Take me to the Moon
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Creamie: Mama? Moon. Let’s Go!
Mama: You want to go to the moon?
Creamie: Yeah! Bwwwwwwwwwwwwrrrrrrnnnnnn
(That’s a rocket noise, made while flying the make believe rocket in her hand through the sky.)
Mama: One day baby. One day.
The Gospel of Frank Chimero
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Yesterday my friend Traceyjay sent me a link which could quite possibly change my life. It was a post about designer Frank Chimero which contained a link to some of the best advice I’ve ever read. If you are a creative type, want to be a creative type, if you’re a teacher, a student, or a person in general you should read this. And if I can put 50% of it into practice, I have hope of becoming successful.
This one page from Frank Chimero’s is full of brilliantness. And though I’d love to quote all of it, I’ll stick to three little bits.
- “If you say “retro” too much you will get hives and maybe die.”
- “If you meet a person who cares about the same obscure things you do, hold on to them for dear life.”
- “Success is generating an emotion. Failure is a million different things.”
I’m all inspired to go make something, to do something worthwhile. First, go read it, then you go make something.
The Quilt Show
Last Friday I met my friend Elizabeth to go to the art museum and visit their annual Quilt Show exhibit. It was stunning. I should remind you all that I have made a grand total of two pieced quilts in my life. The first was for my friend’s little boy and this was the other. Neither could be considered a great piecing/quilting achievement on MY part. But I’m proud of them anyway. After visiting this show I wanted nothing more than to sit and sew all day every day and make something fantastic. Here are some of my favorites. (Click on any pic to get all the details, and see it larger. They are linked to my flickr set .)
This is a wedding quilt. The guests signed the white strips between the gray and orange blocks.
Best of show winner. No big surprise there.
This was my favorite quilt. This is a mini, and she had an identical full size version as well!
So many little pieces, so so many pieces.
The LDS Dallas Temple, another favorite and winner of a Judges Choice Award.
Best choice of fabrics, and look at those cute stars!
This was all pieced by hand, and it’s huge. Like at least queen size, maybe larger.
But this one kind of blew me away. This quilt is also gigantic, and it is completely done by hand. All pieced by hand, all appliqued by hand and then all quilted by hand. It gave me newfound motivation to pull out Creamie’s alphabet quilt and get it finished. If I continue at my current rate (which is a rate of zero. It’s sitting at the bottom of a giant stack, untouched for months and months.) she will be in highschool before I finish it. Also, I am more and more excited to go to the International Quilt Festival in Houston in November!
Alright, if you want to see some more pictures of these quilts, you can go to my flickr set. Or click on any pic to go to flickr so you can see it bigger. Happy Sunday!
Playing with Scraps
Creamie’s new favorite game is to dump out my box of scraps and “sort” them into little piles.
She can spend45 minutes at a time stacking and restacking her little piles, carefully sorting them with a system apparent only to her.
And when she comes across a little bit that she recognizes she’ll hold it up proudly and say “dress!” or “bed!” (a scrap from her crib bumper) or “blanket!”
It warms this sewing mama’s heart.
Vintage Singer and more Pyrex
Scott just got home from a business trip today. Doesn’t this look like your standard business trip photo? You know, seedy hotel, large dirty city….. terrible location…..
Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say. He has been on the island of Oahu since Monday. Poor guy. He is working on a project just outside Honolulu and he and his partner just HAD to go take a look in real life. Rough life, huh?
This was the view from their 16th floor hotel room. I know. I feel sorry for him too. (And to answer everyone’s burning question of “WHY DIDN”T YOU GO WITH HIM!!!” Well, two reasons. OK, just one. He didn’t know he was going until about two weeks ago. And while he could justify purchasing super expensive tickets with his company expense account, our personal expense account couldn’t justify purchasing my super expensive last minute vacation ticket. Also, a red eye overnight flight with a very small wiggly person in my lap does not sound like my idea of a great vacation. Do those sound like excuses? Yeah, I thought so too. Moving on.) To celebrate him coming home (and being gone) I took a trip to the thrift store this afternoon. And oh boy it was a good one!
First up a total Vintage Singer jewel! (Even with the broken faceplate, it’s a jewel.) I saw this vintage light turquoise machine just hanging out and I nearly swallowed my gum. It came with the lid that snaps onto the sides and it is so so cute. I immediately called my friend Amylouwho and asked her if she was interested. (It was only $10!) She being a sewer, and a big turquoise fan I knew that it was supposed to live with her. She of course said yes, and into my car it went. (She however lives a dozen states away. But her mom lives around the corner from my dad. Which makes her seem much closer, right?)
I was almost ready to go home right then, but I knew I should at least walk down the aisle of dishes. And I’m so glad I did!
Two more pieces of Pyrex to add to my collection! The top bowl is the pink gooseberry pattern, and it is the smallest in a set of four (here is a link to a picture of the whole set). The other is the turquoise Butterprint pattern, it’s a one and a half quart casserole dish. Both of them are in excellent shape, with nice bright colors and hardly any scratches. The best part about these was that they were on sale for a dime a piece. Really, I’m not kidding. Ten cents! Be still my fluttering heart!
Here is a picture of my whole collection. Total cost for all of these pieces was under $6. Man, just thinking about it makes me giddy! Whoever thought that retail therapy was a real thing must have been talking about collecting Pyrex from thrift stores.
I took my treasures to the front counter, and I pulled out my cash. After I had counted it out I handed him 41 Quarters and told him to keep the change. It was a happy happy day.
And yes… I realize I just paid for a sewing machine in quarters. Doesn’t that sound awesome!
She needs your help. Now.
I just came across 17 year old blogger Rachel. Jamie at Inspired Mess posted today about her. And she needs help. Your help. Really, take one minute today, right now, and try and show this girl that life is not as terrible as it seems. Let her know that it’s worth living. She is leaning dangerously close to suicide. Tell her that HER life is worth living. Tell her that she is beautiful. Tell her something.
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“what I need is some inspiration. I need someone I admire to tell me every thing’s going to be alright. That they believe in me. That I’m not the fat failure I think I am. – unfortunately I can’t see that happening any time before it’s too late, if it’s not already too late.”
That was what she posted on her blog the other day. So go give her the inspiration she is craving. She is 17, just a kid, she lost her father, she is struggling with eating disorders and depression and she needs a little support right now. If you do nothing else today go read Jamie’s post about her and the LoveBomb mission. And then go give Rachel two sentences of your time. It could make all the difference for her.
School Shopping
So this week I’ve been thinking about how much fun it would be to go back to school again. Which means that most of my free time has been spent cleaning, cooking and doing some menial crafting business searching the interwebs for pretty schoolish things. And even though it’s not going to happen this year, if it was, I’d be taking these things with me. You know, tucked inside one of those fab bags from yesterday.
[ Handmade pencil case from Pilli Pilli ]
[ Some of these paperclips from Homework ]
[ Pink Leather Journal from RedVelvetArt ]
[ These free printable flashcards from Homemade By Jill ]
OK, so these one’s aren’t for me. But they are adorable none the less.
[ Vintage Ohio Art mini globe bank from emmylucy etsy shop ]
Probably wouldn’t tuck in my bag…. this one can just sit on my desk. Or, maybe I’ll get him some other mappy friends and he can be part of a collection…
[ Big beribboned tote from Kinies ]
I’ve been really into sketching big purses/tote bags lately. I saw a really pretty one on Friday night that I think I just might have to try and make. Actually, I should stop sketching plans in my notebook and just make one already. And then pretend it’s for school. Hmm… maybe I’ll do that this week…
Back to School Shopping
Well, I’m not going back to school shopping for reals, but I’ve been shopping in my dreams. Which is more fun anyway. It is always the right size, and it’s always on sale. Shopping for clothes in real life pretty much makes me insane. So I avoid it at all possible costs. It’s been years, literally, since I found any clothes for myself that I just loved. Because I certainly don’t count solid colored fitted tshirts as clothes. Those are classified as second skin and hardly qualify as being exciting. These on the other hand…
Autumn Love by pinksuedeshoe featuring Coach bags
Waiting for Fall by pinksuedeshoe featuring Dondup jeans
Pink and Gray by pinksuedeshoe featuring Betsey Johnson shoes
I couldn’t decide on my shoes. And I feel like there is nothing wrong with picking three.
Deep Turquoise by pinksuedeshoe featuring Coach bags
I wish shopping in real life was as much fun as “shopping” on Polyvore. I hearts it.
Ready for School
I don’t like August, I really don’t. It’s just a hot sticky mess. But I have always loved starting school. I always looked forward to sitting down in a nice air conditioned building, with no yardwork and no chores to get in the way of my daydreams.
[ I kind of wish I was going here. Bullet Hill School, built in 1789 in Southbury, CT. ]
I wish I was going back to school this fall. I really wish I was. I earned by Bachelor’s degree 4 years ago, and I am itching to buy new pencils pens (I never use a pencil) and new notebooks and a dive into learning new things. But a PhD just isn’t in the cards this year. Or next year either. But one day, one day I’ll go back to school. So I am going to stock up one notebooks and pens, you know, just in case.
I want this couch.
I saw this couch the last time I want to Ikea, and I really want it. Like a lot.
[ Klippan couch with Navestad cover at Ikea ]
It may have something to do with my current obsession with embroidery. I keep picking up needlepoint at thrift stores. And I have amassed quite the collection, it’s taken over the whole wall above my piano. But if I had this couch…
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Then I’d have an awesome couch AND a wallfull of embroidery. But seriously, look at that bird! So so cute. I wants it.
pinksuedeshoe 