Snotty.

Howdy, folks!  What have you been up to this past week?  I've been a stitching fool, but that's not really out of the ordinary for me.  All current projects are put on hold pending the completion of a super secret wall hanging I'm working on.  Nothing like deadlines to motivate, right?  Sneaky peek later tonight. 

Oh, speaking of motivation.  There's nothing like being called fat by two different people, on two different occasions in one week to motivate you to get back in shape.  No?  Oh, I'm sure that's what they thought they were doing when they said such random things.  And I should mention they were two complete strangers!  I wouldn't mind so much if it was someone I knew,  I mean, it's sort of true. But geez, a stranger?  Jerkfaces.

Anyway, it got me to thinking, I haven't always been fat.  Well, I was really skinny and then really fat, then skinny again.  You can see where this is going, think Oprah. So out came the photos.  It was either that or a snack to make myself feel better.  And since my pity party was started after being called a fatty, I just thought the irony of that would have been too much.

I saw this one and thought, hey- that looks really familiar.  Which led to more photo searching.  Apparently, I've been perfecting this look for many years.

So, while I haven't always been big, I've always been snotty.  This proves it.  I found this coincidence to be hilarious.  Laughing, I quickly gave up on being upset about what totally rude strangers think about me.  Eff 'em.  Right, Dude?  I'm smiling now just thinking about the whole ridiculous situation.  I'd rather be a jolly fat person than a skinny (insert pejorative term here)  However, that being said, I do reserve the right to express my snotty side occasionally...preferably for photographs.  Thank you and good day, sir.

Caturday

G'day!  Just a quick hello before I'm off to work.  I'll be applying my "happy face" shortly.  Yay!

I showed you last weekend that my kitties love the laundry room, but I don't think you realize just how much they love it.  It's one of the most frequented rooms in the whole house.  Besides large contraptions to play in, there are also sunny ledges to lounge on.  And us crazy humans keep large, padded baskets that apparently hold no other purpose than to serve as cat beds.

These two can usually be found together.

This crazy guy likes to sleep by himself, most of the time.

So if you're visiting and can't find a cat to harass, look inside things.  You're bound to turn up one.  

Yep, airing my dirty laundry for you on this fine Saturday.  Oh, I almost forgot, another nice thing about my laundry room?  We have custom flooring.  All the tile turned a lovely blue/gray color, complete with swirly patterns, when our washing machine flooded the room.  Can you see it?  I guess our house is as unique as the crazy people and animals living in it.

Well, off to get ready for work.  To keep from losing it, my mantra of the day will be, "Money, honey!"  Cynical, yes.  Necessary, absolutely.  I hope you guys enjoy a craftastic day filled with good times.  I'm hoping to get a wee bit of crafting done this evening but who knows.  See you soon!

Snapshot Friday!

Hi, guys!  How are things out there?  Anyone melting from the heat?  Here in CA it's been pretty ridiculous lately.  I'm not a heat person.  Oh well, got to take the good with the bad, right?  

So I spent a bunch of time last night writing a Words on Wednesday! post before I realized it was Thursday.  Uh, yeah, that should be an indication of how my week has been going so far...crappy.  Now that I know what day of the week it is, I figured I'd start up Snapshot Friday! again, remember that oldie but goodie?  Today is Friday, right?!  Phew.  I know it used to be all vintage shots, but I'm throwing off the restraints and mixing it up from now on.

Therefore, I give you this shot of a pickle!  Why?  Because I freakin' love them.  Especially Nathan's.....YUM!  What's your favorite snack?

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pickles right now, but that's ok because I have Jeopardy.  I'm off to relax after work.  Hope that you've enjoyed the resurrection of Snapshot Friday!  See you soon.  Have a craftastic weekend, I'll be back tomorrow with Caturday...meow.

PSA

Hey there, folks!  Today's Public Service Announcement is brought to you by the letter, S!  S stands for Sunblock.  Remember to use it if you are roughly the color of paper.  Trust me when I say, it's a lovely shade of red.  This photo really doesn't do it justice.

Other than sitting around being burnt, I'll be stitching.  I have today off and will be taking full advantage of it.  It's my last before 7 work days in a row and I'm tired just thinking about it.  I don't have much desire to move at all today.  If you need me, you can find me here. 

I made those pillows with the fabric I got when I was duped by Ikea, remember?  I realized I had never shown them to you.  They were super easy and quick to make, thanks to my honey.  I had some complicated design in mind that was intimidating me quite a bit.  There were multiple pieces of fabric, all different sizes....zippers, I was out of my league.   Then the guy spoke up and offered up an easy solution, what would I do without him?!

One piece construction and the pillows slip right in.  I think it took longer to iron the edges than it did to sew these babies up.  

I adore this fabric!  The only problem is, I can't decide which little section I like better.  The goats or the mountain man?  I have a few swatches left and I can't wait to turn them into little stitchy pieces.

Well, I'm off to the couch, with embroidery supplies in hand.  The guy finally saw the light about Netflix- Hello, streaming SVU! Aww yeah.  Nerding out for the rest of the afternoon, bye!

Caturday Cinema!

Hey, guys!  How are you on this fine Caturday?  I'm great, enjoying a little family time before work this evening.  

Today I have something a little different for you...it's a video!  Of my crazy cats!  It's my first video post, too.  How exciting.  It was taken quite a while back, March 2010 in fact, but it's too funny not to share.  The quality is not the best but now we have some kick-ass cameras and amazing future phones, so I have a feeling better movies will follow in the future.

I do have a disclaimer though, I sound like a creeper in this.  Totally sick at the time, I'm breathing like a crank caller from a bad horror film.  Enjoy!

 

 

So, yeah, these are my little crazies.  Doing what they do best, trying to one-up each other for the more interesting spot to sit.  That is, until someplace better comes along 5 minutes later and the game starts all over again.

Have a great weekend!  I'll check in again very soon...sooner that you might think.  Happy crafting!

Won!

Here are the little brooches I sent to Alwaysinspired and Corvus Tristis for my giveaway.

The gals just mentioned some color combos they might like to see and I ran with 'em.  Alwaysinspired  (she got the purple one) mentioned that she sometimes she might pin it on a headband.   So she can wear it in her hair too, like the barrette style.  That clever girl!

I added a few more of these little guys to my shop and there is about a half a dozen more I need to list.  My to-do list is about 50 miles long at the moment, however, I'm feeling very determined to keep at it, full speed.  I'm proud to say that I've been pretty darned productive lately.  I just finished a huge embroidery and I can't wait to show you!

See you soon, I hope you have awesomely productive day, as well.  Ta ta!

Couldn't Resist.

How could I pass this up?  $2 in the remnants bin!  Yes, come to Mama little fabric, I'll give you a forever home.

I did feel a bit guilty though.  As I got out of the car I had said, "I swear, I'll be quick....I won't even get any fabric!"  However, I justified it as it was already cut and priced....and even cheaper than a fat quarter for 1.5 yds.  My guy didn't mind though...it's beer, how could he?  In fact, I think he mentioned something about making something for him.  Guess he likes the craft store sometimes after all!

Any suggestions for me?  I need ideas!  

Words on Wednesday!

I used to do a lot of weekly posts, so I'm going to try to get back into that habit.  That being said, I'm going to do "Words on Wednesday."  As most of you know, I'm a quote freak, so it seems more appropriate than the usual "Wordless Wednesday" don't you think?  I used to do, "Words to Live By!" but now I don't know which sounds better.  What do you think?

Getting back into the swing of it, this first one is dedicated to Magpienight, we both have a tremendous amount of love for Golden Girls and Betty White.  I saw this return address and immediately thought of Rose Nylund.  If you're a fan, you'll know why.

 

Doesn't it seem like a street in St. Olaf?! Or at least the last name of one of it's inhabitants?

Anyhow, it's the little things like this that amuse me.  I hope you get a kick out of it, too!  See you soon, hope you have a craftastic time until then.

I'm a Bookworm!

Two posts?!  On a Monday?!  I know, I'm blowing your mind here.  I have to confess that I've been dying to post this, so I just couldn't wait.  I recently participated in the Phat Quarter Swap.  It was my first swap in a while, as I've been feeling a little iffy on the subject lately.  With a theme like "Books" though, how could I resist?!  I got word that my partner had received her piece and loved it.  Yay, success!

Want to see it?! Okay, here!

I was excited to here that we share a common love of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so I went with that.  This is based on a photo of him in his younger days.  I really enjoy making personalized pieces for people in swaps and it's even better when it's something I love too.  I rarely work in one color, so it's always crazy to see all the detail you create.

I also had the pleasure of learning a new stitch for this piece.  I learned the Turkey Stitch, thanks to a little help from Youtube.  I think it worked great for his mustache. 

So, yeah, that's one of the projects that's kept me busy lately.  Glad I could share it with you.  I hope it's generated some interest in you for Marquez's work.  If you've never read any of it, cruise by your local library and pick some up.  I'd suggest One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera.  Both are amazing, you won't be disapointed.

Thanks for tuning in twice today, guys!  You're the best :)  See you again later.

Two Little Birdies.

G'day, mates!  How are things?  Hopefully you enjoyed a lovely weekend.  I stayed busy with some stuff for my etsy, nothing too eventful to speak of.  

Just popping into show you this tea towel I made for a special lady, as a little thank you.  She took the time to surprise me with a sweet pressie and I wanted to show my appreciation.  My guy picked out the pattern for her, saying she loves birds!  

I'm not sure who originally made this one, probably Vogart, but it's apart of a "Day of the Week" Set.  (Sorry about that giant wrinkle, some of my domestic skills are less than stellar.)

This piece made me realize that my 24 Pack of Crayolas isn't cutting it anymore.  I need to splurge on the box of 64.....wait, do they still make the 101 box?!  I know they come out with awesome sets at Christmas time, but I don't think I can hold out that long.  I'm definitely hitting the crayon aisle on the next trip to Target.  I'm not so keen on the that brown color of the house but oh well, as my man Tim would say....make it work, people!

Well, I've got to fly away to work on some more stitching.  A few pieces to go up in shop and lots of happy mail to prep.  I hope you have a craftastic day, be back soon :)

Full of It!

Last weekend I was lamenting the fact that I had a "new-to-me" vase, it was nice out, and we couldn't spruce the place up with some fresh flowers. My guy said he would take care of it in no time at all. I huffed and puffed and quickly gave up, given our budget.

A few minutes later, I saw this... A full vase.  Full of good intentions, that is.

Well, I can pretty much admit that my heart melted.  Yeah, they aren't the prettiest and to most people they are weeds.  But, to me, they are the flowers that turn into wishes.  And you know what?!  They brightened my kitchen for a whole week.  Yellow, full, and going strong the whole time.  I finally tossed them out today because they weren't as bright as they started off and didn't open so wide anymore.

It reminded me that it's not what you have, but who you have it with.  I'm sure we all know this, but sometimes we need something bright and in your face to remind us.  Thanks, Cakes, for always showing me what's important.

I admit, I have tunnel vision sometimes.  I look right past the real stuff, nit-picking silly things.  So I savor the moments that make me stay grounded.  What do you do to help keep things in perspective?  I'd love to know how you guys get it all together.

Ton's of new stuff coming at ya, see you again tomorrow.  Hope you have craftastic weekend!  Talk to you soon :)

Caturday

Hey, guys!  Off work and loving it, I get a weekend day with my honey tomorrow, so I'm excited.  Even if we don't do anything crazy fun, it'll still be nice.  It's rainy here, so we'll probably just escape long enough to walk the dog, come back home and watch too much Dexter.  (Love that show!)

I was trying to take some photos this morning, quick before work.  Of course, that got the attention of my little trouble maker, Boris, who was asleep in the next window over.  The second I moved something, he was right there to investigate.

 

"This doesn't go here, lady!"

Then he proceeded to sit in the dirt and crazily rub all over my poor little plant.

So, I'm thinking, great, I have a crazy cat and now he's taken a shine to this thing.  Thankfully he didn't start to eat it, just rub.  But man, I thought he was going to break it!  So, I kept grabbing him and bringing him in the other room.

Then it became a game.  I'd move him and he would race back and jump back up. 

Eventually, he became bored with the plant destruction.  Then he wanted to see what was going on up on the window sill I was photographing.  This was taken seconds before he pounced, knocked a bunch of stuff over and freaked out.  Life around here is always eventful. 

This guy keeps me on my toes, he's certainly a little busy-body...and very insistent!!

Do you have stubborn little beasts too?   I'm lucky that Chunky and the little girl, Natasha, are such good little kitties.  Three naughty cats would drive me batty!

Hope you guys have a good night, I'll check in with you tomorrow.  See you soon :)