The best present

Like any good quilter, I have bought and received many pin cushions. Being somewhat anal, I use different cushions for different pins. ( I see I've mixed a few up on this pincushion!) The chicken used to be my favorite. He sits next to me while I sew.I got this one in a secret sister exchange and love it also. It sits next to my design wall so my pins, or at least not quite as many, don't hit the floor. It is a folded star shaped into a pin cushion.
This pin cushion is also a trash container. I have a fancy pattern for one of these things and have every intention of using it.....someday! In the meantime, I used a child's blue jean pant leg, a bag with flour and whatever else I stuffed in there, and a few straight pins and VIOLA' a fancy schmancy pincushion/trash container. This guy has been moved and now sits to my left when at my machine. That way if I decide to throw thread away left or right (trash can) it doesn't hit the floor quite so often.
I even own the requisite tomato pincushion. This guy sits on my cutting table or ironing board. I also have another holding only safety pins but didn't take a picture of it. But BY FAR the best pin cushion I now own is from my nephew SportsGuy. He chose it himself at his schools "buy secret gifts for your family" shop. ( I have no idea what it's called) Don't ya just love it! It now holds all of my needles so I don't have to wreck my eyes searching my bazzilion of other pin cushions!

It came filled with thread, needles (which will soon be on the pin cushion), safety pins and buttons! Cool huh!Bet you all wish SportsGuy was your nephew after seeing such a cool gift! This one is going to sit on my shelf with all of my other hand sewing things. The next time I need to find just the right sized needle I will know exactly where to look!

Stash Enhancing Busting Report

I haven't busted a thing over the past few weeks. Well, I did get my 1st clue FINALLY finished for the Quiltville mystery and I started and finished the stitchery from my last post. However, it is totally negated by the fact that I bought the above. Doesn't it look like Hanukkah fabric? I bought it, in all places, at Joanns. We obviously didn't have it here in our rinky dink store so I felt the need to buy all they had. I have no idea how many yards is there, I never even looked, asked or checked. I just love it though. It is an Alexander Henry fabric and it was something like $3/yd. I don't feel one ounce of guilt in buying this fabric. I think that's the entire point of this little business of stash busting. It is not feeling guilty for the occasional purchase but at the same time not buying everything in sight. Plus, being a glutton for punishment, and after complaining about the round one, I bought the heart shaped yo-yo maker. I needed to see if it would be easier on shapes then on the circle. If not I will be crowned with the "duh" award of the year because not only did I not like the round maker and am giving it away, I paid full price for this one! I would have waited for it to go on sale but I haven't been able to find these things in any of our local stores.

Home is Good

I love to visit family but there is no place like home. We had the usual lovely time with the actual travel aspect; airline & weather delays, racing between terminals in Houston with seconds to spare...but we made it there and back in one piece and all is well. Family time was wonderful. We must have taken 300 photos over the course of a few days and I can't wait to scrapbook them. All in all it was fun. However, I am really, really ready to get back to normal. Our schedules have been nuts for at least the last month and I want to get back to the humdrum of everyday life.

I did meet my goal on finishing a stitchery while gone. I came home last night, woke up this morning, bordered it and it is now finished! World record for me, start to finish in 9 days. I did buy some fabric while away but it is something that I've not seen here and I don't feel one ounce of guilt. I take a picture and post it tomorrow. MIL bought me this book and this book. I am thrilled! I can't wait to actually put the designs to good use. In case you are interested, Pam Clarke has her own website for additional items. TTFN

Brrrr

So OKAY ALREADY! I've become a Texan! It's snowing here in Ohio and I am cold! Obviously nothing quilty going on.....Talk to you all when I return. Have safe travels, make wonderful memories and most of all, take loads of pictures to share with us on the flip side!

Lookee

I.
See my new banner??!! Cool huh! Both the banner and the fact that I am
A. old enough to have been married 25 yrs
B. young enough to be enjoying the next 25 yrs
C. lasted this long
D. haven't killed DH
E. haven't been killed by DH
F. still love him
and MOST importantly
G. HE still loves me!

II.
Lost another 1.5 lbs. just in time to go and celebrate with family!!! Whew! Hopefully the scales won't be too tilted when I get home! Didn't quite make it to where I wanted but that will NOT stop me. Look out Pizza Oven!

III.
Haven't touched my last borders on my quilt. I have however been trying to cut circles with the Easy Circle Cut by EZ Quilting. This has been an expensive little experiment. THe 45 mm rotary cutter (common size one, not the very large one) doens't work with the 2 & 3" circles. Bought an 18 mm.....too shallow of a cut with the template. Bought the 28 mm.....eehhh! (said like Aunt Janice when being asked how the pie tastes). It works but not so good. Suggestions?????

IV.
Since I can't seem to cut circle quickly for yo-yo's, I'll be working on a stitchery. My goal is to finish it before I come home. I've done it before so I know it isn't impossible.

V.
WHY do we need everything we own when we pack to go away!??? G-d forbid we should be without something!! Like I'm going to the wilds of Africa and there aren't stores if I forget anything!

Oooo! Stashbusting!

Oooooo! STASHBUSTING!! After months of kvetching about not sewing...I AM SEWING! It's like being a kid in a candy store; I just can't seem to stop...or be happy with just one! This week I...

1. cut and pieced an entire front! This is an unheard of accomplishment for me. I even added most of the borders! WHOO HOO! This was no small feat because I was determined NOT to buy any additional fabric and had to make what I had work. I also decided that I lie. I am not willing to share the picture of my quilt until at least the top is finished. I need to add one more border tonight (there is another border already added that is not in this picture) and then I'll show and tell. In the meantime, here is a teaser

This is the next border being created............

One more border needs to be added and then I'll share the entire photo.

2. started the mystery quilt being hosted by Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. I don't usually enjoy mystery quilts but I have mounds of 1 1/2" strips already cut and not earmarked for anything. I am making this from strips leftover from a log cabin quilt so I have a variety of sizes. I have it all set up so I can mix and match. It would sure be faster using all the same sized strips! (see my perfect, wonderful, amazing Hanukkah present...the mp3 docking station. I LOVE it!)

3. decided I am not thrilled with the round Clover yo-yo maker. Am I missing something? It is easier to just do them on my own. Please comment.

4. got hand projects ready for travel

5. CLEANED up after myself!

I did have to go out and buy floss for my hand stitcheries. I suppose I could have just used the "wrong" color but just didn't want to. I am too anal to not use the color listed.

Oh and by the way... had to laugh at the picture of Ms. S and I (scroll down to the previous post). I am wearing one of my uniforms!

I'm proud of us....

...and not afraid to brag or accept kudo!!! Between Mrs. S and myself we've lost 110 lbs!!!!!!! Here we are at her wedding last October.

Here is us in July.....

...and here we are tonight.

Proud, proud, PROUD! I also think we both look much younger. Getting the weight of is the easy part. I just don't want to gain it again...IT IS SO EASY TO DO! (If you go back up and look at Ms. A...well, she is just disqusting! She is THIN! We tease her all the time that we don't know where she came from! ) But it is so weird to look at pictues of myself. I know that is me, I was there! It's just ...well, I don't FEEL like I look. I am by no stretch of the imagination thin. But when I look at pictures it boggles my mind. My self image is f-a-t! Maybe this public log will help to keep me on track for the long run. I mean my face, my much thinner face, is now out there is cyberville for all to see. I would sure hate to disappoint the millions that read my blog and gain all that weight back!

On the quilty front.....

I'm working on Bonnie Hunters mystery and almost have my retreat top done. I've changed my tune and am willing to post unfinished things so once I get the borders on I'll post my progress. It feels SO GOOD to be sewing again.

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah!

It's been a busy, crazy, tension filled but successful week and a big YEE. HA. WHOO. HOO. My party is over and seemed to go well. We celebrated Hanukkah as a family (Ms. A came home overnight so we could be together as a family for one night of Hanukkah.) I managed to eat everything I shouldn't have and the instant 5 lbs. is showing on the scale (it's not real weight but it's annoying nonetheless.) BUT, with this week over, I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders! For the next week I have nothing to do but clean house, sew and get ready for vacation. I am so relieved.

I thought I'd share pictures we took on Weds. night. I might be prejudice but I really think I have the most wonderful family ever! We had so much fun opening gifts. We decided this year to only buy "what was within our means." In other words, I didn't want the girls going crazy on us. I really don't enjoy buying presents so it let me off the hook to go very simple this year. We have this thing about wrapping presents. We are always running so late that it doesn't get done....we don't like to waste the paper... and generally we are lazy. Many years ago we began to use "instawrap." Instawrap is grocery bags, reused gift bags proclaiming the wrong event (happy graduation on Hanukkah, etc.), anything that will cover the gift but isn't' wrapping paper. We get really silly with this sometimes. One year for my birthday, DH used a Hanukkah gift bag, undies as tissue paper and a lighter as a candle on my cake! It made for a great scrapbook page!!!! This year we hadn't planned on getting together as a complete family at all. On Mon. Ms. A called and said she'd be home Weds. It was a mad dash. Actually, I already had a box to mail to her ready to go but dinner and everything else was crazy! We didn't even eat until 8:30 because Mrs. S is in school. None of us wrapped our presents....at all! Mrs. S put my gift in a Bath and Body works bag, I didn't even put a bow on the luggage I bought her and Mr. Fancypants and Ms. A put Mrs. S's gift in a bag and used a bed pillow as the tissue! We had a blast! We had to keep running out of the room to get the next gift! The gifts couldn't be in one room....nothing was wrapped! Fun, fun, fun~~~Chaotic to some....just plain family for us!

Since beginning this this morning, DH took me shopping. He bought me a docking station for my mp3 player and a new chair for sewing! I have no excuses left. Expect a quilty post tomorrow!

Happy Hanukkah to all of my Jewish friends and to those of you that celebrate Christmas, hang it there! Santa will be here very soon!!

Luggage tags..again

A number of people have asked for the pattern for the luggage tags. Well, I've been contemplating making a tutorial on them. There have been so many generous quilters out there that I would like to give something back. Give me a little bit and I will get it posted. I already have taken the pictures. It is not a published pattern to begin with (as far as I know). Plus I really changed the original alot. Again, give me to the end of the week to get it posted.

GOOD GRIEF IS THIS FUNNY!

TOTALLY NOT ABOUT QUILTING!
Oh my goodness! I cannot stop laughing! You have to make your own! Every time I see this I nearly fall out of my chair again!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1157042969

Stashbusting Sunday...on Monday

I finished all of the luggage tags and mailed my Pay it Forward!!! (I have two openings still if you are interested in playing). I'm waaaay ahead of the game. Here they are all finished....all 22 of them.

I need to apologize in advance ladies. I don't have the time right now to visit all of your blogs and checkup on your stashbusting triumphs. Keep it up the rest of the week and I'll check back next week. I may post quickly this week, but really have to buckle down and get things done. That will require limited computer time.

Mad doesn't cover it

As a mitzvah project for our school, we are collecting items for a soldier in Afghanistan. His wife is an assistant at our school. We are also collecting money to help defray the costs of postage. I left 5 - 1$ bills, intended to be used for postage, in a clothes pin clip, on my file cabinet. They were gone when I got to work on Friday. Mad would not be a word I use to describe how I feel. This is donation money. It's like stealing from the Salvation Army bucket!

1. Everyone working at my school is entrusted with children! We trust them to take care of them, be aware at all times, and teach them the right way to do things. Stealing would not be one of those traits we would like to instill in our children. How can we trust our employees with our children if we can't trust them with a lousy $5. (the money was taken after school hours, during daycare, when there are a number of very young girls employed. Plus, my room is out of the way, in the back and not readily available to the general public. In other words, you either need a reason or a purpose to be in my room. The girls cut through my room and also use the restroom. Parents almost never come to my room because it's in the back and they generally have no reason to come back there)

2. I went up to all the young girls that work there, one by one, gave them my best "I'm not sure if you did it or not stare" and told them, "Someone took donation money from my cabinet. Tell all of your friends that if they are hungry, come see me and I'll feed them. If they need money for bills, come see me and I'll help if I can. If they want a diet coke, they are in my refrigerator. If they just took the money to have it, Shame on them!" Every "little girl" that I talked to gave me those big "ok Mrs. H," eyes....like OH MY GOSH!, "I hope she doesn't think """I""" took it!" (these little girls are all 18-19 yrs. old) This was the exact effect I wanted to have on them. The "she thinks I did it but I didn't" complex. This will get them talking to all the other girls and perhaps they will figure it out on their own who took it and admonish the culprit!

3. It's not the money, it's the principle.

4. So I figured if they were in my room once, they'll be back. I posted this "note" on paper as big as the entire wall. I plan on removing it during the school day and re posting every night before I leave. Maybe I'll just embarrass the culprit enough to not do it again. If not, at least I feel better.

Stashbusting Sunday

Uhmmmm.... This week I didn't even remember I had a sewing room let alone needed to stashbust! I did turn a few of the bazzillion luggage tags I made but that's about it. What I did do was this
I added the labels to 4 sides of 150 dreidles for my school party this week. DH glued them all together and a friend and I put the labels on. I wish I were the sort of person that could come up with ideas that were NOT adult time intensive. I'ts overwhelming! I know the children enjoy the projects but it's wearing me out! I was so stressed this past week (about this upcomig party) that I needed to feel better about myself. So, I went out and had beautiful nails attached to my horrid looking ones. I may be feeling nuts and overwhelmed but my hands look good! (note to self....next year, attach the sticky back labels BEFORE having fake nails attached to fingers.)