It's going to be one of THOSE day!

You know that kind of day where you know it's not worth even thinking about getting dressed? It's one of those days here.

The first big total-household round of sickness for the season has hit. Though I can't complain too much. I did sleep really well last night thanks to a combination of behind-the-counter NyQuil and Afrin nasal spray (I really hate that stuff but it works so well!).

While I was out picking up cold medicine I also bought the makings of a big pot of chicken noodle soup. I've also got some bananas that are begging to made into bread. Sounds like a plan. Good food for sickies.

So other than doing that bit of cooking, I can guarantee I'll be curled up on the couch, in my jammies, piled with quilts, watching movies and stitching and stuffing animals for the order I'm working on.

I really hope my new round of Netflix movies arrive today so I'm not stuck with whatever movies they have on tv. This is totally one of those times I wish we had cable tv!

Oh, and hey! Thanks to those who voted in the poll!!

I've had a few people tell me they voted for "no faces" but then found they liked the ones with faces once they saw them. You know what? The same happened to me!

Oh no! She didn't!

Oh yes, I did. :-D



A.K.A- When crafty people get bored.



Isn't she cute though?

Shop Talk as well as misc chatter

We have Valentine's Day on the brain over at Collage. We'd love for you to check out our newest offerings and see if you don't just fall in love! (New items are available for preview until they're released for sale at noon eastern today!)



Speaking of love, we just celebrated the 7th birthday of my son, Mason, last Thursday. He's such a sweet, little guy! Can you believe that his requested birthday presents were a super soft blanket, a gameboy game, and candy. Those things together are his idea of a good time.

Oh...also! Book love! I have been coveting this book for the longest time. I finally got my hands on it and I adore it! I'm totally jonesin' for some spare time so I can play!!

I also read this book recently and it, too, was wonderful. I just love Louisa May Alcott's stories. I don't know how this one managed to evade me until now!



And another little something I'm completely in love with is the quilt I received in the Four Seasons' Quilt Swap. Look how absolutely at home it looks on my wall! Thank you, so much, Courtney!! (you can click on the picture for a larger version)

I'll try to not be so scare this week! :-)

Crossing things off the list!

Whew! That overwhelmed feeling is passing. Things are getting crossed off the list one by one. And I'm feeling much better. :-)

I've been working like a busy bee and it's paying off. Don't you just love the way it feels when you can cross things off the list?

The only thing that would make me happier is if the post office were open today so I could get these guys outta here!



As you can see, I've been in Bendy-land lately. Lots and lots of bendy dolls. You'd think I'd be sick of them by now, huh? But, while I do appreciate the fact that the next few things on my list are not bendy dolls, I still love them.



This last order included some bigger bendy dolls. They're all about 4.5" tall. Usually when I make dolls this size they're the adults in bendy families. I had a hard time envisioning them as requested: fairies and princesses and such, similar to the smaller dolls. My mind kept saying, "No! Bigger dolls are moms and dads!". I am so pleased with how they turned out though.

Sorry for the packaging. I had already packaged them before I remembered I hadn't taken a picture yet.



There are a couple bendies that have made their way to the shop. And before long I'll have a new sock dolls to add to stock as well. I've had several requests for more and promised I'd put them on the list. And, well, I am making progress on that list!!! I am so excited by this! I really hate feeling behind. Catching up is a good thing!

Back in the Saddle

Life seems to have transitioned back to normal. The house is back in order. My back has mostly healed (I didn't mention it but I pulled something in my back and it's taken a good 2 weeks to recover). We're very close to resuming our homeschooling schedule. And I'm getting back to crafting.



I don't have much to show for my return to crafting just yet. I dyed 5 yards of felt over the weekend though. And I have a pile of wrapped bendy doll bodies whom I will be working on finishing over the next few days.

I've also been on a mission to shrink up any of the new felt yardage that's made it way into my stash recently. And then I did something stupid. I forgot what led to the last time I had to make a new cover for my ironing board. Red felt. And since I forgot, I did it again.



You see, when I shrink felt (which makes it much thicker and nicer!) I wet it and toss it into the dryer. I don't dry it all the way. I take it out when it's still damp and then iron it smooth again, which dries it almost completely. Wet red felt = a big red stain on the pretty ironing board cover. As soon as I did it I remembered that I had done this before!

On another note, I think I've mentioned my odd little book collection here before. I love books that have dolls who are alive as the main characters. Not creepy, spooky dolls-more along the lines of Raggedy Ann, Hitty, etc.

About a week ago Isabelle and I went to the bookstore. We were browsing the children's books and this book caught my attention. It was on the shelf with its cover facing out and I suspected it might just be my kind of book. Well I read it last night and absolutely loved it!! So much that I actually cried more than once while reading it. If you get a chance, I highly recommend The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I plan to start reading it to the children tonight.

Happy New Year's Eve!

The quilt is all finished and is available for preview at Collage. It will be available for purchase at noon eastern time.

I received a new camera for Christmas and was really looking forward to a lot less struggle. So far it hasn't proven to be any easier, though it is a much nicer camera than I had previously (7.2 mega pixels vs 2 mega pixels). It has *so many* settings it makes my head spin. It has settings for splashing water, candlelight, text, faces, etc. Unfortunately it doesn't have a setting labeled "baby quilt" or "fabric".

I've been taking pictures for the past two and a half hours and have finally decided that those I've taken are good enough. There are many more pictures shown in the listing. Do they look ok to you?

It seems the camera has focussed well at the center but it gets sort of blurry toward the edges. Or have I been staring so long I can't see straight anymore?

What are your New Year's Eve plans? We'll be heading over the the in-law's like we do most years. They just live a couple blocks away...very convenient. I'll indulge in my yearly shrimp-fest. Though this year I'll be creating my own low-carb cocktail sauce so I can eat shrimp til I burst with little guilt attached. And, of course, we'll be banging pots and pans outside at midnight. I think I still love doing that as much as the children do!

It's supposed to snow today. Maybe sleet mixed with now. We're hoping for all snow. I love how bright the light that comes in through the windows is so bright when there's a layer of snow on the ground. We can't count on a good snow every year here in St. Louis. We're often right on that dividing line between snow and rain, which usually results in sleet and ice. And while we do see our share of flurries, it's a big deal if we get enough snow to fully cover the grass. This little snow will almost certainly leave blades of grass still peeking through. But the kids will still have their faces pressed up to the windows, nonetheless.

I had a basket of oranges here that were rejected as snacks due to their sour taste. Hey, they were on sale! I had been planning to slice them and dry them but have taken my time getting around to it. Simmy's productivity has me inspired and I'm happy to say they're in the oven.



I finished this dollhouse family (adults are 4.5", children are 2.5") for an order. And I was going to say that I had just finished listing some bendy dolls in the shop but they've been swooped up as I've been typing this post. I do have a few more to finish up that I'll be listing sometime today so there will be more.

Bribery

I've got a scathingly brilliant idea! (Can anyone guess which of my favorite movies that line is from? Hint: It's from 1966.)

Ok, I'll start at the beginning. It's a little pouty and pathetic at the beginning but it get's better. So stick with me.

Remember this flickr group I began way back when I first started putting patterns and tutorials on my blog? Well, only dear dear Bettsi came to play with me. And I get a little sad about it every once in a while because there's nothing I love more than a crafty party. And if it weren't for Bettsi it would be my 14th birthday party all over again (that's the one that no one showed up for).

Do you hear the violins playing their melancholy tune? Good. Then the stage is set for the good part.

A giveaway!!! (I just sort of blurted that out, huh? Perhaps I didn't need so much build up if I was going to do that!)

The rules: If you use one of those patterns or tutorials over there in the left sidebar between now and Christmas and share a picture at the flickr group, you're name will go in the hat. Don't forget the .pdf patterns. They count too! And feel free to modify them to your needs. It's all good!

I don't know what the prize will be, but it'll be good. OOOH!!!! (yes, I stopped typing to flap my hands in that happy-excited sort of way!) I do know what it will be!!! And it is good!!! But let me make it first, then I'll show you. I'll give a hint though: it's quilty!

I'll be completely honest, too. Pouting about how no one (except for Bettsi!) would come play with me wasn't really what inspired this idea. Actually it came to mind because Christmas is on a strict budget here this year. And I know it is for lots of other people too. We're planning lots of handmade gifts. And I was thinking that perhaps those patterns and tutorials might prove handy for the holidays. Especially since I'm always happy to help if you get a little stuck along the way!

So get to crafting! And then come show me!!!! The drawing will be on New Year's Day (since that's always such a boring, do-nothing day.)

Oh, and if you have already made something and would like to share a picture that counts too. Everyone's invited to the party.

Just another Tuesday

"Another Tuesday" as in I'm finally getting to the stuff I'd planned to start on yesterday! But somebody had to do some housework around here. Turns out my middle name is Somebody.

Gearing up for a change of pace around here...new projects ready to go!

Thought I'd share a few things I'm loving these days:

1. This sweet gingerbread house to decorate online. (Thanks, Jenny!!)

2. This amazingly beautiful dress makes my heart all fluttery! And, yes, I need the pantaloons too! I wish she had the pattern available NOW. But it's definitely good motivation for the diet as I'm not so sure it would be quite as adorable on my body as it is on her body.


3. New, blue glasses that are fun and were very, very affordable. Please pardon the bizarre expression on my face. Self portraiture is not one of my talents.

a busy, busy day

(It's definitely worth the effort to click that picture and make it bigger. The sparkle shows up much better)

The Annie twins now have finished Christmas outfits. Well, all except my Annie needs her wings still. I ran out of pre-stained fabric.

And speaking of pre-stained fabric...

I was asked for a tutorial on how I stain fabric for that "prim" (aka primitive, but cuter) look. Ask and you shall receive!

Another question I was recently asked (but I couldn't reply via email so everyone gets the answer) was if I am taking orders for next Christmas.

And then I realized I wasn't very clear when I posted this.

Because, really, I'm pretty caught up right now. Unbelievable, but true. I'm busy for the next 5-7 days. But then I'm done. At the end of my list.

Now if I were to begin something big, like a nativity set, it would be 10-ish days before I finished. And then by the time it got to wherever it was going, it would almost be Christmas.

So it seems sort of late to me for something like that. Because I know *I* would want something like that by the day after Thanksgiving at the latest. Maybe I'm a spaz about stuff like that though. I'm willing to admit. A little.

Bottom line is that I am still accepting orders. Most orders I can guarantee in time for Christmas. And if I were at the point where I had reached my limit, I'd say. But we're not there yet.

However, something big, like a complete nativity set, I'm not sure I can have finished in time for Christmas. I'd try (hard!). But I can't promise. But if that's ok, I'd happily accept your order.

Click to download my Doll/Animal price list (opens in Adobe Acrobat). (There is no charge for baby Jesus with a nativity set).

Oh, I was also asked about a back view of this quilt. You know I love those backs! But I didn't take a picture of this one because I used a small floral print with a green backround. And I can't get my camera to show the stitching. If you really want to see you'll just have to come by for a peek (and tea and snackies, of course!).

And did you see who left a comment on that quilt's post? The lady who designed the fabric! ACK! Do you think she noticed how badly I messed up the layout of those squares? I managed a couple big mistakes in laying out 16 whole squares. Yes, I did.

I was in such a hurry to get to the quilting that I did a very poor job laying them out. I assumed no one would look that closely. I could be wrong though. I'm so embarrassed!

In a nutshell...

Finished a Peter Pan bendy set for an order.

Caught a cold (bleck!).

Gotta go to the grocery store (bleck again!).

Working on Christmas Annie outfits.

Added more bendies (girls)to the shop.

Making some boys tonight.

Bead order has NOT arrived YET (grrrr!).

That is all.

A day of baking and stitching

Today is going to be a *big* baking day. I did this two weeks ago (spent about 5 hours baking) and it worked really well. Everything lasted just about 2 weeks. And it was so handy to just keep pulling stuff out of the freezer. So I'm doing it again.



I just pulled 2 loaves of banana bread and 2 loaves of cranberry bread from the oven. I've got about 5-6 loaves of whole grain bread rising. And I plan to make pumpkin bread, granola, and possibly cookies but the time the day's through.



Today's stitching project is to finish the nativity set...or come as close to it as humanly possible. The angel is finished. And all the other bodies are ready to be dressed and finished. So it could happen.





The animals, however, are finshed. The camel and donkey are both 4" tall. The cow is 3.25" tall. And the sheep is 2.5" tall. I'm in the midst of embroidering a blanket for the camel's back.

Hopefully I'll be back to post tonight about successes in both baking and stitching.

Weekend plans and secrets revealed

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far! We're having gorgeous autumn weather with temperatures in the low 60s. It's that kind of weather that makes you want to open the windows and scrub the house shiny.

There won't be too much scrubbing going on here this weekend. The bare minimum, actually. Instead there will be lots and lots of stitching. I've got some orders to work on (I just sent off the order pictured) and a few more things to finish up for my etsy shop.

Also, weekends have become baking time around here. Last Sunday I baked myself silly: 3 loaves of whole grain bread, 3 loaves of pumpkin bread, 5 dozen muffins, 3 dozen mini muffins, and a pan of weird brownies that ended up crumbled in some banana muffins. The freezer is still well stocked except for bread. I'll need to make more tomorrow.

Speaking of bread, I finally found (thanks to a net-friend's recommendation) the *perfect* whole grain bread recipe. It's the best ever, I think. Soft and spongy. Totally worth the little bit of extra work.

On another note, I'd like to chat a bit about my patterns. I'm often asked about my patterns for things you may see throughout my blog that I don't have listed over there in my free patterns and tutorials. Please know if the rambling I'm about to do doesn't answer a question you may have, just ask. I'm not bringing it up because I don't want to be asked. Rather I'm bringing it up because I'm asked so much that I can only assume there are many people who are wondering but haven't asked.

So here's the deal- Some patterns are pretty easy for my to create and explain. I love sharing and these patterns are the perfect thing for me to share.

But I haven't shared them all. And the biggest reason for that is that I have this (silly?) dream of one day writing a crafty book. Or at the very least making some patterns available for sale. Also, many of my patterns are in a very rough state. Some are literally cut up sketches and nothing more. There's a lot of work that would need to go into some before they were presentable.

The book thing is the big dream though. Unfortunately I haven't the slightest clue how to go about pursuing this dream.

I'd also have to figure out how to present them more professionally first. Handwritten, hand-drawn scans are fine for here (though I'd like nicer here too), but not good enough for *the big dream*.

So, anyway, that's why I have a stash of patterns that I haven't shared. I want to be prepared just in case my secret big dream should ever have the chance to become a reality.

Another little quilt and Hitty says "Hi!"

I've finally exhausted my supply of this fabric line so go ahead and sigh in relief. :-)

This little quilt is 23"x23" and is made up of 2" squares.

And now that that's done, I've decided to join Vicki in her quest to Finish What You Have

I've been doing some autumn deep cleaning and rearranging. I've overtaken another hall closet and filled it with sewing stuff (when, oh when, will my sewing room be completed?!?) and I've put away my sewing machine. No more permanent sewing nook in the living room. It just got messy too fast and stayed messy too easily.


While cleaning and putting all that stuff away in its new home I collected all the unfinished projects and corralled them all into my biggest basket. The plan is to devote my efforts to that basket. In it we have:

3 half-finished quilts (at the quilting stage) ONE FINISHED

fabrics set aside for a quilt for Mason (robots and space fabrics!)

a blank EFA doll (body sewn and stuffed)

a collection of granny squares (might just make it a baby blanket and call it done)FINISHED

2 Hitty Club shipments (the dressform kit, dress with bonnet pattern, and her ladderback chair)

a knitted wrap

several tea cozies

3 mini quilts that need embroidery and/or quilting

a crocheted dishcloth FINISHED

and somewhere around here there's a half-finished Annie embroidery that will make it into the basket when I find her.

So that's what I'll be up to in the near future!

Four Seasons Quilt Swap

My package came the other day. :-) I love getting swap mail.

This beauty was made for me by Sheila. And she was so incredibly generous and sent me some extra goodies. I will definitely be using that pattern. And the magazine is wonderful. It's all very much appreciated. Thank you, Sheila!!

I haven't had much time lately for perusing blogs. I miss reading what everyone's up to. But right now I'm in the midst of a big deep cleaning around the house. I'm packing up all the summery stuff and pulling out the autumn decor.

When fall was over last year I packed all my autumn potpourri away in an empty coffee can. I wasn't sure if it would last til this fall but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Well I was pleasantly surprised to find that it not only looks fine, but it also still smells wonderful.

On today's agenda is cleaning up the little sewing area I've squeezed into the living room. It's gotten a bit out of hand and needs to be reeled in a bit.

Stitched With Love

Yesterday my friends, Tara (holding baby) and Gwen (with a pacifier in her mouth), came over to help with the quilting. Doesn't matter to me that they have little babies to tend to. I still put them to work. ;-)



Gwen has no previous quiltmaking experience, but I think she may have caught the bug. Too bad her first quilting experience had to be introduced by such a rule breaker...she's ruined from the start! Tara has worked on quilt tops/blocks (gorgeous work, I might add!!) but hasn't gotten to the quilting phase on them yet. They both did a great job! :-D



The strawberry quilt is finished. Once we get the Wild Things quilt finished (we're getting together with the family whose baby is the intended recipient on Wednesday so we're on a mission to get it finished by then!) I'll draw up the pattern and write up the instructions for everyone.



Here's the back. Because you know I love the backs of quilts. The quilting lines are 1" apart. And I stitched a rod pocket along the top edge so it can be hung as well as used on a table.



This is Isabelle's guinea pig, Cookie. She had a rough morning. Her heart was beating erratically over a couple hour's time. But it seems to have normalized. She's one of our older pigs. Isabelle is such a good piggie-momma and she's been so upset. This side of having pets never gets any easier, does it?

It's like it was my birthday or something!!

I got an AMAZING gift in the mail yesterday! I'm not usually one to get all teary-eyed, but this did it! Everybody, meet Rose. She was created by my dear friend, Bettsi and is an EFA (Edith Flack Ackley) style doll. Bettsi's blog is where I first learned of and fell in love with this style of doll. I absolutely adore Rose!! Thank you doesn't seem adequate. I really did just have a birthday (last Friday)so her arrival was quite timely.

Rose seems happier in the chair, don't ya think? I think she'd really appreciate a doll stand. I need to pick up a few as the one I had broke.

I'm pleased to hear that the Giveaway packages are making it to their destinations and are bringing smiles to the faces of their recipients!! Enjoy, ladies!!

(Mrs. Royer, I wish I knew where that soap came from and what scent it is, but I don't have a clue. It is yummy though, I agree!)




The little jute basket is finished. It's about 5" tall and 7" in diameter. I'm not sure what it will be used for just yet. But I'm sure it's purpose will present itself soon enough.



And, I'm back to making good progress on the Wild Things quilt. I've got four movies to watch this weekend so ample opportunity to stitch down all the greenery. Then the borders. Then the big quilting bee style parties can begin!



Also, I want to spread the word about a new swap for which I just signed up, the Four Seasons Quilt Swap Check it out and sign up if you like!!

Have a great weekend!!

Giveaway packages are on their way!

It took me a bit longer than it should have, but the giveaway packages are on their way! I hope the recipients enjoy their goodies!!!

Not much going on here. Still feeling poopy. I'm headed back to the doctor tonight since I have one more dose of antibiotics to take and the sore throat, fever, and fatigue have returned. The rash from Hades has just started to take leave, so there's no way I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach. This has, by far, been the worst rash I've ever experienced in my life. I'll be shocked if I don't end up with permanent scars.

Oh well, I'm sure no one wants to hear me whine. I have no cheese to go with the whine (wine) anyway. :-) I hope y'all are having a great Wednesday!!

Edited to add an update: I just got back from the Dr. and the strep is gone!! YAY!! I just have a secondary yeast infection on the insane rash and where the throat spots were. I've got cream and pills and should be back to normal soon!! :-)

Harry Potter Day

We don't expect to see much of Isabelle today. The UPS truck came by with the final book in the series about 9am this morning.

Last night we all went to see the latest movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. Or, as Mason calls it, Harry Potter and the Order of the Felix.

Other than that, not much has gone on here the past week. I've been sick and have tried to stay dosed up on as much benadryl as a human body can handle to take the edge off the scarlet fever rash that accompanied the strep throat. Antibiotics took care of the throat issue but, apparently, the rash has to run its course. Bleck.

I wasn't getting much sympathy at home until I pointed out that scarlet fever is what led to Beth's demise (in Little Women). Even Isabelle was able to deduce that with antibiotics, it wasn't nearly so dangerous. Her sympathy waned a bit when she figured that out. ;-)

The Wild Things quilt and I have plans to watch some movies in a bit though. I can't stay away from crafting for too long!

Just for fun I'll share some of the hilarious pictures I found on my camera just now.

Time for the drawing!!!

I went the lazy route this time with picking names. Rather than writing them all out, I was instant messaging with a friend and I said to her, "Pick three numbers between one and twenty.". And I only told her why after she had given me her picks. Which were 2, 5, and 17.

So Lisa, Leah, and Mrs. Royer...please send me an email ( PrincessNimbleThimble @ gmail.com -without the spaces, of course) with your mailing address!!