The Boy Trifecta

The Fat Girl Weighs In

2012-02-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a few weeks since I've updated you all on my ongoing weight loss goals. That's not an accident. I sort of stalled out for a few weeks, for one reason only: LAZINESS.

My motivation went straight down the drain. I'm still doing great in terms of eating a plant-based diet, but I stumbled onto some plant-based dessert recipes (see Chocolate Covered Katie for lots plant-based desserts) and got excited. Excited to try new recipes, excited that I might stumble onto something "healthy" that my hubby might eat, excited that I might be able to sneak some extra plant foods into Quinn's diet (he's thinks there are three food groups - sugar, chicken, and brownies). I got carried away trying new recipes, and then when they tasted good, I went overboard on eating all my "healthy" treats. Well, guess what? Just because the recipes are made with plant-based food doesn't mean they don't have calories in them! Are they better than conventional desserts? Probably. But truly "healthy"? Doubtful.

Despite this small detour, I've still managed to lose 17.2 pounds since the beginning of the year. That's almost 20% of my weight loss goal, so I know it's not trivial. I also know it's not as much as I COULD have lost if I'd been working hard and tracking my Weight Watchers points like I should.

I feel back on track this week, and am closely recording and tracking my food. I'm focusing on this:

One year from now, what WILL I wish I had done today? I'm certain I'll wish that I had made healthy food choices. My mother-in-law is a Weight Watchers lifetimer. She's done the plan many times, and is currently ROCKING it. She's down more than 40 pounds and counting. What a huge inspiration - to see the plan working right in front of my face. I mean, I KNOW it works, but to see it happening in front of my eyes is down right inspiring. She's mentioned to me a few times that, several months ago when she wasn't following the plan, I told her than a year from now, she would wish she had started working the plan that day instead of waiting for some other day, and it helped motivate her to go back to the WW plan. It seems I need to take a bit of my own advice (SOMETIMES I know what I'm talking about!), so that's just what I'm trying to do.

And it doesn't just apply to food choices. A year from now, I'll probably also wish I had spent more hours working on my dissertation. I'm sure I WON'T wish I'd spent more hours reading people.com, facebooking, or watching TiVoed episodes of Private Practice (most depressing show ever). Looking at the big picture, seeing the overarching goal and how my daily actions support (or don't support) those goals is something I'm working on this week.

Lots of you told me you were working on weight loss as a goal this year. How's it going for you? How do you stay focused on the big picture, and not let the nitty gritty of daily life (like that box of vegan cookies taunting me from the counter) get in your way?

The universe hates me, and a little giveaway

2012-02-20T21:20:00.001-05:00

Remember how I bragged about how AWESOME Friday was? Well, apparently the universe didn't like my bragging, because this was how I started my day.

I've got a bruised and swollen knee from slamming up against the steering wheel column, and my beloved van "Goldie" is broken.

So, my husband left work to come help me, and on the way to pick me up, the tire in our OTHER van blew out.

REALLY, UNIVERSE? Really?!

All I had to say is thank goodness for AAA and helpful in-laws. It was an absurd chain of events for sure.

I spent the rest of the day taking care of this sick little buddy.

Just when I was starting to feel REALLY sorry for myself , two things happened. First, my lovely mother-in-law swept in with a bazillion groceries, did all the dishes in my sink, and offered to come back with dinner. Her thoughtfulness and generosity is endless, and very much appreciated on days like today! Thanks, Gayle!

The second thing was this:

I looked down at my wrist and took note of the CHOOSE JOY bracelets from Ashley of Lil Blue Boo. If you're not familiar with Ashley or her story, start here. And then here. And take some tissues with you because her story and her spirit will move you to tears.

Noticing those bracelets on my wrist reminded me that, despite my broken car and banged up knee and sick baby, I could still CHOOSE JOY. So, I'm trying to do just that.

And in the spirit of spreading a little joy, I'm going to give away three of my bracelets. Just leave me a comment on this post, and I'll choose winners Friday night.

A day in the life

2012-02-18T20:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a fantastic mommy & Riley day with my biggest kid. He had the day off school, so we sent the little kids off to preschool and spent the day together. After breakfast, we headed out to paint some pottery. We both made Harry Potter themed plates. This kid is super into Harry Potter right now, so I made the plate in the foreground with Riley's intials (RP) with Gryffindor colors, while he painted a plate about the outcome of a Quidditch match.

(Warning - cell phone pics ahead)

After that, we headed out to Buckeye Bounce Club, which is basically a room full of trampolines.

They've also got a "cheese pit" - one of those huge foam filled pits. I jumped in, and let me tell you, getting OUT of that pit as an adult damn near impossible. Seriously, took me several minutes to wade my way out of there.

I adore spending one on one time with Riley. He's a totally different kid when he gets one on one attention - the whining and complaining stops, and is replaced with lovely, adult-like conversation. He's such a cool kid. He loves sports and Phineas and Ferb, but prefers NPR and classical music to pop or rock. He's learning both acoustic and electric guitar, but so that he can play classical tunes. His big goal last week - to read 1,000 minutes, which he reached with no problem. It's clear that a few girls in his grade have crushes on him, but he doesn't let that get in the way of his friendships with them. I just adore the young man he's turning in to. I'm so very proud to know him.

When we picked up the littles from "school" (yes, I call child care "school"), Quinn presented me with this family portrait. I especially like that he included "cousin", and "other cousin". Since he has 4 cousins, it's probably good to not be too specific. :) Also, love the rockin' beard Quinn drew on Daddy.

I took the boys out for some Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds. There can't be anything healthy in fluorescent green food.

We went BACK to the pottery place to let Quinn paint an angry bird.

Later, Bryan and I went out on our Valentine's date to our favorite Asian fusion restaurant. I had some delicious vegetarian sushi. Those are peanut avocado rolls - YUM.

You know it's date night when the hubby busts out the John Legend Pandora Station. :)

Ever have one of those days that is just REALLY good from start to finish? Well, yesterday was it. Perfect from sun up to sun down. I'm a lucky mama.

Nerd Love Valentine's Shirt

2012-02-14T16:04:00.000-05:00

I finished one last Valentine's project - this nerd love shirt for Quinn. I made him step out in the snow (FINALLY! A tiny bit of snow!) to take a few pictures before he was off to preschool this morning.

I used my Silhouette to cut the text. The numbers on the front spell out LOVE in binary code. We're big time nerds over here. As usual, shoot me an email if you'd like the Silhouette file.

This kid has more spunk in his pinky finger than I have in my entire body.

He cracks me up with those big blue eyes and those silly faces.

And, this kid is the only one who will smile and willingly have his photo taken these days. You know what that means? He's only one who gets handmade goodies from now. :)

I'm kidding.

Sort of. ;)

Turning the Flashback Tee into a Flashback Hoodie

2012-02-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

You had to know I was going to put a hood on it eventually, right?

This weekend, I got a little experimental with the Flashback Tee pattern. I added a hood and layered sleeve. It was a pretty easy adjustment, and didn't add much time onto the project.

Basically, I cut two sleeves - one long sleeve and one short sleeve. I cut my short sleeve from a thrifted shirt, so it had existing hems, but if you don't have existing hems, you'll want to hem the short sleeves before attaching them to the shirt. Then, I simply treated the long and shirt sleeves as one unit - I attached them at the same time, and sewed the arm seam as one, just being sure to catch all four layer (each side of the short sleeve and each side of the long sleeve) as I sewed. You could also use this method for adding the layered sleeve.

For the hood, I took the same approach. I drafted and sewed a hood based on the measurement for the neck band. Then, when it was time to attach the neck band to the shirt, I simply added the hood at the same time, all in one seam. You sandwich the neck band between the hood and shirt body, with the right side of the neckband and hood facing the right side of the shirt. Stitch that seam, and VIOLA! Your tee is now a hoodie.

Alternatively, you could skip the neck band all together, and just add a hood. That would work too. Lots of versatility in this pattern!

Rae released the pattern today, so for those of you who've been waiting, it's out!

The Stefon Shirt

2012-02-07T16:43:00.002-05:00

Yet another skinny tee. This one I made with some random houndstooth fabric I had lying (laying? Where are the grammar police?) around. You can't tell so much in the pictures, but the material is a super light weight, sort of burn out texture. You can almost see through it.

I'm not quite sure why, but every single time I look at this shirt, it reminds me of Stefon. Yes, THAT Stefon. I know Stefon wears Ed Hardy, but still...

You're welcome for that video. :)

I want my MTV.

2012-02-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have a problem. I'm addicted to making skinny tees.

But if making 380420394820482348029 skinny tees is wrong, then I don't wanna be right.

I made this one from a thrifted t-shirt, and added the MTV logo using my Silhouette and some heat transfer material.

If you use the Flashback Skinny Tee pattern with regular/thrifted t-shirts as your fabric, I suggest going up a size. T-shirts don't have a ton of stretch, and this pattern has a slim cut, so going up a size will ensure that you can get them on and off easily.

Unrelated side note: See that kid up there? Remember when he looked like this?

Sigh. Where did my baby go?!?

Flashback Skinny Tee

2012-02-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of testing Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee pattern last week. The verdict: Me likey. Me likey A LOT. Like, so much that I made four in two days. This is the first version I made. I'll share the others next week.

I used a green interlock for the body and sleeves, and a purple rib nit for the cuffs and neck. The applique is a scrap of orange french terry.

I just drew the star freehand, cut it out, and stitched it to the front with purple thread.

This is a great pattern. It's well written and easy to follow, like all of Rae's patterns. It's sure to be my new go-to shirt pattern. The Flashback Skinny Tee has everything going for it - it comes together so quickly (like, WELL under an hour - I think I got it down to about 20ish minutes of actual sewing on the last one I made), and I love the style. I serged all of my seams - never even turned my regular machine on - but this pattern can absolutely be sewn with your regular machine.

I might have cleaned our Goodwill out of cool shirts to cut up and use with this pattern (since I'm not buying fabric - old shirts don't count, right? It's recycling!). If you use existing hems from old or thrifted shirts, it comes together even quicker. I love instant gratification.

I think the pattern will be released next week. I highly recommend it!

"You're Super" Valentines

2012-02-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

More Lego valentines! These are the same style as the Harry Potter ones I posted earlier this week, but with Superman and Wonder Woman!

We don't want the girls to feel left out, do we? In all honesty, the Wonder Woman minifig is the whole reason I bought this Lego set.

Just download the images below to your computer, and print them at home or wherever you have photos printed. If you want to add a name to yours, I used the font Bladerunner, and added the text using Google Picasa.

I've seen lots of great boy valentines this year, including this great roundup over at All for the Boys. Char at Crap I've Made has been posting great valentines all week as well. Don't miss her NKOTB one. I died laughing.

Rawr means "I love you" in dinosaur.

2012-02-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

This shirt was inspired by a poster I saw on Etsy that I can no longer locate (it was totally adorable though). I made it with my Silhoette, but you could totally do it as a freezer paper stencil.

Unfortunately, the blue heat transfer doesn't show up as well as I would like it to on the gray shirt. If I were doing it again, I'd choose either a different color shirt or a different color heat transfer.

Want the Silhouette file? I bought the dino from the Silhouette download store, but I'd be happy to send you my text file. Email me and I'll send it over.

Side note: Several of you have asked recently if I'm a Silhouette affiliate, and the answer is no. My hubby bought mine for me as a gift, and I get no compensation or anything from them.

Lego Harry Potter Valentines

2012-02-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've seen the sucker-holding valentines that took the internet by storm for the last three years (find the originals here). Well, this is the same concept, only with Lego minifigs. We're huge Harry Potter fans around here (there's a Lego Harry Potter birthday party in the planning stages over here), so we went with a Potter theme this year.

You could do this yourself with any minifig or other poseable action figure. Just pose them with their arm outstretched, snap a picture, and add text.

Or you could just use mine.

Free Harry Potter font found here. The Lego backdrop for these is just Lego scrapbooking paper, found at Joann's. I had these printed as 4x6 photos for nine cents a piece.

Valentines for Dudes - Day 1

2012-01-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

I've decided that this week is going to be boy's valentine week here on blog. Why? Because the whole "valentine's day is only for girls, there are no good boys valentine's day projects" rhetoric drives me insane. First, let's be clear -Valentine's day is manufactured, commercial holiday to begin with. If you want to hate on V-day on that level, by my guest. But really, why object to an opportunity to spread a little love?

BUT, if we buy into the idea that love and valentines are only for girls and aren't "masculine" enough for boys, we're only reinforcing the idea that boys and men shouldn't or can't be loving and tender and caring, and I refuse to do that. In fact, I RAIL against that assertion. That assertion is harmful to BOTH men and women. I will teach my boys to be kind and express love if it kills me.

So, this week, we're celebrating Valentine's Day and love. And it doesn't have to be romantic love. It can be love between friends, or within the family. We're especially emphasizing love between brothers (did you see this post from last week? We need some brotherly love up in here). We're going to kick it off with revisiting last year's Valentine's projects.

Robot Love Valentine's Shirt

Mama's Boy Hat

Love Skull shirt

I love you because printable.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more lovey goodness for boys!

Brotherly love?

2012-01-27T22:17:00.000-05:00

I really, really want my boys to love each other...

but some days, the best we can do is to apologize for wanting to punch each other.

Here's to a kinder, gentler tomorrow.

The Story Behind the Name, From One of my Besties

2012-01-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

***Yesterday morning was my weekly weigh in, and I was down 3.2 pounds last week! That puts me down 11.8 pounds for the month, and 13.11% of the way to my goal! WAHOOO!!***

Today I have a fun guest here on the blog - one of my very best friends in the world, Jencie.

Jencie and her oldest, Mya. If you've read the blog for awhile, you've met Mya here and here.

Jencie loving on baby Sawyer.

I met Jencie in January 1999 when we both joined the same sorority. I talked about her over here when Tam interviewed the Crafting With The Stars contestants. She's been a constant, amazing force in my adult life, and I love her to pieces. Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Jence. She is brave - she and her family just moved across the country to California in search of the life they've imagined for their family. She is amazingly artistic, and has her own photography business. You can check out her photos here - they're fantastic.

She's married to this guy.

I know, right?!?! Wait, I'M talking about the quality of the photo, what are YOU looking at? ;)

And they have these kids.

So, yes, they are absolutely the most beautiful family you'll ever meet, inside and out.

Jencie agreed to pop in and tell the story behind the name Fat Girl in a Little Coat.

So here she is!

I will never forget the night I heard that little sentence and what I saw just after, nor will I ever forget how much fun it is to laugh with one of my best, college-friends, Emily.

When I look back on my fuzzy memory of the college version of us, all I can do is shake my head and giggle. My head is flooded with a laundry list of funny things that Emily did, and as a result, my gut-busting laughter.

Something you should know about Emily and me is that we are complete opposites, in just about every way. Here’s a short list: She’s tall, I’m not, she has a waterfall of beautiful hair, mine is almost always short, she wears her confidence on her sleeve and I fight to keep mine in existence, she is a natural academic and I couldn’t be further from studious, she is actually crafty and I pay her to make things for me (wish I could do that more often!)

What we do have in common is that we don’t sleep very much, we always procrastinate, and we love to laugh.

Let me paint a picture for you:

Its finals, and time is of the essence when it comes to cramming for the test. Emily and I, and some other friends, created a sorority within a sorority called Alpha Nu Lamda (All Night Long) because we were all depriving ourselves of sleep in the name of “studying”. Most of the group were successful in their studies, Emily and I were successful in having as much fun as we could.

During one cram-session of fun we found ourselves in the computer room of our sorority house. My memory is blurry but I feel like we were playing dress-up in the lost and found. My back was to Emily and when she said, “Hey Jence!” I spun on my heel to see her in someone (a very small someone) else’s coat. Emily bent over ever so slightly and did her best Tommy Boy impersonation, “Fat Em in a little coooaaat.”

It still makes me laugh to this day, like my eyes are watering as I type this. I hope all of you have a friend that evokes such memories of silliness.

The significance of this “little coat” has now been a marker in Emily’s quest for a healthier lifestyle. I couldn’t be more proud to have a friend who can laugh at herself while also taking her health very seriously. I have a vision of her reaching her weight loss goal, sewing herself a purple trench coat, and cinching the waist every so tightly. And when she looks at herself in the mirror, I hope she hears my voice saying, “Skinny Em in a purple coaaat!”

Then we’ll skype and drink champagne while the six kids between us make messes and noise at our feet.....deal?

DEAL! Thanks for taking the time to share this memory, Jencie! :)

Space Rock Shirt

2012-01-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

Headphone alien download from the Silhouette store + random NASA font from the internet= Space Rock shirt!

I used my Silhouette to cut a freezer paper stencil, and then used some fabric paint to paint this shirt. It's sort of stiff because of the large size of the graphic. If I were doing it again, I'd make the alien smaller to decrease the stiffness of the shirt.

Did you know you can download the Silhouette software from their website, even if you don't have a machine? So, if you want this graphic, you can buy it from the store and then print it out and cut the stencil yourself.

I practically had to pay Riley to get him to let me take these pictures. His modeling days may be over. Sigh.

This post brought to you by January in Ohio.

2012-01-23T14:45:00.000-05:00

Yuck.

Yes, that is several inches of standing water in my backyard. It's gross. Has this been the weirdest winter in terms of weather, or what? Bring on the snow!!

The Show Off Bag

2012-01-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

Do you ever grab a pattern and think "oh, I don't really need to read the instructions because I am SO FREAKING GOOD AT SEWING that reading instructions is totally beneath me."

No?

That's just me?

Well, anyway, this bag was a humbling exercise in "why you should read instructions, even if you think the project is simple". I totally screwed up the order of operations in terms of sewing the straps to the yoke, and ended up with messy stitching. This annoys me to death, especially because I have no one to blame but myself.

It's the Show Off Bag, by Rae of Made By Rae. It's an adorable, quick little pattern, and had I read the instructions properly, my bag might have been less of a hot mess. Also, if I hadn't been forced to sew the entire bag with a zipper foot, maybe my topstitching could have been straight. But alas, it is not. Not straight at all. And I'm showing you anyway, because everybody sews some wonky topstitching now and then.

Don't let my failures deter you from this pattern - it's a great, adorable, very clearly written pattern. I'm FOR SURE going to make another one. It's the perfect size bag for what I need.

I used a wool suiting from my stash on the yoke portion, and the new Anna Maria velveteen for the bottom. Those velveteens sure are yummy, and this is my favorite print of the bunch.

You can see the hot pink lining peeking out there, which I love too.

So, I'm going to take another crack at this pattern soon, with a proper foot on my machine, and after having read the pattern instructions. Live and learn. :)

FGIALC: Weigh In, and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup Recipe

2012-01-17T23:11:00.001-05:00

It's time for the first OFFICIAL installment of

First things first: You guys are AWESOME! Thank you so much for all the amazing comments, emails, and tweets in support of my weight loss quest! It feels really good to know there are people cheering for me, and that so many of you are struggling with and working through the same issues as me. (In case you missed my last post, you can read about my weight loss goals here.)

This morning was my weigh in, and (drum roll, please...) I lost 2 pounds this week! That brings me to 8.6 pounds for the month - I'm not complaining about that loss at all!

I have to say, I feel FANTASTIC, and I fully attribute it to the plant-based, whole foods diet. I have an absurd amount of energy - more energy than I've had in YEARS. Actually, more energy than I can EVER remember having, even when I was thin in high school. I really think it's because of the amount of fruits in vegetables in my diet now. I'm sleeping better too. Before I switched my diet, I was having all sorts of crazy dreams and sleeping terribly. Now, I'm sleeping great (when the kids will let me), and I can get through the whole day with lots of energy. I don't have that mid-day lull in energy anymore. It feels amazing. If that's not motivation to keep going, I don't know what is!

Today, I'm going to share with you a recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup that I've been eating a ton of in the last two weeks. It has no added oil, is entirely plant based, tastes great, and is really filling.

Sweet Potato And Black Bean Soup

Makes about 8 cups of soup
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 2.5 per cup (The whole pot contains 20 PointsPlus values.)
Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 can of chiles in adobo sauce
1 box veggie stock
1.5 cups of water

2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. red cayenne pepper (more or less to taste - if you don't like heat, you can decrease or eliminate the cayenne)

In a large stock pot, using a little veggie stock (about 1/4 cup), saute the onion, garlic, chiles, sweet potato, and squash until the onions are softened. Once the onions are softened, add the rest of the veggie stock and simmer until squash and potatoes are soft. Using an immersion blender, add water while blending until smooth. Add black beans and spices and simmer 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

(I just realized you can see my reflection in the spoon - HA!)

It's super easy and delicious! I've made it with 3 sweet potatoes, and it worked great as well, but subbing the squash reduces the PointsPlus values while achieving the same flavor. I've topped it on occasion with some pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and it was fantastic.

How are things going in your world? So many of you said you were trying to lose weight, eat healthier, or exercise more - how's it going so far?

A New Year's Confession: I'm chubby.

2012-01-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

Last week, I talked about my crafty New Year's resolution, and you guys are so awesome and supportive! Thanks for all the fantastic comments. As I'm cleaning out my stash, keep your eye out for some fabric giveaways!

Today, I have a confession, and my other big New Year's Resolution. I've been debating whether or not to talk about this here, because it's not really related to craftiness, but my guess is that some of you struggle with the same things I do, so I decided to spill.

Here's my secret:

I'm chubby.

And by chubby, I mean I'm packing an extra 90 pounds.

Yes, really.

Now, this is totally NOT a secret to anyone who knows me in real life. But, if I'm being honest, the truth is I selectively post pictures of myself here that mask that fact.

This one's only from the waist up, and I'm shielding myself with children.

I'm barely even in this picture...it's all cowl, glasses, and teeth.

Again with the glasses and teeth...

This one might be the most of me you've ever seen, and it's still only from the waist up, and I'm using a baby to hide the chub. (Also, why on earth did I post that picture, with my crazy frizzy summer hair? UGH.) And while, we're on the subject, do you know how many dresses I made for myself this summer, that I could have blogged about, given you all tutorials for, but I chose not to because the pictures made me look fat? This dress below is an example.

Well, this year, no more hiding behind huge cowls and children.

This year, my goal is to shed those extra 90 pounds. I'm already down about 7 pounds so far this year. I don't expect to shed them quickly, and I'm totally ok if I don't get them all off this year, as long as I'm moving in the right direction.

So, how am I planning to lose the weight? Well, first, I'm going to Weight Watchers. I am a HUGE fan of their program, and have been for at least a decade. It's all about choices, flexibility, and teaching you how to eat well in the real world. It's a program that I believe in, and that has worked for me in the past.

I'm also eating a whole foods, plant-based diet. For those of you reading between the lines, yes, that means vegan. I've been a vegetarian on and off since middle school, and haven't eaten red meat since the early 1990's, so eliminating meat products isn't really a change for me. I've always been a HUGE fan of dairy products though. Oh, cheese. Cheese, glorious cheese, how I love thee.

So why am I giving them up?

Well, I've been convinced by the scientific evidence supporting a whole foods, plant-based diet for optimum health, and in particular in reducing cancer incidence and heart disease. If you're interested in some of this evidence, I would suggest starting by watching the film Forks Over Knives, and reading The China Study.

In the last 5 years, I've watched several of my grandparents wither away from Alzheimer's and dementia. My mom died from a massive heart attack at age 50, only 2 days after her 50th birthday, and less than a week after getting a clean bill of health from a doctor. Her first sign of heart disease was death. If I can make choices for myself that spare my kids the pain of watching ME go through those types of health problems, then I feel like I have an obligation, as a mother, to do that. So I am.

Now, I understand that this style of eating freaks some people out. That's fine - I'm not interested in preaching to you, or changing the way that you eat or feed your families. I'm simply sharing my choice with you.

I hope you don't mind if I share my weight loss journey with you all. I'm thinking I might post weekly, or maybe just a few times a month, about how things are going on my journey. My weight loss series will be called:

More on the name in a future post. :)

Is anyone else here trying to lose some pounds this year? How's it going?

My (apparently controversial) Crafty Resolution

2012-01-03T15:01:00.000-05:00

Last week, I guest-blogged over at Honeybear Lane about my crafty New Year's Resolution. Apparently, it got some people's feathers in a bunch, so I feel the need to talk about it some more here.

First, my resolution.

In 2012, I am not buying ANY fabric.

Yes, really. And let me tell you why.

I am a "stasher". I'm a super visual person, so when I see a beautiful fabric, my inclination is to snatch it up, even if I don't have a project in mind for it. In addition, my crafty work-in-progress and to-do lists are long, and I already have the fabric I need for ALL of them, and then some. I don't NEED any fabric.

Also, (and I think we probably all do this), I have a stack of "special" fabrics. You know the ones - the $18/yard Echino prints, the hard-to-find Heather Ross goodies. They just sit, folded in my sewing room because I'm afraid to cut into them. Not so in 2012! I'm going to cut into those precious fabrics, and make things with them. What good are they doing just sitting on a shelf?

Also, I'm not going to lie, fabric is EXPENSIVE. It's not in my family's budget to spend money on fabric that I don't need, because I already have SHELVES AND SHELVES of fabric.

In my stash, picture from The Fabric Shoppe

In my stash, leftover from the Grandview bag and Baby-In-The-Hood coat

In my stash from spoonflower

A fabric store owner commented over on Heidi's blog, and I got some additional email suggesting that I was endorsing some sort of boycott of the fabric industry. I'm not. I'm making a PERSONAL choice that is the right one for me and my family. I love fabric, and given unlimited storage space and rooms full of money, I'd continue to buy it in large quantities. But I don't have those things.

What I DO have is a desire for a simpler lifestyle. A desire to downsize the amount of stuff cluttering up my life. A desire to feel organized. And a desire to use what I have.

I think this decision, to save space in my home and money in my budget by not buying fabric this year is the right one for me and my family. And I think it will be an interesting challenge! I'll also be purging some of my fabrics I have that I know I won't use, so keep an eye out for some giveaways.

I made a few preparations to help me succeed at this resolution.

1. I'm unsubscribing from all my fabric-related newsletters. I get 1-3 fabric-related newsletters PER DAY, filled with gorgeous photos of the newest fabric lines, and tempting coupons to buy those fabrics at a discount. It's like taking a person on a diet and sitting them down at the dessert table over and over again, but telling them not to eat. Uh, not the best strategy for success. So, no more newsletters for me.

2. I'm organizing my fabric stash. I bought a pack of these comic book boards, and have been using them as mini-bolts, to wrap my yardage around. I got the idea here, and so far, it's working great! Organizing my fabrics helps me see how much, and what types, of fabric I already have. As I'm organizing, I'm also attaching little notes to my fabrics with ideas for how I can use them in the upcoming year.

3. I'm stocking up on boring, but necessary fabrics. As you guys know, I make a LOT of hoodies for my three boys. You can see some examples of them here, here, here, here, and here. (What? I'm hoodie-obsessed, and not afraid to admit it.) In advance of my personal fabric embargo, I stocked up on sweatshirt fleece and rib knit. These fabrics are essential to my hoodie-making addiction, and I don't want to run out.

3a. As a corollary to step 3, I'm buying dyeable apparel fabrics. Because I don't know exactly what colors I will want this year, I purchased a bunch of "prepared for dye" rib knit from fabric.com. This way, when design inspiration strikes, I can use some dye to create whatever color rib knit I need without having to buy new (or stock up on a ton of different colors) fabric!

4. I bought fabrics I know I won't be able to resist before January 1. You might think this sounds like cheating, but seriously, have you SEEN the new Anna Maria Horner velveteens? There is no way I would be able to resist those all year, so I purchased some. I like to think of this as setting myself up for success rather than cheating. :)

5. I'm allowing myself to purchase fabric ONLY when given a gift certificate as a gift. My beautiful, lovely mother-in-law gifted me a very generous gift certificate to my favorite local fabric store for Christmas. I'm going to reserve it for "fabric purchase emergencies" throughout the year.

Have I convinced you yet that NO FABRIC PURCHASES (or really, only purchases with a gift card) is a reasonable, attainable goal? It is! Anyone want to join me? I'm hoping it will be a fun challenge, will stretch my creativity, and save me lots of money in 2012.

Did you make any crafty resolutions?

Happy New Year, everyone!!

Grab Some Keyka Lou Patterns Before They're Gone!

2011-12-30T12:15:00.000-05:00

Public Service Announcement:

One of my favorite purse pattern designers, Keyka Lou, is retiring some patterns on January 1, 2012. The ones about to be retired are only THREE BUCKS in her shop right now.

I already own this Strap Clutch pattern, as well as this Pocket Clutch Pattern. I picked them up after reading this great review from Anna of Noodlehead, and I agree with her assessment that they are great little patterns. I'm picking up these two patterns below right now, for only three bucks each. They'll both be gone on January 1.

Half Moon Handbag

Small Satchel

For full disclosure, I am a Keyka Lou affiliate, so buying Keyka Lou patterns from these links puts a little change (literally, change - the patterns are only 3 bucks a piece!) in my pocket. I really do love these patterns, and wouldn't recommend them to you if I didn't. I RARELY buy bag patterns because, honestly, I can figure out how to make most bags on my own without a pattern, but I really like Keyka Lou's unique styles, clear instuctions, and digitally drawn pattern pieces. To me, they're worth spending a few bucks, even if I could probably figure out how to make a similar design on my own.

Nerdy Christmas Pajamas

2011-12-24T12:36:00.004-05:00

Ho to the third power! Merry Christmas!

Yes, I really am this nerdy. We've got a house full of sick people, including my husband, but I am determined to make this Christmas as festive as possible, starting with these jammies for all the boys! I got the fabric here, and used this Scientific Seamtress pattern for the pants. It's an easy, fantastic, quick pattern and I use it all the time. I've blogged about it at least 2 or 3 other times as well.

I used my Silhouette and some flocked heat transfer material for the shirts. If you want the Silhouette file, email me and I'll send it over!

This poor guy doesn't feel well, but finally managed a smile for me!

Merry Christmas, from me and the boys!

My Imperfectly Perfect Holiday Decor

2011-12-21T00:42:00.000-05:00

For weeks now, I've been watching amazing crafty and talented bloggers share pictures of their amazing homes, decorated perfectly in beautiful coordinating colors. They're BEAUTIFUL and inspiring.

But that's not my house.

Like I mentioned here, I let the boys decorate the tree this year. For most of my childhood, I was the only daughter of a single mom, so our tree every year was PERFECTION - all the ornaments matched, centered around a theme, glowing with white lights. We spent HOURS shopping for the perfect ornaments and decorating our tree.

Our tree now is not at all like the ones my mom and I created growing up. The lights? Colored, and are actually just a big outdoor lighting net placed on our indoor tree. The ornaments? Not at all matching, some are semi-broken, and many are homemade. The garland? Hand crocheted by Riley at age 6. None of those things matter at all to the boys. They LOVE the tree. They love that they can run up to and give it a hug. They love that I'm not constantly telling them not to touch it. They love that they feel like THEY are creating part of the Christmas magic.

(I know some of you have seen those photos before, but they are so sweet that you're going to see them again.)

The boys wanted lights outside - not only did they get them, they got sequined reindeer too (yes, really).

And here's something you probably don't know about me. I collect Santas. I love everything that Santa represents - the magic, the giving, the joy he brings to kids. I. Love. It. All.

Some of my Santa collection lives on the mantle (and if I'm telling the truth, they live there year round, regardless of the season).

There's disco Santa.

And Snowglobe Belly Santa.

There's Handmade Vintage Santa on the left, and Driftwood Santa on the right of Disco Santa.

I picked this one up in Germany while traveling there in high school.

We've hung our stockings...

And if you're wondering why there are six stockings, it's because I still hang my mom's stocking, even though she passed away five years ago. While mine and the boys have toys and Santa Claus on them, hers has an angel on the front. Fitting, I think.

So, the moral of the story here is this: Holiday decorating doesn't have to be perfect. Not every home is as perfectly decorated as the ones you see on television, in catalogs, or in the blogosphere. Even though my house might not look like it's plucked from a catalog, it's perfect for US. Letting the kids do most of our decorating, and filling our home with the spirit of Santa is what works in our home.

Now I'd love to know, how do you spread real cheer with your holiday decorating? Show me with your photos! Click "Add me" in the Cheer Tree below to upload your holiday decorating photos and share them with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Be sure to click on "Special Offers" to unwrap the hidden coupons and deals exclusively from Sears. Keep checking throughout the holidays--new deals are unlocked every day! For all your holiday decorating needs and solutions, don’t forget to visit Sears and discover real deals, real cheer!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine.

Karma (aka that time I won Lego fabric while also giving away Lego fabric)

2011-12-19T11:11:00.001-05:00

You guys. Call it Karma, or whatever you like, but last week when I was giving away some Lego-inspired fabric, I also entered a few giveaways that others were hosting. I actually won one of them, and guess what it was for? LEGO-INSPIRED FABRIC!

Karma, right? You do nice things, and you get nice things in return. Thanks, Universe.

Big Blue Bricks Print and Small Sky Bricks Print by Flowerpress

I won two awesome fat quarters from Flowerpress. She designs her own fabrics and has them digitally printed (by Spoonflower I assume, but maybe not). I am SUPER excited, and Riley and Quinn were arguing last night over what I should make with these goodies. If you want some for yourself, you can check out all her lovely original fabrics here.

p.s. If you're dying for some of the Lego knit I was giving away, Gina only has a little bit left. You can get it here.

p.p.s. Also, just to be clear, neither of the shops mentioned in this post sponsor my blog in any way. I found Ixat on etsy and love her fabric options, and am super excited to get my hands on these fat quarters I won from FlowerPress.

p.p.p.s. Today is the last day before Christmas to order gifts with regular (not express) shipping from Amazon. If you're still looking for boy gifts, you can check out my recommendation posts here, here, here, and here.