Plans aren't worth the paper they're written on.....

I had wonderful plans for this month. I actually thought ahead. I knew I was going to be down for the first weekend due to a minor surgery. (Nothing major, just an ongoing tooth issue. I had a bone graft to beef up my jaw bone in preparation for an implant.) So I didn't sign up for any of the wonderful swaps going on this month.Yes, I know I am missing out, but I didn't want the pressure. You know what I mean, don't you?!?! 

I am so very glad that I only have my long term Bee's to sew for this month. As it turns out Mother Nature, in the form of gravity, has once again supported my mother's decision to NOT name me Grace. Only four days after my surgery I managed to somehow lose my footing and fall down the stairs. In front of half of my co-workers. The result of my impromptu gymnastics has been me being couch bound with an elevated left leg. Seems I am systematically incapacitating my left side. The slight sunburn on my left arm seems petty to mention, so I won't elaborate. 

I HAVE been keeping busy with hand stitching. I signed up for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Halloween Spooky Sampler stitch along knowing about the surgery. I figured that after the first day or so of really good painkillers, I would be able to keep up. I hadn't counted on the second round of painkillers. So, even though I am not graceful, I consider myself smart for having planned ahead. 

Now for the Spooky Halloween Sampler:

H is for Haunted House

A is for Apparition

L is for Lightening

L is for Lollipops

O is for Owls

W if for Witch

The frame was to have been completed before the beginning of WEEK ONE. I didn't make that deadline, but I DID finish it before the start of WEEK TWO. The first row was supposed to have been all stitched up before WEEK TWO. WEEK THREE starts tomorrow and I just last night finished WEEK TWO. 

All in all, I don't think I am doing that bad. Sure I have made some 'customizations', but who doesn't. (Customizations are basically mistakes that I can live with.) The door on the Haunted House is supposed to be orange. Oops. The ghosts aren't supposed to be outlined, but the white doesn't show up well enough, so I did it any way. Another oops. One of the bats in the frame only has one eye open. Oopsy. And there are a couple more. But the point is that they aren't bad enough to ruin the piece, so I consider them customizations.

Except that along with WEEK THREE, tomorrow also marks the beginning of the Autumn Sampler Stitch Along. And you guessed it, I am signed up for that one too.

Wish me luck. 

P.S. The jaw is healing wonderfully, as is the lower leg. Mostly the shin. The zombie toe is doing well too. I'm ready to sit at the sewing machine again, and will this coming Friday.

Off to a good start...

... so far this month. HA HA! I would like to try to start posting regularly again.

I haven't posted since July 1. So I have some things to catch up with before I can move on. It's not a rule, just something I want to do. There is a little bit of OCD in me. Just a tad and it wants to keep things in order. Just a bit. So I will catch you up before I move on to September's activities...

July was a fun month. Danny celebrated another birthday. That's always a good thing. The alternative really sucks. We had Fridays off thanks to the asshats in DC we didn't get paid so we weren't allowed to work. Those days were fun, but it was a bittersweet kind of fun. I was able to get lots done in the sewing department. 

1. Doctor Who Apron for us   2. Lots of grilling   3. do.Good Stitches charity blocks   4. Anniversary pillow for my nephew and his wife

5. Inchies OG swap   6. back anniversary pillow   7. Octopus pincushion Fab Little pincushion swap   8. Mermaid quilt Mini QT swap

9. Drawstring pouch   10. paper pieced Seahorse   11. My quilt guild notebook cover   12. Wonky star block for the quilt guild charity quilt

13. Watercolor seahorse ICAD   14. Lunch made from leftovers   15. Drawstring pouch for MQG swap 16. Extras for Mini QT swap  

August still had us furloughed for the first couple of weeks. But it was a bit busier outside the house so not a lot of creating was done. Danny and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. I still can't believe that it's been that long. We had a very nice, relaxing dinner and spent the night in a local hotel. It was wonderful. 

1. inside of Dorothy Day Tripper    2. do.Good Stitches block   3. Tula pink charms swap received    4. Flash paper pieced test block

5. Farmers Wife block    6. VBMQG Tote Swap bag    7. ALS wheelchair quilt   8. start of an angel project 

9. Modern Stash Bee block    10. do.Good Stitches block    11. Dorothy Day Tripper    12. Farmers Wife block

All of these were fun to make. The ALS quilt was done in a frenzy. For some dumb reason, I thought it was due in August. It's not due until the end of September. But it's done now, so that's a good thing.  

September is looking promising. I don't have any swaps. I planned it this way. School is starting which means soccer games start up again. Plus I have a minor surgery scheduled for the first weekend. It's nothing too dramatic, but I will not be in a sewing mood for the whole weekend. It's best if I just take it easy and stick to my bees. 

Here's what I HAVE to do:

• do.Good Stitches blocks
• Modern Stash blocks
• Comfort blocks for a friend

And here's what I'd LIKE to do:

• b-day surprise for a secret pal
• start hubbies Christmas present
• make Morgan a purse for school
• help Melissa start a wheelchair quilt
• The Frosted Pumpkin Spooky Halloween Sampler

While this doesn't look too intimidating, it's a major schedule change which may prove to be challenging. I'll have to start getting out the door by 6:00am. Wish me luck. 

I'm linking up to:

Fresh Sewing Day - June 2013

It never seems I get things done. And by done, I mean finished. Sometimes it's true.
June was a good month, I think.

Some of them were even real finishes. Some of them were finishes of that stage. Like the quilt tops. Hopefully, I'll get the backs made, and then get them layered this month.

I found FRESH SEWING DAY via Fairly Merry. So I am linking up.

Opus Gluei - Pin It, Spin It and Win It - Challenge # 160

Opus Gluei is challenging everyone to actually get off Pinterest and DO something. GASP!

Take one of the things you have PINNED, put your own SPIN on it, make it and get entered  for the chance to WIN something. Read all about the prizes HERE.

I have about a gazillion things PINNED. How to choose?!?!?! Well, I decided to pick something that could be made with things on hand. Still left a lot from which to choose.

Here's the first thing that came to mind:

Several years back I swapped inchies regularly. One of the talented artists made this amazing canvas with 456 inchies. WOW. You can check it out here. I don't have that many inchies, but I do have SOME inchies. I don't have a large canvas, but I do have a small canvas that rescued from the charity bin. AND It's Summer time.

I painted the canvas blue. It had a cute, but not needed flower outline printed on it that  didn't quite work for this project. Then I lightly swiped a Tim Holtz ink pad across the top and sides. And waited for it to dry. It took a few hours. It's humid here in Virginia Beach. Eventually it dried and I used some foam tape to secure the inchies in place. 

It currently resides on the mantle in the family room. Right next to the shell filled hurricane. I know the girls think it's great. They've told me. 

Next up, the hubby and I are both being furloughed next week. We will get 20% less in our paychecks every payday. Thank you Congress. Anyway, because of this our extracurricular activities will suffer. As an effort to keep from going absolutely cold turkey, I have made a little bank to save money. I saw THIS ONE made for kids to save, and decided that it would work for me. I had this frame that I got at the dollar store that I knew would be perfect. It's only about 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches. Certainly big enough to hold what I'll be able to save. LOL

And here is where it lives. In my sewing/craft room. On one of my favorite shelves.

I hope you can join us in this challenge. It's so very satisfying to make something that you've pinned. And you get some cool things too. I'm happy.

ICAD 2013

 

Go buy a pack of index cards. Cheap ones.

♥ draw ♥ doodle ♥ write ♥ collage ♥ paint ♥ haiku ♥ stamp ♥ stitch ♥

ONE INDEX card each day

JUNE + JULY

61 DAYS : 61 CARDS

Daisy Yellow - Index Card A Day Challenge

*****

I'm trying this again.

No pictures yet, but I DO have some cards done.

But soon....

OG Challenge #158 - Birthdays

New Poobah Chat Noir has set out BIRTHDAYS as the challenge this go around over at OPUS GLUEI.

And true to my MO, I am late. If you know anything about me at all, you know that I will be late with birthday cards. It just happens. Every. Single. Time. Not sure why. It just does.

Anyhow, I came up with this wonderful little birthday gift idea. I took some terrycloth and some fabric squares (5 inch) and made these fun little washcloths.

These would make a wonderful baby (actual birthday) gift. Or a great gift for teens. Might making a new skin care routine a bit easier to handle with a littl bit of whimsy.

Although this particular bunch isn't for birthday gifts. (All of my girls would have to wait until December/January. And quite frankly, I'd like to have them clean before then.) I did let the girls pick their own fabrics for their wash cloths. They picked fabrics that are really representative of their personalities. See...

My oldest(18yo):

My middle(16yo):

My youngest (13yo):

And what kind of mom would I be if I didn't lead by example (wink, wink) so I just HAD to make some for me too:

Now it's your turn to show us what you were inspired to create with Chat Noir's BIRTHDAY theme. Head over to OPUS GLUEI and join the fun.

157 - Chat Noir

Order of the OPUS GLUEI has a new Poobah. Chat Noir has graciously agreed to join our humble little challenge blog. I am so excited. I have been friends with her for a bit now, and am thrilled that she is one of the gang and will be contributing her talents. 

The challenge this go 'round is a welcoming challenge in her honor:

CHAT NOIR

(Black Cat)

Use a CAT or BLACK, or both, in your project this month.

Welcome CHAT NOIR.