Coins for Comments

Please help Lori out today. She is a great blogger over at Babes in Hairland. She normally posts about cute hair bows that she makes and how to braid hair but today she is offering to donate 10 cents for EVERY comment she receives on her post to help a family that lives here in the US who is trying to adopt two children from HAITI. One of the children is missing after the earthquake but the other is OK and at the orphanage. PLEASE visit the blog (click the underlined words) and leave her a comment. Then PLEASE PLEASE pass this on to ALL your friends through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, social networks, shouting from the rooftops, whatever you think will get more people to help her out. Thanks soooo much!!

Anna

Cut It Up Day

Cut it Up day

I know, it’s ironic, I belong to a Yahoo e-mail group called Stashbusters, but yet I’m attempting to co-own an online fabric shop, which requires me to purchase fabric. Actually though, it has reduced the amount of fabric I’ve been able to purchase for my personal use, mostly. So, on this group of over 5000 fellow stashbusters, they have certain days when they post somethig to motivate us to get out there and do something. Sunday is Cut It Up Day. I am really glad I don’t have to cut everything with scissors like the girl in the picture above. I get to use my rotary cutter which is really the best invention since the remote control! I’m planning to cut into the many, many kits I’ve accumulated over the last, ahem, week, and also those from the Houston International Quilt Show I attended two years ago. Yes, I went shop hopping with Regina, my co-conspirator–I mean business partner– for Crafty Girls Workshop. We were doing market research and along the way, I couldn’t resist grabbing a few kits. Now I want to get them cut and ready to make into quilts. Since most of what I bought was for little boy quilts, I might end up making them and trying to sell them. Who knows, I don’t have any kids, and I only have one male dog. I don’t know what I would do with so many little boy quilts. I just fell in love with the fabric. (Don’t tell the Stashbusters though.) Oh, isn’t that picture above just adorable? I remembered I have this cool book of royalty free clipart that is great for decoupage, scrapbooking and apparently adding to blog posts so as not to bore people with just my text. OK, so I’d love to know if YOU are planning to do any cutting in preparation for sewing any time this week, please let me know by adding a comment on this post. And if you absolutely hate cutting, stop by Crafty Girls Workshop and check out the assortment of precut fabrics we have. I also posted about a really cute tutorial for a children’s activity tote that Moda Bake Shop posted yesterday. It turns out we have ALL the stuff to make those totes and I’ve added it as a KIT to our shop! I hope to hear from you soon.

Happy Stitches to You,

Anna

P.S. Sorry for the lack of posting activity. Please stop by my blog for Crafty Girls Workshop where I post at least once a week. Evetually I’m going to figure out how to combine these two blogs, but at the moment I need to go and get cutting on my fabrics!

I am Blissfully Domestic?

Click to visit Blissfully Domestic

I chose the image above because it’s the only one I could see myself doing, and I’m NOT pressing clothes in that picture I’m using the iron to press my FABRIC! Haha. Actually, I haven’t been very blissfully anything lately, but perhaps today is a new day and change CAN happen today. Last week was rough, really really rough, and I won’t go into details, but let’s just say I’m going to do everything in my power to avoid a week like that again.  I am just so incredibly grateful that I have such a loving and supportive family around me who are willing to give everything of themselves to support me, and I believe I’m the same way toward them. Since I work full time, being blissfully domestic means getting some sort of dinner ready by about 7:30 pm, doing the dishes and laundry when I can, and hoping I can make it to the weekend. There was very little joy to feel in these doledrum sort of chores, but perhaps that can change too. I guess I have to CHOOSE to find the joy in them. If the dishes are done, then I have a clean sink. If the laundry is done, then I have clothes to wear to work (and so does hubby), if dinner is cooked, we have something nice to eat, besides fast food. There are good sides to the chores. And, if I get the chores done, then I can go be domestically crafty and do some fun sewing or quilting project. Today is a new day and the beginning of my new outlook. I’m going to strive, from now on, to see the joy in all things, EVEN dishes and laundry!

Hope you have a fabulously domestically blissful day.

Happy Stitches,

Anna

P.S. I couldn’t figure out how to copy the “rules” for blissfully Domestic day, but they are at the bottom of the post that I linked to when you click that cute picture up above there. Or you can click here.

P.P.S. If you’re feeling Blissfully Crafty today, check out our shop because we’ve listed LOTS and LOTS of new fabrics and CUTE kid’s clothing pattern. More will be coming this week!

A Cardmaking Mood

Sometimes I venture into the crafty realm outside of just sewing and quilting. Way back before I started sewing I actually played with rubber stamps and scrapbooking. Today, for some crazy reason, I was inspired to make a couple of cards for fall and Halloween. I know most people don’t exchange cards for those reasons, but my birthday is only four days before Halloween and when I was younger, my favorite colors were even orange and black! I also noticed that I had some of those clear stamps that were for Halloween so I thought “hey, why not?” and started playing. The first one I made was a lot like those cards I made WAY back a few years ago that look like a sort of log cabin quilt block. Here it is:

It’s not actually crooked, too much, it just scanned in that way.

The second was inspired by a cute pattern for an adorable embroidery project I found on a new (to me) blog call The Sometimes Crafter. I LOVE the name of that blog because that totally describes me too! She had this cute pattern and instructions available for free and since I was playing with paper, I decided to trace them out onto my scrapbook papers and make it into a card instead. I like her tree better, and I might even go back and add some more paper to give mine a little more heft. But I think it came out cute anyway. By the way, I {heart} my Xyron Create-a-Sticker machine!

Thank you Christina Lane for this cute pattern!

So stop by and tell Christina a big thank you for her cute pattern! I think there is still time to stitch this up into a cute trick or treat bag! Too bad I don’t know anyone who will be trick or treating this year!

I’m sorry for my absence from this blog for awhile. I’ve been spending all my time updating the Crafty Girls Workshop blog. I also just haven’t had any time to do anything sewing related so there hasn’t been anything to report on here. Bummer, who would have thought that opening an online fabric/sewing/quilting store would actually give me less time to sew and quilt! Until next time, I hope you get to  have a lot more time for crafting than I have.

Happy Spooky Stitches to You,

Anna

Saturday Morning Chores

“Yes, Cinderella, of course you can go to the ball (a.k.a.sew all day long) as long as you get all your chores done before hand” Next scene is the evil step sisters piling mounds and mounds of work onto Cinderella. Do you ever have a day that feels like that? I sort of feel like that this morning and I have to say, I’m a little bitter about it. Originally, when I woke up and after I cleaned out the right side of the sink so that I could wash the coffe pot and start some coffee, I didn’t feel so down. It was raining outside and I thought “Oh goody, I can just sew all day long if I want!” As if the rain magically gave me permission to just ignore my “chores” and sew.  I even wrote a poem:

Rain rain, I hope you stay,

I really want to sew today.

If you stay I don’t have to mow,

rain rain, please don’t go.

How’s that for poetic? Well, my happy poem writing time has faded and now I have to do the rest of the dishes. I also feel the need to wash the laundry, fold the dry laundry, declutter the house, clean out the turtle tank, fold more laundry, vaccuum the floor, use the deep cleaning vaccuum to steam clean the carpets, and the list keeps going on from there. When am I going to find time to sew? Oh well, I guess I’ll just squeeze it in here and there. Sorry for the depressing post. This is just how I feel some Saturday mornings as my husband sleeps the day away. He’s a teacher, he’s tired!

Happy stitching to you,

Anna

P.S. I’ll post some pictures of my studio very soon for the studio post thingy from Cloth, Paper, Scissors.

Giveaway Update

I realized that I neglected to mention when I would be doing the drawing for the zippy pouch. I will draw the name tomorrow, September 30. I am sorry I didn’t set the date in the original post. So, there is still time to get the word out and get a few more entries! Thanks to all those who have entered so far, your feedback has been very helpful.

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Quilting Arts Online Open Studios Event!

One of my favorite magazines to read, that comes out only a few times a year is the Studios edition of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. The Fall 2009 issue is just about to hit the shelves, and here’s a sneak peak of the cover and link to purchase your copy!

I’m already inspired just looking at it!! I think I just finished pouring through the Summer Issue, I guess I’m a little behind the times.  So Cloth, Paper, Scissors has invited their readers to share pictures of their own studios to help promote the fall issue! But, we aren’t going to post those pictures today, you have to wait until Saturday, October 3! Until then, go an get yourself a copy of the Fall Issue of Studios and have fun reading about other people’s places for creativity. I will be ~ahem~ cleaning up my space a little and then sharing the pictures on Saturday. And Quilt Market is NEXT WEEK!! Check back for pictures about that and check the Crafty Girls Blog for great ideas for Christmas Projects and Market Updates! Until Next Time.

Happy Stitches (and happy reading),

Anna

A Giveaway to Celebrate…Whatever

Well, it’s not my blogaversary, it’s not my 100th or anything hundredth post. Hmm, according to the stats, Akismet (whatever that is) has protected my blog from 3,999 spam. So I suppose that’s worth celebrating. So I’m going to offer something as a bribe incentive to have you answer a few humble questions. Please just answer the following questions in the comments below and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a giveway. I know, you probably want to know exactly what it IS I’m going to give away. Well, here it is…

So, what do you think? It’s a zippy pouch, made with 1-1/2″ honey bun strips (see my post over on the CGW blog about other things you can make with a honey bun). Now that I’ve learned to insert a zipper, an invisible zipper, I actually want to do it again! Now, the zippy pouch will probably only be with similar fabrics to this because this one is being used and you probably want a brand new one, right? But I lined it in a totally cool lime green linen so I’ll do that with the new one as well. So is that good enough? Now you’d like to know the questions. OK, but, before I get to them, you might know your way around giveaways and want to know if there are MORE ways you can enter. So here’s the deal, I’ll give you the questions, then I’ll tell you a few more ways you can get another entry. Then I’ll publish this and see if anyone out there actually reads this enough to want to give me some feedback. Thanks sew much!!

Questions:

1) Do you shop online for gifts or gift making supplies?

2) If you do shop online, how would you prefer to see items listed,

a) by category, i.e., fabric, patterns, home sewn items

b) by price range, i.e., Gifts Under $5, $5.01-$10, etc.

c) some other way I can’t think of

See that was pretty easy, wasn’t it? Here are some additional ways you can get an entry into the drawing. PLEASE be sure to add your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you win. PLEASE leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

1.  Post about this giveaway on YOUR blog
2.  Twitter (Tweet?) about my giveaway
3. Post about this on Facebook
4. Visit my shop and tell me your favorite item(s)
5. Add this blog to your blogroll
6. Add this blog to your blog reader thingy RSS feed
7.  I hate to do this, but I’m dying to see if it will actually work. Purchase something from my shop or website and I’ll give you 5 additional entries.
8. Visit the Crafty Girls Workshop blog and become a follower

So how is that? If you answer both questions and do all those things, you’ll get at least 10 entries in the giveaway! Wow! How’s that for awesome!? OK, I have to go take care of my furry children now. 

Happy Stitches, Blogging, and Shopping,

Anna

Near and Dear to my Heart

In the fall of 1998 I joined the second oldest women’s fraternity, Phi Mu. One of the main reasons I wanted to join this group was that they support the Children’s Miracle Network. A friend of mine when I was very little had Lukemia and I vaguely remember her being sick many times and having to be out of school. When I became a teacher in 2002, I had a child in my class who had Lukemia and he was also out of school several times due to doctor’s visits. Sadly, he passed away in 2003, when he would have been in first grade. The Children’s Miracle network supports hospitals for children who have terminal illnesses. It provides the money so that the children can get the care they need to make them comfortable and help them fight their illnesses if possible. It just so happens that San Antonio, the city I live in, has a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and the money our Phi Mu collegiate and alumnae chapters have raised has all gone to support our local hospital. We not only raise money, we visit the children at least once a year and are constantly looking for ways to support our CMN hospital. So, what is my point here? Well, it turns out that a wonderful event, called the Torch Relay, Miles for Miracles is passing through San Antonio in November! I’m going to participate, it’s a 5K walk, and my goal is to raise $100 (at least) whereas our team goal is to raise $2000.  It is very possible that the Torch Relay will be going through your town as well. Please, consider supporting this amazing event. The stories about the children are so fantastic and heartwarming.  If you feel comfortable doing so, please consider donating a few dollars to help me reach my goal. You can do so by clicking here.  It is completely secure and your information will not be shared, except to tell me you donated. Thank you so much, I hope you’ll consider this or some other organization to support, since there are so many amazing groups out there. Thanks for listening to me ramble about this special organization.

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Enter a New Giveaway!

I just found a giveaway on a very cute blog called Red Gingham written by a sweet girl from New Zealand named Sarah. She is about as crazy about quilting as I am so I was so excited to find out she was giving away some really neat items that represent her country. How awesome is that!? So here is the link. She gives you lots of ways to enter and there is still time.

You can also go over to Crafty Girls Workshop and get my craftygirls e-mail and drop me a message with your name and address and I’ll send you a pincushion! Yes, a cute one with a ribbon tab that is great for pinning it to your design wall! Two giveaways for the price of one, yippee!

Happy Stitches,

Anna

P.S. I know, I’m going to sew something on that LONG list of Christmas gifts, starting this afternoon.