weekend plans

My order from Sew, Mama, Sew was in my mailbox yesterday! It was so lovely to open - all the fabric folded so beautifully and tied up so nicely. I meant to take a picture of it before I ripped into it, but I was too impatient. And among other yardage (oh, yes - there was much more than this - maybe I'll show some of that later...), I got some bits and pieces of these Halloween fabrics. Then I stopped by the local quilt shop today and picked up the polka dots and now I think I'm ready to whip up something festive!

I realized I haven't really been sharing anything I've been making lately (lots of fabric, but no wips or finished project). I certainly have been sewing, but it's mostly been purses, which is something you've all seen before. But, I am officially declaring the next few days purse free, so it's time to figure out the costumes (Ryan is still not 100% on board with Peter Pan family costumes, so I'm thinking about plan B), time to do some fall clothing sewing, and time to get some aprons back in the shop.

Help, Please

"Help, please," is what we have taught Little P to say when he needs something from us. He doesn't always use it, but he usually tries. And "Help, please" is what I need from you today. I signed up to do a craft show the weekend before Thanksgiving and I am feeling overwhelmed. It's still six weeks away, but I don't really have any idea what I'm doing. I don't know how much inventory I should prepare (it's a three day show), I have no clue how I should to set-up my display, and I'm not sure exactly what items to take. Purses and aprons are definitely in, but I want some lower cost items and some things that appeal to a wider audience. So, any advice you have, I'd love to hear it! Do you have any ideas on how to set up, where to get things to display items on (like where can a get something to hang my purses on), how much inventory to take, how to make my space look more appealing (the show is in a home and I'll have a six-foot space against the wall), and what items have sold well for you in person as opposed to online. I'm looking at the set-up as an investment - something I will be able to use for future shows, so I'm willing to not be totally thrifty, but I don't have all the money in the world, so it does need to be somewhat economical.

And did anyone else hit the 50% Clearance at JoAnn this week? This is my little collection from that - the green is for a shirt for me, the tan floral for purses, the brown denim for a jacket for me, and the pinks and reds for Valentine banners. I probably would have gotten more, but I just put in a fairly large order to Sew, Mama, Sew too, so I was trying to be somewhat prudent.

20 Questions

I did it again - I couldn't resist joining Sweet Goodness Swaps Holiday Swap. And they've asked us to post the answers to these 20 questions on our blog so our partner (mine is Mary and I couldn't be happier about it!) can get to know us. So, here it goes...

1. Favorite Color:
Red, Yellow, anything bright! Oh, but with fall coming on I am really loving the earthy tones. Do I really have to choose just one?

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above?
Is all of the above an option? I choose that, but I am special fan of dark.

3. What is your favorite craft hobby?
Definitely Sewing!

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start?
Knitting. I just learned to crochet last year and my best friend is a knitter and spinner. I always see these fabulous knitting projects and think, "I really need to learn to knit."

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)?
Scrapbooking - I just don't have the time for it. I used to scrapbook, then I had children. Isn't this what gets a lot of people scrapbooking? I guess it had the opposite effect on me. Little P was a very difficult infant for about the first 18 months of his life and then I was pregnant with Baby N. I could probably find time to scrapbook now, but I guess I would rather sew.

6. Do you have any allergies?
No

7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else?
I love the costumes. My mom always sewed fabulous costumes for us and I always had one of the best costumes on the block.

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall?
A little - I have a fall tablecloth and I am a sucker for any holiday paper towel, so I usually get the ones with autumn leaves on them, but other than that, I don't do much. I like to spend my time thinking about the Thanksgiving menu - yum!

9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday?
I celebrate Christmas. I put up all sorts of traditional decorations - tree, stockings, lights, nativity, etc. Nothing too extravagant because we still live in apartment, but enough to set the mood and get us excited for the season.

10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls?
Yes - two boys. Little P is 3 and a half and Baby N is 1 and a half.

11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind?
No pets - I've decided that there won't be any pets until after the kids are all out of diapers. After that, there may be a dog.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like?
I do like to read. I wish I made more time to read, but I usually choose to sew. I am a big fan of historical fiction and I love Jane Austen (these are the only books I re-read). I also love trying out new authors. A couple of my friends have introduced me to GoodReads and I think this is such a great idea - such a great way to figure out what to read.

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion?
It is Ryan's birthday in October (the 29th), but other than that, we are birthday and anniversary free for these three months of the year.

14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect?
No, I'm not really a collector, unless you count my fabric collection which seems to have grown by leaps and bounds in the past six months.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?
I like to cook a good dinner. Since this is the thing that is most beneficial to me and my family, I find I really like to try out new dinner recipes and find things that we like and that are easy to make. I also enjoy baking.

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can’t stand?
I love any citrus scent, especially grapefruit. I'm not a big fan of vanilla scents.

17. What’s your favorite song?
Right now I'm really in love with anything by Feist. My favorite song changes with the seasons.

18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater?
Becoming Jane - I went with my Mom on our last visit to her town.

19. What’s your favorite Candy?
Dove Chocolate, Almond M&M's, again, anything chocolate!

20. Tea or Coffee or other?
Other - mostly water. Sometimes Diet Pepsi/Coke. Today, since the weather was a little chilly, I had a nice cup of chamomile tea.

Compelled to Craft

Last week I ordered Cotton Friend from Chocolate Swirl. Three days later it was at the post office waiting for me (not in my mailbox because our mailbox got ran over and one month later the HOA has yet to replace it. I digress...). I opened it up in the car for a quick glance before dashing Little P to pre-school, but when I got home I sat down and took it all in.

This is the page that made me have to have this magazine.

This is the page that delighted me the most when I first looked over the magazine.

This is the picture that gave me that "must make now" feeling (does anyone else get this? I think it must be a psychological condition.), and so I did.

And here is the result of the "must make now" feeling.

And now you can find it in the shop, and if you're in love with the vintage green floral fabric, I have oodles and you can get yourself some here.

Thank you Cotton Friend, Chocolate Swirl and all of your yummy goodness! Must go - I feel that "must make now" feeling coming on...

All Different Sorts of Things

First off, I forgot to include this in my "Lucky Girl" post. And it certainly makes me a lucky girl - it is the bag of goodies I got from Rebecca for winning third prize in the Sweet Goodness Swaps Container Contest. Wow! There were so many great containers and I was honored to win. I am so excited by this little pack of fun that arrived while I was on my blogging break. Included was a dish towel, vintage pillow case (may just have to make me my own bag with the pillowcase), an orange potholder (crocheted by Rebecca), and a bag of trims and buttons. Thanks to Rebecca for the goodies and to the ladies of Sweet Goodness Swaps! Have you signed up for the Holiday Mini-Swaps? Sounds like so much fun to spread the goodness throughout the season!

Second, a work in progress for another swap - the Embroidered Button swap. I guess I'm going for a "Five a Day" theme here. I sat down on Sunday night with a little Netflix (Veronica Mars Season 1) and got going on these. They are so much fun! I got a little inspiration from this pic and did a pineapple and watermelon, but then I just went for it with the strawberry, carrot, and broccoli. Now I just have to find the big shank buttons I bought at the thrift store so I can finish these up.

And lastly, I finally did it - I finally signed up for the Pay it Forward crafting gift fun. After having several opportunities to join in the fun, I finally did it and signed up to have Missy send me a handcrafted gift sometime in the next year. So, part of this means that I have to Pay it Forward and send something out to three of you. So, I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift (although I have some ideas) will be yet, but you will receive it within 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. So, if you've resisted joining in or haven't heard of this yet, join in the fun - I'd love to send you something!

Lucky Girl!

I feel so lucky lately - while I was on my blogging break, I won a yard of this great fabric at Sew, Mama, Sew. I'm hoping to make it into a shirt for Little P - it is Kid's Clothing Month after all!
And today, I checked Melly & Me and found I had won the pattern for this cute little guy. I am a lucky girl!

Remember

I wanted to post this yesterday as it seemed fitting for the day, but I didn't find the time until today. I remember six years ago on September 11th - I got up early (we were living on the west coast - it was 6 am or so) to take a walk before work, something I had not done in a while. I loved to listen to NPR while I walked and so I turned on my radio and listened. Then all of sudden, the programming went out and a few minutes later the report about the plane hitting the first tower came in. I thought it was a joke - but who would joke about such a thing? The more I listened to the reporters repeat the same information, it began to register. I went home and turned on the the television - just in time to see the second plane hit the tower. I couldn't believe it still. Ryan came home from his run and then we watched to replay and then we went to work together. That day was surreal. There were such varying reactions from my co-workers- anger, sympathy, depression, seeming ambivalence (although I don't think it was real - who could not care on a day like that day?). I went home for lunch, turned on the television and sobbed as I watched again what had happened in New York and heard about Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. That day, I wanted to do something to help, but I didn't know what to do. I often remember this day and I still want to do something, but often lack the initiative or organization. Does anyone else feel like this? What do you do to feel like you are contributing in some positive way? I did find a small thing I could do.

Have you heard of the Mother's Day Project? Basically, Anne Landre is organizing a project where the names of fallen female soldiers are embroidered on muslin (by volunteers - this is where you and I come in) and then she will take these names and make them into a tote. The tote will then be passed through the participants, each to use it for a week or so, taking it to the grocery store, to church, the library and hopefully giving them the opportunity to share about the project. I first heard about this project on one my favorite podcasts, Craftsanity, a couple of weeks ago. Immediately, I knew I wanted to be part of it.
So, here is my name....Alicia A. Birchett. I haven't found out anything about her yet, but I plan to and I'll share when I do. I believe Anne is still looking for volunteer stitchers, no experience needed, so go on over to her blog and volunteer, if you feel so inclined.

Hello Autumn!

I am loving the crispness in the air, wearing a jacket in the morning, and the golden hue in the sun's light. This time of year may just be my favorite (I have a hard time deciding between the first days of autumn or the first days of winter with new snow). Call me crazy, but I love to wear layers, snuggle up with some hot cocoa and a good book and enjoy the chill. And I love it even more because I haven't experienced it for a number of years. This is our first year in Idaho at autumn time. California (at least where we used to live) has autumn for about 3 days - it goes from 90 to 80 the first day, then on the second day from 80 to 70, then 70 to 60 on the third day, and then it starts to rain and is 50 and winter has arrived. For the last three days here, though, I have walked out the door and thought,"Oh, it's a little chilly," and that thought has brought a big smile to my face. It's time to start planning for Halloween costumes (I'm trying to convince Ryan that we should do a Peter Pan family theme. Little P as the Pan, Me as Tink or Wendy, Ryan as Captain Hook and Baby N as Smee - leave encouraging comments. Maybe we can persuade him.) and Thanksgiving dishes and Christmas gifts. It's time for butternut squash (one of my all time favorite foods) to be in season. I hope there's lots of it here in Idaho like there was in California. It's time to pull out the cold weather clothing. Hello Autumn! I'm so glad you're here!

And autumn has perfect timing - it was nice and sunny and warm when we went to the fair on Friday night - a perfect farewell to summer. And I didn't get too many pics because we were too busy eating yummy junk food like these "Tortatoes." Gotta Love Idaho potatoes! YUM!
p.s. Check out this good cause if you're in the Salt Lake area.

It's Me Again

Have you tried this yet?

Just a note to say that I'm back and next week I'll be back to my regular crafty posts.

And just what have I been doing in this blogging down time?

Potty Training - remember when we tried this a couple of months ago? It didn't work out so well then, but this time we are making progress! Hooray!

Weaning - not quite there yet with this one, but we are down to once a day and both of us are happy with that for now.

Purses - the wholesale order is finished and will be in the mail tomorrow. And I can't keep these things in the shop. (That is not a complaint!) And speaking of the shop, check out the new SALE section - time to clear out for the holidays...

Girls Day Out - Last Saturday a little retail therapy (where did this phrase come from? it so makes me laugh!) with Missy and Sandi. So much fun - must do again soon!

And I was supposed to do more house cleaning than I actually did- oh well...

Have a lovely weekend! We're going to the fair tonight (I'm hoping for some fun pics) and tomorrow we have a housewarming party (of one of Ryan's co-workers) to go to. What are your plans?