OK, so that's my headline and my civic duty! I voted and I'm proud. Now off to crafty stuff.

Just for a bit of voyeurism, here's my workspace and yes, that's Sims2 on the computer. As the ultimate multitask-er, I have to check email, listen to my ipod (left) and stitch up the 2nd white block on the sewing machine:

On Sunday I did do a heap of work on my two white blocks. This is the first one which was pre-pieced. I picked out one stitch, added the lovely lace and added the stitch all the way along that long seam. Now, long seams are an issue in CQ, so I'm going to break it up with some random embellishments to that seam. I also added a little wedding dress embellishment in the lower right. This is block #2. The flower (pink in the center) that I have started on in silk ribbon was already stamped on that piece of fabric. I have the pin in there because i have to turn the corner on that piece, so I'm going to have some fun with that embellishment. This has the most wonderful selection of textures. I'm sure it's going to be hard not to touch (my goal with fabric art).
This is a little detail of the feather stitch I'm doing on the one seam. Just a feather stitch, a straight stitch and a few french knots and voila!

Labels: Crazy quilt, embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery

If you need a last minute costume idea, you might want to pop over to Posh Mama and check out my list. I have to admit - I think some of them are hilarious!

I have so MANY things to work on today. Some are boring - I need to mend our futon cover and I'm going to find a Sponge Bob picture to iron on to my son's bright yellow shirt. (ok, that's not boring, but quick). Then I need to piece one white block and finish embellishing this one:

It's for Leslie's Breast Cancer Quilt and it's going to be lovely (the quilt AND hopefully the blocks)! She's ambitious and talented and like a dork I promised her I'd do TWO blocks! Hee hee. So wish me luck...I'm kind of rushing them, but after the baptism pillow I did, I really was eager to do more white pieces. So, I'm excited.

I'm in process of doing the applique on the LAST (hooray) kitty block!

That's a butterfly in the middle - you'll be able to tell when it's done and embellished. Missy C wants this to be a doll quilt, so that's probably what it will be. Geez! This is the YEAR of me finishing projects I wish I had never started. I will so be careful in the future - I guess we all learn lessons and I hate to abandon them, just want to finish them and be done!

Speaking of cats - I had a hard time getting him to pose, this is Frasier (the kid's cat...really, he spends no time with us adults) and so you might see my hand around his neck trying to hold his head still. It was kind of funny! I promise, no kitties were harmed in the making of this picture! :)
And I'm STILL working on the tree branches and leaves of my Australian landscape. I love this piece, but I really did leave (leaf? heehee) all the really boring stuff until the end.

So, onward and upward. In the interest of making me accountable, I will post results pictures tonight!

Labels: applique, crafts, Crazy quilt, embroidery, pets, recycling

Geez, I just get to feeling really good about myself. I have my craft room looking homey and I got an iron on tshirt done for my daughter (with "I love Chocolate" on it - met with squeals of delight this morning!) and then I get my morning email and THIS is in it (see picture stage right).

SIGH!

I think I'm a pretty good Mom, I run a business, do needlework, mend clothes, do fancy iron ons onto unloved t-shirts. But she wants MORE! What I really hate is she makes this look effortless... "oh, by the way, here's a LOVELY pumpkin idea you can just whip together this afternoon between houseguests, dinner time and helping the kids with homework".

Ok, I know I'm taking it too personally, and maybe this isn't as tough to do as it looks, but I was fairly well resigned to painting faces on the pumpkin this year and I was going to be happy with it. And then darn Martha goes and raises the bar.

Oh here are the instructions if you're an overachiever. And by the way, you need TWO pumpkins.

Is it too early for a glass of wine?

Labels: ponderances

This is off blog topic, but for a good reason, I'm part of Blog Action day and this year's topic is poverty. How appropriate in this period of stock chaos and economic crisis.

I was originally going to write this post about crafting and how you can save money as well as help poverty causes. I'll still add a few of those links at the bottom, however, we have been talking a lot lately in our family about whether we're rich or poor. My daughter is totally confused by the distinction and asks a lot whether we are rich or poor. My son, the consumer, wants to buy everything he sees on TV. My stock standard response to "can I have..." is "we can't afford it". My daughter takes that to mean that we are poor.

One of the interesting things in the United States today is how spoiled we all are. I think the recent "fall" of the economy is telling. Many people live WAY beyond their means to have the "comforts" of life. However, world poverty is something else again. Here it means you may live in a small house, you may not have a lot handed to you. Worst case you're homeless - most American homeless have shelter available to them - not great shelter, but it's there. Unlike third world countries where poverty truly means starvation. It means not having access to ANY food, not just access to food from the food bank. 70% of Americans own a home - but perhaps can't afford it. They live with the fear of living on the street, but most have somewhere to go. It also means disease and lack of any health care.

What would it be like to be in a country where there was no shelter. Where there was ongoing war and poverty and the true inability to even feed your family...much less provide them the comforts of life. Well, if you're like me, you can't really relate to that. I've never really been hungry and neither have my kids. Their idea of impoverished is not having the latest toys.

So, I guess my post today is about thinking WAY outside our box. I think today I'll quit thinking about my possible loss (on paper) of stock and rejoice that I always have a full cupboard of food. Maybe the way to really cure our economic woes is to quit thinking about what we don't have and start thinking of how to share it.

So, the links I promised:

Women for Women.org: http://womenforwomen.org/
Donors Choose.org: http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html?zone=0
The end of poverty: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/pages/endofpoverty/index

I might add more as the day progresses....

Labels: Blog Action Day, ponderances

My blog posts here have gotten a little dry of my own projects, but that's because I've been so busy working on them, I haven't had time. We've been decorating for Fall and I had a couple of articles I wanted to get posted on Divine Caroline and on Poshmama. I'm now a weekly contributor to Poshmama.com and so every Saturday morning you can pop on and read a new article that I write exclusively for them! Neat, eh? This week it's all about Halloween and Fall decorating. My friend Anne sent me the coolest link to a "how-to" on a really spooktacular (ha, ha) tombstone. Go check it out! However, here's Missy C's quick way of drawing a really adorable face on one of the tiny pumpkins that came out of our garden this year! I think she's well on her way to being a crafty chicky!

So, here's for a little update on what I've been working on! I finally "finished" my journal cover. I say "finished" but in reality I didn't back it because I have a feeling I'll need to add an embellishment here and there. I'm putting an elastic band so it will hold on nicely to my journal. It's not a permenant cover because I found several journals the same size on sale and so hopefully I'll use this cover for a long time.
I changed the back a LOT from my original design. I HATED it....funny because this was supposed to be a quick and easy project and I sat around and looked at it for a month before I worked out how to totally rework it. Now I like it - yay!

One of my favorite bits is this little spider web. It was on the fabric originally, but I put gold metallic thread over that and then added a spider and a fly. I love the fly...something to munch on! All Missy C's idea!
Then, the never ending cat quilt. I'm almost finished with another block. 6 total. Missy C has decided she wants it as a doll quilt/throw size - so we'll see. I have one more block to piece and two more to embroider. I'm so sick of it, I could throw it out the window, but it will be nice to see it all done. I suspect I'll end up tying it because of all the embroidery. Not sure yet. I'm open to suggestions tho! :)
Ok, well off to stitch some more! If there's a gap here in articles, be sure to pop over to Divine Caroline or Poshmama to catch up with me. I promise between the three, I'm writing pretty much all the time these days! :)

Labels: Crazy quilt, Divine Caroline, embroidery, Posh Mama

I haven't not forgotten my blog, only I have SO much going on that I'm behind on my posts. Today my friend Dianna is coming over and we're going to stitch, so hopefully I'll have some finished projects or at least a LOT of progress to show off!

Labels: bloggers who embellish, family life

Labels: Tacky Craft Tuesday