Just Sew It

Right after Christmas, I’m getting a start on an endeaver that will be a lot of work. I mean A LOT! With my mom, I will be making three, maybe four scrapbooks documenting my family’s life starting at my Grandparents journey to Canada. My mom, who is not a scrapbooker, will be in charge of the journaling and organizing all the photos. I will have my husband scan three copies and I will do the scrapping. This will put my sewing to a screeching halt in 2008. I have a trench coat which I want to finish during the holiday season. After that, my sewing machine will rest. I will miss her during that time but I may just pump out a summer dress in the Spring. Maybe.

I’ve been scrapping for 9 years and I’m up for a real challenge with this project. Each child in my family (my brothers and I) will receive a book. For my parents, we’ll probably work on a more detailed version of my parent’s childhood which will depend more on my mom’s participation. I want to give my brothers their book next Christmas.

So, to get my creative juices flowing again I have been doing some searches for some scrapbooking blogs. There are a lot out there. This blog by Candice Carpenter looks good. If you look under my blog roll you will see I added more scrapbooking blogs.

Christmas is so magical. My all time favorite part of Christmas is decorating the tree. I love the glittery decorations and the glowing lights. My daughter is into it this year much more than ever. I’m nursing a cold during this busy time of year. I headed out to crazy West Edmonton Mall at 9:30 a.m. to beat the mad crowds. I DESPISE crowds with a passion. People forget their manners and tend to over step into “my space”. I have now made a pact with myself that I must shop first thing in the morning or close to closing. No mid-day crap. After having a small shopping bag stolen in The Gap, I am even more careful with my bags and my purse. Another good reason to avoid the crowds.

I got lucky this year and I’m invited to a cookie swap this week. I’ve tried two cookie recipes and have another one to try. The third one has good reviews on it so I’m crossing my fingers as I don’t like to bake a lot (hate the mess).

I have made a good dent in my Xmas shopping already. Still more to go. I never stress myself out too much over gift buying. I just have fun with it.

I stopped at my all time favorite scrapbook stores and picked up supplies for some gifts I plan to make for my parents and my in-laws. I’m going to make them a framed layout of our kids for this past year. They’ll like it.. I hope.

I have the following to get down before December 25:

Crocheted baby blanket
Corn bags for warming sore muscles
Framed Layouts

Get busy!!!

Winter has arrived and I’m not happy. It’s cold. But with the cold comes more time for sewing. I have my sewing plan mapped out for January. I am going to finish my trench coat and start on a quilt for my son’s bed. We bought him a new bed that is a up to my chest in height. We wanted a bed that is a space saver. It has a pull-out desk which great! My favorite part is that it is made of pine. I love the smell of pine. It smells soooo homey. If you are interested in finding a great looking bed for your child or yourself, check out Canwood Furniture’s website. They are made in Penticton, B.C., Canada!

In the new year I am going to start on a huge scrapbooking project. My mom and I are going to make heritage books for both of my brothers and I. My parents will also get their own. I’ll have to ride my mom’s ass as she is a slow poke at the best of times. She is in charge of journaling and organizing the photos. I’ll do the scrapbooking. I’ve informed her that I’m starting in January. She is retired so she better get in gear.

A while ago we bought Guinea pigs in hopes that would be easier than a dog. Mistake. They are called pigs for a reason. One word. Messy. They are sooooo messy and skittish. We have had them for a month now and they still are scared stiff of us. I read that they are quite social and will warm up to you. When?! Nothing worse than having a pet that you can play with or cuddle with.

Okay, now I’m really jealous. Amy Butler now has a line of paper and embellishments for scrapbooking. I love her scrapbooking line just as much as her fabric. I would love to be a designer like Amy Butler. That would be my dream to have a studio and to be called a designer.

I am working on a skirt by Burda. Fabric? Amy Butler of course. Her fabric is soooo delicious! I’ll post pics when I’m done.

I think I’m addicted to fabric. I seem to be buying so much of it lately. Yesterday, I went to get some quilt batting either Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom and some fabric for the backing of my friend’s quilt. I walked out with 1.3 m’s of two different kinds of apparel fabric and 3 m of fabric for the backing of my placemats I plan on making. What happened to the batting? I forgot.

I think I need extra income to supplement these hobbies of mine. My good friend told me that I should sell my quilts. I don’t think anyone would pay what I would be asking. With the crazy cost of fabric and all the time that I put into it, not many people would pay for that. Maybe I should sell Tupperware? Not. I have thought about getting a job in a quilting store on Saturdays but with young kids that makes it difficult.

This week the plan is to practice some quilting techniques including a cat pattern that I picked up this weekend. Cute.

I also want to make some labels for the two quilts I’m making. Saturday night I cut out one pattern for a top that I’m going to make. Oy, I have so much on my plate and not enough time to do it. I have to do a little everyday just to get to it.

I also picked up some paper and stickers for some scrapbooking I plan to do very shortly. It’s for my dd’s Grade three pages. I have already completed one page but her book needs more.

My crochet is coming along. I’m now working on a sample for the half double crochet stitch. Slow but it’s coming. I picked up my third book on crocheting from the library. It’s called Learn visually to crochet. Large colorful photos and very easy to follow. I think this book is the one I am going to buy. The library has saved me a lot of money. I always check a book out thoroughly before spending a dime. Books are so pricey that one has to be choosey.