sewing summit - 2012

So....big news! I'm going to Utah this October!! I got an email a few weeks back from the organizers of the Sewing Summit and they asked if I wanted to come teach a photography class. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I said yes. I can't wait for this awesome weekend to get here and hope to see lots of you there. Early registration starts in early March so keep an eye out for that.

Along with the excitement of the Sewing Summit, I also decided to finally get started on re-decorating my daughter's room and the living room. Not much else is getting done at the moment because of that. It's going to be a lot of work but I think the end result will be worth it. The logistics alone of getting furniture from Ikea-Atlanta to my house which is 2 hours away are slowly driving me insane. Or maybe that's the paint fumes.... 

app - shakeitphoto

row 1 and 2 - been spending a lot of time at whole foods lately. The tuesday night pizza special {super large 3 topping for $10.99!} is awesome as is the tzatziki I found. You won't win any fresh breathe awards but it is so, so good with tortilla chips.

 row 3 - I did the crafty mom walk of shame when I left Target with those Toy Story Valentines. I had big plans that just never panned out. There's always next year, right? / I bought a new gadget for my camera! I've been wanting a wireless shutter release for ages and finally found one compatible with my Canon Rebel XS. Now, I had my doubts when I received the package in the mail, but so far so good! 

row 4 - I am not a fan of painting but those green walls had to go. My house has these weird textured walls and they take forever to paint. Boo. I bought Olympic brand low-voc paint...yeah, it still smells really bad and gives me a headache. Big thumbs down. I will opt for a different brand should I ever paint another room. 

row 5 - I'm on book 2 of the Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin. Good stuff...anyone else reading these? / The kiddo just started Therapeutic Listening. It requires those really huge headphones in the photo and I think she looks like a little DJ when she wears them :)

crochet - kid's cowl

I've been doing a little crochet here and there. If I ever upgrade from the plastic Walmart bag I've been using to store my yarn/hooks, I hope to start taking crochet projects on the road with me. I spend a fair amount of time in waiting rooms while my daughter does her speech, OT, and PT sessions and figure that crocheting would be a better use of my "free" time than surfing the web via iPhone. Anywho, I wanted to make a cowl for my for my kiddo after seeing this and this on Pinterest. Unfortunately, as it goes with most things I make for the little stinker, she ran screaming from it when I attempted putting the cowl on her. Sigh. So, it will be passed along to a friend instead. I did manage to get a few photos when I bribed her with an episode of Bubble Guppies. This kid will do anything for a Bubble Guppy fix. The shirt she's wearing is a Figgy's Ayashe blouse I made using a Liberty print. I haven't started the skirt yet so I'll save the scoop on the pattern until that's done!

In case anyone else wants to whip one of these {quick and easy even for someone like me, who only sort of knows how to crochet}, here's what you need:

- The Bella Warmer crochet pattern by The Velvet Acorn - includes 2 sizes and how to add a cute pom pom tie which I skipped because I was lazy :)

-Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick and Quick yarn in Fisherman  {got mine at Hobby Lobby}

-Lion Brand Hometown in Monterey Lime and New Orleans French Berry {Walmart}

I'm really loving mixing neutrals with pops of bright colors, hence the stripes. Skip the stripes and you have an even faster project. 

One last thing...remember this bag??? Well, I've got a pattern in the works. It will include lots of extras like tips on sewing with leather/suede and working with metal zippers, etc. I'm excited to say the least and can't wait to get it finished. 

better late than never. . .

I'm kinda behind in getting this post up but absolutely had to share this awesome handmade gift I received for Christmas from my cool friend, Amy. See, she knows me quite well. She knows that I really want to be organized and more efficient and being so very thoughtful, made and sent these gorgeous goodies. The pincushion/organizer fits nicely right in front of my sewing machine. Amy also sent along some pattern weights which are new to me but fun to play with. I spared you the chaos of my sewing room and photographed these lovelies in a better place. A clean place....lol. 

I'm also sharing a little photo tip today! I was in a hurry to get the photos above taken and couldn't wait for the sun to cooperate with me. I pretty much only have one window that works for me when it comes to taking photos and the sun was glaring through it at the time. So, I used the translucent part of my 5 in 1 reflector to diffuse the harsh direct sunlight/shadows coming through my window. This reflector is just about the handiest thing ever. I usually use the white reflector side to help brighten things up {especially when taking photos of the kiddo} but the diffuser is really useful as well. I've tried taping white tissue paper to this window before, which works; but takes a lot more time and effort. Seriously, if you've got an extra $9 burning a hole in your pocket and need a little help when it comes to your photography, grab one of these! There are several different brands and sizes available but I find the one I have to be a good size...I can hold it with one hand if need be and shoot with the other.

before:

after:

valentine's day freebie

I'm feeling kind of bleh about sewing at the moment so I've been playing around with Photoshop instead. I'm learning lots through trial and error :) Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I came up with some wallet-sized card templates and digital scrapbook paper for anyone that wants to make their own photo cards or other Valentine's Day themed projects.

These templates/papers were created in Photoshop CS5 and should work with recent versions of PSE as well. They're high res files {300 dpi} for printing but can be easily resized for web use. I tried to design the card templates with die cutting in mind so you should have some wiggle room for that if you go that route. Also, the card templates are fully layered, contain clipping masks, and are easy to customize. . . you can change colors/text/etc.

Download card templates/papers here:

I Heart You Card
Happy Valentine's Day Card
XOXO Card

Red/White Hearts Paper
Pink/White Hearts Paper

Fonts are not included but can be found:
Bebas Neue
Impact Label Reversed

If you're looking for a photo printing company, Mpix offers die cut wallet photos!


Terms of Use:

• Please do not sell or claim these files as your own.
• Please do not share the actual files-direct people to this post so they can download the files.
• Personal use and limited commercial use only. Photographers may use these files to create printed items or flattened files for their clients.
• If you have any questions, feel free to email me :)

holiday wishes and other bits of info

Above is the Christmas card I sent out this year and I wanted to share it with all of you! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that you get to spend some quality time with loved ones. I'm going to take a bit of a break and probably won't post again until after the new year. The last few weeks have been insane {busted water heater, flooded laundry room, car wreck. . . eek!} and I really look forward to some down time. Can't wait to see what the new year brings!

Just for fun - a little behind-the-scenes action. The whole process of getting a decent photo to put on a Christmas card didn't go exactly how I planned. When the leaves first started to change color, I had grand plans of doing a styled photo shoot in a pretty location with lots of trees and piles of leaves. Yeah, that didn't happen. In a moment of desperation, I grabbed the hat and cardigan out of the closet, threw them on the kiddo {she still had her pj pants on}, taped a piece of white foam core board to the fridge as a backdrop, and hoped for the best.

The unedited outtakes. . .

{window light/white reflector  / lens sigma 30mm 1.4 / settings: 30mm - iso 400 - 1/80 - f/3.2}

A few announcements:

-The winner of the Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders book giveaway is Anita / Comment #44. Congrats! I'll be contacting you in just a bit :)

-If you're needing some last minute gifts or hope to do some sewing over the weekend, make sure to stop by KeykaLou Patterns. She is retiring 16 of her patterns on 1/1/12 and they are on sale for only $3 til then. 

-I'm having a little sale too! My 2 in 1 Bag pattern is only $6 through this weekend only. Merry Christmas!

fabric-by-fabric one yard wonders book: a sneak peak and a giveaway

I recently received a copy of Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders  by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins in the mail from Storey Publishing {more on that later}. This book is huge! It contains 101 sewing projects {106 if you purchase your book at Barnes and Noble} organized by fabric type...everything from cottons to oilcloth and everything in between. You'll also find useful information about the various fabric types available and how best to work with them. The book includes illustrated instructions, cutting layouts, pattern pieces, and all projects use just a single yard of fabric! If you're into sewing at all, you'll definitely want to add this book to your Christmas wish list.

I was contacted by the authors several months ago and asked if I'd like to contribute a project to the book to be included in the Barnes and Noble bonus section. Of course I said yes! I was more than thrilled to be a part of this awesome book. There's my project below...a meal planning organizer with tips to make it using laminated cotton/oil cloth.

How would you like to have your own copy of  Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard Wonders?? Storey Publishing is generously offering up a copy to one of you!

The fine print. . . Giveaway is now closed!

-you will need a US mailing address to be eligible to win
-please make sure that I have a way to contact you should you be chosen the winner!
-leave a comment telling me your sewing/crafting goals are for next year!
-for an optional extra entry, become a follower of this blog and leave me a comment letting me know. If
 already follow along, that's fine too!
-winner will be chosen via random.org
-GIVEAWAY ends Thursday, December 22nd at 10pm cst or thereabouts


 For more book photos/info/author interviews/giveaways, etc check out the Fabric-by-Fabric One Yard

 Wonders Blog Tour and Facebook Page:

• 12/12/2011 Becka's Project Journal
• 12/13/2011 Craft Buds
• 12/14/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs
• 12/15/2011 A Spoonful of Sugar
• 12/15/2011 Nifty Kidstuff
• 12/15/2011 Becka's Project Journal
• 12/16/2011 Nom Nom Nom Nom
• 12/16/2011 Quaint and Quirky
• 12/17/2011 ikatbag
• 12/17/2011 Two Brown Birds
• 12/18/2011 Sharon Sews
• 12/19/2011 LBG Studio
• 12/19/2011 Carolina Fair Designs
• 12/19/2011 Under Construction
• 12/20/2011 Little Blue Cottage
• 12/21/2011 Craftzine
• 12/21/2011 Neuroses Galore
• 12/21/2011 Emily Steffen
• 12/22/2011 Jenna Lou Loves You
• 12/23/2011 Spincushion
• 12/27/2011 One Inch World
• 12/28/2011 Sew Sew Etc.
• January ‘12 Lu Lu Carter
• January ’12 Fiberosity
• January ’12 Zuhause
• January ’12 Obsessively Stiching

sms giveaway day winner

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to enter my SMS Giveaway Day giveaway. And thank you for all the awesome book and movie suggestions! Looks like I definitely need to re-read Pride and Prejudice. Pretty sure that book was mentioned most. Ok, now on to the good stuff. . . 

I'll be email you shortly, Kelly. Congrats! Hope you enjoy the cowl and bag. Many of you mentioned interest in a tutorial for the clutch. . . I'll see what I can do about that in the next month or two. Also, just in case anyone was curious and didn't see the link in the giveaway post: I used a pattern by Artsy Crochet called "Leah Infinity Scarf" to crochet the cowl.