Snippets and BlabberySnippets and BlabberyOne mom's outlook on books, mental and physical fitness, or lack of, crazy people, eCommerce and parenting. Articles
Sew Mama Sew Quilt Month
2008-02-05 23:46:00 I’m a little late in announcing this, but check out Sew Mama Sew’s Quilt Month - a lot’s happening over there! I’m particularly looking forward to the interview with Denyse Schmidt!
I’ve been featured!
2008-02-04 18:57:00 Emily over at JoyfulAbode.com featured my creative space! Very cool!!! Make sure to keep reading her blog all through Feb. for features of creative spaces all over the blogosphere! More About: Featured
for your little girls…
2008-01-30 23:54:00 My co-worker and her sister-in-law run a very cute little shop online called OhFortheLoveofBows.com. Lots of really cute (and affordable!) clips, ribbons and elastics. Check them out! I don’t think William would appreciate me trying to put any of these in his sweet hair. More About: Girls
Just in time!
2008-01-30 21:22:00 Here’s my little birds. Just to recap, my father-in-law is a bird-watcher, and this is a house warming gift for him. Overall, I’m happy. On the first bird I did (yellow border), I kind of cut off his neck because I hadn’t figured out the importance of lining up the lines on the paper when joining two pieces of a block. He’s okay, though. The other birds came out much better. I particularly like the humming bird. The pattern came from abcpatterns.com, and there are a bunch of different birds in packet. The border was just all my scraps sewn together haphazardly. I like how it came out - it probably could have benefited from more quilting, but I’m out of time. I’m attaching two little loops to the back for hanging - I hope that works out okay. That’s it! Thanks for checking out my crafts :) More About: Time , Just in time
Explore!
2008-01-30 20:14:00 My quilt picture showed up on Explore on Flickr. This is very exciting for me. I told my husband and he was like, “great honey, what’s that?” I told my friend Stephanie and she was like, “what!? that’s awesome!” Stephanie always knows just what to say. We’re headed to visit my father-in-law tomorrow. Should be a fun trip. They’ve recently purchased a new home near South Padre. My husband is especially excited because it’s on a golf course that has gps-enabled golf carts. Big whoop, right? Well, my in-laws don’t even play golf. I’m just happy that my son gets to spend some good time with his grandparents. I finished the bird wall-hanging, it’s in the dryer. I’ll post a pic when it’s pressed. My kid is doing this new high-pitched whine when he’s mad. A-NOY-ING. He’s totally playing me. He knows it gets my attention, so he does it for everything. Here’s my plan: ignore it. It’s p...
John Edwards drops out
2008-01-30 19:43:00 I think this is a sad day for Democrats. I’d like to see him as the running mate for either candidate, in fact, that would help me make a decision! Here’s his speech… http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/251.7/po pup/index.php?cl=4226934 More About: John Edwards , John , Edwards
super awesome quilters!
2008-01-29 18:36:00 I’ve found treasure today. First, I was lucky enough to have BettyNinja leave a nice comment on my blog, whose blog post about waiting for gauze for baby blankets led me to EmiShimosato on Flickr. The crafts are awesome! I especially love the gauze baby quilts. BettyNinja also has awesome stuff on flickr. Even better, she’s got links to amazing stuff all throughout her blog posts! Treasure abounds. In EmiShimosato’s flickr contacts, I found Lady Harvatine. Seriously - beautiful, contemporary quilts. Her flicker gave me so many ideas for using white! I love white fabric! And her cats seem to love her quilts as much as mine do my own. Plus, her blog design is excellent. Check them out. Be impressed. Crafters rule! Now I must tear myself away and take care of my child, who had a crayon in his mouth at the moment. More About: Awesome , Super
mamasource.com
2008-01-29 08:25:00 I found a cool new site…mamasource.com. It combines the social networking of Maya’s Mom with the usefulness of Angie’s List. Free to join, and then you can read reviews of everything under the sun in your area (according to your zip code.) You can also list your business, so it’s a good networking opp for multi-level marketing moms (Mary Kay, Arbonne, etc.) The best part is the request and response section - where mom’s ask questions and other mom’s respond. This can be good and bad - some mom’s are sooo judgemental! - but it’s mostly good. Plus, it has the added benefit of being basically anonymous, so you can just ignore the judgey moms, and read the helpful responses to your problems. I often join these free sites and never return, but I think I’ll come back to this one. As it grows, I think it will become more and more useful. Plus, I like to read and write reviews of local businesses, so I’m excited about that aspect.
ta dah!
2008-01-29 00:50:00 Using Moda fabrics - “fall back in time” maybe? I had to adjust the pattern from Denyse Schmidt’s book Quilts because I tried to make it bigger and ended up making it really wide and short. I added the two rows of bigger triangles on the top and bottom and it came out okay. It’s about “nap” size - bigger than lap, smaller than twin, but big enough to take a nap under. I attempted hand quilting on some of the triangles, but wasn’t crazy about the quality of my stitches (or the time and effort involved.) I did improve, and will try again. On a MUCH smaller project, first. Anyway, one quilt done :)
The evil King…of burgers
2008-01-28 23:33:00 From Oxfam: January 28, 2008 Dear Blabby, Tell Burger King to improve farmworker wages. Farmworkers who pick tomatoes for Burger King earn 40 to 50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, a rate that has not risen significantly in nearly 30 years. Workers who labor from dawn to dusk must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day. Recently, McDonald’s and others have agreed to higher wages for these workers, but Burger King has not. Tell Burger King to improve farmworker wages. McDonald’s and other fast-food chains, including Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, have committed to increasing wages and enforcing better working conditions in the fields. But Burger King—the second-largest hamburger chain in the world—has so far refused to work with farmworkers to improve wages for those who pick their tomatoes. Recently US Senators Sanders, Kennedy, Brown and Durbin and author Eric Schlosser (”Fast Food Nation”)... More About: Evil , Burgers
Craft Congress?
2008-01-28 07:10:00 That’s my kind of politics! Who knew I was part of a movement? I’m always trying to be part of movements, and here, I already am! Read This. Craft ers Unite! I want a union :) More About: Congress
self-improvement…
2008-01-27 22:08:00 Here’s what I’m working on…I finished a quilt, but it’s in the wash. I’ll post pictures when it’s dry and snuggly. Cross your fingers for me that all the batiks don’t bleed into the white parts! One day I’ll learn my lesson and stop being so lazy about pre-washing. Anyway, I’m working on some new skills…trying to advance myself or something. Namely, embroidery, paper-piecing and hopefully applique. I haven’t started applique yet, but I got some supplies (steam-a-seam 2 and a pressing sheet.) I got this pattern at Road 2 California from ABC Patterns. I’m really enjoying how easily the little birds come together. I wish I had gotten other patterns! They gave us a crazy patch for free…I’m excited to try that one with different types of fabrics (old ties, silks, corduroy…). Also, I’m working on this…my absentee ballot. I guess I better get my booty off the fence! More About: Improvement
fix my computer, part deux
2008-01-27 21:12:00 Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. I had a spyware program, but the crap cleaner really helped, I think. Well, I don’t know if it helped yet, but I assume it will because it removed a lot of crap and repaired a lot of registry files. The windows registry alone is enough reason to get a mac. Last night the commercial for the mac air came on, and I was just staring at it, and my husband said, “do you want that?” Of course I want that! But what about all my PC software…all my adobe CS2 is for windows, as well as my studio 8 bundle. I’m not rebuying that crap - even though CS3 is out. We’re talking thousands of dollars. Well, almost $2000 to replace it all. But for as little as I use it, I certainly don’t need to upgrade yet. Plus…I don’t really NEED a laptop. I just REALLY want one. So, that’s the story of our lives, right? More About: Computer , Part
fix my computer
2008-01-26 19:23:00 I love my computer. But I’m afraid it’s becoming an albatross. It’s getting so slow…is it the programs I’m running? Is it my internet service? I’m getting lots of new error messages that seem to be a foreshadowing for doom. I got BURNED by the Geek Squad once - they ruined a hard drive with 4 years worth of pictures on it. So I’m gun shy. I call Dell on the phone, and their tech people talk me through fixes, but this doesn’t seem very thorough. I’m considering something like FastTeks, who come to your house and do things like repairs or network installation. Any ideas on this? More About: Computer
coupon codes, again.
2008-01-26 19:13:00 I really can’t say it enough. If you shop online at all, before you check out, do a quick search for coupon codes for the store you’re shopping from. One of my personal favorites is Coupon Chief.com. They always have good ones. But you don’t even really need a particular site. The other day, I was finishing a snapfish order, and I searched for coupons. I saved 30% off my entire order! Awesome. I also found some good Kohls coupons, and a code to get free shipping on OldNavy.com. Super awesome. Don’t forget - next time you’re checking out! More About: Codes
The care and maintenance of…
2008-01-26 19:07:00 Recently, on Bill Maher’s New Rules, he mentioned that adults shouldn’t wear crocs. I personally have nothing against the shoes, but I don’t really like the way they look. I’ve considered them lots of times because I have foot problems, but I just can’t ever bring myself to actually purchase them. Anyway, his point was about how Americans are getting more and more casual, aiming for the final outcome of wearing nothing but a diaper in public - the ultimate in casual and comfortable. Although, I would be very uncomfortable wearing only a diaper anywhere. But we get his point, right? How much are we going to dress down? I am particularly guilty of casual dressing. My basic uniform consists of jeans and a black shirt. Sometimes a black cardigan, but usually a black hoodie. I also enjoy my black converse. I have other clothes, nice clothes even. But as a work-at-home-mom, I don’t have much cause to wear them. Then I go to albertson’s in my unifo... More About: Care , Maintenance
Library vs. Audible
2008-01-26 18:54:00 I love my iPod nano. It’s cute and perfect and holds a million hours of entertainment. It fits in my pocket. I love love love it. This is why I thought I’d love Audible . In theory, I do love audible. I always have my iPod with me, so I thought having the audiobooks I’m listening to on there would solve the problem of always having to listen to audiobooks in the car. First of all, my son understands (perhaps ‘repeats’ is a better word) curse words now, so lots of books are out. Second, he gets tense and whiny when there’s a tense scene in the book. Not good. Plus, he loves air guitar and drums, so I’d rather let him enjoy music. In comes Audible. I can listen to my book anywhere. Except, I’m really picky. I check out two or three audiobooks from the library each trip. I usually only listen to one all the way through. If I don’t like it, or I’m not looking to listen to the next installment, I give up on it and return it. With... More About: Library
WWW gems
2008-01-25 23:51:00 I get bogged down trying to maintain everything sometimes. I forget the vast wonderfulness that is the web. Here are a few favorites lately… Indexed: Wit illustrated. She’s got a book coming out next month - not bad for doodles! She’s also got a super cool website with some of her extra witty ads on it. Very talented girl. eMomsAtHome: Well written articles, interesting perspectives, good ideas. Something for pretty much every entrepreneur. GetMortified.com: Check out the shoebox show. Simply awesome. As a dedication to Mortified, I’d like to tell a little story. My best friend Jenny had a video camera. We made lots and lots of movies in high school. For social studies (10th grade, maybe?), we had an extra credit opportunity where we could do a special report on one of many topics we had been studying that semester. We chose to make a movie (shocker) about Henry VIII and his wives. There were a lot of us involved…basically, all the girls that had ... More About: Gems
Holy Page Rank!
2008-01-25 09:02:00 Somehow, my page rank has jumped up to 5! Who knows if these blessing will persist, but in the mean time, I’ve got to jump over to PayPerPost and see what treasure awaits me. In other news, my Alexa ranking went up. In case you didn’t know, that’s bad. Alexa goes down: good. Up: bad. So it was in the mid 700,000. Now it’s 800,977. Weird. I also sold a rotating ad on here, but I can’t figure the code out for the life of me. I even got myself into an internal server error situation the other day, which practically gave me a heart attack. In non-tech related news, I’m super excited because I just bought a new pattern from PurlSoho. Denyse Schmidt’s Single Girl pattern! Love it…I’ve been saving all my Katie Jump Rope fat quarters for something special, and this is it! I also joined about 100 new groups on Flickr…trying to be more social or whatever. There are so many awesome crafters out there…I just love these sites l... More About: Page Rank , Page , Rank , Holy
Rest in peace, Heath
2008-01-23 00:59:00 How very, very sad. Just say no, people. Heath found dead in NY story. Knights Tale is an all-time favorite. What a waste of talent and hotness. And how sad for Matilda. Sad, sad, sad. More About: Peace , Rest In Peace , Rest
there’s a place for us…
2008-01-22 17:37:00 Thanks, Renegade Eye, for sharing this story… West Side Story reunion on YouTube More About: Place
Jeanne Ray
2008-01-22 06:52:00 I love Jeanne Ray. I’ve been reading her books for three weeks now. I started with Eat Cake on audiobook. Excellent. And hunger-inducing. Then I read Step Ball Change, which even though I never took tap, made me REALLY miss dancing. I laughed, I cried, I sang along to Puttin’ on the Ritz. Highly recommended. Then I requested her first books from the library. Romeo and Julie and Romeo and Julie Get Lucky. I read the first one in one sitting, and am 3/4s through the second, which I started today. The first chapter made me laugh out loud. Now I want to go down to the farmer’s market for some wholesale flowers. Jeanne Ray is Ann Patchett’s mom. Very talented family. If you like Janet Evanovich, I highly recommend Jeanne Ray. Her heroines tend to be in the 40 to 60 age range and funny. I feel like I’d like to grow into all her main characters. I gave up counting my books, as I fall way behind and then feel all this pressure to keep up, so I’ll just go ...
Chargers v. Patriots
2008-01-22 06:34:00 I was sad to see the Chargers season come to an end on Sunday, but I wasn’t super surprised. I seem to only follow teams that never pull out the big win. This might not be a fair assessment of the Chargers entire season, as I’ll readily admit that I jumped on the bandwagon in the post season hoping for a Super Bowl run. However, since the score was 12-14 going into halftime and then it all went downhill from there, I feel okay about saying they blew it. If only that kicker could have kept making field goals… Anyway, as we were watching the not-so-happy game, we were totally entertained by the commercials. There was one where the scene was a house full of people watching football on a small TV. They were all leaning forward to see better. A little computer pointer moved around the screen moving vases and hanging pictures, stretching the tv screen, and moving it onto the wall, and then moving all the people back on the couch. Visually, it was a very well communicate... More About: Patriots
working from home
2008-01-22 06:23:00 I work from home now. I mean, I take care of my kid and my house just like always, but now I have a paying job also. I make phone calls. I have two cordless phones in my house, and I connect a headset to one of them, and I make my calls. The problem is that these phones are old. Old old old. I guess. Because after about 20 calls, the phones start beeping and telling me things like, “move closer to base.” A-NOY-ING! (I know that’s spelled wrong. I’m trying to emphasize here.) So anyway, should I carry the little batteries to WalMart or Radio Shack and try to get new ones? The whole system is two cordless phones, an answering machine/charging base and a 2nd base that doesn’t require a jack. It’s all very handy - except for the battery limitations. Honestly, I’d like a regular desk phone with a flat keypad. I hate having to hold my cordless to dial. I have to pick it up to dial and put it down to type. A-NOY-ING! So I went to some stores lookin... More About: Home , Working , Workin
Star Trek
2008-01-22 02:40:00 I seriously cannot contain my excitement. Follow these links… teaser and info. J.J. Abrams kicks ass. More About: Star Trek , Star , Trek
Quilt Show results…
2008-01-19 22:06:00 Cons: Exhaustion. Sore feet. A 12-hour headache. Mean women in quilted jackets with big buttons. Pros: Beautifully crafted quilts on display. Here’s a fav: Illuminated Alphabet by Zena Thorpe. Seriously beautiful applique. Basically, I came away from the quilt show more determined than ever to learn how to applique. I got to meet EllynAnne Geisel, author of The Apron Book. She was signing her book and curating an apron exhibit. Very cool. I took some crappy cellphone pictures - they’re on my flickr. Luckily for me, I got a last minute ticket to the Roundabout - a sort of speed-dating meets quilt class, where you rotate teachers every 10 minutes. My two favorite teachers were Jane Hall and Cathy Van Bruggen. Jane Hall showed a bunch of different foundation piecing techniques, and her book, The Experts Guide to Foundation Piecing, compiles the tips and techniques of 14 different teachers. Awesome information, and she was precious. Cathy Van Bruggen designs applique patt... More About: Show , Results , Quilt
Road to CA
2008-01-17 21:45:00 I’m headed to the Road to California quilt show tomorrow. I’m super excited…my husband is meeting me to take the baby, and I get the whole day to wander around the Ontario Convention Center, surrounded by all things quilting! I’m really hoping to get a ticket to Mark Lipinski’s lecture - which I didn’t know about until two days ago, when we figured out I’d be able to go to the show. So wish me luck getting a last minute ticket. I promise to post pictures!
So Cool!
2008-01-14 21:30:00 I love DIY’s Creative Juice. I’ve made a few projects from their show - namely using the cutaway sewing technique to alter clothes. And guess who left a comment on my blog?! Cathie Filian! The co-host of Creative Juice! Now, I’ve had a famous, fabulously-gifted author and a super-creative tv personality comment on my blog. How cool is the internet? More About: Cool
my log cabin quilt
More articles from this author:2008-01-14 20:58:00 David and I spent over an hour in the quilt store selecting the fabrics for this quilt. It’s about lap size, and it’s extra special because mine is the only husband I know who would wander around a quilt store picking the perfect fabrics for a quilt for our home. It’s a log cabin pattern, and I turned the blocks to make the cross shapes. It’s got some problems, but overall, once it was washed, I think it came out fine for one of my first quilts. It’s be sitting around forever with the binding not sewn on, so I finally finished it. Yay, me! We got all the fabrics at Fat Quarters in Vista, CA. That’s also where I took my first quilting class - of which this pattern is a product. So, so far for 2008, I finished one UFO. I’m working on a second…I’ve got some quilting goals for myself this year. Namely, no new projects until the old one’s are finished. It’s a shame to have quilt tops languishing in boxes. Right? More About: Log Cabin , Quilt , Cabin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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