And She Can't Even Cook!

Don't Call It a Comeback, I Been Here for Years

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 22:07:00 +0000

...but most folks wouldn't suspect it

because I haven't made a post

in two years.

Cue crickets chirping...

I miss blogging! I started this blog several years ago as a way to document the recipes I tried when I was attempting to learn to cook like a grown-up(I still can't, by the way). It was never really about getting readers so much as it was a way for me to document that process, and later, my sewing attempts. Yeah, I lost some focus from where I started with the cooking, but that was part of the fun of it, trying new things and seeing what I could do.

My life has changed since I quit the blog. Things have happened that I have no control over and some of those things have saddened and changed me in ways I didn't think possible. But I am going to try my best to accept the things that I cannot change, make my own happy, and get the hell on with a fulfilling life. I've allowed myself to turn into one of the sitting dead in front of a screen viewing television, playing stupid online games and watching everyone else's life roll by on social media while pretending that my own is hunky dory, when really, it's not. It's made me grumpy and pessimistic. OK, I've always been slightly grumpy and pessimistic, I admit it. However, it is time I get over myself and make my own happy. I don't pretend to be a great artist, a great quilter, or a great cook by any stretch of the imagination, but doing these things make me happy. For some strange reason, documenting them in this forum also gives me a little jolt.

I miss the reflection that naturally comes from sitting down to write a blog post about a particular project or experience. It sounds corny, but I think I was more in tune with myself when I was blogging regularly.

I miss the way being a blogger encouraged me to constantly try something new or at the very least pushed me into doing something...trying new recipes, painting, quilting, crafting, sewing, writing, playing with my camera. I'm still creating, but not regularly and not with the gusto that I once did. Now instead of thinking "I cannot wait to get started on the next project!" it's more of a "I should probably sew/bake/quilt/paint something" mentality.

I want to be that girl who couldn't wait to get up in the morning or get home from work to pursue crafty and creative endeavors. Who spent hours doing instead of sitting. For whatever reason, blogging originally motivated me to begin being creative after a long period of non-creativity and I could use a push in that direction again.

I see no reason why I can't be that creative, motivated, blogger-girl again. It may be sparse, it may be all over the place, and it may take a while for the momentum to build and for me to get back into those routines, but I am going to get back to it. Besides, I have this blog just sitting around taking up interweb space so I should probably put it to use.

**revised an updated version of a post I made the first time I fell off the blog wagon**

Donald Duck Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 17:48:00 +0000

ANOTHER crazy snow storm here in Western KY less than two weeks from the first one! This time we got somewhere between 17-20" of snow. I decided to pull out the acrylic paints instead of quilting.

I purchased a big honkin' canvas last week with no idea what to do with it. My brother suggested a Disney themed painting and I was all over that! I thought I'd try Mickey or maybe one of the Disney Dogs...I love them all. But Donald is my most favorite Disney character and I knew I had to pay homage to my favorite fella with a portrait. I did some searching online and found a some nice line drawings of Donald. Once I decided on a happy version of Donald, I got that on the canvas and started playing around with the background.

I wanted Donald to really stand out, so I went with a dark, more subtle background. It ended up much lighter in the finished piece. Honestly, I spent as much time working on the background as I did Donald!

After two days and hours of work, Donald if finally done! And I'm in love. I'm not braggin' I'm just saying this painting makes me very happy. It's awaiting a final coate of matte varnish and then it's going on my living room wall.

KY Snow Apocalypse = Bursts of Creativity!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 17:01:00 +0000

I live in Western Kentucky, where the weather has multiple personalities. A couple weeks ago we had a major snowstorm and I was ~~lucky enough~~ forced to miss several days of work. During that time, I decided to fire up Katie Kenmore and did some quilting...well, quilt top making to be honest.

First, I used a Central Park charm pack and some neutral solids from my stash and made this easy cheesy baby quilt top. I have no idea which of the five babies I know who have recently entered or will soon be entering the world is going to get this, if any. I have another stack of these charms, I will definitely pair it up with white the next time.

Next, I pulled out a stack of 10" blue squares and got busy on another quilt top. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. Pinwheels? Simple four patch? So I started snooping around online and was inspired by a really cool yellow/gray star quilt and ultimately ended up with this.

In the midst of this quilt top, I killed my iron. Again. My husband was nice enough to get me out of the house once the roads were somewhat less treacherous, take me to WalMart, and buy a new iron. He's a keeper, ladies! However, as is evidenced in the photo below, where I'm posing with an iron, I WAS at the point of stir crazy, so he probably did it for his own sanity as well as mine.

Quilted!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:15:00 +0000

Years ago I started this quilt...like five years ago. I'm pretty sure it's the seconds quilt top I made. This wast he first time I'd tried free motion quilting in quite a while, and I struggled with it. A lot.

I did try my hand at FMQ some paisley's, they turned out OK! Wow...I need better lighting!

Once it went through the washer and dryer, the mistakes that were so blatant before magically disappeared like they always do!

It felt great to finally finish a quilt! This one will be donated to a needy kiddo at the school were I work.

The Dark Lord...Quilted!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:21:00 +0000

So, my brother is a phenomenal artist. He did some Star Wars art a while back and had asked me if I'd like to collaborate and quilt one of his pieces. This is just a test print, and my first time to attempt something like this. I free motion quilted the entire thing. When I try again, I am going to use a combination of free motion/walking foot quilting. Despite a few flub ups, I absolutely LOVE it! More(and even better) versions of this to come!

New Year, New Blog Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:50:00 +0000

On Painting...
So waaay back in the Summer(How I miss the Summer) I got brave and entered two paintings in a local art show. I wasn't expecting to win anything so I wasn't surprised when I didn't. However, I wasn't expecting to SELL a painting either so I was totally surprised and overly excited when I went to pick up my paintings and instead of two paintings, I picked up a check and one painting!

This was the first time I'd sold a painting to someone whom I did not know personally and it felt GREAT! :)

The painting that sold, Fox's Forest, is pictured here.

There was a mix up at the gallery so my painting titled "Mama and Owlets" was listed as "Not for Sale", but I l think if they had marked it with my asking price, it would have sold too. That's what I like to tell myself anyway. It's currently hanging on my living room wall.

I'm currently working on teaching myself to use watercolors and I'm having so much fun with it! I love how quickly I can finish a painting and how they look pretty good, even though I don't really have the techniques down yet. Here are a couple samples.:

From an online tutorial

Tiger Lily from Disney's Peter Pan...and that's my version of Ariel in the background.

On Cooking...
I'm currently obsessed with this recipe from Plain Chicken. I've made it three times already and I just finished up a steaming bowl of this chicken chili concoction. It's so delicious and perfect for this ridiculously cold January in Kentucky. Seriously, grab your crock pot and make a batch!

On Quilting...
I'm quilting again! YAAAAY! It's been forever, but I pulled out a quilt top I started maybe 6 years ago(?) and I'm using it to practice free motion quilting. My stippling is still a hot mess, but by the time I got to the fourth block, my paisleys looked all right. If you are looking to learn FMQ, I highly recommend Leah Day's courses on Craftsy.com.

Whew, that was a lot! But it feels good to blog after so long an absence. I just may do it again soon!

And She's Arsty-Fartsy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:08:00 +0000

One of the things I started doing in my bloggy absence was painting. I've always been kind of artsy-fartsy. I had never put paint to canvas, though, not even in high school Art class a jillion years ago. Last Fall, as a way to help cope with stress and to try and force myself to be more creative, I bought a nice set of acrylic paints, some canvases and jumped right in.

And I fell in love.

This was my first acrylic painting.

Pam's Flamingo

I think I've improved since that first painting, but I still don't know exactly what I'm doing a lot of the time and I'm still coming into my own style wise. For the most part, I just try to relax and enjoy myself and the process. I've been fortunate that friends and family have enjoyed my paintings and I've actually sold a few and done some commission work.

Last week I was at my local Fine Arts Center buying tickets for Lyle Lovett & His Large Band tickets(if he ever comes to your town GO, trust me on this) when I came across a flyer for a Juried Art Exhibit. I decided to do something really scary and enter a couple of paintings. It's one thing sharing pictures of my paintings on Facebook with friends and family, but having experts scrutinize my artwork...terrifying!

This morning at exactly 9am(I knew I'd back out if I didn't do it right away) I headed into the Fine Arts Center to leave my paintings. I was a nervous wreck walking in with them, and nearly chickened out when I saw the other entries that were being lined up along the walls. I mean, these people are real artists, I still see myself mostly as an artist at heart. I realized I was out of my league was when I saw the prices of the other works for sale compared to mine. I'm like the Dollar General Store of the Art Exhibit. Sigh.

But I kept my nerve up and left my paintings to be judged anyway. I've sold what I think are better paintings, but these two are the most "me" of anything I've done.

Mama and Owlets

Fox's Forest

I don't expect to win an award, but I am extremely proud of of myself for working up the courage to enter them in the exhibit. I'm also pretty excited that my paintings will be hanging in an actual gallery!

Seriously Simple Chicken Caesar Wraps

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 20:56:00 +0000

In addition to rebooting this blog, I've also recently begun to reboot my own health. Attempting to steer clear of fast food when I needed a quick meal recently, I thought back to my very first go on Weight Watchers and remembered making chicken caesar wraps fairly often.

This is as close to actual cooking as I have been in quite some time. I'm slightly embarrassed by the simplicity of it, but hey, at least it's a move in the right direction! Here's what I did...

Grilled up some chicken tenders on the stovetop and assembled a Caesar Salad using:

Dole's Classic Romaine Mix
Ken's Creamy Caesar dressing (I've since realized they make a light version which is just as delicious).
Italian blend cheese
Bacon bits

Plopped everything onto an Italian Flat Out

And rolled.

Quick, Easy, and Tasty! I had forgotten how good these are...especially when that warm chicken is combined with the cold salad. Mmmm Mmm! In case you're wondering, the seven chicken tenders and bag of salad made 3 nice sized wraps and one smaller wrap on a tortilla.

And BAM...just like that, I'm cooking again(sorta)!

hellooooooo....

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 19:01:00 +0000

I have been noticeably absent for quite some time.

But I'm planning a comeback.

Of some sort.

Sometime.

In the future.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my dog, Mya, hanging out in the library.

Coco-Pineapple Sticks

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:17:00 +0000

I'm a fan of both pineapple and coconut, so I couldn't wait to try this simple little snack from the July/August issue of WW Magazine!

As it turns out, it was not only simple but scrumptious in a frosty-frozen-pineapple-y way! And, according to the mag, it'll only cost you 2PointsPlus.

Start with a cored pineapple, coconut, some skewers, a bowl for dipping and a plate or baking sheet for the freezer.

Cut the pineapple into 1"x 3"(ish) chunks and add skewer. Sample some of that fresh, pretty, sweet pineapple. Not because you can't help yourself...just to make sure it tastes OK of course.

Toast up some coconut, about 1 cup. Try not to eat it all before you dip the pineapple.

Roll the pineapple in the coconut. Or do what I did...smush the pineapple into the coconut because rolling wasn't getting it coconut-y enough! The magazine suggests that you dip the pineapple into pineapple juice before rolling in the coconut. My pineapple was pretty darn juicy to begin with and I didn't have any pineapple juice on hand, so I skipped that step. Don't think it affected the outcome much.

Take a couple of gratuitous pineapple/coconut shots before sticking your plate of goodness into the freezer.

In approximately 2 hours, your coco-pineapple sticks will be frozen to perfection! Enjoy them on their own or with a slab of angel food cake...my preferred way!

Fabric Scraps Wrangled. Sewing Closet Situation Averted.

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Those among you who sew or quilt will appreciate this. The rest of you may think I have lost my mind for posting about and taking photos of a closet.

I don't know a single person who sews and/or quilts who doesn't have at least a small fabric stash that includes some scraps. My stash, I would guess, is on the smallish side, but I do have a lot of scraps from various projects and they got completely out of hand.

Y'all know how that can get away from you. One minute you have a couple ziplock bags of scraps piled into a tote and the next thing you know it looks like this:

The Pile...my scrap fabric nightmare. How in the world do you find something in the midst of that mess? You don't! You dig through The Pile in search of the perfect shade of blue for a project. You know it's there. You put it there yourself. But The Pile has eaten it, never to be seen or heard from again. So you completely give up, frustrated, hot, and grouchy without ever starting on the project at hand. And then you actually consider tossing every single scrap since all they do is make you mad.

At least that's been my experience.

Not too long after one of my rounds with The Pile, I came across the book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amada Jean Nybergh and Cheryl Arkison. I quickly snagged a copy!

Finally! A book that shows not only how to use scraps in a quilt, but gives you practical tips on storing and organizing them as well! Cue angels singing. You can currently pick up a copy of Sunday Morning Quilts for a great price at Connectingthreads.com. I love that shop!

After reading the book and wiping the drool off the photos of these amazingly gorgeous scrappy quilts (seriously, I want to make them all), I got busy. I was inspired not only to make my scrap pile useful, but to organize my sewing closet as well. I don't have photos, but trust me, finding fabric in my stash wasn't much easier than digging through those scraps.

My budget for organizing my scraps and the sewing closet in general was about 15 bucks. I'm not kidding. SO I drug home a plastic shelf from my parent's garage, headed to my local Kmart and picked up some clear plastic shoebox sized totes and got busy sorting.

When I was finished, THE PILE had become this...

So. Much. Better. I was so happy with my little shoeboxes of color that I decided not to shut them up in the closet, but to leave the out in the open on a bookshelf in the sewing/computer room!

Once I had the scraps tackled, I was motivated to finish up the rest of the closet. My mother saw it and said "I don't think you need to buy anymore fabric". She's right, of course.

I know it's plastic shelving and nothing fancy, but this makes me soo happy. I know I can walk into the closet now and find anything I need within minutes with no cussin' or cryin'!

Even room for a little art on the walls. And yes, a Kona card qualifies as art!

FQs, mostly sorted by colors.

More FQs...my most favorites, so they're out in t he open for me to ~~drool on~~ look at.

...and more fun stuff...

All this organizing and I'm ready to tackle a new project!

Cupcakery

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 03:31:00 +0000

A couple of trips to GiGi's Cupcakes absolutely did me in. I mean, I liked cupcakes before, but GiGi's Cupcakes? Lord. Have. Mercy. These are wedding & chocolate varieties. So good.

I don't have a photo of it but the Lemon Poppyseed with Cream Cheese Frosting...Heavenly.

But after plopping down nearly four dollars per cupcake(numerous times) I eventually got to the "I can make an entire batch of cupcakes for four dollars" place.

And so began my cupcake obsession. I picked up the easy-cheesy cupcake decorating kit at Walmart.

My first batch of cupcakes were from scratch. SCRATCH. With buttercream icing.

I realize they aren't that pretty but Holy Moly, these were some dang tasy cakes! The flavor was not unlike that a sugar cookie! Yummy! The recipe for the cake can be found here. The icing was equally delicious and that recipe is right here.

Next up, cupcakes for my friends at work. These are mini sized and made from a box-mix (with some mayo added to make them extra moist) and topped with yummy Oreo Decorator Icing. Oh, they were good and being bite sized was perfect for the amount of sweetness.

I joined a local chapter of Free Cakes for Kids and my first assignment was, you guessed it, cupcakes! The little girl I baked for was turning seven and requested white cupcakes with pink icing. My kind of gal!

Again, just a plain ole' box cake, but the icing makes it sooo good. This was my best attempt at icing yet...I was eating the stuff by the spoonful! I made a decorator icing using 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of Crisco(creamed together). I mixed in a bag of powdered sugar(a little at a time), whole milk, and a teaspoon or so of vanilla. Just kinda kept adding sugar and milk until it tasted right. I haven't made one as tasty since. I got word that the birthday girl was "tickled pink"with her cupcakes!

Speaking of birthday cupcakes, my brother requested chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing for his birthday. I was thrilled to finally get to use the vintage clown pics I snatched at a flea market a while back. Again, I used the mayo + chocolate box cake trick. These have a chocolate buttercream icing. I was not a fan(I prefer white cake, white icing), but my brother and the rest of the family loved them.

Granted, they aren't GiGi's and yes, I realize all my cupcakes are decorated with that same ole' swirl. I have yet to branch out into flavors like lemon or red velvet, but I'll get there! Also, I've made several more batches that aren't pictured...they were either too ugly for documentation or were eaten before documentation could occur.

Soooo, does anyone else suddenly crave a giant glass of ice cold milk?

Vintage Thingie Thursday -- Tablecloth Purse

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:30:00 +0000

I love vintage linens. Especially tea towels, sheets, and tablecloths. I have a closet full of all three. I was recently perusing Etsy.com when I came across this lovely little Spring/Summer bag made from a vintage tablecloth.

It was love at first site. I had to have it.

It's one of my favorite vintage-nouveau thingies!

For more Vintage Thingie Fun, Head on over to The Colorodolady!

First Finish of 2012 -- A Process Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:22:00 +0000

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I realize it is MARCH and I should have already had a finished quilt. But hey, I'm a busy gal!

I'm happy to show off my first finish of the year, though. This quilt is for the soon-to-arrive grandchild of a dear friend. When I asked my friend baby colors, she said "soft pinks and greens". Those aren't colors I typically buy and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am on a fabric buying diet...trying not to buy any quilting fabric unless it is for backing. I am proud to say that everything in this quilt--except the binding--was from my stash. Hooray!

The patchwork blocks are made from two Lilly and Will Moda charm packs that I bought ages ago. I pulled out only the pinks and greens from each stack and "fiddled" with them until I came up with the idea to do four patch blocks and sash them w/a wide border. Please ignore my hideous design wall/cat scratcher.

After digging through my stash, I found an off white print that actually had enough yardage for the sashing AND the backing. Woo Hoo!

My last attempt at free motion quilting was a pain in the neck, so I opted to do a straight line design following the patchwork blocks. I get a little impatient while quilting and that often results in a few wonky lines and puckers(although I'm not certain puckers come from trying to hurry). This quilt is no exception. but I'm hoping the recipents won't find the mistakes to be as glaring as I do. If I do say so myself, I did manage to snap an awful purty picture of the quilting in process!

I went against my new no-fabric-unless-it's-for-backing rule and bought something for binding. I had nothing in my stash that would work. NOTHING. OK, I did have enough of the off white, but I wanted the binding to stand out a bit. I'm very pleased with how this soft taupey print worked with the other colors. I refuse to speak of the hell that is machine applied binding, but the binding was applied by machine.

It is a noticeable frame for the quilt, but the pink and green patchwork blocks remain the stars of the show.

So the lighting is horrid in this last shot, but I couldn't wait to photograph it in natural light! Here' the finished product...I'm pretty happy with it!

I'm immediately starting on another baby quilt. I want to take a bit more time with it. I have an idea (thank's to the babe's grandma) and I'm hoping that it will be a hip, funky quilt for a very special little person! Hopefully I'll have pics to post very soon!

The Bangles

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:09:00 +0000

I have a thing for vintage costume jewelry. I have since high school. I used to go to flea markets and yard sales with my mamaw as a teen, and remember picking up bracelets, necklaces and especially brooches. How I loved a gaudy old brooch back then! I still have one of those brooches that Mamaw bought for me. It has a big ugly lion on it and I thought I was totally rad when I pinned it on my denim jacket with the puffy sleeves and turned up collar.

Mark and I have spent many many hours at flea markets and antique malls(he's definately not an early bird, so we don't usually do yardsales) over the past 24 years. I don't know how much vintage jewelry I picked during that time, only to sell it in a yard sale or send it back to a thrift shop. Sigh.

Not too long ago I was blog hopping when I came across this photo:

Photo Source: http://vixenvintage.blogspot.com/2012/01/bangles-and-bras.html

"GAH!" I thought to myself. "Holy Bakelite Batman! That is one fabulous little collection of bangles! I cannot go on living without my own fabulous little collection of bangles!"

And on a sidenote, if you've never visited Vixen Vintage before...Do It! I discovered the blog through the bangle photo and became instantly enamored. She posts some of the most beautiful photos and amazing vintage goodies that you are likely to see. It's one of my new favorite blogs!

I immediately went to my jewelry box and started digging. I knew still had at least four bangles because I constantly wear the polka dot, black, gray, and red(not pictured) ones. I managed to dig up several more and WooHoo! I do have a small collection!

Yesterday, Mark and I took off for another round of flea marketing and I picked up a few more pieces to add to my collection.

None of these was over $2.00! Score! I was so happy to pay .50 each for four of these that I didn't notice the red one was broken until I took the photo this morning. Luckily, I have another red one! This one will be used for a craft project...I'm thinking decoupage.

These were a bit more costly...$3.00 each!! Oh how I love getting stuff for cheap!

I realize there is not a single piece of vintage Bakelite in the bunch. And a girl can't really have a bangle collection without some Bakelite, can she? For now this girl will...because she is a public school system employee. Furthermore, she already has a serious spending problem with fabric and sewing/quilting items. So, sadly, no Bakelite for me until I win the lottery.

Here's my current collection, a few are vintage 60's but most are 70's and 80's bangles. I'm cool with both of those decades! I am looking forward to hunting for a wider variety of eras and lots more colors! I might have hopped on to etsy.com and ordered a few more just this morning.

using a sock/underwear drawer organizer for storage. A pretty vintage one is on my "to get" list.

Despite the Bakelite disparity of my collection, the bangles make me happy!

For even more Vintage Thingies fun, head on over to The Coloradolady!

Cookie Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Sugar Cookies. Mmmmm. I love them...they are, without a doubt, my favorite form of cookie. I love a good warm chocolate chip cookie and a nice crunchy peanut butter cookie, don't get me wrong. But a simple sugar cookie with icing is what my heart truly desires when it comes to cookie goodness.

I must admit, I am sucker for the thinner, rolled version with glazed icing. A local bakery makes the most fantastic version...I try to stay away from the place, but when a box of Golden Glaze cookies shows up in the teacher's lounge, I cannot resist and admit to eating more than my fair share.

These cookies are nothing like those glazed cookies , but they are just as delicious! I found the recipe at The University of Cookie--where they do some incredible things sugar cookies and have video tutorials so the rest of us can do incredible things with sugar cookies too! This recipe is not for fancy glazed and decorated cookies, however.

This is a thicker, softer cookie with fluffy icing. And y'all.., It. Is. Heavenly. Think Lofthouse, only better. Much better. They're soft--just enough. The icing is out of this world and the perfect amount of "sweet" to compliment the cakey cookie. I wish I had one right now!

I will warn you against eat them first thing out of the oven, though. Give them plenty of time to cool and let the icing "set" a bit before digging into them. Trust me on this. You won't be sorry...the wait is worthwhile.

I took some to my quilt meeting the other night and some to school to share with my coworkers. Rave reviews. One person even said they were the best sugar cookies she'd eaten in her entire life!

They did take a bit of time to ice, but compared to cut out cookies, they were a breeze to make! I didn't change a thing from the original recipe, so if you want to make these, head to University of Cookie, grab the recipe and have yourself some cookie bliss.

Excess --OR-- Online Shopping, Thou Art Satan

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:53:00 +0000

I was terribly excited to receive the following books this week:

Once they arrived, I spent about an hour leafing through them, reading bits and pieces and perusing the photos.

And then I thought to myself, "Did I really just buy books about how to date fabric? Fabric Dating? REALLY?" Good Grief.

I don't collect feedsacks or vintage fabrics, I certainly can't afford to collect vintage quilts. Honestly, I don't know what came over me other than a whim to pick these up. I'm working on a 30's repro quilt, but I can buy those prints at my local quilt shop. I've since rationalized that they might come in handy to my husband's antique mall booth---he may pick up some vintage quilts that need dating at some point. And actually, the Making History book is quite a fascinating read and does include several projects, so I don't feel as bad about buying that one. Who knows, perhaps the other two will prove invaluable some day.

As I was putting the books away, I realized that I am completely overrun with quilting, sewing, and craft project books. To the point that it's ridiculous. If I live a hundred years, I'll never complete all those projects. The thought of the money that's gone into those dust collectors is sad.

So I've made a decision.

I will not buy another project book. Not one. Until I finish a minimum of at least five different projects from five different books. And those that I don't use and don't think I ever will use...I'm going to donate to my local library. Goodness knows they don't have an abundance of craft books. I could furnish the entire 646 section!

And then there's fabric. Don't even get me started!! All I'll say right now is that it looks like JoAnn Fabrics threw up in my sewing room. Here's the decision on fabric for now...

No more QUILTING fabric(unless it is for backings). If I can't use what I have to make a quilt, I just won't make one!

I feel pretty confident I can stick to both of these new rules. I'm gonna try to stay away from Amazon.com, Etsy.com and the like for as long as possible!

Weight Watchers, It Works and Now I've Got to Work It!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:03:00 +0000

I joined Weight Watchers for the umpteenth time back in August. It's the only thing I've ever found that I can do and consistently lose weight.

I'm losing much more slowly this time around, but I've been OK with the slow loss. Slow loss is better than NO loss, right?

The thing is, I haven't worked the plan wholeheartedly. I do GREAT for a couple weeks, but I have been known to slack off for weeks at a time. Still, I'm mostly satisfied with my progress.

And even though 15 pounds(which is where I'm hovering right now) doesn't sound like much, when I compare the photo from my last post(which was taken yesterday) to the photo from the week I started WW, I can see a difference.

Now some of it may be the hideousness of the before outfit, or the angle of the camera, but I do see a difference, and I really hadn't until I compared these two photos.

Seeing the difference in myself has given me a boost! I'm resolved to stay on plan and work the plan in a healthier way! Yes, on WW you really can drink regular cokes and eat the occasional candy bar and still lose weight, BUT, that's not using the plan to it's full advantage! I'm going to pay more attention to my daily points, be smarter about the plan by taking advantage of those 0 point fruits & veggies, and make it a priority to get some regular exercise.

I've seen that I can be successful and lose weight by going about it halfway, so I'm pretty excited to see what I accomplish when I give it my all!

I fall for Simplicity's "It's SO Easy" lie yet again.

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:10:00 +0000

In my last post I talked about how I was determined to make my own clothes this year...at least a few pieces. I was pretty excited about it and very much looking forward to getting started.

In fact...here's my first finished dress! Not bad, eh?

My bangs have a mind of their own...tonight they're saying "I'm going to look ridiculous!"

Now, before y'all get too impressed you should know this is a complete farce of a photo! It's amazing what a strategically placed belt, a giant hair clip(for hiding excess fabric) and my magic cowboy boots* can do! But at least in this photo it appears that I can make a dress!

Here's the reality of it...

What I made was a saggy, baggy, tent of a dress. The picture doesn't really do justice to how giant the skirt part is nor how ill fitting and wonky the top is. But it's bad, y'all. I actually put it on this morning thinking I'd wear it to the grocery. My husband said it looked like I was wearing a bell! So I grabbed my go-to for fixing wonky outfits, a denim jacket. It actually looked worse. Way worse. Especially from the side veiw.

I spent hours on it. HOURS. So much for Simplicity and that "It's SO Easy" bull printed on the pattern pack. I don't know how many times I have fallen for that one, but it's never been "SO Easy"! This time was no exception.

Although, as I was going along, I was feeling pretty confident! I got the skirt put together. I totally rocked the bodice. It's putting the two together where things went south.

And I know (now) what I did wrong.

I cut the bodice a size smaller than the skirt. D'OH! In my defense, I was using my measurements and following the pattern pack guidelines. The bodice was supposed to be slightly gathered before sewing to the skirt. Since it was a size smaller, it didn't end up fitting the gargantuan sized skirt (which was cut to what I thought was my size). So I fiddled, un-gathered, and generally messed with the two pieces trying to get them to fit together until I got to that "I'm just going to sew the thing" point.

And then came the super fun job of trying to sew an elastic casing through all those layers and puckers and aforementioned mess. Followed by even more fun...trying to thread the elastic through casing that way to small in more than one place. Super super fun.

If any of you notice a peculiar cloud floating by, pay no attention, it's probably just the remnants of the cussin' fit that accompanied the whole elastic casing/threading elastic business.

Despite my resulting tent dress, there were some good things that came out of this little adventure:

It was a good learning experience. I know what size to cut the next time and I will cut the top and bottom the same size. I think that might solve some of the trouble I had with the casing issue as well as the fit problems.
It didn't end up in an angry heap forever banished to a ziplock bag in my closet. I finished it! I might even go back and work on it some more. Months from now.
I actually made a dress. It was my first try, and even though I can't wear it, it is clearly a dress. I'd call that a success!

My next sewing adventure will consist only of things I know I can sew successfully, like aprons, bags and quilt blocks. But I'm not ready to give up on making clothes just yet. I'm just not ready to try it again anytime soon!

*my cowboy boots aren't really magic

And She Will Make Clothes in 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:22:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I've already got big plans to do a boat load more quilting and sewing this year, I rediscovered a website this morning that has me chomping at the bits to add more to my to-do list.

The Sew Weekly. I stumbled upon it through pinterest a while ago and pinned a couple of "Make this Look" posts. These posts show an inspiration piece from Modcloth or Anthropologie and a very similiar sewing pattern and fabrics, allowing you to create your own version of the originial. Brilliant!

This morning I spent at least an hour looking through the "Make this Look" section and scouring over gorgeous and fun vintage inspired outfits that users had made.

Like this dress, which I am currently coveting.

I'm certain there are a ton more goodies on the site. Which means I'll have to spend even more time there. Oh, bother.

Still, that hour I spent at looking at the creations of others, has totally inspired me to drag out some sewing patterns and get busy!

I'll mention that sewing clothes is not what I'm most comfortable with. A simple handbag? Doable. An apron. No problem! A skirt? I've made exactly two. This one. and This one. I've got two more wadded into heaps in ziplock bags and thrown into the back of my sewing closet, perhaps never to see the light of day again. I've started two blouses...one is in much the same shape as the two skirts mentioned above and the other was so bad that I just threw it away, pattern, pins, and all. I've yet to tackle a dress. Zippers and the mention of piping make me break out in hives. Pants? Just plain scary.

Still, despite my past experiences with garments, I am inspired to try again!

Between all the other creative things that I want to do and the fact that I have to go to work on a daily basis, I will somehow make time to myself some clothes. Clothes that (1). I can wear in public and (2). Won't end up in a sad heap confined to a ziplock bag.

The only thing I'm lacking are cute vintage patterns in my size and enough yardage to make clothes. I buy in FQ, Half and One Yard cuts...because that's what works for me w/quilting and the things I normally make. But that's an easy fix! I'm going to start thinking "more" when it comes to yardage!

The vintage patterns are probably going to be above my current level of skills, so I'm content with pulling out some A line skirts and the two simple dress patterns that I own. Once I master those, I'm totally moving up to the vintage inspired stuff and I will be making one of those Modcloth inspired dresses...like this one.

Now, I'm officially requesting that more hours be added to the day.

Scrappity Scrap Scraps!

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:50:00 +0000

There's something really exciting going on over at Pleasant Home!

For the entire month of Janurary, Pleasant Home is hosting Sew Scraps Along 2012. In addition to giving us tips on organizing our scraps and providing scrappy inspiration, PH is featuring a bevy of ways to use up those scraps that taunt you from sewing closets, bins, or wherever you hide them!

The first featured scrap project is a dreamy picnic quilt from Freda's Hive. I want to make one. Right now.

With an ever growing, getting out of control in a scary kind of way scrap stash, I'm pretty stoked about this month of scrapbusting ideas!

So excited, in fact, that I'm going to go visit my scrap stash right now!

Not Exactly Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:50:00 +0000

I think of it more as a vision than a list of resolutions.

Looking ahead into 2012, I can see that:

I'm enjoying spending more time with my precious family.
I'm a better wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend.
I am thankful more often.
I'm doing something creative every day, even if it only amounts to a doodle on a sticky note.
I've re-opened The Laughing Otter, am enjoying the creative outlet, and making a profit.
I'm taking care of myself for those who love me.
I'm working smarter and with renewed enthusiasm.
I'm relaxing as much as possible and reading more than ever.
I'm learning new things.
I smile and laugh even more than I did in 2011.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful 2012!

Blue On Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

I didn't plan it this way, but I think it's pretty cool that the first quilt I made in 2011 was a mini art quilt...

Fan Art Piece inspired by a local movie production company

... and my final quilt of 2011 was also a mini art quilt!

I'd had kind of a crappy day on Wednesday and after coming home from work, moping around and looking at the walls for a while, I decided that doing something creative was the only thing that would make me feel better.

I started by covering a scrap of white fabric in gesso, then painting this small portrait using watercolors.

Next, I added some thread sketching--my first ever attempt--to the hair. And yes, after it initially dried, I went in and added more paint, changing the look of the face.

thread sketching/painting(?) detail

Finally, I made a small quilt, added some shapes using raw edge applique and then zigzagged the portrait on top of everything...and yes, added more paint, changing her face yet again!

I'm going to do something that is extremely difficult for me and refrain from my usual self depricating, "I'm not an artist/quilter/seamstress/ so look at everything that is wrong with this" hooey and say this instead: I am proud of this little quilt! I'm not proud because I think it is a great work in either the art or quilting realm. I am proud that I had an inkling of an idea that I was able to turn into something real; that I was able to overcome "the blues" in a creative way; that I did it without using someone else's pattern and followed my own nose instead.

Mom's Pinwheel Sampler

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:18:00 +0000

So for all the yammering I have done about this quilt since January of 2011, I thought I should show off the finished product.

In case you didn't read the gazillion other posts about this quilt, I followed the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt-Along instructions on P.S. I Quilt. Those instructions were easy to follow and I love how pattern uses just one layer cake and some yardage, but results in a nice size lap quilt!. I sent it to a local gal to have it quilted--she did a wonderful job. I machine applied the binding even though I said I would never do that again. My excuse it that it wouldn't have been finished on time otherwise. Even though I don't love the sloppy binding, I'm happy with the way this one turned out!

Mom loved it!

Coming soon...the final version of the I-Spy Quilt that I made for my nephew!

The One Where I Battle a Baby Quilt for an Entire Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:49:00 +0000

One of my quilt club's service projects is making and donating baby quilts to our hospital's NICU. At our last retreat some of the members shared a quick and cute baby quilt that used only four fat quarters. I completed a quilt top that weekend and it's been sitting in my closet since the summer waiting to be quilted.

Since we had a meeting tonight and there was no school today I decided I'd free motion quilt it. The last quilt I attempted free motion on was this quilt for my nephew. I like the look of free motion better than straight line and want to get better at it. Besides, I don't always have the money(nor do I want to wait) to take my quilt to a long arm quilter.

So many things went wrong with this one. I had tension issues, picked out quilting four times before deciding that "chicken feet" on the back weren't that bad. And then I made the decision to apply the binding by machine. It was so not a good decision! Someday I will learn to stop trying that.

But I did manage to finish it. Hours later.

Despite the fact that I spent the entire day working on this quilt in order to turn it in at tonight's meeting, dork that I am, I could not bring myself to present it to the group. No one else brought finished baby quilts, when normally there are 5-10 a meeting, and I wasn't about to let this one be the only one shown.

I do love this cute dog print from JoAnn's.

My plan is to make another, much more fabulous quilt to turn in with this one at the next meeting. I figure the fabulous one will overshadow all the mistakes in this one. Not that the ladies in my quilt club would say anything, they are wonderful, nonjudgmental and understand I am nowhere near their level yet. I, however, am my own worst critic.

It actually looks pretty decent...if you don't look too close and definitely not at the back. Or the binding.

Even though I made a lot of mistakes and took waaaay too long to finish, it was a good practice and hopefully, the recipients won't notice the mistakes that are glaring at me.

I plan to add a full tutorial of this at some point, but in the meantime, I think you can figure out fabric placement, so here are the Measurements that you'll need:

FQ Number 1: Full FQ for center (18"x22")
FQ Numbers 2 and 3(here I've used the same fabric for both): 2 Pieces 8.5" x 22" and 2 pieces 8.5" x 18" These will make the border around your focus FQ.
FQ Number 4: 4 8.5" Squares for the corners.

Again, you can see how this goes together in the first photo...super fast and super easy! Add a backing, quilt it, sew on the binding and there you go!