New House Mystery

Something mysterious happens when you move to a new place and it doesn’t matter if the new place is a rental or your very own, whether it's old or new, whether it is a bigger place or a smaller place or whether it is an apartment, condo, townhouse, home, barn, tent etc. 

There is nothing that is exempt from this phenomenon.

So what is this wonder I’m speaking of? Oh sure you can’t find your favorite…whatever it is, but that is really just collateral damage. 

What I’m talking about is the fact that…

no matter how great you are at Tetris and making things fit,

no matter how frugal you think you are,

no matter how resourceful you can be…

There is always a piece of furniture 

that no longer works in your new abode.

OR

There is an empty space that needs 

“something” you simply do not have.

OR

The plain and simple desire to “upgrade” or “update” is pulling at your heart and creativity like a…like a what? Oh, I don’t know, you just want new stuff really a lot!

The worst part about this little problem is that just when you’ve decided to live without whatever it is that will make your place  

absolutely perfect!

The Pottery Barn Catalog comes in the mail (because that too mysteriously happens when you move to a new place) and because you have nothing better to do (the hundreds of unpacked boxes aren’t going anywhere) you begin flipping through the pages--you know--just to see” and “get some ideas”. Not too long after you reached the end of the catalog you realize that you are way worse off than you were before because in Pottary Barn, you WILL find exactly what it is you were dreaming of and at a million times the cost you were ever hoping to spend.

**  sigh **

That is where I was this afternoon. While my kids played “pretend” in their rooms, I played “pretend” in my head. Eventually it became too much for me. I just couldn’t take it. I wanted these things so much! What could I DO?!

That is when google came to my rescue. The original search was so long ago I don’t even remember what it was I typed in. All that matters is what I found.

Now we all know, my serious blogging days are over - as is evident by how infrequently I post. Well, when I made this realization I decided it was time to clean my "google reader" house & free up some time so I dumped a lot of the blogs I was following. What remained were, of course, all my dear friends and family and an infant size handful of strangers that I considered to be really, REALLY special bloggers. A new blog was added to that tiny handful today.

Go ahead- take a look

www.ana-white.com

I can’t wait to clean out my garage….and get the baby out of my belly…so that Boy and I can set up the tools and work bench and get started on…

the desktop letter hutch,

(I'll have to modify the bridge)

bridge, & bookcases 

(with glass inserts?)

that I have desired to fill my “empty space” in our new place and also so that I won’t have to hope over Pottery Barn ever again. But before I start those, I may upgrade my queen to this king size bed-it looks a little easier.

Ever since I met my “non-blogging friends”, Lisa & Karen, (and by non-blogging friends I simply mean that I cannot hyperlink you to their awesomeness) I’ve wanted to build things but I’ve been afraid and I haven’t known where to go to find the plans. Both Karen and Lisa have said that building is just like sewing (see I knew I'd be able to connect this post to the overall theme of my blog)  - all you need is a pattern. Today I found my patterns and oh goodness….

THEY ARE FREE!

Anybody want to build with me?

Gwenevere

Get 'er Done!

I spent the day at a career fair here in Indy, helping my mom with her booth to promote her  Scentsy   Business. (If you haven’t heard of Scentsy   and you use scented candles, you really must get in touch with her.)

Now that the career fair is over, it’s her turn to help me. Ha! Like me helping her this once, makes us even! She’s great, even though I owe her my life, she still agrees to help me. (In fact she’s upstairs putting my kids to bed as I type.)

So my plan for the rest of her stay….

…I borrowed a sewing machine. So now I have two. 

(We can get twice as much done with 2 sewing machines.)

It’s time to take another swing at the Unfinished Project list.

(I should probably add the Easter dresses to the list because I cut them out a week ago and still haven’t sewed a single stitch.)

Here comes trouble?

Sometimes I go looking for it.

Sometimes it finds me.

Whichever the circumstance,

I try to keep an eye/mind/heart open for


inspiration.

You thought I was talking aboutTrouble, didn’tcha?

To be honest, the two walk a fine line and often fall into one another.

Anyway, while picking up some stray toys the other day, inspiration came…

…it hit me like a ton of Jenga Blocks

—literally.

That picture provided the inspiration for my next unfinished project. Despite the challenge ahead, I’m excited about it…A LOT! By projects end (which will be no time soon) it will be interesting to report which side of the line this project falls on; the trouble side, or the inspired.

Have you been inspired lately?

Mod Podge

Our latest creation together...

These will be given as birthday gifts 

to the kids who attend the church that I go to.

Yes, it is simple and that is why I love it so!

Thanks MOD PODGE I really appreciate how well you stick to things. You are my first choice when needle and thread just won’t meet my appliqué needs.

I imagine MOD PODGE would be quite useful in completing

ransom notes and in applying dried flowers or embellishments to a picture matt. Be sure to use latex or vinyl gloves for the former.

Perhaps there is someone out there who is like me when I first heard the word MOD PODGE. If you have no idea what it is…. This tutorial is for you. For everyone else…happy decoupage-ing!

WHAT IS IT?

A.              MOD PODGE is a glue. (Although don’t tell that to any MOD PODGE efficienato, they may not agree.) I say its glue because it reminds me of the masterpieces I used to create with rubber cement and…it’s glue.

B.              MOD PODGE can be used to add decoration to just about any surface. Unlike elmers glue, glue sticks or tape, if applied correctly, the entire decoration will be secured to the object thus avoiding edges that curl or lift and tempt little hands to peel the decoration off.

C.              MOD PODGE comes in several different finishes. In order to meet the needs of your project be sure to choose the correct finish. I used a matte finish NON WATERPROOF MOD PODGE. DON’T use this type if you are making coasters. J

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

1.             With a sponge brush, liberally apply MOD PODGE to the surface in which you are going to apply the decoration.

2.             Place the decoration onto the wet MOD PODGE. Press the edges down firmly with fingers as to avoid the corners from lifting.

3.             With the same sponge brush, cover the decoration and surface with more MOD PODGE. Wait until dry and repeat for good measure. Be careful to be ensure that the edges are well covered and pressed.

4.             Let dry and voila! You’ve created a new cover to a notebook or whatever else you are working on.

See this tutorial and many other spring-ish ideas over at Fun to Craft's Spring has Sprung Party.

Finished Project #2 & #3

Since I already had my quilting frames out from FP1:TCP, I decided to keep them out to finish:

UP 2: The Blanket From Christmas Scraps &

UP 3: The Blanket From Last Year's Christmas Scraps

These blankets were made from…

…the flannel and fleece fitted sheets…

…that were left over from the sheet sets….

…where the flat sheet was used…

…to make a HUGER blanket…

…that were given away  as Christmas gifts in 2008 and 2009.

The euphoria from having completed these 2 projects hasn’t hit yet. Hopefully that will come over the next two weeks. For now, I just have sore fingers and thumbs. It’s not easy to pull a fat needle up through fleece, 10 oz. batting and flannel. 

(Lucky me, I had help under and help over)

Boy has wanted one of these blankets

since he first started helping me make them in 1998.

He wants to snuggle up [with me] while we watch episodes of LOST & American Idol.  

(I’m sure he really wants one to use for a Sunday nap but a girl can dream can’t she?)

The kids want to know when they can use one to build a fort.

I want to wrap up in one while I finish a book and devour some cheesy popcorn.

We will all have to wait just a bit longer.

TO BE CONTINUED….

Finished Project #1: The Christmas Present

I said goodbye to Finished Project #1: The Christmas Present, on Tuesday. What a feeling! I was so happy to fold it up, put it in its new box and send it away on the next plane to Utah.

Now that the package has been delivered I can show you what was inside. 

Finished Project #1: The Christmas Present 

aka: FP1:TCP.

fka: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: The Christmas Present, UPTCP or The Blanket

UPTCP came to live in the UNFINISHED PROJECTS box on December 26, 2009, when I missed my deadline and took on a "what's-the-point?" approach. It was heartbreaking really. You see, I’ve been making these seamless bundles of warm fluff and cozy since 1996. I knew what I was doing and I knew it wouldn’t take me more than 2 days to get it done. My confidence got ahead of me. I decided to,

"try something new”.

Construction of the saw-tooth border was a snap! From there, the rest of the construction was a disaster. Each time I attempted to work on UPTCP  it got smaller and smaller as I cut away mistake after mistake. At night I thought about UPTCP and what I could do to save it (and now this is sounding like a story from Jacob 5). I had no solutions. The only thing I knew was that if I continued on the path I was on, The (KING SIZE)  Blanket would be reduced to a dishcloth in no time at all. It didn’t deserve that, so I stopped. 

I had to clear my head.

Two weeks after Christmas, when I hadn’t done so much as look in UPTCP’s direction I realized something had to be done so I overcame my embarrassment and  finally called my sister to tell her that her Christmas gift wasn’t lost in the mail and that it would NOT be in her hands any time soon. I also had to apologize for avoiding her phone calls. 

--Yes, I was THAT ashamed.--  

I think she understood. 

I hope she understood.

On February 22, 2010 I was ready to put this behind me...my list provided much motivation...I pulled UPTCP out from it’s UNFINISHED PROJECT box armed with my seam ripper and scissors—just in case it got REAL ugly. I was prepared to do whatever it took, to get this thang done! After initial inspection, I could clearly see the problem...

I was delusional.

That is the only logical explanation. The border wasn’t prefect but it certainly wasn’t as horrible as I had remembered it to be either. How had this happened? Did rodent friends fix the blanket so I could go to the ball? No! What had happened is that I had two months to brood over my mistakes and essentially make a mountain out of a molehill! Seriously, had I really made the whole thing up?!

Apparently so.

How frustrating.

I could have been done with UPTCP 2 months ago!

Merry Christmas

JK Mad Fam

May what's left of your winter be warm and cozy.

Gwenevere

P.S. If I look unhappy in the picture I'm not....well...not really. I look unhappy because moments earlier, Boy told me that taking pictures is fun but finishing  The Blanket would be more fun...so I stopped shooting and resumed tying...and then he pics up the camera and starts shooting...boys....*sigh*

Unfinished Business

The Baby Quilt

The Barbie Wedding Dress

The Birthday DVD’s (x3)

The Birthday Photo Albums (x3)

The Black Dress/Skirt?

The Blanket From Christmas Scraps                                    Finished 02/26/2010

The Blanket From Last Year’s Christmas Scraps            Finished 03/03/2010

The Book

The Bow Hangers

The Bows

The Christmas Present                                                Finished 02/22/2010           

The Christmas Tree Skirt

The Cleopatra Hair Hat

The Cross Stitch

The Denim/Khaki/Red Quilt

The Doll Clothes

The Dress-Ups

The DVD (favor for a friend)

The Easter Dresses 2010

The Embroidered Quilt

The Family DVD’s v.1- v.?)

The Framing of the Cross Stitch

The Halloween Apron

The Karaoke Book

The Kitchen (painting)

The Mending

The Mission Movie

The Other Christmas Present (painting)

The Other DVD (favor for a friend)

The Other Wedding Present (DVD)

The Pettiskirts

The Picture Frame

The Picture Recovery & Organization

The PJ Bottoms (x3)

The Playroom

The Rag Quilt From Christmas Scraps

The Recipe Book

The Shopping Sacks

The Summer Dress for Little Girl

The Summer Skirt I

The Summer Skirt II

The Vintage Summer Dress

The Wedding Present (DVD)

Isn’t that list

Romantic?

And by Romantic  I mean:

of or characterized by,

or suggestive of an idealized view of reality.

That list up there is my attempt to breathe new life into what has been left undone and eventually forgotten. It is NOT a list of movies I love, books I hope to read or songs I have sung. No, it is a list of all the projects I have started and am yet to complete. (For my own dignity, I’ve let off the date these projects began.) As you can gather… I am notorious for biting off more than I can chew-I blame it on (wo)mans natural instinct to create.

Well, since my crafting budget was cut [by me], I figured now would be a great time to finish the projects that I have been carting around the country (since the beginning of time) and which have taken up residence in several boxes labeled “UNFINISHED PROJECTS”. With each move our family has made I vowed that if the projects remained unfinished, I would leave them behind. Somehow I never could. Leaving a project behind is like making it to the Final Four and then not showing up to the game.

I’ve come this far, only to quit now?

Never!

Giving up is something I’m not very good at so until I get better at it….

I’m going to start chipping away at those boxes,

by finishing one project at a time.

So…. Do you have a list that you are trying to get to the bottom of? Do share. Depending on our progress, we can either commiserate or celebrate together.

Gwenevere