Studio Facelift...part 1

When we first built my sewing studio I envisioned lots of shelves filled with sparkling supplies. What was I thinking!??! The end result was clutter. Every time I walked into the room I was stressed out about all of the stuff I could see on the shelves. Decorative boxes didn't help.

I told DH I needed cabinets. He was less than thrilled as he had just put up all those shelves. Not to mention the fact that cabinets are expensive. Still I whined about it as much as I could.

Fast forward a few years later...DH bought me one set of cabinets at a rummage sale. I immediately took down half of the shelves..and dragged the lower cabinets in myself. The upper cabinets found a nice place to live in storage on the other side of the basement  :(

Fast forward another year...we gutted our master bath (I'll post more about that at another time) and I immediately declared the bathroom cabinets MINE. I dragged them into my studio and removed the rest of the shelves.

Fast forward 6 months...we re-modeled our laundry room and once again I declared the cabinets MINE. This time they were upper cabinets. They moved into the basement storage with the 1st set of upper cabinets. sigh. I now had a complete set of cabinets, the problem was that half of them were in storage.

Every week I politely and nicely asked DH to hang the cabinets. Okay..maybe I did pester him about it. Non-stop.

Fast forward 6 more months....the upper cabinets...were still living in storage. I told DH that I wanted him to hang them for my birthday. Sooooo...FINALLY last week for my birthday, the cabinets got hung!!  Hooray!! Happy Birthday to me. And I got to help (okay it wasn't much fun..but I was willing to do just about anything to get those cabinets up.)

I'm still in the process of putting things away. I decided that since I had to clear off so much surface space inorder to hang the cabinets it was the perfect time to purge the room and get rid of stuff I'm just not going to use. There is a huge pile of stuff on my studio floor waiting to go to Goodwill, and I've already filled two trash bags, and two recycle bags.

Once my studio is put back together and camera ready I'll post photos for everyone. I have one photo I can share now...it's my stabilizer cabinet. Almost all of my embrodiery stabilizer fits in it. Horray!! Dust free and out of site. Just how I like it.

stabilizer goodness

Our summer projects

What a difference paint makes!!!

 It's 60 degrees out today. A little unusual for a WI November...but I'm not complaining. I thought it would be a great day to reflect upon the projects that we got done around our house this past summer.

Usually for our anniversary DH and I buy a tree or two and have them planted in our yard. This year we bought rocks. So romantic..I know. Try not to be jealous  ;)

Many days were spent putting down landscape fabric, and spreading rocks. It
was not fun. Talk about a work out, every muscle in my body ached. Ouchie.

Look real lights...not solar powered!

DH also wired in some lights, AND finally agreed with me about painting the front door! Bye bye ugly green paint. Then end result - gorgeous! We should have done this years ago.

Freshly painted front door. I love it.

The rocks look fantastic. DH promises they will stay in place over winter and we won't have to buy more each year like we did when we had mulch.

The front door is bright & inviting. It's no longer dark & scary. Okay maybe it was never scary..but it certainly was dark.






We also poured a concrete slab next to our garage..the perfect parking spot for our trailer. That's right the entire driveway will be clear this winter! That will make plowing sooo much easier. After all when you live in WI you have to plan for winter. 

Our house, with the freshly painted entrance and landscape lights installed.

Of course we already have a long list of projects planed for 2012...stay tuned for updates.

Birthday Ribbons

My niece just turned 3, and she loves headbands. So I decided to glam some up for her. While I was at it..I jazzed up some pony tail holders too. I have to admit they are soo cute I was tempted to make some for myself.





First I wrapped the ribbons around dowels and baked them in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 min.

The result is super fun boingy curly ribbons. 

 Zombies not included.

Next up - I cut the ribbons into 3 and 4 inch lengths. A few of them were 3 1/2 inches. I also cut up some flat ribbons and some ric rac to the same lengths. The variety in ribbons and ric rac lengths helped make the finished pom poms fuller and spikier.

Then I folded the ribbons in half (so they formed the letter V) and stitched them together at the bottom.  Some I sewed directly onto small pony tail holders...others I sewed onto a small piece of felt and then glued to the headbands. (I bought the headbands per-wrapped in ribbon. I was all about doing this project fast).

 This one is my favorite. I love the colors..and the bounciness of it.

I got extra creative and added a fabric flower and button to this headband.

The end result..fabulous headbands and pony tail holders. 

My niece is going to love them!

Dress Form Pin Cushions

I just LOVE these pin cushions!!! Big thanks to Kim & Kris from @TheDIYdish for this project. I had soo much fun making these, and they went together fairly quickly. 

My favorite part of the pin cushions are the accessories!! I used fun buttons that I had in my stash. Look how cute they turned out! Each one has it's own personality.

I also added little wire ribbon scarves to them (to hide the glue seam where the ornament attaches to the neck).

And yes, I'm actually keeping one of these pin cushions for myself. In fact it's gonna be hard to let the other three leave my studio.

If you make one be sure to watch the tutorial all the way through as Kim and Kris have some great construction tips for each step of the project.  Click here to watch episode. Happy sewing!

PS. Here's one more photo...this photo came out very vintage like so I had to share to it.  :)

TP Poem

For my day job, I work at a company who's initials & nickname is TP.  Friday was the one year anniversary of my co-worker Rachel. Over the past year we've become good friends, so I wanted to give her a little gift in celebration of her anniversary. I wanted the gift to be light, and fun. And if possible, filled with humor.

I decided on a poem. I would write a funny poem that rhymed. To make it even funnier I thought I would write it on a napkin like a bad 80's sitcom. When I told DH of my plans, he said 'No. You guys work at TP, it has to be written on toilet paper.'

 It's possible that I may have married a Genius.

So the TP poem was created. I used double sided sticky tape to mount the TP onto sparkly star scrapbook paper, and then I framed it.

The TP poem was a hit. Much laughter was had by all.  It was indeed the perfect gift.

Jelly Roll Confession

I've never bought a jelly roll before. I buy charm packs all the time, but jelly rolls....I've always passed them by.

Until now...I finally bought one!  (fan fare music). I bought Plume by Tula Pink.
 Look at it. All pretty in it's fancy little Moda ribbon

I don't even want to open it. It's just sooo pretty.

But I do.

And now it's even more glorious.

 Of course now I have to decide what to make with it. No worries, I've got lots of ideas rattling around in my head.  I'll let you all know what I come up with.  :)

NY NY Recap

Here's the NY recap I promised...in a nut shell NY was fun, but super super hot. Here is a photographic re-cap of the fun I had  :)

For a mere $24,999.99 I could have bought a Barbie Foosball table.

I thought this was the coolest cigarette butt holder I've ever seen.

I saw the Naked Cowboy. Rumor has it he just walks around NY playing that guitar and singing all day.

This was the door to a cosmetic's company. I thought it was ultra cool.

Radio City Music Hall!!! I saw Cirque Du Soleil Zarkarna. It was amazing!!!

mmmmmmm giant chocolate bunny. #nomnomnom

Finally got my crumbs cupcake. Delicious. I wont tell you how many I actually had. Who's counting calories???

Had some fun with a fake mustache.

Saw some famous artwork.

Meet a MUPPET!!!

ha ha ha ha OMG.

LEGO'S!!!

I could have spent ALL day in the Disney store.

NY NY at nite, from the Empire State Building.

NY NY at nite, from the Empire State Building.

NY NY at nite, from the Empire State Building.

NY NY at nite, from the Empire State Building.

I also went to Mood (sooo much fabric) and M&J Trimming (I could have spent ALL day in there too), as well as some bead stores. I stuck to my budget and did not buy out the stores (which was very hard at times)...so I'm proud of myself. I might not have bought a lot, but all in all the trip was a success and much fun was had  :)

Wide Awake Puppies

Lately my dogs have not been sleeping through the nite. I'm not sure if it's the current heatwave, or if they are upset that DH has been traveling so much or what their problem is. If only they could talk (sigh). Only then I might be afraid to hear their true thoughts on the low fat, high fiber, bland o bland organic food, diet they are on. But I digress.

After a week of little to no sleep, I told DH we had to do "something". So on Sunday "operation tire the dogs out" was commenced. We loaded them up into my car and drove to the pet store. We took every side street available, what should have been a 30 min ride turned into an hour and 30 min drive. DH and I talked about nothing and everything all at once. The dogs had a blast looking out the window and watching the world as it whizzed by.

  The long drive to the pet store reminded me of back when DH and I had first starting dating, back when gas was cheap. We used to ride around in his truck all the time. We never had a destination in mind, we did it just because. And we'd talk for hours. I loved it.  It was simple and it brought us closer together.

The dogs still didn't sleep thought the nite Sunday nite, but this time, instead of being upset about it, I'm looking forward to another long drive with them and Jeff.  Who knows...maybe we'll work this into our weekly routine. I'm sure the dogs won't complain ;)

Leavin On a Jet Plane

Leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again......

I'm going to NY!!!!!!!

That's right - fashion district here I come. I'm sew excited to visit all the fabric stores.  #1 item on my list....ZIPPERS!!!!  I can never have too many zippers. I like to use them to make flower pins, hair clips and other cool stuff with them.  And sometimes I actually use them in purses. Sometimes ;)

#2 on my list - CUPCAKES!!!! I've been wanting to try a gourmet cupcake (or 10) from Crumbs Bakery for a long time. I can't wait to have my first bite of delicious frosting. mmmmmmm.

I'm not bringing my laptop with me, so for up to the minute updates on all the NY excitement (and cupcake flavors) follow me on twitter @calicocalidsgns .

  I'll post a recap of my trip after I get back.  Have a great week everyone!!

- Kat  :)



Quilt block cupcakes

When I was in Paducah at the AQS Quilt show, I bought sewing themed chocolates as gifts for my friends back home that were not able to travel to the show.

sewing chocolate!!!!!

 I decided this was the cutest chocolate ever and that I had to buy the mold so I could make my own.
A quick google search helped me with that..and viola...I had the molds.

chocolate mold

 Which means...I can make sewing themed chocolate when ever I want!!  Yippiee!! Two things I love most...combined into a yummy treat. It doesn't get much better than that.

Last nite was my first time using the molds. I only made the quilt squares, but they came out perfectly...and I used them as toppers for the chocolate cupcakes that I made for tonight's embroidery club picnic.

#YUMMY.  I can't wait to share them with all my friends at embroidery club tonite.

- Kat  :)

French Fries and Fruit

I am not the healthiest of eaters. The fact that I just became Mayor of McDonalds on Foursquare proves this.

DH & I spent Sat with our niece and nephew. After a morning of swimming, sandbox digging and giggles, we told them we would take them to McDonalds for lunch. Both kids promptly responded with shouts of "EWWWWWWWW".

Wait, What? This is not the response DH & I expected. Don't they know their Auntie is MAYOR of McDonalds?? Nope. The kids wanted PB&J sandwiches with fruit.

Ummm fruit?????  Luckily I had diced pears in the fridge. Also being a lover of smores I always have graham crackers on hand. And I had recently made an apple pie & I had 2 left over apples (thank God for apple pie).

The kids enjoyed their PB&J's with side dishes of graham crackers, pears and apples. I made DH & I the same identical lunch. After all, if the kids weren't going to eat fatty, salty chips, then neither were we.  When DH was still hungry he had a 2nd sandwich rather than reaching for the chips like he normally would have done.

Looking back later that nite, I realized that I hadn't even missed the chips. Sorry Chips.

When I went grocery shopping yesterday I bought apple sauce instead of M&M's.

Hmmmmm. I think maybe this weekend the kids taught ME something. All I know for sure is that I'm really looking forward to pears and graham crackers with my lunch today.   :)

Work Photo Shoot

Just an impromptu photo shoot at work today. Yup. That's me.  Rockin my new Stormtrooper Sweatshirt. Just a normal Friday here.

Doggy Poem

 A co-worker sent me this poem today..and it touched my heart so I had to share it with you all. If you are looking for a dog to join your family, please consider adopting a dog from a rescue group or a local shelter. The dogs they have are just wonderful animals looking for a forever loving home.

The below poem was originally posted on http://rescuemedog.org/

I Rescued A Human Today by Janine Allen

Posted by Janine Allen at Monday, November 17th, 2008.

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn’t feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone’s life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.
I would promise to always be by her side.
I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven’t walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

http://rescuemedog.org/dog-blog/i-rescued-a-human-today-by-janine-allen/

Quilts, Lakes and Skee Ball

I recently spent the weekend in New Hampshire with my folks. It was glorious. We walked along the pier in Wiers Beach. They used to bring me here as a kid all the time and it's still one of my favorite places to visit (right on up there with Disney).

We went to the Keepsake Quilting annual tent sale, where I scored some beautiful fabric at only $3.99 a yd (and zero sales tax in NH!! Bonus!!) and some fun new patterns that I can't wait to stitch out. Dad said the lines move faster at Disney World.  But he was a trooper and waited paitently while Mom and I were in line for an hour.  Did I mention the great prices??? We had to shop.

I ate lunch at the lake....watching boats float by.  It was soo peacefull I wished I could eat lunch there everyday. And yes, I'm totally rockin those camo pants.

 And I played my best Skee Ball game ever and got my highest score to date...320!!  Just look at my smile. Between Mom & I we won 500 tickets, which bought me one mug, one small rubber ducky (yes it went right into my ducky bathroom) and two small dinosaurs (which I gave to my niece and newphew).

Skee Ball is my favorite game in the universe. And I may or may not be trying to convince DH to buy me a used, vintage Skee Ball game machine of my own.  My friends are concerned that if I actually get my own Skee Ball machine, that I'll never leave the house again. They could be right about that.

Till then I'll just keep an eye on ebay.