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.

Yes, I name my crafts

When I am creating a robot or a star or a skunk, even in an assembly line they have their own personality, their own life. The fabrics may seem random, but I feel each piece tells me which ones they want, like a child dressing themselves. I use a pattern I made from paper grocery bags, but the tracing and seam allowance takes on it's own path as well, its as if it were a loose interpretation of the pattern.

Once I get them dressed, it's all about the face. Sewing on the eyes particularly really adds that breath of life, and it is my favorite step. I always freehand the eyes and only cut them one set at a time. This is a slow step, it only takes a sec to sew them on, but this is where I take a moment to appreciate each one like a little newborn I'm going to send out to a loving family. I know, Cheeze Louise, but I'm extra sappy when I'm pregnant.

So the names, where do they come from?

With the Robots, I initially had 60 of them, so as I took pictures of them I stuck little dot tags on them A-Z, AA-whatever, and then named the photos accordingly. I have a book of Sci Fi Baby Names that I recieved from my sister in law when I was pregnant with my first, and I just picked them out alphabetically. They all came from movies or books or tv series, and had a description of the character. I tried to choose ones that fit. Some were boys, some were girls, some were ambiguous and recieved names accordingly. The ones that got into the double letters got double names, with a hyphen, and that gave me a little creative license to mix and match. My favorite was Olivia-Wan.

So then were the stars, and those I chose just by the way they looked, mostly their lips, or the way they held their "arms" or their eye shape. Their faces made it easy. They were like naming your stuffed animals as a kid.

The Skunks took a more interesting and personal twist. Yes, these are the Skunks for Skyla. They are all Albino Skunks in reference of the Albino Skunk Bluegrass Festival, http://www.skunkfest.com/ , and are made for the ASBF founders' grandaughter and Olympic hopeful Skyla Powers http://skylasjourney.blogspot.com/ (competing in Poland this week!) I donate a portion from each skunk directly to her.

The Skunks are all made from canvas, so I named them for their distinctive stripes. I used the same three giant storage boxes of scrap fabrics and goodwill clothes (ALL WASHED!!!) that I used for the pieces of the robots. But each piece of fabric has a unique history of its aquisition. There are the plaids from flannel shirts I used to make myself a modern grunge skirt for my bands cd release party last year. Those fabrics gave birth to Kurt and Eddie. Yeah. They do smell a little like Teen Spirit. (Which is great for a Skunk)

There are the fabrics I recieved from my mother in law, Some hers, Some quilting fabric from her mother. They birthed the two lovely skunks Judy and Blanche, respectively.

There is Wilmington, from a fabric I bought to make pillows when I first graduated college and moved to the beach, I thought it looked sandy. So you see the trend.

Well, above I included a few pics, see if you can guess the skunk with the fabric described. I tried to get some of the robots with their nametag visible for your enjoyment as well.

Thanks for indulging me with the read, naming my crafts really gives you that extra ingredient, listed in my shop item materials as "love." (Yeah yeah, Sap)

Feel free to click to the right on my etsy store to go spy on the items listed, and look at their names, (no purchase necessary, you can peek away, I'll never know it was you!) Feel free to post a comment here or convo me on etsy if you want to know the history behind any of the specific names. Now, if I can only choose a name for this baby that is going to come out of me in 8 weeks, I'll really have something to blog about!

It's a big world out there.

Today is of reflection. I blog. I like it. I twitter. pretty fun. I facebook. crack. I have started doing more and more to create an online presence, getting lost in techy stuff like adding applications, social stuff like starting groups and posting in threads. I really cannot imagine that anyone could spend more time online without suffering from video-game-obsession style exhaustion.

Yet, the more I do, the more discussions I am involved in, and blogs I link to, the more I am beginning to see it very clearly. I am a tiny, tiny boat lost in a ginormous sea of expert bloggers and expert crafters, some of which "just started and don't know what they are doing" but have hundreds of followers, hundreds of sales and more apps than I even understand. Um. before I was a SAHM I was in IT, yet now I feel like the internet is set to make me feel like a third grader in college.

Don't get me wrong, I am not upset by any of this. I just wonder, what am I doing? I unplugged for many hours today, I cleaned the house, I spent a few hours at a playgroup with my kid, and we just frigging relaxed. I refuse to let myself stop having fun with all of this, but if I don't feel so "Rah Rah" I am totally allowed to take a break. A jaded crafter is not a crafter at all!

I actually took a few pics today in the windowsill, a technique I have wanted to try. I didn't get that far because I caught up with an old friend on the phone. I didn't download the camera, so no new pics. And you know what? I can't wait to do it tomorrow! My motto is to just plug away, but only if you want to do it. I'm not throwing in the towel, or saying I won't stick to any discipline or deadlines, but when I am spending more time "trying so hard" than I am just loving the whole idea of what I do, I think it is just as important to pull away for some perspective. And you know what? Huh, I got three new followers today.

I think it's a good time to work some Feng Shui magic on my environment to zone in on where I am in my head and achieve a little zen. That's a crafty thing to do.

And I am actually a little bit proud of myself for taming the OCD beast and letting myself enjoy the day a bit. So, off I ride into the sunset of sleep with the satisfaction that I still really, really love what I do and will keep on doing it.

It's Curtains for the Polyfil!

Today I hit Hancock Fabric for their big sale, still needing that elusive giant box of polyfil that they told me two days ago was just coming off the truck. Nope. And I cannot get the sale price on out of stocks. That's ok, because Joanne's Fabric is opening in a few days across the parking lot with their Grand Opening Sale. (this magical place is five minutes down the road from my house!) Since I was already at the fabric store...why not take advantage of the sale?


I bought an off white home decorator fabric with a cool blues botanical print to make curtains for my son's room, I have been working on decorating it since our move. With the new baby on the way, I am trying to really pimp out the nursery because I never did with Lincoln's arrival. We didn't even have a crib until he was three months old!


Of course, I wanted to get some kind of liner to block the light, and even thought the print is cool blues and greens, It is sort of a floral, so I saw exactly what I was looking for at 99c a yard! Burlap! It is dark, and masculine, but perforated enough to let some light through. It seems like it will look good in my head, but we will see when I get it done. Of course, I've never made curtains and have no plan or pattern, I'm just going to wing it. How hard can it be?


I'll post pics once I get them done, but above is a photo of the room right now, after I put up a big tree decal I got on etsy at http://www.bubbaanddoodle.etsy.com/


Happy Labor Day everyone!!!! Anyone else pick up any new projects from the holiday sales or get any new inspirations?

Finished top! Please vote in comments! :)

I just finished making my maternity top. It is the first article of clothing I have ever sewn from scratch without a pattern (other than altering something). I may have a few years of practice needed before I can audition for Project Runway, but it came out way better than I thought!

Please add to comments and vote: Can I wear this out in public?

Feeling pretty!

This is my new outfit today (on a model from the website!) Hot stuff, eh?

Well, I am almost done with my fancy schmancy maternity top, it's looking pretty good, although a little pale in comparison with my new maternity shopping spree gooodies! I'm using two very difficult fabrics to put together, a stretch jersey and a slippery silky poly something. I have been feeling very zen with my sewing machine lately.

I couldn't get my book club book at the library yesterday (Time Traveler's Wife) so I went to barnes and Noble. Partly because I didn't want to wait on the list, and partly because I needed a reason to wear some of my new clothes! (guilty as charged!)

I have been pretty maxed out in the brain with everything I am doing to promore my shop, so I have lightnend up a bit. Haven't slowed down, just finding the fun in it, more convos and I seem to be getting a ton of new twitter followers all of a sudden.

Google analytics said I got a lot of hits from My Craft Corner, so I started a group on the site for kid's items. If you make kid's stuff, please come join! It's just another networking site for crafters, everyone mostly talks about etsy and they have contests and a bunch of nice people giving good advice.

Here's the linky dink...http://www.mycraftcorner.com/group/kidstuff

Anyhoo, Happy 10th Birthday Blogger!

No Polyfil in sight

My awesome husband will be gone for a week, so today on his day off, he said he'd watch the kid all day while I ventured out and floated around the library and shopped at some craft stores. I have been out of polyfil and really need some to finish my skunks. I leisurely visited the library, awesome, then went to Joanne Fabric, they open Sep 11, so I went to Hancock, they are out of the big box of Polyfil, I'll have to check later in the week.

I looked at my pathetic self, wearing ill fitting workout gear that is at least comfortable in the heat, since all my materninty clothes are Fall/Winter. I was sweaty, and I felt dumpy frumpy. I went to the nearby TJmaxx, no maternity, Stein Mart, same. My car drove back to where I started, the library adjacent mall. Of course they had a motherhood maternity, yay!

I only needed a pair of shorts that were cute enough to wear outside of the house, and a few cute tops that covered my belly and backside. Maybe some pants that did the same. I left there with an entire wardrobe, down to the bra. I put back my debit card and pulled out the credit card.

Absolutely no remorse whatsover. I haven't felt this cute in months! :) (this picture is from back then, I have progressed quite a bit!) Lesson: even in today's economy, sometimes it is OK to splurge on necessities!

Can I say I am too tired to even stay up for Project Runway? I think a bowl of ice cream might awaken me enough, it is on the DVR but still, that's just for replaying tomorrow, the runway in slow motion.

I posted a few things today on etsy and I received an etsy purchase in the mail! Yay! A super cute daisy necklace, I LOVE it! I got it from littleputbooks. It makes me feel pretty, a real pick me up piece of jewelry.

See her awesome stuff at http://www.littleputbooks.etsy.com

I am seeing some networking action from all my hard work, more followers on twitter, convos from my team, new freinds on my craft corner. I guess before I get any new sales, I will have to make myself a little famous first!

I know I said this blog would be about Skunks for Skyla, but I want to get them all up on the site and send out a message to my facebook fans first, so, it's coming!

Looky there, I'm not tired anymore and Project Runway starts in 15 minutes! Take me away Tim Gunn!

Skunks are getting some action!

First, some real life storytime. I took my beloved 15 month old to the fire station today and he got a big red fireman's hat. It's pretty stinking cute, of course I didn't bring the camera. It has been busy charging up for my etsy life tasks!

I took action! Pictures galore! I did eight more product shoots today, mostly skunks. I spent much time on etsy community asking advice in the "critique my shop" forums. I took some advice on my new photos and rolled from there.

I also tried a new tactic, I sent out convos to all my team members on the Bama team, I just joined, and I have already gotten some friendly replies. It never hurts to network and support eachother!

Well, here are some photos, I am working on keeping it short, if you think I am wordy on a blog, you should hang out with me sometime! I usually get along with shy quiet people who don't like to talk much themselves. :)

Next up: Skunks for Skyla update