Friday, September 25, 2009

Playing with camera and new toy horse

Yesterday I decided to explore my new backyard and see how many doll sized photo spots I could find. Well, I found plenty but didn't get pictures of all of them since I decided to head out during the hottest part of the day. I wanted to play around with the flash and exposure setting on my camera, and the only picture that I used the flash on is the second one. I have 2 favorites, the second one and the last one, but I'm a little partial to all of them.
Here's my AG Nicki and one of my birthday presents:


 

 
Same picture, but without the flash.

 

 

Why American Girl made a cowgirl with a shirt suede skirt is beyond me, but out of all of my dolls she was the one who was the most prepared to ride.

The wizard robes are still in process, so it's back to the sewing desk I go.
Until next time...
---------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Happy Birthday to me!


Well, it's that time again. My favorite month of the year also means I grow another year older. While I used to love this as a kid, I now find that I don't enjoy the aging part of it as much as I enjoy the celebration.
My day has been spent relaxing with my husband and the boys and cutting out doll size Harry Potter robes pieces with my husband. Everything is cut out now, so the sewing will begin tomorrow. I am making ten robes: eight Gryffindor and two Ravenclaw. So far, all of them are for special orders, except two of the Gryffindor. That will it for year. Once I'm done with these I have a couple of special order pieces to work on, and then we'll see what's next. I'm only a little farther behind than I planned, but it's okay since I usually work better under the pressure of an approaching deadline.
My hands have had more good days than bad lately, and I'm glad for that. For those who don't know I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Arthritis. Since I've stopped working full time the pain has greatly decreased, but there are days when I feel three times my age.
For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive more than I expected. My husband followed through with tradition and purchased American Girl Chrissa for me, and she arrived last month. Today my retired American Girl AGT #6 (light skin, black hair, and brown eyes) arrived today. I also received Nicholas Sparks' new book The Last Song and a Madame Alexander horse from my husband and my boys, and a Back to School themed scrapbook kit from my mom. And if I wasn't so full from dinner tonight, I would be digging in to the red velvet cake my husband baked for me today.
Here's my doll goodies:

Until next time...
--------------------------------

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Happy Belated Labor Day!

This three day weekend has been a blast for the most part. Friday afternoon I went to my local scrapbook store to help them get ready for their soft opening the next day. 14 hours later, 5 hours before opening, it looked great! Scrapbooking is a new hobby for me, but it doesn't come close to sewing. I consider it more of a secondary hobby, but it's just as fun. In a lot of way it's like sewing:
paper = fabric (so many choices for both)
layouts = patterns (both are guides really)
adhesives = thread (you have to use the right ones to get the right effect)
embellishments = notions (same difference and some can be used for both)

Both hobbies are a ton of fun! I have met so many great people full of lots of information between both hobbies, and I don't see myself growing out of either hobby anytime soon.

So, Saturday, I slept in (since I didn't get home until 5:30am from the scrapbook store - I was exhausted, but it was so worth it) and had a lazy day with my husband and my boys.

Sunday, Mom, me, and the boys made a surprise trip to Georgia to see my grandma. For those who haven't met her, my grandmother is awesome. She'll be 81 on the 17th (the day after my birthday and two days after my younger sister's birthday) and the woman can sew, knit, and crochet up a storm. She still hand quilts, but not as much lately. Most of her sewing now is bonnets, aprons, and blue jean purses. She made me a blue jean doll tote for my birthday in 2007, and I am still hoping it wasn't among the items that got lost in the move from North Carolina to South Carolina.
Grandma has a booth at a flea market and that is where she sells her wares. When we got into town on Sunday, she was already there, so we just went straight there. She was very surprised to see us. We haven't seen her since Memorial Day, and when I walked up to her, she was thrown off a little by my new hair cut. She was glad to see us and we were glad to see her. This woman taught me almost all that I know about sewing, and I still call her to ask her questions and get her opinions on sewing and crocheting. I still can't knit like she does yet, but I'll get there one day.
One of my aunts gave Grandma a huge fabric stash from her Mother-in-Law, and once Grandma picked out what she wanted (mostly cottons) she let me have what I wanted out of the rest of it. I didn't realize just how much Grandma had leftover. I walked out with four Force Flex trash bags stuffed full of fabrics, including silks and wool, neither of which I had any of in my collection. Living in the Southeast, you really don't have a need for wool, therefore finding it in the local fabric stores proves to be quite the challenge. I have no pictures yet as everything is being prepped for pre-wash.

I spent yesterday home sick with what I think is a mild case of the flu, and my husband was a great caregiver. I caught it from him, and he was able to get away with an "I told you so..." and yeah, he was right.

So, no sewing has been done in days, and I really need to get into overdrive to get everything done by Halloween. I'll be taking volunteers to cut out the fabric pieces I trace out and I'll even cook for you.

Until next time,
_____/\_____/\_____/\_____
(blind hem stitch)

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Happy September!

September is my favorite time of year. First off, it has my birthday (And my sweet hubby gave me my present, Chrissa, early as usual). Then there are other family birthdays (Heather and Grandma). Then there is Back to School, which I loved as a kid, but now that I'm a parent it is bittersweet. Then there are the cooler temperatures, the crisp air, and the leaves changing colors. And lastly, it signifies that Halloween is right around the corner. EEK!!!



Yes, I said EEK!!! EEK because I still have a lot of sewing to get done: for dolls, Mom, kids, and dogs. Harry Potter themed outfits for the dolls and Mom, pirates for the kids, and Superman sets for the dogs. And of course EEK for the excitement and fun that Halloween brings.
I still have some special orders to finish up but I'm going to multitask on the Harry Potter themed outfits that were ordered when my last set sold out so quickly over Summer.
My website is in need of an update, but I have updated my For Sale posts on AGFans and AGPlaythings, and have everything in a Picasa album too, click here.
So, it's back to the sewing desk. Until next time...

---------------------------