I'm Baaaaack!!

Once upon a time I had this blog, and then I got all busy and neglected it. I'm back to update all of you, who I'm sure are just dying to find out where I've been -haha.

Remember that article the Kalamazoo Gazette did on me? Well it went up online a while back accidentally, and finally went to print last week. I was under the impression that it was going to be in The Ticket, which is the free entertainment section that comes out on Thursdays. Imagine my surprise when I saw it on THE FRONT PAGE!!! OMG!!

Seriously, how awesome is that?!

The article took up nearly a whole page with beautiful, colorful pictures too! Rumor has it, someone went straight to I Heart Ipanema (one of the local shops I sell at), paper in hand, and bought up my stuff already! The store doesn't even open until Friday! Thanks K-zoo Gazette, you really rocked my socks off this month.

See this sewing machine? It is my new nemesis. It's like a boyfriend thats lost his appeal. He's been around a while and isn't acting how he should, and you have to eventually kick him to the curb. Or send him to the shop and see if they can fix him. Oh if only, there were a boyfriend/husband repair shop....

See that covered up awesomeness in the background? That's my new best bud. She showed up just in time to help me out in a pinch. That one has to be like a girlfriend, seeing as I don't really know how to work her yet, and it's so much more amazing than the 'boyfriend' machine. My stepmom-in-law sent it to me. It's not just any ol machine either... it's an embroidery machine! I never thought I'd own one and I'm beyond excited that I do. I let her sit there for a week because she was intimidating, but I took her out and learned some things last night. I already embroidered!! I think my husband is hiding his things because pretty soon damn near everything in this house is bound to have intials in pretty italic letters.

We've spent a lot of time outside. Walking, swinging, just hanging out. I love spring, but I sure don't get much work done!

See this crazy dog? She's fitting into our family perfectly! I have to keep that curtain up at all times now since she shredded it while freaking out about other people using her sidewalk. She's learning to walk without dragging me down the street and she hasn't eaten my kid's face yet, so I call this one a win-win.

My latest crochet project, a work in progress, for a dear friend of mine. She's having a baby soon, and is decorating his nursery in veggies of all things. She's having a hard time finding veggie items that aren't vintage glass - not really baby friendly - so I had to work some magic. This may be the first time I've loved broccoli! Also, that eggplant is purple, it just won't photograph that way. I've got an ear of corn that really comes out of the husk in the works and a few others done too! I'm so tempted to whip up a bottle of ranch to go with these....

I've got a ton more to say, but that will have to wait. There are Ninja Pants waiting for me to make them! Stay tuned, and thanks for sticking around!!

New News!

We bought a house! We close in 2 weeks! I have a post written up about with pictures and everything, and nothing I've had to say is more exciting than that, so I haven't been motivated to blog anything else. I don't want to jinx it blabbering on and on about how much I love it... yet.

My boy turns 5 in just over a week also! I can't believe I am the Mom of a 5 year old. The past half-decade has gone by so fast! He is the most amazing little person I have ever met and I love him more than I could ever put into words.

Instead of a party at home like we usually do, I gave him the options of a party at Chuckie Cheese or BounceLand since our house will be full of boxes for the next couple weeks. Instead he decided -- all on his own -- that he wants to go to "that big fishtank in Chicago" that I told him about a loooong time ago. So Shedd Aquarium here we come! I am too excited. That is so much better than Chuckie Cheese or BounceLand!!

I went to Chicago a lot as a kid. We always went to the Children's Museum or my all-time favorite The Museum of Science and Industry. I don't remember ever going to the aquarium. I remember being 21 and in Chicago all hungover the day after my birthday and wanting to go but we somehow ended up at Dave and Buster's. Fun, but not the aquarium. Im so excited. He is going to love it! My in-laws are going too! Have I mentioned I'm so excited?!

Ok so it's a summer picture... but the weather is so much sweeter then and he hasn't gotten any taller. :)

Nearly Silent Saturday....

...or Friday, or whenever I feel like posting it...

The first quilt I want to post on Etsy. Looooove the colors/fabrics used! When I washed it the edges got crazy wrinkly though. I don't like that. Thinking of not selling it because I'm a perfectionist. Opinions?

Continued from last Saturday... This is the table runner I made for my boss for Christmas! It looks great on her table, but proved impossible to get a decent picture of.

Some mirror-image mittens I crocheted for my boy. I couldn't find any mittens that were actually long enough to cover his wrists. Problem solved. 2 pairs are in the works right now for my Etsy shop! I'm hoping to sell the pattern if/when I ever finish writing it so it makes sense to more than just me.

I made this handbag and the one below a while ago. Notice the grass? *sigh* I miss you sunshine! I want to list these on Etsy as well. I'll get to it. I love the mix of beautiful fabrics & quilting, crochet, and wood!

Flex frame pouches 0, Delainie 1. Took me a while, but I figured out how to do these right finally. Not sure why I made that so difficult before! By request I made the latest ones with blues, greens, and black, trying to be as ungirly as possible. Guitars and wheels man up the flowers right? Available here.

The rest of my time has been spent with this little dude lately. He is loving the snow. Whose kid is this? I could've swore he is mine... Proving snow-hating is not hereditary.

Wipe out! Snow is a lot more fun with him around. :)

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!

First Day of Preschool and Some Frogs...

630am: Drag myself out of bed. Wake up with headache. Say little prayer that it goes away fast.

710am: Still trying to drag child out of bed. Get mean. Force him into clothes. Make him smile for first day of school photos.

720am: Unsuccessfully convince child that the preschool he was SO excited about yesterday will be fun. He just wants to hang out with Ali and me.

723am: Force child into the car against his will. Tears is not a good way to start the day.

730am: Sit though the light at Milham Rd. 3 times. PNHS needs to get their act together. Forcing all student drop-offs at one place isn't working for those of us that live here.

750am: Arrive at work. Deal with more tears because boy wants to go to school NOT Ali's house.

800am: Beg child to eat breakfast faster. Repeat all rules for preschool. Keep your hands to yourself kid! Listen to Ms. Teresa!

830am: Find a cool frog. Witness my son conversing with frog. "Hey Mr. Froggyman, wanna come to school with me? There's a big boat sandbox! You can get in my backpack with my lunch! No? Ok. Bye Mr. Froggyman!!" LOL


840am: Pack 2 kids into car. Arrange for Ali to 'babysit' D's toy dumpster while he's at school.

850am: Get to school. D takes off in a cloud of dust. Mom who? Won't miss her!

900am: I have to leave the school? But I don't wanna. My baby's all grown up! OMG! Beg for kisses. Get none. Ali gets a hug and a kiss goodbye.

905am: Mom cries. Then explains to Ali that they are happy tears. She cries because she thinks I'm upset. Drive back to Ali's.

1015am: Ali wants David back. NOW. Apparently I'm less cool than she thought.

1030am: Drive to the library for storytime. It's cancelled. Successfully scare Ali with every possible puppet. Not my intention. Meet woman with flock of children. Get involved in conversation with her where she tells me that women that work don't love their children as much as stay-at-home moms and they need to get their priorities straight. She's made the assumption that because I can be at the library at 10am that I don't work. Try not to laugh in her face. Enlighten her that I work 60+ hours a week. Get the evil eye. Watch her never smiling kids look very bored. Laugh to myself.

1130am: Drive back to Ali's. Make lunch.

1200pm: It's only noon? I miss my baby boy.

1240pm: Drive back to the preschool.

100pm: MOM'S BACK! I get my hug and kiss now! Get told by mean looking blond kid in sandbox that my child is naughty and mean. He gives us both the stink eye till we leave.

105pm: Ali biffs it at the preschool. Bad broken toenail, owwie on her face. This kid should live in a bubble.

110pm: Find out that he was good not naughty. Relief!

115pm: Drive back to Ali's. Try to get D to tell us what he did. All he talks about is the back-hoe in the sandbox and Cassie, the girl who shares Cheetos. What else did they do? "Nothing exciting Mom." Oooook.

130pm: Get Ali into bed. She's soooo tired. Naptime is usually an hour ago. She wants to give David back to the preschool. Says he should go live there.

200pm: Hang out with D, try to get him to tell me more about school. Beg him to sleep.

300pm: Still trying to get D to sleep. I thought school would wear him out! All this driving is making me tired.

330pm: Move him to Ami's bed. Sleep at last! I catch a few winks. Very few. Ali's up! My headaches back.

400pm: Drag D out of bed again.

410pm: Potty breaks and shoes on. Take a walk down Ali's super long driveway. Make necessary work calls while walking.

440pm: Jump on trampoline. With headache. Feel brain bouncing around inside head and must sit. Kids make up new game called Run Lainie Over With A Truck. They are the trucks. Surprisingly less painful to my brain than jumping.

520pm: Dishes and quick clean-up before Ali's dad gets home. Find metallic green frog- very cool. Find wasps nest - very uncool.

535pm: Finally read books from library this morning.

600pm: Leave work. Drive farrr. Make other phone calls.

630pm: Go to fabric store. Don't find what I needed. Still end up $23 poorer.

700pm: Dinner! It's 7, I'm not cooking now. Taco Bob's it is. Drive home.

730pm: Eat dinner. Type this. Realize I've accomplished nothing but being a toddler chauffeur and toddler entertainment all day. Is this how the rest of this school year will be? I'm exhausted and sick of driving.

830pm: Clean up dinner. Should clean kid, but bathtime is just gonna have to wait till tomorrow. It's BEDTIME!

I'll be sewing till 2am. *yawn*

I'm not used to having to be somewhere or do something every 10-20 minutes. I like to stay in one spot and get my work done! Once the snow starts flying I'm going to spend all the rest of my time brushing snow off my car and shoveling it out of the driveway. I'm not even sure how I'll find the time to brush the snow off! Add to to-do list: Ask Ami if I can have extra stall in garage for winter. Say prayer for mild winter.