Poly-Fil Hearts Me!

Oh the Christmas Spirit of giving has flitted down and surprised little ole me! For those of you who remember (or you can go back through my blog archives), when I first moved here, I had a heck of a time tracking down poly-fil. I have many posts about my trials and tribulations trying to aquire the stuff in bulk. For the "stuff" (<----ha ha, get it?) I make, I need Polyfil by the boatload. Stuffed Robots, Stuffed Stars, Stuffed Skunks, Giant Robot Pillows, these things take Poly-Fil and lots of it!!! And there really is no substitute, and No, I can't buy the little bags, I would need a bag per project, I usually make items in an assembly line of 20. So the giant box, that's for me!

So imagine my surprise when I recieved a blog comment on an old post, The Great PolyFil Inside Joke from a Poly Fil rep! They asked for my personal info, which I emailed without any fears or hangups of being put on some consumer email/snail mail listapalooza. And then I promptly forgot about it. (I have no idea what could have distracted me the last couple months? Hold on, the baby's crying...)

So guess what? I got a ten pound box of Poly Fil for Christmas! A Big, Giant, Snowy, Fluffy, Box of Good Karma delivered right to me!!! Do you know how much Poly-Fil you get for ten pounds? The stuff weighs air, so I am set for production of some Stuff! I need desperately to make more Stars, but I am pretty well stocked for now on Robots and Skunks. Any ideas? I have been "toying" (<-----ha! I kill me!) with a few options, like, Trucks, and maybe Unicorns, but that could get tricky, so maybe not Unicorns, maybe some Rainbows? Clouds? Lightening Bolts? None of these are sticking as things I want to make, (Well, the trucks sounds fun...) Lemme know what you think, I usually get good ideas from special order requests. (You do not have to order to play!)
Oh, now I really do have to go, the small one needs this and the big one needs that... Merry Merry Merry! :)

Made a baby and I'm back!

My sweet sweet little Lorelei is 3 weeks old today. I have completely neglected my blog, as well as minor things like showering and sleeping. I steal this moment to pull out the laptop while she sleeps (briefly!) and Daddy gives Lincoln a tubby. So I probably have about ten minutes before the yelling for Mommy commences! Aaaaah! Break time!

I have done a few special projects since my absence from blogging, so I'll keep this short in words and throw in some pictures. Last I left off, I posted pics of the cute little red overalls I made for Lorelei's coming home outfit. She of course, looks adorable in it.

Since then I have done two projects, ambitious considering my new current lifestyle, Milk Mom and Toddler Chaser. (and Diaper Changer, oh the diapers!)

Here is a custom order for a large version of my loveable robot that someone ordered on etsy. They were throwing their sister in law a Robot Baby Shower! How awesome is that? Here he is, in the color scheme she wanted with a personalized message on the back. To get it shipped out in time, I made it the night before I went into the hospital! Nick of time, eh?

Next, I recieved an urgent message on my Mommy Club's message boards calling out to all crafters. "Help! Need a custom Tshirt for my kid's first Bday by Wednesday! The theme is monkeys, the colors are yellow and brown." I replied that I was on it! And here is what I made: (Lastnight, today is Wednesday!)

I guess what I am trying to say is that I like custom orders, I like them alot, and the shorter the deadline the better, I am going to do it at the last minute anyway! I am going to have to get on making a stocking for Lorelei, here is my set so far that I made the family last year. Now I get to make a Girl One!!!

So Happy Holidays Bloggers, Crafters and Friends!

New Project Completed!

Look what I made!

Red Curduroy Coming Homeveralls

Hi Everyone!

Been laying low, actually, been laying upright, low is pretty uncomfortable with this bowling ball pinning me down. I have been resting up and not leaving the house much as I finish this elephant gestation out as best I can. Almost 42 weeks now.. (Men and never been mamas, that is 10 1/2 months)

So I have been crafting a little more since I have been housebound and my back is so much better rested. The sewing machine has been in action! This post is dedicated to my soon to be arrival. With my son, who is now 1 1/2, I made him a going home outfit from the hospital. I didn't find out the sex, so I made a cocoa brown onesie, and a friend brought me some really cute socks in the hospital that look just like little chuck taylors. They are made by trumpette, and are the best socks in all the world.

So he was a boy, and he wore his little red chuck socks with his brown onesie and a white hat and white mittens for his fingernails. Very Very cute.


Now this one is also a mystery baby, so I decided as I was watching "Olivia" with my little guy that red overalls would be so cute on a little girl, and also be unisex enough for a boy. I got a large wale corduroy in a bright red and I followed a Burda Pattern that is falling apart because I have made so many of these overalls and dresses and pants in every size. The pattern runs a little large and the smallest size is a 3 month, so I did the best I could shrinking it down. I made some swirly whirly designs on the kneepatches, and voila! A new coming home outfit for the new baby, appropriate for the colder weather.

I will either put the brown onesie or a

white kimono top I sewed a yellow star onto underneath, with of course a really cute pair of socks! Enjoy the pics, and PLEASE if anyone has any getting-a-baby-out mojo out there, send it my way!!!!!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

This post is unrelated to all things etsy-sales and craft-career oriented, but it is definitely related to getting the creative crafty juices going!

First of all, my one and a half year old has four meals a day, and his three o'clock meal is Peanut Butter Jelly Time. It even has a song, Yummity Yum! And he eats it with gusto!

Here's the recipe:
(all 365, Whole Foods' House brand)
Birdland's Best Bread, one slice
Organic Peanut Buter on half
Organic Conserve on the other (he likes the Mixed Berry)
Assemble, cut into squares and place over the design on his favorite plate.

Well, He didn't have a plate, he just ate it off the highchair tray. Until my Mommy group had a meetup at the local painting spot, Painted By U, one of those pottery places where you pick a piece and paint it, then they fire it for you.

Ok, I was apprehensive, even a little snobby, about going. I didn't think it was something a "real" crafter would do, it seemed like an instant fix for people who are NOT crafty to get their ya-yas out. What a jerky attitude! I had so much fun and have already booked another session. We sat and chatted about gossip and tv while painting away at our selected pieces. I highly recommend it to any of you out there. It brought my inner Craft Nerd right to the top.

It was a little bit pricey, but you get a permanent keepsake, so I think worth it. And well, I will let the plate speak for itself here...







If you think it's just ok, allright kindof cute, just imagine the first time I showed it to my little guy. He smiled so big and when I covered the face with the sandwich pieces, he never ate it so fast. As soon as he cleared it off, stuffed cheeks and all, he picked up the plate and started kissing the face.

Yeah that's right everybody, Awwwwww! He know's just how to melt his Mommy's heart!

Good Karma in Giveaways

I wanted to mention some crafty friends this blog, so here goes.

Firstly, I have some really nice Mommy friends that I met in my Mommy group who run a fabulous blog, Birmingham Mommy.


They were so nice as to take a few of my items to raffle off and hand out my business cards at a local event which I was too pregnant to attend and get a table for. It was a big Mom run business event here in Birmingham that apparently went really well! So please visit their blog and tell them Stars and Robots says "Hi." The link will take you to the article about the event, so please feel free to cruise around and look at their other newer posts.

When I dropped off my bag o goodies for them to take, I left them on a porch with no note, and I had included a very pretty plate that I use to put my business cards on. I got it from another crafter in a trade at a Market I used to do in Charleston. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't accidentally raffled off with the other stuff, so I sent an email and included the link to a similar item made by

BlameJanetics. Great shop, isn't it? My plate is orange, this green one is a real show stopper too though isn't it? Melting recycled glass is pretty exciting to me, since I have no idea how it's done, the mysterious science of it all evokes images of Gargamel and his cat trying to turn Smurfs into gold.

So those are my plugs to my good crafty friends today, I hope you all enjoy looking at their neato stuffs. And it seems that donating two small items to raffle for shameless local plugs really paid off in Karma, I made a sale for 5 items immediately afterward! Gotta Love that!

Teaser for next blogs: be on the lookout for "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" and "new baby Overalls"
Oh! And a funny joke!!!! Are you ready? Today is my due date! Ha Ha Ha Ha! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!

I never thought I'd be eager for Halloween to pass...

Halloween, like for many crafters, has been my all time favorite Holiday. I have always taken great pride in creating my costume, and was always the one whose closets and trunks were raided to throw together anyone elses's costumes. I still have at least ten adult costumes I can throw together at a moment's notice, two baby/kid costumes, and about 7 dog costumes. I will continually throw one together from scratch regardless of my inventory, but I always hope someone out there will need to borrow something so I can air it out for the current year.

This year, as you may have seen in previous posts, I made a family of red superhero capes and gold lame belts. We dressed up four times! Sloss Furnaces Family Fun day, Boo at the Zoo, The Mom's League of Birmingham Halloween Party, and Trick or Treating at Whole Foods. Each event consisted of me in a cape chasing a one and a half year old, much energized by his cape. Chase, chase, lift. Chase chase lift. Each time followed by two days of couch to rest my pregnant, pregnant back. I am so pregnant, I needed a spare mini cape ready, just in case. So when trick or treating night, the ACTUAL Halloween came along, I looked at my kid, realized that not only does he not eat candy, but he has no idea it's Halloween and could care less if I threw him back into his pair of black tights and cape. So we picked up way too much candy at the drugstore and commenced staying in and avoiding the whole ordeal except for handing out candy to the six kids who showed up at our door. Yeah, I have a stomachache from all the candy.

My point is that even though I live for Halloween and dressing up, sometimes, you just have to recognize your limits and throw in the towel. I got the family in some pictures, the costumes were well worn in, and the memories are intact as far as the kid knows. So, success, right? Maybe next year I will not be pregnant. I doubt at 2 1/2, my kid will let me slide so easily!

It is November, and now I sleep. Oh, except for that having a baby part, I'm due in 2 days. So, sleep today, then never again I guess! I send a very special shout out to LaZBoy for my new chair. It was a really good sale and I am currently very happy in all regions relating to my back.
Happy November everyone!

Shop reopened!

Ahhh! It feels so good to have a little gusto back. My back is not so sore, and I have been reinvigorated with energy for crafting, yay! (Ok, haven't officially "crafted" since making my beanbags the other night, but I have nonetheless been productive!)

Firstly, I don't have my stock back yet from Skunk Fest, but I had a few items on top of my cd rack that I had not yet listed, so all five went up on my etsy site today, and when I get the rest of my stock back, I will begin adding the remaining peices. I swear I will get all my stock on etsy, I have never accomplished this feat, but I am getting better at the shooting photos, loading, editing, and listing. It is so overwhelming at first, but I've got a rythm to it now. So that is my big etsy goal. Once every item is officially listed, I will actually start producing more items! How exciting is that?

I also "got my craft back on" on my favorite networking site, My Craft Corner. It is kind of like a facebook for etsians and other crafters. Great support network and growing so fast, so I started a thread seeing if everyone was into using MCC as a tag for their items, and it seems so far like a hit of an idea, and I have already tagged my items with it. That is a good thing. Ad look at me now! BLOGGING! Whooo! I also gave out a bunch of my brand spanking new business cards to a bunch of Mommies in my Mommy group. More on them later, they have a cool blog I'll talk about in another post soon.

Allrighty. I just got home from a trip to LaZBoy and purchased a new chair for nursing, a must, especially if I end up with another dreaded Csection. (My Dr appointment this morning showed absolutely no promise of an on time delivery!)

wowwee Zowee, I am pooped, but very excited about all the new stuff in the crisp cool Fall air! Enjoy the changes the season brings to you!

The SuperTaylors!

Costumes Completed and Worn by the Whole Taylor Clan!

I have been pretty laid up lately with what I will call "pregnancy back." A lot of couch time, a lot of hot baths, a lot of diaper changes and meals served on the floor instead of lifting the kid into the highchair. I do it to myself, I know I should be slowing down, but I am very active in my Mommy group. It has come down to one hour of fun equaling two days of being laid up on the couch.

Worth it? Look at this picture of us at Boo at the Zoo and you tell me! I had Daddy do all the heavy lifting, (he even lifted my purse into and out of the stroller) I just pushed (leaned on) the stroller and followed them around. So worth it. Lincoln had so much fun and it was easy to keep track of him!

This was the final result of my backbreaking measly few hours ( oh probably around 8-10)making our Super Taylor Costumes. We decided that we were "Super Baby", "Super Beard", and "Super Pregnant."

My time has been spent mostly relaxing, but I have my bursts: the Super Costumes, about 5 Mommy events a week, (yeah, that is coming to a swift halt!) and I just this weekend for the first time, closed my etsy shop and sent all my stuff to the Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival to be sold at the merch booth. I did pretty ok, considering the sales were slow all around due to the freezing weather. It is an outside all weekend camping event. I was also relieved that sales were on the slow side since I really let down my promise of Skunks, I was hoping to make around 40, and I only put out ten. (See previous posts about the great Polyfil Search of 2009, Skunks for Skyla, as well as many posts outlining my late pregnancy laziness) As of my last cell convo with my salesbooth helper, I sold about five skunks, nine robots, three stars, and a few postcards. I can certainly live with that, and since I didn't provide that many skunks, I am going ahead and donating 30% across the top from all sales to my fencing friend Skyla.

So, crafting has been slow but steady. I made a sale on etsy this week right before I sent off my stuff for the weekend, and after finishing the costumes, I got around to making beanbags for our Mommy group Halloween party. Those turned out very cute, I just finished them right before this post.

Allright, enough of this upright position, I am going back to my couch! Have a very Happy Halloween!

I've been tagged by a blogger! yeah!

I am slow to blog these days, I'll go ahead and fall back on the "I'm just so pregnant" auto response I have been so dependant upon these past few weeks.

MAB jewelry has tagged me for a blog post, and declared that I have an over the top blog! I've won a major award! The trick is that I have to answer the following questions with one word answers, and then tag others to spread the joy. So, here we go.

Wait a SEC! Did that say ONE word answers? This is going to be a challenge!

1 Where is your cell phone? toddler
2 Your hair? wonky
3 Your mother? Vegas
4 Your father? Hawaii
5 Your Favorite food? Pineapple
6 Your dream last night? Inappropriate
7 Your favorite drink? Peppermint
8 Your dream/goal? CraftHero
9 What room are you in? couch
10 Your hobby? robots
11 Your fear? epidural
12 Where do you want to be in six years? done breeding!
13 Where were you last night? Birthclass
14 Something that you aren't? quiet
15 Muffins? English
16 Wish list item? Dressform
17 Where did you grow up? Earth!
18 Last thing you did? cuddle
19 What are you wearing? maternity
20 Your TV? Yo Gabba Gabba
21 Your pets? Bella
22 Friends? Lots!
23 Your life? Full
24 Your mood? Pregnant
25 Missing someone? nope!
26 Vehicle? Mommobile!
27 Something you're not wearing? bikini
28 Your favorite store? WholeFoods
29 Your favorite color? Orange
30 When was the last time you laughed? Today
31 Last time you cried? Pregnant!
32 Your best friend? Awesome
33 One place that I go over and over? JoannFabric
34 One person who Emails you regularly? facebook
35 Favorite place to eat? Home!

Now to tag all of these wonderful and over the top blogs:
The Jaunty Gourmand
Mom Has Class
Oh, Kevi
Serendipity Handmade
The Forgotten Brush
Where Eagles Dare
Cameron Builds It

HalloCrafty!

Lazy bones is back! I have let go of my daily blog habit. I now blissfully relapse! I have been crazy busy lately, running all over town, hosting playgroups, planning parties, and spending my online hours doing Mommy group stuffs, it's practically a FT job. Plus, my pregnancy has officially slowed my butt way down. 3 more weeks...

My crafting has suffered. Immensly. I have an all new list of projects, all with pressing deadlines, which is exactly when my super procrastination kicks in!

Speaking of Super... Finally with hubby home all day yesterday, I peeled that cover off my sewing machine and went to town! I spent at least 8 hrs yesterday and made all three of our Halloween costumes. Yes, I opened that well organized craft box of materials labeled "Project Superhero" and made Taylor history. Well, I think it went well anyway. All I did was make three Superhero capes and three Superhero belts. I had to, since today was wear your costumes day.

I plan on embellishing further, since we have two more dress up events. I'd like to make some arm cuffs and maybe add some lightening bolts on the front of the chest or back of the cape. All in the gold, of course. But I really cannot complain with the minimum I finished, I mean just take a look at this baby in tights!

Now with the sewing machine dusted off, I must finish making beanbags for the Mommy group Halloween Party by Tuesday, and another assembly line of skunks by next weekend for the Skunkfest. Whew! Nothing like serious procrastinating to get some fire under your butt! Feels just like college.

I'll be back tomorrow with another post, I was tagged and need to get that ball rolling. Thanks to MAB for bringing me back to my blog!

Hello!



I was putting off blogging today since I could not think of how I have done anything to help my crafting out, and this is quickly turning into a Mommy/Pregnancy blog!



But I DID do something today! It only took a sec, though. I ordered new business cards for my etsy biz through VistaPrint. It was crazy, crazy cheap. I got 1500 cards, some address labels and a personalized post-its pad for $30 bucks. Here is the photo I used for the design





You will have to weed through many special offers, but you'll survive. It was very quick and easy. I chose the super slow shipping of 11 days. I have found that the slowest shipping is still faster than they say it will be most of the time, and if it takes 11 days, I will certainly survive. Plus, I just bought new ink cartridges, so if I need to print a few at home to hold me over, I can.



Also, I made an etsy purchase today. (Putting the etsy Karma out there never hurts!) I am a huge fan of mineral makeup, I started out with Bare Minerals, but this girl makes it herself and it ends up being around 8 bucks cheaper. For those of you who haven't tried it out yet, mineral makeup stays put and looks like you have been airbrushed but aren't wearing any makeup. It saved my sanity my first pregnancy and I still rely on it to make me feel pretty without a mask!



Speaking of feeling pretty, when did I get this huge? I went to the Botanical Gardens today with my in laws and the boy, and whoah! Is that me in that picture? I didn't look like that last week! It was one of those reality checks. I thought I was looking great, but the picture don't lie! It's right here... Oh wait, I must have done something during the download, I can't seem to find it.. Sorry! Guess I can't share afterall. Shucks, and I was so looking forward to you all seeing me in my fullest 9 month pregnant glory! :)



Lessons learned today?

1. Pregnancy clothes you bought a month ago will no longer fit in the final countdown.


2. Vistaprint has great deals on business cards


3. Shop at etsy.com

Nuff said, have a great night!

Skunks for Skyla!

Allrighty, as much as I absolutely HATE to brag, I made yet another sale yesterday, this time for three items! The most exciting thing was that they bought my first Skunk, so I got to send a donation to my friend Skyla! So here we go with the official Skunks for Skyla post!

I was planning on attending the Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival (ASBF) like I have every year for the past 8 years. So I started a line of Albino Skunk neck pillows. They are awfully cute, or so I think anyways! I was going to set up a booth at the Festival and sell them. Well, the founders of ASBF happen to be one of my very closest friend's inlaws (The first year we went was a "date" for her and her now husband!)It just so happens that said friend has this AMAZING 14 year old daughter, who I have known since she was three.

Introducing, Miss Skyla Powers, fencer extraordinaire! Skyla is a World Champion fencer out of Nellya Fencers in Atlanta. That's no exaggeration, she actually has a "World Champion" title. In order to keep her ranking, Skyla must travel the world to compete. She just got back from Poland and goes back later this month! So, this gets extrememly expensive, of course. She has alot of work and competing ahead of her to earn her way into the Olympics, but she is dedicated and easily has the talent. It is mostly about the ability to continue to compete all over the globe!

In comes my big brainy idea..."Skunks for Skyla!" I will be sending $5 from each Skunk sold to help with Skyla's dreams. I know, it isn't much, but If I sell a TON of skunks, at least they will be able to afford a hotel room here and there! Although, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the ASBF this year (my due date is much too close to be in the middle of a weekend camping trip in rural Greer, SC) but thankfully, I have connections and they will be sold at the fest anyways!

They are available in my etsy shop
and if you don't want to buy a skunk but want to help our little Olympic hopeful, here is Skyla's blog which has a paypal link. (You can look at her blog without donating if you want to sneak a peek!)

And if you are dying to spend a weekend camping and getting your Bluegrass on, Here is info on ASBF, it is such a great time and has tons of stuff for kids as well as adults!



Ok, Ok, thanks for letting me brag about my friend and can I just say one more time? "Yay! I sold my first Skunk!!!" So Skyla, here's your first five dollars, you can get yourself a bottled water at the airport! XOXO

Zooby Dooby Doo!

Allright, you got me. I am really stretching this whole relaxing thing to the fullest. I have a great excuse though. At my Dr. appt. this morning, the receptionist told me, "See you next week!" Next week? I am on the weekly plan now? Yes, it is finally closing in, I am one month from my due date. I have been pregnant for what seems like forever. Those of you who have kids close together know what I mean, I don't remember the non-pregnant time in between. I have been pregnant for two years!

I did mail off my etsy sale yesterday at the Post Office, and after 5 months of selling, I am finally beginning to get the hang of mail outs. I have been ripping myself off with shipping charges, and I still think they are high. I eat a little on shipping everytime. I am getting down to the nuts and bolts of keeping that cost as low as possible though. One thing is for sure, I will never complain about anyone's shipping cost!

Today I put my three sales worth of money to good use and bought myself some new ink cartridges: color, and B&W. I still can't wrap my head around why they are so expensive! It makes no sense. It was quite necessary, as my last two purchase letters looked like they were the last printed in a long line of ditto sheets. (Anyone else out there old enough to remember that smell?) I also bought myself a new book, "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead" by Max Brooks. That's what my bookclub gets for letting me make this month's selection, he he he!

Back to the living, I took my favorite little man to the Zoo today, and of course, thought you all deserved to see pictures of Lincoln the great! Here he is

digging for Dino bones...

checking out the reptile room...

visiting the flamingos...

and then there is the Garrrrr!

Ok, I am sold on laziness for good!

I'm not sure what's happening, but I awoke to check my email and found yet another sale! That is three sales in three days. Yay! They are small, just one item each, but it is so exciting! After a two month dry spell, I couldn't be happier. I am driving to the Post Office every day. Go Robots, Go Robots!

Progress report: Checklist!

Review of my unfinshed business lists...

Here is an excerpt from my post on My Craft Corner in response to the thread question: "How many unfinished projects do you have?" Since I wrote it about three weeks ago, I thought I'd check in on my progress. The updates are in green.

Oh gosh, I am definitely not counting the unfinished projects of yore, so only currently unfinished projects!!! That statement still holds

1. my assembly line of skunks, I need more polyfil to stuff the last four and sew them shut. That is the first batch of 11
Oh yeah, as you may have read, I got that darn polyfil this weekend, and today, finshed my 11 skunks at a labor rate of an hour and a half per skunk. Pew! I mean, phew!
2. Start my assembly line of the next 20 skunks
Maybe tomorrow...
3. Finish taking reshoot pictures of my current etsy stuff, then pic and post the rest of my stock that has been finished for awhile.
in progress, slowly but surely!
4. I am working on a maternity blouse, I was going to do each Project Runway challlenge, but I've never made a pattern for clothes, so my Red Carpet (fancy maternity blouse) project turned into my Maternity Challenge project (What are the odds?) let's just go ahead and admit that I won't be participating in the beachwear challenge! The blouse is about halfway done, maybe more.
That one is done and done, I've washed it twice already.
5. Start my "Skunks For Skyla" Campaign. Once I finish the first batch of skunks, and post and pic them, I need to post a shout out on my facebook fan page and do a mass email and post on here and etsy...
Oh dear, need to get on this one since the Skunkfest is mid Oct where they will be sold.
6. Isn't there always something else? Yes, I have since added and finished a curtain project, and have created a Halloween costume project for the whole family. I have materials, and have even gone the extra mile to organize them in a project box with all needed supplies, so ready to be worked on! (Family Costume event Oct 10th!)

Ahhhhh! That feels better. I am really big on lists and crossing things off of those lists. Now if I can just finish these, get out and buy new ink cartridges for the printer, and order some new business cards, I'll almost be ready to come out of October alive and prep for Christmas! And the leftover fabric from the curtains will be perfect to recover that chair...

Purple and Curtains (Not purple curtains)

Oh, a day of relaxation AND accomplishment! It's a premium win win! I believe that staying offline for a big part of the day is quite positive for my creativity. I haven't even checked google analytics for at least a week. That's real progress.

I finally got to work and finished my little man's curtains, he helped, as you can see from the pictures. He wanted to make sure I had the measurements right. I am surprised that I am so immensly proud of these curtains. I mean, we all know they are just rectangles. I guess I feel that way since it really finishes the nursery, and I have never made curtains before. They are also really big, (not for curtains, but for a project) which for some reason makes them seem more worthy of accolade. I dunno, I spend alot of time making tiny robots and things for babies to wear, so something that actually took up the whole table to sew felt gratifying. I should make more curtains, as far as satisfaction goes, it's a lot of bang for your buck.

I logged online sometime in the later afternoon, after finishing curtains and putting baby down for a nap. Open email aaaand...Well looky there! Another sale! I didn't even post anything new since the robot I sold the other day. I mean, the ball is really rolling!

I have to say, I know I have mentioned Feng Shui having a positive effect in some previous posts, but I am really a believer. I didn't do any "fixes" per se. Well, not true, I bought two purple bars of soap and put up a Hawaiian sunset picture (that looks kinda purple) in the back bathroom, which is in the financial area of the bagua and represents financials ($$$). Purple is the color for that area. But mainly, I got myself really organized in my craft workspace (see yesterday's post), which is what alot of Feng Shui is really all about. Organization, streamlining, you know, the positive flow of chi through a space. Can't be blocking up your chi with a bunch of stacked up cardboard boxes and piles of material. Clean corners, clear visual and traffic pathways.

Allright, so that's my story. I relaxed, and I finished a project (monkey) I had in the wings (on my back) and I made a sale. Yay me! Please feel free to share if you have done anything lately to help streamline; success with Feng Shui, Organizing, basically anything that has you "Working Smarter Not Harder." I used to find that concept elusive, but it is starting to become more clear to me now!

Burlap is Better when you Organize It!

Yay! The Gods of Stuffing have visited, and I got my polyfil! Woohoo! I finally showed up for the right sale at the right store at the right time AND they were in stock!

(***Men and/or non deal-of-the-century enthusiasts please skip ahead)

I had a 50% off one item coupon, got a huge 5lb box (the stuff weighs nothing) as well as 2 large and 2 medium Sterilite clear boxes, and 2 spools of thread for...$19 dollars! I was the envy of everyone in line, I had an overflowing cart, even the cashier said, "whoah! I thought you had like 70 dollars in there!" I know, my cart LOOKED huge, but it was mostly air with the containers and fluff. Still, nothing feels as good as a multiple-trips-to-unload-the-car stash for under $20 bucks, no matter what you have in there!

(***resume safe reading)

I read someone's blog about organization, (forgive me for not adding the link, I went on a blogtastic reading spree) and I went to town on some shelving and use of my new clear boxes to get my sewing station in gear, what an improvement! I have all my current projects neatly organized ino their own see thru box, all supplies contained. A Superhero costumes box, A skunk assembly line box, a halfway done curtains box, you get the picture.

My 4 year old nephew called me to thank him for the cape I sent him for his Birthday and informed me that he could fly, AND that it is BLUE! (See cape photos and links a few posts back) So that made my day.

I took a little mental break, slacked on posting and projects, made a sale, then today I really got in gear. I finished my burlap curtains, I need to hang them and do the botanical print ones that will go in front. I hope to finish that tomorrow and post pics. In the meantime, I have some pretty lame photos of the materials I'm using! If anyone knows if you can wash burlap, let me know. I didn't, for fear of it falling apart, but it has a strong turpentine smell. Perfect for a baby's room. I did hang it for 3 days first to let it stretch out.

Oh this blog post is boring even me, so I will leave you with the promise that tomorrow, not only will I blog, but I will be fascinating!

Happy Costuming and other HallowCrafting!

Ha! My laziness paid off!

Yeah! Instead of crafting, I took a nap, and I awoke to see that a listing I posted this morning has sold! YES! The dry spell is over! Take that, overachievers!

Before and After and the Attack of the Lazies!

For fun and for lack of recent pictures to add, I have included these photos of where we were, and where we are now. The beach picture is Christmas Day last year, about a month before I got pregnant. (Yep, Christmas in a tank top, that is Charleston, at the Isle of Palms!) We will call that the BEFORE picture. Immediately afterward, with a positive pregnancy test and a commitment by my husband to grow a baby beard (he stopped shaving the day the line turned double!) we all started to change. It is September now, and the "after" pictures pretty much spell it out!!! The husband will shave upon the arrival of the new bundle of joy, due in 6 weeks! And I certainly wish the shape of myself would change back so easily, but you may have to give me a couple more months!

So onto the topic of procrastination. Yes, I have been bitten by the "Lazy Bug" and horribly infected. Here are the ways in which I slack: (you can skip this list and keep reading, no one really cares what I'm putting off, right?)

• not keeping up with my blogging "post a day" commitment
• unfinished (unstarted) curtains for the babies' room, purchased material two weeks ago
• many many skunks on the back burner needing to be made for the Albino Skunkfest that is in one month! I know I need polyfil, but that doesn't keep me from doing all the sewing up to the stuffing stage!
• unfinished (unstarted) Halloween costumes for the family, bought material this past weekend
• unposted pics, I need to add to etsy! Isn't it all about new listings? I have the pictures downloaded from the camera already!

So, you see, I am really letting it pile up. I have been blaming my laziness on a host of things. Firstly, that darn bug really bit me! I was sick and I slowed way down while we all got over a (minor) cold. Then there is this pregnancy, I am due very soon. I am busy with the kid, have new duties with my Mommy Club (I am now assistant organizer!), and um,,, I'm sure I have more reasons, if you just give me some more time to think about it! None of these excuses really hold any water, to tell you the truth.

As I told my friends on My Craft Corner this morning, the first step to getting over a bout of massive procrastination is to admit publicly that you have a problem. I may be big on laziness, but I am even bigger on accountability! So now that I have officially put it out there, I am publicly accountable for getting my butt in gear! Happy crafting, blogging, and reading everyone, and may you avoid all contact with the lazy virus this season!

Monkeys Riding Dogs

I am so tired and listening to rolling thunder, as my husband defines it, (he has a knack for the weather) while said husband watches Robot Chicken. Watched the Emmys, looked at Emmy dresses online, ended up linking to a "who wore it best: Thigh Highs" photo diary of 18 or so celebrities wearing boots, hose, whatever. Answer? No one! When will they learn, you are already hot, you don't have to "sell it!" (Special exception for Debbie Harry, whose boot tops were hidden by classily lengthed camoflauge dress, and she really can do no wrong)

I did some Halloween research online today on how to make a cape, which really needed no explanation, but I like to be overly prepared. I also looked to see which would be easier, making spandex bodysuits or ordering them? Oh the trials and tribulations real superheroes must go through.

I also decided that dinner tonight was going to go down like a Top Chef Challenge. The challenge? What can you make without going grocery shopping? I ended up with Penne pasta topped with sauteed zuchinni, kalamata olives, garlic, and chicken. It was ok, but a little feta would have taken it along way. The kid was not impressed!

Ok, I wrote, I did my duty, I hope I haven't bored anyone to tears. I leave you with this quote from our Alabama State Fair Commercial... http://www.alabamastatefair.org/

"Monkeys Riding Dogs!" The official Taylor family quote of the week.

Costumes and Doulas

Today was very productive on all fronts.

• Priority #1:

As I am delivering my second child soon, (six or so weeks) I have been trying to find birth support. I joined a local ICAN chapter that has been wonderful. I am trying to go for a natural birth after having had a Csection with my first. (Known as a VBAC) I found a doula today, which brought me great relief since I had no idea where to find a good one having just moved here mid pregnancy. I am thrilled that my Dr. supports the decision to have a VBAC and will allow a doula to assist in the hospital. So Yip yip hooray! I am stoked!

• Priority #2

Next up, Halloween costumes! I met with a Mommy friend of mine to hit the sale at Joanne's Fabric and get Halloween costume essentials. She is putting together an awesome Wild Things ensemble for her two boys, and I chose to be inspired by superflykidz (see a few posts back) to make some capes for the family. Found some felt backed satin in red and some gold lame which I hope to use for emblems and belts, maybe even wristbands and spats! The Super Taylors! I can't wait to get that going and show some pics! I can't think of a better way to showcase my hugeness than a spandex bodysuit!

• Priority #3

Getting out of the house! I officially ended the lockdown today now that we are all feeling better and there are no more lingering sniffs and runny noses. After racking up at Joanne's we went to continue our Mommieness with the kids at the Hoover Public Library. It has a huge kidroom full of toys and puzzles and such and they had a blast! We stayed until they cut out the lights on us. I had no idea we were the last ones out!!! It was a well deserved break for my little buddy, and he was an angel and played his little heart out with no fussing!

So that was my big full day, I feel accomplished, and can't tell you how wonderful it was to get me and my little guy OUT of the HOUSE for the first time in almost 2 weeks! (Nevermind that it was raining all day, we were singing in it!)

Hope everyone had an equally satisfying day! PS the Polyfil was still not on sale, it has no interest coming home with me until I finish my curtains and Halloween costumes!

Photo Post, get to know your blogger friends!

So, I was tagged by Laura at http://theforgottenbrush.blogspot.com/ who was tagged by Cindy at Hellcat Vintage to do a photo post. Here it goes!
The idea is to:
1. Open your first photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo on your blog and tell the story behind it.
4. Tag people to do the same.

This photo is from classes at the LittleGym in Mt Pleasant, SC. Lincoln had just started, so he must be around four or five months old. We now live in Birmingham, AL, he is now 16 months, and I am due with number two in 6 and a half weeks, let's just say that we both look alot different!!!

What a time capsule looking back on my little man, how he has grown! I haven't looked at this picture in awhile so I advise everyone to try this blogsperiment!

Tagging:

kevi/raehttp://itspronouncedkevi.blogspot.com/

terry http://hatsnstuff.blogspot.com

mabjewelryhttp://mabjewelry.blogspot.com/

karlahttp://momhasclass.blogspot.com/

colleenhttp://glutenfreecolleen.blogspot.com/

katehttp://kate8085.blogspot.com/

French Toast and Fanmail

Woopsie, fell asleep before I blogged lastnight! Up too late watching Project Runway of course. And might I add that the Office was fantastic. The whole beginning where the idiot patrol all thought they were city jumpers was classic, brought me to tears. I watch alot of TV, and it interferes with my crafting.

Well I am sitting with my kid at breakfast reminiscing over the craftiness of yesterday. (We are having Banana/Strawberry Bread French Toast, I will be happy to give up the recipe if anyone asks!!) The day of craftiness definitely had its highs for a low productivity day!

I got an etsy convo (that's special secret etsy language for an on site email) from Kathy Cano-Murillo! yes, that's right, the actual Crafty Chica! For those of you not in the crafting community, she is a total Craft Rock Star, super duper famous! I had recently sent her a "fanmail" convo with some pictures thanking her for my wedding cake topper from 6 yrs ago. She convo'd me back a personal thank you! It was like writing a letter to your favorite celebrity and getting a REAL letter back, not just a spewed out fanmail autographed glossy! So big deal, at least to me!

I also submitted some photos to Craftgawker http://www.craftgawker.com/ . I have been dying to do this and I finally got around to it. When you submit your craft photos, they accept or reject with explanation of what's wrong with your photo. I haven't gotten a yeah or nay yet, but I did check my email before blogging this morning just in case! Undoubtedly I'll be keeping you posted.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent cleaning and sanitizing my house as we are all finally finished being sick, and brainstorming about Halloween. I think I may make some capes for the family, since I am jealous of the bday gift I sent my nephew. (See previous post) The Super Taylors. Yah! That's how you know you gave a great gift, right?

The photo above is from Halloween last year, I made the little avocado costume "The Avocostume". We were going to do another fruit or veggie this year, but my farmer overalls no longer fit! (You know you're at the end of your pregnancy when you have outgrown your OVERALLS!!!) Hope you are all getting geared up for Halloween, I'll be reading tons of blogs to see what the rest of the crafters out there are up to!

Rested and awaiting a cape!

Phew, We just had a sweep of family sickness, and I went ahead and totally unplugged from the internet! I was home alone (hubby gone for a week with work, also SICK) and SICK and super pregnant with a SICK and teething baby and a needing to go out five times a day doggie. Superfun! It was really just a minor cold, but lasted a whole week and my lil baby boy has never ever been sick! (He's 16 months, so it was a real bummer to break the streak!)

Anyhoo, we are feeling much better, Daddy's home and I spent all day facebooking my face off and not doing anything for my crafting biz.

Well, not to let down the craftiness of the blog ....my sweet nephew's birthday is next week, and I ordered him the most perfect gift off of etsy! He is turning four, so I looked at so many wonderful things until...Dat Dah Dahh!!! I found it! A magical cape for a Superhero!

http://www.superflykidz.etsy.com/

This shop is obviously a superseller, check it out, OVER 5,000 sales! They knew their market, and I am in it! I got a custom blue cape with a gold lightening bolt and his intital in red. So as a consumer, I feel completely satiated.

That's all for now, I will be back to my usual blogging routine tomorrow, and will come bringing tales of craftiness!

Oh, the great Polyfil Inside Joke!

Allright, I am starting to feel a little punked. I have felt so lucky that right down the road there are both a Joanne's Fabric and a Hancock in the same parking lot. They are big, new, fancy and fully stocked. Unless you need polyfil. I make stuffed robots, stars and skunks. I need polyfil.

Today, I went to the Grand Opening of Joanne's, after missing out on getting Polyfil from the big sale at Hancock, they were out of stock. I was told a week earlier they would have some, but they didn't and you cannot raincheck an out of stock item for the sale. (So, what is a raincheck, then?) I had already been to Joanne's, but they weren't open yet. I picked up a membership card and sale flyers from the table they had set up to greet new customers and get them back for the opening. They opened yesterday!

I am finally going to get my Polyfil, they will surely be fully stocked for their Grand Opening! I grab a sales flyer, YES! 50% off any one item for the Grand Opening Sale-A-Bration! I put on my blinders, (so many aisles, so many fabrics!) and run to the back wall, looking like a crazy pregnant lady at 32 weeks running like a moron! I get to the very well stocked and organized AISLES of Polyfil, batting and pillowforms. Where is the big box? Where Where? They only carry a five pound box. That means I can only use one coupon and come back the next day to use another one. I look at the dates...

The FRIGGIN SALE IS NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!!!! So my "right down the street fortune of craft store placement" (It's 5 1/2 miles) has turned into four 11 mile round trips and counting to get my polyfil. I wonder if you can get a tank of gas refill coupon? I insist on bringing my husband next weekend so we can both get in line and buy a box each with two coupons. I am NOT making 2 more trips! back to the races! Now I will see how many skunks I can get to the stuffing stage before I have Polyfil!

The journey toward becoming the perfect crafter continues...

Quick Goodnight!

I promised myself I'd blog everyday, so I forced myself to reopen the laptop for a nightcap with Blogger. I have been very busy watching tv, afterall, it is Project Runway night! Does everyone else design the dress/outfit they would make for each challenge in their head too? I also spent alot of time on the phone with hubby, who has been away all week for work. (Comes home tomorrow night, better get my blog written early!)

I'd like very much to thank Blogger for their autosave feature. I wrote such a long blog lastnight and had totally finished editing the text. When I went to add pictures, I closed the whole computer down. Le Panic. But blogger saved the day, so phew!

I was really tired today since my little man had a big teething episode lastnight and woke up for about an hour in the middle of the night. I was hoping that would mean he would sleep in. Nope. All I did today toward my crafty-ness was to edit some pics and post then to etsy, then I added a "My Craft Corner" badge on the blog here (see right column). It has taken over facebook as my new crack. Going to sleep now. Above we have a picture of sleep.