Bad, Bad, Blogger....

I am so not able to post all the time. Well, truthfully, I have the time but sometimes I wonder if anyone will really care what I have to say :)

Lots has been brewing over the last two months since I've written. We've worked at rallying around my mom after my father's death. I worry about her and she spent a good two months really trying to figure out how to be alone but this past week things have clicked for her and she is back to making jewelry to use up some of her free time. I'm hoping with a new focus she'll do better than she has been. We have a vendor event on Saturday so that gives us something to work towards. Her with her jewelry and me to sew.

June 15th, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of my son's death. The weeks leading up to it were full of emotion and my mom took me on an overnight shopping trip on the day of. We spent the day laughing and joking around and a lot of time reminiscing about my Boo. I thought after the anniversary passed I would find myself able to move forward again but the last few weeks have really been hard. I miss him so much and the tears flow freely almost every day. I'll get there I know but some days I really wonder. This is the poem I wrote for the anniversary:

Kyle B. Lenhardt - 10/22/95 - 6/15/11

It's been one year that you've been gone,

one year of many tears.

Your big brown eyes and contagious laughter

we've missed every single day.

The world went on as we stood still,

watching full of wonder.

It took some time to understand

that there would be no answers.

One day I was your mother, taking care of you

then suddenly, there I stood,

I was without a clue.

My heart aches at the things that I will miss

that others take for granted.

What I wouldn't give, for one more day with you.

I'd hold you close, I'd kiss your cheek

and never let you go.

I know that you are out there,

watching over me.

A hand upon my shoulder,

I wish that I could feel.

For now I hold your memory close

I talk, I laugh, I cry.

My love still grows for you each day

as if you were still here.

I need to get sewing for Saturday so I will leave you with my dinner for this evening. We loved this recipe so much the first time we had it and I made it exactly as she has posted. It looks not so appetizing but it is DELISH! So stop on over at The Cutting Edge of Ordinary and try her Cowboy Casserole. 

First Spring Craft Fair

I have done several Christmas time craft fairs but decided this year to try something new. My items don't tend to be just for the holidays or holiday themed so I figured why not? This venue only charged $10.00 a table and it was their first Spring Craft Fair ever. They had 30 vendors and I thought that was pretty decent. The attendance numbers were huge but I sell quite a few things and was quite pleased at the outcome. I am not encouraged more to sew and to search around for other opportunities. They do a summer event that is quite large and has been going on for a few years, they have a huge craft fair/vendors and a car show, it's called their Summer Jubilee, and has a large turn out I'm told. I've already signed up for that, it's in July.

On the Remicade front, my insurance has denied me being able to use this drug as I haven't used the daily injection routine first so I am working on getting that started. Not that I'm overly excited about the prospect of stabbing myself every day and hoping it works but I am wanting to get off the steroids due to the decline in my health in other areas from taking them for 4 years. My main goal at this point is to say goodbye to the prednisone which will then allow me to lose the weight I've put on during this treatment and say goodbye to the diabetes (we know this is steroid induced) and the high blood pressure. Hopefully we can also turn around the osteoporosis that is occurring. One drug to fight the Sarcoidosis brings on 10 other health problems. How does that work!?!!? At least we are on the path to getting me healthier.

My First Project Without a Pattern

Normally I troll the internet stealing other's ideas and tutorials to try another day, but a few weeks ago my mother asked me to come up with something for my step-dad. He is pretty much confined to a hospital bed in the living room and spends the majority of his time on his hands and knees as that is how he can breath best. He is starting to get sores so I came up with some pads using super soft minky on the inside against his skin and a nice manly lodge print on the outside using velcro to keep them on. It was a simple process but even so I am extremely proud of myself for figuring this out without using someone else's prototype.

It turns out however that I need to make the leg ones longer but that's ok as I'll make 4 longer ones and then they'll have two sets so they can wash them. It felt really good to do this on my own and to help my step-dad.

First Craft Fair 2011

So yesterday we had our first craft fair of the season. What a crappy day. First off they put our table in a room opposite the direction of the big room and there were only two of us in that room as vendors. Everyone paid and went right never looking our way. On their way out, after doing their double and triple runs through the big room, they saw us on the way out. In their mind though they were already done shopping :(

I did ok and it was worth my time. I wish I had been more prepared though as at 3pm the night before I had not ONE finished product haha. I stayed up all night with NO sleep and got a bunch of things done. I was able to whip up 15 bibs, 15 burp cloths, 6 packs of heart shaped and other shaped crayons (6 to a pack) and I made a tagged toy with a squeaker for babies with flannel and minky which was a spur of the moment idea but I got 6 done and only came home with 2 of those. Guess what I'll be making more of!?!?  My mom makes jewelry and she was pretty disappointed but I told her the next one will be amazing and I hope she's not too discouraged. I also told her Etsy is going to be a great place for her things after the holidays. My other friend Missy who normally blows out of her rice bags and coasters only sold one of each. I don't think we'll do that fair again next year.

We have to get ready now for November 12th at Morris and November 19th in Galeton and the big one on December 3rd for Wellsboro's Dicken's of a Christmas. Did I mention I'm moving in the middle of all this?!?!? What a wild ride the next month will be.

Goal Two..... Plans Changed!

I was too anxious to get started so I made a new cutting table. I simply got out the card table and set it up in front of the TV and spent ALL weekend cutting! I don't have an exact count but I cut bibs, burp cloths, tagged blankets and tagged toys both front and back AND got them pinned. All I have to do now is sew them assembly line like and should have loads done for this weekend. If I can get them done I am going to do the first craft show with my mother who has been making necklaces and earrings.

Friday I went to a bunch of yard sales looking for some deals and had a great time. I found a sale where there were tables and tables and tables of fabric, boxes of yarn, 100's of free patterns and anything you can think of for crafting. Signs for the fabric said $1.00 a piece so I got a box and filled it up. I got a lot of cute vintage pieces of baby and children's fabric and a few every day vintage pieces. They only charged me $11.00 for the whole box and when I got home I counted 22 pieces of varying sizes of fabric. Probably 90% of them were at least a yard!

I have so many other projects I want to try but I must get some things together that I can sell. Once I get a bulk batch of things I can experiment with all the fun things I've found out in blogland!

Goal One.... Check!

I have a confession to make. I have not sewn since last December. I have bought A LOT of fabric and supplies but have sewn nothing. My poor sewing machine has looked at me as if forsaken but today I cleaned off my sewing table, wiped down my sweet little sewing machine, organized my sewing supplies and set an 8 x 10 photo of my handsome son to the right of my machine. I've spent so much time trying to not be home and around everything that everything has suffered. My house, my cleaning, my hobbies, my family, my poor dogs even. I need to get motivated though because the craft fairs for Christmas are going to be here before I know it and I won't be ready. I can't do that to myself because I enjoy my sewing and I enjoy the people at the fairs. I have also spent a good deal of time looking for other ideas to sew for the fairs and am anxious to try them out as well.

I also want to try out some non-sewing crafts. I am so appreciative of everyone's tutorials that they post here online. I want to make some dry erase boards from some cool frames I've been collecting and I snagged a really great deal on an entire box of white ceramic tiles at a yard sale. I got the whole brand new box (not sure if there's 50 or 100 in there) for $2.00! I want to make some coasters and I have a few good ideas for that.

Tomorrow my goal is to get my cutting table sorted so that I have NO excuses to get started. I look forward to showing off my finished products SOON!

Two days of Yard Sales

Our community yard sales were this weekend and I am all shopped out. I found some great bargains and am VERY excited about three of them. My camera is MIA so I will just tell you about them and post photos later once I start on the projects with them.

First off my most favorite is a new cutting table! I currently use a smaller kitchen table that we had extra. I kept running out of room while trying to cut sometimes. This is an awesome table with a tempered glass top. This needs nothing done to it at this time but is my favorite find of the weekend.

Secondly I found an antique telephone table. I want to recover the cushion and maybe try to stain the rest OR just leave it as is. I haven't decided yet so I'll wait til I figure out what fabric I'm going to use for the cushion and let that decide what else. It was only $15.00 so I think once I fix it up a little I can easily sell it at the antique store and make some money.

Thirdly, I found a vintage hanging cradle for $10.00, one of my best friends is pregant and really wanted it but they life in a smaller house and it wasn't going to fit so I bought it and was going to put it in the antique store but I want to save it for when one of my children has a baby. I think I will use some vintage fabric to make a bed set for it and make it decorative until it is time to actually use it.

I need to get my butt in gear because I am hosting a baby shower for same said friend this next Saturday, May 7th. I'm trying to make some of it a surprise since she is not the surprise type and it's probably driving her crazy. I have most of the food decided and I still have to finish one gift. I can't show photos til afterwards since she reads my blog.

Bed will be early tonight! I am doing a flea market in the morning as well and have to meet my partner in crime (Roger, the owner of the antique store where I rent a booth) at 6:30am. This is our first Sunday of doing this so here's hoping for lots of customers and many sales! It's supposed to be sunny and 70 and I couldn't be happier.

This, That and the Other Thing

Wow, I need to be more consistent with blogging. Things have been hectic and I've been doing lots of things to talk about but I don't take the time to sit down and do it. Here's hoping I get on the right track!

I have finally organized my sewing area so tomorrow will see me actually sewing. I NEED to get some projects done or having a place at a co-op is pretty useless in the sense of paying monthly to be there. On another note I went to Walmart and found that they had their Garanimal shirts on clearance for $1.00 so I picked up a bunch to applique for my different shops. At that price how could you pass it up, right??

Yesterday I went to a few estate sales and yard sales to find some items for my antique stall at another co-op I'm a part of. As per the norm I find things that I love but then don't want to part with. One is a large ceramic turtle with a snail on his back and another is a chest that I was going to resell but the more I thought about it I think I might paint it and recover the top of it and use it for fabric I have that doesn't get used as often as other types like my upholstry fabric and more vintage fabric.

Today I went shopping with a friend who is just getting started on Etsy. We went to Joann's and I actually did NOT buy any fabric. I went with a mental list of what I needed for a few projects I was thinking of. I got a roll of corkboard and a jar of chalkboard paint and that's it! I was so amazed but I did have to talk myself out of fabric several times but held fast to not buying any. We also hit up Old Navy where I bought three shirts that were on clearance for 97 cents to make arm warmers out of and then to Michael's where I only bought an iron on transfer (clearanced of course) and some pins and one spool of ribbon. That is called will power let me tell you!

Last but not least, I am very excited to have won a felt food giveaway that Are they all yours???? was doing. She gave us three choices and I chose the breakfast set and cannot wait to get it. It is going to my new nephew that my sister is adopting who is 5 years old and autistic. I think this are going to be fabulous for him!

Woot! Sold my second item on Etsy.

I was very excited to see I've sold another item on Etsy. I am hoping that this will now motivate me to get sewing. I have so many ideas that I want to try as well as get stock piled on the easy projects to sell that I already know. Between my booth at the co-op and Etsy I really need to get working!!!!!!!!! I keep trying to talk myself into it. With all the snow we are getting I doubt the kids will have school tomorrow so my goal is to just work work work on several things.

This is my motivational post to myself. Rah rah rah! Siss Boom Bah!

I Won!!!

I have a few of my favorite craft/sewing blogs that I follow and quite a few of them do giveaways every once in awhile. Well yesterday I won this give away at Prudent Baby The Prudent Baby Elephant Pattern Giveaway . I am so excited to get this pattern and make one. I already have the recipient in mind and can't wait to see his expression. Now to go pick out the fabrics I'm going to use and wait for it. Squeeeeeeeeee!

No Dear, I did not buy more fabric. Well, maybe a little.

While at Walmart a few days ago I looked at their Valentine's Day fabric to see if they had it marked down. To my delight it was..... are you sitting down???? ......... $0.74 a YARD!!!! My husband though steered me away and reminded me of the piles of fabric I've bought at Joann's over the last few months at their 1/2 off clearance sales. He claims I have a fabric addiction. Can you believe that?? I tried to reason with him and tell him that since I make things to sell that buying it at a very cheap price gives me more of a profit! He wasn't buying it though so we left. The next day my daughter needed to go to Walmart so of course I offered to take her. I snuck into the fabric section and snatched up the bolts of fabric that I thought weren't too specific to the holiday and that I could easily use all year round. Here is my bounty! I got 12 1/4 yards for $9.66. How can you pass that up!?!?!

Now I will admit that I do have a slight fabric addiction and I do have piles and piles of fabric I've only just gotten washed and haven't done anything with but I feel a sewingpalooza about to happen!

Tiny Steps

Today has seen me applique 6 onesies (two with ties, two with Minnie Mouse heads and two with hearts). I need to stitch around them but I need to practice first as I've never done it before. Also, I started cutting 6 x 6 squares of minky dot and 100% cotton for some sensory squares I'm making. They will have ribbons around the outer edges and something crinkly inside. Just trying to widen my variety at the co-op. Photos once they are finished.

Dinner was amazing! Using my favorite site for finding recipes I decided on this one for tonight Slow-Cooker-Italian-Chicken-Alfredo . Everyone loved it and hubby is looking forward to it for lunch tomorrow. Yay for tasty leftovers.

New Beginnings

A new blog for a new beginning. I have decided to take my love of sewing to the next level and have opened an Etsy store Stitched Sew Sweetly and have rented a space in a local co-op for my sewn items. I'm also hoping these two things will motivate me as I've been very lax in sewing anything. Don't worry however, it hasn't stopped me from buying piles of fabric! This blog is going to follow me and my journey through this thing called life. I love to cook and spend time with my family so I'm sure you'll be hearing about those things as well. I have been going through treatment for an auto immune disease called Sarcoidosis for 3 years now. Normally people have a much shorter treatment process but mine happens to be chronic. Yay me!