Blargh and Double Blargh

Well, I missed a day and got all morose about it – this is why I’ve not posted recently. My other half asked why I didn’t schedule posts for when things are busy.  Talk about a total facepalm moment. ;p

Betty still isn’t finished.  Sigh.  The DH swears it’ll be done this week.  We’ll see.

I’m mostly trying to stay up on just mom and work stuff right now.  I have plans, but we’ll see how they pan out.

As I move towards creative effort, I consider eventually supplementing my income.  I have a beloved friend who is once again stepping into the breach and trying to make it as an artist – I find her so inspiring.  She’s brilliant, though, so I’ve no doubt it’ll all get sorted.

Anyway, I came across this post at ink and spindle I thought was well worth sharing:  “The Formula – or ‘how to price your wares correctly’”

End of a Long Week

… and I’m exhausted.  Never *do* get enough weekday sleep during the school year. ;p  I’m off to chill.  Hope y’all have a great one!

 

Whoops!

Had a bit too much fabric fun at the thrift store, and then also at Wal-Mart, which is weird, because the latter doesn’t carry fabric, really, beyond jelly rolls and the like.  (I’m not very fond of Wally World but I needed a better storage solution for the fabric I found at my local thrift store.)

One thing I did get that I’m really glad I got – I got a Singer 239 Fashion Mate  a really nice price, hurrah!  It’s a tiny bit older than Betty and the table needs a lot of TLC, but I don’t think it’s going to be a lot of work.  We’re probably going to get it going for my youngest son who’s got a strong interest in learning to sew.  I’m all for that! Good life skill, at the very least.  Hmm – I’ll try to get pics up at some point, but I’m just worn out this afternoon. ;P  Although, that’d probably be just for my benefit at this point, haha, as I imagine noone’s really dropping in here right now.

Other things I found beyond just fabric:

• A new fold up bag for my purse – I have a thing for what in the US is referred to as calico (?).
• A pretty little table runner? Just a guess on this one – feels like quilting fabric.  Sweet, though.  I look forward to figuring out how to use it.
• A lovely embroidered tablecloth – feels like linen.  Very soft.  One small spot I’m hoping to remove, ’cause I’d love to send it to my mom!
• What I’m guessing is a newer piece of Pyrex – a pretty little mixing bowl.
• A cool little melamine rice bowl. A bit worn but still neat, especially for about a quarter.
• Some lovely fabric that reminds me of Guatemala.  No idea where it really hails from, though, but in any case, for $2, I thought it well worth bringing home.
• An early 50s children’s Robin Hood story book – my youngest will be super stoked.
• And Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - a really great book about amazing New Orlinean Mr. Zeitoun after Katrina.  I highly recommend it. I was able to pick up a hard copy that I’m quite happy to have.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There’s more, but fabric will be tomorrow.

 

 

 

Whoops~~

Almost forgot! ^_^

Some music for tonight:

My favorite cover.
The original:

Getting Ready

Betty is still under repair, but hopefully this week. Parts have been going back into her and she looks a lot better.  I look forward to having a functional sewing machine, however.

I picked up a couple of interesting books at Goodwill the other day:

How to Design Your Own Clothes and Make Your Own Patterns by Claudia Ein seems it’ll be an awesome reference.  It’s a bit older but it seems to me it’s filled with solid principles.  The other text is Sew Smart with Wovens, Knits, and Ultrasuede Fabric by Judy Lawrence and Clotilde.  The illustrated techniques within teach broader skills (like French seams) and I think it will come in handy.

I’m anxious to get sewing again, but at the same time, I’m a bit worried I’m going to be terrible at it.  It’s been a very long time.  So I’m breathing deep and letting myself start over.  While I wait for my machine I’m reading and gathering resources (fabrics, threads, etc.).

Short and sweet…

Just a super quick post – almost forgot and I want to be able to keep going with NaBloPoMo. Long day, lots of work, lots of wind.

Today’s music:

I really love Apache Relay‘s music, and they’re super nice, too, in addition to being super talented. ^_^

Rain

Lotta rain here, which is good, we desperately needed it.  Not as desperately as Texas, but still, pretty darn badly.  It’s so nice and cool right now, and I wish you could hear the frogs.  Almost a return to normal, wet-wise.

Where I’m “At” Right now…

Preservation

As my generation (X) comes into full adulthood and starts making a noticeable dent in the world, I’ve noticed a trend – a firm rejection of consumerism and the adoption of what I like to call a “Victory Garden Lifestyle”.  I feel like a lot of us are returning – going back to making things, making do, being more self-sufficient.  More of us are homesteading, sewing, knitting, crocheting, raising chickens, reducing, reusing, recycling, repairing … making things, making do and making better lives for ourselves.

The blogging subject of “Return” for this month’s NaBloPoMo seemed to mesh really well with what I’ve been thinking about along these lines, and in addition to talking about my own return (to these values and to my creative self) I wanted to take a look at some of these Victory Garden Lifeskills.

We’ve started gardening more and one thing I’ve struggled with is preservation.  We try to cook as we go to use what we grow (a rhyme, haha! ^_^)  but there’s always more than we can use.  Now, some I can freeze and some I can dehydrate (I’ve got a dehydrator.) but the next logical step, in my mind is canning.  Interestingly enough, I’ve run across two references to canning I thought I’d share.

Firstly, check out this awesome video about Classie Parker I found browsing Etsy the other day.  Have you seen this bit of awesomeness?

There’s a nice little writeup and a canning recipe here on Etsy’s blog.

Soulemama also wrote a great intro to canning I really love.  In it she lists helpful books, websites and then adds her own tips and thoughts.  I highly recommend it.  It also has lots of pretty pictures at the top. XD

I’m looking for more resources – if I find something Soulemama didn’t list, I’ll add it here.

A quick hello…

…I have plans for more robust posts as the month progresses, but it’s a busy Friday and I’ve yet to go to work….so here’s a short post to keep going with NaBloPoMo.

A little tidbit – as I’ve geared up to return to sewing I’ve been starting to build a presence for myself at a fairly new site – basically a Ravelry for sewers – called My Sewing Circle. It’s still developing but it looks to be pretty useful if development continues. You might check it out! ^_-

Oh, and just for fun – how ’bout some music: