1. Roadside garbage pick up. Come on think about it, how much would life suck if we didn’t have that garbage truck coming to the house once a week to take all our crap away? As you all probably know, I grew up on a farm and we didn’t have garbage pick up. What we had was a “burn barrel” and a big barrel that we tossed metal cans into and all “organic” waste went into a bucket on the kitchen counter and was tossed over the fence to the pigs after dinner. (I have told you about my award winning pig call haven’t I?) Everything else had to be collected and eventually taken to the dump. Of course back then we didn’t buy as much prepackaged “convenience” foods and things so we produced a lot less garbage. Anyway, I’m eternally grateful for those two big rolling cans in my garage that take our garbage, dirty cat litter, and recyclables away  every Monday morning. Without it I’m afraid my house would look even more like an episode of Hoarders.

2. My Dyson vacuum cleaner. Much like my appreciation for garbage men, my love for my Dyson stems from my fear of appearing to be a hoarder. The amount of dirt, dog hair and other grit and grime it sucks up every week would overwhelm this house in a matter of weeks.

3. The internet. Kind of goes without saying that my life would suck without the internet. I’ve made friends that I can’t imagine life without, reconnected with old friends and family, and am vastly entertained and inspired by things on the internet everyday. What kind of world would it be without Honey Badger, George Takei, Nerdfighters, Wil Wheaton and the Bloggess coming into my home every day? A sucky kind of world that’s what kind.

4. My etsy shop. I’m still working off the debt from the store and I would be so far behind without the income from my etsy shop. I have great customers that appreciate the quality fabrics and fast service I provide. Now it has gotten to the point where it practically runs itself. In the future I’d like to add to it and expand it and maybe get back into selling handmade items instead of only supplies. But for now it is providing just what I need.

5. The Albright Theater. I auditioned for The Laramie Project at the Albright in 2009 and it kind of changed my life. I’ve made friends that have become more like family. I’ve stretched myself creatively and broken out of my “suburban Mom” box. I have more self confidence now than I’ve ever had in my life. And I get to play dress up and make believe at least once a year if I’m lucky.

6. My bed. I love a good night’s sleep. When my house is overcome by garbage and dog hair I’m going to retire to my bed and never leave until the tv crews show up.

7. Lilacs. They are the perfect shade of well, lilac and the scent is heavenly. They remind me of my childhood. Right now I’m sitting on the couch and the scent of a small Korean lilac bush in full bloom is wafting in through the open window. What’s not to be grateful for here?

8. Antibiotics. (But not penicillin, that makes my hands and feet get all hot and itchy and feel like they are going to blow up and someday if I take it by accident again may just kill me.) But the other kinds of antibiotics are pretty awesome when taken only when needed and through their full course as prescribed. Without them there’d be a lot more dead people and lot fewer successful surgeries.

9. The aboriginal man or woman who first tamed the wolf. I say this after yelling at Maizey for counter surfing the last little bit of Brie I had heated up for part of my dinner, that’s how much I love my dogs. My life would be so much simpler, cleaner and I’d have so much more money if I didn’t have them but I can’t imagine life without a dog in it.

10. Steve, Sarah and Emma. Yep, I went there and closed the list with the gimme answer. Sue me. Just like with the dogs, my life would be simpler and cleaner without them in it, but oh so empty. (I wouldn’t be richer because Steve makes all the moolah around here with Sarah at a close second, babysitting pays better than retail.) There was a time I was sure I’d never get pregnant and never have a baby. Sometimes those days feel like a lifetime ago and other times it still seems like yesterday. Being a mother has been how I’ve defined myself for 18+ years. I’ve been a wife for almost 23 years. We got married pretty young. It didn’t seem like it at the time but looking back now 22 & 24 was pretty damn young to make a life long decision. It hasn’t always been easy but it has been worth it. We got a pretty good thing going here and I’m very grateful for it.

How about you? What are you grateful for? Will it take you two days to type your list? (By the way, it is now almost 7pm, I started this around 4pm. It’s been one of those days.)

I’ve been intrigued by mandalas for quite some time. I briefly was making photographic mandalas in Paint Shop Pro and had an etsy shop featuring them. But they didn’t take off and make me famous so I quit making them. But I did have a number of them enlarged and framed and now display them in my house. I recently realized that I doubt most visitors to my home even know that I made them. My biggest failing as an artist is my inability to self promote.

I never lack for great ideas and most of the time am even able to bring my ideas to fruition. But I don’t know how or have the social aptitude to get my work out there to the people. This is why my business failed. Does it really matter? Do I need public acknowledgement to be successful? Is my work less valid because no one pays for it? The artist in me says no, it doesn’t matter. Just make art for art’s sake. The little girl that always wanted to be noticed says yes, I just want to be loved and recognized for my talents.

I want 1000s of blog followers, book deals, appearances on HGTV, a product line and people standing in line at CHA to meet me. Or do I? Maybe I like that I can spend a day on my couch watching stupid tv and alternating between doodling and crocheting. Could I still do that if I had all these followers and fans and work to do? Would I hate it if my passions became work. Or would I be one of those lucky people who could say, “It isn’t work because I get to do what I love everyday.” I call bullshit on that. Sorry, but once you have an obligation to someone else, it becomes work. It may not be shoveling horse shit but it is still work. And let’s be honest, I don’t want to do all the work that it takes to get to that point. We all know that there really is no such thing as an overnight sensation or just being in the right place at the right time. That’s why I think sometimes it is the people with less talent that make it bigger than the more talented person. They have to work harder at whatever skill it is they want to be good at and that puts them out there where those “discoveries” are made.

Is the only reason I jump from one craft to the next because of lack of recognition for my talents in one particular field? Not completely. Frankly I get bored too quickly with doing one thing all the time. I typically circle back to most of my interests at some point. Some of my interests are more seasonal. Sometimes I turn to certain mediums because of an emotional need. Sewing is more solitary and isolating. Knitting and crochet I can do in more social settings. Making Zentangles is somewhere in the middle. Within sewing I find quilting fills one type of need creatively while garment sewing uses a different part of my mind.

Photography is completely different than all my other hand crafts. When I make something be it sewn, knit, crocheted or drawn, I’m creating something out of nothing. Taking basic supplies and putting them together to make something new. When I photograph something I’m looking at something that is already there and trying to capture it the way my mind sees it. Like all art forms there is a combination of artistry and technical skill. Often I think my art is my therapy. It is definitely my meditation.

**All of the above photo Mandalas were made using photographs taken at Rosslyn Chapel  and Roslin Glen in Scotland during our 2007 trip.

**The Zendala was made using a template from Tangled Harmony.

ETA: I was flipping through my Zentangle Journal right after uploading this post and realized that this Tangle needed to be included in this post even though it wasn’t a mandala or a spiral. The message is the point. The words are part of a lyric from one of my favorite Jason Mraz songs. Unfortunately the song has a title that isn’t easy to share with people without offending.

I started my “muslin” of the Danglez swimsuit pattern out of some red spandex from Joann Fabrics. Today I gave up and decided it was a wadder. I’m not giving up on the pattern, just this version. The reason I gave it up was this (pictured left). I messed up putting in the  elastic around the upper back and straps. It was just such a pain in the butt to pick it all out so I’m giving it a toss. I won’t throw it out yet just in case I ever need to salvage any of the elastic.

This has been a good learning experience. When I make it again later this week I will have some good ideas of ways to make it better and do things a little different.

One thing I’m doing differently is the front insert and neck edge. On my Land’s End suit this seam is sewn right sides together from the inside with the elastic enclosed. The pattern instructions have you sew the insert in, sandwiched between the cups and the lining and then the neck edge elastic just sewn on the wrong side and flipped over and topstitched. I used the coverstitch for the topstitching and I didn’t like how the finished edge looked.

I also don’t like this fabric. It is shiny and very bright red. I like to wear red but this might be just a bit too close to Wonder Woman territory for my comfort. I have some Milliskin Matte in dark plum that I’m going to use to remake this pattern. It also seems to be a better quality and thicker fabric than this shiny stuff. It should give me more tummy control.

I’m afraid that I might be losing my swimsuit mojo already. I’m getting so close to getting it right but I’m all about instant gratification don’t you know and this is taking too long to get right. It will be a test of my maturity to see if I stick with it! But I turn 45 tomorrow so I guess if I’m ever going to get mature it might be about time.

I got a lot done on my first swimsuit yesterday. I took a bunch of pictures too. I’ll put it all together later after work today and let you see what I’ve been up to.

I’m looking forward to receiving this pattern I think the style will be great for aqua-fit classes.

Enjoy your Saturday. I’ll catch you on the flip side.

I finally had a little time in my sewing room this week. The show I’m co-directing at the theater (Best Christmas Pageant Ever) opened last Friday night so I’ve had some time to breath. I’m happy to say that the show is going great! It has been an interesting experience to be on the other side of the foot-lights this time. I think we did a fabulous job casting this show and I couldn’t be prouder of how great the cast and crew are doing.

Back to the sewing. About a month ago I opened one of the many sale emails I get from Fabric.com and for some reason went to check out the sale items. I picked up 2 yds of this dark green wool jersey and some bright turquoise ITY. I’ve been in need of some warm tops to wear to work. I discovered that many of the tops I made later this summer and early fall have wide open necklines. That is a problem on two counts; one, some of them are too revealing and two, my neck gets cold! I’ve knit so many little shawls and scarves one would think I’d have an entire wardrobe of neck-warmers and I do in a way but I find shawls too fiddly for work. I cut a lot of fabric with rotary cutters, all I need is for my shawl to fall off at just the wrong moment and get cut in half by my speedy rotary slicing.

Enter Vogue 8597. I don’t remember when I bought this pattern, probably last spring sometime. Things I liked about this pattern:

• Raglan sleeves: easier to sew and comfortable range of motion.
• High cowl neck: doesn’t droop down too low and offer a boob flash when I bend over and covers the back of my neck.
• Optional tunic length: I chose the longer length in this version because I had enough fabric and I thought it would be warmer. I discovered that it would be very easy to add a few more inches and make a nice dress with this pattern and a similar fabric.

I made the size 20 and sewed it straight from the pattern with no alterations. It fits just about perfect. I love when that happens! I’ve worn it twice now, once to the girls’ holiday concert and once to work. It was perfect! It was comfortable, kept my neck warm, wasn’t too hot for when I was moving around at work, cowl didn’t gap or shift or need any fussing with all day. This is a case of perfect match of fabric to pattern. The jersey is 100% merino wool so I will have to be sure I don’t accidentally throw it in the regular laundry. Yesterday I paired it with my perfect fitting Mimosa pants and felt like a million bucks.

Today I’m taking Em to get her braces removed! Then I have sewing for other people to get started. Did someone also mention that Christmas was coming soon? Maybe I’ll get started on preparing for that too…

Us! Erin and I won the Best Couple Costume at the  party last night. They did turn out great if I say so myself. I’m so proud of them that I entered two online sewing/costume contests this morning. One on SewingPatternReview.com and another on Craftster.org.

		Halloween 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The cleverness and creativity displayed by everyone was pretty amazing. My two favorites were Cathy as Tippy Hedren in The Birds and Linda as a Tea Bag (there is an inside joke here that I just can’t explain. You have to know Linda and her funny story!) The inside jokes among our group of friends were well represented in costume form. As well as the metaphors (Law Suit, NBA Lockout) and plays on words (Purple Mountains Majesty). One of the (many) great things about hanging out with theater people is that we take our costumes pretty seriously and we tend to get into total character. Even the non-actors among us got into it. Steve passed out many shots of “Tiger Blood” (Hot Damn) and was heard saying, “WINNING!” all night long. I don’t have a picture of little Johnny dressed as Charlie Brown but he took it all the way by telling us repeatedly that all he got was a rock and he even had the Charlie Brown shirt on under his ghost costume so he could stay in costume even when he wasn’t in costume.

Emma got home from school and we got right to work on her costume. We already had the Finn Hat from an earlier Adventure Time sewing session together. She just made longer ears and put wire inside them to make them stand up and be more pose-able. I found the sweater at Old Navy today but it was long and roomy, more of a “boyfriend sweater” style. So I fired up the serger and took it in and took about 6 inches off the bottom. The skirt is just some cotton interlock from Joann sewn in a tube with a little waist shaping. Then I serged some wide elastic around the waist, turned it under and cover-stitched it down. The hem is just turned and cover-stitched.

The back pack is just wool/acrylic felt sewn into a pouch shape with the bottom corners gussetted. The flat is a piece of craft felt with the bottom corners rounded off and sewn onto the back of the pouch. Straps are 4.5” wide pieces of both colors of felt sewn together then folded into thirds and top stitched. The tops of the straps were attached with the flap and the bottoms were sewn along the bottom of the bag. All she needs now is a pink sword.

She’s 14 and in High School now. I keep thinking “this is the last year she’ll want me to do this stuff for her.” But then we finish something like this and she says, “I love it. I’m never taking it off.” Just like she did when she was 2.

I love that she is so free spirited and willing to be silly and have fun. Because I certainly have fun being silly and creative with her.

Now to go find some Tiger Blood and a cigar for my long lost Sheen brother…

Of course it all wraps up with my favorite holiday, Halloween. It might be the actress in me that loves the costumes and make believe of it all. Or maybe it is the latent Pagan that feels like this is really the dawn of the New Year. Whatever it is I love all of it. This year is no exception. I’ve been making costumes for myself and my friend for our annual party. Three guess who we are going as, and the first two don’t count. Unless of course you’ve never watched any old classic television. I’ll  have photos of us in our costumes after Sunday’s party. These were pretty simple to construct. I used McCalls 5052 for the tops, adding the dark grey cuffs. The skirts and aprons are just simple rectangles, elastic waists in the skirts. The chefs hats (hard to see in this photo) were the most fun, and impressive, parts to make. I just cut large circles, gathered and attached them to wide, interfaced bands with velcro in the back. I kind of wanted to make my husband dress as “Poppin’ Fresh” the Pillsbury Dough Boy just so I could make another one!

I also popped the embroidery module on my machine and stitched up these fun kitchen towels. The designs are from Urban Threads.  If you are looking for some unique and modern embroidery designs this is the place for you. Just check out this: The Clockwork Natura Gown – Embroidery & Handmade Fashion That just makes me want to lose 50# and run away to a Ren Faire.

Now I need to finish this up and get a few last minute things put together for the youngest daughter. She decided at the last minute that she needs a costume. She wants to be “Fiona from Adventure Time”. If you have never caught an episode of this crazy cartoon I suggest you make yourself a cocktail and enjoy the weirdness. The main characters are “Jake and Finn” but there is one episode where they are their female counterpoints, Fiona and Cake. It is really too weird to explain further. Just watch it.

Happy Sewing and Joyous Halloween.

Little Apples VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Little Apples by Aneela Hoey

Little apples is all about what happens in the fall, the kids are playing in the park with their scarves flapping in the wind and singing rhyming songs, round and round they go, just like the seasons. The little apples are falling off the trees and spied by a tortoise who has momentarily peeked out from under his shell and decided to take a stroll. The leaves are swirling around on the wind, providing a brilliantly coloured backdrop to all the goings on, the beauty of fall is definitely here!

Business has been pretty good at my little ol’ Etsy Shop recently which as enabled me to order some new fabric. I saw this new line featured on a few fabric blogs and knew it was the one I wanted to add. I’m really limiting my new fabric purchases to ones that I think will be hot sellers and judging by how “Sherbet Pips” flew off the virtual shelves all over the internet I’m hoping I have a winner here. It arrived today and I plan on getting it listed tomorrow or Wednesday. It will be listed by the yard in my shop but as usual, if you need larger cuts just send me a convo on etsy and I’ll set up a reserved listing just for you! (If you are local, shoot me off an email and we can arrange a personal drug deal fabric shopping day.)