MIA

Yes, I have been MIA for two months. Lots of things happening. As usual, I've been busy with work. Ugh! I was on furlough last week and had planned to update this blog, but I came down with a nasty cold. I'm still coughing. Bummer ... so over half my furlough was spent in misery. Bleh.

I have so much to post about, but don't even know where to begin. I received my ironing board cover. It is so cute and I just love it. Here's a shot:

This photo does not do it justice. And as you can see (if you strain your eyes a bit), it sort of matches my desk cover and also the green peg board (which has nothing hanging on it!). So I love it. And this is one of my favorite fabrics. I may just have to buy another one to hoard. Hahaha! And as if this wasn't a great prize already, I got a freebie sewing machine cover pattern. I highly recommend City Chic County Mouse.

My craft space if looking spiffy ... now if only I could really start crafting. Sigh. Maybe this weekend ...

Happy New Year!

We're well into the new year and I can't believe how fast 2010 flew by. I'm hoping that 2011 is a great year. I want to do so much stuff ... mainly more crafting and getting my Etsy shop(s) filled and going. And more blogging!

I'm back at work now that admin leave days are over. Boo-hoo! So I'm finding it difficult to get into the craft room. But I must!! Besides those 4 Annies that need to be photographed, I also need to get better photos of this big guy:

This is Bruno ... I like to call him my "kidney bean bear" because his body is shaped exactly like a kidney bean. Hahaha! He's been done for quite some time and I've had him tucked away in the closet to avoid dust bunnies! I guess you could say he's been in hibernation. Ha!

I know we're over a week into the new year, but perhaps I will put down some goals for this year in my next post. Or maybe I don't want to put them down for fear of not accomplishing anything. Sigh! We'll see ... it'll be a good thing to put down and keep me accountable. So until next time, I hope you have a great year!

Finally Finished!

They're finally finished! It only took over a month to get them completely done. Ugh! Here's a couple of close-ups of the dolls. So cute!

The lighting wasn't the greatest. Actually, it started to rain today. Which is always nice ... sitting at the craft table while it's raining. Anyway, I have to figure out what project I'm working on next. Maybe a couple of pouches, I don't know. Or some flower accessories. I only have a couple more days of admin leave, so I have to make the most of what's left. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'll have to get these dolls photographed and posted in my Etsy shop.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. The hubby and I spent it at home, alone. We went to Mass. Then spent the afternoon watching holiday movies on Hallmark! Since I did NOT want to spend the day in the kitchen, we ordered one of those holiday meals from the grocery deli ... you know, it comes with the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, etc. Umm, will not be buying that again. The turkey was okay, but everything else was "pre-fab," as my mom would put it. I think Stove Top Stuffing would have been better. But, at least I didn't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Maybe the $100 choice from Whole Foods might have been better. Maybe the best thing is to bite the bullet and cook the meal myself. Next time I had better go home to Kauai to enjoy my mom's cooking. Hahaha!

Progress

They're bald and legless, but I'm making progress. Slow progress. I think the yellow strawberry dress doll is my favorite of the bunch. Here's a close up:

I think she's sweet. Tomorrow, her hair goes on and her legs get attached. Oh, and I can't forget about her bloomers! Stay tuned for tomorrow's update, and maybe a new project.

Gifting

I spent all day yesterday in the kitchen whipping up some holiday treats for my Kauai family. It rained all day and it was just great being at home (as opposed to work)! Unfortunately, all that rain meant no light for photos. So just imagine a huge batch of Chex Mix and some Peanut Butter Cinnamon Pretzels. I packed everything up and sent it off in the mail today. Hope the family likes it!

I spent a portion of today with two friends. We had a nice lunch, as is our annual tradition. Can you believe we get together only once a year, during the holidays. What a shame. We live on the same island. We had so much to catch up on. And knowing that I would be seeing them today, I put together a little gift for each. In addition to the snacks I made the day before (I had LOTS, I still do), I gave each a pouch I made:

I had two of these that I had made a few months ago. I followed Skip To My Lou's tutorial found here. It came together so quick and easy. And since I've been on a baker's twine, kraft paper and paper doily kick, here's how I packaged the pouch:

The doily was a little small for the package, but it still looked cute. And it matched the snacks, which were packed in its own kraft paper bag with red tissue. Pretty! And quick (believe me, I was up past midnight getting everything together).

So the last two days of admin leave have been pretty busy for me. Thankfully, tomorrow is all mine! I will be sitting in my craft room finishing off those four Annie dolls and perhaps starting something new. Maybe something for the Guava Girls line ... I have got to get that going. My fabric closet is so chock full of fabrics that are all meant for little pouches, clutches, etc. And there's always more fabric that I'm always drooling over. But I'll save that post for another day. Until next time, happy crafting!

Hi! It's been a long time.

Hola! It's been far too long. My last excuse for not blogging was my move to a new place. Well, that took place back in September! And we're pretty much all settled in. Sadly, there hasn't been much crafting going on here. But, like last year, I'm on furlough for two weeks. Wonderful! And I hope to get some crafting in somewhere in there. My poor Etsy shop is almost empty. Oh, wait! I am working on 4 Tiny Annies ... remember her? See her here. So perhaps I'll finish them up within the next couple days and get them in the shop. A bit late for Christmas, but better late than never!

And speaking of dolls, here's the last crafty thing I worked on. Very old and vintage-y looking. I have a few more to sew and stuff, but I need to tweak the sewing around the neck area ... I think I followed the outline too much, resulting in a small neck, which doesn't stuff well. So these 4 will sit on my bookshelf and keep me company!

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll be back sooner than 3 months!

Furlough ... Day 5

Hi all! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! My Christmas was quiet and relaxing. I got some kitchen stuff from the hubby. Of course, like I mentioned in my previous post, I also bought some fabrics for myself. So I got my two favorite things -- kitchen stuff and craft stuff! Now to find a place for this stuff. Living in a small one bedroom apartment is not fun and it's about time to start looking for a bigger place.

Today started the second week of our furlough and I spent the day being a complete bum! I slept in and when I woke up, sat around watching TV. Ugh! Talk about being unproductive. Well, no ... I did stitch the dolly legs on and put her dress on. Okay, so it's taking a week to get done, but I will get it done tomorrow. Promise! And, I also brought lunch to the hubby. What a nice treat.

Take a look at what was perched outside my door:

It's two birds sitting in my basil pot. Of course, this was taken a while back, but I happened to come across the photo and had to smile. There were two nesting in the pot, maybe even three! Sadly, I have a black thumb and the basil plant didn't make it. It's probably too hot to sit outside. Maybe next summer I'll try again.

Here's hoping for a productive week (anything is going to be more productive than today), so until Day 6 ...

Furlough ... Day 3 and 4

Can you believe I spent most of Furlough Day 3 at ... WORK??? Yep, I had to go into the office to work on crunching some numbers and reviewing a few contracts. Sigh. So long for a nice break. Truthfully, my break so far has been nice and quiet. Just how I like it! For Day 4, I spent it browsing fabrics at Kaimuk Dry Goods and books at Barnes and Noble. I did NO Christmas shopping this year for anyone (sorry gang), but I did manage to buy some fabrics and a couple of new books.

I also made some yummy treats involving these three ingredients:

Can you guess what it was? Hahaha!

Tomorrow is Christmas and I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Since there was no holiday shopping going on here, there's not going to be much presents to open. Although, a Crate and Barrel box was at the door when I got home this evening. Sweet!

Furlough Days will continue next week! Check back then ... hopefully I can finish that little Raggedy Ann doll (no she's still not finished)!

Furlough ... Day 2

Day two of furlough! Chatted on the phone with mom and spent the day being mostly lazy! Hahaha!

Besides spending some quality time on the treadmill (two days in the row, think I can keep it up?) and cleaning the bathroom (yuck), I started on a raggedy ann doll. It's smaller in size ... I had to start small! She'll end up being about 11" and will wear a strawberry dress. Maybe she'll even hold a sweet berry, we'll see. She's made using a Raggedy Old Annie's pattern. Here's what I accomplished yesterday:

And all I did today was work on painting the legs:

Hopefully this little cutie will be done tomorrow! I just need to stitch her face and hair on and then add some accents. And then I'll need to think of what I'm sewing next!

Furlough ... Day 1

Hi all. I've truly neglected this blog for months! Ugh! I don't know ... maybe blogging is just not my thing. I love reading blogs, but by the time I get home from work every day, well, let's just say I'm just too tired to do anything else. And yeah, my crafts have suffered too. Sigh!

But, good news ... I'm on furlough for the next two weeks! Well, not really furlough. It's called "Administrative Leave;" I took a 5% pay cut for this fiscal year but I get these next two weeks off (and another week during spring break). Kind of sweet! So let's see if I'm going to be productive this next two weeks. What do you think? I at least want to get to some crafting!

But this is what I'm facing:

A complete mess ... this is just one small shot of the stuff I've got to go through. Ugh! Wish me luck!