Inspiration

When crafting, where do you find inspiration? I definitely have days when I'm not the mood to be crafty. On those days, I usually try not to force it, as I am fortunate enough to do this as a hobby (without deadlines...usually). However, sometimes I find myself in the mood to quilt/sew/knit but am sort of wishy-washy about where to begin. I love the daily inspirations over at Creature Comforts and am always poking around Flickr and Etsy. I listen to music, go for walks in this busy city, and try to pay attention to details around me (for example, the tiles on the floor of my bathroom are hexagon shaped!). Brooke is working on a second music-inspired quilt and I'm loving her approach.

My sweetie is out of town this week for work so it's just me and Louie. Had another job interview today which always emotionally exhausts me so I'll probably head to bed early. I'm making progress on a whole bunch of projects (as you've probably seen from my last few posts) so I'll get some more pictures up soon.

Today's agenda

Happy Friday all! It's (another) rainy day here in the Big Apple. No matter - I have lots of inside activities planned for today.

- The never-ending job search
- Quilt basting (a long-neglected top, a nearly finished baby quilt to add to the shop)
- Job searching
- Cleaning (ugh, basement mysteriously - or not so mysteriously, considering the weather and presence of patio door - a bit water logged)
- Laundry (erm, maybe)
- More job research

Ha, as you can tell, I'm stepping up the job search. As many of you know, I've been at it for quite sometime and while my yield of interviews is great (wow, can you tell that I'm a nerdy student at heart?), I'm still not seeing any results. In this tight economy, bursting with talented job-seekers, we're all fighting for a spot, especially in non-profits (my main focus). Any job search tips are welcomed! :)

Hope everyone has fun weekends planned! My sweetie and I are doing some major reorganizing/cleaning and then I'm working all day Sunday. Ah, the life of a grown-up...

It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

What do you do?...

...when you're feeling kind of blue? I love to...

- Listen to funny podcasts
- Watch mindless TV
- Eat goodies (this moment's feature: Candy Corn!)
- Do some crafting (quilts, hand sewing hexies, knitting a cashmere scarf)
- Read a light-hearted novel

Sigh. Just one of those days.

Sneak peeks

Here's a little hint of some projects I've been working on.

All of these items will eventually make their way into my shop...stay tuned!

Yay!

More goodies...
...in my shop!

Advice

I've been thinking about how to promote/spruce up my Etsy shop and was hoping that some of you readers had advice? Etsy itself has a wealth of information but I figure the more info I can get from people, the better.

Specifically, do you have tips about photographing your work? How about marketing/promoting? In terms of products, are there certain things - fabric arts related - that you feel are lacking on Etsy? What catches your eye?

I'm looking to really keep the shop full of quilts - including lap sized but I'm not sure how to financially get those going - as well as bags and maybe little goodies.

Thoughts?

Today's agenda

I find myself with a real weekend. Yep, 2 whole days without work. Woohoo!

Today:
- add finished quilts to the shop
- bind another adorable baby quilt
- dream of ways to play with new fabric sent by mom (pics to come...)
- hang out with my sweetie and Louie
- movie?
- dinner out (!)

What are your weekend plans?

Hi there

Wow, it's been quiet around here. Sorry about that. I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I've been dealing with a whole bunch of stuff and haven't really had time or much to write. I have, however, been crafting and have re-opened my Etsy shop. I have a bunch of unfinished projects that are calling to me and will be added to the shop soon. Keep checking back as I add more stuff, hopefully a little bit each week.

Check out the new goodies here.

Home

Even though I'm a grown-up (well, supposedly, right?), going back to the house I grew up in always feels like "home." I'm here, in Upstate NY, for a few days, relaxing and being taken care of in only the way that parents could (especially when you're only a few years away from 30...)

While the weather leaves less to be desired, it's still so comforting and nice to be home. I know where all the dishes go, I can make daily (or even more) trips to the local grocery store, and things don't seem to change (which both frustrates and comforts me - go figure). My sweetie will be heading here tonight and we'll finish out the weekend at our respective family's houses - 3 blocks from each other!

Louie is having a ball, playing with Winston, my parents' dog who happens to be Louie's younger brother. The two of them fell into their old routine from last summer within about 5 minutes. I've been here less than 24 hours and have already laughed my butt off at the two of them.

For those of you who celebrate (we do in a minimal way), l'shana tovah (or Happy New Year, to those of you not familiar with the Hebrew). The Jewish New Year is rung in with apples, honey, and warm cozy favorites. I'm off to that wonderful grocery store to pick up some brisket and other goodies. Then it's time for haircut/hair color. Yes, even though I live in one of the most stylish places, I still come back here to get my hair done. These people have known me forever and it's wonderful to be able to catch back up with them. Not to mention, they know exactly what I like when it comes to my crazy, unruly hair.

I'm also looking forward to taking advantage of my mom's sewing room - yep, she has a whole room for sewing! I will try to get all those bee blocks finished (sheepish head drop) and have some other little crafty things to work on.

What are you up to this weekend?

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. – unknown

So behind

These days I feel like I'm behind in so many things: crafty stuff, catching up with people, blogging, and just my life in general. Schools are starting for so many people and while I'm no longer a student, fall always feels like the start of something. Well, usually. This year, I feel like I'm still treading water. I have some things in the works but mostly my life is still in limbo. Hopefully things will progress soon.

I'm terribly behind on my bee stuff. Ugh, so sorry friends! Will try to get working on those soon. I did however get started on a new knitting project - just a simple scarf and realized that I should keep up knitting year round (typically I'm just a fall/winter knitter)...

I finished and delivered the tee shirt quilt...without taking a final pic. Doh! Once I get Erica to take one, I'll make sure to post it here. She loved it and I'm glad that I was able to help her with such a special project.

My sweetie and I were all the way out - and up! - in Salt Lake City this past weekend for a wedding of one of his friends. The bride and groom said their vows on top of a mountain under a glorious sky. It was definitely one of the nicest ceremonies that I've seen and while it took FOREVER to get there (curse on non-direct flights), I'm glad we were there to celebrate with them. Not to mention we were able to take a chair-lift up to the ceremony! Here are some pics!

I'm heading back Upstate to visit my family this weekend. I haven't been there since March which is waaaaaay too long. My head is spinning so I'm looking forward to a chance to chill...

I'm here!

Things have been crazy busy. And seem to remain that way...

I promise I'll post soon. Hope everyone (in the States) had a lovely holiday weekend. Fall has arrived! :)

Randoms*

*I don't have anything in particular to say today. Here's what been spinning around in my head at one point or another.


My fabric stash is seriously pushing the limit. Time to make some quilts. I need to just dive in and not worry about who the recipient will be (even if it's yet another one for us to keep!).

Sometimes you need dessert after lunch. Especially if it's in the form of s'mores (thank you, microwave).

What else can we do to organize/de-clutter the apartment?

My sister started back at college (her senior year). I miss school!

Is this the year my sweetie will finally get a hand-knit sweater? Time for pattern searching.

How long should we stay in NYC? Where else would I be happy?

We need some new recipes. I have lots of cookbooks/magazines and really need to spend an afternoon picking out new ideas to put into our regular rotation. Getting tired of eating the same things, even though they're easy and predictable.

What have you been thinking about today?

Tuesday

Today I'm much more upbeat. Sorry about the cranky puss taking over yesterday - we all have those days, especially after vacation! ;-)

Today is drizzly and chilly but I'm OK with that. I think yesterday's meditation/journaling and today's cleaning/reorganizing/recharging has really helped turn my mood around. Not to mention, I've got an interview for a great job coming up next week - hurrah! Send good luck vibes my way.

In honor of fall, here are a few seasonal goodies that I've found poking around online. I was very productive this morning and have allowed myself some fun internet time this afternoon. Now if only I could just wish some more money into my bank account to pick up these goodies.

(Shrunken blazer and gray booties are from Shop Bop and brown booties and J. Brand cargo skinnies are from Anthropologie.)

In other crafty news, I've finished Erica's tee-shirt quilt!!! It looks adorable - I hope she likes it. I'll post some pictures after I give it to her (I think it's only fair she gets the first peek, ya know?)

May the road rise to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall softly upon your fields. – Irish Blessing

Summer's end

Now that my vacation has come and gone, it really feels like summer is ending. I can't believe that it's almost September and while fall is usually my favorite season, this year I'm not as enthusiastic as I have been in the past. I think it mostly has to do with my lack of full-time degree-related employment. I hate that it still dictates how I feel and I'm really going to try and focus on all the other wonderful things in my life. I'm going to approach fall as a fresh start. Crisp leaves, sweaters, and cool evenings are definitely welcome, especially after this steamy summer here in NYC.

Vacation was WONDERFUL. My sweetie and I spent 10 days in Southern Maine. His family has a little cottage there that his grandfather built in the 1950s and they've gone almost every summer since he was a kid. His uncle recently bought a house across the street so we got to spend some time with more family. We overlapped our trip with my sweetie's brother and his girlfriend, then had the house to ourselves for a week. I absolutely loooooove the beach and while that was certainly the focus of our trip, we did lots of other fun stuff too. Maine weather is certainly cooler but we still had many sunny, warm days (though the water was never warm enough for me to go in - I'm spoiled by years of Caribbean vacations and 80 degree ocean temps). I'm super freckled now and am sporting a pretty silly bathing suit tan!

Each morning we'd take Louie to the beach (dogs are allowed before 10 am and after 5 pm). This was his first time going to the beach and he loved it (though like his mom, didn't want to go in the water!). This was also the first time that we took him off his leash without any sort of enclosure or fence outside. He was great and with the exception of a few times (a flying seagull, a giggling child...) he stayed near us and bounded along the beach, making lots of friends. We'd take him back to the cottage and then go back to the beach ourselves. We usually spent the afternoon at the beach, then came back to shower, read some more, and get some dinner. It was so simple and relaxing! My sweetie and I read a lot and didn't turn on the TV once (and I didn't miss it!) The cottage is adorable with a small, screened in porch, walls made from knotty pine, and cute rustic touches like old quilts (yay!) and funky vintage cookware. We slept A TON, going to bed before 10:30 many nights and waking up early. There were lobster rolls, ice cream breaks, and many other vacation food adventures. Our last night there we had steamed lobsters. Mmmm!

Besides the beach, we also spent an afternoon in Portland (about 40 minutes away) and rode a ferry around to some of the small islands near the harbor. We also played miniature golf (always a vacation fave), went kayaking in the salt marshes (so cool - we saw a turtle and tons of birds), and made s'mores on the grill.

While I love living here in busy NYC, it was so nice to get away to a simpler, quieter retreat. I spent some time working embroidery projects and reading a lot. It truly was an escape for me and my sweetie and I'm so glad that we got to spend all that time together, away from the stress of real life. I definitely feel refreshed and recharged and ready to keep up my energy for the job search. I've gotten a few leads recently so hopefully, I'll hear some positive news about my job search soon - cross your fingers for me as this could be the start of something really cool... We have lots of fun stuff coming up this fall including a few weddings, a trip back upstate to see our families, and visitors.

Now it's back to reality. We're both back to work tomorrow and have spent the day hanging around, unpacking and settling back in. Sundays are always dreary, especially rainy ones after vacation is over.

For pics of my Maine adventure, check out my Flickr photostream here.

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer! I'll be back blogging about crafty stuff soon.

Back from vacation

Hi all! I'm back after 10 days of glorious relaxation on the coast of Maine.

Will post more soon :)

A much-needed break

Tomorrow my sweetie and I will head up to beautiful Maine for 10 glorious days of vacation. I'm seriously giddy with excitement. It seems like we've been counting down to this trip for a loooong time and it's hard to believe that it's finally here. While the packing is mostly done, I thought I'd check in and tell you what I've been up to lately.

Erica's tee-shirt quilt is basically done. I finished the binding last week and now I just need to go over the whole quilt and trim threads, add stitches, etc. I also need to make a label. I'll definitely be able to give it to Erica before September 1st - can't wait to see what she thinks! For those of you interested in more process details, I usually make my own binding out of 2.5" strips sew on the bias. Julie has a great tutorial about binding that I've followed for a while now - check it out here.

In other quilty news, I scrambled to finish the backing, quilting and binding for our beach quilt. It's WAAAAYYY sloppier than I would have like (we're talking crooked fabric, some gaps in seams, etc.) but I'm just so freakin' happy to be heading to the beach that I don't care. Besides, this is by no means a glamorous vacation - lots of flip flops, jeans, beer, and laziness. A sort of sloppy quilt fits. (Pictures to come AFTER vacation - you'll get to see the quilt live in action!)

I'm getting more and more into embroidery. I was debating what type of crafty project to bring with me on vacation and embroidery won out. I was going to bring hexies but decided that I wanted something a little more engaging (though I'm still plugging away at my hexagon stash and have started to think of some actual projects!). I'm working on this awesome quote AND an abstract piece. (Again, due to the state of my apartment - eek, filled with suitcases and basically just a mess - pictures will come after we return.)

A lot of blogs that I read have been very self-reflective lately, many with a common theme: simplify. (Amanda and Brooke have written some beautiful, thoughtful posts about this). Our lives are busy, complicated and stressful and many people have become aware of the need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and take each day one at a time. This idea seems to also be paired with more of a focus on local initiatives, healthy lifestyle choices, and quality time with loved ones. Maybe these tough economic times produced something positive: a larger community reflection on what's important. I know that I've felt the need to re-examine my life and priorities and am vowing to focus on being healthy, happy, and thankful. I've blogged about this before and will continue to do so as I work on myself and my life. Thanks to all of your supportive comments, suggestions and for simply following along. :)

On a less serious note, I have an absolutely adorable 4-year-old cousin who has the vocabulary/language ability of a 6-year-old. This past weekend I got to spend some time with her and she cracked me up for hours! Her mom (my 1st cousin) invited us to hang out at their house for the afternoon for some swimming and BBQing. It was so relaxing to get out of the city (they're about an hour train ride away) and definitely entertaining! My little cousin talked NONSTOP (obviously related to me) and mused about everything from boys to favorite words to floating. One of the cutest things that she said was in response to her dad asking her if she was floating (she's learning to swim/float and wore a floaty vest but mostly hung on to the wall of the pool). She stated, "only my toes are floating." Too cute!

So, I leave you all for a while here, as I will not be bringing my computer on vacation. Here's just a few things on the vacation agenda:

~ blueberry picking
~ trip up to Freeport (L.L. Bean!)
~ hanging out in Portland
~ see "Eat, Pray, Love" on a rainy day
~ LOTS of reading
~ lobster. 'nuf said.
~ beach snuggling!
~ yoga/meditation

I'll be checking email but will mostly be outside enjoying nature and goofing off with my sweetie and Louie. We'll be back in 10 days - until then, stay cool, have fun, and enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life. – Lawrence K. Fish

What's coming up

Tomorrow, check back for a new post including...

~ tee-shirt quilt progress
~ last-minute beach quilt finishing
~ embroidery
~ end(ish) of summer reflection
~ funny quotes from an awesome 3-almost-4-year-old
~ vacation plans

Playing catch up

Why does everything always feel more chaotic after you return from being away? And I was only gone for 4 days! After a LOVELY time escaping reality in South Carolina with my fam, I came back to the big city a week ago and have been busy since. Fortunately, I'm leaving again for my REAL vacation (10 whole days!) a week from Thursday. Is it too soon to pack? (Only half kidding...)

July some how got away from so I was a little bit behind on my quilting bee blocks. But this afternoon I finished up all of the ones due for July.

These blue and green wonky pinwheels are for Lynette in Bee-Stitched

This patriotic star is for Linda in Fresh Comfort 2

These fun pinwheels will become a classroom quilt for Brooke in Quilting newBEES

How are your projects coming along?

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. – Goethe

Back to reality

This was my view for the last 4 days. Today was (unfortunately) back to reality.

Only 2 weeks 'til my real vacation...

More process details

I've made amazing progress on Erica's tee-shirt quilt. Of course, I worked so quickly that I didn't take pictures of it. Nonetheless, I still wanted to stay true to my process pledge so I'll blab a bit here about it (and promise to post some pics soon).

When you last read about my progress, I had backed the tee-shirts with muslin and double-sided fusible. Someone asked me to tell more about the fusible but you'll have to forgive me because I threw the packaging away before I wrote down what brand I used. Sorry! Anyway, it comes in a 5 yard roll and I got it at Michael's. Of course, they don't list anything on their website that is remotely similar so I suggest doing a bit of Googling. Next time I won't be such a moron and will make sure to provide product details. Anyway, I have this awesome striped fabric that I cut into 2 1/2 inch strips to frame each tee-shirt. There are many ways to do sashing; I typically sew in vertical rows and then sew the columns together. I attached sashing to the tops and bottoms of each square (which measured about 14-15 inches each) and then sewed them into 3 columns of 4. The tee-shirts were firmly backed with the muslin and fusible so I made sure to use a heavier needle in my machine than usual. I also decided to go with polyester thread instead of cotton as it seemed to work better going in and out of the tee-shirt/muslin/fusible sandwich. I found that some of the sticky stuff on the fusible kept getting on my needle so make sure you clean yours off once in a while and obviously to toss it when you're done with this type of project so as to avoid sticky goo on other quilts! After finishing the sashing, I pin basted and decided to just stitch-in-the-ditch for the quilting, around each tee-shirt. This way, the whole quilt will always be nice and crinkly, not to mention will highlight the tee-shirts. I need to make my binding which I usually do on the bias and will be attaching it using my machine. I like to have a nice sized strip showing so I cut the fabric into 2 1/4 inch strips, then attach all the strips together on the bias. I also need to make a little label for the quilt. I think I'll be going pretty basic and will be handwriting it and then attach it using some of the left over fusible and white fabric. I've been really bad about labeling my quilts but that's only because I want to design my own label using Spoonflower fabric and right now I'm too broke to do that.

So it's off to craft a bit more. Was at work and running errands until just a little bit ago so hopefully I can squeeze some quilting in before dinner and the evening fatigue sets in. Still need to send out a few job applications and get some more things together for my beach weekend (HURRAY!).

Oooo, and it's restaurant week here so my sweetie, sis and 2 friends are livin' it up and heading to Le Cirque on Friday. Yay for $35 meals at crazy-fancy-expensive restaurants. Mmmm...

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde