I Want, I Want, I Want!!!

Paige Baker is hosting a neat giveaway on her blog. I want to win one of these three items of the ten items being given away.

Wish me luck, and I'll wish you luck (but not as much luck as I'll wish myself).

Knitted Hats - Fun Colors!

I got myself a couple of orders and have followed through with them. Now, to get them to their rightful owners...and safely and surely. Sometimes this part is tough...even when the post office is involved (that's actually when it gets scary.)

Dwindling Stash = A Bag

I don't really have a lot in my stash (what's pictured isn't all of it, but maybe close to a third of it...so...not much...but enough to provide great entertainment).

I gave this morsbag pattern a try...

...and with some minor adaptations, I really love it. I didn't add the tag, because I had no way of doing that and was sort of in a crunch for time. (It definitely took me longer than 30 minutes...but that's the fun about dawdling, right?!)

I really liked the approach the pattern had to the handles.

And strengthening them was fun, too. I discovered a way to make it look "perfect," without having to pick up and raise the needle. Math pays off.

I sewed a triangle on the corners, because I thought it would be more functional that way (this is one of the changes I made to the pattern).

And it turned out pretty nice, if I say so myself. I just might make more!

100th Post: Giveaway Winner

Remember I was hosting a giveaway?

So...I definitely forgot what day it was. Really? Is it July 30 already? But that's okay I got a little side tracked, there is still a lucky winner! The lucky winner for the giveaway is Trisha B over at Squishy Crafts.

Congratulations, Trisha! I'm totally excited for you. I think the bracelets are going to look great with your new pink hair. :)

And for anybody who is interested in ordering one, I still have a couple of both the April Rain and May Flowers bracelets for sale on my ArtFire.

Baby Hat with Ear Flaps

Remember, I had been working on a baby hat? Well, third time really was a charm in this case.

I love how it turned out.

Home to Sleep Only

For almost a week now, we've only been in our home half of those nights to sleep only. It's the princess' last week here...so it's cram time. Swimming, swimming, more swimming, getting nails done, swimming, more swimming, and she wants to learn golf...so that might be thrown onto the list.

Looks like not only will we be missing her, but so will the new kittens.

In between all that swimming I'm trying to get a hat knitted, but it's not going as planned...maybe third time is a charm...

But, the little pirate has been getting me super excited with his drawings. "Look, Mommy! It's Larry!!!" It's Larry the Cucumber (one of the Veggie Tales' Pirates Who Don't Do Anything) that got him hooked to piratsy.

(I promise he did this all on his own without any help.)

Baby Mittens

Pattern from Malin Knits.

Raw(e) Desserts - For Real Raw!

My raw(e) photo this week. Topic: Desserts. We eat a lot of berries as dessert. Sometimes drizzled with homemade chocolate syrup, and sometimes plucked right from the bush to be eaten on the spot.

Coloring

These are my ultimate favorite markers.

I got them when I lived in Germany, and am unsure if they can be purchased in the states. I don't know what I'm going to do when they dry up (although, they seem to be lasting forever, because I haven't been to Germany in almost 10 years).

I was using them for the lettering on this picture I drew of my husband (Janel's Journal Prompt #3).

The little pirate is fascinated with them as well.

His Journal Prompt #3 (a person he loves) ends up being Aang: The Last Airbender...that's what he said anyway.

Thread Stash

I want to win some thread. You can enter to win some new Amy Butler & Kaffe Fassett Thread from Sew, Mama, Sew! Deadline: Thursday, July 15. So hurry up and do it! Or don't, and leave me with a larger chance of winning.

This giveaway has left me with an interesting option to post my thread stash on my blog, here, and answer some questions about my thread stash. Something I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. So, that's cool!

How did you select colors for your personal thread collection?
The colors in my stash are because I matched them with fabric for projects I've done in the past.

Do you always match the color perfectly to your project?
No, I do not always match the color perfectly to my project. I haven't bought any thread in a long while, as I want to use what I have, so I try to find a color from my stash that matches or looks fine with a current project.

Do you ever use contrasting thread?
I'm not really sure what this means. Perhaps it is asking, "Do you ever use white thread when using black fabric?" In that case, yes...see answer above.

Do you use the same color in the bobbin as the upper thread?
I try to use the same color in the bobbin as the upper thread, but as my stash is dwindling, I sometimes have a different color on the bobbin. Or if it's just a quick thing and the thread isn't even showing, due to laziness, I might just throw some thread on the machine, not really paying attention to the colors.

What if a fabric has big areas of very different colors?
I seem to have found that I typically can't go wrong on any project by using cream colored thread, or black.

Do you have any tips or suggestions about choosing thread?
I absolutely do not have tips or suggestions about choosing thread. I most likely need tips and suggestions more than giving them.

Can you show us a picture(s) of your thread collection?
Sure thing. Here is a picture of my thread "collection!" For hard core sewers and seamstresses, I bet my collection and storage sets with them in all the wrong ways. :) I would love for my husband to build me a neat little spool stand, but he's busy, and this works for me right now.

Do you ever buy thread because you fall in love with the color (without a particular project in mind)?
If my budget allowed, most likely. There was one time when I had some extra money, and I bought one of those color changing threads because I felt I couldn't live without it. It went a long way and I ended up making neat notebooks for my step-daughter's class with it. And using it for several other projects. It's all used up now. If I have any extra money on me these days...I purchase an iced chai...my momma impulses surpass any creative impulses.

Do you “invest” in thread?
I'm pretty sure  my pictures shows you that I don't "invest" in thread...no matter what "invest" means in this question.

What types of thread do you have? (elastic, quilting, all-purpose, wool, etc.)
I think it's made up of a bunch of nylon or polyester...those are the cheap ones, right? Elastic thread! That sounds awesome.

New Kittens

Here are some pics of our new kittens. My husband is the director of Camp McFadden (still one week of summer camp...registration is still open). He found these kittens in the barn on Monday. They kept getting thinner and thinner as the week went along, so he brought them home on Friday. They have beefed up quite a bit in the past couple of days.

Another Dishcloth

Pattern from TwistedLoops

Relaxing Day

The little pirate and I basically chilled out all day.

We made waffles for breakfast. With berries and real maple syrup (not that stuff made from corn syrup, but the real deal that costs something like $7/bottle...so yum).

We made mushroom burgers and wheat crackers for lunch, with cantaloupe.

We made hummus to go along with our fresh garden vegetables for dinner.

In between then, I knitted a dishcloth.

The little pirate drew all over himself (his chin, legs and arms were covered in green pen).

And we played in the rain.