Hi there...

Thought that I would drop by with some friends...

Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted?

I guess it is kind of crazy around here...

but this week is definitely going smoother than last week...but don't tell, 'cause that could TOTALLY jinx it.

See you soon!

JMB

Because I had to yesterday....

I was trying to organize my old quilting magazines... and the familiar anxiety happened... What am I doing here with other peoples' work?.... I need my own.

I like it and it might be my first mini... "just because." What are you doing "just because?"

JMB

Better late than never...the learning curve is proving to be steep...

OK, for those of you who are die-hard mac users...I salute you.  I am trying really hard, really I am.  But today, January 7 is my first post of the year, because I am getting so bogged down in the photo programs on this silly mac.  I tried iphoto and had a really hard time finding things and then if I wanted to adjust anything it was daunting.  (how can I trash pictures that are ugly with out doing it during a slide show?)  I was so annoyed...because really I want the computer to do all of my thinking for me...and just let me be creative the WAY that I want to be creative, WHEN I WANT TO!  I downloaded Picasa tonight and I had a much easier time with that interface.  It still seems like there are many copies of the same thing still...but I was able to catch up on my 365 project through mid November and SO I am a bit less cranky.

I am still trying to figure out how to make my pictures smaller so I can post them to the blog directly from the computer (this time I went through Flickr, because it was something I knew how to do.)  I think that I will get Photoshop and that might help too.  (I was kind of learning to use it before the switch.)  The worst part of all of this frustration is seeing my poor husband cringe when I go ON AND ON... he really just wanted me to be un-tethered and free to live my Web 2.0 lifestyle.

Honey, it is going to be OK.  I am just a big baby and I am trying to learn to walk here...  give me a chance and I will try to whine less.

Whine less...I guess that is my big profound message today folks.

I did want to share two of my favorite projects that I made for Christmas for each of my sisters.  They are both a wool felt applique on 2 everyday objects that I hope my sisters will use and enjoy.  The dog is a silhouette of Sadie, RebaStar's chocolate Lab-Pitt mix.  She is a great dog and they all got to stay with us over the holidays.  When I crashed the day after Christmas, she was able to occupy my oldest son with a marathon game of Monopoly.  He was so proud that he won, due to investing in Boardwalk and Park Place and building hotels.  "Mommy, I never bought on that side of the board before."  You are moving on up, little man!

The messenger bag was for Miss M and to be honest, I am not sure that she will use it... mostly because it isn't from American Eagle or some other ridiculous corporate store....but hopefully someday she will look at it and realize that it is WAY COOL and her older sister ROCKS!

I think that this is about enough for today...  Maybe tomorrow or the next day I will be feeling more deep and profound.  I did pick a word for this year...and did I tell you, that I think it is going to be a doozy??  Good and all, but a doozy!

Peace

JMB

Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!

Hooray for you!

My three followers have won this FANTASTIC Christmas gift... (just kidding.) But what a great gift for that conscientious Metro-sexual man (or woman, I am all about equal opportunity here!) in your life.

Along with informing you about the Mangroomer...I wanted to give you all a sneak peek at one of my gifts...this super sweet bunny bag. I really want to keep it for myself, but it was made for my friend that I like to call Bunny Rose. I think that it looks just like her... I may have to make one with a little pony for myself.

One funny thing, before I dry my hair and get out of my PJs....

My eldest son was asking me for some stories about Jesus....because it is his birthday today, and all. I told him some of the miracle stories and then right before bed he asked me for more. I couldn't remember anymore except for when Jesus got mad at the moneychangers at the temple....

WELL, AS ONLY A CHILD CAN COME UP WITH,

He told his brother that they needed to go to sleep, so that when Santa came "He would not be as angry as Jesus, that they were awake....maybe he would be as angry as 50 Jesus'..."

I am so glad that he is such an astute theologian.

Ta-ta for now.

I hope that you all are snuggled in with your families enjoying the many blessings of this season. I pray for Peace in our New Year.

JMB

Shameless promotion...Is anyone interested in a gnome home?

Announcing the first ever softie made by me! Jessica! Hooray!

Here is a little house I finished just last night. It is all hand-sewn out of wool felt, some scraps from the Pendleton outlet store and an old mattress pad that I like to use to practice free motion quilting. The bees just moved in today and they are very happy and dancing all around their new yard.

I made this for the "Stitched by Hand, Old School Sewing Competition". Badbird, from flickr, makes some wonderful art and is hosting this competition. One of her prints is the prize for winning so let's help me win, shall we? I love a little sassy red bird. Here is the little announcement from the Craftzine blog. Basically, starting December 2 YOU, my dear friends, can get yourself a little flickr ID and then vote for my lovely and useful little house. (You could vote for one of the other projects, but mine is really cute and cozy warm.) Badbird will pick winners in each of the categories AND there will be one people's choice winner...and this is where YOU all can help ME....see?

Maybe if I win, I can start renting out the little house in my garden and you all can come and stay a spell.... hmmmm.
Check it out, I have been sewing my fingers to the bone.
JMB

Spring is really here...

I guess we all have our own reactions to watching our first marathon...
Yo-- if looks could kill...
He actually had a great time, but this frown is so funny.

My eldest invited us all out for an exciting breakfest at Denny's. It was very fancy and we all could have just what we liked. The boys prefer pancakes with a side of pancakes. I think that they would eat them morning, noon, and night if I would let them.

Yesterday the eldest told his Grandma---
"You and Grandpa should stay at Motel 6, you would really like it."
Grandma replied "Would we? Why?"
"Because there is a Denny's next door and then you could have pancakes when ever you liked."

Well, great. If that is all it takes to keep him happy, our road trip this summer should be easy-peasy. There are Denny's all across our fine country!

After the marathon sighting, (I was the only one who cheered, everyone else just smiled and rocked back and forth with their hands in their pockets) we saw our first goslings of the season. They were very cute, but stuck on the apartment side of the fence, I hope they finally found the water.
I also spotted my first lupine of the season-- So beautiful. What wonderful engineering!
Later in the afternoon, my eldest thought that he needed a wrist pincushion. We made it together, he is an excellent project director and stuffer. It was a great time.
JMB

Finally....

I had a really great time crafting this holiday season. I started calling my craft room, my studio and I got in to the habit of telling my husband that I needed to go do my "work". It just felt good to use my materials...to see my embroidery thread disappear...to see the stack of empty thread spools grow. It was like a house cleaning purge in a whole new way.

The endorphin rush from finishing projects gives me a such a heady, dizzy feeling (because it happens so rarely). This season, when I would finish something...I would emerge from my studio and parade around for my husband beaming, like I had just won the lottery or "best hair" on senior day (we didn't have that kind of stuff at my high school...and I probably would have won "biggest hair", but whatever!)

I loved sitting in front of my husband's RIDICULOUSLY large TV and watching "Battlestar Galactica" in HD as I became a blanket-stitch wizard. This felt box was for my mother. I wanted to give her a blue bird of happiness to guide her into 2008. She loved it, more than I thought that she would...I mean she is my mom...But no, she really was gaga. (the picture is on the bad side, really doesn't do it justice, but that is what you get taking pictures @ 3am on Christmas morning)

There are really SO many bag tutorials out there, I must have read at least 50. Of course when it came down to it, I just winged it and made some really dippy prototypes. Eventually I came up with an idea that seemed to work and I will admit that I did some experimentation with fusible interfacing. I am not "in love" with working with it....BUT I will admit that it makes for a very smart looking bag---maybe the first thing that you would say is "Wow, nice bag" instead of "Hey, did you make that?" That whole issue is one I will continue to grapple with. I realized, as I continued my craft-o-rama, that I felt that I needed to make each person on my list A LOT of things in order to compensate for them being homemade/handmade....I never feel this way when gifting something from a craft fair. Maybe by next year I will make my projects a jazzy label and that will solve that issue for me...we will see.

This was my second favorite thing that I made (after the fleece pillow friends for my boys--see above). I have TOTALLY fallen in LOVE with free-piecing patchwork and making parts and having them come together rather organically rather than drafting a pattern on Electric Quilt. The blog class I participated in really was such an inspiration. I free-motion quilted words that I think of when I think of my sister Reba, and it felt a bit like a journaling quilt, similar to some painted pieces by Ali Edwards.

Reflecting back on these projects and the times that I had creating them makes me feel really content and happy. I will say that I have been totally EXHAUSTED these past few days, since Christmas. I don't think that I went to sleep before midnight this past month. I do think that I will try and continue to hand make my gifts. I also think that I will give myself more time and maybe branch out in to different media (I just love to sew SO much) as sewing takes A LOT of time. It is funny how in hindsight all the little problems just get lost in the glow of the holiday....I didn't even write about the things that I gave up on...or the jean quilt that I started for my husband that I swear I will finish by his birthday in February....Argghhhh sewing old jeans... but that is for another time.

JMB

I've been a-workin...

I have reclaimed my craft room, it has been swept, "arranged", and is ready for some craftsanity (it works for me too)! I have decided to open it up to the boys and WOW, has that ever been good for MY creative process... My eldest and I have had TWO "crafternoon" dates. (my words, not his, but he likes that I am sharing my space and sharing my stuff.)

We put together this GREAT dragonfly, he picked out the colors and cut the eyes and I just sewed it together. I don't know which of us was happier.

He had to stop for a costume change and a reading break...

After his brother woke up they played so nicely in the living room. Then it sounded like they had a bit too much fun...

and they were...
You know, getting my camera out and taking turns snapping pictures and laughing.

I am not sure if I have admitted it yet, but this is my third digital camera in 3 years...I can't have this one break for at least a few months, or I will never hear the end of it.

Finally, a picture of the last of the squashes. I usually wait for them to get a bit bigger, but who knows when the plants will get all slimy. These little guys were very good and I think that I look like I am a giant...
oooo, scary.

JMB

PS

The piece at the top is my first machine sewing quilt project in about 6 months. I usually make a pattern and then agonize over every cut into my fabric. This time I was emboldened by super quilter Tonya and I cut and cut and cut...the cowgirl fabric I have been holding on to for about 5 years...I am excited about this new way of quilting and am excited to see what this becomes.

Little bit of sewing...

I have been waiting for this day.

Earlier this year, I had tempted him..."Hey buddy, let's pick YOU out some fabric".

He picked some with rainbow colored stripes.

After I got him started on a little sleeping bag for his friend Polka dots, he got frustrated. I ended up finishing that project while he cheered me on.

This new project, for his friend Whaley whale, is a pillow. He is much more enthusiastic this time. ME TOO. I am finding, that I am the one needing the patience this time around. He only wants to sew for short increments of time...I need to let him do that. My 4 year-old is not a linear thinking kind of guy, I need that to be OK. If he sews for a while and then wants to cut paper, I need to let him. I need to let him find a way to make sewing HIS own thing.

I wonder if the renewed interest in HIM is seeing ME hand-sewing more. My craft cave is in "other" use right now, so I have been trying to create out among the masses, to share my space, my creative space. I want my kids to enjoy creating as well, what better to get them interested than to let them see how much I enjoy it. (A-ha moment alert!)


We had great fun. We will have great fun. He may even finish that pillow one day. It doesn't matter to me because we got to sew together.

JMB