Decisions To Make...

Can I just say, I hate taxes! Well tax season anyway. Again this year I decided to be organized by throwing every receipt for every fabric I bought and ever P.O. trip I took into a box marked 2009. Yup that's it. Hundreds of receipts in a box. Then every year in January I sort them out by store and date and get started on really organizing that mess. Last year I cried. I figured out how much money I made and then how much I spent. How much I spent far exceeded how much I made. I did impressively better this year. I'm ashamed to say I have nothing to show for it but pride from people all over the world buying my items. Didn't save any of it that's for sure! What'd I buy with my earnings? Fabric. Some more fabric. Some notions. Fabric. Even more fabric. Some more fabric. Probably some clothes too. And a hell of a lot of toys. Might have paid a bill or two.

So now I'm stuck wondering if I should keep this up. I'm making money. I'm selling my things and that's awesome. But when I consider the amount of time I spend online to make this money, it's ridiculous. I probably make 10 cents an hour. I love selling my wares. I love designing, sewing, selling, packaging, shipping my wares. I don't like wasting my time. I also don't want to end up on Hoarders with this fabric obsession.

So we'll see what happens... I can't just make a decision on this quite yet...

I've made some great things for friends of mine lately. I've been so busy with Christmas gifts that I really haven't added much to my shop in the past few weeks. Here are a few of them:

A yellow submarine pillow for my Beatles fanatic friend Kristin. Technically this isn't a Christmas gift since we agreed not to do gifts and I haven't given it to her yet. It's a we're-all-friends-in-a-yellow-submarine-no-matter-how-damn-busy-we-are gift. Soft, fleecy, and awesome, with a zipper for easy laundering.

This one isn't technically a gift either since I already spoiled my Ali-cat this year. She got a peek at some of the larger quilts I've been making and asked me oh-so-sweetly for a quilt for her baby doll. Easy enough, I think it took me 20 min. tops. The smile on her face was so worth it.

And here's my goober testing out the quilt and pillow. He kept telling me "Mom, you made this quilt too small, it won't even cover my butt!"


My first ever teacher gifts! Ms. S and Ms. T got matching fabric baskets (made using a slightly modified version of this pattern from Pink Penguin. So very easy and turns out so nice! Try it! David chose magnets, pocket mirrors, and candle holders to go inside. Then he wrote his name on the tags. My boy is getting so big. His teachers are so wonderful, I wish we could've done more for them! But hey, I pay em for that right? :)

One of the table runners I made. This one went to my Grandma. I made another for my boss as well but never got a picture of it. I have one in the works for my stepmom-in-law too, just haven't had a chance- or the motivation- to finish it quite yet.

These are all fine and dandy, but check THESE out!


My Mommers made them! She is beyond awesome. This is my Mom's diet plan. Instead of eating, she is making fake food. How that keeps her mind off food is beyond me, but it's working, and I've always known she's weird. Just looking at it makes me want some mashed potatoes and a PopTart. Love you Mom!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas! We have around here! If you comment and wrote a Christmas blog as well, link me to your blog, I'm in the mood for Christmas stories! :)

For Christmas, part of my gift was kielbasa. Yup, my Mommers gave me meat for Christmas. It's just so delicious, I can't wait to cook it! I was ready to cancel the Christmas ham I want it that bad. This stuff smells so good, and I always sniff it through the butcher paper.

Mom: I got you kielbasa!
Me: MMMMMM thanks Mom! *sniff sniff OMG yum*
Mom: What are you doing?
Me: Huffing my sausage.
My Husband: I've got a sausage you can huff.

That was only the first of the awkward penis jokes on Christmas Eve.

Ahhh Christmas. I'm so blessed to be a part of 2 (ok, more like 5) wonderful (and hilarious) families!

Saw my Dad's side last Sunday. Lots of laughs and instead of the annual ham, we had BBQ Pork sandwiches! I love ham. But BBQ is even better! I hope this becomes tradition!

Today my Mom made us breakfast. Unfortunately my step-dad had to work so we didn't see him. :( We had french toast, pineapple, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, oj, chocolate milk, coffee, AND coffee cake! It was a smorgasbord of yum. And unlike my childhood, my Mom was all about breakfast closer to 11am than the wee hours of the morning like she used to do. Proving the older we get, the better we are. (I have never been a morning person, Mom always was when I lived there. I thought she was crazy to be that awake and happy in the morning! 11am breakfast rules.)

David added 4 garbage trucks to his collection, officially forming a fleet of garbage trucks over here. Those 3 matching ones are possessed. All 3 make noise all day long and there is no off switch and you need a screwdriver to get to the batteries. So thank you for that Aunt Colie, Mom, and Doug's Mom, what'd we ever do to you guys? :) Come to think of it, this doesn't include the garbage truck ornament he scored, or the one his Dad bought for him. Or the recycling game my Mom got him that has a herbie-curbie. My kid really likes trash. He's made no secret of this obviously, since everyone knows and got him trash related toys! He sent my Dad on a different random mission this year. His request:

Me: Grandpa John wants to know what you want for Christmas.
D: I want that Transformers guy with the fire extinguisher on his back.
Me: A fire extinguisher? What color is he?
D: I don't know Mom. He has a fire extinguisher.
Me: Do you know his name?
D: Yeah, it's Fire Extinguisher Guy From Transformers.

And that's all the info. I sent along to Grandpa John as well. hehehe. I hear they got a kick out of it. Still don't know if he found that Transformer. I'd have been more helpful if I'd ever seen the cartoon or movie I'm sure.


We also got a really fantastic recycling game called "What's Rubbish?". Along with really liking garbage trucks and dumpsters, my son LOVES to recycle. He will sort everything into bins for paper, plastic, and 'liluminum', it's too cute! The game is a lot of sorting and it's great quality. I definitely encourage you to find this game for your preschoolers!

We had lunch/dinner at my inlaws. I love my inlaws, again, I'm a lucky gal. We had chili dogs. Chili dogs. On Christmas! Have I entered some sort of parallel universe where everything is awesome? Love it. Lost terribly at Simpsons Scene It and after my husband drew a very phallic gun in Pictionary and I proved my pervness to the family ("It's a penis! What's coming out of it? Ejaculation? That can't possibly be in Pictionary! Penis gun?") that game came to an end as well.

Guess what else?! My Mom got me a serger!! I can't wait to mess with it! I don't even know what to make! I was messing with it today and managed to knot the 3 threads together way up at the top. So what do I do? Snip them and prepare to rethread the serger. Exactly what my Mom said to not do. Ha! Nevermind that the only decent (or so I hear) directions are on a VHS tape. I spent 2 hours trying to rethread it using the pictures in the manual with little success. It's threaded, all the threads pull nicely through the machine, they just don't sew right. The rightmost 2 threads are turning out all loose and loopy. If anyone has experience with these things, let me know if you know how to fix that! I haven't given up yet.


I received the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts today also! Pretty amazing book. I love Martha Stewart, she's so fabulous. I used to watch Martha everyday back when I had 2 babies that were easily pleased with using me as a jungle-gym while I watched Martha. I never see it anymore. I now need barstools. So I can cover the seats with rope. Doesn't sound terribly comfortable but it looks cool. I also want to try the rope rug. And the sailor knot bookends. I feel a nautical theme coming on!

Mom, I really am turning into you!
I think I will skip the bathroom painted so it feels like you're crapping in an aquarium.

Work In Progress....

My latest work in progress! I just loooooooove my new fabrics I picked up the other night. I went shopping with my boy and he was so so so good. Which is quite the change from the last time I took him fabric shopping. That time he had to be dragged out of the store against his will, kicking and screaming "I don't want to leave the green fabric store!! I love it here!!" which I totally feel, but have the self control to not cry when I leave. I get ya kid. I feel your pain.

Anyway, these are my new fabrics and they are beyond awesome and already almost gone. I'd love to share my new projects but they are all Christmas gifts. So ya gotta wait a week, and if I'm lucky, I'll remember to get pics before I give them away!

On With The Good...

We are having quite a go of it over here. Some good, some bad, some ugly. I wrote up a really long post venting about all the bullshit in my life right now. I don't think that my negativity is getting me anywhere, so I deleted it. Taking a little break from the blog lately as it feels like my sounding board, and it's meant to share the beautiful things I make and find on Etsy and the good things about my family. Not a constant rant-fest as its been.

Blah. It's hard to be positive when the week goes this way. Could be worse. I'm the most positive cynic I know. Not dwelling on the bad--

On with the good--

We found a house!! After seeing dozens and dozens of them, it's finally happened! My husband and I agree 100% on it too. That never happens. Ok, not 100%, but at least 99.9%. This is how it went when we walked in:

Envision a 70s mint green with gold flake countertop in the kitchen....

Him: Wow, that's the first thing we're taking out of here!

Me: Wow! That's the only thing I want to keep in this kitchen!

Other than that, we're right on par with this house. We agreed we'd hire someone to take the counter out and reinstall it whereever my workroom ends up being, instead of smashing it out of its ugly misery as he'd like to do. There's no possible way I'm parting with that fantastic countertop. I love all things 70s. It's miiiiiiiiiine. Even if I have to hide it in the basement. I'm already picturing it paired with my bubble mirror that I shamelessly begged a former landlord for when I moved out.

I love the location, even though I swore I wouldn't be a Kalamazoo lifer. It's in Portage so not really Kzoo, right? Walking distance from a gas station (that has slushies!!), a Kohl's and an Old Navy (goodbye $!), and D's future High School. I'm also content in knowing I'll be in a city full of amazing local music and local beer. I know someone everywhere I go, and there's good potential for my business. It's also tucked back in a little subdivision on a dead end. There's already plans to set up a hockey goal and I will actually get my rollerblades on again. Prepare yourselves for a gory broken bone post in the future! I promise pictures!

We are so excited to finally have a place to call home, and have a yard!

We made an offer on Monday and are expecting a counter-offer by noon on Thursday!

*Cross your fingers!*

And because I've been too busy to really even think about Christmas cards this year, here's the picture we were going to use. Because yes, my family is crazy funny and I love them. :)

Also, I've added a new item to my Etsy shop now that I've finally perfected them! Pocket Mirrors! Only $4! Here's a little sample:

2.25" and backed with fabric (some with a layer of mylar, some without), all with a crystal clear real glass mirror! Come check them out!

Holiday Deals & Reasons I'm Insane...

If you're sane and staying home today, doing your shopping online, come check out my Black Friday Sale! I'm offering free domestic shipping, and a free gift with every purchase!

I am not sane.

I went to JoAnn's thinking it wouldn't be as crazy as the Toy R Us next door. WRONG. I had fabric being held at the cutting counter, so I walked in, nearly had a heart attack when seeing the line inside, and reluctantly grabbed a ticket. They were on #83. I was #43.

After a good 20+ minutes of waiting (by then they were only on #86) a nice shopper let me know there was a line for 3 bolts or less. I hopped over there quick and had cut fabric in hand by the time the I'm-buying-too-much-fabric line I was originally in got to #1. Of course it still took a good 45 minutes in the get-me-outta-here-quick line.

I waited right in a long aisle of quilting items. I'm a self-taught, just-started quilter. I didn't even know half of this stuff existed. I learned quickly that I'm making things much more difficult than necessary. Story of my life.

I left with the 1 fabric I came for...

AND a really fabulous blue quilter's cotton I probably don't need, a super soft butterfly fleece I definitely don't need, and a cotton Christmas tree fabric I'll never use. Four spools of thread and a cool Draft N Cut ruler-thing.

Did I buy anything for anyone else? Nooooooo. Did I remember after all that time in line that I should check out the rotary cutters that are supposed to be used with the ruler? Noooooo. Did I buy the magnet parts that I needed? Noooooooo. Did I save a super huge ton of money? Noooooooo. Did I totally show up for this shopping insanity in my pjs? Yesssssss.

Happy Holidays!

Man Cave vs. Mantuary

I was directed to the site The Mantuary by it's "Founding Father" I think to imply that referring to my basement as the Man Cave is immasculating and unoriginal. Let it be known that I didn't name the Man Cave, and I don't watch HGTV. :) Reading this blog made me feel like I was snooping around in Man Land, but I was drawn in and even laughed a little. Really, you should check out his site. Show your hubbys. Then later write the Founding Father of the Mantuary and thank him for saving your marriage. Or me, since I figured this out long ago. I love the Man Cave. I don't care what the hell a man calls it as long as it exists. It lets me watch DVR'd episodes of Days of Our Lives while sitting on my own cozy couch, instead of being forced to watch endless hours of football. Or hockey. Or baseball. Or any other sports, is there something this man doesn't watch? It hides the empty pizza boxes, nasty chew spit bottles, and empty beer cans, that would otherwise be overtaking my kitchen and/or living room. In fact, it even has an entirely different smell than the rest of the house and that alone is enough to keep me out. The shouting at the TV and the obnoxious sound of video game mortar fire ensures that I will forever stay upstairs.

I have been known to join the boys downstairs, after a couple glasses of wine, for a rousing rendition of Cheeseburger in Paradise on Rock Band, but then I'm outta there!

I'm now left wondering if making a Man Cave sign to "decorate" the Man Cave is crossing a line in Man Land... so, Founding Father of Mantuaries, do I at least get some points for the woodburned sign? I tried to make it manly... and I promise not to decorate the Man Cave without explicit permission anymore. Haha.

A little more about the sign... I had such a great time designing this with Mary Lou Beyer of Hidden Gem Studios. I've known Mary Lou for a good long time, but this was my first excursion to The She Shack (oh yeah, us ladies need to get away sometimes too!) where I got to work on this great plaque. We had an excellent time and I'm so very impressed with how it turned out! Thanks again Mary Lou!

Goodbye Holidays!

They took so long to get here, it's hard to believe they're over already! Goodbye Holidays!

My Leftover Family and Wayward Friends Christmas with my sis was a success! Our ham was yummy (thanks Mom!) and everything else was equally delish. It was so nice to see all of them and not have to run out after a couple hours to go visit more family.

Christmas Eve was extra special also. My Sis-in-law Kate snuck into town from Paris and it was lovely as always to see her. My Bro-in-law called us on that Skype video chat thing from Africa and we all crowded around the computer and opened presents with him. It was pretty fantastic how technology brings people together these days. I sure did get lucky with in-laws too!

I got spoiled :) My hubby got me a new laptop and I'm madly in love with it. It takes a third of the time to get Etsy stuff done now. I knew my old computer was old and slow, but wow - what a difference! I'm still getting used to the little touchpad thing instead of a mouse, but I'm gettin there. I want to show off the awesome plaque I had made for my Hub's Mancave, but all the pictures I took are at work, oops. That'll just have to wait.

BUT... with all this free time I'm not spending cussing out my computer, I needed a new project. I've been impatiently waiting for a fabric shipment so I've been putting off the sewing. In my boredom, I cleaned my closet (yet again, I think my fabric is partying at night in there, cuz whoa what a mess) and found an almost finished locker hooked rug. ALMOST DONE! So I dragged it out and finished it. I LOVE the colors. I LOVE the size. I even backed this one! It's beautiful and I just can't decide if I want to list it or keep it.

One thing I did figure out with this rug though was pricing. Between cutting fabric strips, rolling up giant balls of fabric, and then the actual rug construction and finishing, this rug took approxiamately 150 HOURS. After factoring in the cost of supplies and such, I make somewhere around 30 cents an hour to make a rug. 30 cents an hour?! I love every one of my rugs so much. They take me so long to make and turn out so soft, squishy, and beautiful. But I'm not going to give them away for a measly 30 cents an hour and I'm not going to jack the price up by hundreds of dollars to make it worth my time. I'm just going to be done with rugs. So here is the final (well maybe, I have one more unfinished rug left, but I may never finish that one) Locker Hooked Rug. It's been fun learning you new craft... it's too bad you can't be lucrative. I'm leaving you.

Come on Christmas!

I've been crocheting non-stop lately. I need to make something new, hats and legwarmers are getting way to monotonous. I did find a nice chunky yarn that works up fast though, instant gratification always makes things more fun for me! I'm just out of it for now. This is the beanie that I made with the last of it!

I'm so ready for Christmas to get here! I'm itchin to give Dave his present and then show it off to everyone! I don't want to give anything away... but I worked on it with an amazing local artist who's almost like family to me and it was SO much fun! I had to wrap it right away to control myself from showing everyone. It's a good feeling to give a gift that has so much meaning, especially considering the gifts I gave in recent years that included lots of socks, underwear, and slippers.

My sis and I's Christmas of family from all sides and wayward friends is on for sure :) I can't wait! Come onnnnn Christmas!

Recycled Sweater Stockings!

Christmas Christmas Christmas. Feels like it's taking forever to get here! I can't find our stockings anywhere this year! So in an effort to end the boredom of being stuck in the house all day and solve the missing stocking problem, I whipped up a whole bunch of them from some old sweaters. Recycled sweater stockings are pretty fantastic if I may say so myself! I haven't decided which one I want yet since I'm partial to that cabled gray one, but since it was Erin's sweater I figured she should get that one. See, I finally am getting into the giving and generous Christmas spirit! :) These were SO easy! I suggest hand sewing if you make them yourself. The machine tugged the fabric too much making it all weird shaped and I had to re-do some and block the rest.

My Christmas tree is officially up! Dave and I lugged everything upstairs on Tuesday before he went to sleep for the day. Yes 3rd shift is still a horrible, awful, evil shift. As I tried to hang the first decoration of the season, I noticed how dusty my dining room light was. With the first touch to clean it, it came crashing down! It shattered all around David and I and amazingly he didn't get a scratch. Someone is surely looking out for that little boy. I got jabbed in the thigh and considered going in for stitches. But by the time I was done cleaning up the huge mess of broken glass (that not only fell onto the table, but also into the toys and decorations) I wasn't bleeding too bad anymore and decided a nap was more in order. I've got a bunch of little cuts and my leg still hurts a bit, but I'm still shocked that David didn't get hurt. He was really good about staying on the couch for 2 hours while I cleaned up that massive mess too!

I've done a bit of an Etsy overhaul lately. New banner and avatar (that I made myself this time!) and some brand new and updated listings. Here's a little taste:




Oh yeah, it's legwarmer season! I've been making them non-stop! I hate the cold, but I love the legwarmers!