Surviving Motherhood Early Years: Crochet Creations by Alisa~ Giveaway~

Everyone loves GIVEAWAYS!!! Check out the link below for Easy details to enter! Alisa has a wonderful talent !

Surviving Motherhood Early Years: Crochet Creations by Alisa~ Giveaway~: " Crochet Creations by Alisa GIVEAWAY I am honored to have Alisa Newman, owner, designer and creator of CROCHET CREATIONS BY ALISA Spons..."
Until next time,

Giveaway Winner Plus How Do You Manage Your Time & Other Thoughts of Daily Organization

Hey Everyone!
Hard to believe that this week is speeding by.  And it seems as if not much as been accomplished that I was hoping would.  How do you organize your day?  Are you a list maker? Or do you keep all the info in your head?  I do make lists and keep them on my phone. Not for the daily stuff but for categories like "Food" and "Craft Store" and of course "Target"  etc. Usually my phone is with me so when I think of a random item I forgot to buy last time, and I think about it at a random time {while being no where near a pen & paper}, I always have an ongoing list on my phone.  Same with my Calendar. I put all appts into it as well as setting an alarm for it to go off and remind me prior to the appointment. I could not live without it.  Another thing I do is put a mini wall calendar in my bathroom, right next to the mirror. I totally need that for the visual of the month and which date falls on which day, etc.  So I'm pretty organized that way BUT the huge problem is the computer!!!  I used to play lots of games on Facebook - okay there, I admitted it.  Not so much anymore.  I don't have time!  Now with my Etsy shop and this Blog, and two Facebook pages, Twitter, Flickr, and my Dot Com website... there is not enough time. Oh, and I have a day job.  For a while there, most of you know my hubby was not doing well. He had a fairly simple surgery in Feb.  All went well with that but two days later, he had complications with DVT's {embolism, blood clot} and would have passed on but his IVC filter saved his life. He has a decade long history of clots so his Doc recommended the filer be placed many years ago. He's been home almost a month now & is finally walking again... but prior to that, I was his nurse 24/7. I mean for everything. He was bedridden. I was glad to brush up on my nursing skills. And glad now that he's more independent. You can imagine, he is too. He's not the type to sit still for more than a few minutes. {Wow, I have a way of getting off track}  Anyway, back to original subject!  I suppose a daily list would be good for me. Time to sew for my shop, time for Emails and replies, Time for Blogging, Time for updating all other websites.  Packaging and shipping. Sketching new ideas { this part is funny because I have these awesome ideas in my head for products, etc.  When that pencil touches the paper, for the life of me, I cannot accurately get my idea out!  My drawings look nothing like images in my head ~ I cannot draw at all. Then frustration sets in.}  So usually what happens, is the fabric is spread on my cutting table and I just start cutting away and hope for the best.  A little sewing, a little seam ripping, a little more sewing.  Sometimes, like with a recent tote I made, the finished product is not what it started out to be!  It's on these days that my list would not be followed because I'd use up much more time than originally allocated.  Before you know it, it's time for dinner {You know, WAY past that time when you should have been thinking about dinner..  help me {FLY LADY !!}    Of course all of the above is a non-issue if I've been at work all day. Only dinner is addressed {Sometimes}  Either something goes in the slow cooker & ready when I'm home or Hubby will prepare it. Luckily, he loves everything Food. Touching, smelling EATing it. {huge sore spot} Lol.  Me, well not that I don't like food, it's just the opposite.  LOVE the stuff but bad things happen to the waistline for me so I'd rather just stay away!  Know what I mean?  
Well, I could spend all day tapping away on this laptop but I've got something to sew and something to package up for mail {Love my sales and Love Giveaways!!}  Speaking of GIVEAWAY Dona was the lucky winner of the first giveaway!   YAY!  She picked this tote:

Dona is the Winner!!!

Congratulations to Dona!!  I will be having another giveaway soon, so be sure to stay tuned.  I'll also mention it on my Facebook page and Twitter so everyone will have an opportunity.
Until next time,

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!  I wanted to show you a few things I added to my Etsy shop before the day became too busy. Another check book cover {Yes, even though no one really writes checks anymore!}. I went for another color besides PiNk.  Let's see if it sells just as fast!  Also, I found cute Dinosaur fabric that any toddler boy would adore and I made a pair of boxers. Just like the big boys wear!  Take a look:

Boxers Front - SOLD !!!

Boxers Back  -  SOLD !!!!

Check Book Cover Front

Check Book Cover Inside

So, what do you think?  Do you love this purple fabric? I'm not a huge fan of Owls, but it seems like they are everywhere. I was totally sold when I saw them on this cheerful purple fabric. It's a heavy cotton fabric and it's a heavy duty cover. Most likely will out live checks in the world!  And the little big boy boxers ~ aren't they adorable? Complete with the front fly feature.  Hey, it could make potty-training a little easier, don't ya think?
This will be a short post today but not because I don't have anything to talk about!  I hope everyone had the opportunity to enter the giveaway!  It officially closed last night and Cheri of SurvivingMotherhood, will be announcing the winner!  Thank you to everyone that took the time to stop by and "follow' or "like". We appreciate your support! Have a wonderful day!
Until next time,

My Giveaway & See What I Won In A Giveaway !

Hey Everyone!  I hope you're all heading over to Surviving Motherhood to learn the details for our GIVEAWAY!!!   I'm so excited that Cheri is organizing this. You should sign up to follow her blog as well because she will be featuring a few other shops and more prizes!  It's fun to be the winner every now and then, right?  And even if you don't need the item you won, then maybe it can be used as a gift for someone you know. Or you could donate it to an organization that needs items for a raffle, etc. Lots of possibilities here.  Speaking of giveaways.... I was the recipient of the cutest coin purse just recently!  One of my favorite blogs to follow is PINK STITCHES.  The week {or two} before last she was celebrating her blogiversary {just love that word} and Pay It Forward.  I was among the lucky winners! I received my coin purse this past weekend and have already put it to good use. I can't believe I actually found some loose change around here!  Inside the purse was an adorable hair clip bow! Of course I have pictures of both... check it out:

Simply Adorable!

Inside of coin purse

Top side of bow

Back side of bow

What did I tell ya? How cute are these?  I just love them.  I will also "Pay It Forward" in my shop so when we reach the deadline for the current giveaway {and after I figure out what I will be giving away}, be on the lookout for another chance to win!  Oh, this is so much fun :-) 
Don't forget to head on over to PINK STITCHES AND SURVIVING MOTHERHOOD EARLY YEARS for tons of great "news that you can use" { not my quote ~ can't remember who said that but just seemed appropriate to put here}.  Lol, let me know if you know where I heard that!   UPDATE: {4/21/11} I want to mention that PINK STITCHES is having ANOTHER awesome giveaway! But, it's ending tonight so hurry over to see the loot up for grabs! Click RIGHT HERE, MY FRIEND  Best of luck to you.  Enjoy your day and our giveaways!
Until next time,

Surviving Motherhood Early Years: Pink Sparkle and Lace~~Giveaway~~

{Be sure to click on link below to find out all the giveaway details! Best of luck!}

Surviving Motherhood Early Years: Pink Sparkle and Lace~~Giveaway~~: "Pink Sparkle and Lace GIVE AWAY. I am honored to have Tammy La Motte, owner, designer and creator of PINK SPARKLE AND LACE sponsor this aweso..."

Off The Path For A Sec....

Hey Everyone!  It's such a beautiful SpRiNg day here... and I hope it is for you, too.  I have to break away from my usual craft/sewing/BnR talk for just a moment, or for just a post :-)  My youngest son and his camera have been doing amazing things lately and I have to share!  The other night he and a friend, his camera and tripod, drove to NEWPORT BEACH for some fun night time picture taking. Luckily, the University he lives at is just ten or fifteen minutes away and I suspect I may have to share again in the near future.
Reminder; these were taken around 9pm and in the spring in So Cal, it's totally dark at that time.Only the moon and house lights gave off light.  He was experimenting with keeping the shutter open and you'll see that in one pic it looks like his ghost is in it  And in the Pier picture, it looks like mist is surrounding the pilings but actually it's many waves breaking against them.  Okay, I know, all you camera buffs are familiar with the cool images resulting from manual settings but it's been many moons since I took Photo 101.  And, this is a little brag time for me cause it's my blog !  Okay ready to check them out?

Boardwalk

Newport Beach

Jeffrey's Ghost

Newport

Tripod Ghost

Not the Ruby's Pier, but the other one.

Okay, that wasn't so bad, was it?  Aren't they pretty cool?  As soon as he's done with school {Big Graduation on June 11th} I will bribe him to re-take my Etsy shop pictures.  Actually, he's such a sweet boy, no bribing necessary, I'll just need to keep him well hydrated with a beverage or two,Lol.  Well, that's it for now and I "hope" to make several more posts this weekend, depending on all this 85 degree weather we're having.
Until next time,

* * BNR Going on Now... * *

Roses from my back yard

 
Just a quick post to let you know about {my new fav thing} another      BNR is Going On NOW!   So, feel free to stop by and do a little shopping.  Mother's Day is next month.... avoid the last minute panic!
That's it for now but check back soon because I have lots more to say {oh the gift of gab}.
Until next time,

The Dress Is Finished !

Hey Everyone!
I finished the dress for my niece!  I think it turned out really cute.  She wanted all white so I used an off white linen fabric for the dress, and white cotton for the apron and bonnet.  She preferred the "non-poofy" bonnet.  Take a look for yourself :

The Dress!!  Notice my little Italian Greyhounds showing off.

The Bonnet

Back Of Dress Includes A Long Zipper

What do you think? It was actually real easy. I used s Simplicity costume pattern. Her sister only has to wait 4 years before she can wear it for her 5th grade Colonial Days!
That's all for now ~ It's a work night for me :-)
Until next time,

"Colonial Days" Little Girl Apron

Hey Everyone! So far I've completed the apron for my niece's Colonial Days costume. I have the bonnet almost finished. Tomorrow I will cut out & finish the dress. I think it will turn out really cute! I'm sending this from my phone and I hope it works. Right now the apron is sideways but hopefully it will correct itself during transit.
Until next time!

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* A Couple More Items *

Hey Everyone,
Happy Thursday... although it'll be Friday by the time I officially post this.  I did manage to upload a couple items in my shop today.  I made another checkbook cover & a simple tote.  I love the pink floral fabric & all of the coordinating fabric that goes with it. I can't get enough.  Here's a picture of it

Quilted Check Book Cover

Quilted Check Book Cover ~ Opened

So, it's pretty bright, isn't it ?  I think it's the happiest
fabric ever!  Great for smaller accessories like this.
   Maybe even little girl dresses, too.  I quilted the inside
   & outside together with a layer of fleece in the middle.
   I don't have a pattern so I just stitched randomly.
  Since I'm having camera issues over here, I had to rush
  and take these shots outside using my phone before the
  "big storm" hit this afternoon. I'm not sure if it did or not.
  I heard some rain a little after sunset and it was pretty cloudy and windy most of the day along with temps in the 60's. Hubby said he heard we might have thunderstorms during the night but  It's about 12:20am now & I'm still waiting.
We'll know right away because our 85lb old Lab will start crying like a girl while the little {girl} doggies, snooze away!
  Wow, I got off track. 
  The tote. The story behind the tote.... I was given some
  fabric from a friend. She was cleaning her Mom's fabric
  closet from years gone by... maybe decades, and
  thought of me! Truly vintage.  I was so excited.
  I brought it home, washed and dried it and it came out
  great.  My plan was to make small zippered bags.  Like
  the cosmetic bags,  only smaller. I thought it would be a     good change to have something a little more conservative .  I started cutting out the squares along with the lining I picked for the inside and when it was time for attaching the zipper, the squares seemed too small.  So at the last minute, I sewed them together and made a bag. Here's a picture.  Remember, it's not my usual bright fabric.

Small Tote/Book Ba

All the crazy top-stitching on the handles is intentional ~ it has nothing to do with sleep deprivation at all.

One more teeny-tiny project I have for this weekend will be for my 10 year old niece.  Next week is Colonial Week at school and everyone dresses up.  I have a huge surplus of off-white linen I'm going to use and last weekend JoAnn's had Simplicity patterns on sale for 99 cents! I picked up the perfect costume pattern:  Dress, Long Apron and Bonnet.  She will look adorable.  Well, she's adorable anyway.  I will definitely take pictures.  It's a multi-sized pattern and my sewing room looks like a tissue explosion happened in there. I'll probably end up rolling it into a big ball and figuring something out on my own.
I started to separate some of the pieces earlier and ended up slicing right through my finger nail! Yikes, that was a close call.   Now my finger nails are all short ~ I had to make them match. Speaking of slicing...The day I brought hubby home, I tried to squeeze in a few projects while he was waiting for the official discharge and in my rush, I DID slice my finger!  I was using my super sharp scissors and not paying attention. I cut a huge gash out of my index finger. It did not want to stop gushing! Needless to say, all those quick projects were not completed!
Ohmygosh, side tracked again! 
One more thing about the tote.  Plain things always seem unfinished to me.... so I had to make a Yo-Yo for the front.  In the center I added a clear bead.{Officially called Silver Czech Crystal Rondelle Beads }  I purchased these beads from a fellow Etsy shop called   * BEADS YOU NEED *   I just love that name! She has over 100 different items and has sold over 5,000. I'd say she's good at what she does.  Lightning fast shipping, too! I'm really glad I found her shop.  You should check it out ~ especially if you have embellishing needs ~ or just to window shop.
Well, TGIF!  It's Friday and the weekend is upon us. Does anyone have great crafting plans? You can bet my machine will be buzzing.
*** Don't forget to be careful with scissors.  They are sharp for a reason!
Until next time,

\*/ FABulous * Female * Feature \*/ And A Giveaway !!

Hey Everyone ! 
My friend Cheri and author of Surviving Motherhood, Early Years, wrote a really great feature for her blog.  The title:  "Fabulous Female Feature" . And, She was kind enough to add me! I feel so honored {Not so much "Fabulous!"}.      In return, I am excited to give her blog a special mention. Click Here To Check It Out !.   Cheri has three little ones and is also taking classes for nursing school.Just the three little ones is a full time job And, just school alone is a full time project ~ I speak from experience! I don't know how she does it....but she does, and she does a wonderful job, too.  She asked me if I'd be interested in a giveaway & I said "YES, of course!"  I'd love to have more blog interaction and a giveaway might be the ticket.  So be sure to stay tuned.
I hope to post again tomorrow.  I have more pics to upload of new shop items, plus {yep, I did it} I HAD to purchase that AdOrAbLe  Stiletto Necklace.  It's not that I can't resist beautiful, sparkly things but I have to look at it from the advertising angle.  It's for my Etsy shop!  Because now that I purchased from KATIE BELLE DESIGN, my shop will be featured in her next BNR.  Twice!! It's just a win-win for all.{see, told you it's not just about my weakness for sparkle}  And, it really works.  I've had a few more sales because of the BNR's.  So, If you have an Etsy shop, you should sign up for one. Without sounding like a broken record ~ wait, do we even have records anymore? Without sounding like a scratched CD, those BNR's are SO fun.  I've met many wonderful women from all over. 
Besides new items, I also have a couple ideas for tutorials.. maybe even a tasty recipe or two!  Oh, and  I haven't forgotten to tell you about the very interesting family tree story ~ time keeps escaping me ~ but I will get to that soon as well.
So, until next time,

**Monday, Monday **

How was your Monday?  Mine went well... Hope yours did too!  I wanted to show off another item I purchased from Katie Belle Design.  I just can't resist the bling on most of her things!  I love sparkle and I love bling of any kind.  Check this out:

And it's even MORE adorable in person!!!  It was shipped in the fluffiest, pinkest, sparkliest tulle! Just made me smile.  I will have to wear it tomorrow. If you weren't able to see her shop last time I spoke about it, you'll need to go.  She also has an adorable shoe pendant.  That WILL be my next purchase :-)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have a chance to be productive in my sewing room tomorrow, for a short while, at least.  More pics to follow!  Of course I've made other purchases while in the recent BNR's and I'll tell you about those, too.  Oh, and I had another sale! So much fun.
Until next time,