This past weekend, Bill and I went to my friend’s sister’s house at the beach. It was the perfect time to go as it had gotten hot, Hot, HOT. It was a full house with the sister (Mary) and her husband (Ron), my friend Suzie, Suzie and Mary’s nieces Katherine and Emily, Ron’s son, Louie, and then Bill and myself. Oh, and don’t let me forget Suzie and Mary’s dogs, Isabelle and Sam. (Names have been misspelled to protect the innocent.) The photograph is the gift basket I put together as a hostell gift. I had wanted to put it in a sand pail but when you want to find a decent sized one, you can’t. All I could find were small ones. So I had to settle for a basket. I embellished kitchen towels myself with fabric. Bill made homemade granola from this recipe, and we put in some fresh fruit to round it out. I thought it looked nice.

We arrived late on Friday and after a full day of work, Bill and I hit the hay. Saturday started with a hearty breakfast and one of the neighborhood cafes. We were well-fortified for a kayaking adventure. And adventure it was. Bill and I had brought our two-man kayak with us. We rented to kayaks and a small two-person sailboat. And out onto the water we went. Bill and I ended up going our separate way, not for any particular reason except I was interested on what the shore looked like on the other side of the bay. So we headed straight across the choppy water. Suzie and Katherine caught up with us at one point to let us know that they had run over Mary on a kayak, but she was okay. The retelling of the story involved a lot of laughing so it hadn’t been serious. Then they went their own way and Bill and I decided to head back to where we started. Heading back, we were going into the wind and the paddling was a lot harder. We ended up taking on some water as the swells crashed onto us, and then we turned a little and the water started to swish in the kayak and a wave hit us and out of the kayak went me and Bill. We both knew it was going to happen, I was laughing and Bill trying to plan his exit so as to not get hit by the kayak, paddles, water bottles, sea turtles, etc. We had our life jackets on so there was no panic. But we did bob up and down for a good ten minutes not really knowing how we were going to get back to shore. The kayak was completely full of water and the only way to unfill it was to take it to shore and dump it. Shore was a good distance away and the kayak was not very dragable at this point. Bill tried to use a water bottle to get the water out and it worked for about two seconds until a wave hit and filled the kayak again. Thankfully, a guy on a jet ski came to see if we needed help (Yes!) and radioed for another guy to bring a rope to tow the kayak in. (Yay!) We got the kayak attached, Bill got on the back of one jet ski, leaving me bobbing in the water with the paddles and water bottles. (Thanks) I used the rope to pull myself to the jetski, got everything loaded on, pulled myself up and off we went. Well, off Bill went. The guy who rescued him was the guy who went around to tell jetski renters their time was up and they had to return the jetski. The guy took off full throttle and Bill thought he was going to die. His hat flew in front of his face, he couldn’t see, had no idea where he was going or who was in the way. On the other jetski, I was going a whopping mile an hour, towing my sad, water logged kayak. I thought Bill was going to get off his jet ski and kiss the sand.

We did make it back to shore and dragged the kayak on to the sand, talking about how everyone else was going to laugh at us once we shared the experience. Except that there was Katherine to tell us Mary and Suzie were stranded because the mast of their sailboat snapped and they were waiting for help. That help too an hour because the boat that was sent out to rescue them was breaking down and had to turn back and they had to radio for another boat. In the meantime, Emily is aiding in the rescue, trying to direct the cute rescuers to Suzie and Mary who ended up having drifted a great distance.

However, Bill and I were not at the beach where the car is parked. Bill was very prepared to walk to the car, but I thought we could dump the water from the kayak and paddle back to the car. He politely disagreed feeling that one rescue per day was enough. I thought we would be fine, giving him at least two reasons why I believed so. First, it took an hour for the kayak to fill up last time and we would only be in the water for 20 minutes maximum, and second, we would stay close to shore which we should have done in the first place so that if we filled up again (unlikely) we could this time swim to shore. He was not as convinced as I was, but got back in the kayak and you will be relieved to know we made it back without incident. I think he was also reassured because we had told Katherine if she didn’t see us in an hour to call the Coast Guard.

Once back at the beach where the car was parked, Bill, Katherine and I sat around for an hour waiting for Suzie, Mary, and Emily and eventually we were all reunited, exhausted from near-death experiences. The rest of the weekend was much less life threatening. We relaxed on the beach for a few hours Sunday, then relaxed at the pool, then went out to dinner, and then drove home.

Sadly, there are no pictures of the near death experiences. But it happened. And, I have to say that while Bill and I were spilling our of our kayak and bobbing hopelessly in the water, not a harsh word was said. Yay us!

Tags: life, projects, sewing

It was nice to have no real plans this weekend. I did have to clean up my craft room this weekend. It was a disaster. I wish I had taken a picture of it beforehand. In the course of cleaning up, I got inspired to work on a special project. Bill had a meeting Monday that he was making him a little nervous. I decided to whip up a new ipod case for him. He had picked out the fabric and I purchased it in New York. While he was downstairs, I started cutting fabric and sewing. Which of course meant that he found seventeen reasons to have to come upstairs and talk to me. I thought he had to know that something was up because each time he came upstairs, I met him at the door of my craft room and steered him toward our bedroom. How could he not know I was being sneaky? (’Cuz he’s a sweetie) I did finish the project, wrapped it up, and hid it in a bag filled with snacks for his flights. Well, after six hours in an airport, three of them on an airplane, he never got wheels up. So at one point, I told him to look in his snack bag and he found his surprise. The work meeting has to get rescheduled and I don’t know what new little treat I can whip up for the next trip. (But Cheli will be available to help him pack.)

I spent Sunday relaxing and organizing drawers (don’t be jealous), watching tv and working on some projects. It was a nice day. Then yesterday I wasn’t feeling 100% so I stayed home from work. I planted my butt on the couch and watched the Tour de France (very exciting mountain stage), Law & Order Criminal Intent and Mi-5 (awesome British spy show). I did some needlepoint and was able to finish my pear canvas (here’s the before picture). I am uber-happy with how it turned out.

I also got my ravelry invite yesterday and spent a little time playing around on the site. The timing is perfect because I’ve been inventorying my stash and planning out my projects. And is anyone else thinking about Christmas gifts yet or am I the only geek?

Tags: finished projects, life, needlepoint, knitting, kids

Oh my goodness! I am looking forward to tomorrow at 3 o’clock when the garage sale is over and the unsold items are boxed up for Purple Heart. This garage sale has been a lot of work. It’s one of those things that is as much work at you want it to be and I’m hoping we see some results. I’ve decided that $150 is my breakeven point. We shall see. Almost everything has been priced and arranged. Pretty much all we have to do on Saturday is open up the garage. Yay!

This hasn’t left much time for crafting. I did pull out my scraps and machine for an hour on Monday to make the cute little books in the picture. They are from Joelle Hoverson’s book Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. The book on the right is my favorite. I’m usually pretty matchy-matchy and with this one, I didn’t obsess as much. But this was a very fun project, easy to do, and a great way to use up scraps. I love Joelle’s book!

Lastly, I have been doing some planning for a master bedroom redesign. The walls are pink, not bright pink but more like the lightest pink in this fabric. I’ve been toying with the idea of repainting the room a neutral khaki color but haven’t done anything about it. I’d have to hire a painter because the room has cathedral ceilings and that’s beyond my comfort level. Plus I really need new floors and the money would be better spent there. Anyhoo, the lastest issue of Country Living gave me an idea - black and white. And I’m inspired by my absolute new favorite show, Find Your Style on HGTV. In the show, the designer, Karen McAloon, goes to the house, looks around the room and identifies their style based on what she sees in the room. Then, the homeowner picks 4 design elements and then they shop based on those elements, arrange the furniture and Karen provides advice and does last minute finishing touches. Most people learn by doing and that’s the foundation of the show. Love it! Anyway, my four design elements would be the pink on the walls and as an accent in throw pillows, honey colored wood furniture, black and white fabric, and dark metal finish (my headboard). I’ve done some shopping (at the Target) but I already have a lot of what I need. I’ve got ideas for custom art pieces which I’m hoping with cost me about $20. I should set a budget and see what I can do for $200. Okay, I’m going to have to tally up what I’ve already spent. This is fun!

I’m hoping that Sunday will be spent relaxing with my feet up. Bill too. We deserve it. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone (pet mommies count too!).

Tags: decorating, projects, garage sale

Buy new fibers? Or use what I have? While on vacation in Arizona, I found a needlepoint store - Old Town Needlework & Framing. Shocking! (If you know me, you know that I always try and find a needlepoint store where I can buy a souvenir). I did get a really cool canvas for my Arizona momento, but I also found some other cool things. One was a frog paperweight/bean bag, one was a heart for my wall-o-hearts. And I got this really cool 3D pear. After I finished stitching, it will be finished in the shape of an actual pear. It’s by Little Shop Canvas Company. Getting back to the subject of this post, do I stitch with what I have (perle cotton) or do I spend some money and get Vineyard Silk? I really, REALLY wanted the Vineyard Silk, but I’m trying to embark on a month (or two) of Use What You Have so it didn’t seem right to buy something new. I shared my dilemma with Bill who is just so sweet and says, “well, I could buy it for you and it would be a gift.” I like how his mind works. Anyhoo, Mom was visiting so we went through my Perle Cotton and my Vineyard Silk and the VS won out. I had the perfect colors in VS but not enough. Believe it or not, I walked into the needlepoint store and only got what I went in for. Probably a first! I started stitching Monday night and Oh Mama! Was it the right decision. The VS is so vibrant and rich. I am loving it.

I am starting a month (actually, going to try for 2 months) of Use What You Have to try and pare down my stash and make some space for storage. Will see how it goes. Of course as soon as I resolve not to buy anything I suddenly realize all these “needs”. It will be a good lesson in figuring out genuine needs from impulse wants. I’m also hoping that it will help me start to live simple, an ongoing goal of mine.

I’m also planning a garage sale for May 10. I guess the blog title applies to this too. We have a rather large stack of stuff for Purple Heart but when my mom saw it, she thought we could make some money. On my slow, rainy drive to work on Monday I decided that a garage sale was the way to go. Then I catch up on my blogs and this post at Creative Organizing made me nervous about my decision. Easy tax deduction vs. work for cold hard cash. And maybe not even a lot of CHC. Still, Bill agreed to help me so the decision has been made. Last night I cleaned out my closet and armoire, and I’m going to go through the stuff to Ebay and will put most of it out. Some stuff will sell better on Ebay. We’ve already identified most of the stuff to sell at the GS though I know I can go through the house and find more. I need to be ruthless with my stuff. I will try to be a little easier on Bill. I’m also trying to be optimistic and think of it as fun! Plus, it’s an excuse to make myself a little apron for holding cash, pens, etc. Of course only using fabric from my stash. Anybody have any tips for having a successful garage sale?

Tags: life; projects

I like to make gifts for the secretaries in my office for Administrative Professional’s Day. This years gift is courtesy of Martha Stewart - business card holders. My mom bought a bag of leather scraps and gave it to me, knowing I would come up with a use for it. And I have ideas, but when I saw this segment on Martha, I found a use for some of my leather.

These are super easy and they look great. The only hard part of finding the button stud with screwback also known as a Sam Browne screw. Good thing I bought them right after the segment.

We’ll see how the ladies like them. But if you are looking for a simple elegant gift, this I recommend.

Tags: projects

Here’s a few things rattling around my brain:

1. Are deer colorblind? It was an unseasonable 67 degrees today so I hurried home from work to take the pups for a walk. Our house abuts a wildlife fen and there are some deer who call the fen home. While walking, I saw my buds. As I always do, I told the deer to be careful when crossing the road and to stay away from orange VW Bugs. But then I wondered if they are colorblind. I guess I’ll have to give them my license plate number.

2. Finished projects make me happy. Here’s a closeup (click on the thumbnail for a bigger picture) of the quilted pear that I finished in TN. I stitched this up pretty quickly (a week). It came with a stitch guide and a materials list. The different sections used different fibers and stitches. Once I was done, I stitched a small border around the pair to get rid of the nooks and crannies so that it can be finished in a pear shape. Now to take it to the finisher!

3. Destashing makes me sad inside. It’s like dreams going unfulfilled. Everything was purchased with such good intentions… So rather than focus on that depressing thought, I’m focusing on the dough. I made some tough choices and am getting rid of some yarn and cross stitch projects. You can check it out here. Even Bill is destashing. Guess what’s his.

4. Heather Bailey is doing this cool theme for March about her favorite tools. I’d like to join in but I’m totally drawing a blank… But be sure to check our her faves.

5. Can you tell a real smile from a fake smile? I can 16 out of 20 times and Bill can 14 out of 20 times. I read about this fun quiz on How About Orange. If you have 5 - 10 minutes, take the quiz.

6. The difference between boys and girls. Last week, Bill brought down a laundry basket filled with my clean sweaters. It was upright, on the bed and when I saw the laundry basket and thought it should be moved as a cat was sure to find it an inviting place for a nap. Bill saw the laundry basket and thought there was no way a cat could get into it. Guess who was right.

7. Have you read Martha’s blog on witch hazel? It makes me wonder if she knew all that or if she had to consult a book. Oh, and it makes me wonder if she wrote it herself of had a minion do it. I have a lot of respect for the woman and can’t help but be impressed by how much she Knows. So, do you think she writes her blog posts herself?

8. I love blogging. Ellia told me I Make Her Day. She is a brilliant artist, a fantastic mom, and a wonderful person. And, she Makes My Day.

Hasta la vista, Baby. Oh, I think I’m mixing up my Mr. Eastwood and the Govinator. See, my brain is a scary place.

Tags: life, finished projects

I’m feeling inspired again. I have wanted a storage case for my iPhone and earphones. I bought a cute new acrylic case but wanted a little more padding for when I carry it around. It took me awhile to come up with a design but I have not only one design, but two. The case in the photograph is my closed case with a flap that covers the cell phone pocket and the earbud pocket. There’s an open design where only the earbud pocket closes. I’m still working out the kinks on that one. So far, I am loving my storage case. I like having a place to put my earphones so that I always know where they are. It will help keep me from leaving them at home. While specifically designed for an iiPhone, it will also fit an iPod or other larger cell phone. It will also fit a cell phone with a relatively small bluetooth headset.

I am going to make a couple of the cases for my etsy store.

Tags: iphone, projects, BabyDuckles

I hope that you all enjoyed Christmas and have recovered from the holidays. I am getting there. This was my most ambitious holiday season yet; I made the most Christmas gifts by hand that I have ever made. This made for one very tired me. But I was thrilled with how the gifts turned out and the recipients’ reactions. Here’s pictures of some of the goodies (some made it out the door without getting photographed - that’s what happens when you’re last minute):

The black and white bag with the flower was inspired by a design by Lisa at Pink Lemonade Boutique. I just loved the appliqued flower on the black and white background. I am very happy with how my version turned out. I made the bag for my mom hoping she would be able to use it as a work tote. It’s pretty big and would make a nice travel bag too.

Then there are the fetching gloves I knit. And a wristlet I designed. Plus some earrings to match a necklace my mom received from her husband (that he bought from my etsy store). Then there’s the pearl earrings for my aunt Lynn. And coasters and ornaments that I made for secretary gifts and my dad. And lastly, there’s the shawl I knit for my mom, in front of my mom, that I finished at 1am on Christmas morning.

Unfortunately, there’s some things that didn’t get photographed. I made a necklace for my mother-in-law and another necklace for my number one salesgirl. There’s probably others but I’ve forgotten in all the craziness.

My next post will be about some of the beautiful handmade gifts my husband got me from etsy.

Tags: Christmas, finished projects

Here are my little birdies, patiently waiting to be finished. Bill helped me stuff them, all they need is to be sewn up. The pattern is from Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts. So far I’ve only done one project from this book, but I plan on doing more. I highly recommend the book, it is absolutely beautiful and the instructions are well written. And I’m not a very experienced sewer (what do you call a person who sews?), but the birdies look the pictures in the book.

I’m a little under the weather, so this is a short post. G’night.

Tags: projects, Christmas

I was referring to the weekend, but it made me think of one of my favorite movie quotes: “We went like this, he went like that. I said to Hollywood, where’d he go. Hollywood said, ‘where’d whoooooo gooooooooo.” Any idea what movie it came from?

What a wonderful weekend. After a long week of work, I was ready to relax at home on Friday night. Plus, I had an IDEA that I wanted to work on. I got home and put on my jammies and sat in front of the sewing machine (and the tv). Oh the fun I had. I got up relatively early on Saturday and tinkered with my IDEA for a few minutes, but then I got ready and ran out of the house to run a couple of errands and meet friends for lunch. It was nice to catch up and we were totally girly, shopping for make-up. I had to make it an early afternoon so that I could run up to the Bead Shop in Frederick. Then I went home and got back to work. I had some pouches to make and an IDEA to finish.

I certainly enjoyed my extra hour this weekend. I actually spent it awake. All that awake time paid off as I perfected my new IDEA. It’s a coffee cozy. Bill and I were talking about Christmas presents for our administrative help at work. I am going to make my secretaries some quilted coasters from Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts. (Thankfully I am planning ahead and the hope is that these will not be last minute.) Bill said he was just going to get them Starbucks gift cards. And it hit me, a handmade coffee cozy. I thought it would be a great present (along with a gift card to the local coffee establishment) for a baby sitter or pet sitter, administrative assistant, coffee lover, etc.

I’ve posted 3 of them in my etsy shop. Now that I have the design and the right thickness, I can make some more. And some that would be male appropriate. I’m really happy with the design, especially how the two ends come together. Bill thinks it looks like a mistake, but I think it adds some interest. I am waiting for my mom to take a look and let me know her opinion.

Believe it or not, I actually had some time to sit down and relax with my knitting and time to clean up my craft room which look like it was in the path of Noel. So that’s how I spent my weekend. Hope you enjoyed your 49 hours too!

Tags: holidays, projects