green is the new blue

Best Baked Potato Soup Ever!

2012-01-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

I figured it out! I have discovered the best Baked Potato Soup ever. Ever! Seriously it is restaurant quality. It is a variation on "Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup" from the CopyKat site. I will tell you up front that it is not healthy nor does it even try to be. OK, maybe I made one little substitution to make it a tiny bit healthier but when you use a half a package of bacon, including the rendered fat from the bacon, the fat content of the milk isn't your biggest problem. Enjoy!

Best Baked Potato Soup Ever

half a package of partially frozen bacon (just cut the package in half)
1 C. diced yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic
2/3 C. Flour
6 C. chicken broth (warming in another pot on the stove)
4-5 diced peeled baked potatoes
2 C. heavy cream, whole, or 2% milk
1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 Tsp. Dried basil
1 1/2 Tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 1/2 Tsp. coarse black pepper
2 C. grated cheddar cheese (1 cup is melted into the soup, 1 cup for topping)
1/4 C. Diced green onion (optional, because I never have any!)

Recommended Kitchen Equipment:

Big stock pot, whisk, wire mesh strainer, and stick blender

First, in the morning while you are getting ready for work bake your potatoes. 4-5 potatoes in the oven for 1 hour on 400 degrees should do the trick. Prick them a few times to let the steam release. You don't have to be fancy and rub them with oil and salt or anything. Just wash them, that would be a good thing. Doing this step early in the day allows the potato's starches to congeal and makes them easier to peal and chop and I think it helps them not fall apart once they are in the soup. I would say they need to be room temperature for at least an hour before chopping so plan ahead a bit. I like to do it first thing in the morning just to get it out of the way. Just leave them on the counter to cool for the rest of the day, no need to refrigerate unless you won't be making soup for more than 8 hours.

Peel and chop the potatoes. Use a nice sharp knife and chop into small cubes. Sometimes I do this at the beginning and sometimes I do this while the soup is simmering. Either way you won't be adding them til the end anyways.

Cook the bacon (my husband's favorite part!) Chop up partially frozen bacon, it is sooo much easier when it is partially frozen. Otherwise its like chopping up slimy worms, seriously.

Strain the bacon out of the grease. I just use a big spoon and my handy wire mesh strainer. Save the bacon for topping the soup. DO NOT throw out the grease! You will need its magic next.

Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon fat til the onion is soft and translucent.

Now add the 2/3 cup flour to the bacon fat, onions, garlic and stir it up really good, it will be a bit lumpy at this point but no worries. Then add the warm chicken broth 1 cup at a time using a whisk, it will be really thick at the beginning but make sure to add 1 cup at a time and stir it til completely incorporated before adding the other cup. The broth needs to be warm or else it is really super hard to get the lumps out. Once you have added about 4 cups you should be able to add the remaining broth with no trouble. Now for the fun part!

Use your handy dandy stick blender to blend up all the onions, garlic, and any flour lumps. If you don't have a stick blender you can with GREAT CAUTION use a regular blender. BE CAREFUL because hot liquids will EXPLODE in a blender if you don't pulse with quick pulses and make sure to leave a little space to let steam out the top. I am in love with my stick blender, it is hands down one of the best $20-30 you will spend in your kitchen. Get yourself one! They. Rock. This is the one I have and its my best friend. It makes hummus, smoothies, frothy milk, salad dressing, etc.

Add all your spices and milk, the basil and parsley will float on the top but after simmering for about 20-30 minutes it will thicken and the basil/parley will be incorporated, then you will know it is ready for the potatoes.

Add the potatoes and cheese! Stir gently to incorporate the potatoes, but you will be surprised at how well they stay together if you let your baked potatoes sit all day. Once the potatoes are heated through you are done!!

Top with your bacon and extra cheese!

Your children will love it!

(Oh, and its delicious the next day and it freezes great!)

Fabric Dachshund Sewing Pattern

2011-12-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

The fabric sewing pattern is also available! Its is an emailed PDF and three JPG images. This pattern also works well for hand stitching felt. Add some cute adornments to him and see just how cute he can be! Its $8 in the shop....

Silk Tie Dachshund Sewing Pattern

2011-12-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

It's here! The sewing pattern for the Silk Tie Dachshund is here! Ever wonder what to do those old silk neckties? Well, here is your answer! Its $8 in the shop...

Pinterest SALE!!

2011-10-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I've been blowing up on the ol' Pinterest!? Well in honor of the over 400 hits my etsy site has received today alone from Pinterest..I'm having a 20% off sale! Use the code PINTEREST and get yo' self 20% off!

If you are wondering its the cute dog bed pic that is being massively repinned! Want a tutorial on how to make one? Yes, you do!

Design*Sponge, Country Living Fair, and a shop update!

2011-10-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been a blogging bum. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. So, let's catch up! First bit o' exciting news is that my wreaths have been featured in the new Design*Sponge at Home book! Page to be exact. It all started when I saw on twitter that Grace Bonney was accepting ideas, so I got bold and emailed her. Thankfully she remembered me from winning the DIY contest back in 2008, I think that helped a lot. She loved my photo, which was a total "happy accident," as I barely know how to use the SLR camera. My husband sets the settings and tells me how to change a couple things and that's all I know. It was so hard to keep the book "quiet" for 2 years! I mean...I told a few people but I couldn't broadcast it until it was in print. So, here is my page!

Last weekend I joined my friend Kelly McCants, of Sewing With Oilcloth fame, at the Country Living Fair in Atlanta. I cut oilcloth and laminated cotton yardage for her for 2 days it was SO fun. I loved meeting all the customers and making new friends like Suzanne and Tiffan. I also met another girl who made it into the Design*Sponge book...she's super talented. I also had someone purchase a pincushion with the intent of using it in the Willow Tree catalog to display jewelry. I don't know when it will come out...so if anyone sees it...let me know!

some of Cindy Jaegar's cute stuff from The Cupcakery!

my daughter, Miriam, with her favorite Modern June Kitchen Chicken

I did a big shop update yesterday and there are lots of new things! Headbands, wreaths, and some cute little hand sewn animals. I hope you enjoy!

And check out a pic of one of my wreaths in a customer's home! So gorgeous! Casey used this 14 inch wreath in her sweet new baby girl's room.

BIG ol' shop update!

2011-05-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I just added 12 new items to the shop! Enjoy!

Also, huge humble thanks goes out to yet another sweet mention on The Nester..

And the winner is....

2011-05-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

The random number generator has spoken and the winner of the wreath give-away IS Alexis Reddock!!

She was the 6th comment out of 35! Alexis, now you get to pick your wreath!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Wreath Give-away!

2011-05-04T11:52:00.001-07:00

I think it would be super fun to give away a nice big 16 inch wreath to a lucky person! So, here's what you have to do...

1. Tell me in the comment section ON THE BLOG if you like traditional color wreaths (red, green, white, etc.) or if you like bold and funky colors and would you put a wreath on your front door, over your fireplace, over your headboard, or somewhere else fun in your house!
2. Go "like" the hersheyismybaby facebook page! its that easy! (if you leave a comment there it will not be included in the contest)

The winner will be announced on May 13th!

Comments on the facebook page are greatly appreciated but will not be included in the contest, this will help me know what # wins.

(The winner will be chosen by the random number generator and will receive one 16 inch wreath of their choice from my on-hand stock)

20% off SALE!!

2011-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

***Sorry! sale is over***

Hear ye! Hear ye! The shop is having a 20% off sale in honor of Valentines Day! Use the code HEART to get your 20% off groove on!

Whimsy

2010-12-07T16:45:00.001-08:00

Are you ready for the most quirky, the most whimsical, and the most cute thing I think I've ever made? I know you are! So, here's a little background...I bought this "thing" for lack of a better word, cause it was crazy ugly, at Goodwill. Take a gander at its "before" look....

It had really bad "silk" flowers, lots of plastic, a REAL DEAD butterfly, and some foam inside that glass. I knew it rotated and played music box style music. That was its redeeming quality. I was also keen on the glass dome and the pedestal. I instantly saw through the ugly and saw the cuteness potential going on. I wasn't quite sure what in the world I would do with it though. But, I knew something must be done!

So, I got home and got to work (as soon as my little girls were napping of course). First, glass removal. That did not go as planned. That glass was in there GOOD. It broke, and I nearly cried. So, off it came in a thousand pieces. It was glued in there so good I had to use pliers and a chisel to get all the glass out! This is when I discovered that the butterfly was REAL and I'm gonna be honest it creeped me out. Dead insects, not cute. This is also when I discovered that....get ready....IT LIGHTS UP! Yup, it has 2 "Christmas" style lights going on in there. So, it rotates, plays music, and lights up! I realized this has too much kitch to end up classy, whimsy is the new way to got...I mean lights...are you kidding me!? Oh, and they blink. You wanna see the end result?!! Do ya?! Well here you go...in video form of course (how else can you revel in the glory of its rotating musical light show?)

Nice...right?

Do you love it so much you want it to come play its musical and rotating light show at your house? It can be purchased right here!

Here are some pictures...

Lots of Fun New Things!

2010-05-31T15:06:00.000-07:00

My little 1 year old baby is walking, I'm coordinating the children's department at my new church, and I'm crafting like crazy. I'm a bit busy, but amazingly not overwhelmed. I'm taking it day by day and if I can win "Battle Nap" with my 3 year old I think everything will be OK.

I have also been having lots of fun thrifting with my friend Cindy and seeing what interesting stuff I can make out of all the odd little things I collect. First, I made a sweet little bird to live in this white birdcage I found for pennies.

Then, my sweet friend Tonya found this duck decoy that needed serious love. I hope the love has helped him, he was a very sad duck.

I also found a fiberglass/resin topiary wall plaque and dressed it up with a little felt.

A little paper mache wreath wrapped with some fabulous chunky harvest gold yarn...

(don't tell my mom, but I think harvest gold is on the way back)

I also feel the need to "rescue" old silver and pewter cups/goblets. So many possibilities! Who really drinks out of these things anyways?

Jewelry boxes, oh jewelry boxes! How I do love you! Maybe, it was the little jewelry box I had when I was a little girl that has inspired my new obsession with "prettying" them up. Dark wood and red velvet wasn't that pretty to begin with.

And lots more wreaths!! Of course, you can't forget the wool felt wreaths!

I hope you enjoy all my new little treasure! There are more to come...

Ducks

2010-03-29T18:03:00.001-07:00

So, I am not a big fan of the "hunting" look. I don't gravitate towards hunter green, burgandy, brown, etc. It's just not my style. So, I also happen to think that duck decoys as decoration are hideous. I would much rather look at a real duck thank you very much. But, I do love ducks so I decided to "cute-ify" some duck decoys. (you like that word? I made it up) Remember awhile back I made this sweet duck...

Well, I found some more decoys!!
Before...

After!....

Much better!

This is a test!

2010-03-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

So, I'm blogging from my iPhone! This should be interesting. I hope it works...

What I'd like to show you is a jewelry box I re-made.

I am getting excited about giving old beat up jewelry boxes a new life. This is my first wooden one. I did this one a couple months ago

But, silver ones are hard to find!!
I painted the outside, relined the inside and made a big dahlia on the top and I seriously want to keep it!

The jewelry box will be available at the "Saturday stroll" here in Richmond this Saturday, come on down and visit!

And happy FIRST birthday to my baby girl!

I need Pattern Testers!

2010-01-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Necktie Dachshund

Fabric Dachshund

I need 4 pattern testers! 2 for a necktie dachshund and 2 for a fabric dachshund. I have the necktie dachshund pattern finished so that is ready to go, but the fabric dachshund might be ready by this weekend. So the first 2 people to say they want the necktie version and the first two to say they want the fabric version to comment wins!

A bit of info to help you make your decision. The necktie dachshund uses an entire silk necktie, its a bit more challenging to make because its silk and you need some fusible webbing. The fabric dachshund uses about half a fat quarter's worth, no fusible webbing.

If you want to test the pattern but have questions please ask!

Thanks everyone!!

Felty Food

2010-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by this WhipUp end of year Felty project roundup. I decided to make a sandwich! A sandwich for Miriam of course. Then I got bit by the felt food bug!

I made a few extra sandwich pieces to add a little "dagwood-ness." I made some bacon, onions, a few pickles, and a smear of mustard (that's the yellow blob on the far left). And no, I did not use fancy/pricey wool felt. (oh, how I adore that wool felt though) I used the craft store stuff. And I didn't use a pattern, you don't need one I promise! Just wing it! You can cut out green circles and call them pickles, white rings and call them onions! My daughter totally knew what they were. If it makes you feel better draw on the felt with a pencil or make a paper pattern. But, hey its just felt food...its not rocket science. You can do it! Oh, and I just used a simple whip stitch with boring old white thread.

Now, on to the PIZZA! Super simple. A beige circle, a red wavy red circle, some pink circle pepperoni, a few black O looking olives, U shaped green peppers, some grey mushrooms, and of course a bunch of simple strips of white cheese.

Then I went and made a felt landscape! Once again...just winging it! I glued a few bits like the center of some flowers and the beak on the bird. Oh, and I used one of those large stiff white pieces of felt as the background. It needs some people too.

Next I want to make little "sets" of stuff to play with on the felt board. For example I want to make a dress-up doll with shoes, clothes, hair, hats, etc. I'm also thinking about making "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Miriam has memorized the whole book and she would love to tell the story with felt pieces. But, I want to make that set really nice and take my time. Hope you enjoy the fruits of my felt bug bite!

Closing up shop!

2010-01-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

I am closing up the shop for the month of January, but get ready for kinds of new goodies starting in February. I have big plans for this year!! I'll write more about my plans in the coming days...get ready!! Fun stuff to come!

Baby Weight

2009-12-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know this is a craft blog but I need to make this public. I am tired of this baby weight!!!! Baby #2 weight is not coming off like baby #1 did, at all. Baby #2 is 9 months and its time to kick myself in gear! I saw pictures of myself from this Christmas and I wanted to cry. So, if you have an iphone and you want to join me in my weight loss goals, check out the "loseit" app (its free!) and create a loseit.com account and find me under friends at kirstendschueler (at) gmail (dot) com. Seriously, I need the motivation! I am training for a 10K, which I did 2 years ago. I started from scratch and had never run in my life, ever. I had a great motivator, Rachel Pustilnik, she owns Stroller Strides Richmond and she just plain rocks. She even sacrificed her time for the race to run with me! I ran horribly slow but I actually ran the whole race without stopping...in the rain! So, I know I can do it again. I just have to start over. I also started watching my calories. The LoseIt app really helps me. Check it out! So, there you go, I have got to lose this baby gut. Join me!

Sweaters, Flowers, and a Duck

2009-11-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

First I want to show off Sarah's fabric flowers that she made using my tutorial! Aren't they gorgeous! You should go check out her blog and see more pictures of them (and her adorable baby!)

Next, on the subject of wool sweaters...wow, did I find an awesome resource for you!! Go, check out Kris' site, she has a blog where she features great recycled wool projects AND she sells wool sweaters at her shop! Too cool.

And now for the duck. I have had this unfinished wooden duck decoy sitting around my house for a long time. I just could never figure out what do with her, I wanted what ever I did to be special and different. Well, my current obsession with recycling wool sweaters sparked my creativity and I created this sweet little lady. She will be on sale at the Handmade Holiday Show here in Richmond an if no one snaps her up then she's on to the Rock and Shop Market in Raleigh, NC and if no one gets her there...then you all can have a shot at her (sorry that was a bad pun!)

(Can you believe this pic was taken with my iphone! Not bad, eh?!)

So, remember last year?...

2009-10-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Last year I was lucky enough to win Design Sponge's DIY contest with my Suitcase Pet Bed design. I just listed two new beds on the etsy site! Hershey and Nixon wouldn't stay out of them as you can see! And as always you can find instructions to make your own bed here.

Get ready, its coming!

2009-10-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have tons of new stuff to list! It can be a slow process, a lot slower than I like, so it should all be up by tomorrow evening. But here is one item to tide you over...

Rock & Shop!

2009-10-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

I just got accepted into this show! Its the Rock & Shop Vintage Market and I am so excited! They say its:

"A hip indoor flea-market featuring a fashion show, a juried selection of local and national designers selling eco-friendly repurposed and vintage fashion, jewelry and furniture. Live music by the bands Lonnie Walker and Mount Weather."

Its at the Cotton Room in the Golden Belt which apparently is a brand new space. Its on October 17th from 1-5 and costs $3 at the door.

If you live ANYWHERE near here I would LOVE to see you! I will have dog/pet beds, wreaths and lots of other great repurposed vintage items!

Classy Halloween

2009-10-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just listed a new wreath! This one measures 10 inches in diameter and is made of recycled felted wool sweaters.

And here is a photo of my 6th month old Nora just because she's cute. You know you just want to squish those cheeks!

Fabric Flowers Tutorial

2009-10-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first big tutorial so please be patient with me and I hope you can all understand it and follow along. I thought up these flowers last year and I love making them. They are quick and super easy and the possibilities are endless!

I am someone who hates to be told there is only one way to do something. I like options! So, when I say "fabric scraps" or "buttons" you could use fancy fabric, corduroy, denim, etc. or for buttons you can use some wool circles, wool balls, a fabric covered buttons, etc. As they say on PBS kids "let your imagination RUN WILD!" So, let's collect our supplies...

1. Fabric scraps

2. Heavy Duty Iron-On Adhesive (I like this stuff the best for this project, you need it to be heavy duty to help give your fabric stiffness and body)

3. Buttons

4. Floral Wire

(not pictured)

5. Your trusty sewing machine

6. Thread (matching, contrasting, etc.)

7. Disappearing fabric pen (water-soluble, erasable, etc.)

7. Your handy dandy iron and ironing board

8. Sharp scissors (not your kitchen scissors like I use because I am too scared to go get my nice scissors for fear of waking my sleeping 6 month old daughter who is sleeping in my sewing room, do as I say not as I do)

9. Hot glue (preferably low temp, we don't want to burn your fingers!)

Step 1: Cut out 2 squares of fabric and 1 piece of iron-on adhesive all large enough for each of your flower pieces. Make sure your piece of adhesive is just slightly smaller than your fabric or else you will probably get some adhesive stuck to your iron and we don't want that.

Step 2: Following your manufacturers directions, iron on the adhesive to the wrong side of your fabric. Peel off the paper from your adhesive and iron the two fabrics, wrong sides together.

Step 3: Draw your flower shapes with your disappearing fabric pen. You can see my shapes above if squint your eyes they are hard to see. I like to use a large flower and a small inner flower shape to add dimension. Also, draw out your leaves. I like to connect the two leaves together when I draw them so its easier to attach to the floral wire in the end. Don't cut these out! I know you thought that was the next step, didn't you?

Step 4: Sew around the lines your drew on your fabric. I like to use a small satin stitch but you could use any stitch you like...remember you have options!

Step 5: Now you get to cut out your shapes! Here's a tip: always cut towards the insides of corners even if it means you have to turn over your shape. This will help you have nice sharp corners. FYI, my leaves look funky because I used a variegated thread on them. I don't know if its my favorite look now that I've done it but oh, well lesson learned.

Step 6: (click on picture to see it larger if you need to) Make a flat spiral with the end of your floral wire and poke it through the center of your largest flower and hot glue it down. I like to pull the flower into my hand like you see in the picture while the glue is cooling because it adds a little bit of dimension to the flower, try it you'll see what I mean.

Step 7: Glue on the smaller inner flower if you have one. Then glue on your button. If you happen to be anti-hot glue you can also do these two steps with needle and thread, sewing it all together. I tried this but I find my flower doesn't have enough body and my stitches are too loose. If you want that "sewed together" look then its smart to sew the button to your small inner flower and glue that to the large flower. Then you'll trick everyone and they will think you sewed the whole thing. Tricky!

Step 8: Glue on your leaves. I use the tiniest drop of hot glue (yet another reason to use low temp) and pinch my leaves onto the floral wire like you see in the picture.

Viola!

Your done! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I hope it wasn't as "clear as mud." Oh, I almost forgot...I like to display these in a small vase and use rice to help hold them up in their vase so they don't all flop over to one side.

If you make a flower using this tutorial please add it to my flickr group!

Spiffy-ing up the vintage!

2009-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have started to really enjoy "spiffy-ing" up vintage items. I love the mix of vintage and modern day design. Old silver jewelry box with a tacky and gross red polyester/plastic lining...yuck! Old silver jewelry box with gorgeous lavender cotton fabric lining...GORGEOUS!

I also am loving frame purses and coin purses at the moment. This purse had a horrible crocheted bag with nasty polyester lining that was falling apart and really could not have been pretty even when it was brand new. So, I ripped that sucker off and using my skills from FIT I made a new bag using felted wool sweaters (my other favorite). I also recycled some flowers from the neck of an old cardigan, scrunched them together and viola! a hydrangea.

Check out more photos of each item in the shop!

New Wreath!

2009-08-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

This wreath is 16 inches...check it out!

Etsy Finds Friday!

2009-08-14T15:31:00.001-07:00

Romantic Purple Rose $36 by Decorate the Diva

On the Flip Side Reversible Skirt Pattern PDF $8 by The Long Thread

Crocheted Copper Wire Basket, Multicolored $40 by Xanadu2You

Giraffe Rattle $10 by Bundled

Tropical Flower Inspired Crochet Red Lace Scarf Cowl Scarflette Neckwarmer $35 by Vital Temptations

Personalized Wooden Teething Ring $17 by Stones of Healing

Water Fun!

2009-08-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

We went to the Stony Point Mall's fountain the other day and had so much fun. We took a picnic despite the sign telling us not to. Oh, well. We had TONS of fun. I can't wait til Nora is able to run around in the fountain next year.

Wreaths

2009-08-10T11:43:00.001-07:00

I am starting to make and sell these gorgeous wreaths. Well, at least I think they are gorgeous, I hope you do too! They are made from recycled felted wool sweaters. I have tons of wonderful colors that I will be using so keep checking back as fall starts to think about arriving. Or maybe I am the one thinking about arriving, since summer just seemed to arrive here in Richmond. Yuck.

Hiatus...over!

2009-06-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, my self-imposed hiatus is over! Baby Nora is here and I think I have a handle on mommy-ing two little ones...I think. Nora was born March 17 and has finally reached "happy baby" status. She was a rough one in the beginning! Colic was her first, middle, and last name. Big sister Miriam is pretty cool with it all we think. She has her moments like we all do. For example, my mom came to take care of them this past weekend while we went to a wedding and Miriam decided she would hit her sister. Well, she fessed up to it after my mom asked why Nora was crying..."I hit her." Lovely.

The etsy shop is officially open again! Check it out! And hey, while you're at it become a fan on facebook! There will be more products to come...

meme meme!

2008-11-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

saw this one word meme on allsorts; one of my favorite crafty blogs

Where is your mobile phone? purse
Where is your significant other? floor
Your hair colour? brown
Your mother? missed
Your father? dear
Your favourite thing? mommy-ing
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your dream goal? published
The room you're in? cozy
Your hobby? creating
Your fear? embarrassment
Where do you want to be in 6 years? solvent
Where were you last night? here
What you're not? boring
One of your wish-list items? iphone
Where you grew up? Georgia
The last thing you did? eat
What are you wearing? clothes
Your TV? on
Your pets? small
Your computer? mac
Your mood? unsure
Missing someone? Mom
Your car? small
Something you're not wearing? socks
Favourite shop? target
Your summer? ordinary
Love someone? absolutely
Your favourite colour? green
When is the last time you laughed? afternoon
When is the last time you cried? yesterday

join in if you like!

Handmade Holiday!

2008-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I made it into the Richmond Craft Mafia's Handmade Holiday show! They had twice as many applicants as they had space YEAH! So, mark your calendars for December 13 from 10-5! It will be at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. OK, so now I need to crank out the goods!!!! Lots of work to do!

too much?

2008-08-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

so i haven't blogged in awhile! too busy i guess. don't have anything to write? no. too much to write.

i really dislike mondays. the weekend is an excuse to nap, read, relax, etc. since you worked so hard all week. but monday, that's another story. its the beginning. everything you need to do looms in front of you. it feel like you have to do everything right now.

my house is a disaster. the laundry pile is massive, the dishes need doing, miriam's room is a mess from unpacking after going out of town, we need milk and diapers, i need to wash/iron the curtains for our bedroom since we painted it 2 weeks ago, i have things to make for customers and for the farmer's market in september (more news about that later), unfinished projects. some marketing for another little job i have, and on top of all of that i have a job that pays actual money that i have to do during miriam's naps!

when i didn't have a child somehow this list would have been a piece of cake, and even then i had a full time job out of the house. why is it that even though i stay at home i feel like i have no time!? i say yes too much, i commit myself to too much. but it always seems that there is a really good reason why i should commit myself to it. money seems to be the big reason. always is i guess.

ok, no more complaining. today's schedule is: clean kitchen and do laundry while miriam naps this morn and then go to target for milk and diapers and other errands (oh, and i need gas) then home for lunch and nap. during her afternoon nap i have a bunch of work for my little job. more laundry and cleaning. then my respite is dinner with a good friend at 7!

i think i should fill my day with music, it really motivates me. my new favorite is ADELE!

win this quilt!

2008-07-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

check this out! go enter to win this quilt...although i want to WIN! this would be PERECT on miriam's eventual "big girl bed" I WANT I WANT!!

they just find me...

2008-07-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is going on but I just keep finding these awesome vintage sewing machines! This is #3 in the last 3 months the first one was found in a ditch, the second one a woman gave to me, and this one we saved from going to goodwill. We were in Augusta, Ga last week and my husband and his sister were on their way to Starbucks, so on the way out of his mom's neighborhood he saw a man carrying this cool machine to his car. Mike, knowing I would love it, stopped and asked him what he was planning on doing with it. The man said he was taking it to Goodwill but he would be willing to sell it to us for $15 and it worked great (he wanted the tax credit). So Mike drove back to the house, picked me up and when I showed up I was in love! Plus, the woman who lived at this house used to teach at the same school with me. So she was super happy for me to have it! I just have the best luck...

for more pictures click here

rare bird finds feature!

2008-06-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

thank you so much amanda for the rare bird finds mention!!

an hour well well worth your time!

2008-05-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

starting may 14 you will be able to watch "A Walk to Beautiful" online at PBS. i invite you i implore you to watch this amazing film about Ethiopian women with fistulas. a quick explanation of a fistula is a hole between the bladder and vagina and/or rectum made during a long labor. it causes constant incontinence and these women are completely ostracized and made to live alone in a hut outside of their village. no hospital will treat them. there is one hospital that is dedicated to fistulas only and the treatments are completely free. its amazing and heartbreaking and enlightening and completely uplifting. spend 50 minutes and watch this film online here and get involved. i am already planning a showing of the film to my friends and my goal is to raise $450 which is the amount it costs for one woman's complete treatment.

watch here

50th purchase! who will it be??

2008-05-12T05:32:00.001-07:00

i am up to 49 purchases so far at my etsy shop. so i figured that the 50th customer should get a prize! so here's the deal...free shipping! just kidding, that would be super lame if that's all you got. no, the 50th customer will get a free item from the shop (equal or lesser value, please) and free shipping (i will refund this after your purchase)! so buy that 50th item and in the comments section tell me what other item you would like! nothing like free stuff, right!? so shop away, shop shop away....

just for kicks...this is a photo of my grandmother from when my grandparents were dating. i think she is about 18 or 19 in this pic. isn't it awesome! (on the texas a&m campus)

the wren's pet bed!

2008-05-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

hey check it out! the wren made a suitcase pet bed! how cool is she! check it out

she makes the coolest handbags, and i think its super neat that she lives in cape town, south africa. my idea is traveling the world...

100 things about me

2008-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

i have some friends who have listed 100 things about them...so i figured i'd join in! sounds like fun to come up with 100 things to write down. maybe we will all learn something about me (including myself)

1. i was born in new england (new hampshire to be exact) but i was raised in the south

2. i have one brother

3. growing up i had had a rabbit, a couple of hamsters, a fish or two, a cat, and a dog as pets. now i have a cat and a dog

4. the cat was killed by the neighbors dogs, he was only 6 months old

5. the dog lived to be 16 years old

6. my parents have been married for almost 35 years

7. i am kinda a geek

8. i enjoy reading theology and social science books

9. i gravitate to non-fiction more than fiction

10. i usually write in all lower case letters, i don't know why, lazy i guess

11. my first boyfriend was named mike and my last boyfriend now my husband is named mike

12. i had mono my senior year of high school, apparently it was the worst case my dr. had ever seen.

13. princess diana and mother teresa died while i was sick in bed with mono, i watched every single bit of tv coverage including diana's funeral in the middle of the night

14. i love going on vacation but i find it hard to spend the money to go

15. there was a giant flood on my 11th birthday in my town and they shut down school, it was awesome

16. i was a "water girl" for my middle school football team in 7th and 8th grade

17. i never played sports growing up

18. i was in girl scouts for 6 years

19. i played the flute for 6 years

20. played the flute and the piccolo in the marching band

21. i drove from augusta to toronto two times in one month

22. i've known my husband since 9th grade

23. he once dated my best friend

24. i have lived in portsmouth, new hampshire

25. new orleans

26. olympia, washington

27. augusta, ga

28. milledgeville, ga

29, new york city

30. richmond, va

31. i went to georgia college and state university

32. i have a ba in art from there

33. i went to the fashion institute of technology in nyc

34. i have an associates in accessory design from there

35. i got the associates after i got my bachelors

36. i taught art to homeschoolers

37. i taught art to 6-12 graders

38. i worked at old navy

39. also worked at the gap

40. i was a nanny one summer

41. i designed a tag for a tie/belt that amici accessories sold to wet seal, i did this while i lived in nyc and then found the tag i drew in a wet seal in augusta, ga. i squealed when i saw it.

42. i stole the tag!

43. i was a visual specialist at macy's

44. i dressed mannequins

45. i was not as fun and glamorous as it looks

46. i learned to sew when i was 12, my mom taught me

47. i used to paint anything that didn't move

48. i have painted bricks, hammer handles, floors, random boxes, tons of chairs

49. i have only flown 1st class once and it was because i was flying standby

50. i have been to two foreign countries...canada and thailand

51. i have been to the seoul, south korea airport

52. my husband and i have stayed at the same hotel and ate at the same restaurants in chiang mai, thailand two years apart. we were with groups of people and we were not in charge of where we went or what we did, so it was a huge coincidence

53. i have never had surgery

54. the only time i have stayed at a hospital was when i had miriam

55. i read all 7 of the chronicles of narnia at least 12 times

56. i love history

57. i used to want to be an archeologist

58. until i realized that meant crawling around in dark holes with snakes and spiders

59. my favorite colors have always been blue and green

60. i dress my daughter in non-pink colors as often as i can

61. i hate buying clothes that aren't on sale

62. i have never spent money on a cell phone

63. i have never mowed grass, i would but have just never had to

64. i have never been on a cruise

65. i graduated in radio city music hall

66. my key note speaker was anna wintour

67. calvin klein received his honorary doctorate

68. i was once a hair model

69. my hair was dyed ronald mcdonald red against my will

70. i worked at my girlfriend's kitchen for a couple months

71. most of my furniture and furnishings were free (gifts or found)

72. i have a one year old daughter

73. i never exercised until i joined stroller strides (yoga doesn't count)

74. i find the story of amelia earhart fascinating, i wrote a paper on her when i was little and airplane bore me, go figure

75. i hate writing

76. i go through crafty phases

78. it started with ceramics then to weaving, then fabric design, then accessories namely purses, then painting, then bookmaking, then sewing

79. i've been in my sewing phase for a good 3 years or so

80. i got married outside

81. i wore ballet shoes in my wedding (i only took ballet in kindergarten, so i was no ballerina, they were just comfy)

82. i saw my husband in my dress before we got married, we took all our pictures before the ceremony, i loved it that way, highly recommend it!

83. i have been married 4 wonderful years

84. i used to hate running, now its not so bad.

85. i actually ran the entire 6.2 miles of a 10k

86. i had a horrendous time, but hey i ran the whole way...in the rain

87. my brother and i went to the same place for our respective honeymoons

88. it was the same place that the truman show was filmed

89. my favorite food is chef boyardee ravioli

90. my favorite drink is diet coke

91. i never look at a menu at a mexican restaurant

92. i always order cheese dip and 1, 2, or 3 beef enchiladas (depends how hungry i am)

93. mexican is my favorite type of restaurant

94. i ate mexican the night before i was induced

95. i taught my husband to drive a stick shift

96. i still drive a stick shift

97. i put my child to sleep on her stomach at about 2 weeks

98. i am addicted to buying fabric

99. it has taken me 45 minutes to write 100 thing about me

100. i am a Christian and i love Jesus

wow, that was harder than i thought. yet now i am thinking of more stuff!

watercolor minus the water

2008-04-22T11:18:00.001-07:00

overspray

2008-04-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Rombutan See-Chompoo

2008-04-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

from my hotel breakfast buffet in Chiang Mai, Thailand. it was like a crunchy grape inside, we just called them hairy strawberries! they weren't so good, but really fun to look at.

wire

2008-04-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

just peanuts

2008-04-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

better late than never!

2008-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

i am late joining the 30 day macro challenge, but here i am!

disclaimer: some of these were taken by my former art students from 2 years ago. i can't remember who took what. but i think this was taken by sara curtis.

check this out!

2008-04-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

huh! they mentioned me on this video! cooool!

tea towel

2008-04-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

just thought i would show the tea towel i embroidered with elsa mora's little doodle. elsa is so neat, you should keep us with her blog, she's amazing. i wish i had just an ounce of her creativity and craftsmanship. and she has fun stories about meeting celebrities!

You will NOT believe this!

2008-03-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am the queen of finding stuff! I was driving to go get Miriam some Zyrtex (her father passed on his allergies, yeah.) and saw a sewing cabinet chunked in the ditch. I didn't think much of it since the cabinet looked trashed. So on the way back I got a different angle of it and could see sewing machine inside. It was seafoam green and I just about slammed on the brakes! I pulled over as quick as I could and then ran across traffic and checked it out. Well it looked AWESOME! I couldn't get it out of the cabinet without some tools and luckily it was only 2 blocks from the house. So I ran home and ran in the front door yelling for my husband (freaked him out!). We grabbed some tools and ran back and put the whole nasty cabinet in the trunk. We threw the cabinet away it was in horrible shape, disgusting. But here it is...

The tension knob is gone and it would be way too much work and money to get it working again but I just want to display it. I cleaned it up already and its SO pretty! I need to take a cleaned up picture but its in the shed still waiting for the bottom to be cleaned better. Ooooh it was like Christmas finding that thing!!!

You must try this!

2008-03-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have discovered a new recipe that I must share with the world! Pumpkin is not my super favorite ingredient. I do love a good Pumpkin Pie but pumpkin cakes were never my fav. Well pumpkin cake has captured my heart after trying at a friend's house. I guess anything with chocolate chips helps. That always helps! This recipe makes two loaf pans but I made one of them in a vintage jello mold and it worked. I had to bake it an extra 10 minutes or so and cut off the "mound" off the bottom to make it flat. Oh, and I added some simple milk/powdered sugar glaze. We were having some good friends over for dinner and I figured I would make it

fancy. So here it is...enjoy! Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

photo from Cooking Light

WOW!!

2008-03-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well I am speechless! I don't know what to say!? I guess thank you is a good thing to say. Thank you to all who voted for the pet bed! I have never won anything EVER! This is so cool!

Check out the winning post!!!

Is it done yet?

2008-03-15T11:37:00.001-07:00

Well as a participant in March of the Tools I figure I should post one of my favorite tools. I cannot cook without this...

Its my cooking thermometer! This handy $20 gadget that I purchased at Target is the best thing since sliced bread, seriously. I was sick and tired of not knowing when the meat I was cooking was done. I didn't like slicing into the middle of everything looking for pink. This little probe goes into the thickest part of the meat and it will tell you the temperature on the screen. It works in the oven or on the stovetop. You can "set it and forget it!" Instead of waiting a certain amount of time till you think something is done, you set the temperature and the alarm goes off when its done. No more over done or under done meat again! It also has a timer in case you need it. The other fancy feature is that it is a magnet so it will stick to your oven or refrigerator. But don't try to use it for frying and attach the screen to your range hood over the hot oil. Because it will fall in the oil and it won't work anymore! And that's how my first one died.

Vote for me, oh please vote for me!

2008-03-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

I entered the Design Sponge DIY contest and I made the top 20! Are you kidding me?! Wow! There were over 500 entries too! So head on over to Design Sponge and vote. There are some seriously awesome projects over there so vote for them if you like their stuff. I have some stiff competition, seriously. So check out the entries and vote!

Easter Dress and my first Japanese

2008-02-24T19:02:00.001-08:00

I think this is going to be miss Miriam's Easter dress. The one pictured is the one I'm hoping to make. Its just so sweet! I also love the yellow one, its very Annie don't you think? Please God let it be warm on Easter or I'm going to have to scramble for a little jacket for her.

I bought my first Japanese fabric the other day! Sorry superbuzzy.com I borrowed this picture, I was too lazy to take a pic of mine I'm watching the Oscars hoping to see Elsa in the background. I was in my local quilt store the other day and I heard one of the older ladies working in the store mentioning how they got 3 bolts of fabric from Japan awhile ago and they hadn't sold very well. I was starting to silently freak out! I ran over there and casually asked where they were and there it was! The cutest fabric! Hello! Why didn't I know about this!? I informed the sales lady that Japanese fabric was all the rage and I had NO idea why it wasn't selling!? I got 1/2 a yard in the light blue background. SO CUTE!

THEN...I was at the Richmond Home Show yesterday where I met the local Bernina Shop lady. I didn't catch her name but she was really sweet. I walked up and said, "Sell me on a Bernina, please!" I could tell she wanted to be my friend! Yeah, my dream machine is like 3 grand. Dream on. Is the automatic thread cutter worth it? Seams like it to me. Anyways, Bernina lady told me that there is shop in town called The Quilt Man and he is known for carrying Japanese fabric! Why did no one tell me this either!!?? Well, guess where I am going this week? The Bernina store and The Quilt Man! Sorry Joyce, if your reading this don't worry I still love Quilting Adventures more (I just want a Bernina and more Japanese fabric)! In fact Bernina lady said that there is no way she could compete with Quilting Adventures in fabric so she doesn't even try.

well, it fits the dog?!

2008-02-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

i recently made the elf hat from "Bend-the-Rules Sewing" and I thought that my 9 month olds head would be smaller than was called for the pattern and lets just say its apparently not! so it fits the dog. but i also found out that it fits newborns! so i gave it to my friend sher who is about to have her first baby girl any day now.

thank you to everyone who visited my blog after craft magazine mentioned my suitcase dog bed!! i usually average about 10 visits to my blog each day but this weekend i had 500 in one day!! that's amazing! so thank you thank you for visiting!!

a couple of you had some questions about the bed. the strap i installed to keep the lid from closing, while your sweet pet is sleeping soundly inside, is removable. i installed a snap to the top and the bottom of the suitcase and then made a canvas strap that attaches and is tight enough to keep the lid from closing. i really should take a picture, that would make it clearer. i'll get on that. promise!

so, i am training for my very first 10K. now, i have never run any sort of race...ever! so this is getting really hard. i started exercising about 6 months ago and felt very encouraged by my friends and really felt i could do this. so i am working out monday, wednesday, and friday and then running tuesday, thursday, and saturday. which only leaves sunday for my much needed rest! i have never pushed my body this hard and everyone is telling me that its 70% mental. well, its definitely becoming a mental battle!! i have never been a physically tough person, its not that i give up i just don't like to do things that don't come somewhat easily. i never did any sports growing up, just wasn't my thing. makes me sound like a wimp! but, i've just never done something this physically taxing and mentally "pushing through" when my body wants to stop is something new to me.

fuzzy bunny

2008-01-22T17:37:00.001-08:00

today i read miriam one of my favorite childhood books, fuzzy bunny. i always loved this story of a well loved handmade bunny who finds himself feeling threatened by his girl's new toys. he ends up being knocked to the floor and rolls under the bed where he feels he will never be found. his little girl finds him and realizes how worn he is and decides to fix him up. she gives him an "operation" where she re-stuffs him and even "put another stitch in his lips so that he could smile again."

these days "old worn out" aka "well loved" toys are relegated to the trash in leu of new brightly colored factory made toys. how sad! so i just love that this book is about a well loved handmade toy (made by the little girl's mother) being refurbished by the little girl no-less and then given a place of honor among her new toys at a tea party. she even "gave Fuzzy the biggest piece [of cake] because he'd been so brave."

How much is that doggy in the suitcase?

2007-12-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share something neat that I made...

Its a pet bed made from a vintage suitcase! My animals LOVE suitcases! So why not a suitcase bed? It could be for a cat or a dog, but it comes with a squeaky dog toy. I made a strap that snaps on the back so that it won't close on accident while your pet is inside. I also have a hat box, and two other suitcases that are larger than this one so if your pet is bigger or smaller let me know and I can make one for you. You can purchase it from my etsy store.

Shop Update! (finally!)

2007-12-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

Whew! That took long enough! Its later than I wanted for Christmas but still in time...shop away!

Yummy Soup

2007-11-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

I made my favorite soup tonight and I thought I would share. It is so super easy and FAST! Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup
2 cans of chicken stock
Italian meatballs (Sometimes I make the from scratch, sometimes I buy them; cut in half or quarters, your choice. You don't have to defrost them they cut up well frozen, just be careful.)
Spinach (Use as much or as little as you like, I cut mine up half frozen into tiny bits.)
1/2 cup of orzo type pasta (any teeny tiny pasta will do)

If I feel like taking more time and feel like adding veggies I saute some carrots, onions, and/or celery before adding stock.

Bring to a light boil and simmer for about 10 minutes til the pasta is al dente and EAT! Yummy!

And now I wait for my hubby to come home. Poor thing his flight was delayed and then he is going to miss his connecting flight and will have to wait from 9 pm to 8 am for the next flight! Maybe something good will happen and he won't have to do that. UGH! Traveling can be so stressful!

Oh, I have crafted my little heart out lately. I sold stuff at my hubby's work, they have a Christmas bazaar and employees, spouses, and volunteers can sell. Lots of jewelry and food stuffs including some divine fudge. Remember that song from Sesame Street "One of these things is not like the other, One of these things just doesn't belong?" Well that was me. Not in a bad way, but my stuff was just different. But I made $100! I'll take it!

I will be adding the things I did not sell to my etsy site as soon as hubby helps me take pictures. He knows how to use the fancy camera. I'm still learning.

And if you want to see the cutest video of my sweet baby click here.

Cozy song...

2007-10-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a random post. I love this CVS commercial the artwork is amazing. All of you wonderful Aussies and Britons that read my blog. You much watch this commercial. It makes me so happy and cozy. Anyways, I found out that you can download the song (originally sung by Sarah McLachlan for the Charlotte's Web soundtrack) for free here. I love this version of the song, which is sung by Kathy Fisher. This song feels like a wonderful rainy afternoon with a good book and hot chocolate.

Enjoy!

birthday goodness!

2007-10-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

my mom bought me last-minute patchwork gifts! yeah! it is so beautiful and it is really inspiring me to make a quilt! i have always been kinda partial to functional art so i like making clothing, toys, etc. but wall hanging quilts don't appeal to me as much. i want to use them, cover up with them, get all cuddly. my mom once had to find one word to describe me and her word was "cozy." i think she is definately right! so maybe i will make the wall hanging quilts larger or make it for miriam to use. but the day after i got the book (which joelle signed! i felt so special! i know she probably does it for all the books, but i don't care i loved it) i made the puzzle ball! it was really easy to follow her instructions. i didn't quite understand why she said to do certain things but i just did it and it turned out perfect! i didn't have any safety pins to hold it together while i sewed it but i made it work. i just sewed a few pieces at a time.

and bethany at bitty betty sent me some awesome shoes and a cutie little doggie for my birthday. she was doing a birthday give-away and i shared the same birthday as her son so she made me a little something! isn't he adorable!!! thank you bethany!

my artsy crafty space

2007-10-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

we recently moved my stuff into the now official "office." we put the guest bed in miriam's room and put me with mike's stuff. so now we are sharing. scary. neat freak hubby sharing a room with artsy crafty messy wife. this should be fun. we still haven't painted this room but that's ok i like all my stuff i put up! see that tree? i made it from a felted thrifted sweater and am going to decorate it with felt "bumps" (sounds weird i know). i think i am going to sell it on my etsy site.

i love the cork trivets from ikea, they make great bulliten boards! and my hubby made those green shelves for me. good job honey! and i made the ribbon organizer out of two finials that i found in someone's trash for cleanup day! i loooooove cleanup day. everyone can put out anything they want thrown out, people throw out tons of awesome stuff. i'll have to take pictures and show everyone my loot!

Taking a break from the alphabet...or my first quilt!

2007-09-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

I made my very first quilt!! Well...my first quilt was in high school and I made it for my mom, but it was so bad it doesn't count! I made Amy Butler's Bella Quilt. My quilt store didn't have all of the fabrics to match so I used a mix of Amy Butler and Heather Bailey's FreshCut. I have the top done so far and need to go buy the fabric for the border, back, and batting. My husband and I have a deal that we have to self-fund any of our hobbies cause we're poor like that! So I sell stuff on etsy and he does freelance projects. It works out well, it's great incentive. So here you go...my first quilt. Look how organized I am!

M and N

2007-09-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

M is for Merry Christmas! I know I know its not even Halloween yet (have you noticed that's when they start playing Christmas music now!). I so am excited about it this year! We did not get a tree last year. My husband was out of town for two weeks and then we left to go to Georgia for Christmas so it wasn't worth the hassle. I was sad though, I really missed that tree! Oh, and I have this great idea for a tree made from a green felted sweater I found at a garage sale. Anyways I want to get onto N!

N is for Nest! Behold my mother's Birthday present! I am so proud of it! She loved it of course, she would love anything I made, she's my mom of course! She really likes bird's nests and robin's eggs. I used aluminum and copper wire from the hardware store and wooden eggs from Michael's and that glorious Martha Stewart glitter from Michael's. think I might make some to sell on etsy...

L is for Little Things!

2007-08-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

Sometimes its the little things that make me happy. Miriam's smile when I get her out of her crib, chocolate chips, new makeup, clean sheets, a new book, diet coke, the new quilt store i found, happy music, and progress...I feel like I have kinda sorta caught up with putting things on my etsy site! I only had 8 things since Miriam was born and things have been selling sorta well this last week. It always makes me flattered and humble that some one would want to buy something I made. I love to make!! Oh, if you would like to make these cute little buttons...check this out!

K is for Kirsten

2007-08-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah I couldn't come up with anything else! Kirsten, that's my name. In high school everyone called me "K." I was Miss Kirsten when I taught homeschool art in Milledgeville, GA in college. I have been Mrs. Schueler when I taught middle and high school art in Augusta, Ga. I have some friends who call me Shue. But, for my whole life I have answered to Kristen or Kiersten. I don't care. Call me what you will. Its Kirsten though. Names...they're so funny.

For anyone who wanted the embroidery pattern from the vintage wrapping paper...this one.

Well I finally cleaned it up a good bit and there are still some little parts where you will have to fill it in. The wrapping paper is so old and pretty fragile that the corners have been damaged. I had to scan it in in sections and...well I am not a graphic designer. I did my best :) I hope you enjoy it! Its a large file though.

J is for Joint Effort Craft Force!

2007-08-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband helped me ALL day make these stuffie dachshunds for my etsy site! He did baby wrangling and cut out fabric and turned them inside out. He tried his hand at stuffing and we both decided he was not good at it. It felt so good to have an entire day to sew! I had had some customers ask when I was going to list some more dachshunds. So I felt compelled to make as many as I could in one day. I got 5 done. We started at 8 am and decided I couldn't do any more at 6 pm.

I is for Internet

2007-08-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Kirsten and I am addicted to the internet. Yes, I don't know if I could live without it. Well of course I could live without it but I sure don't want to. I used it for recipes, crafty inspiration, shopping, attempting to make money, silly things, communication, news, work (I'm an at home secretary), and much more. I check my email way to many times. Oh, and I currently have 72, count them Seventy-two RSS feeds! Yes I have subscribed to 72 blogs! What am I thinking? Only about 15 of them update each day so its not that crazy, is it? And I am constantly finding new ones...

gratuitous Miriam picture...(we were giving her a break from her carseat on the 8 hour drive to GA two weeks ago)

F, G, and H is for....

2007-08-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

I really want to post what H is for. So here is F and G really quick!

F is for...Food and Fitness. I am dying to lose my baby weight! I started Stroller Strides here in town and man it kicks my tail! Its really fun and it is a serious workout. I am also trying to eat better. I know I will not do well on a diet but I am changing my eating habits and I hope that will do the trick.

G is for...Goal. I have never been really good at goals. But my one of my new goals is to be good at goals! My current goals are to trim up and lose this baby belly. I don't have any specifics weight or size necessarily (although I have and idea) I just want to wear jeans and cute shirts and dresses! I feel like my clothes are part of my personality and I want to wear things that scream me, instead of things that just fit. My other goal currently is to be able to sell more of my handmade creations. I want my etsy store to do better. Which is hard to do with a new workout routine that takes up almost the entire morning and having a 3 1/2 month old. Its frustrating because I feel like I can never finish anything, I'm constantly interrupted by dinner, dogs, baby, husband, laundry, phone calls, etc.

AND!

H is for Highchair!! I found this highchair at a garage sale Saturday and I am so giddy about it!!

Don't you just love it! That bunny makes me so happy! I am going to sew up a oilcloth strap to help hold her in. Its very similar to the one that my brother and I ate in growing up. Who says I have to have a new plastic highchair?! We all grew up with wooden ones usually. So why not?! It was only $15 and I didn't even care that they weren't willing to negotiate cause I am in love.

E is for Embroidery

2007-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

this is a project i have yet to finish. (that pretty such describes everything right now) the design is from a vintage piece of wrapping paper. if anyone wants it i can send it to you. now that i think about it, it would look gorgeous in redwork! but alas it is green (that also pretty much describes everything right now)!

this is a piece i did in college. it was for a class project, we had to make something that was eastern in nature. i decided bamboo embroidery on red silk. done. that described what i loved about asia, visually at least. i haven't done anything with it yet. i have been thinking about just a simple frame. does anyone have ideas??

D is for Dachshunds

2007-08-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

i love dachsies! i had a red short haired girl named holly (on the right) when i was growing up. i loved that dog so much. she passed a couple years ago but now...

i have hershey! this silly little dog is the best. i just think he hung the moon. aside from my hubby and miss miriam of course. i am also currently dog-sitting for my mom. she has a dachshund named copper. hershey and copper love each other! they are the best of friends, its adorable. herhsey is on the left and copper on the right.

they inspire me so much that i made some dachsie stuff that i sell at etsy!

C is for Chairs

2007-08-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

i love chairs. i want one of those awesome row houses with super high brick walls that i can cover with chairs. have you seen people do that? anyways, i love chairs. i love small ones (i want these at ikea) i love old chairs especially. anyways here are some chairs i own...

a little elephant (mccalls 3903) i made with some vintage fabric that used to be a skirt

my mom bought me this chair at an antique store in augusta, ga and i made the seat pad

i bought 5 of these chairs at a garage sale for $11...for all 5!

my sneaky sister-in-law bought me this chair at an antique store in milledgeville, ga. she is sneaky because she "bought it for herself" and she knew i was in love with it and gave it to me for christmas, so sweet!

this is a chair that my mom bought with her sofa/loveseat set back in the eighties and she got it restained and recovered for me and miriam

B is for baby

2007-08-03T18:13:00.001-07:00

my best work of art ever. miriam (our first) is 3 months old and was born april 26 weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces at 6:37 pm. she is perfect. happy, healthy, and as of tonight teething (i think). my husband said he's not ready to see her with a tooth. i told him to get ready, there are going to many many things he is not "ready" to see her do!

A is for Art

2007-08-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

i miss being an art student and an art teacher. i became very nostolgic yesterday in an art supply store for the college of charleston. my hubby and i were having a little 2 day vacation from life/baby in charleston. i listened to students ask questions about the supplies they need for classes such as drawing 1 or 3-d design. i wanted to go and talk to them and answer their questions! so nosey! i loved looking at all the pencils and kneaded erasers, the canson books, micron pens, printing inks, and of course my favorite markers! i fell in love with art markers while in fashion school. mmm...they don't smell so great, makes you a little lightheaded. but they are so much fun.

i miss learning in a classroom of eager and talented students. and being surrounded by creativity. i have found a good bit of this online with all the awesome craft blogs i have discovered. i love creativity and the desire to make new things.

one day i want to get my m.f.a. in fiber arts. hopefully when the kids are older. i would love to teach in college. dream job.

i left teaching last year when we moved to richmond and i miss it. right now i am staying home with miriam which is what i want. but i feel like i need to get back in and take a class or teach a class. i talked with hubby on our trip about this. maybe i will look into something this fall semester...

inspired

2007-07-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

i have been so inspired to start a craft blog. i love visiting craft blogs. i love finding new craft blogs. SO i am making a craft blog!

i love being inspired by others and i would love to share my ideas with others.

in case you are wondering about the title...i used to love blue. that color of the sky on a perfect day, that blue at the top of the sky, the most gorgeous sky blue color you can imagine. don't get me wrong i still love blue. but...well green has taken over my life! my husband likes to tease me about the sudden change of color obsession in my life. our wedding was totally blue. then suddenly about a two years ago...i found this cute shirt at jcpenny's of all places. it was the most wonderfully yummy green color. i was hooked...and green became the new blue.

and if i'm not careful red might take green DOWN!