You can read more about my amazing Grandma by CLICKING HERE!
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About Me. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Surprise Quilt!!
Most of my close friends and family know all about this, but I wanted to make a blog entry to share the story!! Back when I first got my sewing machine I decided to make a quilt and it has taken me a LONG time to complete one. I always knew I wanted to give my first quilt to my Grandma! This particular quilt happened in stages and honestly, even by accident. I made some original quilt squares with odd sized scraps and called them "wonky" but just couldn't fall in love with them!
I tried to help a friend, Charlene with a quilt and wanted to share my scraps with her. I cut them all to size for her before realizing I had measured wrong and cut all of them too short! Inspired by her quilt though, I used my scraps as practice and just loved the result!!
From there, my first ever quilt was born!
Its taken me about 6 months from concept to finish. I wasn't always plugging away at it. I gave the quilt to my amazing Grandma Prewitt for Mother's Day and she was just so thrilled! I was fortunate enough to have my family there to tape and capture her reaction!! Enjoy the pics!!
You can read more about my amazing Grandma by CLICKING HERE!
You can read more about my amazing Grandma by CLICKING HERE!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Hello, darlings!
How has everyone been!? I know, I know...I've been completely MIA lately.
We've had ALOT going on around here. We're currently in the process of moving to a new city. My husband is actually spending half of each week at the new house getting things ready for move in and my son and I are living full time at the old house until he's done with his 2nd grade year in June. Then we'll all be reunited officially!
In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of weekend trips to the new house bringing things up little by little to make it more cozy for my hubby dearest and during the week I'm just completely consumed with my normal chores and housework, getting Gav to & from school, school projects and homework.
I've barely been sewing until recently when I got a big order in for several of my adorable little boxy pouches!
Right before that I was plugging away at a very special secret project. I still don't want to spill the beans on it here, because the recipient isn't going to receive it for another couple weeks. Better safe than sorry, I don't want to spoil the surprise!
It was such a fun project and a huge learning experience for me!! I can't wait to share photos!!
I've had a little interest lately in seeing more on my Etsy page. Several people have been requesting aprons! I'm excited to try a couple new patterns. I've already made a couple children's aprons for my son and my niece, but making a cute frilly adult apron will be a bigger challenge!
I apologize for my absence and silence! I assure you things will pick up again when we get settled into the new house (and my new sewing nook has spotlights)! I hate being away from my sewing machine for so long because its definitely my way to unwind and relax (as crazy as that might sound).
I recently went through and organized a lot of my fabrics so I know what I'm working with now. I have more [and less] than I thought! I have some amazing prints that I'm saving to use on new Etsy listings. I tend to make a lot of things for friends and family (willingly, lol) so I want to save it for things I can sell to make strangers happy! ;) I've acquired quite a fabric stash and I'm not even done yet, haha!!
Anyway, I promise to be better at blogging...it was one of my New Years resolutions!
Just know that I haven't disappeared and can't wait to get back into my groove with everything!
\\xoxo//
We've had ALOT going on around here. We're currently in the process of moving to a new city. My husband is actually spending half of each week at the new house getting things ready for move in and my son and I are living full time at the old house until he's done with his 2nd grade year in June. Then we'll all be reunited officially!
In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of weekend trips to the new house bringing things up little by little to make it more cozy for my hubby dearest and during the week I'm just completely consumed with my normal chores and housework, getting Gav to & from school, school projects and homework.
I've barely been sewing until recently when I got a big order in for several of my adorable little boxy pouches!
Right before that I was plugging away at a very special secret project. I still don't want to spill the beans on it here, because the recipient isn't going to receive it for another couple weeks. Better safe than sorry, I don't want to spoil the surprise!
It was such a fun project and a huge learning experience for me!! I can't wait to share photos!!
I've had a little interest lately in seeing more on my Etsy page. Several people have been requesting aprons! I'm excited to try a couple new patterns. I've already made a couple children's aprons for my son and my niece, but making a cute frilly adult apron will be a bigger challenge!
I apologize for my absence and silence! I assure you things will pick up again when we get settled into the new house (and my new sewing nook has spotlights)! I hate being away from my sewing machine for so long because its definitely my way to unwind and relax (as crazy as that might sound).
I recently went through and organized a lot of my fabrics so I know what I'm working with now. I have more [and less] than I thought! I have some amazing prints that I'm saving to use on new Etsy listings. I tend to make a lot of things for friends and family (willingly, lol) so I want to save it for things I can sell to make strangers happy! ;) I've acquired quite a fabric stash and I'm not even done yet, haha!!
Anyway, I promise to be better at blogging...it was one of my New Years resolutions!
Just know that I haven't disappeared and can't wait to get back into my groove with everything!
\\xoxo//
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Oops, here's the how-to!
I got completely sidetracked by my own thoughts in my previous post and forgot to actually write about HOW I organize which was basically the main point of my post, haha.
Keep in mind, this is what works for me & may not work for you. The trick is to adapt. Take some of these helpful tips, along with those that you find elsewhere and find a system that works for you.
I set small goals for myself first. Then I set a larger "in the end" goal that I basically forget about until I've tackled every other thing on my list...because its my small goals that lead to the big one.
When it comes to cleaning, organizing and decluttering...my small goals are each individual room and my large goal is to go through every last room, closet, cabinet & drawer until I've done them all.
For the purpose of this post, I'll just keep it simple.
A couple ground rules that I follow:
A) Finish one room completely before moving to another (trust me, stick to it). You don't want to have an entire house of half organized stuff. Finishing a room brings a sense of completion that carries you into the next project. It will slow you down if you're thinking about what you neglected to do in the previous room.
B) If its expired, toss it. If its a bathroom product (i.e. liquid, soap, shampoo, makeup, medicine, etc.) and its more than a year old, toss it. If you haven't touched it, used it or even thought about it in the past year, toss it. Learning to throw things away is CRUCIAL. Sure, that super sparkly blue eyeshadow looked great that one time and sure, I might want to wear blue eyeshadow again someday, but that day hasn't come anytime recently therefore that blue eyeshadow is just waste.
C) Trust your gut. If your gut says "keep it" then do so. You'll do another clean up a year from now and realize you didn't need such & such but keep it if it makes you happy. Don't stress about it. I like to think that if I at least toss about as much as I'm keeping I'm in a good place.
D) Buy good trash bags before even attempting a cleanup. I'm talking the 30 gallon, black, Hefty bags. Challenge yourself to fill at least one trash bag per room (or whatever your particular cleanup calls for).
E) Save your breaks. Nobody *likes* to clean. You'll often get bored, discouraged, frustrated or tired by what you're doing. Keep going. You can take a 5-15 minute break between rooms. Finish the entire room before you stop. Otherwise you'll start feeling like you've been working in the same area ALL day. If you keep the momentum going you can easily tackle one room at a time before taking a break. Believe you can do it.
When I start in any given room of my house I do the following:
1) Pick up any normal clutter and put it where I'd normally put it when I'm cleaning. Working with a clean room to begin with makes me want to strive to get it back to cleanliness after I've dumped everything out and created a big mess. To organize efficiently, you're going to need to make a mess. Forget the windex and wood polish for now. You'll have time for that when the room is decluttered. Give yourself plenty of room to sort.
2) If there is a big task (as in, size matters), do it first. If that means cleaning all your old clothes out of the closet first because they're overflowing and making your workspace difficult to navigate, start there. You'll feel great after you clear out a bunch of larger items and the room will already start to feel lighter.
3) Next, move onto things that annoy you the most. For me, its junk drawers. Any place where random items are accumulating. Why? Because they require more sorting and time devotion. It usually involves a lot of small things that have to be organized. The easiest method I've found is mini piles. I make a mini pile of things that belong in the kitchen, or my son's room or the bathroom. Instead of running every little thing from room to room I can take it all at once. On that note, I also LOVE old shoeboxes for this reason. I usually have one for each room of my house and I bring them with me as I clear room after room. Organizing within organizing, the way someone with OCD would do it.
*HINT* If you're boxing things up and/or have a lot of items you plan on just storing...I suggest using medium sized boxes. I avoid large boxes because I have a tendency to pack them too heavy which defeats the purpose when we're moving if nobody can lift the darn box. Small boxes just mean more to move. A good sturdy medium box means I won't be keeping too much but I'll have room for what I need.
4) Okay, you've done something BIG and you've done something annoying now, right? Now do something easy. Organize something that doesn't require much organization.
5) You should be done or very close to done by this point. If you're still far from your goal, keep pushing. Box after box, tub after tub, until you've sorted through everything in the room.
6) Lastly, clean that room the way a maid would. Wipe down mirrors and windows, polish furniture, clean your baseboards and any smudges off the walls. Wash your bedding if you're in a bedroom. Vacuum, sweep or mop the floors. Give yourself a pat on the back and move on!
In my case this task took me a couple weeks and I'm still going strong. At the end of it I'll haul everything I've purged out of my garage and off to recycling, the dump or Goodwill. Then life will go back to normal.
Keep in mind, this is what works for me & may not work for you. The trick is to adapt. Take some of these helpful tips, along with those that you find elsewhere and find a system that works for you.
I set small goals for myself first. Then I set a larger "in the end" goal that I basically forget about until I've tackled every other thing on my list...because its my small goals that lead to the big one.
When it comes to cleaning, organizing and decluttering...my small goals are each individual room and my large goal is to go through every last room, closet, cabinet & drawer until I've done them all.
For the purpose of this post, I'll just keep it simple.
A couple ground rules that I follow:
A) Finish one room completely before moving to another (trust me, stick to it). You don't want to have an entire house of half organized stuff. Finishing a room brings a sense of completion that carries you into the next project. It will slow you down if you're thinking about what you neglected to do in the previous room.
B) If its expired, toss it. If its a bathroom product (i.e. liquid, soap, shampoo, makeup, medicine, etc.) and its more than a year old, toss it. If you haven't touched it, used it or even thought about it in the past year, toss it. Learning to throw things away is CRUCIAL. Sure, that super sparkly blue eyeshadow looked great that one time and sure, I might want to wear blue eyeshadow again someday, but that day hasn't come anytime recently therefore that blue eyeshadow is just waste.
C) Trust your gut. If your gut says "keep it" then do so. You'll do another clean up a year from now and realize you didn't need such & such but keep it if it makes you happy. Don't stress about it. I like to think that if I at least toss about as much as I'm keeping I'm in a good place.
D) Buy good trash bags before even attempting a cleanup. I'm talking the 30 gallon, black, Hefty bags. Challenge yourself to fill at least one trash bag per room (or whatever your particular cleanup calls for).
E) Save your breaks. Nobody *likes* to clean. You'll often get bored, discouraged, frustrated or tired by what you're doing. Keep going. You can take a 5-15 minute break between rooms. Finish the entire room before you stop. Otherwise you'll start feeling like you've been working in the same area ALL day. If you keep the momentum going you can easily tackle one room at a time before taking a break. Believe you can do it.
When I start in any given room of my house I do the following:
1) Pick up any normal clutter and put it where I'd normally put it when I'm cleaning. Working with a clean room to begin with makes me want to strive to get it back to cleanliness after I've dumped everything out and created a big mess. To organize efficiently, you're going to need to make a mess. Forget the windex and wood polish for now. You'll have time for that when the room is decluttered. Give yourself plenty of room to sort.
2) If there is a big task (as in, size matters), do it first. If that means cleaning all your old clothes out of the closet first because they're overflowing and making your workspace difficult to navigate, start there. You'll feel great after you clear out a bunch of larger items and the room will already start to feel lighter.
3) Next, move onto things that annoy you the most. For me, its junk drawers. Any place where random items are accumulating. Why? Because they require more sorting and time devotion. It usually involves a lot of small things that have to be organized. The easiest method I've found is mini piles. I make a mini pile of things that belong in the kitchen, or my son's room or the bathroom. Instead of running every little thing from room to room I can take it all at once. On that note, I also LOVE old shoeboxes for this reason. I usually have one for each room of my house and I bring them with me as I clear room after room. Organizing within organizing, the way someone with OCD would do it.
*HINT* If you're boxing things up and/or have a lot of items you plan on just storing...I suggest using medium sized boxes. I avoid large boxes because I have a tendency to pack them too heavy which defeats the purpose when we're moving if nobody can lift the darn box. Small boxes just mean more to move. A good sturdy medium box means I won't be keeping too much but I'll have room for what I need.
4) Okay, you've done something BIG and you've done something annoying now, right? Now do something easy. Organize something that doesn't require much organization.
5) You should be done or very close to done by this point. If you're still far from your goal, keep pushing. Box after box, tub after tub, until you've sorted through everything in the room.
6) Lastly, clean that room the way a maid would. Wipe down mirrors and windows, polish furniture, clean your baseboards and any smudges off the walls. Wash your bedding if you're in a bedroom. Vacuum, sweep or mop the floors. Give yourself a pat on the back and move on!
In my case this task took me a couple weeks and I'm still going strong. At the end of it I'll haul everything I've purged out of my garage and off to recycling, the dump or Goodwill. Then life will go back to normal.
Monday, February 25, 2013
How I Organize...
We are moving this summer...either to a different house, or a different city altogether.
I can't really start packing now, because that would be silly when we have 4 whole months left here. Packing things away for 4-5 months means they aren't things we need on a day to day basis which is cause for throwing them out!
I started with the garage. Mainly because we bought a new car. Well, Ricky did. It will be his daily driver, now that his new job requires a commute. He's always driving me crazy about cleaning out the garage because there are things out there that just move from one house to the next but never get sorted through. So I successfully hauled a bunch of things off to the recycling center with his dad and him and cleaned the garage out!
Then I got this crazy idea to tackle the office/guest room/ my sewing room. I went completely OCD in there. Printed labels for everything, sorted through every single drawer and the closet. I impressed myself, haha.
Then I reorganized some of the kitchen cabinets and cleaned out the cabinets in our small laundry room.
Today, I sorted all the laundry...which feels like moving mountains to me.
I went through our master closet and pulled out a ton of clothes to toss or donate. I did that mainly because my husband has lost 70 lbs. this past year and it was high time to clear out his bigger clothes in celebration of such a huge accomplishment.
Then I did most of the laundry (its still going) from wash, to dry, to folded & hung.
Finally, Gavin and I went crazy cleaning out his room. I was very proud of him...he cleared out 3 large trash bags worth of junk!
We are going to rearrange it tonight as soon as I come up with a plan to fix his platform bed which I messed up while moving it. Anytime you tackle a clean up in Gavin's room its a HUGE task so to just toss that in randomly & finish (for the most part) felt great!!
Tonight and/or tomorrow I think I'll work on the bathroom & linen closets, the china cabinet, and our "junk drawers."
My goal is to have gone through every room from top to bottom and at least have everything sorted & decluttered by Friday.
Then I can enlist Ricky's help cleaning up the yard & hauling things away this weekend!
*whew* Even this post was exhausting.
Here are some photos of the cleanup in my sewing room!
I can't really start packing now, because that would be silly when we have 4 whole months left here. Packing things away for 4-5 months means they aren't things we need on a day to day basis which is cause for throwing them out!
I started with the garage. Mainly because we bought a new car. Well, Ricky did. It will be his daily driver, now that his new job requires a commute. He's always driving me crazy about cleaning out the garage because there are things out there that just move from one house to the next but never get sorted through. So I successfully hauled a bunch of things off to the recycling center with his dad and him and cleaned the garage out!
Then I got this crazy idea to tackle the office/guest room/ my sewing room. I went completely OCD in there. Printed labels for everything, sorted through every single drawer and the closet. I impressed myself, haha.
Then I reorganized some of the kitchen cabinets and cleaned out the cabinets in our small laundry room.
Today, I sorted all the laundry...which feels like moving mountains to me.
I went through our master closet and pulled out a ton of clothes to toss or donate. I did that mainly because my husband has lost 70 lbs. this past year and it was high time to clear out his bigger clothes in celebration of such a huge accomplishment.
Then I did most of the laundry (its still going) from wash, to dry, to folded & hung.
Finally, Gavin and I went crazy cleaning out his room. I was very proud of him...he cleared out 3 large trash bags worth of junk!
We are going to rearrange it tonight as soon as I come up with a plan to fix his platform bed which I messed up while moving it. Anytime you tackle a clean up in Gavin's room its a HUGE task so to just toss that in randomly & finish (for the most part) felt great!!
Tonight and/or tomorrow I think I'll work on the bathroom & linen closets, the china cabinet, and our "junk drawers."
My goal is to have gone through every room from top to bottom and at least have everything sorted & decluttered by Friday.
Then I can enlist Ricky's help cleaning up the yard & hauling things away this weekend!
*whew* Even this post was exhausting.
Here are some photos of the cleanup in my sewing room!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Here's to tomorrow...
January hasn't started out exactly as I had planned.
I had these big goals, a real heart to heart with myself and I was ready to tackle 2013 on the first day of the year.
But life always happens and adjusting to new routines isn't always easy.
I've been battling a few internal struggles as well, which has kind of put me in a funk.
Regardless, I'm jumping back on the wagon tomorrow.
I've been dealing with a lot of self doubt lately.
Maybe its because I set some lofty goals for myself this year and I feel kind of *stuck* on all of them.
Maybe its because by the time I have a chance to think about achieving my personal goals, I'm too exhausted from helping other people reach their happiness.
Alas, I need to get it all in check.
So here's to tomorrow.
Less doubt, fewer excuses.
One step at a time.
I had these big goals, a real heart to heart with myself and I was ready to tackle 2013 on the first day of the year.
But life always happens and adjusting to new routines isn't always easy.
I've been battling a few internal struggles as well, which has kind of put me in a funk.
Regardless, I'm jumping back on the wagon tomorrow.
I've been dealing with a lot of self doubt lately.
Maybe its because I set some lofty goals for myself this year and I feel kind of *stuck* on all of them.
Maybe its because by the time I have a chance to think about achieving my personal goals, I'm too exhausted from helping other people reach their happiness.
Alas, I need to get it all in check.
So here's to tomorrow.
Less doubt, fewer excuses.
One step at a time.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Warning: Organization in Progress
My apologies in advance to any of my "email subscribers." I'm doing some organizing on my blog today to make everything *flow* nicer. This is very much a trial & error process for me...I'm googling tutorials as I go. =) But just think, its going to look nice & fresh.
Welcome to 2013!!
Welcome to 2013!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The holidays are over, bring it on 2013!
I hate to say it, but I'm glad December is over. Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays but I think this year more than ever I've been looking forward to the fresh start that 2013 offers.
I've never been one to make resolutions, because we all know how hard they are to keep.
So this year I'm making *NO EXCUSES!* I stole that motto from my lovely mother.
Some of my basics:
~ Blog more! Here's lookin' at you, kids! I love to blog, but always feel too boring. That will change, as I plan on using my blog to keep me motivated to stick to my goals!
~ Eat healthy and shed a few pounds! That one is pretty self explanatory. I've been doing a little P90X with my husband lately so my goal is to add a daily workout to my normal routine and shed a little of the "post wedding weight" I've put on since my wedding last June!
~ Be more active! I'm a homebody by nature, but my husband LOVES to do outdoor activities and so far, he's never been wrong about how fun a new adventure can be! I plan on getting out of the house more in 2013, living life to the fullest and enjoying some new activities, both solo & as a family!
~ Finally give up my vices. I gave up soda a couple years ago and I've given up smoking (I'll admit to a few social cigarettes in the past few months though, a habit I plan on kicking 100% this year). I don't think I could ever give up my beloved Red Bulls...but cutting back almost entirely on my coffee is a fair trade for me. A girl has to have something, right?
~ Finish a quilt...ANY quilt! Actually, I plan on finishing more than one! I want to make a scrap quilt and a baby quilt at least.
~ Make something of myself! My plan is to focus on my sewing and stop making excuses for why it hasn't taken off yet. I'm the problem! I have such a great support team behind me, and I really need to focus on doing something for myself this year. Something that is just for me and makes me happy. I'm going to turn Miss B Design into a reality, something I can actually profit from!
~ Save more! I plan on mildly couponing this year (I have no energy or patience for extreme couponing) and I plan on setting aside money as a regular habit!
~ Work! Whether I'm working from home or somewhere else, I want to make more income this year!
~ Start planning for the future of our family. Maybe that means a baby, maybe it means a college fund! ;)
~ Be more organized! This is something I've been mastering for the past few years. I'm organized almost to a fault. Sometimes I don't put things back where they go but my wicked awesome photographic memory always knows where to find it. I need to work on keeping things where they belong! I also need to invest in some serious shelving or drawers for storage!
~ Finally clear out the garage! We have alot of old boxes out there that have accumulated over the years since we move so much. I got to a point where I didn't unpack everything each time and now that its been stored for a year, you start to realize how much you're not going to miss it!
Tonight, my husband and I will sit down with a couple cold beers and discuss our plans together for 2013. This could be a great year if we play it right!
I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe New Years! We will be visiting family in Tampa.
Bring it on 2013!!
I've never been one to make resolutions, because we all know how hard they are to keep.
So this year I'm making *NO EXCUSES!* I stole that motto from my lovely mother.
Some of my basics:
~ Blog more! Here's lookin' at you, kids! I love to blog, but always feel too boring. That will change, as I plan on using my blog to keep me motivated to stick to my goals!
~ Eat healthy and shed a few pounds! That one is pretty self explanatory. I've been doing a little P90X with my husband lately so my goal is to add a daily workout to my normal routine and shed a little of the "post wedding weight" I've put on since my wedding last June!
~ Be more active! I'm a homebody by nature, but my husband LOVES to do outdoor activities and so far, he's never been wrong about how fun a new adventure can be! I plan on getting out of the house more in 2013, living life to the fullest and enjoying some new activities, both solo & as a family!
~ Finally give up my vices. I gave up soda a couple years ago and I've given up smoking (I'll admit to a few social cigarettes in the past few months though, a habit I plan on kicking 100% this year). I don't think I could ever give up my beloved Red Bulls...but cutting back almost entirely on my coffee is a fair trade for me. A girl has to have something, right?
~ Finish a quilt...ANY quilt! Actually, I plan on finishing more than one! I want to make a scrap quilt and a baby quilt at least.
~ Make something of myself! My plan is to focus on my sewing and stop making excuses for why it hasn't taken off yet. I'm the problem! I have such a great support team behind me, and I really need to focus on doing something for myself this year. Something that is just for me and makes me happy. I'm going to turn Miss B Design into a reality, something I can actually profit from!
~ Save more! I plan on mildly couponing this year (I have no energy or patience for extreme couponing) and I plan on setting aside money as a regular habit!
~ Work! Whether I'm working from home or somewhere else, I want to make more income this year!
~ Start planning for the future of our family. Maybe that means a baby, maybe it means a college fund! ;)
~ Be more organized! This is something I've been mastering for the past few years. I'm organized almost to a fault. Sometimes I don't put things back where they go but my wicked awesome photographic memory always knows where to find it. I need to work on keeping things where they belong! I also need to invest in some serious shelving or drawers for storage!
~ Finally clear out the garage! We have alot of old boxes out there that have accumulated over the years since we move so much. I got to a point where I didn't unpack everything each time and now that its been stored for a year, you start to realize how much you're not going to miss it!
Tonight, my husband and I will sit down with a couple cold beers and discuss our plans together for 2013. This could be a great year if we play it right!
I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe New Years! We will be visiting family in Tampa.
Bring it on 2013!!
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