For Better or For Worse ended today (click on the headline to read it on the official site). What's funny is how sad I am about it. I grew up with For Better or for Worse. I don't remember the years when the kids were little, but I remember when Farley died, trying to save April from drowning and I bawled my eyes out. I remember their acceptance of Lawrence who "came out" to his friends and family not too far off the timing my brother did.
I always related to Michael's teasing of Elizabeth way into their adult years (gosh, you have no idea how much my brother's are like that).
The last few years as the kids have been growing and the parents were looking to downsize, I related to their struggles since I've watched my parents and friends parents go through that transition. I watched as Elizabeth picked bad guy after mediocre guy and wondered who she'd end up with.
I think this comic is a tribute to life. The storytelling and the drawing is amazing and I really hope that I get as sucked in to Lynn Johnson's follow up (prequel if you will) as much as I did this one.
Good luck Lynn! I feel like this is an "end of an era" but hopefully a new one will begin for you and for us as readers!

Labels: art, drawing, family life

I've been nominated! Woo hoo! So, please please please (is that enough begging) go vote for me - the badge is in the sidebar or here:



Trust me, it's worth it. Actually Divine Caroline is a great site. Not just that I write for them, I also think they're a quality site with some wonderful content! Go check it out and vote for me!!!

Labels: Blogging

This is a craft blog...sort of...it's also a "Mommy blog" (which is far more marketable I might add). But sometimes I talk about books I'm reading or even events I've attended...neither craft related. So, I don't fit into a tidy little description.

As the self professed expert in my neighborhood on blogging, I'm quite often asked if people should start a blog, why they should start a blog and who will read it (if anyone). My advice is always "blog about what matters to you" The most important thing about a blog is that it's constantly updated. My blog gets updated a lot because I use it to track and motivate my creative side. This is why it's "mostly" a craft blog. But I also vent about things that happen in my life and update family members (who are mostly all big readers) and friends on what's going on in my life.

There's a down side to writing about yourself and it's that you don't really fit a tidy category. I know I've bored the socks off my father-in-law (who thinks of crafting as a bit of female fluff). And I'm sure my crafty readers without kids have been bored stiff by my long diatribes on life with my children.

For a beginning blogger I think what you enjoy and blogging about you is what makes a great and fun blog. You'll enjoy updating it and you'll have readers. Look to family and friends to start the group and then you'll be amazed at where it goes from there. Don't worry about an "audience" they tend to grow as you write more and more. Don't forget to comment on other Blogs that interest you. Again, enjoying it and finding a community is what blogging is all about.

So, you may ask, why is a craft blogger better than a mommy blogger? Well, I guess I'm a Mom and I'll always be a Mom, but I don't have babies anymore and it's amazing how quickly they grow up. Some of the very most popular Mom bloggers are going to have to take a long hard look at their Blogs when the breastfeeding and the cute stories about their little kid's crazy toddler antics morph into an age where their kids are old enough to be dating, drinking and other things. Are their kids still going to love being immortalized on the pages of "Mommy's blog"? Will they still be cute enough to write about? Will they sue Mom when the latest stories appear?

Probably my largest objection to "Mommy Blogs" is how profane and shocking they attempt to be. I realize some people actually live crazy lives and are a bit "rough around the edges" - I have also been known to pull out a swear word occasionally, but are there really that many women like that? I think a lot of them over exaggerate to get attention and for good reading. I get tired of the stories of manic/depressive Moms who take Prozac to make it through their days and agonize over other parents and how they feel about them. Conflict and drama makes good TV, but does it make good blogging?

After reading a fairly scathing article in the New York Times about blogging, several craft bloggers responded. Wondering whether they were committing the same "sins" as bloggers who blog about themselves and their families. One of the most insightful articles was from Floresita who distinguishes between "TMI" (too much information) Blogs and craft Blogs. One of her points hit home for me and that was the positive spin that craft Blogs normally have so they don't rely on the shocking and the profane.

Craft bloggers range from college age (no kids) to Grandmother's (kids gone, although I've seen baby pictures of grandchildren!). They talk about their lives, but they have lives of their own. I guess I'm a little biased because my life doesn't revolve around my kids. I have a company I run, along with my creative life and I also have wonderful husband and kids. They all sort of create a package.

So, I really do enjoy craft bloggers more than Mommy Blogs. Sorry, maybe I'm a minority...however, what I really love is when bloggers appear to actually LOVE their Blogs and update it with their real lives. That makes the best blog of all.

Labels: Blogging

So, it's Tuesday and thus time to get a bit tacky!

What's more tacky than a decoupage toilet seat? Really, anyone?

Labels: Tacky Craft Tuesday

So we wandered up to the Quilt show in Loveland on Sunday and had a great time! I managed to spend some money on subscriptions to some of my favorite Interweave press magazines. My only complaint with them is "too much knitting" but I guess "weave" is in their name! ha, ha!
And little Missy C was the big winner of the day with this little beauty:
What's ironic is I have a commercial grade steamer and an iron and now I have a combo! Yikes! You'd think I ironed a lot! However, this will probably be fantastic for steaming silks and velvets and such. I just need to fire it up and use it!

Oooo, and the inspiration I'm going to post a ton of photos over on flickr, but here are some samples. This is a detail from Betty Pillsbury's Hoffman challenge honorable mention (can you believe that's all she got?):
And this is my favorite from Christine Dabbs (but please go look at the other pictures). This is the Roosevelt Bears. Honestly it looks like it's done by machine, but it's all hand done. It's awesome! I bought the poster and it now hangs in my studio!

So today Rhonda is coming over and we're doing a feather stitch on the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilt banner. Woo hoo, it's almost done and it looks fantastic! I'll have some pictures up later.

Labels: art show, family life, inspiration

This week has been all about adjustments. The kids went back to school. While I miss them, it's nice to return to a proper work day. That's "if" I could adjust to a proper work day. Instead I'm sort of lost. I realized in my last couple of posts that I'm uncharacteristically negative and bitter. I apologize. I really like having a blog because you can see trends like that in yourself! :)

I hate to say it, but I'm still recuperating from my negative French Exchange student issue this summer and so now it's time to move on.


First, I did a little work on this blog....check out my "about me" section. I redid my bio a bit and "fluffed" it up! :) (nothing like a little housecleaning). Then I tidied up my icons on the sidebar.

Oh, and I'm in process of taking back ownership of the Bloggers Who Embellish webring! Yay! So, if you're on that ring, look out for good stuff coming up!

This weekend is all about organizing - we took 200 CD's and about 100 DVD's and put them into nice tidy books on the shelves. It's amazing how much room all of that takes up. I "Googled" "how to recycle CD covers" and the only good lead I found was to get rid of them at the local library (they're always looking for new covers) so that was going to be my back up plan.

However, first, I posted them on Freecycle to see if I could get rid of them that way. A nice lady is picking up all of them tomorrow so her kids can organize and put away their CD's....isn't life nice? I love recycling!


We're off today to a the Rocky Mountain Quilt Show. This was kind of a last minute thing we heard about here, but it includes Christine Dabb's (who is one of my very favorite crazy quilters EVER and also our local favorite Cindy Brick.


We're also meeting up with some friends for lunch and then I'm meeting one of the RMCQ gals at the Show, so it's going to be a full day! I'm hoping I get some inspiration...there hasn't been much stitching here lately and I'm kinda stuck. I think it's all still a symptom of the transition and of my "funk".


However, it's time to get off my tushie and get moving! So, today is the day...now I'm really tempted to go crawl back in bed! :)

Labels: Blogging, Crazy quilt, inspiration, organization

Ok, Martha, I normally enjoy my little organizing tip of the day, but really! This is how she recommends we store fabric scraps. Sheesh!

First, has she SEEN the amount of scraps I have? Really, it would take about 500 of these hangers to store my fabric scraps. Second...this totally looks tacky. Where would you hang this that it wouldn't look like a bunch of ratty pieces of fabric you should throw out?

So, I missed tacky Tuesday, but honestly I think this works....now I'm off to have my nails done!

Martha....I'm disappointed!

Labels: crafts, organization, Tacky Craft Tuesday

When I do my searches for Tacky Craft Tuesday, the most popular result is this little "number"....tacky glue. I have also run across tacky tape (which I have NO idea what is...enlighten me readers). I have to say. ICK!

Labels: Tacky Craft Tuesday

This really cool program was a find from eluckypacket and so I'm going to be adding these to my regular repertoire! However, this quote I pulled out this morning...thinking "wow, what a neat quote"Then, I volunteered 2 full days (7am to 11pm) to drive VIP's around at the Denver National Convention...neato, eh? I'm a sucker for a big event. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know my deep and un questioning love for the writings and life approach of Andy Warhol. Conventions are very "Warhol-esque". So, again, I commit to crazy things. Part of life. As is increasing life's speed...but I promise I'll work on that.

Sometimes (like this week) I get so caught up in that and reading blogs, etc that I don't post here. The good news about "Tacky Craft Tuesday" is that it gives me once a week to check in. Believe it or not, I actually belong to all the groups in my sidebar and visit most of them at least once a week. I'm realizing that takes a bunch of time!

I can't believe we only have 1 and a half more weeks of official summer here! Wow!

However, I have been stitching. I've actually had a stitch night with the Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilting girls for two weeks in a row and I'm getting a lot done! Last night I was wrestling with my cast on stitch for Brazilian...having to do one with 30 cast ons is quite the challenge! I was going to post a picture, but I ripped it out. Maybe next week! :)

Here's my progress on the Australian landscape I've been working on for years...MANY, MANY gum leaves:


It's coming along, but I realized I'm totally missing a branch, so I'll have to go back in and add that. I'm going to be excited to have that one done and frankly I don't think it's really far.

Here's the progress on my Judith Baker Montano fabric inspired journal cover. Frankly I don't really love it yet...but I need to fix some design elements. This is the side I like, but tomorrow (or over the weekend) I'm going to try coffee dying over a lace bit I hate.

I think it's a cool way to use up this Brazilian piece (which I just realized is upside down in the pic). I love the seam embellishment I did on the left. More to come...I promise!

Well I should hop off to bed. Just wanted to assure everyone that I'm here and stitching!

Labels: Crazy quilt, embroidery, family life, fiber art, Pop Art

In order to save money, people often make their own wedding headpieces, bouquets and other wedding chachke, but this wonderful picture shows that some people should STOP and go buy their items! (what IS that headpiece - eeek!)

Thanks to swelldesigner in the Tacky Craft Tuesday Flickr group! It's a beauty! (or well, not really!)

Labels: Tacky Craft Tuesday