A year of blogging link love

My blog turned one last month. Happy birthday, blog! It's the first time in my life I've kept a blog going for this long. To honor the occasion -- which let's face it, I've actually already missed -- I wanted to introduce you to a number of others blog that started in the last year, all of them by real-life friends of mine. They're all unique and worthy of your click over to see what they have going on.

My friend Kim moved to Nanjing, China last September for her husband's career. She's dealt with that cross-the-world move with a grace and positivity I never, ever would have mustered. Her blog is all about daily life in China, where fruit is super cheap, where she has a driver to drive her everywhere, and where doing a load of wash takes all day. Her blog is called Kim Kim's Far East Adventures.

My friend Heather is a bad-ass prosecutor by day, a crafting, cooking, workout-loving Mom of two all the other hours of the day. She's brand new to blogging, writing about those three aspects of her life. She's shared a very effective workout system that you should seriously try, as well as recipes and a few craft projects. Check her out at Craft, Cook or Cardio.

Julie was one of my college roommates, and she recently moved to Oklahoma City. She's found tasty craft beer is not exactly free flowing and easy to find down there. So she and her husband Mark have started to brew their own. She blogs about her adventures in doing so, and she's a by-day journalist with a fantastic writing voice. Her blog is BeerOK.


Finally, Alex is a co-worker of mine. I love working with her because she's talented, smart, creative but tons of fun, too. She loves to bake and decorate cupcakes, and so she just started a blog about her kitchen creations called Motor City Cupcakes. Again, her writing voice really shines and her cupcakes are oh-so-cute.

My friends have all been out there with their blogs from the start, sharing links on Facebook, or letting their friends know to come and check it out. I on the other hand have been slow to share my own blog with the people in my real life, because, well, no good reason. My insecurities, I suppose. What if they think it sucks? What if they think I am a huge sewing nerd? And then I wonder about how it looks professionally. All stupid reasons. I like sharing my life and my sewing nerdiness with the internet. I'm going to stop acting like it is some weird secret hobby now. Mkay? Mkay. Thanks friends for showing me there's no reason to hide a good thing!

Deep thoughts while sitting in my quiet dining room all by myself

I am in my house in the middle of the day -- alone! It is the most amazing thing. My kids will be returning here at any moment though, but I thought I'd attempt to steal a moment to share a couple of interesting reading links for you.

 This post on Maybe Matilda said a lot of what I've been fighting internally when it comes to my blog. I know it is a cop out to just point to her post and say, more or less, "Ditto!" But that's what I'm doing. You understand. I think going through a blogging identity-and-time-suck crisis happens to most bloggers at some point. So I really do feel like in this case, she said what I -- and probably a lot of other people -- are thinking. And then the bottom line: just blog you. Write about what you want to write, when you want to write about it. It's your blog. She summed up that realization here -- and also shared a tutorial for a super-easy infinity scarf, which I plan to make the next time I sit down at my machine.

Here's another "deep thoughts" type post that spoke to me. Rachel at Stitched in Color wrote about the issue of "too much inspiration." I suffer from this as well. Can I blame Pinterest? OK? Good. Well, Pinterest as well as the vast internet sea of amazing talent. It's all so much, and while I love reading and soaking it all up... I can spend so much time doing so, that I am then all spent up. I have no time for writing, for sewing, or for thinking. You must give your creativity space. That's a big part of what my hiatus has been about. We all need a break sometimes.  Rachel said all this more eloquently than I, and then there were oodles of comments where the discussion continued. Fine reading (if you have the space and time to read it, of course). :)

Finally: I wrote this article for my day job about three lovely craft rooms. It was a wonderful project and I loved seeing each room. There's a photo gallery, so you can see them as well. As much as I need the mental space to find creativity, my physical space also needs work. Organization, attention, cleanliness, all of that. I need to make getting my space there -- and keeping it there -- a priority if my sewing is ever going to get back on track.

Oh, and one final thing! I have a goal of sharing more interviews for The Sewing Circle Series. There are many bloggers out there I know I'd love to interview. But I'd love to hear your suggestions as well. Who would you like to know more about? And it is OK to nominate yourself. Drop me a comment or an email at tharshesews@gmail.com.

That's all! I am going to go enjoy my last moments of blissful silence before my two sweets come back to tear the place apart with their beautiful noise.

Saturday ramblings and more sew alongs

I'm been so focused here on the Henry Shirt sew along that I feel a backlog of things I want to share. So prepare for a very random post!

I'll at least start on topic. There are a few more sew alongs happening in the next few weeks that I want to take part in. And maybe you do, too!

Over at Noode-head, the lovely Anna is hosting a sew along for Simplicity pattern 2226. It's a basic skirt, with a zipper. I am really excited to give it a whirl. Her sew along series begins Monday!

I've been watching from afar the sew along for the book Little Things to Sew over on A Little Gray. I want to jump into the fray this month! The pick for November is this adorable puppet theatre. I want to make it for Luke for Christmas. This is a month-long sew-along, so it's leisurely. Isn't that theatre adorable?

Finally, Marigold over on Hideous, Dreadful, Stinky is doing a sew along this month for colorful coats or cardigans. No specific pattern. The idea is to sew along together but interpret that theme however you choose. Basically, make something to keep you warn this winter that isn't boring grey or black or brown. You can refashion something, too, which is what I think I might do.

All fun ideas, right? I already have my fabric and pattern for Anna's. I'll show you on Monday!

What else have I been up to?

JJ turned 9 months old on Halloween. This is such a wonderful age. Love him.

We went to the cider mill two weeks ago. Old news, I know. But it is one of my favorite things about the fall. I must share. We went to Yates Cider Mill, which we also hit up when Luke was a baby. I am finding it astonishing that three years have passed between those two photos.

The other big thing happening around here is I'm starting my new work schedule tomorrow. I'll be working Sundays from now on. It will be an adjustment, but there are a lot of pros to my new schedule and my new job. Things are looking up.

Other than that.... I miss my friend Kim.

I thought about doing a whole posts about some of this personal stuff, but it's tough. This is a sewing blog, right? I've read some posts recently about what people hate about other people's blogs, and it makes me second guess myself. I don't like it because the truth is this is my space, my creative outlet, and my virtual scrapbook of my sewing life -- but also the rest of it. I shoudln't second guess myself. If you blog, do you struggle with this? How much do you deviate from whatever the "thing' your blog is about and into your personal life? And if you're just a reader, how much do you want to know about my personal life or other bloggers you follow? Do you get annoyed at personal posts and think, can we just talk about sewing/crafting/whatever? Be honest.

Spending money I don't have at DIYpsi -- and a giveaway!

BootsNGus

My Marigold

Sparrownests

I spent part of my Saturday afternoon in Ypsilanti supporting the local handmade community at the DIYpsi indie craft show. I just love these craft shows. There's always something on almost every table that I want to take home. I walk in with the best intentions to buy just one thing, and gah, I walk out with a bunch of cute, locally made items that I apparently can not live without. It happens every time. Maybe it's time to call it what it is -- an addiction.

Let's see what caught my fancy this time.

Aisle 3 Etsy shop

I loved everything on the Aisle 3 table. It was all upcycled goodies made from vintage buttons, curtains, neckties, linens, etc. The artist was very sweet, and is from my almost-home-town, Flint. And I just learned on her blog that her son's name is Milo, which was my favorite name -- alas, not my husband's -- this last pregnancy. JEALOUS!
I guess we have similar taste, because I wound up buying this cute guy....

And when I selected it, she picked up her own identical pouch. It's the one she carries herself.  I feel extra cool now. The pouch is simple in design, but I love the vintage-ness of it and the cheeky animal-cut-into-portions print. The lining is lovely, too. It has a nice sheen. I think I'll use the pouch to carry my essential makeup, since I usually put it on in the car. I'm sick of carting my big travel carrying case around! This size is perfect for my lip-gloss, eye concealer, tweezers and mascara.

I also like her cute tag:

It's the little things, right?

What else?

Etsy shop: cefische.etsy.com

Also loved all of this jewelry. The artist, Courtney, was so sweet and we figured out we live like less than a mile away from one another. She does "vintage inspired jewelry with a natural element." I could see myself wearing almost any of these. What did I pick?

These dangly earrings! Love them. Have worn them twice already.

 Web: amepix.net

I was also quite delighted by these magnet sets.I wound up buying an ABC's in sign language set.

These are cool, don't you think? Now I just need to brush up on my sign langeuge skills, so I can use em correctly. 

I brought many cards home with me. If you're looking for something unique, creative and handmade, here are a few other Michigan-based people to check out.

sparrownests.com

sloeginfizz.etsy.com

bootsngus.etsy.com

miodiocollection.com

tumbledown.etsy.com

chubbylove.etsy.com

bettula.etsy.com

sparklepants.etsy.com

sandwichseat.com

lovenicolet.etsy.com

So, to celebrate my recent milestone of hitting 100 followers, I did a little shopping at the DIY fair for one of you. Tough decisions. I hope you like what I nabbed.

A fun vintage sewing-pattern coaster AND another one of those cute pouches by Aisle 3! (Yup, I bought two, one for me, one for you.) One winner will get both of these prizes. Here's the rules:

-- Leave a comment on this post before noon on Friday, Aug. 19. Tell me what item you saw in this post that you think you'd have wanted to buy.
-- I will use random.org to select one winner. Must be a US shipping address -- sorry!
-- Make sure your address is linked with your account, or leave it in the comment.
-- If you're a follower, you get an extra entry. Just leave a comment telling me how you follow and if you're a new follower. Thanks!

Getting to inspired

Thanks for the kind comments on my last post. I'm still searching for some inspiration, and it is coming, slowly. I thought it might help to share some it with you. These are just projects I am eyeballing, letting them stew. I might actually get a few hours to myself to sew today -- hooray! -- so we will see if any of these have truly taken root.

 I have an idea for an owl pillow. Problem for me is I am terrible at drawing. So while I can picture said owl pillow, I don't think I could draw the owl from my vision. So I looked around for some other owl pillows that have similarly shaped owls. This one is close! Found via Pinterest, original here.

Isn't this travel bag so great? I have a half yard of this fabric. Thinking that wouldn't be enough. It's Jessica Jones fabric from the Outside Oslo line. I have two fat quarter bundles from the line. Did you know that when you order a fat quarter bundle and put "2" in the quantity field, that they don't cut you a half-yard bundle? Instead they send you two identical fat quarter bundles. Live and learn!

The bag is Jessica Jones' herself! She blogs at How About Orange, and her mother sewed this one for her from an Amy Butler pattern.

Another bag made by Jessica Jones, using her Outside Oslo fabric. I am on the hunt for ideas for this fabric, can you tell?

And a patchwork pillow made from the Outside Oslo fabric! I love these bright prints, but I have the blue-yellow-grey colorway. Still would be nice like this, right?

This pillow is sweet. And I bet my friend Kim might like it. She's moving to China soon. WAH! I also need one for me bed. NEED ONE.

We have a terrible habit of collecting huge mounds of mail and paper here. We are so bad at organizing, filing, shredding, etc. Maybe this cute little guy would help? Tutorial via noodle-head.

Speaking of Anna at Noodle-head.... I have been meaning to make the 241 Tote for months now. I have linen. I have some cute Joel Dewberry fabric -- not this print, but two awesome purple ones from the same collection. I also have some new Heather Ross fabric from the Far, Far Away collection that might make a nice 241 Tote. I just need to do this one already! This one found via Pinterest, original here.

I bought the book Sew Liberated and love this project, the camera bag. I found this version via flickr, from the blog Aves Handmade. She did a great job, huh?

That's it! A lot though, right? Thank God for Pinterest and all the amazing people who share their work via blogs and flickr. It certainly does help when inspiration is lacking.

Now.... where to start?

The Sewing Circle Interview with Marigold from Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!

Via Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!

Back today with another interview with a fantastic blogger who sews for my occasional series, The Sewing Circle. I discovered the blog Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! within the last few months, and a few things struck me about it. First off, the great Summer of No Pants event. I loved reading all the tutorials for skirts and have since been making my own well-documented allotment of skirts and dresses. The thing that really made me want to interview Marigold though was her humor. Marigold writes -- and sews -- in a way that makes me wish I could hang out with her. She's funny. Even her email was funny. She said to me, "Sorry it took me so long. I had to go back and edit some things to make sure I didn't sound like an asshole." Haha. But serious, I can't imagine.

Marigold lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons Huck and Milo. Besides sewing (check out her tutorials here), she also does felting, paper crafts and other crafty things. You can connect with her all the typical places -- Facebook, Twitter, flickr and her Etsy shop Stinky Boy! She is also nominated for a spot in the Babble Top 50 Craft Mom Blogs, so go vote for her!

Read on to see what Marigold has to say about using a broken sewing machine, stocking an Etsy shop with only items she truly wants to make and what inspired her to inspire so many others to wear skirts all summer long.

Tell me about how you began blogging. What was the impetus for you?
I started my first blog in 2004 because my friend Cory told me to. He sent me a link to Blogger and told me to do it, and I did. I have always been one to cave to peer pressure! Back then blogging was different. This was pre-Facebook. Pre-MySpace, even! Blogging was the online community, and it was before people felt self-conscious about what they were putting out there for anyone to read. So there was a lot of diary-like confession going on, and you would form these intimate friendships with other bloggers. My blog was a personal blog for many years. I wrote about my daily life, my jobs, my pregnancies, my mother's death, my boys' first years. I even live-blogged the homebirth of my second son! Everything about my life was on the Internet. But as my readership grew, and I became less comfortable with who might be reading it, I felt that I had to close the blog. I loved the friendships I had made through it, but once I had kids I had to consider their privacy above my own. Things on the Internet don't go away, and 15 years from now, my boys might not want potential employers or girlfriends or whomever else to read stories of their potty training experiences.
I started Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! in 2008 when I participated in the Thing-a-Day challenge. It was supposed to be a simple portfolio. If you look at the earliest posts, they are just a picture of the work, materials list and maybe a small, impersonal description of the process. I had never intended to be a craft blogger! But as I was ending my personal blog, I still needed an outlet to write and I began to focus more and more on my craft blog. I had started reading other crafty blogs and I thought that I was just as talented a crafter and writer as the big ones out there, so I decided to focus on Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! and make it into what it is today: a semi-popular crafty mommy blog with tens of readers!

Haha. (Looks like more than 1,000 followers through feedburner, and 500 more through Google.) And what about sewing? When did it become a serious hobby?

My husband bought me a starter sewing machine for Christmas back in 2005. I had it on this little side table and within a day or two, my fat, stupid cat knocked it to the ground and broke the light and bent the thread holder thingy. So ever since I have had it, the thing has been falling apart! I used it a few times over the years, but I didn't get the Sewing Bug until my second pregnancy a few years later. Somehow my nesting instinct manifested itself in the form of making baby booties. I made soooo many baby booties in that final trimester and started selling them on Etsy. I eventually got sick of that, which is what I do once I feel like I've mastered something, and I began to experiment with making other things.

Robert Smith softie and booties set. Hilarious adorable.

What’s your favorite type of project to sew? Is there something you’ve made you’re most proud of?

I rarely sew anything for myself and I really love to give handmade gifts. It's hard to choose a specific type of project, as I cycle through obsessions-booties, softies, lap quilts. I often move away from sewing and into crochet or felting or papercraft. I'm into shrinky dinks right now! Hmm. A favorite project? That's a toughie! I recently collected all of my favorites into a Flickr set that I plan on eventually making into a real portfolio. My very favorites are probably the Robert Smith softie & booties set that I eventually sold on Etsy and the Hobby Horse  I made for my boys. I also recently made a patched skirt that I am very proud of because it was the most challenging piece of clothing I have ever made, and also the most well-constructed. I'm not usually one to follow a pattern, so having to make facings and use twill tape and installing an invisible zipper was a big change for me!

What if anything in your life gets neglected so you can find time to sew?

Wow, what doesn't get neglected? I despise housework and I am naturally cluttered. My New Year's Resolution this year was “Wash dishes every night if it KILLS me.” And I did really well for several months. I've been slacking lately, though! I do love waking up to a clean kitchen, but washing those dishes truly feels like torture sometimes. Much of my crafting happens when there is a pile of housework that needs doing!

Me too! You started the Summer of No Pants last year as a challenge to sew yourself some more skirts or dresses and to wear them all summer. Did you really wear skirts all summer long?

Absolutely! Although, for decency's sake, I did wear pants to my kickboxing class. But that was it! I am really motivated by short-term goals. I always set them for myself: wear skirts all summer, wash dishes every night for a year, no ponytails for three months, etc. Even when I quit smoking many years ago, I did it with the stipulation that I can start again when I turn 70. As long as there is an end in sight I am willing to do something that I don't want to do.

Marigold's first skirt for The Summer of No Pants 2011.

So how did you decide to start the Summer of No Pants project?

I was in a play area at the mall with my kids and I looked around and all of the moms looked so tired and we were all in the same uniform: t-shirt, jeans, ponytail, no make-up. It was Frump City! It really bothered me. I had become so consumed in my Mommy-ness that I wasn't giving myself those five extra minutes in the morning to choose an outfit that didn't have something crusty stuck to it. I thought, there are others who are like me, who want to feel pretty again and do something creative, and thus The Summer of no Pants was born!

I love the way you inject humor not only into your writing, but actually into your sewing. Your projects all have that “funny but still practical” vibe. How has that developed?

Whenever I make something, I try to think about how I can make it a little bit different. I really love ridiculous things, kitsch, and I'm fascinated by pop culture, so I suppose that's where a lot of the “funny” comes in. I do try hard to avoid crafting cliches (put a bird on it!) and even if I truly love something trendy that is happening in the indie craft world, I spend some time thinking about how to go beyond what I have already seen. As far as being practical, I think I just tend to favor functional things over purely decorative objects. Whenever I make something decorative I end up thinking, “Umm. Sooooo what do I do with this thing now?”

Cracks me up. the Faux-y Lady Scarf

Do you look at a project, like a scarf (thinking of your Faux-y Lady scarf), and think, How can I make this funny or ironic?

I don't know that I would necessarily think that outright, but, yes, I definitely do try to add a funny or ironic twist to many of my projects. You know, I call myself a “crafter” all of the time, but at my core I do think of myself as an artist. I do traditional folk arts & crafts, and I am a married, stay-at-home mom, so I think it is easy, even for me, to dismiss what I do as something that is not “serious” art. And much of it isn't. Much of it is purely decorative or functional where my only thought was, “OMG! That would be so cute!” But there are pieces that I have thought deeply about, and that have a goal of provoking an emotional response. I'm certainly not doing anything to revolutionize the contemporary art scene, but I think I have a few pieces that could be gallery worthy! Or at least funky gallery giftshop worthy :)

Your Etsy shop is a little bit different. You’ve made a decision not to do any custom orders and want to keep your business strictly about selling things you’ve made for the sheer enjoyment of it. How did you come to adopt this business plan?

I'm not sure I would call it a “plan” exactly...that seems to imply something that has a focus and goals and such. My Etsy shop is not a money-making endeavor for me. For awhile I thought it would be an actual business, but the truth is that I am not interested in production work. I used to do customs until one day it clicked that I hated doing customs so, so much. My joy is in the creative process. Ask me to make the same thing again, or worse, ask me to make the same thing a hundred times again, and I will immediately curl up on the couch and watch Twin Peaks and eat Cheetos until I am in a coma. Plus, and this sounds awful, I really despise working with clients, especially clients who are not visual people themselves and familiar with the limitations of a creative project. Even with the best clients, custom work is a time-consuming process, and you never know who will be a great client and who will be a nightmare! It sounds so terrible, but it's true! I was able to tolerate it when I was younger and didn't have kids, but now my crafting time is so much more precious to me.

Felted monster bowl available in Marigold's shop.

Have you at times thought about expanding and making the shop more of a focus?

Ha! Yes. All the time. And as soon as I do, I freak out and the shop goes totally quiet. I had big plans to make it into a boy-centric shop. I planned my projects and started production on a lot of cool stuff. But I quickly got bored of doing it and haven't put anything in the shop for months. What I really need are some minions to do all of the production work for me. I would just come up with the the ideas and they would work their fingers bare, sewing away in a little room under the stairs, and I would pay them in table scraps! I think that's about the only way my Etsy shop could be a commercially viable venture.

What has sewing and blogging about it brought into your life that you might not have had otherwise?

Sewing gives me a creative outlet and some selfish time, which every mom in the world knows that you need! Blogging, and the fact that people (strangers!) are interested in my work is humbling and gives me a great sense of accomplishment. I love the online crafting community. I've virtually “met” so many women who inspire and motivate me. And having a lot of eyes on me makes me push myself to do better work, too. I don't want anyone to get bored with me and leave!

Non-sewing question! Your son’s name is Milo. I love that name. How did you and your husband pick it? Was it difficult swaying him to it? (My husband vetoed every non “traditional” boy’s name.)

I am a total name snob and still faithfully read The Baby Name Wizard even though I am so done making babies! But I think baby naming is such a fascinating social study. As for Milo, my favorite book as a kid (and still one of my favorites today) was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Milo is the main character. He's a bored little boy who never notices anything wonderful in the world around him until one day when a mysterious toy tollbooth arrives for him. He drives through it and goes on to have an impossible adventure, and in the end he learns to use his imagination. I always said I would have Milo. But first I had a Huck (who's first name is actually Henry). My own name is pretty uncommon, and I believe that helped me to feel that I was different and special my whole life. “Marigold” always stood out in a sea of Jennifers and Melissas, and I have always appreciated that my parents named me something a little bit different. So the goal both times in naming our kids was for names that were uncommon, but not unusual, difficult to spell or outright made-up. Does that make sense? Nothing wacky, just something you don't hear every day. My husband, who has spent his life as a common Steve, was right on board with both of the boys' the names.


That's it! Thanks to Marigold for joining us here and giving such interesting, thought-out answers to my questions. I enjoyed this. Hope you did, too! Oh and by the way, if you're wondering if she still uses that broken sewing machine, yes, Marigold reports that she does. I would have been whining for a new one ages ago.

Have a suggestion for who I should interview next? Drop me an email at tharshesews @ gmail.com.

Linked at...

Saturday sale haul and other odds and ends

Were there a bazillion garage sales in your neck of the woods today? I could barely drive a block without running into another sign for a sale. Throw in one big Mom-to-Mom sale and it was a thrifty Saturday indeed.

This was my haul. All for about $20: A fireman dress-up vest and hat, two life jackets ($5 for the pair, and so perfect since we have a trip to the lake coming in less than a month), two pairs of shorts for Jack, one pair of sandals for Luke, a pair of shoes for Jack, four summery one-piece outfits for Jack and a Halo sleep sack. Oh yes, and the cute little pink basket for storing... something... for .25.

Two things I saw that must be noted: the exact same double stroller I bought secondhand for $28 a couple of months ago -- a purchase I have been bragging about to everyone -- was on sale for $20 at one sale I stopped at. Not fair! And I passed on buying an old Kenmore sewing machine for $10. I don't know exactly how old it was, but it looked like a clunker to me, not like something "vintage" that will work beautifully and make your sewing room look one thousand percent cooler, too. Mistake to pass? You tell me! 

Did you go thrifting this weekend? I'd love to see what you found! Drop a link in the comments and I'll come ogle.

A couple of other quick blogging housekeeping tidbits. You love those, right?

First up, my quilted sun glass case tutorial was featured today on Maybe Matilda! I'm so excited to add this little button to my "Featured" page. Tear! Thanks, Rachel!





And over on the blog My Own Road, Jen announced this week an upcoming series called Button Down Rehab, and I'm taking part. Yes indeed, I who did not know how to sew little more than a year ago is guest posting on someone else's blog with a tutorial of my very own. Is Jen crazy or what? All kidding aside, I was so flattered to be asked, and it's been a lot of fun turning a dingy old button down into something fab. The series starts on June 20th, so consider this your head's up!

Things I dig Friday: Summer stripes

Blogger had a bad day on Thursday, and so this post is a little bit delayed. I typically use nap time to write my post for the next day, and yesterday at that time, the site was down. And it continued to be down all morning. And then at today's nap time, which is just wrapping up, my three-month old was waah-waah-waahing and would not let me put him down. Is he teething already? Crimey! I don't know. But alas, both kids are, for this very brief moment, asleep. So here's an abbreviated version of Things I Dig Friday, which is where I point out some things around blog land that I think are lovely or wonderful or funny or some other positive emotion. Because maybe you'll like them, too.

Today's very loose theme: Summer stripes.

 Is this bag not adorable? I love the stripes and the small ruffle. It's from the Etsy shop "The Winding Road," and all of the proceeds (this bag is $30) in her shop go to charity. ALL the proceeds! Isn't that incredibly generous? Her charity of choice is in Haiti, and we all know how much help those people need. And you need to be cute. So it's a win-win. Awesome.

So comfy. Love the bright stripes. And this shirt is supposedly so easy to make, the tutorial from Craft Gossip reports that it can be done in about 30 minutes. I'd jump right on it, but she uses a rayon/jersey knit blend, and that's where I start to get intimidated. I know how to sew with cotton. And fleece. And hmmm... linen? Felt. But not anything that is truly stretchy. I am betting it is really not all that complicated and I should just get over it and go for it. So I can have simple, stylish yet wearable shirts like this.

(And this is where the "stripes" theme of this week's roundup comes to a screeching halt.)

If you're a new sewer, like me, perhaps you are slowly catching on to the "names." The brand names, the big-shot fabric designers, the modern pattern makers, etc. A year ago, none of these folks were "famous" to me. Now, I'm learning who's who and why I should care. I love learning about my new hobby, and I love interviews, and so this interview at Hello Craft with Children's designer Liesl Gibson of the Oliver + S line was great reading. I really want her new book. It's on my list.

Anna from Noodle-head is one of my favorite bloggers. Her projects always turn out so lovely. I love the way she mixes fabrics and solids. She often uses neutral linens and patchwork. It's funny, because I am always drawn to pattern and color. But the way she mixes those neutrals with more colorful fabrics makes them shine even more. It's made me think about what I use in my own projects. Anyway, this is her newest project, an apron she made for her mother. Isn't it pretty? In love!

OK, that's it for this week. I have some sewing to finish for a friend's birthday present. I'll share it with you next week. Tonight, some girls are going out to help her celebrate, and I'm crossing my fingers that the wee one will settle down by then so I can get out for a few hours. Tomorrow, I have a thrift-shopping date with another friend, and Sunday it is a friend of Luke's birthday party.

Busy weekend! It really feels like summer now -- sunshine, humidity and a packed schedule. What are you up to this weekend? Any sewing or crafting to finish?

Thing I dig Friday: necklaces

Two cool things happened in the last week that have inspired a necklace-themed Things I Dig Friday. So off we go.

First, I won a contest. This never happens to me. I won the cute necklace on the right, made by Stay at Home Artist. Can't wait to get it in the mail. 

Then, I left a blogger a comment about a cute crocheted necklace. She emailed me and offered to sell it to me and mail it immediately. For less than $10. Um, yes please. It arrived in the mail today, and I love it! I am also having her crochet me a yellow flower that I can attach for a few more dollars. It's cute either way, but can't wait to get my little flower in the mail. She has an Etsy shop, too, called Curtsay Designs.

I also commented on this necklace at Angela's Pretty Little Things, who then emailed me explaining how she made it (hint: felt and hot glue). This is why the internet rocks. Now I know how to make this necklace, which has a lot going on, yes. But I think with a simple T and jeans, it would be adorbs.

OK, and now a couple of non-necklacey things that I want to point out.

I found this great explanation of fabric grain, why it matters, how to get your fabric "on grain," etc. This is one of those sewing issues I don't really understand, so I just pretend it must not matter. It's from the blog See Kate Sew.

If you live in Metro Detroit, this weekend is the grand opening of the Rustbelt Market in Ferndale. It's an "Artist, Designer and Vintage" marketplace that will be open every weekend. I am hoping to go tomorrow morning on opening day! Their tagline on the Web site says, "Ever wish Etsy existed offline?" Yes, please! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff is up for grabs there.

OK, that's it for today! If I featured you, you are more than welcome to grab my pretty little button from the sidebar.

At the wedding, darlings

I'm at the wedding today. You know.... the wedding.

 Haha. OK, that joke got old about three months ago. I'm sorry. I do apologize. Of course, no, not that wedding. But it is our good friend Barry's wedding tonight. So I'm here soaking up the sun in Dallas, Texas.  Which means it will be an abbreviated Things I Dig Friday today. What's Things I Dig Friday? It's just a collection of stuff that has caught my eye through the last week. Why should you care? Well, because it is usually pretty awesome stuff. And let's face it, you're not at the royal wedding either, so what else do you have to do today?

Today's theme:  Blogging 101!

I've read a few fantastic posts in the last two weeks on blogging that I'd like to share. Helpful information from people who have blogs read by many. It's nice that share their expertise so freely. So go, soak it in!

 

From the blog At the Picket Fence came an informative post about photo editing through Picasa, the free Google program. I happen to use Picasa and think I know a thing or two about it. But I learned some things, yes I did. See her picture above for a "before" and "after" example. Don't you want to know how to do that?

If you're new at blogging, and want to be a part of a larger community (like me), this is a very helpful series from Serenity Now. The most recent post was about how to reply to comments on your own blog. Honestly, I thought that it was enough to say something in response right in the comments. Apparently not so! How rude am I! I'd been in the dark. Maybe you are, too. Check it out.

A related post came from SewHappyGeek, who vents about not being able to respond to people who leave comments because they have their emails blocked. Hello, guilty! I just changed this yesterday. My issue is that I built my blog from my personal Google account, not my made-for-this-Web-site account. My personal account which includes more of my name than I'd like out there. But people don't like fishing around and having to work to find your email. Understood. Mine is now linked up. I feel better, don't you?

Next up: very interesting read on the blog Stitched in Color about the things not said. Rachel, the blog author, let's out a few of her secret thoughts. She asks for others' withheld thoughts to be shared. There are more than 350 comments doing just that. Wow! 

A tutorial on watermarking your photos from the blog "a {day} with lil mama stuart".

I love this. Wish it was still open so I could enter my failed sunhats. A link party just for projects that did not end well. Hell to the yeah! From Not Just a Housewife.

That's it! I have a button on my sidebar if you'd like to mention I featured you. If not, that's cool, too. We can still be friends. I guess. :)

Things I dig Friday: Easter egg decorating

As part of our family-fun Thursday this week, we decorated our Easter eggs. 

Nothing too fancy. Just good old vinegar, hard-boiled eggs, and food coloring.

Well, I did take a crayon to a few eggs while they were still toasty. The warmth melts the wax, which slides around the egg to make a pretty subtle effect.  See? In the middle there?

We then plopped them in a basket with homemade "grass" -- the shredder fillings! So don't look too closely in there, or you might see my personal business. I love the way the shredded paper looks. I don't know if this counts as upcycling or recycling. Either way, no annoying plastic fake grass to be found around the house for weeks? Bonus!

If you'd rather get fancy with your eggs, I save a few links this week for you to check out. Feast your eyes on these speggtacular egg-decorating tutorials. (Ha! Get it? Get it??) 

 From the blog, Missy Polyclay comes a tutorial for making these sweet, yarn-wrapped eggs. I love the striped look.

The tutorial that inspired me to try the crayon technique came from Family Fun Magazine's Web site.

 I've seen several tutorials for this technique and it is beyond cool. I am so doing this one next year. Using silk ties to dye awesome prints onto your eggs. Super neat. From the blog AnalogLovesDigital.

Adorableness alert! Adorableness alert! These are so cute. I will eat them now. OK, so they're form a blog called Yesterday on Tuesday. She painted the eggs, applied glitter, created the fabric words and then Mod Podged them together. A lot of work but how cute?!

Please Google "chalkboard eggs." Buy some chalkboard paint. Boil some eggs. And lookie. How cute and fun. These ones come from the blog Cynthia Shaffer.

If I featured your project, you can grab my "Krista Loves Me!" button and post it, if you like. It's over yonder, in my sidebar. You don't have to, but I just made it. It is new. Don't you love new things? I do!