Tidbit Tuesday #28

It's finally the end of the month!! Blogging every day is always a challenge and I hope all of you hung in there with me and my babbling. :) 

How did you do with NaBloPoMo if you participated? Did you make it? I know a few of you did!! Congrats!! :D

Can't break tradition. Today is Tuesday and it's time for a tidbit. 

It's a bit off the wall, but still useful. 

When you are cutting your fabric, do you end up with long strips that are less than 1/2"  wide but really long so you usually just throw them away? I usually get these when I make the cut to straighten an edge. Well, if you do, don't throw them away. Let's use them! 

Aren't they pretty? :)

For this tidbit, I am using 9 pieces. You will want to be sure they are at least 12" long, I'd say. 

Group all 9 pieces together and tie a knot at the top. Like so...

Now separate them into sections of 3 strands and braid them till you get about 3" from the end or so. You want this fringy tail. Tie another knot to secure it.

Oh, don't forget to get your kids in on the fun...

Now you are probably asking why would I make one of these, right? 

Well....because kitties LOVE them!!!  That's why!! 

See...they are checking it out and testing it...

And they approve! :D

Sunny hogs the toys..lol!

Totally useful and then you don't feel so bad throwing away some of that awesome fabric! Win Win! :D

Much Love!!!

New Baby!!

Now now now.....not *that* kind of baby. Heh!

 

Remember yesterday when I said I did some shopping during my time off? Well Saturday I went shopping for a sewing machine. 

Lemme 'splain...

This is my baby...my workhorse...

She's a Brother Innov-is 2500D. I've had her for almost 4 years now, which is funny for two reasons. One being that 4 years ago, I barely sewed anything compared to what I sew now. Secondly, I got this machine because not only was it an awesome sewing machine, but it also was an embroidery machine, a Disney edition. You ask what is so funny about that? The funny part is that I've not taken one lick of an embroidery stitch on it...LOL! Maybe someday I will, but for now, she's a quilting machine! 

 

Wondering why I went shopping for another machine? 

 

This is the only machine I have, which is not entirely a bad thing, but it is if it ever breaks or if I take it in for a cleaning and they have it for over a week and I have nothing to sew on! It's also not very ideal for classes or dragging to the Stitch ~n~ Bitch once a month because she weighs eleventy billion pounds! LOL! 

So...I went shopping for a back up machine. I knew I didn't want anything fancy. I didn't need all the bells and whistles that my 2500D had. I just needed a basic machine that I could piece on. 

Meet my little Brother.. hee hee ;)

I decided on the Innov-is 40 which also happens to be a Project Runway edition. I can guarantee you this is not why I chose this machine, I've never even watched the show. I got her because she was pink, of course! ;) Noooo...just kidding! I do like the pink but I chose her because she a Brother and everything I already have is interchangeable, which was important to me. I didn't want to have to purchase all new accessories. She's very light, coming in at only 14 pounds! Wayyyyy lighter than eleventy billion. ;) Another reason is that I already know the basics of how the Brother works, so less to learn, and the salesman gave me a FREE case to go with it, which saved me $30!! The other reason was that the difference between this machine and the least expensive one, was that this one has metal casings on the interior, which means it will last a LOT longer!! I'm secretly hoping I can get my daughter to start on this machine, so I wanted one she can lug around with her if need be. :D Ulterior motives..hahaha! 

Well, there you have it...my babies! I love them both and I am so excited I will not have to lug my Big Brother up and down Sandi's stairs at our Stitch ~n~ Bitch anymore!!  :D

Much Love!!!

Sunday Sum Ups...

I've had 5 days off from the office and I haven't accomplished much, at least not in the sewing arena. 

I finished piecing a quilt and quilted it. Now I'm just tacking down the binding. I just can't show that to you yet, but I will...in due time. I will tell you it's made entirely of Kona Cotton Solids, mostly in purple! ;)

I played with this yummy goodness today...cutting out pieces for my next quilt...

Isn't it pretty?! I love this line!! It's Daisies and Dots by Piece 'O Cake for Robert Kaufman! Look for it in January!! That means start saving those pennies! It's so bright and happy and cheery! You can't help but smile when you work with it. :)

I also did some shopping this weekend. I braved Black Friday. I woke up at 4 am (that's a miracle in itself. Seriously.) and went and stood in line for an hour in 15 degree freezing my buns off weather. Too bad some of my buns didn't *really* freeze off...I could stand to be missing some...LOL! Anyways, I got what I wanted at that store and it's for my kiddos so it was worth it. I'd tell you where and what but my kids are nosy and will probably read this (**yes i'm watching you kids**) so I can't say. But I got a few good deals!

I did some more shopping yesterday, but I think I will tell you about that tomorrow. :)

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend!!

Take it easy the rest of the night...back to the office tomorrow. Ugh. **bangs head on desk**

Much Love!!!

Just Remember...

Taylor Swift, like for many others, is a favourite artist of mine. She's young but she's real and her lyrics are heartfelt and honest. This is why I like her music so much...

 

 

Just remember, no matter what, there is always someone out there that won't give up on you even when you think all the doors are closing on you...

Much love!!!

Toxic Waste

You are probably wondering what this is about, hm? 

Well, it all started with this...

See now? ;) 

My son loves sour stuff and he asked me if he could get these.

I should have read this label before I said yes...

But he was more concerned about this label...and of course, beating the 60 seconds!

It began like this...

He popped it in... so far so good...

"Is it sour, Bug"...."mmmmhhhhhmmmmm!"

Then he said his cheeks hurt...

I love these embarrassing photos! Bwahahaha!!

Let's see where we are at now.... about 45 seconds in...

Then at 60 seconds...

That's all he really cared about, beating the top time. Boys. Sheesh! ;)

Then it was no big deal but he was a soakin' up the win...but still feelin' the sour...LOL!

Then he chewed it and it was all over...

Feel like singing, "macho machoooo man, I've got to be a macho man?"... LOL!

Gotta love times like these, huh? :D

Much Love!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Ones

Yesterday was a silly post, today a bit more serious. Sort of. ;)

I just wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope all of you have very full bellies and have enjoyed time with family. 

In the midst of all the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, green beans, stuffing, squash, cranberry sauce, and deserts galore, don't forget to take some time to think of all the things you are thankful for, no matter how large or small. We all have so much to be thankful for...

And remember...

Hee hee!!

Much Love!!!

Where's Big Bird?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving.... I am thankful for creative people, especially those that make me laugh. :)

Sorry...I had to do it. Hee Hee!!

Much Love!!

Tidbit Tuesday #27

Thank you so much to all of you for your warm comments yesterday. Seems a lot of you have gone thorough a similar experience. **hugs to go around**

I've been a bad blogger as of late and I'm sorry. I try hard to respond to all comments and lately I've just been so busy I haven't responded as I would like to. I can tel you that I read each and every one of your comments though, and I love and appreciate them so much!! 

Speaking of comments, that is today's tidbit. Some of you have your Blogger accounts set up so that I cannot reply back to you, meaning you are a no reply commenter and I'd really love to be able to reply. to you.  You may not even know that I am unable to reply and think I'm a complete dolt for never responding. I assure you I am not trying to be a dolt. :) 

So my tip for today is, if you will, please, check out the link I'm going to give you and see if your account is set up this way and if you're willing to change it. I know some of you may not want your email address visible and that's totally ok too. I know I've mentioned it to a few people and they had no idea I couldn't reply. Adjusting your account will also aid in contacting you for give-aways!!

I'd write out the instructions for you, but Jodi at Pleasant Home has already done such a beautiful job that I will just link to her post. Thanks Jodi!! She wrote out awesome directions that are easy peasy, and while you're there, say hi and check out her blog! You won't be sorry!! I love her blog and the things she makes!! Truly Fab!! 

So....HERE's the link :)

If you don't mind your email address being visible to me when you comment, pretty please go check your account settings? :D

Much Love!!!

Have you hugged your kids today?

Today was a beautiful day! It's the Midwest in the middle of November so it's supposed to be cold. However today was in the upper 60's and sunny.

Then it got to be around 3 o'clock and it got really really dark out and the power snapped out for a few minutes. I was annoyed but no big deal. Then we noticed security literally running around the building. Next someones radio was sounding off the tornado warning messages. The emergency system then sounded it's alert for all of us to get to the designated emergency areas.

Now I was scared.

Not for me but for my kids. They were 20 minutes away, just home from school with no idea what was going on. I wanted to be there. With them. Not stuck in a room at the office.

I called my daughter, told her to turn on the tv and watch for a warning and proceeded to instruct her what to do if she saw one. She was ok at this point. I could tell she was scared but she was ok.

Then she heard the alarms where I was through the phone and she asked where I was and why she heard the alarm. Then she started crying. She realized I was close to the tornado. Now she was scared. It broke my heart to hear her so upset and to know there was nothing I could do about it. So I did what I could and tried to calm her down. I told her I'd be ok. We seem to do that even when we don't know if it's true or not.

After about 20 minutes the alarms ceased and we were told the coast was clear. All was calm again. Sort of. I was shook up. Not because of the storm itself, just how scary it was to think my kids could have been in danger and for my kids being scared for me. It still brings tears to my eyes.

So. Have you hugged your kids today!? Even if you have, hug them again and again. Tell them you love them. Hold them a bit closer. Kiss them on the forehead even if they think it's gross! Don't be so quick to anger over the silly things, even if they are on that last thread of a nerve. Cherish them everyday and pray that you or your kids never have to go through something so scary. 

Even though a part of the day was scary, all is well and everyone is ok. I have much to be thankful for!

Much Love!!!

Jackpot!

This weekend was a GREAT mail weekend!! 

It started with this... a YUMMY stack of 28 fat quarters in Tula Pink's new line, Parisville!

Which turned into this after some playing around... I'm thinking perhaps a quilt along is in the near future ;)

On top of that I also got this...

 Which also has this on the inside...

I keep telling Miss Julie that I'm going to be rich one day with all these signatures of hers I am collecting. :)

 

In the same box from the said Miss Julie's shop, I received her kit to make the quilt with her block in the 100 Blocks Magazine in Fresh Cottons. Such a pretty line...

 

Click here if you want  to see the quilt and order a kit of your own! I love this quilt! Now I gotta find time to make it.

 

One more thing in that box.... Miss Julie's first set of her own patterns!! Go Julie! Go Julie! Go Julie! :D Yes, I'm shaking my pom poms...hee hee! She has them in her SHOP for you to order!

I had some help this weekend too... cute as ever. :)

Sunny on left, Odyssey on right

I hope all of you had a fun and inspirational weekend!!

Much Love!!!

Harry Who?

All the talk lately has been about the new Harry Potter movie! Me included! I've followed the series since it began, including reading all of the books. :) The one nice this with this movie/book series, is they keep it pretty darn close to the book, which I know is a difficult task being the books are so detailed! 

I actually just finished book 7 about a month ago so it was still fresh in my memory before watching the movie. I still say the books are best, but they did another really great job with this movie. Even though I hate when movies are split, I'm so glad they made that decision with this movie because it would have been horrible had they tried to cram it all into one. 

All in all...thumbs up! If you go see the movie, don't bother staying until the credits end. Took forever to get through them all and there was nothing afterward. I was hoping for a sneak peek if Part 2, but no such luck. Boo!

Much Love!!!

Maru

If you don't know who Maru is, you are really missing out. 

Maru is a cat. A scottish fold, to be exact. 

I want this cat. 

Bad. 

I dare you not to giggle at this...

**snort** :)

He has his own blog HERE...

And if that's not enough for you...

He has his own You Tube Channel HERE....

I should have warned you....you may get lost there for hours. ;)

Much Love!!!

Getting To Know Me, Getting To Know You #3

Soo...I'd love to share with all of you the results of last weeks poll, but apparently the site is no longer working or it's temporarily disabled. My polls are gone and so are the stats.  Boo. :(

I think most everyone was in the "need some kind of noise" category, and some of you needed silence and even some of you gave me the great idea of books on tape. Or, rather books on iPods. :) I really need to do this, although my mind is so chaotic when I sew I don't know that I'd really be able to follow along..lol! 

Due to this cacophony in my head, music is my preference. Music that is playing in my ear buds so that it drowns out everything else. This makes it easier for me to concentrate and chug along. Granted, I feel sorry for anyone that is around that has to listen to me sing...hahahaha!! No seriously. You don't want to be that person. ;)

Sometimes, I do like to put in a movie though, when I can't really escape from the noises of the home. When I can't tune everything out. You know...kids and all. Hee hee! However, if it's a movie, it has to be one that I've seen a million times already or I will find myself engrossed in the movie instead of my sewing. 

My quilting movie = P. S. I Love You. Well, really anything with Gerard Butler, but P. S. I Love You is my absolute favourite!!  ;)

How about you?? Whats your quilting movie? 

I'm also going to try a new poll place. Hopefully this one will stand up to our use! Let's give this question a go... **ducks and runs for cover**

How many quilts do you have in progress right now?

• Just one :)
• 2-5
• 6-10
• 11-20
• too many to count!

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

Oh, in progress means that it's not completely finished. Quilt tops only do not count as finished ;)

As always, feel free to leave a comment with further explanation. :)

Much Love!!!

Tonights Agenda

So I got these in the mail...

 

I'll be honest. I don't usually buy books, but these I had to have. 

I'm pretty excited about them. :)

Please excuse me while I go bury my nose in them. :)

Much Love!!!

Tidbit Tuesday #26

I was flipping through blogs yesterday and I wish I could remember where I saw this tip. I can see the image plain as day but I cannot for the life of me remember who's blog it was on. If you happen to know, please let me know so I can give proper credit for this tip!

**Updated** Thanks to my bloggy friends, it was at Pink Chalk Fabrics that this tip was posted! Thank you!!

I'm always telling my family NOT to use my quilting/fabric scissors. Especially my Ginghers! I certainly don't need those to be used to cut off the tops of Go-Gurts or opening boxes of Mac N Cheese!! 

It was suggested to tie strips of fabric on the ends of the scissors so that it was an indicator to use these scissors for fabric only! In other words... HANDS OFF!!  :D

I hopped right on that band wagon and tied up all my scissors!!

Off you go to tie up your own scissors so your oblivious hubbies or sticky fingered wee ones leave your precious fabric scissors alone. :D

Much Love!!!

Pocket Full of Pinwheels Tutorial

I normally do not post twice in one day....but today calls for another post.

I was just notified that my tutorial for Riley Blake's Cutting Corners College quilt posted today!!!

Woot Woot!!

Here she is.... "Pocket Full of Pinwheels".... <--- click there to take you to the tutorial! :D

This is the back of the quilt. I made an extra block to use as the label. :)

What do you think?! I think it's the sweetest thing...I just love this line by Quilted Fish for Riley Blake.

*Swoon*

Much Love!!!

Best. Brats. Ever!!

Remember how I told you that every time I go to my Stitch ~N~ Bitch I learn something new? Yes? Good! ;)

This past weekend we all got together again and this time I learned a new recipe! Thanks Lisa!!! 

 

You're gonna want to give this a go because they are sooooooooooooooo yummy!!

You need to begin with brats. Which ever ones are your favourites...

Just be sure it's this kind...

 

Not this kind...

 

 

Get it? Brats and Brats are spelled the same? Bwaahahahah! ;)

Ok, now that we got that cleared up...gather the ingredients. 

You will need your favourite brats, a red pepper, a green pepper, a yellow pepper, a large onion and fennel (just the bulbous part. Not the froo froo stalks). Now, I'll admit, I had no idea what fennel was, but it's that stalky stuff in the photo. :) Yum! 

You will also need a crock pot and if you'd like, buns to put your brats in. Or you could serve them over rice too! 

First off, grill your brats. Don't cook them all the way, just enough to brown the outsides and add some of those grill markings. 

 

 

Then cut up all your veggies. I kept mine in large chunks. 

Add them all to the crock pot....

Then add the brats and mix it all up...

Doesn't it look delish so far??!! Mmmmm...! 

Now, don't add any liquid. The veggies will do all that for you so you don't have to add any. Trust me on this. :)

 

If you are cooking lots of brats, make sure you cut up more veggies. You want to make sure the veggies cover the brats well.

Depending on your crock pot, the cooking times may vary.  Make sure you put the lid on.

I'd say on low you can cook it for 6-8 hours, on medium for 4-5 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. 

The longer you cook it, the darker your "broth" will get. I cooked mine on medium for about 4.5 hours and this is how mine looked...

I'm getting hungry again....are you? :D

Now, just plop one of these babies in a bun and add some of the cooked veggies on top of it...OR...you can plop down some rice and add the veggies and the brat too! Lot's of possibilities for you!

This is what I did...

I steam cooked some broccoli and some red potatoes mixed with onions and some seasonings for about 30 minutes and served the brats in a hoagie bun with the veggie toppings!

Excuse me while I grab a napkin to clean up my drool.....Heh!!

So easy and sooooo good! I don't usually eat brats, honestly, but these, I could eat once a week or more!

Now go make your shopping list.... ;)

Much Love!!!

Sunday Happenings

Today is a special day. There's a birthday in the house...someone is one year old today. :)

MacDreamy...

 

 

I bought him a year ago today and have loved him every minute! Yes, I'm a bit attached! This is mostly because I've had so many issues with regular PC's in the past and I've not had one single issue with MacDreamy. He does everything he is told and fast! Can't ask for much more than that. Except it'd be nice if he cooked me dinner. ;) 

If you're looking for a new laptop or computer, take a look at Macs. Truly. They are more expensive but totally worth it. Once you get past the learning curve of the differences between Mac and PC...you'll never go back. I know I won't! 

Happy Birthday MacDreamy!! :D 

 

(Yes..I'm *still* a dork..hahahah!)

Besides celebrating, I got these done today...

 

Needless to say.. now a Dresden Plate quilt is one of the things on my *to do* list. Thanks Amy! =P

Super easy to do and ... well ... they are just adorable. 

Anyone have the winning lottery numbers so I can quit my job and just sew all day? :D 

Hope you've had a fabulous weekend...

I think I'll follow in Odyssey's footsteps now for a while...

Much Love!!!

Cat In The Box

If you have cats,  you'll understand... :P

Much Love!!!

Friday Favourites!

I have a new favourite song. 

Do you ever hear a song that just grabs you? A song that picks you up and makes you pay attention? A song that has so much meaning and heart that you just smile? Perhaps even find a tear in your eye because you can relate so deeply?

This song..... is beautiful ...

 

Much Love!!!

Getting To Know Me, Getting To Know You #2

Wow!! You guys like to vote huh? LOL! 

460 of you took part in my poll and I can tell you that I got a kick out of your responses!! 

Like myself, most of you are either bare footers or sock footers! I thought it was interesting that those that fit in this category thought that they'd be in the smaller group. Surprise!!! I feel the same way as most of you. I get WAY more control when I sew if I do not have shoes on. Actually, I can't sew with shoes on. It's like trying to tie your shoes with mittens on. It just doesn't work for me.

I really thought this was fun and I think a lot of you did too, so how about another poll? :D

Cast your vote, leave a comment ( I {heart} comments ) to explain your answer if you'd like and I will give you my vote and results next Thursday! :)

Have fun!!

Much Love!!!