Sunday, May 27, 2012

Quote for the day...

QUOTE OF THE DAY: There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. ~Sophia Loren~ I'm still on vacation in Las Vegas... Having a great time with hubby. Thanks for stopping by :) Ciao for now. J :)

Friday, May 25, 2012

And we are off!

Hubby and I have been together for over ten years now... but this weekend we celebrate our 10th Anniversary! So we are off to Las Vegas! How sweet is this :)

In the meantime, I found this fantastic blog with links to different sites with a little bit of this and a little bit of that... from February 2010!

So this is what I found...from http://jojoebi.blogspot.com/2010/02/fabric-swap-100-fat-quarter-tutorials.html


Fabric Swap - 100+ fat quarter tutorials....


"Let me tell you, there are a squillion or more tutorials out there and I could have spent months finding even more for you! I admit I didn't check exactly how much fabric you needed for all these projects but I am pretty sure that you can make them all with one or two fat quarters, less for a lot of them. And don't be blaming me if you spend hours sucked into lots of 'new to you' blogs - some of them are hard to escape from, you have been warned! Many of these blogs have lots of other tutorials to offer so take a look around.
If you have any tutorials of your own that you would like to add to the list, add a comment with a link to it, cheers, I'll add this list to the tutorials page so you can easily find it again, there are a number of these tutorials I have already tried and now there are quite a number on my to do list..." :o)

***jojoebi's edit - I made this list over two years ago, some of the links may not be still active or the owners have changed the permissions on their site, if and when i have some free time I will try and go through and update it***

Various book covers
reversible notebook Kirin notebook
moleskin cover at Keyka Lou Patterns
paperback cover by mairuru
passport cover at zakka zakka
journal cover from Bloom simple book cover by craftzine

For The Kids
baby soft book of colours at homegrown happy
fabric mobile at Sew Mama Sew
bunny pillow by missy ballance
basic bib at Nested
burp clothes at A Chelsea Morning
vintage skittles by London Mummy
travelling art kit at by little hands
robot tooth pillow by goody goody
crinkle square toy by joy shope
counting bean bags by chez beeper babe
petite back pack by sew to speak
super hero head band by curly pops
kids travel pillow by maya*made

Softies
Molly monkey by mmmcrafts
lucy goosey by the long thread
alpaca by shishigirl
duck billed platypus at craftbits
scottie dog by allsorts
fabric lamb by patternbee
plush hedgehog at threadbanger
patchwork scottie dog by Denyse Schmit
bunny plush doll by a beautiful mess
kokeshi stuffie by Melly and Me
whale softie by small dream factory
RevoluzZzionary monster at revoluzZza
pointy kitty by wee wonderfuls


For The Home
Oven mitt by Design Sponge
napkins by windy hill designs
criss cross coasters by allsorts
napkins and pouch set by angharad
quilted tea cosy at messy jesse crafts
Trim Box by All Buttoned Up
patchwork floor mat by sew mama sew
peek-a-boo lampshade by pretty ditty
9 patch door stop by Oh franson
quilted hot pad at Sew Mama Sew
embroidery hoop ceiling art at tiny decor
mail sorter at bright and blithe
scappy hot pad at My Byrd House
appliqued coaster at fat orange cat
reversible rik-rak napkin at film in the fridge
Snap box by my little mochi
table runner by Crafts By Abby
sewing supply case at craftster
simple table runner by Fabric, Paper Thread
reversible appliance cover at sew mama sew
collapsible storage basket at sew 4 home
cushion cover with invisable zipper by kirin notebook
cozy bed warmers by make it do
place mats by reprodepot

Wearables
Eddie Cap by Mushroom Villages
summer slippers by lady harvatine
fat quarter baby skirt by wink designs
baby shoes by stardust shoes
kids belt at elsie marley
ellie tie on slippers at cut out and keep
Japanese owl brooch by jojoebi
winter muff at burda style
DIY nursing cover at prudentbaby
kids sized chef hat at curlypops
revisable sun hat at craftzine

Bags, Purses and Pouches
little boxy pouch by three bears
envelope purse by maya*made
tote bag by cicada daydream
dresden petal handbag by jemima bean
boxy pouch with strap at Dragoknit
Pouch with centre zip at London Mummy
pen pouch by never enough hours
fat quarter purse by we wilsons
string quilt pouch by mairuru
poochie bag by happy zombie
zippered pouch by twelve 22
fat quarter purse by goody-goody
draw string bag by skip to my lou
heart shaped pouch by purlbee
flat bottomed zipped pouch by pin and paper
flat and puffy coin purse by cotton and cloud
Everyday glam bag by u-handblog

Cases
eye glasses case by cottage industires
car CD holder at puking pastilles
fabric envelopes at design*sponge
knitting needle roll by grumperian

other cute zakka tutorials
tissue cover by stardust shoes
festive bunting by stitch.rip.repeat
fabric tomatoes at moda bakeshop
teacup pin cushion by mmmcrafts
camera strap cover by tidy mom
pinwheel pin cushion by pompom rouge
teacup flowers by the object project
fabric luggage tags at skip to my lou
hot frog by myrtle and eunice
tea wallet at is it nap time yet?
neck cooler from the small object

For The Pets
doggy poop bag holder by the b-line
doggy/kitty bed by pretty little things

Hope you find a  project or two to do... I'll be in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, so I'll catch up with you after the weekend. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Ciao for now :)

J :)

Monday, May 21, 2012

Creativeness

Work gets in the way of Bogging... It sure does! I have been among the missing and have been teased for my lack of posts of late... So to that end I am going to work at posting at least once a week. I'm also going to try to find fellow bloggers with inspirational creative thoughts to share with you. If you see one, please feel free to shot me an email about it. To this end I saw the great post today that I had to share... 7 WAYS TO BE MORE CREATIVE IN 7 DAYS. Posted May 21st, 2012 As a creative professional, people often ask me how they can be more creative. I even regularly find myself wondering the same thing, because even creativity experts can grow and improve. So how do you become more creative? Here are seven ways you can start today and see results within seven days. 1. Be curious When he was alive, Albert Einstein proclaimed that he had no special talents, that he was “only passionately curious.” Curiosity is by far one of the most important aspects of growing creatively. If you aren’t curious, you’re missing opportunities to fix what’s not broken, to see what others are overlooking, and to see connections that nobody else has made. 2. Watch your time We all have certain times of the day when we’re most productive. For some, early morning is when they feel energized and ready to dive into work, for other people it’s late at night. Whenever you are most productive is the ideal time to work on solving problems or working on projects, so start to track when you’re feeling most productive. Doing so allows you to hold off on ideation until your perfect time. 3. Challenge yourself daily It’s easy to get into a routine these days. Many of us wake up, head to school or work, do what we’re told to do, then end up watching TV or some other menial task. If you haven’t heard: your brain is a muscle. The more you challenge your thinking daily, the more creative connections will build in your brain. Michael Michalko has a great list of creative experiments you can use to challenge yourself daily. 4. Be adventurous Your experiences every day impact how your brain formulates ideas. Give yourself new experiences – ones that scare and challenge you at least a little – and you’re essentially giving yourself fuel for creativity. When you experience something new, your brain stores everything from the experience for connecting later on. As Steve Jobs once explained: “creativity is just connecting things.” 5. Give up on perfection Many of us are taught to pursue perfection, but that’s a wall for creativity. If you’re always seeking out one specific outcome to a problem or situation, you’re likely to overlook the millions of other functional solutions. It’s a hard habit to break, but giving up perfection is a great way to open yourself up to new ideas. 6. Listen to other’s ideas If you make an effort to hear somebody else’s thoughts or ideas at least once a day, you’re guaranteed to find some insight. This goes back to point 4 above: by exposing yourself to ideas that you otherwise may not have, you’re giving your brain fuel for connecting ideas down the road. Who knows, maybe you’ll hear something one day that changes your entire future. 7. Find time to relax Hustling is important if you want to be a creative success. You have to work hard and be diligent in coming up with ideas. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a break at least once in a while. The important thing is to identify when and how much of a break to take. This is a personal preference that you’ll have to spend a few days getting right, but once you find the right mix of working hard and giving your brain a break, you’re bound for creative greatness. Thanks for stopping by! Ciao for now! J :)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day... I hope you are having a wonderful day today :) A Facebook friend said it very well... To all the Mother's, Step-Mother's, and Stand-in Mother's... Happy Mother's Day! So it is off to my mom's for brunch and back home to try to finish a gift quilt for a special little girl... Thank you for stopping by :) Ciao for now! J :)

Friday, May 11, 2012

Lindsay & Drew: A-Frame Pup Tents

Lindsay & Drew: A-Frame Pup Tents I saw these pup tents over on Pinterest the other day and fell in love. Now if I can only get hubby to make a few... They would be great for the grandkids to camp out in the living room when they visit or even in their room.

Yes, they do have a bedroom of their own here. It is called the "Kids" room as the parents (our kids) have used it, my daughter has used it for a while, and the grand kids always sleep in there. We got a bunk bed from Ikea a year ago. I figured that the older one had reached the age of sleeping in his own space and could sleep on the top bunk. It has worked out like a charm.

Tonight I was at Finish Up Friday and we where missing some of our friends... I do hope that Ms G, Ms T, and Dr. M are all doing well. You where missed.

Off to bed as I am tired from a long week.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go check out the Pup Tents, they are adorable!

Ciao for now!

J :)

Monday, May 7, 2012

Little Bird School of Stitchcraft: Finger Knitting

Yes, I have been among the missing once again. I am still working, that takes up about 40 plus hours of the week, I am also driving back and forth, so add another 5 - 6 hours a week. I am missing out on a lot of what I did while I was looking for work. Blogging being one of them. But I have not forgotten you all!!!


I have been online looking for inspiration for some challenges that I have coming up in the very near future. Been working very hard a few other quilts. And been checking out other bloggers...


But while being among the missing I have found some fantastic crafts to do with the little ones when they come to visit. One of them is from Niddy Noddy at the Little Bird School of Stitchcraft blog and her Finger Knitting tutorial. 
As she says "Finger knitting is a really good way of getting children interested in wool crafts, and it is very easy to learn.  It also helps to improve a child’s dexterity and ability to concentrate.  No extra implements are required,  just fingers, the best tools in the world!  I often carry balls of yarn in my bag to pass the time in the doctors surgery or similar.Finger knitting produces a long thin strip of stocking stitch and there are many things you can do with these strips.  In this tutorial, which is suitable for children, I will show you how to finger knit.  You can use any weight of yarn for finger knitting but for this tutorial I used chunky which produces a nice stocking stitch."
I think I will have to try this with Miss E and Master M next time they come to visit.

Thanks for stopping by to say hi :) and check on me :) Ciao for now!

J :)