Hello...

Charlie just wanted to say hi to everyone...

Doesn't he look like he's on a webcam or something? I could look at this face all day. He is ours and we are his. And we don't still have our Christmas tree up if anyone noticed that...I took this the day after Christmas. Ta for now!

Scandinavia, anyone?

We're supposed to have an ice storm tonight. Yay! No, not yay at all. I lurve me some snow, but ice is a scary nuisance. We've already lost a few trees due to heavy wet snow--my mother may by physically ill if we lose any more (my grandfather planted them many moons ago, and we tend towards sentimentality in these here parts). I feel too antsy to cut and sew, and I'm annoyed at my never-ending afghan because I had to frog a few rows and am now right back where I was when I sat down tonight (I really should be mad at myself and not the poor afghan, but I feel like blame-shifting right now).

Winter always makes my mind wander towards Scandinavian things ("Gee. I wonder why" says the sarcastic voice in my head). I have these grand plans to decorate at least one room in my future house in this style, mainly in red and white, but sometimes blue is there too. In my mind it is always an attic bedroom, with a whitewashed floor and white beadboard walls, and those angled ceilings where you can only stand in the center of the room without cracking your noggin. The only thing of any color in this vision is the quilt that is on the bed. Since the quilt is the only thing I can do anything about right now, I'm considering fabrics for a quilt for my non-existent Scandinavian abode.

Usually they're red:

Scandinavian Farmer

Scandinavian Flowers

Sugar Pop Seed Pods

I wish this one was red on white--wouldn't it look like holly berries in the snow?

Sometimes they're blue:

Gypsy Garden Folk Art Birds

Scandinavian Birds and Trees

Scandi Snowflakes

 
Sometimes both:

Scandinavian Flowers

And sometimes neither:

Scandinavian Holiday Stripe

Scandi Stripe

There's just one little problem. I'm on a fabric buying cease-and-desist until I use some of what I have. So I guess I better get moving. Looking at pictures of pretty fabrics always gets me in the mood to sew anyway...

Be safe and stay warm--this storm looks like it's some kind of monster for a lot of people!

Purdy Paper Polyhedrons

I don't remember where I saw these originally, but I know I clicked on a link and ended up at the Heather Bailey blog:

When I see something like this, I have to make it immediately. If I were to see this at 3 a.m. I would get pretty annoyed that no craft stores would be open to satisfy these late-night cravings. So I headed straight to AC Moore to load up on Valentiney papers (which were on mega-sale--WOOT!). And a glue stick. I printed out the pattern from here, and set to work. I ended up using a cup to trace all those circles. Cutting them all out may be the least fun thing I've ever done. And I had a claw hand for a little bit until my scissors muscles relaxed. You know how I overdo things? Yeah....I cut out enough circles for eight of these in one sitting. That's 160 circles. Plus I had extra...a lot extra. I recommend smaller doses of these because by the time I got to the end I was just feeling done with it. But they did turn out cute:

  

I didn't add any little dangly things to the bottom (obviously) because I was just too excited to make one I didn't even want to consider embellishments (although they would have been cuter). My edges are a little...not as neat as they should be, but you can't really tell. I strung them up on some red ribbon, and now they are hanging in front of the kitchen windows.

I showed one of these to the nephew, and I prefaced it with "Do you want to see a shape I made that has twenty faces?" Math is his second language and it's a foreign one to me so I thought he'd be excited. I showed it to him, he looked at it, and went "Mmmm-hmmmm." I said "Don't you think that's awesome? It's made of paper and it has twenty faces!" The response: "It's okaaaayy...you're always trying to amaze me with things like that. It's not that amazing."

But I like them. I think their construction was pretty interesting, too. They look much brighter in person, but this is the worst window to take pictures near. It's always flooded with light so unless I climb onto the windowsill the pictures will be blah. I wouldn't make this many again, though. I think one would be cute at Christmas with some felt mistletoe or something--kind of like a kissing ball without the poisonous berries. If you choose to make any of these here's a tip on the link: it downloads a zip file to your computer. When you go to unzip it there are two pdf files in the folder. The second one (the larger of the two) is the one that contains the instructions. So if you click on the first file and get nowhere don't despair.

That's all I've got for now. Hopefully my nesting-doll project will be blog ready this week. Which is Bee-speak for "I'm going to start tomorrow." Have a deeee-lightful Monday! And can I get a collective "Reaallllyyyyy????" on the fact that January is already over? Where the h-e-double hockey sticks did it go?

Nope...no way I could help it...

You all know I'm experiencing an odd obsession with matryoshka dolls, right? So it shouldn't come as any surprise to you that, when presented with a specific project idea, I didn't even try to talk myself out of buying this:

I was going to start today, but after shoveling 16+ inches of snow I decided to be lazy instead. This weekend, hopefully. I ordered this fabric from Super Buzzy. I really like ordering from smaller shops and businesses instead of from your typical huge online retailers that don't really care about the product or the recipient's delight in receiving said product. I love getting these small-biz shipments because it's almost like unwrapping a gift to yourself. This one came with a little note of inspiration, and some Japanese candy:

I love how they also threw in that little "green" message at the bottom. Little touches like this really tickle me and make me more inclined to shop somewhere like this, even if they are pricier than other shops. The peach gummy on the right was delish. The other one left me feeling like I had licked a scented candle. I ate it anyway. I'm a trooper like that.

OK, so that's not so bad, right? A fabric in a theme I like, bought from a place I've been itching to buy from, for a project I saw that's adorable. It gets worse. Or should I say...better?

I tried to fight this next one. I even clicked away. But I could fight it no more and I'm completely geeked with my nonsensical purchase that I have no ideas for. Yet. It started off delightfully:

...and got better...

Yes, you're reading that right. It's tape. I love the whole Japanese Zakka thing going on...and I especially love the unique translation on the label. Here comes the best part. You might want to sit down.

I know, I know. I have no idea what I'm using it for. But I'm sure one day a situation will come along where someone will say "I really wish I had some pink matryoshka tape," and there I will be, saving the day, with three color options to boot. I couldn't bear to take the label off yet, though. I ordered this from the 'Felt Cafe' shop on Etsy. Again, small shop, small gesture that I love:

OK, I have to go listen to a flute recital. It's a riveting performance by an eight year old boy that features such classics as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Hot Cross Buns." Have a happy Friday!

OH! And I just hit 100 followers, and I'm almost at 200 posts. I smell a giveaway. Stay tuned!

Quilting Practice

I tend to go overboard sometimes. I won't lie. Why make one when I can make twenty? Never mind if I don't need any at all. But sometimes I get an idea in my head and I must go with it or I will literally lay (lie?) in bed thinking about it until it's out of my system. Such is the case with my weekend quilting adventures. I had a pile of lovely red and white scraps sitting on my sewing table for a few days, and thought "Hey, that would be a nifty quilt block!" I didn't have enough for a quilt, so I thought "Oooowwweeee potholders! Yesssss!" So I dug out a bunch of scraps and settled in for the afternoon.

First I decided to practice on a single square of fabric without any piecing, the front and back being the same (I haven't quilted anything in a looooong time). I am in love with this fabric but only had a small bit left--perfect for this project:

The binding isn't my favorite--red might have been a better choice. And it's reeeaaalllly stiff. I was using that Insul-bright stuff that has metallic something or other punched through to reflect heat or cold back to the source. I followed the directions and used two layers of that with some cotton batting in-between. I showed it to my mother, who thought it was a bit too stiff for a potholder. When I reread the directions, they recommended it for use in oven mitts, so there'd be one less layer. She told me she would gladly use it to set hot dishes on as the ones she has are falling apart from ages of use. 

This one is the reason I wanted to try making SOMEthing quilted--the colors just looked so cheery together.

It looks wonky on the bottom but it's really not--it's just the way I cropped the picture. The cherries and polka dots contrast is my favorite. So fresh and pretty! There is one thing I didn't notice until I was almost done, but seeing as what it's going to be used for it's no biggie:

This is really a blah picture but if you look closely at the stripes you can see it's more of an off-white instead of a true white that it's butted up against. But again--it's a hot pad. And we're drippers and sloshers around here so I'm not going to worry too much.

And this is the back: it looks like a picnic :)

Then I got carried away. I had bought a pack of coordinating fat eighths months ago, and decided that I must use every one of them. This is a little bit too busy but it all goes together anyway. It's just a LOT:

I'm not sure what I was thinking with this one. It probably would have been better if I had chosen two or three, but go big or go home is how I roll (haha) so there they ALL are. I'm a big fan of grid quilting--it's easy to do and I can use blue masking tape as a guideline. On the first two, because they were square, the quilting lines created squares. Because this one is for a casserole dish, more of a diamond pattern was created:

 

And here's the back:

Ummmm.....was there anything else.....AH! I used my walking foot for this because it was layer-licious. It definitely helped keep everything nice. I think the backs would have been way squiggly without it. If you look closely you can see my pitiful binding job. If any of these were quilts I would have hand-sewn the binding on. I've resigned myself to the fact that it just looks so much better (I hate hand-sewing). But for this I machine-sewed it and it's kind of icky. But by the time I get to the end of a project I'm eager to be finished. If I could get away with it I would leave all the ends hanging off of the afghans I make (isn't weaving in the ends the worst?).

Then I ran out of the insulated batting so I had to stop. Who knows what I would have come up with? I probably would have made a quilted hot water heater cover (which is one of the recommended uses of the stuff--true story) out of 572 circles that don't match.

Chins up, lovelies--it's Wednesday! We're halfway there!!

Stylin'...

So I had a day that was slightly less than fun. Something I can't even imagine experiencing happened to a co-worker of mine. It was on my mind all day, and as each new detail came about it just made my heart feel heavier. There was a point where I thought I was going to start crying at my desk. I came home and logged on, expecting to see the usual coupons and spam medicine ads in my email. Oh, they were there all right, but then I saw a note from Helen, aka Serendipity Child. She had sent me word, on a day that I needed it, that she was awarding me this:

This award does not come without its duties. I must:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave me this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

OK, then. Seven things.

1. My blog name--interestingly, I just (literally--JUST) got an email from someone asking how I came up with my blog name. I realized I had never shared where I came up with it, so here's the story:  When my nephew was born we were sitting around joking about what he would call me because it was proving impossible for all the kids in the family to say my name. They said I was going to be Aunt Bea--I rebelled against this because I kept thinking of Andy Griffith. Finally I told them that I would accept it as long as it was understood that it was b-e-e, not b-e-a. I could settle for being called something akin to an insect (?) that gets to roll around inside flowers all day. When I was trying to come up with a name for my blog I wanted to use Bee. As it happened, I was watching "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." One of the characters is Dee, and they call her Sweet Dee. So I kind of fused the two. Sweet Bee was already taken (by a blog that isn't even posted to, much to my annoyance) so I had to come up with something else, so I threw in the 'Buzzings.'

2. My favorite candy is the conversation heart. I've seen a ton of Valentine crafts using them, and all I can think of is what a waste of perfectly good hearts... On a side note, my favorite brand is Necco. This year, for the first time ever I can only find Brach's and Sweethearts. All 3 brands are very distinctly flavored, and Necco is the most superior, in my opinion. Their absence isn't thrilling me.

3. I love to read. I used to devour books, but then I got into crafting, so now I only sip at them. I do most of my reading just before bed. I've been seeing a lot of crafts where books are cut up and folded and glued into charming things. While they're adorable and pretty clever, I can never see myself destroying a book to create a decoration. I use my books as they are as decorative items--is there anything more charming and inviting than a stack of books just waiting to be explored?

4. I am single (although you probably gathered that). Other people seem to have more of a problem with it than I do, as if it's some unnatural state of being. I have fun in my world of all me-all the time. I get to do what I want, when I want. There are certain drawbacks (like when you need a wedding date) but for the most part I am perfectly happy. I'm probably overly picky, but the general consensus seems to be that the caliber of guy is not what it used to be.

5. I curse a lot. I try hard not to, but I can't help it, it's such a terrible habit. I try to vanquish it every year for Lent, but then I get in my car and game over. More curses have been uttered in my car than in any...place where you'd expect lots of cursing. I won't curse in print, though. It's like I really said it if I put it in a permanent state, whereas if I utter it it's gone.

6. I regret not asking more of my grandparents when they were alive. I can't imagine what I'd be able to do now if I had shown the slightest bit of interest in sewing when I was younger (my maternal grandmother was a seamstress and went to school for it). I realized late (but still in time) that I wanted to learn certain things, and my paternal grandmother has taught me most of them. The stories I could have heard, the lessons I could have learned...gone. There are many pictures and word-of-mouth stories around, but the treasures I could have collected will never be. This is probably why I'm constantly telling my nephew about how things were when we were kids.

7. OK. I'm going to admit something to you that you may consider odd, but you guys are so lovely and leave me such delightfully warm comments that I'd like to share. I live at home (I always thought that was a funny way to say it--where else would you live but at home?--I guess I should say I never moved out). It's fairly embarrassing as society tells you that you should be out by a certain age. But I don't know that I could live easily with a roommate, and I don't think I could live totally alone (I'd be the neurotic one sitting on the couch all night with a baseball bat, ready to swing at the slightest noise). And, hard as it can be to believe, I like my family, lol. I have instant opinions for anything I create or want to create, there's always someone to talk to, there's always food, lol, and my dad kills the big scary bugs. I'm not sure if it's a weird thing to feel weird about or if it's actually weird to still be home, but I wanted to share.

Sheesh, that ended up being wordy. And now I need fifteen blogs to award.

Madmoiselle Poirot
Michelle's Cozy Cottage
My Little Blogspot
Stuff By Ash
Sunshine and Chaucer
The Loops
Wildflowers and Whimsy
Simplify
Bunny Mummy
Kandipandi's Pad
Garden Peas and Fleas
Bored and Crafty
Between U and Me
Dreaming of a Country Home
Iron Violet Designs

Seriously--I could keep going. I purposely didn't choose the superblogs, though. You know the ones--they have 150 million followers and certainly don't need another mention. I chose smaller, cozy blogs, the ones where you really get a feel for the person behind the monitor. I hope you find a few that you enjoy as much as I do. And if you hate blog awards, you can just ignore me :)


OK, now I have to go send fifteen emails. Later, taters!

Super Simple Heart Garland

I had a bunch of pink felt left over from Christmas (I don't even KNOW why I had so much pink felt--I have no idea what I was going to make from it but when that fleeting idea paraded through my brain I probably thought it was going to be spectacular, if anything made from cheap-o acrylic felt can be spectacular). I didn't feel like doing anything requiring much thinking this past week, so I borrowed this idea and made my own version.

I only needed 4 sheets of felt (a red, a dark pink, a light pink, and a white) to get 99 hearts of just the right size for this. There should have been 100 but somehow I goofed and the red was shorted by one. It took maybe an hour to cut all of these out (I freehand terribly so I used a template from Google Images shrunk to the size (roughly 2 inches high and wide) I wanted as a guide), and about ten minutes to sew them all together.

I went from the dip in the heart to the point, instead of point-first. The first few are a little further apart then the rest because it took a few to find my groove to chain-stitch them together. I dig it big time:

Apologies for the blech lighting. We've been having ice, snow, rain and gloomy days. And when there's sunshine--my camera battery needs charging. Anybody else not feel like going to work tomorrow? Back soon, lovelies--I've been practicing my quilting! Ta for now!