First off I emailed Sister Diane over at Crafty Pod, asking if she had any recommendations for where I could stop, what would be a “must see” while I was there. She sent me the links to four stores and Powell’s.

Sister Diane recommended Josephine’s Dry Goods, Button Emporium, Knit Purl, and the Museum of Craft. JW and I took the Amtrak down to Oregon but once we were in Portland we rented a car. I didn’t mention that I’d have a car, so she mentioned places that were close to the station.

I knew there was a google map of crafty stores in Portland, and after a quick google search I found it at DIYAlert, click on the “Google Map of Crafty Portland.” (Created by Sister Diane a few years ago!)

I wasn’t thinking clearly and ended up trying to stay in a small area of town. After finding out that a few stores were closed on Monday (Button Emporium!), I ended up stopping at one quilt shop (who had a HUGE selection of Japanese fabric), Pendleton and Powell’s.

Pendleton is awesome. I love the blankets, I’ve started buying one of the sets of dishes for myself and I really love the fabric selection they have. At this particular Pendleton’s, they have huge bins of scraps for sale very cheap. You can buy a HUGE bag of zippers for a dollar, bags of scraps for a few dollars or purchase fabric from huge rolls.

I spent a few minutes going through the scrap bin when one woman brought me a cart to stick JW in. He’s a happy guy so he was smiling and flirting with her. She threw a blanket down and put him in the cart, along with a hippo. He lasted in there for several minutes while I went through the bins a bit more and walked around looking at the fabric. Once he was done being in there, we finished up and went to the quilt shop.

Of course I would be somewhere with no way of getting large items back home. A block away from the quilt shop was an awesome looking thrift store with great furniture outside. I didn’t even stop as I didn’t want to be even more tempted!

The quilt shop had one o the largest selections of Japanese fabric I’ve seen in one space. Even on the shop hop we went on this summer, no store had that much. Japanese fabric can tend to be more expensive as well. And for the first time, probably ever!, I couldn’t think of a project I needed to get fabric for!

But Powell’s…was hands down THE best place ever. Ever. It is huge and wonderful and you could spend hours in there. I was in there for just under an hour and hadn’t even seen all that I felt I needed to see. I ended up looking in the children’s section for a few minutes then going to the quilting section. I was in the store for so long, I had to rush the rest of the time to get to the train station before the train left. JW and I lucked out, we were sitting in our seats a few minutes before it left. All sweaty and out of breath from running, but at least the train isn’t like the airplane, we showed up about 20 minutes before it was time to leave and were still allowed on.

I can’t wait to get back to Portland!

Crafty Portland is a post from: me being crafty

Anyone else want to crochet fruit trivets and potholders?

Nevermind that I have at least four makeup/travel bathroom bags, I still want to sew my own dopp.

I have a couple of hoodies that I love, but I don’t want to wear them anymore ~ with some patchwork, they’ll be like new!

Modge podge coasters! Who cares that I have awesome Coach coasters I got for my brithday and a set of perler bead Super Mario ones too.

Most importantly – how to find time to do all of this stuff.

A Collection of To-Do’s is a post from: me being crafty

It’s been … well not a struggle, but we have had to figure out what works and what doesn’t in terms of storage. She has a hall closet that we use for fabric, supplies, etc., and we also have the bottom part of the kids closet as storage for fabric. She doesn’t do many other crafts such as making cards, scrapbooking, etc., so it’s mainly sewing in this house. I’ve managed to crochet a few things and we both do beadwork.

So we use the hall closet for storage – that stays fairly organized with bins and buckets. The space in the dining room surrounding the kitchen table though, that has been a lot harder for us to get under control. We’ve tried stacking fabric on a chair (yeah…that doesn’t work so well!), we’ve tried baskets, and then those end up stacked on top of each other, we tried putting things away and only getting it out when it was needed, that really doesn’t work well at all. Mom had the idea that she wanted a bookcase with cubbies in it for quite a while and we finally got one last week.

She wanted a mix of baskets and the fabric bins you can buy that fit the spaces, and ended up with six fabric bins because we had a hard time finding baskets that would fit. The one we used at the bottom sticks out a little, which isn’t too big of a deal since this sits in a corner and people don’t run into it. Now all we have is the basket to the left that holds the sewing machine quilt table attachment and the rulers. Everything else we are using and working on is in the bins!

So yay we are organized!

And the real benefit of being this organized – the little pile of fabric next to the sewing machine and red circle bobbin holder – Mom whipped out five matching needle holders and pin cushions.

As a sidenote, the green sewing machine up there is the Janome Hello Kitty. Alice got it for Christmas! She (and I) was SO excited! We got it out on Christmas day and set it up – only to have the thread tangle up if you even look at the machine funny. It’s a huge disappointment because she really enjoys sewing and I don’t want it to be a chore for her. It’s also annoying for us because we (Mom or I) have to quit what we are doing in order to try to fix it. I asked a friend who I know has the same machine only to be told that she had the same problem. So I am going to send it back and invest in a quality machine for Alice. Sure it won’t have Hello Kitty on it, and it won’t be pretty and green, but it’ll be a machine that works!

Kitchen Table As Sewing Table is a post from: me being crafty

I made the header a couple of months ago actually, because I found the theme at least that long ago. From left to right the pictures are:

1. Pieces on a design wall from a quilt class I took. I can’t remember the name of the pattern but it was called a Ribbon class. I really want to work on and finish this quilt but can’t find it anywhere! I am sure it’s in the large storage unit, I already searched the small one.

2. My Dad’s blanket! I just finally finished and gave it to him when we were there a couple of weeks ago. It’s about time I finished it, it was supposed to be a Christmas gift!

3. A rag quilt for my niece’s son. Sure technically he could be called my grandson, but 1-I’m too young for that and 2-he already calls me Auntie. I’ve had this material for years and starting sewing it together last fall. Once I was working on it I decided to give it to him. This also needs to be mailed still!

4. Blue and Brown – this is from a kit I purchased. It’s the same pattern as the blanket I made for my Dad. I haven’t done anything with it since it is also in storage somewhere! I hope to find it so I can finish it this summer.

5. Horses, cream and brown blanket – this is a baby blanket for my youngest nephew! He was born in October and I started the blanket back then. I finished it not too long after he was born but hadn’t finished the binding until recently. Actually my Mom put the finishing touches on the binding.

6. The striped and car fabric is a pillowcase for Jake! And yes, the other stripe on the fabric is a pocket for him. He asked for a pillowcase and then said he needed a pocket too. When you ask why he wanted a pocket he has a few answers for you. I never made a pillowcase before this one and wow, super easy!

7. I’m not sure…

8. This is a picture of the kids asleep in the back of the van while we drove to South Dakota. It was last August when we were driving home because my Grandma died. I love the picture, they are so cute.

9. Picture of sign for Rosebud Sioux Reservation

10. The brown and pink card with a flower is one of (if not the) last card I made for a swap with friends. I made the cards while I was at a friends house. We tried to get together often so be crafty together – we moved from scrapbooking (her and another friend) to making cards (me) to making quilts for our husbands. I miss those crafty days!

11. The brown quilt is the one I made for Chris! This is a simple pattern – I think it’s the Turning 20 Again pattern. So easy. I didn’t use 20 fat quarters like the pattern calls for but that’s because I really liked a couple of the fabrics I found. He has this with him now.

12. The orange and blue is an Auburn University quilt I made for one of the guys that is serving on the ship with Chris. When we made the decision to make the guys quilts, I knew an Auburn one had to be made for him – not only did he attend Auburn, I’m pretty sure he has a tatto of the logo or something related to Auburn anyway. This is a Turning 20 pattern so it came together very quickly. He loved it and as far as I know also has it with him and is using it.

New Header Picture is a post from: me being crafty

photo credit: Markus Rödder

I have journals that have just a few pages filled out, journals that I started to keep track of a vacation we took or with the intention of writing in it regularly. Obviously those plans never panned out.

Chris has been gone for a couple of months now and we have sort of kind of regular communication via email. But email doesn’t always help because he’s pressed for time. The time difference doesn’t help either! I’ve been doing fairly okay with him gone, I don’t think about how long he’s going to be gone, we aren’t doing a countdown or anything like that. The kids aren’t stressed about him being gone which I am so very happy about. Kids don’t really have a sense of time though. Once they start school (yep, they are going to public school this fall! I’m still nervous about it!) the topic may come up more often, but we’ll wait and see. It helps that we are right with family.

And so my new journal already has been broken in. I’d like to say I’ll write in it every day. But maybe I won’t. And maybe it won’t be journaling but I’ll actually be able to get back to writing. I’m reminded of my love for writing by being where I am now. Hopefully, that will come back.

Getting Into Writing is a post from: me being crafty

Angelic Quilts screenshot

I find that its the fabric that talks to me. I love looking at fat quarters, they are neatly folded and stacked together. Sure the bolts are also neat and stacked, but fat quarters are even better because you can see so many together at once.

I used to think and say that I had an eye for color. Sure my favorite colors (dark blue, maroon and forest green) have been my favorite for over ten years now, but I can put jewelry together well and have always enjoyed picking out beads for a bracelet or necklace.

A few years ago I took a quilt class with my Mom and when we went to pick the fabric I picked a handful of really bright colors. I know my Mom thought I was a little crazy for picking that way, and looking back on it I can understand her feeling that way! The quilt turned out nice, I liked it, but man, it was practically neon it was so bright! Not so great on picking the colors then. (Mom still has that quilt I made, she took it with her to finish because all I had done was the top, I wonder if she ever finished it?)

I still think I have an eye for color, I’m just slightly out of practice. How do you feel about color?

Fabric Talking To You is a post from: me being crafty

The top shelf is fat quarters, half a yard cuts and full yards. There are also a couple of remnants I found at a local quilt shop that I fell in love with and just had to have as well as a layer cake and charm pack (strange names for packs of squares of fabric right? )! The bottom shelf is all the projects – including my Dad’s quilt, an apron for Alice, felt ornaments, fabric for a pillowcase for Jake and so much more. Several of my projects are super easy and could be done in a day – the apron and pillowcase for instance – so I plan on taking full advantage of my organization and getting my projects done!

I couldn’t resist putting al the projects into a plastic bin and look how neat it all looks! I have space for … well, just about whatever I want. I doubt I’ll use the empty space though, it looks neat the way that it is, plus it is easy to find the projects should I send one of the kids on a mission to get something for me.

Next up is my Dad’s quilt, I have to get that one done! I have everything I need to get it done and want to get it finished soon. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift so I feel bad that I didn’t finish in time, though I blame the sewing machine picking that moment to die.

I was featured on A Month of Stuff! The theme for December was crafting and there are a handful of others also featured for the month. Check out my post and if you enjoy it, please leave a comment!

A Bit More Fabric Organization is a post from: me being crafty

After folding the many fat quarters I have and organizing my quilting fabric, I have two shelves worth. I do have more fabric in one large rubbermaid container in the closet, but this is the stuff that’s been out and about in the room. I spent a few hours a few days ago cleaning up and reorganizing. I know I needed it when I was stamping the perpetual calendar and not finding tools I know I had! It was frustrating trying to work when it took me just as long to find what I needed to use!

The next step is to put the various projects into large zip lock bags. I don’t have too many for now so I’m thinking zip lock bags and then the bags into a larger bin or container. I have lots of empty containers so that’s ready to go.

Has the organizing bug hit you yet this year? I also went through all the kids clothes and threw away some that were in horrible shape and got a bag full for giveaway!

Organizing the Fabric Stash is a post from: me being crafty

because it looks like a quilt! I have several starquilts (sometimes called Lone Star but I’ve always just called them Star Quilts) that are this pattern!

I stamped the images first and then sponged ink around the edges of the page. I used a scrap paper to block off the dates and lines so no ink would get onto that area – but as you can see I did post a large snowflake on the lines.

Do you have a calendar you use every year? I’ve always wanted a birthday calendar which means there are no years associated with the calendar, it is just the months and days, so you can keep it longer then a year. I plan on making one for my Mom, for each of my brothers and for me. I’m not sure if I’ll make one for my Dad, we’ll just see how things go.

2009 Perpetual Calendar January is a post from: me being crafty

This is the perpetual calendar from Stampin Up. I’ve had four calendars for quite a while now and have wanted to get them done so I could send them to my family. Then a friend and I started talking about it and we dove right in! She made one but took it home already, I’m pretty sure she’ll post pictures on her blog so I’ll post her link when she does.

The cover is done using Berry Bliss paper, Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Ribbon, Pretty In Pink grosgrain ribbon. You can get all of these items from a Stampin Up rep! I used a stamp for the “Birthday Wishes” and Marvy Uchida round scallop and round punches.

I love the cover and after taking the time to put it together so cute, realized you won’t even see the cover often, if at all. I haven’t finished all the months yet but will get them posted once I am done, January is first and will be up tomorrow!

Have you started – or finished! – a new project yet this year? Two days isn’t a lot of time though so no pressure.

2009 Perpetual Calendar is a post from: me being crafty

Then I read this blog post about resolutions and the reason (or at least one reason) they don’t work. The concept here boils down to picking a word and striving for that throughout the year. I’ve seen this before, last spring or summer, over on Ali Edwards blog (2008 post) and loved the idea. I remember wanting to remember the idea so I could pick a word for 2009. Oh here is Ali’s 2009 blog post! Definitely check out the ‘09 post for discounts on jewelry featuring the word you pick. What a great way to remind yourself if you happen to fall off track.

Do you set general or resolutions? I did set my crafty goals and also weight loss goals. I debated doing financial goals, but want to sit and redo our budget so while I will do them, they aren’t ready yet.

I’m working on my word for the year and plan on picking one by the end of the weekend.

Word For The Year is a post from: me being crafty

I wanted to set a few crafty goals for 2009. I don’t usually like to set resolutions and found that setting goals works out better. Plus more fun!

My Craft Goals for 2009

• Start a new project each month – I may not finish a quilt if I get it started, but at least it is started!
• Refresh my crocheting skills – I tried making a round washcloth and realize I never learned how to do round! I can make a baby blanket like a pro, but round? Nope! This is needed because Alice got the Creepy Cute Crochet book for Christmas and she can make a chain but that’s it. Someone needs to remember their skills before giving a gift, Santa.


photo credit: wolf0230

• Take lots of pictures and print them out – photography is a craft right?
• Start the time travel scrapbook – I’ve been wanting to start this for ages – we’ve moved so many times I just need to do it already!
• Make new stockings for my family – Mom and I had talked about this in the past and I’ve been meaning to remind her. If we do a couple a month we will have them all done by Christmas! Maybe I should get rid of my stockings to motivate myself?

There will probably be more projects I am interested in or techniques I want to try – but these ones are very important to me and I want to be sure I get them started and finished.

My Grandma’s Memorial service will be this fall and I have several projects I need to work on for that. My Mom and I are making I think a dozen blankets/quilts and of course those have to be finished. I may also be making shawls, I’ll have to talk to Mom about that plan. I’ve been cutting material for the blankets but haven’t sewn anything yet.

• For Grandma’s Memorial – figure out how large the quilt will be and sew at a minimum one row a week. I’m sure I’ll sew more once I get going.

Do you have crafty goals? I’d also like to get organized but that’s an ongoing thing and sometimes can cause stress, I’m not interested in that! We will be moving again in 2009 so the organization is inevitable.

Crafty Goals for 2009 is a post from: me being crafty

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have had a few friends text me over the past few days (I think it was just leading up to the debate that was last night) talking about Sen McCain and Sen Obama’s policies and where they stand. One of the things that was said was along the lines of “isn’t everyone in the military for Sen McCain?” – to which I said no that’s not true, here’s why and here is a website you can visit for more information. My friends are not surprised as to who I am voting for, I am not a one issue (or even just a few issues) voter, never have been and plan on never being. I think as a voter you need to look at many issues and do the research and vote for the candidate that best supports you. Thanks to absentee voting, I voted already – I hope you get out there and vote too.

Blue Star Families For Obama is a post from: me being crafty

For those that don’t know of him, Matthew was a young gay man beaten to death and left to die, tied to a fence in Laramie Wyoming. He was found by a couple hiking, they first mistook him for a scarecrow, and Laramie was thrust into the national news because hate crimes didn’t happen in small town America.

But really, hate crimes happen everywhere.

I had just moved to Laramie that fall to attend the Univ of Wyoming. I had a really hard time adjusting to life away from home and from my family, and thanks to my Mom calling the Minority Affairs Office and asking what resources they had available, I didn’t leave after the first class I attended. I was very, very tempted to! But instead I met other minority students and slowly started feeling comfortable. I made friends and got involved in the American Indian club and the United Multicultural Council. Having always been one to be involved, that made me feel a lot better. I thrived when I was busy with things to do.

And when Matthew died our worlds were thrown into chaos. The UMC and all the other clubs on campus wanted to help in any way we could, help people understand this was not okay, at all. It was especially hard for one of our close friends, an adviser to one of the groups on campus (or she became one anyway) because she worked with a girl who was dating one of the men involved with the crime. But we all wanted to help and show that hate is not okay, that being gay is not a crime. UMC made arm bands – yellow material with green circles painted on them. We bought up or the stores donated all the yellow material in town. We made thousands of arm bands I’m sure, they were passed out all over campus and town. National news stations crawled all over town and set up in the middle of campus. It was a hard time then. We also had protesters come to campus, you’ve heard of the ‘church’ that goes around protesting just about anything and everything, it was them. But the LGBT group on campus made huge angel wings and volunteers stood so the protesters were blocked. It was sickening to see a four year old carrying a sign saying such disgusting things. But the volunteers still stood, the entire time they were there.

I went home that weekend Matthew was found, he was found on a Friday and died on Monday, and couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of what happened. I couldn’t believe that he was killed for being gay, for being who he is as a person. It was a hate crime and brought national attention to an issue that happens everywhere. I remember a couple of family members asking if I felt safe being there.

There were speeches, rallies, and vigils held in those days and weeks. We all struggled to understand why it could have happened. Speeches and rallies happened again when the trial started as that was held in Laramie and again a year after Matthew died. I was president of UMC then and we held a small gathering on the pasture in the middle of campus. I had a hard time finalizing the speech I was supposed to give and had a few friends read it that morning, and I added a few things.

I spoke of tolerance and how we need to not tolerate a person but accept them for who they are. I remember a friend saying “you tolerate a headache, and you take an aspirin to make it go away, how it it okay to tolerate a person?” and I agree. It may be hard to accept a person for who they are, for many reasons, but that is the only way for hate to go away. A few of us spoke that day, and I was second or third to speak. I was so nervous I didn’t remember anyone clapping, but after I talked I stood by a friend who hugged me right when I got to him. Later on he said didn’t I realize that the person who spoke before me talked of tolerance, but after I talked of acceptance people clapped and the other speakers stumbled over their words because they were prepared to talk about tolerance. It is a powerful thing to accept people for who they are because whatever God you believe in, that person was created to be who they are for a reason.

Matthew Shepard Wikipedia page

Newsweek Interview with Jim Osborn, then the group leader of the LGBT on campus and now he works for UW

I have a book of poetry written by people in remembrance of Matthew, I read it once in a while. I have a wide variety of friends and reading the book reminds me there is still work to be done. I’ve stopped talking politics online, well in one spot, because I am flat out disgusted at the turn the campaign has taken. I cannot imagine supporting a man who allows people at his rallies to shout hateful terms, who allows his supporters to spew lies about his opponent and to spread racist ideas. That his supporters who are educated and knowledgeable about what he believes in are not standing up and saying we do not agree with this is amazing to me. I’ve rarely not stood up and said what I believe in or what I feel is the right thing, I defend my beliefs though I am in the minority given my husbands job. And if people really believe what I’ve been seeing in various videos online, it is a sad day, again, in our country.

I often ask people to think of their children – if your child came to you and said Mom/Dad, I’m gay – would you not love them? If they said they loved a person of another race, would you not love them? And if your answer is no I wouldn’t love them because I don’t agree, it’s probably time you look inside and think of how you are raising your child. We often think oh that is someone elses child, someone elses brother, someone elses problem – and thinking about the issue and someone we love is hard. But life isn’t meant to be completely easy. Love should be given to your children unconditionally, and everyone out there is someone’s child.

Matthew Shepard – Ten Years is a post from: me being crafty

Twice a month a Sheetload publication (Sheetload and Sheetload Mini) comes out with card layouts with lots of examples and instructions of how to make the card. I love when a lot of examples are shared because you can see the different color combos used, sometimes I have a hard time seeing how a card would look with really different colors.

The cards are made by guest designers and I just realized there are links to the designers blogs – so if you really love their style you can follow along with them as well. You can also advertise in them inexpensively (talk about a great targeted market to advertise to!).

Oh and these bimonthly publications? Free!

Sheetload is a post from: me being crafty

Motherhood Lessons: The object is simple: share with us and your readers a lesson that you learned from your own mom, a special mom in your life, or while raising your own children. There’s no right or wrong answers…just lessons that each of us can learn and implement with our own children.

Link your post back to this one, leave a comment below so we can visit and learn from you, and then tag 2-3 other moms to participate.

One really important lesson I learned from my Mom and Grandma – kids come first and are more important.

Nephew, nephew, daughter, son

Let me explain with examples – my kids play with my craft stuff and sometimes the stuff gets spilled or used up. I have really expensive markers, as many card makers/scrapbookers do, and my kids use them sometimes to color. Here’s why:

kids come first and are more important

Who cares if a marker costs however much money – your kids are more important then a marker. Sure we teach kids to take care of things and how to properly use things like markers, but if one gets ruined or used up is it really worth it to get so angry? No. Your kids matter more then a marker. (This example hits home to me as Chris commented to a friend who had her markers up on a shelf where her kids couldn’t reach – she said they were really expensive, so he came home and asked why our kids play with mine.)

When my brothers and I were kids this was exactly how our Grandma treated us. She loved to do crossword puzzles and would often give us a book and a pencil so we could too. We may have been three years old and scribbled in the boxes or drew pictures or scribbled all over the page. She didn’t mind and if she wanted to do that puzzle would erase the marks we made.

In visiting her one would think kids were allowed to do whatever they wanted. And they were – as long as no one got hurt and nothing got broken. If you (as the parent or adult) would tell your kid or whatever kid was acting up (in your eyes) to stop, Grandma would tell you to leave them alone, they weren’t hurting anything, they are just being kids. Or she’d say they are just kids, what’s wrong with that.

She raised her kids the same way so most of the time my Mom and Aunts and Uncles have the same attitude. One of my Uncle’s is the best at this – he manages a grocery store and always gives the little ones candy or chocolate because they are just kids. Brush your teeth he’d say, chocolate is good for you. Kids are just being kids, candy isn’t going to ruin their lives.

Another example is that my nephews go to their Grandma’s house and run and jump over the couch and get all the toys out and books and read and play. And they go to their other Grandma’s house where they sit perfectly still and don’t play. Which Grandma would you want? I’ll take the fun one that lets me jump and read and play, thanks.

I could list thousands of examples in my life as a mom and as a granddaughter and daughter proving this. Kids come first and are more important then the markers you bought or then the strict rule of no cookies before bed.

I’ll tag:

• Marie @ Mommy Community
• Chelle @ Creative Thoughts
• Dulcie @ House of Hayes
• Jen @ One Mom’s World
• Carrie @ Natural Mom’s Talk Radio

And you if you would like to play along! Jump right in, I did.

Mom Lessons is a post from: me being crafty

Look it’s Halloween on the other side of the store!

Lots of posting about the 7 year olds birthday! Somewhere in our packed, full, totally busy, very awesome day we stopped at Michael’s. I called last week to see if they had the new Crafty Chica stuff and when they finally did I wanted to jump in the car and check it out! I managed to wait until we were heading that way though. I got the kids to pose at the display – Alice was asking me something and Jake got distracted by a huge display (seriously, halloween now? Not cool!).

We walked away with glitter – such awesome colors! – and a couple of kits. Alice got one and so did I – she got the charm bracelet and I got the empowerment shrine, both are ‘workshops in a box’ which is so awesome! I love kits. I have a lot of craft supplies and since I’m not organized at the moment I love that I can open the box and get to work.

I know exactly what my shrine is going to look like. This weekend has been full of reflection and thinking and once I get the shrine done, I’m going to put it up in the living room. We are going to slowly get back into schooling this week and Alice’s project is going to be one of her first assignments. She’s excited and had a hard time sleeping last night after I told her we’d work on it today.

Craft Store Shopping is a post from: me being crafty

1. Socks and blankets are good! Dad’s house is big and it’s just him, and he works all day. So while the heat is on when he’s home, it isn’t while he’s gone. I mean, before we got here it wasn’t on. Now it’s on but I realize how hard it is to heat a place this size. So the kids and I are making sure we wear socks and that the blankets are out! We stick to a few rooms during the day so it works out just fine.

2. The library is awesome! When we were in South Carolina, I didn’t care for the library all that much. It was too small, didn’t have newer things and seemed to never have what I was looking for. That didn’t stop me from checking out books and owing them a fine though. But this library here – two stories! Awesome kid section! The kid section has a huge rug that has hopscotch printed on it and they don’t mind if kids play. They also have legos and a few other toys. They have reading time every single day and tomorrow should be our first day of going to that. I’ve already reserved a few books and have quite a list going – the online system allows you to add books to a list, not requesting them, but merely saving them. I’m going to print it before I go then look at the books – I’d hate for someone to have to get them for me, only to realize I don’t want to read them.

3. The Visitors Center is cool. I got lost last week and ended up finding the visitors center. They put out weekly and monthly lists of what is going on in town! I planned on seeing Grease in the local theater, but Alice was sick so I didn’t. But Little Women is coming in April and I really want to see that! I’m going to get the book and read it to Alice and hopefully take her. Maybe she’s a little young, but that’s okay. I didn’t mind getting lost once I found that place.

4. I’m reading again. I didn’t bring many books – and what I did bring are craft books so it’s not like I could sit down and read a story when I wanted to. I started reading An Elm Creek Quilts Sampler -I really like this series. The sampler is the first three books in the series and I had already read the first so it was nice to skip ahead. I also put others on my list at the library.

5. Amazon Unbox rules! Let’s face it, the writers strike sucked. And with moving I was thinking I’d miss a few of my favorite shows. Thanks to Unbox and abc.com (they know how to show tv online – I’ve tried on nbc and cbs and it just doesn’t work for me – maybe I need to try again) I’ve kept up. Not that there has been a lot to keep up on, which is good for my wallet.

6. I finished Financial Peace University online. I have been talking about money for the past two weeks – being annoyed with people about it, wondering about it, doing a budget every other day, etc. I had to do a crash course of FPU because you are allowed so much time to finish it – and with moving I forgot about it. But now that I’m done I have a short list of things I need to check on and a renewed sense of money management.

7. Costco samples can fill you up. I finally got to shop at Costco again! It was great to go there. We went on Saturday when they have samples every other aisle. I shop much different then my Dad or brother – they both know what they are looking for, go in, find it, and leave. I like to walk around, browse the books, etc. I’m sure their way saves money though. I suppose not shopping at Costco would be good for my renewed sense of money management though.

9. Copy machines at home are so worth the money. Dad got a new printer and though it had to be replaced, I’ve been using the copy portion of it today. I borrowed a few craft books from the library just to bring them home to make a copy or ten. I found a really cute kids quilt idea and one book of handmade cards – Quick & Clever Instant Cards – that have either cute cards or good layouts that I’d like to try. I think if I need to make that many copies of a book I should just buy it!

10. My kids love having other kids to play with. One of my nephews is the same age as Alice and they have been having a good time together. Actually my nephews and my kids are all 8 years or younger, so they get along fairly well.

11. I think I lost weight. I say I think because I’m basing it on slightly looser jeans and my watch sliding down my wrist. I have yet to join the Y but I have all the paperwork so that will be very soon.

12. We have renters! I have a signed rental agreement! I’m so glad we were able to get the house rented out, I was worried because of the market and the reasons why people were opting for other places after looking at ours. If you ever need a real estate agent in South Carolina, I can tell you who to stay away from, and who to work with.

13. It’s snowing! yeah yeah, it’s winter in Montana. It is supposed to snow. But a few days ago it was in the high 40s and the sun was shining. After being away from snow for years, I’ll gladly take some now. Plus the kids really love it. They have snow pants, jackets, boots, gloves, hats, the whole works – and haven’t worn them since we got here.

All in all good things have been happening in just a few short weeks here.

Thursday Thirteen – Since Being Here is a post from: me being crafty

Let’s talk about anything
Anything in this world
But politics, religion and her

Politics can start a fight
Religion’s hard to know who’s right
And one more topic I won’t touch
That one’s her — it hurts too much

I remember the video – the wife of the main character had died. Politics and religion being the taboo subjects that they are, he picked to also stop talking about her. An understandable decision.

But let’s throw one of those out the window and talk politics! Let’s talk about how inspiring words can be and how hopeful we as a country are. Because we are right, we are hopeful? We want things to get better.

And let’s listen to Will.i.am and others sing the words of a Barack Obama speach.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Are you there with me? Are you inspired and hopeful and excited and full of the idea that yes we can change?

Need more inspiration?

Click here to view the embedded video.

I finally got back to crafting yesterday, half done with a pair of fingerless gloves and also half done with another fleece tie blanket. It’s a start and let me tell you, using my fabric scissors made me feel good.

I always have a lot of tabs open in my browser as I search online, getting caught up in craft blog after blog with great ideas and fun projects. I found something about politics that I had to share, I saw it first at Average Jane Crafter.

From Julie Ree’s blog:

It’s about more than policy changes. It’s about a sea change in attitude among the American people. He’s asking us to step up, pitch in, and work together to transform our country. He has inspired me to think about how I can engage more in my community, how I can serve others, and what role I will play in the future of my country. I am proud to be inspired by him. Imagine what kind of change we might see if he were given the chance to inspire the whole country as President?

I invite you to join me in supporting Barack Obama. This crafting community is an extraordinary group of thoughtful, hard-working, strong women. I think his message will resonate with you as it has with me.

…….

I have great reason to hope. Instead of a politics of murk and muck, I see a path, however winding and long it might be, that can lead us toward renewal and hope. I want our country to be on that path.

I believe Barack Obama has a great message and if you are a Crafter for Obama – check out the donation page Julie has set up. You and I need to be mindful of the future, of what we are leaving to our child and grandchildren, in all areas – and we can change what we are leaving them and what we are living with. Let’s make that change.

Be Inspired is a post from: me being crafty

Yes we are still moving, and leaving in a matter of days, and the house is spotless from having to keep it clean (cross your fingers we get a bite – the newspaper ad started today yesterday!), and I haven’t started packing for my months long journey, etc., etc.

But I want to make her a scarf. I won’t start right away, I promise! Can you recommend some yarn?

Something super soft. We found a great scarf while out today but I thought no way, I can so make this! I have no idea if it was crocheted, maybe it was knit, maybe it was machine made or even made by some 10 year old in Vietnam (I’ve noticed a lot of clothes are made in Vietnam). But it was so wonderful I wanted it for myself. Except it was white and had huge pom poms on each end and Alice claimed it for herself and it was the last one left. If there were two, I may have bought them.

So my yarn loving friends – what do you recommend! I’d love for an online store to be your choice – sure my friends and family are in South Dakota but I have no idea where to buy yarn there.  I have no idea of a blend or which is a good blend or anything. I’d like it to be washable and available in a lot of colors – Alice’s winter jacket is red (unless it doesn’t work for the super cold SD weather, then she may end up with a new one!) and I don’t have one yet.

It’s a good thing I don’t have yarn I can use – I would so ditch packing and crochet instead.

Recommend Yarn Please is a post from: me being crafty

Then I lay the smallest piece on top of the largest, so I can match them up and cut away the excess.

I never used to cut a square away in the corner, but after doing a few blankets with diagonal cuts I realize cutting the square makes a cleaner corner.

Then cut the fringe – I always do a what feels like a natural cut with my scissors – then it is just one cut versus a couple of short ones. Plus I like this length – not too short it can’t be tied and not too long.

Here is a shot of the fringe tied.

I finished one side yesterday and will have another side done tonight. It doesn’t take too long to cut and tie so these are quick and easy gifts to make. I bought a lot of solid pieces on the Friday after Thanksgiving a few years ago and am finally using them!

Pictures of Fleece Tie Blanket is a post from: me being crafty

There is a pink and purple fleece tie blanket – basically you lay two fleece fabric pieces together, cut fringe and then tie the fringe twice. The bottom fabric tie will end up on top – see how it is darker on top? That’s the purple.

And here is the fabric for one blanket I am making for a gift this year. I admit I was not too happy with having to use orange – another thing I am trying to do is use what I have, and I already have orange! – but after looking at it all day long, I think I like it.  Once it is all together the orange around the edges (since that is all you would see when you look at the print side) will look nice.

I did get started on the other crochet blanket tonight as well. I did the starting row and then about 1/3 of a second row. It’s been cold here so I’m thinking of lounging on the couch with a blanket and a good movie and I should have a good bit of it done. Do that a few times in the next couple of weeks and done! The fleece blanket is much faster, maybe 15-20 minutes per side is all.

More on Fleece Blankets is a post from: me being crafty

Alice’s pattern is Finding Nemo and Jake’s is a football material. I still need ideas for one nephew that is six and another that is three. Maybe the blanket would work for the three year old because the one year old is getting a blanket I’m going to crochet. I have a lot of fleece material though and I bet I could make a quillow (what the combo is usually called). If you are interested in buying one, check out the listings on etsy.

Blankets Into Pillows is a post from: me being crafty

I will say this is the messiest room in my house. It seems to be the catch all room – see the stacks of books? That is from the bookcase in the loft. We cleaned it off so it would be easier to move when we painted…two weeks ago. The loft is put back together but the books haven’t been. It’s been easy to work around them, they’ve actually been restacked twice, but of course they should be back on the bookcase.

The dresser was meant to hold homeschool items but they were shifted to the bookcase in the craft room. I’m honestly not sure what is in there now. And the chair was my Grandpa’s years and years ago, the arm (we think) is at my brother’s or my Mom’s house – Mom said I should throw it away but I don’t want to. Of course it should be used if I’m not going to get rid of it!

Since getting the laptop, no one sits at the desk longer then to print something. We really want a wireless printer, that would eliminate the need to even sit at the desk. But it is a nice desk.

I want to have different sections in the room – a sewing section, homeschool section, etc. I’ve thought about taking the top of the desk off and using the desk as a cutting station or a work station, but haven’t done so. I definitely need to get organized as we may be moving in the next few months. I know it’s smart to start now rather then to rush at the end!

Today starts the 30 Day Organizational Challenge and I signed up for this room. Thirty days is plenty of time to put like with the like, find basket and bins if necessary, purge and get the room put together in a good way. I don’t mind if I end up getting done and moving a couple of months later, I can always use the same ideas later.

PS You entered the giveaway right? I’ll be drawing names the same time as the rest of the participants, which I think is Saturday.

Organizing the Craft Room is a post from: me being crafty

I was listening to the latest Mom’s Money podcast, this week’s show is about teaching kids about money. This is a great topic for me because I want to start giving my kids an allowance and just don’t know how. I’ve mentioned they are price conscious and now seems to be a great time to start working with money.

While listening to Mom’s Money I decided my kids need piggy banks. I know I had seen one with multiple compartments for saving, spending, donation, etc., so off I went on a Google-quest to find said piggy bank. I tried Amazon – who had the one I wanted (the Money Savvy Piggy Bank) listed, but it isn’t available right now. Okay so tried and true Amazon failed me – but google won’t!

Back to searching.

I found the site that created the money savvy bank – and wow it is available in multiple colors! Alice immediately picked pink and Jake wanted green. I’m thinking this is a great idea but can I find it locally so I can save on shipping costs. Ahah, Toys R Us! But their phone number is busy no matter how many times I call them in five minutes. Since my brain is skipping from thread to thread, I quickly move on.

A quick glance around the bank creators site shows me a cow bank and a football bank – Jake sticks to wanting a green pig, Alice thought the cow was cute but she’s becoming attached to the color pink in general so there was no changing her mind.

Still thinking I want to save on shipping, I go back to Google – maybe there is a site that has it offering free shipping or low shipping. Darn Amazon anyway.

Then I stumble upon a post on the financial blog Get Rich Slowly about this exact piggy bank. Reading the post is merely verifying my want of the piggy banks and I’m ready to click back and buy the banks, sucking up the shipping charge (and the crazy fact that I would be spending a chunk of change to teach my kids to save money). Then I read the words

(Of course, the truly frugal can accomplish the same thing with four canning jars.)

His parentheses; and the link goes to a flickr picture of three canning jars with a child’s handwriting indicating saving, spending and donate. It took searching and bouncing from site to site and my finger on the buy now button before I thought *duh I have old Ball Mason jars* – I can just use a few of them! A little while later and we went from this

to this on the dresser.

Save, Spend, Donate.

I stayed with green paper for Jake and pink for Alice, used stamps from Stampin’ Up to decorate the punched out circle and look at that – a three component piggy bank system. It’s about time I use the jars for something, as they haven’t moved since I put them up on the shelves. Their allowances start next week.

How does your brain work when searching for something?

Brain Thread is a post from: me being crafty

Then I found this ~ Blurb ~ from abby try again (she has a book ordered and they give you a preview link, check hers out if you are interested!). You can upload from Flickr (hhmm, I have a professional account, I can just upload all of my pictures of said nephews) and add text or whatnot from there. And the prices are definitely reasonable – considering I wouldn’t have to spend the time printing, yeah definitely reasonable.

These would be Christmas gifts and would you believe I already have five of seven done or bought for my nephews? Okay I counted two as ideas for these picture books, but that is a pretty good start considering it isn’t even Halloween yet.

Oh! And I could do a picture book of our old house! And one of here, someday. And the vacations we’ve been on. The possibilities!

I should just sell my photo printer, I’ve used it so few times (seriously, I’ve printed maybe six pictures). That’s just not right.

Photo Book is a post from: me being crafty

I have a short stack of journals/notebooks (all designated to certain topics of course) and on top are a few blank moleskines – I need to just get a pencil and start sketching. Of course it won’t be perfect, but it’s not about perfection. It’s about expression and art and the love of whatever you are drawing.

I’m browsing craft blogs and came across an article at The Storque on Etsy about home made tattoos (really reminds me of my Dad’s initials on his hand). I have new colored pencils and a moleskine, I just need to do it. At least it will be a start.

I saved the picture after browsing tattoo art online – if it is yours please let me know and I’ll link it! I saved it because I like the bird, I’ve been attracted to sparrows lately.

Tattoos is a post from: me being crafty

All of my life I’ve taken care to take care of the environment. As kids we always cleaned up our street (others weren’t as nice as us about not throwing trash out), sometimes Mom had to talk us into it, sometimes not. Although my brothers and I didn’t start recycleing until we were older, adults living on our own, it’s something we continue to do (I’m always amazed at how much paper we throw out). We changed our lightbulbs to the curly looking ones, the CFLs, turn off lights when we aren’t in the room, wash clothes when there is only a full load and the same with dishes, run errands all in one shot and more.

The high school I attended does a earth week, when most others are celebrating earth day. It was always fun, I was never one to skip a day or two like others did. There was a wide variety of events to sign up for from reporting on the events, cleaning up areas of town, painting, planting, etc.

Crafting is another story – I only halfway use things I have around the house. I have a stock of crafting items but when I go to make something I sometimes realize I don’t have one thing around the house to finish it. Frustrating for me and doesn’t go with the whole use what you have thinking. I am working on being better when it comes to crafting.

Whip Up has a great article written for today, check it out here.

Action Day is a post from: me being crafty

My friend Marie tagged me for a 7 things about me that you may not know meme.

1. I love organizing – not necessarily using my things once they are organized, but just the act of organizing. I love it even more if my Mom is around to help.

2. I love shopping, window shopping and online shopping. I can go to stores and just walk around, walking out with nothing (okay that is rare). I want to go downtown at least once before we go and just walk around looking at the stores. Online is even better, you can leave windows open and go back and pick up where you left off!

3. I don’t like doing the ‘man jobs’ around the house – you know, taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, etc. My brothers did that stuff when I was growing up and I think Chris should do them now (sometimes he doesn’t agree with that, but that’s neither here nor there).

4. We bought a new bed a week ago and I’m not sure if I like it – for sleeping. For laying around during the day it is awesome, I have the laptop, a book, plenty of space to lounge around and a nightstand for my water. What, I have kids to take care of? Oh yeah…

5. I love to read – wait, maybe that is already known? I have a lot of books and finally found a bookstore that is a trade in store, can’t wait to go there!

6. I procrastinate, big time. I have a lot I need or want to do but a lot of it is put on the backburner, often for no good reason! It’s a bad habit and I’m working on changing that.

7. I like folding clothes. There I said it, it’s true. Moving them to the washer and dryer, not so fun.

I tag Tishia Lee, Much More Than A Mom and Carrie Lauth.

7 Things About Me is a post from: me being crafty

I’m thinking various blocks surrounding the logos/whatever piece of the shirt I use, plus some other blocks. For some reason I’ve really been loving sparrows lately (did you know Mark has sparrows tattoo’d on his shoulders? Very cool!) and was thinking maybe an embroidered or appliquéd sparrow block? I think I’ll have my Mom help cut the shirts so I will stop wearing them, plus she can help me figure other blocks out.

I’m excited! I’ve been wanting to make a shirt quilt or a quilt made out of clothes for ages now! I have a few things of the kids saved and wanted to make them each a quilt from their clothes too but never did. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet, one quilt at a time I think.

Finally a tshirt quilt is a post from: me being crafty