What I learned from the 30 Day Blogging Challenge

I did it.  Blogged for 30 days straight.  Here are some of the things I learned and realized along the way:

1.  It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  Maybe because I've blogged a lot before, even though I've been away from it for a while, it really was just a matter of reawakening an old habit.  It also wasn't as time consuming as I thought it was going to be.

2.  A monthly plan really helped.  You're seeing it on the last day in the picture above.  When the month started the calendar was coated with post-it notes about potential posts.  They got moved around a lot and switched out with different ideas.  When I published a post I wrote the title in the square and threw out the post-it. 

3. It was difficult to get posts out early in the day.  Clearly my brain works better on writing after dinner.  So I'm thinking in future I'll prepare posts the night before and schedule them for the next morning.   I'm a morning person so I didn't expect this to be the case.

4. Blog parties are fun and useful.  I participated in a few this month and I enjoyed visiting the host's page and seeing what other bloggers were posting.  It was worth taking the time to link up and visit others.

5.  Reading and commenting on other blogs is time consuming, but enjoyable.  I plan to make time to do more of this in October.

6.  I get a lot of joy in sharing my handiwork.  I guess show-and-tell isn't just for children.  It doesn't matter whether people are actually reading it or not, it validated the accomplishment when I immortalized my work on my blog.


I still have a lot of room for improvement.  Now that I've started the habit I'm going to continue blogging right through October.  Here's what you'll see:

• The "Project of Doom," the biggest, most detailed quilt I've ever made
• Posts in honor of my love of vintage monster movies
• Halloween quilts!  I have quite a few in progress
• Lots of Halloween fun, including Pinterest successes and fails.

Thanks for stopping by.  Your comments mean so much to me.  On we go to October!

Needlework Tuesday: Autumn Wreath Needlepoint

I've been making very slow progress on this one.  I love needlepoint, but I keep picking up other projects first.  I have no hope that this will be done this year, but maybe next year.  Every stitch gets me closer, and the reality is that I enjoy the journey more than the finished product.  I'm ashamed to say I have some lovely needlepoint pieces that are finished but haven't been framed or made into pillows.

This one will have a lot of backstitch to make the details pop.  I usually do that all at the end. For now you can see the leaves and berries, bow and birds and a couple of pumpkins.  It really is lovely Fall colors.  If nothing else, it's fun to work on it during this time of year.

Do you rotate projects seasonally?  It's one thing I do to keep big projects going without burning out.  It's always fun to open up my Fall box and see what projects are waiting for me.

Linking up today with Heather at Books and Quilts.

Books and Quilts

The Awesome Power of Technology

Technology is wonderful.  Until it isn't. 

I am thrilled to be a crafter in the age of Pinterest and Facebook.  I love all the recipe sites I use.  I learn so much online and have improved my skills and been inspired in a thousand ways.

But the truth is, it is also my greatest enemy.  It steals my time, splinters my attention, and distracts me from getting things done.

I'm working on this, and I think finding the right balance is a challenge for a lot of people.  I would love to hear what you do to keep your online time in check.

Today my problem wasn't about being distracted though.  After working perfectly for years, my printer just stopped.  The laptop couldn't find it.  My print jobs got stuck somewhere in Neverland.  I did what I always do and googled the problem.  Ouch.  It seems this is a common problem these days with Windows 10.

I tried things.  Then walked down the hall to the printer - which currently lives in Jungle Boy's room - to see that it was sitting there serenely, not printing a thing.  Back to my laptop.  Back down the hall.  Back to the laptop.  Called down the hall to Jungle Boy to tell me if it printed.  Back to the laptop (why didn't I just take the laptop to Jungle Boy's room?  Have you seen Jungle Boy's room?)

This went on for a solid two days.  My googling skills improved as I found new ways to frame the problem.  I sifted through so many message boards and web sites and help pages (always the least helpful) until finally I found a page written by someone who had my exact problem who could explain in a clear step-by-step way how to fix it.

I feel like a technology goddess now.  Only don't ask me how I did it. 

NASA found water on Mars today, and I got my printer to work.  Technology is awesome.

Slow Sunday Stitching: Halloween Prep

This morning I've been working on this little bit of cross stitch.  I'm going to combine it with this little piece of fabric.  For those who don't recognize it, the fabric is a copy of the wallpaper in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.  I got a free sample of it from Spoonflower.com a while back and I finally figured out what I want to do with it.

Stay tuned to see the finished project.

What are you up to this Sunday?

Linking up with Kathy for her Slow Sunday Stitching party.

Caturday Cozy

I would love to show you this table mat I made a few years ago.  It's wool, in lovely Fall colors with a lot of stitching on it.  There seems to be a little problem photographing it though.  I give Hestia credit for figuring out exactly how to fit on the long, skinny cozy place.  At least we can admire the matching coasters that she hasn't knocked on the floor yet.

Hestia and Dumbledore don't often cuddle together.  They swarm on top of me whenever I sit down, but I seldom see them seek out each other for a nap.  I can't even tell where the rest of Dumbledore's body is in this picture.  As you can see, I've carefully put a black blanket on the bed to try to reduce the cat hair on the quilt.  It almost worked this time.


I hope you're cozy at your house - with a lot less hair around than I seem to have at mine!

Finished for Friday: Cinderella Pumpkin Quilt

This lovely is finished.  I had fun doing the applique.  Some of the leaves are wool.  The pattern is from Fig Tree Quilts.  I love that the postmark is from nearby San Francisco.

The house is slowly getting more and more Autumn-like.  I'm holding off on the Halloween quilts and decorations until at least October 1.

This will be the last year to really enjoy the whole season through Christmas with kids in the house.  Next year the twins will be off at college.

Oh my heart.


Sharing through linky parties at:
Crazy Mom Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
QuiltShopGal

New Project: Acorn Hollow

Isn't this cute for Fall?  It's called Acorn Hollow.  I spent the morning cutting out the wool felt shapes and basting them in place.  Now I get to enjoy the stitching, which is a lot more fun than the preparation.  This should stitch up quickly, but there is a border to add that will probably take me as much time as the rest of it.

I modified the pattern by putting the window fabric in back and reverse appliqueing it.  I think it looks more like windows than sticking the yellow pieces on top.

We have oak trees in the back yard and the squirrels are very active this time of year.  They go out on the ends of the branches to get acorns and in the process the branches rain down acorns and leaves all over my back patio. 

The cats are bored with the nonstop squirrel show, but I think they're cute.  Of course, I think it's less cute when I go out and find acorns buried in all of my potted plants.

Come back tomorrow to see what I've Finished for Friday.

How to Block Unwanted Pins on Pinterest

I wont deny that I have been a Pinterest addict for a long time.  It's a lot of fun to follow people who have similar interests and see what new ideas they are pinning.

Lately, however, Pinterest has become a lot less fun due to the deluge of "Promoted" pins and "Picked for You" pins.  They were cluttering up my feed until I couldn't find the real pins from people I follow.

For several months, I have used a Firefox extension and it worked beautifully.  Sadly, it's failed me over the last few days despite everything I try.

A little research led me to a new solution.  Go visit The Beth Project.  She gives simple instructions to install a greasemonkey script and BOOM!  Unwanted pins are gone.

My new Pinterest feed looks like swiss cheese - there were a LOT of unwanted pins there!  The feed has blank spots where pins were removed.

 

I would rather have the blank spaces to sail past than have a lot of pins I don't want.

I hope this solution helps you.  We Pinterest addicts have to stick together!

Are you following me on Pinterest?  Just search for "Threeundertwo."

Needlework Tuesday: A Little Portlandia

This little blanket is going off to a very small person who could use a little blanket. Since I was watching Portlandia while I was making it, I will always think of it as my Portlandia blanket.  I hope the recipient likes the goofy scrappy look.

Hestia doesn't want me to put my basket of yarn away yet, so I started another blanket with the same design.  We'll see how big this gets.  Still watching Portlandia, so I guess this one will be called Portlandia II.

Jolly Halloween Progress

My schedule tells me it's time to get out these embroidered blocks I made several years ago and play around with a setting.

Eight blocks is not my favorite number to work with.  I can find a pattern and stitch up another so I have nine - but I'd rather work with what I have and get this one done.

I think I'm going with this setting of three down and two on either side, with some sort of blocks in the corners.   I found a pumpkin print that has the same style of pumpkins as the embroidery, but I think it's a little too busy for a border.  I also need to decide if I want to put contrasting sashing between the squares.  The squares are also going to be trimmed down to a bit smaller than they are now.

In a few weeks you can look at the completed quilt and remember when I was planning all this.  Knowing me, I'll change everything.

The pattern is called Jolly Halloween and is based on the vintage postcards of artist Ellen Clapsaddle. It's available on Craftsy. 

Slow Stitching Sunday: Autumn Harvest Sampler

This is my current work-in-progress.  It's a pattern from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and although it looks simple enough on paper, it actually is a little slow-going because of all the color changes.

On my timeline for getting projects done, this one is supposed to be finished after Halloween, so I have plenty of time to work on it.  As you may have guessed, I like to juggle a lot of different projects at the same time.  It keeps it all fun for me.

There is a method to my rotation, and I plan to do a few blog posts on it in the future.  I'm one of those people who is very organized about being very creative.  Stay tuned.

Linking up today to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Something Pink

I made this candle mat recently.  I love working with felt and this was a joy to make.

I do love candles.  I went into a shop today that had at least 10 different kinds of pumpkin-scented candles.  I stuck my nose in each one and I think after a while I just got confused by all of them.  Who thought up pumpkin coconut?  That one seemed particularly strange.

I left empty-handed.  I do better with fewer choices I think.  I also need to pull out the Fall candles from last year and see what still smells good.  I bet there are a few pumpkin ones that still have some life in them.

Then I will need to make a Fall-themed candle mat.  I'm all over this.

Linking up today with How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.

Finished for Friday: Drama Girl's Afghan

Drama Girl sent me this selfie after she received the afghan I made for her.  I think she likes it. 

She wanted maroon and black.  Maroon is a difficult color to find in the yarn section of the store. While I was spending forever trying to decide if this was really maroon, an old friend showed up.  We both started looking all over.  When you have two people who work with colors all the time you have conversations like this:

"Is this maroon?"

"No, that's garnet.  How about this one?"

"No, definitely too burgundy.  What do you think of this one?"

"Absolutely not, that's definitely cranberry!"

I'm not even sure I know what maroon is any more.  I googled it when I got home and there really is a whole range of color that's called maroon.

It doesn't matter.  All that matters is that my daughter is happy with something to cuddle up with when she's in her little chair in her dorm.

The free pattern for this afghan can be found here.

The (Almost) Final Additions to the Shrine of My Children

There is a ritual I delighted in for many years.  From the time they were babies I would periodically take my kids to a portrait place in the mall and get professional photos to mark their growth.

The photographers always got my kids to smile just right.  I always got at least one good shot of each of them.  I purchased frames and proudly displayed them on the wall.

This tradition fell off sometime in their primary years.  But I still had school photos and snapshots to display and make me smile.

The end of high school is a big milestone, so I decided to hire a professional photographer to mark the occasion.  The photos he took are simply stunning.

Now for the lucky break I want to share with you.  Right now Photobucket is having a sale on canvas prints for 80% off.  

As soon as I saw the sale I took the plunge.  (Please note, I'm not compensated by Photobucket to advertise for them - but maybe I should look into it!)

Now my hallway has these beautiful huge photo memories of each of my kids during their senior year.

Just a few more shots to finish the collection...wearing caps and gowns at graduation.  Then someday I suppose I'll have a wall of wedding photos.

I guess this shrine to my children will never be finished after all.

Serial Hooking

I don't watch a lot of television.  When I do, I tend to have something in my hands to work on at the same time.  It's hard for me to just sit still and watch and do nothing else.

Like a lot of people, I binge watch an entire series sometimes.   I guess I rationalize that if I'm crocheting at the same time, I'm not wasting time.

We now have a whole stack of crochet afghans in the house.  The top one was about four seasons of The Walking Dead.  The pink and gray ripple was the entire series of Gilmore Girls.  Jungle Boy has one in his room that I made while watching all the Harry Potter movies.

I keep giving them away.  One is en route to Drama Girl at college and I'm kicking myself for not remembering to take a picture of it before I mailed it.  It was made while watching Parks and Recreation.

Yet no matter how much I try to use up scraps, it seems my supply of balls of yarn is never-ending.  I don't even remember buying all this yarn. 

As soon as I finished the one for Drama Girl I had to start another one.  Just one simple square that I'm going to keep adding to.

This one is Portlandia.

I'll stop hooking if Netflix stops offering shows I like.

Call Me Snow White

I had a wonderful day. I stepped outside this morning to take out the trash and I smelled the ocean. We don't live very close, but when the wind is right, the fresh sea breeze is wonderful. It was especially nice after days of smelling smoke that's drifted from the fires in Northern California. I decided to take my applique project outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, the smell of the air, and the sound of birds.

As I sat down, I saw that there was already somebody in the yard; a little fawn resting in the shade.  I held up my applique for perspective on how close it was sitting.

The fawn considered me for a while,then stood up and walked off.  I continued stitching.

The next time I looked up, I had several visitors in the yard.  I took a quick little video.  My fawn had circled around and come to visit me over by my left elbow.

It was just a perfect moment.  I included my project in the video to hopefully give some perspective on how close they were. The quilt block is resting on my knee. 

They stayed nearby for quite a while and finally all three wandered off.  I started to get a bit hot in the sun so I returned indoors.

For an animal lover like me, this was the best day ever.

My Heart Isn't Ready

In my heart, my twins will always be these little imps.  Sitting on a log in the woods, enjoying an adventure with me.

This photo proves what a lie that is.  No longer little, no longer with chubby cheeks.  They talk about college applications at the breakfast table and take turns running around in their little car.

The process of leaving has begun, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.  It is the way of all creatures, but nothing that can be said or explained to me will make it any easier.  It was hard enough packing off their older sister last year.  I can already feel the sting of the empty nest to come. 

I am already worried about the logistics of dropping off two kids at college.  What if they need to go at the same time?  How do parents of twins do this?  And more importantly, how does the heart survive the loss?

So right now, with the time that is left, I savor every moment.  Every conversation.  Every time I have to tell somebody to pick up socks.  I wish I could make it all slow down.

All I can do is remind myself of the amazing people they are about to become.  How I will be a spectator in their wonderful lives.

And if I'm really lucky, we might just have a few more wonderful adventures together.

New Moon: TUSAL time

Stitchers in the blogosphere are an amazing bunch.  I see photos of projects that I can only dream of doing someday.  They are gorgeous works of art.  Then there's TUSAL day.  The day we proudly show our garbage.  Here is mine:

TUSAL stands for "Totally Useless Stitch ALong" and is sponsored by Daffycat.  Each month, stitchers save up the orts (thread ends) from projects and take a picture.

This year I am saving my orts each month in a clear plastic ornament.  It's quite a colorful collection now, but I'm not sure if they will look interesting on a Christmas tree or not.  I might just empty them out at the end of the year and start over.  It is fun to see them lined up on my windowsill.  Some months were definitely more productive than others.  It's late now and I don't have good light, so I'll take a picture of the whole collection next month.

So behold my beautiful garbage!  If you're not a stitcher, I'll understand if you're shaking your head.

Caturday on a Quilt

Dumbledore the cat is very happy that we don't have hot weather again today. It's been in the mid-90s for the past few days and suddenly today the high was about 75.  What a difference!

I just finished this quilt, and the moment I set it down he had to go test its softness as a bed.  He slept there for most of the day.  I'll reveal the whole thing when Christmas comes around.  This one took me forever to do and I'm thrilled to finally have it crossed off my list.

The next projects on my list are all Halloween-related.  I had my first pumpkin-spice latte today and I'm ready to go!

Finished for Friday: Animal Advent 10

Here's the next in the series of free Advent Animals from Brooke's Books.  Isn't she cute?

As I make each one of these I decide that it's my favorite.  I just love everything about this one - her chair, her ball of yarn, her cute eyelashes.

It's been blistering hot here.  We're so used to mild weather that our house doesn't have air conditioning.  This is one of the few days I wish we did!  I can't fire up the iron and sew when it's this hot.  I'm looking forward to some cooler days next week.

I hope you're staying comfortable!  Is it Fall weather yet where you are?