Ugg

Okay, so my partner in the Ugly Fabric Swap has rec'd her package so I can now share the awful with you!  They are not all the worst in the world, but I haven't used them and figured it is time to pass them on.  I get the feeling from her post that she hates them.  For that I am sorry but it's kind of the point.  I am confident she will find a way to work with them, though, as I have the yuck she sent me :)

 At first I thought the far left fabric wasn't too bad.  But, then trying to fit it together with anything else has been sort of a challenge.  She sent 3+ yards of that dark teal/black check so I knew I would really have to find a use for that in a big way.  I've decided the striped one is going to be the binding.  The white can't be used because it's too thin.  I'm using 2 yards of all the others though so I know I won't be breaking the rules.

 And, since I like to try new things and challenge myself I thought this would be the perfect time to try out triangles!  I've wanted to check those out for awhile so I bought a 60 degree template at Joann's and started cutting.  This is what I have so far:

 I'm thinking it's not that great of a picture, but you get the idea.  You can click on the picture to get a closer view.  I'm still in the staring at it phase so this is not totally concrete.  I was going for jewel tones and so far I like it.  I figure I can use it as a picnic blanket, not that I'm going on picnics all the time.  Something I don't care if it gets dirty.

And, the other thing I made this weekend was this little framed page.  The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is this weekend and I found those word things as a free download!  The dark red was also a free download.  So, now that's on my little table with my patriotic runner underneath.  Hey, two holidays for the price of one, right?  Memorial day (US)and the Jubilee (UK) :)  A coworker and I are planning to have a little tea party on Sunday to celebrate, it should be fun!

What's everyone else up to lately?  I know I made a half-hearted effort to bring back Weight Loss Wednesday and I'm still thinking that's a good idea.  So far, no weight lost - see why it's a good idea?  LOL  I have been going to zumba at the Y here in town, it's been fun!  I know I look like a total white girl trying to dance so I'm sure it's a laugh for others there too.  I'm going to maybe be brave and go to a water aerobics class......although the thought of being in a swimsuit in public is a little horrifying.  But, I do love to be in the water so I might just get over myself.  This weekend is supposed to be nice and warm so I'm hoping to ride my bike as well.

A Case of the Uglies

Not sure if I mentioned that I am participating in a quilting challenge.  It's the In the Bag Ugly Fabric Quilt Challenge.  I received my fabric over the weekend.  Honestly I don't think it's too awful.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  I sent my fabric out today, I'm a little late but have been preoccupied!  I don't know what my partner will think about what I sent her.  I'll post pics when I know she's gotten it.  I don't think it's particularly ugly per se, but definitely not anything I would ever use.  So, better to pass it on :)
So, now to think about what sort of pattern to use.  The rules are that we have to use 90% of what is sent to us.  That top white printed fabric is really really thin and there is like 2-3 yards of the checked fabric so I might be able to get away without using the white one at all.  I was thinking like pinwheels or maybe triangles?  Still thinking on this one.
So the big new is that my Mom retired!  She is adjusting quite nicely!  Last weekend was a party for her retirement so I drove down for that.  It was fun.  The best part was seeing her with her friends, in her element and having fun with everyone.  Laughter was abundant, along with great food and conversation.  The whole thing was just great!
The weekend before that was a scrapbooking weekend so I really feel like I haven't sewn anything in ages!  Yikes!  I'd better get busy.  Good thing it's a 3 day weekend :)

British invasion

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I have a serious crush on England.  Everything about it, the accents, the spelling of words, just everything.  Course I've never been there, but still (!).  Today I received my package for the Wild Olive Stitch Swap, and it was from England!  Yikes.  Could I be more excited?  nope.  The stamp on the outside was even cool.
It's from Elsie and I love,love, love it! Look at those tiny stitches on the lettering! And I had asked for something with toadstools, so it's perfect! And the ribbon. Oh man don't even get me started!  There was  a really nice letter enclosed explaining her inspiration.  The package even smelled nice.

a swap and some bread

I have a couple fun things to share today.  First off, I signed up for a swap on Swap-bot that was a whimsical fat quarter and something handmade out of whimsical fabric based on our partners profile.  I checked my recipient's profile and was a little stumped at first on what kind of colors, themes, etc that I should go with.  I finally noticed that she put that she likes owls, so that's the theme I went with!  I'm still digging mug rugs, so thought I might try a little applique.  I'm happy with how it turned out, and best part is that she really liked it too! 

back view:

I just did a meandering swirly quilty pattern - I imagined that those were they "flying lines" of the owl before it landed on the mug rug. Hee, hee :)  And it also kind of mimicked the lines from the fabric I used on the back, which is an Alexander Henry print that I love!
The other fun thing is that I tried a new recipe for pumpkin bread and it turned out fabulously!  I have been finding all kinds of cool stuff to try on Pinterest, which is a website where you can browse all sorts of images that also have a link to a website that might have a tutorial and such.  I was right about to sign out the other night when I saw this loaf of beautiful bread, I clicked on it and it had a link to a recipe for pumpkin cream cheese bread.  Oh man!  Amanda, from the blog Modern Marigold, had posted a "pin-did challenge" for people to actually do the things that they pin.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out and I'm so glad I did because it turned out sooooooo good. 


That lighter area in the middle is a ripple of cream cheese! yum. I will definitely be trying this again!
In other news, I did not finish the book that I was sure I was going to finishe this weekend, The Mercy by Beverly Lewis.  I really, really wanted to keep reading -but- I thought that this week was book club and I had not read my chapters yet!  So, I buckled down and read to chapter 8.5 in that even though I'm pretty sure we were supposed to get to 11 (?), then I checked the church website in search of a phone # to confirm that book club was indeed tonight and it said November 1st.  Whooo!  :)  So, I still have time to catch up.  Good thing.  This weekend is the scrapbook retreat and I'll bring it along because sometimes my brain just needs a break from scrapbooking!

mermaid dreams

I had the most stressful dream this morning!  I dreamt that I was on a show kinda like Project Runway where I was competing with a room full of other people to design a skirt.  The thing is that all the skirts had to be a mermaid tail!  We were going to be judged on creativity and also the drape of the skirt and how flattering it would look.  The catch was that we had to wear the skirt ourselves.  Everyone else was super thin and making their skirts really low at the waistline, and I am very much not thin so I was like maybe I'll stand out because mine won't be the same as the others?  I had decided on a side zipper but then was fretting about it because I really have never made an invisible zipper before.  The fun part was picking out the fabrics (of course!) which we got to go to a humongous room full of fabulous beautiful fabrics.  I was picking glittery and all different shades of green and shimmery.  The base fabric I picked a cotton and was going to layer circles of the fabulous fabric to make it look like scales.  I was overhearing one lady next to me who had for some reason picked a graphic print for her base fabric and was asking someone else if the lines showed through and the person wasn't answering her so I butted in and said it did.  The end (I guess I woke up after this part) was figuring out how I wanted the bottom to be because I had to walk in it and was worried about my shoes showing and that taking away from the whole mermaid effect.  Also, I wanted it to be longer in the back with the fins.......
It is 2:46pm and I am still trying to think of how I would finish this skirt!  A make believe, dream skirt!  I guess there are worse things to be worrying about, right? lol.  I was trying to think of where in the world I came up with this dream?!?  I realized after I finished the book I was reading "Peter and the Starcatchers" which has mermaids in it that that must be where the mermaid thing came from.  And I was sewing last night, a new quilt though so not sure where the skirt came from?  Who knows!
Okay, so I was waiting to show this pic until the recipient received it!  I participated in a Spring potholder swap on Swap-bot.  This is what I sent out:

Back view:

I like the way it turned out, the gal that received said she likes it too, and that's what counts!  I did hand stitch the binding on the back, and I know I am nit-picky but I don't really love the way it sort of looks twisty.  Eh.  And, I think on future potholders I might make them a smidge smaller.

June the model

I think I mentioned that my Mom sent June this adorable neckerchief??? Well, here she is modeling it, she loves it! Here's an up close of the fabric, I love it!

And, then June was pretty much done with showing off her new duds!

So, I participated in a swap on Swap-Bot that was an amigurumi swap. We were to make any kind of ami and send it to our partner with a list of their "favorites". This is what I sent out, I hope my partner likes it!

Here's a close up of her little face! I think she turned out cute.

Here's what I received:

I totally squealed when I opened the box! This bear is stinkin' cute!!!! I haven't named her yet, it needs to be something earthy but cute. I love the little poof on the top of her head! And the little card with her favorites is so creative! Love.
So, last Friday I think? I made this wreath for the front door. It was so easy to make! I am totally digging wrapping wreaths in yarn and then decorating them, pretty much like the last 3 wreaths I've made that way. It's kind of a pain in the rumpus to wrap the wreath, your arm starts to get tired. But, the finished look I love.
So, here's what I'm wondering - do you ever have so many ideas in your head that you can't even stand it???  That's kind of what I've been feeling of late.  I have like 3 quilt ideas and a bunch of wreaths and table runners and and and and.  I'm so glad it's the weekend and I can work on some of them!

Oh, yeah!  This past Wednesday night I went to a concert, actually here in town!  10th Avenue North, Addison Road, and Matt Maher played in town.  It was a great concert and super fun!  We bought our tickets, all us bible study ladies like 3 months ago to get the group discount and we had the whole front row!!  I was totally cracking up the whole time because like maybe 4 rows back was this group of teenage girls who were screaming and going crazy when 10th Ave N was on stage, and I was thinking how much they would have just loved to be front row!  The message from all the bands was great, so real and applicable and funny too.  The lead singer of Addison Road was so stinkin cute!  She was wearing a cute dress with boots, I think it's great when ppl can pull that look off!  She also has a blog which I've added to my link list because I just loved reading it.  Her husband is the guitarist in the band and they have a little girl who they take out on the road with them, and her blog posts are just so honest!  All of the bands were fab, and our little town is lucky that they came to sing to us!

Laying it out

This is what I came home to on Thursday after the looooongest week of the world:

I participated in the "Happy Un-birthday" swap on Swap-bot, which we listed 10 things that we would like to receive and our partner sent us 3 things from the list. My partner, as you can clearly see, went totally overboard!!!! I asked for gnome fabric because so far in the town I live I cannot find even one scrap anywhere! I have no idea what I'm going to do yet, but I love this idea here with putting the gnome in the doorway of a wonky house. I lovety love it! I didn't think to get a picture of what I sent out, I was too much in a hurry to get to the post office!
So, I mentioned that I was getting ready to start another quilt, and I have done just that. I started on Thursday after spin class, cutting out rectangles. This is what I have so far:

I don't completely love it yet. In the center area I am trying not to be too fussy about how to arrange the colors, but frankly it's kind of freaking me out. I had another couple of prints in there with like a general white backround, but then I started counting how many of each color and putting them in an order. But, I want the main colors to be red and turquoise so I took out those squares and added more red and turquoise. My general ispiration is from the Moda Bake Shop cherry and blossom table topper. Thing is that I'm trying to use what I have in my stash, so I'm subbing strawberries for cherries. And, the original pattern was just a table topper so I'm obviously making mine a lot bigger. I'm on the fence about whether I want to add the appliqued flowers to all the middle squares. I kind of feel like it will become overwhelming, yes? Maybe I'll just randomly add some??? I don't even know yet. I have a super long weekend, the doctors I work for generously gave us Tuesday off as well, which was a surprise - found that out on Thursday. I'm happy to have another day to sleep in :)

crochet fun

Can I please tell you that I went to spin class tonight after taking like over a week off, and it felt so GOOD! I can tell the difference in my body with the weight loss as I'm spinning, I know that sounds funny, but good stuff.
And so I had a fun package waiting for me in the mailbox, which I love! I participated in a crocheted matroyska doll swap on Swap-bot. It was pretty fun, I like to crochet amigurumis so it was easy and fun to embellish the doll. So, here's what I sent out:
It took awhile to embroider all the felt flowers on her, and I put buttons in the middle of each flower. I am thinking now that I should have added some ribbon around her neck. I was on the fence about it while I was embellishing and I had the cutest embroidered ribbon, oh well. I couldn't just send a lonely doll so I added the hot chocolate and book marker :)
And this is what I received today! Isn't she cute? This one turned out a little bigger than mine, could be the yarn used?
As soon as I opened the package I put her right in the kitchen with my other amis! She came all the way from Finland :)

B square trial run

I did a test square out of some scrap fabrics to test out a pinwheel square for the vintage sheet quilting bee. It is sooo not perfect and I'm pretty much intimidated to send it. I've seen everyone else's squares so far and they are all perfect. The corners line up perfectly and frankly I just am not sure I'm going to be able to cut the mustard. I hope everyone doesn't receive my squares and think they are retarded. I'm sorry, I know that's not a PC term but I still love to say it. Sorry. But still, it's a fun word.

so, there it is. I am going to work on the real thing this weekend so I can get it out in the mail. I hope she doesn't just throw it in the trash.

On a happier note, I received a swap package in the mail yesterday and it was all super fun stuff! It was on Swap-bot, a swap called "Pick 5, Newbies Welcome". There was a list of all kinds of things we could send out and we needed to pick 5 things off the list and mail it out. My package came from Sarah, in England. I really enjoyed everything in the package. The cards are really nice, the ones with purple are fuzzy.
I sent my package out today but I won't post the pic until she gets it even though I'm pretty sure she won't be checking my blog. But, just in case I don't want to ruin the surprise.
So, BTW I am planning a baby shower for my friend Kristin, who is due in July. I'm hoping to have it towards the end of June, so I'm starting to think about how I want to do the invites and stuff. She's not finding out the sex of the baby so I need to go with a neutral theme, I was thinking Curious George since that is what she'll be decorating the baby's room in. I was also thinking cupcakes might be fun?

Alice wreath and Finland

Okay, so I'm sort of cringing a little to share this one - although I'm not sure why because by now it's pretty obvious I'm a dork! So, on One Pretty Thing the other day I came across this wreath for Alice in Wonderland, by Lark and Lola, and thought how cute! Since Jan, Robbie and I were going to see the movie this weekend I figured it'd be perfect to make one of my own! so I did, and here it is. I used a heart shaped base wreath, and my banners came out sort of huge. I was sort of in that mood where I just wanted to get it DONE so I didn't fuss with it. I really liked the font that Lark and Lola used way better but I made do with my trusty Cricut and Storybook cartridge. I do really like the way it turned out :) BTW I loved the movie, the world that Tim Burton created is magnificent.

And so yesterday I sent out 5 packages for different swaps and while I was at the post office I picked up a package from Finland. Can I please tell you how fun it is to get a package from another country!!!!! Seriously, I loooove getting packages anyways, and the novelty factor of an international one is off the charts! And I opened it in the car, just couldn't even wait to get home! Love, love, love. For a number of reasons. First her handwriting was so cute, tiny and unmistakenly foreign. Inside she had included a head scarf called a "calorimetry" which I had never heard of, but seriously it is beautiful, 3 skeins of wool yarn, her favorite knitting pattern, and a story of how she had learned how to knit, and her Ravelry moniker. I guess I loved it so much because it's so nice to have a crafty kindred spirit to connect with. I know that gets said a lot, but really I can't even express how great that is. I'm not knocking my friends that are here but it's nice to talk (sort of) to someone who knows exactly what I'm talking about. Just cool.

cables, hot pads and swaps

I decided that 2010 is the year I will just be getting over certain "stuff", big and small. One of the things is my intimidation of certain knitting stitches. I have tried a few things in the past, but since I learned to knit from a book, some things just don't make sense until I've looked at it, or watched someone else do it. I finally worked up the patience to tackle cables. Yes, yes....everyone says how easy they are.....I'm not sure I completely agree yet. I still don't understand which way (CF or CB) makes the direction of the cable - so I did have to take my stitches out a couple times, and loosen up my tension a teensy bit so that when I was crossing the stitches it wasn't just slipping right off the needle. So - ta-da! Here are the first two specimens I've created with cables - cute little owls. I think I will turn them into pins. The edges curled up quite a bit so I ironed them and then sewed some felt onto the back. I found the pattern here.

Previously in my kitchen I have had pot holders all made by my Mom. And I've loved them! But, today I can say that I've made my very own pot holder for my kitchen!!!! I have to admit it came out a little wonky - the edges a little rippled. But, I love them! I found the idea here. Mom gave me the fabric a while ago and has been in my stash. The backing is Holly Hobbie!!!!! Oh how I love it so! Seriously I've been racking my brain trying to think of some reason to use that fabric! I still have TON left so I will have to come up with something else as well.

.

In swapping news, I sent out three packages yesterday. All of them for vintage FQ sheet swaps. One of them is being hosted by Jennifer at Rosey Little Things, the other is on Swap-bot.

I have to say something, and I was really trying not to be a brat about something, but frankly I just can't help it. So, I've been doing a few swaps, not a ton. The things I sent out I try to make something I would in turn want to receive. On the other hand, I'm wondering what some people think when they send stuff out??? I received a package yesterday and I was so excited. I opened it, and first of all the item was stained, there were yellow blotches. I was hoping it wasn't some sort of bodily fluid! And it was dirty. Like dirt dirty. I didn't wipe it because I was unsure what it could have on it. So sad.

You say it's your birthday ba na na na na na

Yesterday I came home to two fabulous surprises! One was a birthday card from my Mom with a gift certificate for Joann's and also one for Michael's. The other was a swap package from Holland! How fun!!! This is another FQ sheet swap, love the sheets and especially love the card she enclosed.

Nothing much new, I just had lunch with some friends for my bday. I took the day off work so I could sleep in :) It's nice just to not have anything to HAVE to do today!

Cookies, swap and fun!

Okay, so over the weekend I made two big batches of persimmon cookies, and they turned out great! When I was in elementary school I had a friend named Wendy who was from Alaska and lived with her Grandmother and one time when I was over at her house her Grandmother served persimmon cookies. They must have been really delicious because I have remembered alllllll this time how much I loved them and wanted to make my own. So, a couple weekends ago while I was visiting my mom I found some almost ripe persimmons at the store and bought like 8 lbs of them! I will say that persimmons take a loooong time to reach the perfect ripeness. It's worth the wait though because these cookies are the bomb diggity! I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, it's a good resource. I did not, however add raisins, just walnuts and I liked the flavor with those.

And swoon! Friday I trekked to a teeny little outlying town to check out the quilt store and found this fabric that I absolutely had to have a 1/2 yard even though frankly I have no idea what I'm going to do with it! and let me tell you part of the fun was that the bolt was wound around not merely plain cardboard like normal bolts of fabric but metallic gold! It just looked so pretty! And whimsical. and fun.

And next up is another swap I participated in on Swap-bot, "Bakers Dozen Ribbon Swap." the first picture is what I received which was from Jeanne, a very generous package of fun ribbon!

this second picture is the package that I sent out to Katie, I had fun putting it all together. Katie had mentioned in her profile that she scrapbooks, so I just put in a few little brads that she might could use with the ribbons. I like to do that with some of my scrapbook pages.

fabric and swaps

This past weekend I drove down to visit my Mom. She had asked me to come down to help her get a little organized in her sewing room. We had so much fun on Saturday avoiding getting down to work, let me tell ya! We went to a couple thrift stores and a yard sale. I was specifically looking for vintage sheets, so I was super pleased to find a few at "Thrifty Bargain" which is a giant sorta grody thrift store. And, everything was 30% off!
So, when I left town it was SNOWING! ugh. By the time I got past the California border a little ways there was no more snow, but Mt. Shasta was in a cloud cover. On the drive back, this was the view! Absolutely beautiful! I had to stop along the way to get this pic because it was just so clear and gorgeous.

The other pretty landmark along the way is Castle Cragg. It just jumps out at a couple points along the way and is beautiful. This one is a little trickier to get a pic b/c it's on the side of the highway and there's not really anywhere to safely pull over to get a pic. So, honestly this picture does not do it justice, but you get the idea anyways :)
Also, can I please tell you that when I left Chico it was 68 degrees (!) and when I got home it was 34 (double !!). Pretty much that is not coooool. Brrrrr dude.
Okay, so we did get down to business and got all the Christmas fabric folded, sorted by color (I can't help it!) and drawers labeled. It was great! So, one genre done. My Mom's sewing room is seriously like a giant store, she has every type you could ever want! I brought home a box which is a generous mix of vintage, solids and Christmas prints! Also, we dug out some flannel to back my quilt! bonus! I'm looking forward to finishing up the quilt and now it will be totally cozy too!

So, I'm going to go ahead and post the pics of the "vintage sheets as fabric" swap that I participated in on Swap-Bot. We each had two people to send a package to, the requirements were to send two fat quarters of vintage sheets. One of the ladies that I sent to I think hasn't received hers yet because it was going all the way to Canada, so I'm not going to put a pic up yet. (just in case?)

These two pics are of the first one that I received, I liked everything in the package.

And then this was the second package, from Jane, all totally cute as well! She also included a little piece of a moo-moo she was making a quilt out of.This is the "scrapbook supplies surprise" package that I received. In an earlier post I had posted a pic of what I sent to my partner. But I guess it wasn't really a partner per se since I sent to someone different than who I received from.This is the first package that I had sent out to Adaiha. She had put in her likes that she liked olive and lime green so I tried to pick sheets that sorta matched that. I included a handmade card. I really hope she can use everything!

mish mash of weekend stuff

I tried out one of these journal covers, not sure that I completely followed the directions (what's new?) but I think it turned out well anyway. I didn't really pay attention while I was sewing that the lining fabric was sewed upside down. But I figured that was just fine since it is on the inside. So the fabric on the outside I found at the thrift store, and loved it. I decided to use it for this project because I wasn't actually covering a journal but rather a composition book that I use as my idea book. And, I felt like the print was sort of creatively ispiring. The inside is part of a vintage sheet. I love the pen holder!

At the office I work at we have two Debbies. One we call Little Debbie because she is short and the other Big Debbie because she is tall. I prefer to call Big Debbie, Tall Debbie because she is quite thin and Tall Deb fits her better. Anyways, Little Debbie brought me a huge bag of apples on Thursday from her apple tree! Today I peeled and cut them all up. I put two big ziplocs in the freezer with enough apples for two pies. I'm deciding whether or not I'd like to make apple sauce or apple pie with the other ginormous bag?

Next up today I am going to bake some cookies for Jan's girls night! Ya-hoo! I have a recipe that takes boxed cake mix and makes cookies. So, I'm doing German chocolate and I think I might even frost them! mmmm good.

Tomorrow there is a scrapbooking crop! I'm looking forward to making my Thanksgiving page to put in the frame that I change out. I put out most of my Thanksgiving decorations, but don't really have too many places to put things in this other house so can't use them all. I'm trying to think up what I can make to put a display together on the little shelves above the stove.

Oh yeah, and I also got my swap packages sent out yesterday for the vintage sheets as fabric swap I participated in. I'm not going to post pics yet though until they've gotten them. I didn't think anyone actually read my blog except Jennifer, but apparently for the scrapbook supply swap my partner got a sneak peek! Which is totally fine, but it may have ruined the surprise?

wlw and a swap

Okay, so weight loss Wednesday update first: I have technically lost weight because I gave blood tonight - don't know how much that is (?) but I'm counting it! Last weekend we ate so much that frankly I'm surprised I didn't gain like 10lbs. So, I was so nervous like all day about donating blood because I am absolutely the biggest wuss on the planet and hate needles! Hate them. Boo to needles. But, I actually did really good this time, did not turn green, feel kinda normal :) So, next time should be way easier, right?

Yesterday was the deadline to send off the swap that I participated in on swap-bot. My partner mentioned that she has a little girl so I had fun finding girly stuff. We were supposed to send 5 unopened packages and I think it should have been something that we already had in our scrapbooking stash. Since I am always eager to use whatever I buy right away I didn't not have anything brand new, so had to shop for everything. I did what I've done on every other swap I've done, I picked all stuff that I would like to receive. I hope she likes everything! I hope it doesn't take forever for the package to get to her, mail in these parts is super slooooow. Here's what I sent:

I'm fairly sure that she won't be looking at my blog, so hopefully this pic will not ruin any surprises!

giggling is good

Can I please tell you that I laughed so hard this weekend?! It was fabulous and much needed! So, every year a group of ladies I used to work with and I drive up to Bend to visit with another former coworker and friend. We usually go up in the Spring, but on this last trip we all agreed that once a year was just not really as frequent enough as any of us would like to visit Jodi and laugh our faces off! So, Sherry organized a girls weekend here this past weekend. She provided the place and the rest of us all divied up meals and such. We played games, watched movies, caught up and laughed until our sides and faces hurt :) It was great.

I have been assigned my first partners for the swaps I signed up for on Swap-bot and frankly I'm really excited to get my packages together to send out! One of them needs to be mailed by Tuesday so I need to get busy! I have a good idea of a few things I'm thinking of sending. I'll post pics once I have it all together.

wlw and retreat update

Okay, so last weekend the retreat was totally awesome!!! It was so, so good to spend some time just hanging out and scrappin' with Jan and the other ladies. There were these two ladies that had driven from a small town that's like 2 hours away and they were totally hilarious, and mixed with Jan's humour I was laughing all weekend. As predicted, though, I did gain weight! I think mostly because scrapbooking is so sedentary. I did also take my crochet project that I was working on, and finished it up Sunday night when I could not get to sleep. All weekend we were staying up until like 2 in the morning, and unfortunately I am still stuck in the staying up waaay to late cycle! So, these pics I took on the drive back of the brilliant contrast the Fall foliage! So much more beautiful in person, but you get the idea.

So, this little bear was inspired by Ana Paula Rimoli's blog and I have her book "Amigurumi World" which has the pattern for the basic bear. I saw her post where she had made her little bear a little Halloween costume and was like: I have to make one! But, as I think I've mentioned before I am cheap and so therefore did not want to pay for a pattern or ready made costume since I figured I could figure one out! Hers is admittedly way more professional looking. He just cracks me up! I've been keeping him on my desk at work to cheer me up :) I'm planning other little outfits for each season. I know, dorky!

In other news, I joined Swap-Bot. I was thinking I might enjoy swapping some more, and stumbled upon it. I'm glad I did, I've joined 3 swaps so far. I am going to do a Christmas card swap, a scrapbooking swap and a vintage sheet fat quarter swap. I had really wanted to join Jennifer's vintage sheet swap but at the time did not have enough variety to swap! I've gotten a little more stashed so I feel comfortable enough to participate.