917

The tour in the fall focuses on the forming of the cemetery and those notable residents who died up to about 1920 ending with Martha Baldwin who was a very outspoken women of her time and whose impact is still relevant in Birmingham today. She was the founder of Birmingham's Public Library, called Baldwin, she also headed a group of women and often financed the upkeep of the cemetary during the early 1900's. When she died she deeded her entire estate and property to the city, with strict usage requirements, many of the properties are parks, schools and city buildings. Martha was not always received once being quoted "the more time I spend with men, the more I like dogs".

The cemetary is still active with buriels still taking place, however most are family plots that have been acquired many years prior. We were told that their is a waiting list that is quite long, but with a little luck and a lot of time you could be buried here.

I took a few shots of some interesting monuments throughout the cemetary. The bronze sculptures are the work of a local artist and can also be found throughout our city, 3 of his works are here, I could not find the 3rd, it is much smaller.

Admittedly I wish I were better versed in local history, I plan to join the Friends of the Historical Society this month. I have already volunteered to help with a quilt exhibit that is coming in January and will be helping in the hand quilting of a quilt being shown and raffled.

I hope to squeeze in another self guided walking tour of this museum before the weather gets real cold and take more pictures and visit additional notable graves. The spring tour in April will also be another opportunity to visit Greenwood Cemetery.

SNS October 15th

2011-10-15T20:51:00.005-04:00

I joined in the SNS for this week, my first time literally in years. Of course on etsy now there is no promotional forums so there is an SNS team, which I joined a while back.

During SNS there is an opportunity to chat and visit with other shops having sales and since this new team there are lots of shops making treasury lists featuring fellow SNS sellers.

I made this one, starting by adding those shops that included an item from my shop.

And here are a few my creations were featured in to share as well.

Rummage Sale Finds

2011-10-12T09:03:00.004-04:00

Fall is definitely here and so are the rummage sales, great place to get items for craft show displays. I owe a thank you to my sister in law who volunteered recently and had kind of a first pick of the items donated. She managed to snag me 6 metal baskets, my fave for displaying my creations.

Best part, she got all 6 of them for $8.00, recently I have needed to get more of these due to my participation at State of MInd and the local shows I am doing this fall. Here are the baskets she got for me and a quickie makeover for one of them is below.

Lovely round basket with handle

Rectangle with handle, wicker bottom

This was the largest, with ivy accents

This one I did a quickie makeover, there was a 6 x 6 inch tile on the bottom, not really my style so a piece of scrapbook paper cut to size covers it nicely.

Jessie Costume Ideas and Tutorial (sort of)

2011-10-11T10:34:00.006-04:00

We started planning and buying for my daughters Jessie costume I think in March, so no excuses to not get done!

I had purchased from mom to mom sales a pair of jeans for $1.00 and a white oxford for $3.00 feeling very economical and smart for making this costume for such a great price. Well as these things go the devil or cost is in the details.

For the costume I had to add cow fabric, yellow fabric and red trim for the shirt, and the white fringe for the jeans which is probably my favorite part was in fact the most expensive, I think my bill still is less then about $20.00 not so bad...but there will be more we still need shoes...or boots as my daughter reminds me and a belt or something that will resemble a belt.

So as it is just the 11th of October I have the jeans and the hat completed, actually for the hat I still want to add ribbon accent and elastic for keeping it in place. And of course there is all that red yarn hair!

Great part about this was learning how to attatch the fabric to the jeans, literally up in bed one night thinking about it I realized that I would have to take the jeans apart slightly to do this with my machine. The option of hand appliqueing was a consideration as well, ultimately I decided this would be easier, I think it was.

I tore out the serged and sewn seams on the outer part of the jeans, from the hem, up to the reinforcement stitching which is just about at the pocket. You can sort of see below, sorry for the blurred pics.

Next I made my cow fabric insert, really all I needed to do was make more or less a rectangle, since the side seam of the jeans was open I just let that hang over and catch it when putting the jeans back together. I ironed a hem for the inner leg and the top (at a slight angle) used lots of pins to pin and place and sewed down to the jeans using a monofilament quilting thread (clear).

To finish, layer the jeans back together inside out with fringe inside, sew jeans back together and re-hem

The red hat was super easy once I found this foam hat at the Dollar Store - hooray, was considering a $25.00 option on Amazon. A simple yarn embellishment makes this close to the Jessie original.

Simple enough I marked all the way around the hat I did about 3/4 inch in from the edge and about 1 inch apart. Weave the yard around and tie off underneath the hat, I also taped it down, left the tails long for now...just in case.

Completed jeans and hat, so excited to have these done, I will be doing posts when I complete the shirt, hair and yes the belt.

Plastic Fruit Containers for Crafting

2011-10-08T09:47:00.009-04:00

I often use plastic templates for creating my items, and usually have on hand quitling template mylar. I recently discovered that I can reuse a raspberry (or any fruit) container. The bottoms and tops are usually solid without vents so for small templates they are perfect. I love that I am not spending 3-5 a sheet for the quilting template and usually we have these containers lying around.

Simple enough just cut the top/bottom so it is flat, and draw your shape. I was very happy to discover that my Sharpie marker did not run when used on this plastic. Since I am most often using these for fabric applications this is a huge plus.

I drew my shape, this will be for 7/8 inch fabric covered buttons. After I traced the button, I marked with dots (just eyeball it) about 3/8 inch extra needed to tuck into the buttons.

Here is my template, reusable over and over until I lose it or run over it with my rotary cutter. I also trimmed the middle circle out so I can center my image.

I can see this cute little lady bug that will become a magnet, trace and cut.

Here is the completed magnet...cute as a bug or button, actually it is both!

Friday Treasury Features

2011-10-07T17:23:00.002-04:00

Snack Day Idea and Pork Chop Chili

2011-10-01T16:02:00.008-04:00

We have our first snack day tomorrow, once a month we will bring a "snack" for the class to share. The snacks are supposed to be something semi-healthy, whole food type. I saw this as an appetizer and switched it up to be a bit more kid friendly. For about 10 bucks I was able to do a snack for 24 kids.

Simply put grape tomatoes and cubes of cheddar on toothpicks, because kids always like things on sticks. Fun part was my 6 year old was able to help assemble, I then put each into their own Ziploc snack bag.

Next, a great chili recipe:

Fall is here, break out the chili recipes. How can you not love chili, really any chili, so easy to make and tailor to your family likes, spicy, meaty, vegetables, chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian. I go back and forth from crock pot to stove top preparation. This is actually a Weight Watcher recipe I have adapted and make quite often during the cooler months. It calls for pork tenderloin, but if you want to reduce the cost a bit you can use pork chops.

1 pound cubed pork
1 medium onion, diced
2 cans black beans undrained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
water as needed, I usually add about 1/2 cup

In crock pot I layer the above in order listed and cook on high 6-8 hours, or on low 8 hours, this may need adjusting based on your crock pot. I usually give a good stir 2-3 hours in and check for done-ness, it does cook pretty quickly for a crock pot meal.

New Business Cards

2011-10-01T14:05:00.004-04:00

So I decided since Vistaprint was giving away business cards that I would play around and get something new. I opted for one of their images that had some purses along the side.

I edited way down info and options that I had my previous cards that I have been using for about 4 years. For the front I included business name, my name, etsy store address, blog address and an email, shifting away from my personal email.

The back has just a simple sentence of what it is I make, a large blank spot and at the bottom my etsy address again. I am finding that when I do shows having a blank spot to write additional items will be helpful. I did actually have to pay about $6.00 for the printing on the back and shipping, overall I am pleased and for now have 250 of these new cards.

State of MInd Art Gallery

2011-09-30T13:45:00.006-04:00

I have recently (officially today) joined another local art market, in downtown Northville MI, called State of MInd. I am super excited and lucky there was room for one more fiber artist, my items are a new item for this shop. This artisan market is a bit different then my space at Yellow Door. I went out two times this week and stocked my 3 foot by 8 foot space with about 100 of my creations.

In addition to my wall and shelf space the owner had a purse tree, shown above, I am able to fit about 12 of my medium and pleated totes.

I have five shelves, that are holding baskets of coin purses, carabiner coin purses, tissue cozies, list takers,n etc. I also have gift box sets, and one of my best selling items 3/14.00 accessory sets. There is also a hook system that is displaying my wristlets, these are a great local seller for me so that will be an item I bring more of next visit.

Above is "for now" an exclusive item to State of MInd, jumbo cosmetic pouches, I took 5 of these large stand up zip pouches, I think they would also work as a clutch. Great item in a variety of fabrics.

Looking straight onto my space, the shop is beautiful more of an art gallery and boutique in one shop, beautifully lit and displayed a place you could wander and see new items each visit.

Local in Metro Detroit:
State of MInd Art Gallery
Monday-Wednesday 10-5pm
Thursday 10-7pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 12-4pm
*First Friday of month Wine and Cheese open to 11pm

Artist Deal of The Day at Yellow Door

2011-09-22T08:36:00.014-04:00

I am joining in the Day of Deals at Yellow Door Art Market this week, the idea is that artists will offer handmade creations they are ready to send to a new home at great prices. I will have a selection of items at crazy prices, along with fabrics, I will also be debuting a few items that you can catch on sale before they hit the market.

Totes and purses marked down to $10 / $12/ $15.00 a few sizes in lots of colors, I will have about 20 totes in total at this price...just a peek below

I will also have discontinued table linens, a selection of dinner and luncheon sized napkins, quilted placemats and Christmas table runners...just a peek

Supplies, I will be bringing handmade yo-yo's pre-sorted color combos for 1.00 a pack of 3-4. Studio scraps, 1/2 pound pre-coordinated bundles, this is about 1.5 yards of quilting cotton fabrics.

A varied assortment of items that are not in my line at yellow door, sewn greeting cards, goody bags, gift bags, odd sized cosmetic and coin purses along with seasonal items most under $10.00 and items that will be just be a buck.

I will be using this event to preview new items that will be at Yellow Door very soon, a few below, list takers in an array of fabrics. Small list takers feature a mini pad of paper and pen, button closure. Larger list takers will have a 5 x 7 inch pad and full sized pen.

Jumbo carabiner coin purses, lug around a lot of stuff, this limited edition sized accessory, stacks and stacks in an assortments of fabrics an themes.

My new items will be 15% off regular retail, come check them out and get first pick, these will be at Yellow Door early October along with a few more new to YD accessories.

I am one of 12 Yellow Door artists taking part in this event, this is also the birthday bash for sister store Catching Fireflies. Come see us Saturday September 24th 10 am - 5 pm, you can also read more in this Oakland Press article.

Geocaching Our First Outing

2011-09-19T20:14:00.005-04:00

I recently learned about Geocaching on a blog I had visited, I had actually heard this term before so recently was inspired by this blog post to do a little research and join the fun.

Geocaching is an around the world type of hide and seek, using your GPS you locate "caches" pretty much...anywhere. You have to create an account on Geocaching.com and choose your cache to find, enter the GPS coordinates and begin the hunt.

Our first find

We started simple in our home town as we set out more or less at dusk. We used the hint to find it as it had been raining all day and like I said it was dusk. We figured with a 6 year old a treasure hunt would be fun, it was though she was more interested in running through puddles and playing at the playground. My husband found this first one, and we left a trinket inside, you can take one if you like, we just left one this time, sign the log and put it back exactly where you found it.

Our first was in our hometown downtown park, Shain Park, a lovely urban park with art, lots of places to sit, historical monuments playground, fountain and grassy areas for lounging. Below are a few of the views of Shain Park in downtown Birmingham MI.

The park was unusually quiet as it was soaked from a days rain, the sun was setting and the clouds overhead lit the park beautifully.

Business Card Beaded Note Pad

2011-09-16T08:27:00.007-04:00

This is a fun idea for a promtional pass out for your shop, admittedly it is a bit labor intensive but if you get a bunch going at once it is a lot quicker. Using a few supplies most would have on hand you can make little business card beaded notebooks.

What you will need:

2 business cards
Filler paper cut to 2 x 3.5 inches
1/8 inch hole punch
Jump rings
Beads

Inside of book, "back" of "front" cover

Here is the back, I actually had business cards printed up with this simple image and my etsy shop address, I use these as price tags, make a great back for the book.

Punch 2 holes in covers

Cut your paper for inside, I do about 8-10 pages, I use a rotary cutter, mat and ruler for speedy cutting.

I actually use a binder clip to hold the book together, use the covers to punch the holes of the pages.

Using jump rings and beads, I find 3 of the bugle beads work well, notebook can still open. I used colors to match my card.

Fun little hand out for when you are out and about, or save them for your best clients. I have also considered just doing a single hole/jump ring in the upper left hand corner....hmmm....

Bounce Dryer Bar

2011-09-16T08:21:00.007-04:00

Yes, another "dumb blog post" but I thought I would share my love of this product. The Bounce dryer bar is a great laundry help. No more remembering to put in the dryer sheet, no more wearing it on your back for part of the morning, and no more throwing endless sheets away. Ok, I actually would use some of these over as a stabilizer for applique, really I don't do all that much applique so it meant a fair number of these were floating around my sewing room.

They retail for about 4-6.00 but if you keep your eyes open, watch for sales and use this with coupons I have gotten them for as low as $1.50 (with a great coupon) anything under $3.00 seems pretty good.

All you do is stick it into your dryer, there is a holder and a cartridge that you just replace when needed, they come in 2 and 3 month usage. I actually installed mine and then set a reminder in my calendar when it was 2 months to judge timing (yes, no life).

I will say they seem to work every bit as well as the sheets with the scent lasting many days after laundry being folded and put away.

Artists Market Limelight Emporium Downtown Northville

2011-09-13T13:45:00.012-04:00

When you think walkable downtown areas in the Metro Detroit area Northville should certainly be near the top of the list. With its amazing shops, boutiques and galleries and everyday eateries and landmark restaurants it is truly a great place to wonder and spend a afternoon, day or evening.

Inside of Northville Square, looking into Limelight Emporium

Today I took a trip to consider and check out a new artist market that is opening this October called Limelight Emporium. Limelight will be located in Northville Square a stylish trendy new shopping, dining and office building on Main Street right in the downtown shopping district.

HGTV Cash and Cari retail shop Repurpose

The retail shops are at street level and one of the shops is Repurpose, which is the store for HGTV show Cash and Cari. I have actually seen this show a few times which is a reality based show following estate sales run by Cari Cucksey. This is on the same floor as Limelight Emporium.

Limelight Emporium will feature approximately 50 juried Michigan artists and crafters, a full retail shop open seven days a week. Artists rent spaces and pay commission on goods sold. The shop will also be a participant in the first Friday art walk that happens every month in the downtown area. Shoppers are treated to wine and cheese and a variety of shops open until 11:00 pm.

Above is a 6 foot wall space and a 1/2 vignette I am considering

The size spot(s) I am considering is a six foot wall space, or what is called a vignette, I am actually considering a 1/2 vignette, with this I would get more wall space and more space in general.

They have several options of spaces from endcap 24 inch to full vignettes which is about 9 wide by 5 deep. Artists can display and merchandise their spaces however they like in keeping with the vibe of the store, and of course stock with their handmade wares.

Endcap, with slatwall installation

This is the back of the store, ready with wall spaces, also a table waiting for artistic goodies

More wall spaces, and some area for display...pottery perhaps, these spots can be divided as needed
This is a full vignette, the largest space available, three walls, and feel of stepping inside a little store.

Looking from front to back, an old reclaimed church window reflects the upbeat color palette at Limelight Emporium.

First Day of School

2011-09-06T13:15:00.004-04:00

Super excited to begin our journey which you can see above will somewhat end in 2025...uugh seems so far away...how old will I be then? We put our little one on the bus this morning, we were all excited and really ready for this day.

We raced up to the school to help get her tucked into her classroom, I was very relieved to see most parents were there as well. My husband had to remind to take a step back and let her find her way, she did great. As the teacher told the kids to say goodbye she turned and waved "Bye Mommy...Bye Daddy" and turned to join in the fun...she will be fine!

As it goes, it is back to work for me too, stacks and stacks of stuff await for me as I have a full fall schedule. I am excited to have some peaceful time to get organized and producing handmade items again.

Tote Bag Re-usable Purse Stuffing Pillow

2011-09-03T23:03:00.003-04:00

This is a super easy and inexpensive way to fluff up your totes for displays, weather for craft shows or in a retail setting, I started using these last fall at Yellow Door. I now have about a dozen I use at shows as well, when my purses are on my grid walls I just put them in the leading two bags.

Simple to do with items you probably have already.

Scrap fabric, to make the pillow, use a size that is common to your totes, for me I cut 2 pieces of fabric 8" x 9"
Muslin
Sharpie, or permanent marker to tag pillows - optional
Pinking shears or rotary cutter - optional, but it will help in reducing fraying
Plastic shopping bags, mine held 4 bags to each pillow

Make tags, I only did this as I use these at Yellow Door, the idea is they are returned to my booth, for my shows I don't bother with this step. Tags were cut 2 x 4 inches, write your message, I spritz with water then iron to set the ink.

Pink the edges to keep from raveling...to much. I also pink the pillow edges, I use a rotary cutter and actually pink to cut out the fabric. This is a great way to use up scraps or not so loved fabrics.

Assemble "pillows" I just do wrong side to wrong side with a 1/4 inch seam, leave one side open. Plastic grocery bags make a freebie stuffing, and can be squshed and fluffed over and over.

When done pin opening closed and finish the seam.
I keep one at home for picture taking to give the bags a little shape, it fits inside nicely and I can snap the clasp shut. If you are not sure of a size, experiment with a dish towel or two to get the right dimensions for your totes.

I Pretend I Bead

2011-08-30T09:30:00.004-04:00

I actually buy beads like I DO bead, I do dabble when making my beaded zipper pulls which go on my wristlets, but I rarely put them into anything actually wearable. I have been on the hunt for a clear crystal bracelet for quite a while. Either they aren't exactly what I am imagining or they are too expensive (for my budget anyway). I really don't spend too much on jewelry in general, but I decided to make this bracelet for myself.

I actually had an inspiration bracelet to work with that belongs to my step-mother, she let me use it as a model, I am super happy with the outcome, in spite of three trips to bead stores, Michaels and Joanns. I used Swarovski crystals in a few sizes and finishes, I opted to use silver plate as the price of sterling would make you faint, I actually have a few sterling beads from a few years ago so I did add those.

It is actually a stretchy bracelet but I added a closure for a more finished look, a dangle at the end will also make a great pair of matching earrings, which means a fourth trip to the bead store.

7 Ponds Nature Center Day Trip

2011-08-29T13:20:00.004-04:00

I have only known about the 7 ponds Nature Center for a few years, and finally made a day trip with my daughter recently. This was about an hour drive north for us in Dryden Michigan. What I love about trips like this is the amazing feeling of being far away when really so close to home. It was very rural and green driving to this lots of farms, horse ranches and small towns along the way.

This is the main building, quite a large facility with a lecture hall, classrooms, displays, hands on exhibits and a gift shop.

A few pictures of the wooded pond areas, smartest move I made for this trip was packing a camera for my daughter to use. She was so engaged at looking for things and taking pictures of our "camping trip".

On the grounds was a butterfly garden and an herb garden, peaceful and colorful. On the way home we stopped in Metamora and by a fun chance stopped at the White Horse Inn for lunch, this is Michigan's oldest running restaurant, opened in 1860.

Inside, very rustic and charming many parts of the building are original.

Extreme Couponing 60 Items for less then 15.00 at Wal Mart

2011-08-26T18:39:00.004-04:00

This was a fun coupon trip(s) to Wal-Mart this week, most of the items are small or sample sized items that were completely free with coupons, like dental floss, deodorant, toothpaste, Tide travel packs and Cascade trial packs. Additional items under a quarter were first aid kits, deodorant, all items were less then 1.00 and included the food items and the Gain dryer sheets. This was actually my goal was to shop the items that were under $1.00, so I went with that the only shopping to do.

I used a total of 46 coupons for a $46.20 in savings and my total out of pocket was just under $15.00 for 60 items, and about $3.00 of this was sales tax. I did this in two trips so a about 10 items are not shown. I will add I did not clear any shelves at either store, except for an item that only had 3 left.

I am done buying quite a few products even if they are free, these are some of the basics that I am well stocked on for our family of three. When I first started couponing I quickly learned there are items you should almost never pay for, I found these to be true right from the start, items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, deodorant and razors (oh my especially razors). This week I also scored Bic disposable razors, 14 count bags for .56 cents.

I am shifting my focus to lunch items for back to school and fall cooking. Building a small stockpile of pantry items as well, and hoping to build some shelving in the basement to help store it as well.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover

2011-08-09T08:13:00.006-04:00

We attended our library's second annual "stuffed animal sleepover" last night, this year we took this purple teddy bear "Nina" along for the fun.

Our library has tons and tons of activities for kids of all ages, this event seems to be one of the highlight of the summer, there were probably 100 kids in attendance, many in pajamas and all carrying along a stuffed friend.

It was an action packed night with story telling, songs, skits and of course tucking in the animals for a night at the library.

Here we are placing Nina on the sleepover blanket, the stuffed animals will have run of the library, they take pictures of many hanging out all around the library, on the computer, and in the play area so the kids can see their animals were having a good time.

Not sure, looks like none of these stuffed friends will get a good nights sleep!

Teeny Tiny Coin Purse From Scraps

2011-08-08T09:51:00.007-04:00

I love trolling through my scraps, it is like a trip down fabric memory lane. Like many sewers I have an elaborate sorting system, from new large cuts of fabric down to shreds. These small pieces which many would just toss are usually less then 2 inches in size. Now some are full selvedge to selvedge pieces others are small squares. These pieces are stored in grocery bags (need to make something a little prettier) by color and when inspired I pull them all out of the tub and have open to me at the work table.

I have been wanting to piece a tiny coin purse for coins for a while and challening myself to fit a lot of fabrics into something so small.

This is how it starts, bags of scraps, from these I pulled out a few to make my coin purse. They get ironed and cut, 12 pieces 1 inch by 5 inches.

I made this just like I make all my coin purses, fully padded with fleece and lined with no exposed seams.

This will only hold coins literally it finished about 3.5 x 2.5 inches, I could barely fit a lip balm inside of it. I love it! So cute and totally perfect to help coral coins floating around, like a little work of art.

This had an unexpected happy ending, it is the exact same colors as my daughters pajamas that she slept in last night. It was too funny when she came in this morning and I realized this, wonders if this is where the inspiration came...

Rust Belt Market

2011-08-07T10:26:00.005-04:00

Finally made it to downtown Ferndale MI, to visit the new Rust Belt Market. This is a newly opened store that hosts vendors of handmade and vintage goods. Artists set up for this weekend market throughout the year. Below are some pics from our trip.

Lots of funky and fresh items available from a wide variety of goods, foods, clothing, bath and body, spices, art, jewelry, vintage, upcycled and repurposed items too. They also host each Saturday and Sunday local musicians in the center stage area. I spoke with the owner Tiffany about possibly joining in the fun later in the fall season, should be a fun venue lots and lots of people milling around taking in all the eclectic surroundings.

Our outing was cut a bit short by pouring rain but we did manage to stop at a local bakery and got these cute blue bird cookies.

Summer Entertaining Salad Buffet

2011-08-06T10:29:00.004-04:00

Just finished a big family gathering, I decided to break from the traditional BBQ fare of steaks, chicken, hot dogs for the kids, corn on the cob and all the usual items we would have at a summer gathering. This year we opted for a huge salad buffet, about 20 different toppings went into this event.

We did not do away with grill totally afterall it is summer and we usually cook out 3-5 times a week anyway. We had 3 meats as part of our buffet, beef, chicken and salmon, also grilling zucchini, squash and red peppers, the peppers went into a red pepper vinaigrette.

We had a full compliment of "fixings"

Grilled Flank Steak
Grilled Chicken
Grilled Salmon
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peas
Brocolli
Cauliflower
Peas
Onion
Hard boiled Eggs
Grilled Squash and Zucchini
Crushed Ramen Noodles
Homemade Croutons
Feta Cheese
Blue Cheese
Sunflower Seeds
Corn
Pine Nuts
Dried Cherries
Garbonzo Beans

The menu was rounded out by an assortment of dressings made from scratch, ranch, honey mustard, Italian and red pepper vinaigrette. Add an assortment of breads, rolls and breadsticks.

When planning this party I assigned everyone 2 items to bring, an inexensive item and a more costly one, for example, someone was assigned cucumbers, and feta cheese. It was super easy for everyone to contribute and not spend a fortune or do a lot of work.

Favorite part for me was seeing my massive array of eclectic pottery on display, it was truly a beautiful spread, best part is there was something for everyone to enjoy!

Saltine Toffee Bars

2011-08-04T08:52:00.003-04:00

This is a recipe I have had for several years but only make occasionally, not sure why they are amazing...oh yea I remember we practically inhale them. In spite of my husbands rationale these are not particularly healthy or good for you, but really should desserts ALWAYS be healthy?

Saltines, enough to cover cookie sheet, about 24 crackers (I also did a mini cookie sheet with an additional 12 crackers, the recipe will yield the single large cookie sheet).
1 cup of butter.
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Nut, any nut will work I used pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or foil and fill with saltines.

Melt butter on stove and stir in sugar, bring to a boil and stir for about 3 minutes.

Pour sugar/butter over saltines, it will cover crackers nearly completely. Back 6-8 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with chips, return to oven for about 1 minute. Remove from oven with spatula spread the melted chips to cover sugar/butter, sprinkle with nuts.

Refrigerate to set, when cooled remove from cookie sheet and cut using parchment it will easily peel from the tray. I have found it is best to store in air tight container in the fridge or even the freezer.

My taste tester agreed these were DELISH!

Dumb Luck Supply: Jumbo Carabiners

2011-08-02T13:08:00.005-04:00

I love bumping into a great new supply, this week I found while shopping for back to school items these great big carabiners. This is actually how my carabiner coin purses were born 2 years ago, during back to school time.

I grabbed about 20 some of these to make a new "limited edition" jumbo sized coin purse, well it can be more then a coin purse, more of a big catch-all. I was also thinking it would be great to be able to fit a few diapers in it and attach it to a stroller, well that is what I would do if I was in that time.

Above, this is how I begin the design process some fabric manipulation and folding for an idea of sizing should be.

Lovely jumbo carabiners, they came in black, hot pink, royal blue and red, now if I can control myself and resist buying hundreds. These will most likely be at Yellow Door this fall and maybe a few in my etsy store.

Cherry Pineapple Pie

2011-07-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

I am going to guess I am the only one in the Midwest sitting in 90+ degree heat who turned on the oven for a cherry pie. But our trip last week to pick tart cherries and use them is just what I did.

These exact cherries ended up in our pie, yes we impressed family on Thursday evening with a meal featuring beans and cherries we picked ourselves.

Cherry pineapple pie:
1 Pint tart cherries
1 can pitted tart cherries (remember we only picked a few, had to combine with purchased can)
16 oz of pineapple, I used pineapple pieces, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp vanilla
crust for 9" pan, I used Pillsbury crust two pack (still need to master crust from scratch)

Mix all ingredients and fill crust in a 9" pie pan. I did a half attempted lattice top, I used my rotary cutter with a pinking blade to cut into strips -- HOORAY for finally finding a use for rotary cutter in the kitchen !

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

SOOOOO happy there are leftover, with ice cream a fantastic pie!

July Treasury Features

2011-07-20T12:10:00.003-04:00

Carnival Bloom

The Wise Old Owl:

Aging Gracefully:

Yule Love It Lavender Farm and Lavender Crafts

2011-07-18T10:02:00.005-04:00

Continuing my post of my weekend outing to a local Lavender farm, this is about a 50 minute drive to me and what seems like way out in the country, down tree covered dirt roads. Peaceful rolling hills with blooming Lavender makes for a perfect summer outing.

The farm had several gardens all in bloom with varying varieties of Lavender, u-pick a bunch was 5.00, the first picture was my clippings this took me the best part of an hour to pick. You were given a basket and pair of scissors and a footstool if you wanted, I declined and soon realized its benefit as I sat in and around the plants gathering my bouquet.

I was given instructions which to pick and how, a "bunch" was defined by what you could fit between your thumb and middle finger when making an "OK" sign, you could pack it in. This was a ton of Lavender, so much I sort of gave up, the 90 degree day and my husband and 5 year old roaming around inspired me to finish early.

Looking down onto parts of the farm along with the covered patio, there is a small cafe that serves Lavender lemonade, ice cream and other Lavender infused treats. There is also a small gift shop, the patio hosts many talks and demonstrations during harvest months.

Filling my basket

Once I got home I was inspired to track down a Lavender craft I had been given many years ago, I had no idea what it was call I just knew it involved ribbon. Turns out they are called "Lavender Wands" or "Lavender Bottles", really a simple craft using the Lavender, ribbon and scissors. There are plenty of tutorials and videos out there should you wish to try this yourself, I took a few pictures of mine in progress, I made 3 of these with various quantities of stems.

First step, choose stems in about the same length, in an odd number, and tie off just below the buds.
Bend the stems down over the buds in twos winding ribbon over and under, the odd number is done in a group of three. You do this for about 3 rows then move to single weave. This is where the odd number comes into play to keep a consistent weave, to be honest each of my 3 have gone awry at some point having to double up the weave here and there, overall it is not noticeable. The goal is to create a cage of the weaved ribbon to hold the buds in when they dry and shrink.

Continue weaving below all the buds, tie off and make a bow, on a smaller one I did for my daughter (with just 11 stems - which si about the smallest I would do) I wrapped the ribbon all the way down and put the bow at the bottom, trim stems to equal lengths.

Lavender wands, great to slip into a drawer or set next to the bed for a light scent to promote relaxation (well that is what they said anyway).

Here is the rest of my bunch, I had used about 50 stems to make my wands, I am going to take the stems out for the first few days to promote drying so they don't mold, also there is some breathing room in this vase which should help too.

After this I was NOT done, I made Lavender cookies, I had lots of buds that fell during the Lavender wands so I used about 1/2 tablespoon in this simple shortbread cookie recipe. They turned out really good, I would cut down on the Lavendar the next time, but they were quite pleasant. These are not something I would make everyday but for a spe3cial occasion they will be a nice change of pace.

I have a recipe for Lavender lemonade and bread I am going to make hopefully this week. I also hope to share directions for a Lavender rice eye pack.

Day Trip Lavender Festival and U-Picking

2011-07-17T12:33:00.007-04:00

I have been yearning for a day trip, you know the kind when you want to feel like you got away yet did not have to go very far. I got an email from an artist friend that she would be participating in the "Lavender Festival" this was at a 'local' cider mill, I say local it was about an hour away in a very country setting...perfect!

I did some research beforehand to see what else we could do along the way and found the cider mill was about 15 minutes from a u-pick lavender farm...perfect! At the cider mill, which is actually a huge farm were u-pick, beans, raspberries, broccoli, cabbage and tart cherries.

Above the blue broccoli the green beans.

Had to practically drag our 5 year old out of the beans!

We opted to pick green beans, they were .99 cents a pound, we filled a produce sized bag, these were my favorite to pick, not sure why but it was fun finding a plant that you could scoop 15-20 beans. You should know I know virtually nothing about gardening, really nothing so everything for me is novel and exciting. My husband whom I never really complain about (I will say he was getting on my nerves around the beans) was not enjoying this part of the picking experience until he realized who could pick rocks, there were tons of big rocks all over the place he grabbed a bunch to add to our landscaping. We figured we were doing them a favor as some of these were quite big and for tilling it seemed they would be dangerous (we told them when we checked out we took a bunch of rocks they were totally fine with it).

Next to the beans, was broccoli and cabbage we did not pick this mainly because we did not need any but we were surprised how blue the broccoli was, I mean really blue.

Onto the raspberries we picked the most of these it took us a while as we sort of made the mistake of stopping at the first row which was sort of picked over.

Yum! These will be gone in no time!

Tart cherry trees, really made me wish I had a plan for these, I will be more prepared in a future visit.

After this we drove over to the Lavender farm to see what they had going on, it was a lovely unpaved rural road covered in trees. The farm was quite happening they had a lecturer on herbs and lots of kids running around and rolling gardens, it was quite peaceful and fragrant.

I picked a "bunch" of lavender, a bunch as described was what you could fit between your thumb and middle finger as if making a circle, you could pack it in. This translates to a TON of lavender for 5.00 plus the 3.00 admission fee, a bargain at 8.00. I thought it would be 10 minute task, was I wrong. I got my instructions, a basket and a pair of scissors and proceeded to spend about an hour cutting, and I gave up before I filled my allotted amount, I have a lot of lavender, a lot!

OOOOH...Pretty Lavender!

I will share more on my trip to the lavender farm this week along with a show and tell of my Lavender wands I have already made. I am now planning a trip back hopefully with a few girlfriends and going to prep to hopefully start my lavender patch.

Garage Sale Wrap Up

2011-06-27T09:39:00.002-04:00

We just finished our 3 day garage sale, we joined in our neighborhood association second annual sale. Let's just say I am glad it is DONE.

The weather was less then perfect, it rained on and off the first two days and was chilly (for summer) and windy. In the end we did sell about 200.00 worth of stuff and did some decision making to donate a bunch of stuff including several boxes to go to the library book sale.

I would do one again but not for 3 days, and would try to cut back on the amount of stuff so it is less to manage, we also have it in our yard so we had to do a lot of moving back and forth.

On a plus side we hired "College Hunks Hauling Junk" to come in advance of the sale to haul away about 4 pieces of heavy furniture that we could not do ourselves. They kindly posed for a pic.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

2011-06-22T07:15:00.004-04:00

This is a recipe I make during grilling months, though it works under the broiler as well, great as a side dis and can be served at room temperture as an appetizer.

Asparagus
Prosciutto

Take prosciutto and wrap around asparagus, I often just wrap the from about the middle up to the just before the top. Grill for 8-10 minutes until prosciutto is crisp.

A hint about prosciutto, I will often buy it at the deli counter, it can be pricey but just buy what you need, if you want to do 12 asparagus often you can slice the prosciutto in half lengthwise, so only purchase 6 slices, it is sliced very thin so it will not be as much to make this yummy dish. In my pictures I used full slices as company was coming but for a side dish half slices are enough.

Extreme Couponing CVS and My Growing Stockpile

2011-06-20T08:05:00.014-04:00

I have been officially "extreme couponing" for almost 3 months, I should add it is not that extreme in quantities of items but in the money I have saved. A few other random thoughts of my take on extreme couponing for my family. I also have a few show and tell examples of my better buys.

If you have seen the TLC show by the same name you will see people getting hundreds (and more) dollars for nearly nothing, I have no interest in this type of couponing, honestly I don't have the time or desire to spend that much time on it. I also feel (JMO) that some of that behavior is wrong, to me it is a form of gluttony. For those examples of people who clear shelves of dozens and dozens of items just because they "can" is wrong, there are others in need or who could genuinely use those items at a reduced price and cannot get them because someone chose to take them all...anyway just opinion which of course can be easily ignored.

Onto my strategy to coupon and save money and as I have learned to attain new items and ones I would have just never tried. I have also began stockpiling reasonable quantities of items we use daily, some items I will stop getting even when free as really 15 salad dressings will hold us over for a good long time.

It really kind of struck me to start this about 4 months ago, I needed some personal items, the usual deodorant, toothpaste, hair care, cosmetics. I did what I usually do wait for mine to run out and go out and purchase, I got pretty much everything on my list maybe an extra lip gloss or something and spent about 60.00, I am pretty positive I did not get 10 items, I did by dumb luck got a few things on "sale" but nothing memorable. That same week I was totally out of laundry detergent as a matter of convenience I went to the corner drugstore and purchase Purex for 6.99, I remember being annoyed as I know this does go on sale, alas I needed it so paid the over 7.00 with tax. About this time I saw the Extreme Couponing preview for TLC which caught my interest, I started Googling this term and found many many sites and blogs with lots of info and very practical tips to start couponing. Really for me it is more an awareness of sale cycles, rock bottom pricing, and applying coupons to these, really just paying attention and a little bit of time to do the organization needed to coupon. Another key to this (for me) is buying what you will use, NOT what you need.

Just about three months it some of my successes have been; I am guessing I have gotten 75 free items, these are free by coupons, rebates and sales. Items range from dental products, floss, brushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, drug items, allergy, pain relief, hair care products, beverages, dressings, BBQ sauces, pasta, feminine care, facial care. On top of this I am averaging about 65% savings of items from drugstores, mainly I shop at CVS to realize these savings, with their sales, coupons and ECB (extra care bucks) there is almost nothing at CVS that cannot be gotten at great prices or free, yes FREE.

How I got started:

1. Found several websites with coupon info, this is info on where to find coupons both paper and internet printable and ecoupons. I joined several sites to get more coupons and savings like Saving Star, Recycle Bank. I also set up an email just for couponing sites to help cut down on spam to my personal inbox. There are many coupons only available this way so having a single spot to collect these has been helpful.

2. I started by buying the Sunday Paper, and occasionally if it will be a big week of coupons (there are lots of sites that offer coupon previews a few days before the Sunday) I will buy two papers, I have yet to buy more, I would consider it but for now two at 1.50 usually gets me what I want. I also do not cut coupons until I am going to use them, many sites will tell you for example; Mustard .30 cents from SS 6/15/11, this would tell me if I wanted this coupon on would go to my Smart Source coupon insert form 6/15/11. I organize my coupons simply with a binder clip and the date marked and keep stacked in a dedicated bin with my coupon organizer, it is inevitable you will have cut coupons not yet used, in my bin I keep scissors, pens and notebook.

3. Identified where I could get started the fastest and easiest, for me this was CVS and Kroger so I focused on their sales. I had two coupon sites I mainly use "Southern Savers" and more local to me "Bargains to Bounty". Each has sales and the coupons that match up to the sales, saves tons of time having the answers in front of you.

4. Identify what big items I was spending the most money on and tried to work on stockpiling these first. Also, an awareness of how much we use, write on the label for laundry detergent (for example) the date you started using and monitor your usage.

5. Shop the freebies! There are plenty of great sales when paired with coupons make for free items or very nearly free items, like deodorant for .04 cents.

Here are just a few of my favorite deals I have done, mostly at drugstores with sales, coupons and rebates, to fully appreciate the savings you have to accept that the rebates equal money back to you that you can spend like cash within that store. For example, CVS will offer ECB's for an item, sometimes you will get back exactly what you have spent in ECB, for the first example; during this sale when you bought .99 cent Excedrin you got an ECB for .99 cents. Best part about this type of deal there are often coupons you can use in conjunction with this making some of these money makers.

All these items had full ECB back, for the Motrin and the Bayer I had coupons so these became "money makers" you can then you your ECB rebates to make additional purchases. I made 1.00 per box of Motrin and Bayer, the Excedrin was free.

Neutrogena suncare products 11.79 each, got them for about 4.00 each out of pocket, via coupons, both CVS, Manufacturer, ECB and a sale.

Schick razor and refill 2.79 for both after coupons and rebates, regular retail 19.00.

Garnier paid 2.99 out of pocket and got 30% back in gas card gift card. Olay moist about 6.00 out of pocket after coupons and rebates, I used about 10.00 in ECB to help purchase.

John Freida Hair care, regular retail 7-9.00 each, totally free after coupons and ECB rebates.

Five count Zyrtec on sale for 5.99 and you got 5.99 back in ECB, I had a 5.00 off coupon so this became a 5.00 money maker. I did this deal once and was able to apply the 5.99 ECB to get the following deal.

Most recent haul, 51.71 (with tax) purchase 2 Nyquil, nearly full line of Neutrogena Naturals skin care, scrub, wash, facial soap, 2 lip balms, Jergens Natural glow lotion, and sample size. I paid 15.26 (with tax) and got back 14.00 in ECB to spend later. I used to pay for this 5.99 ecb, CVS 30% off coupon, manufacturer coupons.

My master linen closet is just about filled, I am in a good place on haircare products, dental and deordarent. I have also stocked up on Covergirl Cosmetics at about 70% savings. For some of these I am a year out on usage and will stop buying these for now.

I want to go back to my receipts and see in total how much I have spent/saved since starting. I am thinking I have spent about $185.00-225.00 and gotten about 800-1000.00 in products. This post has mainly been about personal care, I have done many similar items with food items, thing is we have been using those. My best score has been cereal, I got one week about 18 boxes of cereal for about 10.00, there have been many more but we have used much of what has been purchase, though I have outgrown my pantry and am starting a shelf in the basement for some items and will be putting another shelf in a guest closet as needed.

Sewing Room Organizing Tips and Vintage Find

2011-06-18T07:40:00.007-04:00

I think I will pretty much eternally be adding new organizational tools to my sewing room. Here are a few I have done in the last few weeks. Above I have added a fairly large dry erase board, mainly I have been using this to keep my sewing list for the week, I can see it from my table so it is a great visual to keep me on track.

This is the area right next to my sewing machine in arms reach, a silverware organizer and a small dry erase board for quick thoughts. Also in this are are Command Hooks, a personal fave of mine here they hold my pinking rotary cutter, back up scissors, and lint roller.

With summer here there are lots of great items for organization, lots of colorful tubs and bins that can easily find a home in crafting areas. This silverware organizer is great for tools I use constantly like my Fast Turn Set, snap setting tool, small hammer, chopsticks, pens, pencils, ruler, calculator, notepad.

I have also installed above my sewing machine an Ikea shelf, I love this shelf it is a great way to get items up out of my workspace yet very close by. Best part this shelf combo was about 11.00 and only 2 screws to hold into place. Also remember my button jars they found a home too!

I love this addition to my sewing room, for $3.00 I got this bar system and hanging cup from Ikea. I now can hang cut in progress works and have a little spot to put threads and small cuttings that are always a part of working at the sewing machine, this is directly to my right as I sew, a great efficiency for me in my new space.

Onto my vintage iron. I scored this old gem at an estate sale it was literally one we were just driving by so we stopped on in to find this iron, I have dated it to the mid 80's and honestly I remember my mom having a similar one when I was in junior high...in the mid 80's...sigh.

Oddly as my husband does most of my ironing we really only had the one iron so often I was running to the living room to do odd bits of ironing I needed done during sewing. This one like many older versions of modern items is mostly metal and therefore gets crazy hot, so hot I think it dims the lights in about 10 neighboring houses when turned on.

The great thing about a really hot iron it helps in fusing of interfacings and fleeces, it is also heavier so the weight of the iron really pushed the heat down for an excellent bond. The iron was really quite pristine, the plate free of all debris and it still steams through the holes which is something I use frequently. Best part about my new score it was $2.50, an awesome addition to go with my table top ironing board (new in package) I got at a Salvation Army for 5.00, we now have 2 ironing stations which helps with fast production.

Dumb Blog Post: Onion Keeper

2011-06-18T07:36:00.003-04:00

I have had this nifty kitchen tool for a while now and I just love it! I am constantly using half an onion and I picked this up last summer for about 4.00. It is a plastic twist close container to keep your onion use-able, longer. I have left a half in there a week or more and have it fresh and ready to use, no more wasting those yummy summer sweet onions.

Oh, this also marks the first of my "Dumb Blog Posts" you know those easy quick posts about something rather silly...or dumb...enjoy! Sadly, I will probably have more dumb things to say.

Recent Treasury Features

2011-04-28T20:04:00.004-04:00

Aqua Love

Thanks to etsy shop designsinbeads for this feature.

Teal and Gray

Thanks to etsy shop XOXOPaperGems for this feature.

Candied Meatloaf

2011-04-19T19:00:00.004-04:00

I was never much of a fan of meatloaf, childhood memories of this appearing often pretty much kept me away from it for a good amount of my adult life. Until I discovered this meatloaf that is so flavorful it shows up on our table once in a while. For me anything with ground beef that is the main ingredient, using a quality beef is key. Surprise ingredients of brown sugar and ketchup makes this a winter hit. Like any meatloaf recipe the ingredients can be altered to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1.5 pounds ground beef
1/4-1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 small onion finely diced
3/4 cup crushed saltines
garlic to taste

1. Grease 5 x 9 loaf pan.
2. Press brown sugar into bottom of pan, top with ketchup.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl, cover sugar and ketchup with meatloaf
4. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, remove from oven let sit for 10 minutes, slice and serve, use pan drippings as a sauce at the table or spoon over slices.

Since I think it is an unwritten law that you serve mash potatoes with meatloaf just a few quick notes about this yummy side dish.

Peel and wash potatoes, I usually figure about 1.5 potatoes per person as a start. I boil them in water with either a can of chicken broth or a few boullion cubes, sometimes to this I will add garlic, either fresh or from the fridge.

Boil until potatoes will pierce easily with a fork. Drain, return to pan and beat, I use a hand mixer but a potato masher is aok too. I start with at least 3 TBLS of real butter, 1/4 cup of milk and about 1 tsp of salt. I top with a smidge of butter and a sprinkling of dried chives.

Since winter has stuck around this year, way past its welcome this was a warm and comforting meal. The meatloaf will have a wonderful sauce in the bottom of the pan, spoon over the slices. Great recipe even the kids will love, paired with some fresh green beans.

My Shipping Department

2011-04-15T08:09:00.003-04:00

Ok, maybe that is an exaggeration but since my sewing room makeover I actually have a dedicated shipping station. This is such a huge improvement over my former shipping department which was scattered over a lot of my first floor.

This was how I USED to ship items:

Item needs to be shipped, run upstairs get items (this is actually still the same) bring to sewing room to iron, lint roll as needed.

Off to the office to print postage, then find packaging, sometimes this was on my desk in the office, in the hall closet, in the closet on the bookshelf, in the basement, in the dining room. Really this was a nightmare tracking down an envelope, peanuts, tissue, boxes.

Move with packaging and item to the dining room to complete wrap up. I did make a little box for thank yous, business cards, blank cards, I also kept my tissue and this box on part of my kitchen counter, actually more of an island between my kitchen and my dining room, it is a large space so for the most part it was out of the way. Yet it was tiresome to look at and it always had to be moved for company, which more opportunity for things to get lost.

Oh, the tape, now back to the office, or the hall shelf, or in the kitchen drawers, and pens those like to wander too.

Seriously this was about how I did things for 4 years, sometimes better then others.

Now, I have a 5 shelf bookshelf JUST outside my sewing room, this has always been there but was really just a dumping ground between me and my husband. I have dedicated 2 full shelves to all my shipping supplies.

What I keep on hand:

envelopes, priority, small, bubble and so on. I have a few old plastic book racks that divide and sort them, I keep the overflow in the basement on a dedicated shipping rack.
My tissue paper and packaging peanuts (just a few of these)
Thank you notes, blank cards for gift greetings which is sometimes requested
I have tape, scissors, lint roller, address labels and stamp, pens and scissors that all STAY here
Local post cards or newsletter of events and such

Since this is just outside my sewing room I can iron and prep the items, and process right on my table, it is just a few steps to get all the supplies needed.

Shipping has become a lot less stressful and easy to manage.

Random Wine Review Aconga Cabernet

2011-04-14T08:51:00.004-04:00

Another entry in the good wine under $10.00, my husband said in spite of the $5.99 price tag he only paid $3.50, "nothing but the best". Aconga Malbec - Cabernet Sauvignon from 2010.

I found this wine quite pleasant and easy to drink DH pretty much puts all wines in the fridge (gasp), anyway straight from the fridge it is a bit too harsh, but pour into a glass and let it air out and warm up a bit it is quite nice. It is not overly dry but you can definitely taste the dry tones of the Cabernet.

I also used this as my wine in chicken cacciatore which called for a chianti or dry wine, this was close enough, though I will say 1/2 cup of this wine was a bit too much.

Hideaway Two-fer

2011-04-13T08:51:00.015-04:00

I recently got a piece of this oh so cute Hideaway fabric from Lauren and Jessi Jung, love the little village among the trees. I knew the minute I opened it I needed something for me in addition to the totes I would be making for the shop.

I had seen a table runner from this line so I went in search of that, thinking I would place an order. However I found this free pattern for this window box pillow so I immediately made this for my living room window seat. You can find the pattern for this free pdf pattern here. I followed the pattern dimensions exactly, then quilted the top to some batting as this is how I make all my pillows. I just did simple echo quilting on the brown around all the windows.

The pattern then called for 9 raw edge yo yo type of flowers. I am not a big fan of raw edge applique and I have pretty much every size of the Clover yo yo makers so I used the large and the medium for mine. It called for 9 of these in the pattern I figured double that would be even more fun, embellish with some buttons and my garden is complete. Now the Two-fer, a matching bookmark! Some fabrics are just so cute you cannot even toss the smallest of pieces, so I whipped up this bookmark, a few simple directions below if you want to make one yourself. Sorry about the dark pictures, it was seriously so bright that day but my camera had the wrong setting, I think you can still see.

Leftover pieces of fabric, rick rack and ribbon, a piece of fusible fleece, a 1/4 inch smaller on the length and the width. Trim the corners and a "notch" on one side, about 2 inches long, 1/4 inch deep.

Cut ribbon and rick rack about 12 inches, I find sewing one side down, then folding trims back and sewing a second time the easiest way to manage this bulk. Be sure your pieces are not twisted, and layered nicely. Also, it may help to pin the ribbons down so they don't get caught in the stitching.

Pin fabrics right side to right side, layer fleece on top of this, I put the fusible side down, so it is to the wrong side of the back piece of your book mark. Start sewing at one side of notch, sew around all side stopping at notch, this is where yo will turn your bookmark right side out.

Use your favorite corner turner, I often use a chopstick, or a corner turner, a handy notion to have around, or a few as these always go MIA.

This is where the notched out fleece will be very helpful, fold in the seams, the notche eliminated the bulk in this stitch you will find the fleece can be caught in the fold of one of the seams. Pin and sew a topstitch all around the bookmark in coordinate/contrast thread, I often use monofiliament, this will close the bookmark so it is ready to use. Once turned it will help to press.

A Few Recent Treasury Features

2011-04-12T20:19:00.004-04:00

Thanks to etsy shop MagdalinasBoutique for this feature.

Thanks to etsy shop CraftsbyCarrie for this feature.

Thanks to etsy shop Tib44 for this feature.

Refashion Denim Jacket

2011-04-11T08:52:00.011-04:00

What I had intended to be a sort of tutorial is now just a show and tell with a few hopefully "helpful" hints on how to refashion your own denim jacket. I got this jacket for my 5 year old at a mom to mom sale last fall for just $2.00. It was just about brand new, of course these types of jackets can take a fair amount of wear and still look brand new.

Fabric choices, 1/4 yard of the big flower dots, which was my focal, then coordinating 1/8 yard cuts of compliments and a few yards of rick rack and trims

I also wanted to make a statement type of jacket with a little more grown up girl feel, not super babyish so that was reflected in the color palette. I knew pink and purple would have to be a part of it but also added orange, aqua, lime and aqua throw in some rick rack, buttons, handmade yo yo's and this colorful jacket gets RAVES every time we are out and about. Fun thing about it is we have lots and lots of colorful clothes to go with it.

I used an assortment of fabrics, 1/8-1/4 yard each and various sizes of rick rack 1-1.5 yards each. I really did not have a plan except that I new I wanted to cover the back completely and do some embellishments to the top, and that I wanted to cover the pockets and the placard below the pockets. I still want to add some crystals or hot fix rhinestones to the upper chest portions and maybe the sleeves.

I did lots of measuring and math to get the correct dimensions for the back, I also did this wrong. It was wrong that my math was too perfect to the size I wanted which meant it finished on the heavy seams, since I have an industrial machine this was no problem, but if not there is no way I could have sewn through my fabrics and the seams, so either bigger or smaller by 1/2 inch would be better. I would recommend making paper templates of all pieces, then add your seam allowances to come up with your finished pieces.

Sewing the pieces onto the denim, a form of machine applique:
I made my square for the back then used interfacing, actually I used pattern ease as this is what I had on hand so it had grids which were not a problem, if it were lighter fabrics those might show through. I would recommend a light weight sew in type for this application, I used this on the back piece, the front placards and the squares on the back top detail.

Make your component then sew RIGHT SIDES TO RIGHT SIDES to the interfacing, you can sew it all the way closed because you are going to cut a slit in the center to turn right side out, also trim the corners as needed and poke cleanly, press your piece. Now all your seams are inside and it is ready to be sewn down, I sew as close to the edge as possible to get a clean look to your piece.

Sew your applique piece right sides together to your interfacing

Back piece turned, pressed ready to applique

Sew down to jacket

Completed patch sew down

Front piece ready to be turned and pressed

Sew down

Square for back, fabric to fabric, same method, sew, clip corners, turn and press

Squares sewn down by machine, yo yo's sewn down attached by hand with a button to help secure

For the pockets I made a paper template, and then built the pocket, this is a "sleeve that has been slid up over the pocket, then sewn down, I seed from the top all the way through the jacket, actually closing the pocket so it is not functional to put anything inside or to snap close.

Pocket is two pieces of the paper template (in fabric) sewn right sides to right sides, then the top opening is press to encase seams, slide over pocket sew.

Applying rick rack, for the jumbo I used fray check, then folded it under itself for the bottom trim, I sewed all along the top and bottom edge with a matching thread.

Thinner rick rack can be just sewn down the center, I used a mono-filament thread on the blue detail.

Additional detail on the sleeves, a simple tube turned right side out, sewn down

Pretty much done, I am going to be on the lookout for more bling for the top, but so far it has been a great piece that goes with most of my daughters colorful wardrobe!

Rainy Day Closet Makeover and M&M Cookies

2011-04-08T11:59:00.007-04:00

April showers have definitely hit my part of Michigan, so lots of indoor activities. I have been wanting to paint my master bath closet pretty much since we moved back into our renovated house, um...over 5 years ago. My master bath is one of the highlights of our home renovation, I spent a ton of time working with the builder to make this really special. This bathroom is bigger then the original size of our living room, it is about 11 feet x 15 feet, it is one of those rooms that will help sell the house, but we are pretty much never going anywhere.

Since I am going to try and stock up during sales and do some not so extreme "extreme couponing" I wanted a fresh new space to store these goodies. Our closet while not huge is big enough, we also have in this bathroom 2 huge vanity cupboards, 5 drawers and and a 7 foot linen tower. We have a ton of storage in this bathroom, but the closet was never actually painted, it was primed and we have lived with it like this for the 5 years.

Before, kind of a random mess

Before.........After

The bath is neutral tones, but our towels and linens are brown and aqua. I had enough paint left from my sewing room that I just used this and the wrong shade of builders beige I got when finding the correct builders beige. I painted the walls the aqua and the shelves the ivory. I added a few brown storage vessles, like planters, baskets and votive holders to keep some items contained. Best thing about this was cleaning out the closet, LOVE that feeling, while not fully stocked it looks 100% better and for only about 1.5 hours of work!

Then onto the M&M Cookies! We managed to have several bags of M&M's left over from Valentines Days so I wanted to use these up once and for all. This bag was dark chocolate so we made a simple standard recipe. My 5 year old was actually helpful this time, unlike at Christmas she stuck with it to the end. In fact the funniest part of the cookies is after the first when I offered her a second she said "No, I'm good". Too cute!

Yellow Door Six Months

2011-04-07T14:59:00.007-04:00

It has been six months since I started Yellow Door, I have also just signed on for another year so I will be there for sure through April 2012. I have been so inspired to be part of such a unique creative community, I have met some amazingly talented and hard working Michigan folks.

I have sold since my time here since November just about 1000 items, the number is actually a lot higher as I have sold lots of items in 3 piece and higher sets, so the number of items made/sold is probably closer to 1500 items. I was genuinely proud of my space today and was almost taken aback that all these items were planned and passed through my hands to be shared with others, maybe it was the sunny bright day but all of Yellow Door looked amazing.

Today I really stocked my booth, I took in some gift sets, (see my post here for Easter packaging ideas for year round) that I hope are well received for upcoming gift type holidays such as Mothers Day, Easter, etc. I filled all my product baskets and removed a few odd single items, below a few updated pictures which shows it fully stocked I can take next week off from stocking which will give me a breather and work to stockpile items for shows and the fall season.

Inside my booth, top looking left, bottom looking right

Standing JUST outside my booth, top looking left, bottom looking right

I took a few pictures of my gift baskets, I don't think the pictures do them justice they are simply delicious, so much color and shiny bags and bows, totally gift ready!

Extreme Couponing

2011-04-07T14:25:00.003-04:00

Well sort of, not really. But I have become somewhat fascinated with this concept, though not to the extremes as recently seen on TLC new reality show. But the preview for this show got me curious and looking online for more about this.

I really would just like to learn more about sale cycles and using coupons in conjunction with them. After a bit of Googling I stumbled onto a site that to me is more in the real world for most people trying to save on their grocery, home and health and beauty needs. This site is "Southern Savers" there is a ton of good up to date information there along with several YouTube videos to help explain some of the ideas and concepts.

My first attempt to put some of these into practice was at CVS, there was an excellent video on Southern Savers how to use their sales flier, coupons and Extra Care Bucks (ECB). I got Sundays paper and plotted my trip. I will say while I was really happy I did not do as well as I "could" have I learned a lot in the process. I got $125.00 in grocery items for about $46.00, I still have 21.99 to spend in ECB for future purchases. If I had done it all properly via 1 additional transaction I would have only spent about 28.00 for the same amount of goods.

Extreme couponing is also not fresh friendly, we go through tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, I do look for sales and stock up as much as possible when I can so this part of my grocery bill most likely will not change. Also meats, we buy a lot of meat as well, I do have a freezer so I have stockpiled that as well during sales.

So I am learning and applying as it makes sense for my family, it has been a fun learning experience and even my husband is in on it and agrees saving money obviously makes sense.

Easter Time and Packaging Ideas

2011-03-29T14:40:00.006-04:00

I always seem to have great luck around Easter time getting some unique and colorful packaging. I stopped at a local Aco this morning and found these metal planters with the Easter goods. I am always drawn to baskets and container items, and thought the pink ones would work great for displaying products, which they would. I got a pink one with this in mind, but as I drove home I thought of my accessories sets and my constant struggle to come up with retail durable packaging. I usually end up with less then inspiring cello bags, however not this year!

I did a test run with a cosmetic pouch, mini coin purse, tissue cozy, pocket planner, eyeglass container, it looked PERFECT, it will actually hold a lot more then that but that was a pretty good mix of products. I needed to put some tissue in the bottom for height then add a basket bag and probably a bow and this will make an awesome gift set for my products during the holiday season.

They also had these mini metal pals, complete with metal and wooden handle this size will be perfect for smaller sets of 3-4 items. Best part about these little metal holders they were .50 cents each, I hurried back and scooped up all the pink tins, white buckets and then got a few of the yellow and blue ones as well.

I came home quickly found other nearby Aco's and off I went, the first one I went to did not have Easter items, sigh home to Google again. This time I called 3 nearby stores, the last one informed me she remembered those from last year and the store I got them from had them still most likely, which also explains the price point, did I mention these were only .50 cents each...sigh. I am going to go back to the original store and get the rest of the yellow buckets and a few more of the blue. Right now I have a total of 24 containers which is a great start, remember I have to fill these all now with product. It is nice to get an idea and have plenty of time to put it into action, I will be debuting these offline in the fall.

Updated on 4/7/11: I got these cuties at Target in the "dollar bins" at the front of the store. Cardboard boxes, that are about 6" wide x 3" deep x 4" tall, I have already made up some new sets to put at Yellow Door. They also had little metal buckets in varying colors, with a bow on the front, I think these are actually too narrow for me so I am not sure they will work for my items, but they are really cute and the bow could be changed out for a matching look.

Completed gift baskets, I found some bags at Michaels, with coupon 3.00 for 16 bags, great low cost packaging idea.

Olive Tapenade

2011-03-26T14:48:00.005-04:00

I have been staring at this giant bottle of olives in the back of my fridge for a few months now. Never tell your husband to pick up olives when he is on his way to Costco when you only need 1/4 cup...sigh!

Olives are one of those things I don't like unless they are in something or on top of something like a Greek salad. These were close to getting tossed this week, however I know they were expensive and I remembered we just had a tapenade at restaurant and I thought maybe this idea could use them up...finally!

1-1.25 cups pitted Kalamata olives, can be a mix
2 TBLS Capers
2 TBLS garlic, or 2-3 cloves
Generous shakes of dried Parsley
2 TBLS Lemon juice
2 TBLS Olive oil

Rinse and drain olives and capers place in food processor with rest of the above ingredients, blend to a consistency for spreading or dipping.

Chill for a few hours or overnight, great on crackers served with cream cheese or goat cheese. You can salt and pepper to taste but I would hold off on the salt until the flavors have time to blend. I found the brine from the olives and capers made this salty enough. With my olives it was a bit on the bitter side, you can cut this by using different olives like green.

I actually made a double batch for snacking on the weekend, this would be a wonderful appetizer as it is easy to serve. BTW, I still have enough olives to make at least one maybe two more batches, I really think it is the never ending bottle of olives.

Pattern Tester I Think Sew

2011-03-21T13:32:00.007-04:00

I was recently asked to be a pattern tester for I Think Sew, which seemed like a fun opportunity so I joined right in to pattern testing. I Think Sew offers a variety of PDF patterns for totes and for baby items. I had purchased a child backpack pattern a few years back for my small child, I found the pattern both easy and fun and I Think Sew was super helpful with a few questions I had.

Onto my testing experience. I was given a new bag The Martha Market Bag, which is a large bag that would be great for the market (obviously) among other things. I think this bag would be a great beach bag it is roomy and light weight I think I will be testing this at the farmers market which will be coming soon in my city (yay).

I read the pattern a few times before even beginning, usually I actually sort of skip this step as I have enough experience to just dive in, really most times I buy patterns I need dimensions and detail directions not too much the sewing directions.

I had to purchase some home decor weight fabrics, since I most work in cottons I did not have a heavy enough fabric to do the project. I settled on a bright coral print with a retro inspired brown and white leaf motif, this had a coordinate solid and I paired these with brown webbing for the handles.

As I begun I kept a notebook near the computer to make notes as I went. I did actually have a few places I had questions so I made those notes to offer my suggestions for further clarification to the pattern. Thought I would show a few sewing tips that I used to make this tote.

Sewing an X at the top of a bag handle gives some reinforcement to seams that will see lots of action

A magnetic seam guide can be helpful when sewing a larg seam. I usually use 1/4 for everything, this called for 1/2 inch my guide was placed accordingly, keep the fabric flush with the guide for perfect seams.

In the end I have about 4 areas I would have to like to see just a little more instruction, or an added idea. I will be sending my pictures and ideas along for their consideration. I would totally do this again, it is fun to do something different and maybe help another along the way.

You can find I Think Sew bag patterns in this etsy shop "Sewingwithme3".

2011 UFO FInished - Laura Gunn Fabric Pillows

2011-03-18T13:36:00.010-04:00

Another 2011 UFO done, well nearly...done enough to be put to use. I still may go back and do some more beading on the birdcage pillow, but for now the less is more and calling it done.

These are my favorite two chairs to seasonally embellish, ready made pillows that I often cover make this easy to change out as I desire. These chairs are great for entertaining as they make an nice conversation pair and are also easy to slide on our hardwood floors, as an added bonus when needed they are a great height to our dining room table, for really big gatherings.

I love this first fabric collection by artist Laura Gunn, her fabric is from Michael Miller and I have quite a bit put away to use for home decor projects for myself like this one. I also have a pieced small quilt that I was hoping to applique a tree on it and hang it above these chairs. I am actually unsure I still want to do that so I have this rather simple pieced quilt I am deciding what to do to finish.

I actually sort of followed some pictures on Laura Gunns blog when she did this fabric release. I sized them to fit my 18 inch pillows that I already had, below are just a few things I did to make the pillows.

I almost always do a quilted top for my pillows, the stability and weight the batting provides to the completed pillow is worth the effort. My pieced pillows with some simple on point grid quilting to hold the batting to the top, I only use batting and the top, no need to back it as it will be enclosed.

Auditioning thread colors, just unfurling thread and laying randomly on piece to be quilted will give a good visual to the finished item.

I marked with white pencil a cross hatch design to be quilted, I only quilted the 2 accent fabrics on the side.

Finished quilting

I then did some free quilting to the motif design, just enough to hold in place.

Birdcage pillow, below beaded details, I beaded most of the aqua and fuchsia bird cages.

Lantern Bloom Pillow with quilted detail below

Makes a lovely pair, I just used a faux chocolate suede for the back and made them in an envelope style to change out with the seasons.

Daylight Savings + Sunshine = Grilling out

2011-03-16T09:45:00.011-04:00

Hooray, we did our first grilling out of 2011, it was still quite daylight at 6ish and about 50 degrees so it seemed perfect to go outside and grill and make all the neighbors jealous.

We usually are able to sneak in a grilled meal even in the winter however this year in MI we have had a lot of snow and a lot of long cold spells so I think it has been since about November that we last grilled.

Chicken on the menu, a simple go to grill recipe that also works under the broiler.

Chicken tenderloins
Bacon
Barbeque seasoning, personal fave Penzeys BBQ 3000

Sprinkle chicken generously with seasoning, wrap in 1/2 slice bacon, sprinle again with seasoning.

Grill about 6-8 minutes per side on medium hot grill. Serve as a main course or a hearty appetizer. I don't often buy bacon and will just get 6-8 slices from the meat counter.

Can summer be far away?

UFO - Finished Love Quilt

2011-03-14T12:02:00.008-04:00

Hooray, every year I pretty much make the same resolution, to finish up UFO's, those "Un Finished Objects" or projects that taunt me with their incompleteness. After reorganizing my sewing space I was inspired to try and stick to this goal.

First, though hopefully not the last of 2011 is this Four Patch Posy quilt in Amy Butler Love fabrics. I sashed each block with a navy and coral, and completed with a fabric from the Love line, Midnight Garden.

I usually send out quilts to be quilted, for me the fun is in picking out and planning fabrics, and the piecing. Consequently I have loads and loads of pieced tops needing to be quilted. I sent this one out and on a lark got it back in 3 days. I am super inspired to get about 3-4 more smaller ones to get ready as well and hope to blog about them IN 2011.

Quilt is backed in a salmon and pink big dot print from the Joel Dewberry line "Deer Park" I love how it compliments the pinks and corals in the Love flower motifs.

Close up of some of the blocks. The machine quilter did a great job, quilting on top was done in navy, a block design repeated on each block, and then amazing free motion work in the borders an sashings, way better then I would have though of doing and much better job too!

Full Quilt, I used a large scale print for the blocks, this was cut into 4 repeats and the blocks are mirror images of each other when sewn together. I had actually done a mini look at the construction technique in this earlier blog post.

I have also been playing with a few of the new AB fabrics from Soul Blossoms. This pleated tote and snap clutch will be at Yellow Door later this week.

Joining a few link parties this week with this lovely quilt, check out Quiltstory and Crafting with Karina to see it in action!

Ironing Station Makeover

2011-03-10T11:39:00.005-05:00

Last week I did a show and tell of my new sewing space and was inspired to finish moving the last items into place. I managed to convince my husband to go out to the garage with me through about 5 inches of snow and bring in the old kitchen island. The island was in need of a little more TLC then I had recalled as it had lots of dirt and dust from over 5 years in an old garage (our garage is more a giant 2 car storage shed, we do not park in it). So I got out bleach and cleaned it THOUROUGHLY before bringing it inside.

Before

After

It fit just about perfectly and the doors open as well, I thought it might be too tight but it works. I now have a taller spot to iron and a lot more practical storage with shelving down below and underneath is about 6 inch clearance so I have room to grow, thinking under the bed plastic bin will fit underneath should I need it.

I had 4 more of these decor shelves so I installed these as well, next my favorite little 2/1.00 baskets in some matching colors gives me LOTS more options for storage. I will still play around with placement of items but so far this is a great addition to my new room.

Grunge is Still Alive Treasury Feature

2011-03-04T17:38:00.004-05:00

Great grunge treasury which apparently is just about vintage these days. Thanks so much to etsy shop Xamantha for featuring my "Urban Grunge" large tote.

Urban Grunge Large Tote $38.00

Random Wine Review Hogue Cellers

2011-03-03T13:55:00.006-05:00

We are wine drinkers more then beers or liquors, which we really don't drink. We also mainly drink wines under 10.00 unless the occasion calls for something more or it is a dessert wine like Icewine (which we LOVE).

We have had really good luck the last few months with late harvest Rieslings from Washington state. The most recent is from The Hogue Cellers, it is a 2009 Late Harvest Riesling, it was on special for 10.00 at the local market, reg price was 12.99.

I think this is best chilled very cold it was crisp and citrus-y and great for just drinking I had a glass while preparing dinner and it went down very easily. I found it to have a lemony grapefruit aftertaste that was quite pleasing. I think it would make a great wine with appetizers or pizza if you are having a casual evening. For 10.00 bucks it was a great find I think we will going back to grab a few bottles, will be nice for summer evenings grilling in the backyard.

Sewing Room Show and Tell

2011-02-28T11:18:00.008-05:00

Looking into my sewing room from the door, I have a new large work table that I got from Ikea, I put a small white bookshelf from Target as a "staging" area. This is a huge improvement for me in my new sewing room. I have dozens of items in progress, these used to be stacked on my ironing/card table and were easily disorganized.

This is my view as I sit at my worktable, looking north, it is where I store a good amount of my supplies. On the left I have a wire rack system that I got from Organized Living this holds tons and tons of supplies, I have lots of notions, works in process and many misc crafting supplies contained within these 12 drawers. Above this are 2 of my 6 mini shelves, the kind you might lean plates or pictures on as a decorative accent. I have on them 6 mini baskets that I use for catch alls or to contain small projects. I have 4 more of these I will be installing above my ironing space...hopefully soon.

I have a tall cabinet (with my TV on top) that I store my "live" fabrics. These are fabrics that are currently planned to be used in the near future, I keep mainly focal fabrics organized mostly by type, ie florals, birds, sock monkey, novelty, etc. On the top shelf of this I have my "blender" fabrics these are small quantities that I can find quickly sorted by color.

I have shoebox bins with colors sorted and labeled, these are completely unorganized except by color and are usually fabrics that are less then 1/4 yard, I find when looking for something, I just dump the bin and find and stuff it back in. These are too full to be stored with the lids on so they are just stacked with the lids underneath.

Next to my fabric cabinet is a closet, I have fitted shelves I got at Organized living, 3 shelves that are as big as the foot print of the closet, it holds tons of fabric and are extremely sturdy. I have yet to re-organize these from the move and a lot of the fabric is still displaced throughout the house, usually it is filled top to bottom with fabric, right now there is interfacing and felt on the bottom shelf and the bottom/floor is empty, I have roll bins I keep there with large cuts of fabric (actually not sure where those are right now). I also can store about 30 bolts of fabric up top which are also about the house somewhere.

You can see on the left my spice racks, I did a blog post with more info on that here.

On my west wall is my desk and ironing space, my desk is back to back to my sewing machine, with about 6 foot of space which is where the picture window is looking to the front yard this space also allows me to have 2 chairs. This is still being revamped, having my desk and computer in my sewing room is also new with my makeover, used to be this desk was in my husbands office. I also have used the space below for my printer and shelves with bins for receipts, paperwork and office supplies. I really did not want all this in my sewing room so I was happy I could fit it under the desk, it is a bit of a pain but I have made it work.

This is my ironing space which is still needing its makeover. I have a kitchen island that we used to use prior to our home renovation. It is in our garage and hopefully will be moved inside soon. It is insanely heavy and most likely will need to be somewhat dis assembled to be moved inside. It is taller and white (yay it will match) and has doors and shelving below. It will be the same length and a few inches wider then the card table, it will also provide a workspace above and I can add a stool as well. I had been stumped what to put there as it is a tight space between my desk and the door when I remember this alone in the garage. We did a major renovation to our home in 2005 and it has been there since, sort of out of sight out of mind. Super happy to not have to purchase something as this is like new, we only used it for 2 years.

****Update, I DID in fact do my iron station makeover, here is a picture and a blog post about it here****

Under the sewing table I have lots of storage too, but still have plenty of room to sit and work. Below is usually where I sit, I have a drawer with mainly threads and zippers, easy access when sitting at the machine.

Doesn't every crafter have these plastic storage drawers? I this are more works in progress, ribbon and fat quarters.

This is on the opposite side of where I sit, more bins for storage, and some space for books and magazines, though most of my ginormous book collection is in the living room in bookshelves.

And this is a behind the storage idea that I posted about before here. I still have some office wall pockets I need to find and install as well.

Still some to do and more items to get to be fully moved in, but I am already back to work in my new sewing space. Also still want to hang some decorations as well!

Thanks for looking! ! !

Crayon Roll Ups Now at Yellow Door

2011-02-25T15:07:00.011-05:00

Dropped off today a collection of Crayon Roll Ups to my space at Yellow Door Art Market. Crayon rolls are great for kids on the go, it comes complete with 16 Crayola crayons all kept rolled up and secured closed with a pony tail holder and button.

I loved working with the kid friendly prints for both girls and boys, we all know they sort of get left out of handmade items, just a little anyway.

For the boys: robots, cars, planes, tractors, dogs, dinosaurs

For the girls: flowers, retro, zebra, bugs, owls, daisies

Unisex choices too!

Big buttons and pony tail holders makes an easy closure for small hands

This is my first offering of these at Yellow Door, and I hope to add to these still this year, mini crayon rolls, and crayon totes, look for those in the fall.

Getting Organized Back of The Door

2011-02-23T08:08:00.008-05:00

I love using otherwise wasted space for storing items, I have also found to gain the most space sometimes you need to go up! I am still rebuilding my sewing room from the big move and with DH gone I got out the drill and put this handy item back to use.

Luckily I have solid wood door in my sewing room, thanks to a home originally built in the 1940's or else this would not work or would need a different installation. It took 4 screws to hold it in place and it holds a lot, not only that I can see everything so it cuts down on my scavenger hunts for supplies.

Empty and ready to be filled, it has 8 shelves each about 5" deep they are varying height, which is nice options are good

It holds a sampling of my rubber stamps, this is 12 Stampin up boxed sets

Holds these nifty plastic baskets from the dollar store, 2/1.00 actually, great catch alls

More storage ideas that this will hold, Mason Jars, Ivy vases for markers, Yarntainers I use for sorting and storing loose ribbons. Also I have covered baby formula tins for button storage as well

Fully loaded, and with some room to spare, I may shift a few things around still, but love this use of space and having a visual on items and not having to dig is a huge time saver, for me anyway!

Poppies and Rick Rack Quilt

2011-02-22T17:27:00.004-05:00

I pieced this quilt last fall for a local quilt shop, it was appliqued and machine quilted then displayed in the store with kits for the quilt. The kits have sold out and so I brought the quilt home.

Large scale floral stands out on both sides, the piece was about 1 2/3 yard

10 strips of fabric I think they were 2.5 inch by width of fabric, or about 42 inches

It used a large scale focal print from Michael Miller Fabrics by artist Laura Gunn. It is a length of the large print, cut down one side, the poppy print was then placed on the outside and accented by 10 strips of fabric, and a few large rectangles. Then a focal circle with a few layers and some jumbo rick rack, machine quilted to highlight the flowers.

Lovely at home!

This quilt has joined a few link parties on some fun crafty blogs, be sure to look left to see it in action. A new one I joined this week which is mostly quilt-y types of things is "Quilt Story" be sure to check them out here!

Chalkboard Contact Paper Party Cups

2011-02-21T14:34:00.004-05:00

I love this idea, mainly because I have eliminated my needing to get plastic cups every time we have a gathering. Actually the part I hate most is trying to remember if I need these cups and over buying them. I got these plastic tumblers at the end of the summer for a steal, 4/1.00 and bought 36 of them, that should be enough!

I also got some chalkboard contact paper and cut out with a paper punch some scalloped circles. Adhere to the cups and get out the colored chalk. Guests can write their name or a message to know which glass is theirs. The circles will stay on through a few careful washes.

The only place I was able to find this Contact paper was on Amazon, I think I paid about 6.00 for a 18 foot roll, add shipping and it was around 10-12.00 total for the roll. I tried several hardware stores, family hardware stores, school supply/teacher supply shops and could not find it locally anywhere.

EASIEST Dish Makeover

2011-02-19T12:05:00.003-05:00

Having a belated Valentines party this weekend and have a buffet of sweets I will be putting out for dessert. I love this pedastal dish I have for Christmas and decided to do this 5 second makeover, it actually took longer to find the paper.

I also got out my old fashion compass to draw a perfect circle, cut it out with mini pinking shears, and wella a Valentines dish that I will use to hold truffles.

Accessorize It Treasury Feature

2011-02-18T08:52:00.004-05:00

Thank you to Foogirl for featuring this sock monkey accessory set.

Mini Coin Purse and Pocket Mirror Set

Spice Rack Storage

2011-02-17T12:44:00.008-05:00

If you are a crafter and a one who collects and accumulates many supplies you know the challenge of keeping it all organized and under control. I have been using spice racks and jars for years and this week been adding them back into my sewing room.

I managed to snag a bunch of these racks about 5-6 years ago, they are simple two shelf wood racks, each shelf will hold 6 spice size jars. I think I paid about 2.00 each for them and got about 8 of them, though honestly I am not sure where they all are right now. I really only had put about 3 of them to use in my old sewing room, and never hung them up, they were just sitting on a table against a wall, they are flat bottom so they actually stacked well and that was how I used them.

Now in my new spot I wanted to hang them up, I also did not want to do too much damage to my new walls so I gave these wire Command Hooks a try. They are plastic with a small wire hook, perfect to fit in the wire triangles that you use to hang these racks.

Also I like to use space in different ways and opted to put these on the side of my tall fabric cabinet, using the Command Hooks gives you lots of different options for hanging. Admittedly the space these are now hanging is quite tight, but for me this is ok, but getting pictures was challenging, I would be better standing outside taking the picture through the window. This particular Command Hook was rated to hold .5 pound, I have sort of pushed this to the limit as the rack by itself weighs about 2 pounds, I am just going to keep my eye on them to be sure they are holding well, so far so good. I will add my husband is keeping an eye on them too, he really wants to improve the hold with tape, usually his improvements are not so attractive.

The racks will hold a variety of sized jars, I had bought a bunch of matching jars I think for about 1.00 each, of course I wanted to get lots more but this store is now out of business, so if I add to the jars they will different (this mildly upsets my crafting balance). I am actually contemplating hanging one with my large spool threads near the sewing machine.

Side View of Spice Racks

The racks also hold ribbon nicely, don't we all have issues storing ribbon? The Spool O' Ribbon size will only fit on the top row, but still easy to see and grab.

Another spice rack storage I use is a revolving spice rack, I got this at the same sale for about 6.00 each, I got two of them each holds 12 jars. This is a great option as it is semi portable (at least around the house) and rotates to find items quickly. Best part about this spice rack purchase was the jars were empty so filling them up was easy.

I find in general if I can get crafting supplies out of packages and into sight they actually get used, or at least looked at from time to time.

Look it makes a great book end as well!

Quilted Button Jars

2011-02-15T12:26:00.013-05:00

As I continue to spend time in my new sewing space I am inspired by my color choices for the room, aqua and orange. Still funny to me working in oranges for myself and it not be Halloween. I also scored these super cute collections of buttons which I stitched into small quilt blocks that look like jars.

Auditioning buttons

Luckily I also have a smidge of a Amy Butler Oxford Stripe in duck egg, orange and brown - perfect. I pieced a simple jar block from a pattern I got at a local quilt shop. You could use basically any rectangle with a triangle attached (I have shown below) at the tops, then a "lid" for the fabric, border on all sides as desired.

Block pieces ready to sew

Sew a 1.5 inch square at the top corners, mark diagonally, this is your sewing line

Trim 1/4 inch away from square and backing (white-jar), iron squares "up"

I did not actually quilt it but did include batting to stitch through when I attatched the buttons, the backing covers and protects the random stitches from the buttons.

Block pieced, border audition and playing with more buttons!

I sewed about 100 buttons total between the two blocks, I added a 1.25" binding and closed by hand. Not sure where this will hang in my new sewing room, but I will enjoy my button collections on display!

Completed block with binding is 7.75 wide by 9.25 tall.

Glassine Candy Filled Hearts

2011-02-14T10:32:00.006-05:00

Last minute idea and post for these cute glassine hearts, laced with ribbon and filled with candy hearts. A large eye plastic needle makes this a great craft for the kids to get in on as well.

Supplies:

Glassine - can be purchased in sheets usually at art supplies shops, I got sheets 20 x 24 inches for 1.00 each. a sheet will yield about 10-15 depending on how large and how you space hearts
Mini pinking shears or decorative scissors
1/8" hole punch
1/8" wide ribbon
Needle, plastic or tapestry will work, with eye enough eye to thread ribbon
candy hearts or M&M's
Paper heart, or heart template, mine was about 4" across

1. Using your heart shape template cut 2 hearts at a time using decorative edge scissors.

2. Punch holes, if you punch an even amount the ribbon will end up on the top, start just to the left of the heart cleavage.

3. Thread with ribbon starting at the cleavage and sew up and down, leave an opening to fill, finish threading, tie in bow

I will be using these as party favors for a belated Valentines get together at the weekend, great for kids and adults!