Live from Denver, Colorado!

Hi guys!

Mini Molly and I made a cross country road trip with my sister and her two little dogs. We left Charleston, South Carolina Friday morning, took a break in Little Nashville, Illinois, and then arrived in Denver, Colorado Saturday night.
There were a lot of neat little places along the way, but with the dogs and wanting to get to Denver as soon as possible, we didn't stop. I made the mistake of not charging my camera before we left, so I missed a few pictures along the way since I had to change my camera batteries four times. Once we arrived in Denver I stopped to pick up rechargable batteries and a charger. I still have pictures to take, including Thanksgiving with the family, and I won't be able to get my charger until I get home on Wednesday night.

It's beautiful here! Cold, but beautiful. I can see why my sister loves it here, and I think she will fit in nicely in her new city.

My sister and I went by the American Girl store yesterday. The last time I went to an American Girl store was 3 years ago when I went to see my sister when she lived in Atlanta and we were celebrating our birthdays. The store was nice, and only after we left did I notice it was only a boutique and not a bistro too. Made me a little sad, but on the upside, they has a lot more room for displays and merchandise, so it evened out. I picked up a few store exclusives and some new glasses, and stayed under budget. I only chose to put one thing back that I picked up, and that was Kit's Nighttime Accessories. They are really cute, but the set put me over my budget and it was too bulky to fit into my already full bookbag that I am taking on the plane with me. My whole time there and I got two pictures: one on the way in, and one on the way out.

This one was taken with my phone, and the other was taken with my camera. I'm able to upload pics straight from my phone, but since I won't have internet on my laptop until tonight (I'm using my sister's right now), I'll have to wait on those.
Here's a link to the pictures I've uploaded so far, and I'll upload more pics to the album once I get my internet up and running: Picasa Road Trip From SC To Colorado

I've been looking at the fashion here to, and loking at how it differs from the fashion of the Southeast. I found a great outfit at Urban Outfitters, and I plan to make a doll sized version of it. I'll post a pic of that too when I get my laptop connected to the net.

Until next time....
-----------------------
(yellow lines in the middle of the road)

More logo design ideas

So, I went from 3 posts in one week to not posting at all for 2 weeks. I haven't been feeling well these past two weeks, but am working on getting better. I definitely have better things to do than be sick.
So, what have I been up to since my last post? Well, I finally finished the blue and orange PDR Round 4 dress, however I do not have any pictures of it completed yet. Once I finished it, I decided it needed a crop jacket, so that is in the works (along with several other projects).
I also finished the Halloween treat houses for my kids' teachers.

The one that is the second from the left is the one I did in a class. The others I worked on at home. There is a 5th one, but my husband has it at his desk at work.

I am absolutely loving the pattern for the treat houses, so last night, while cropping at my LSS, I was inspired by my Stampin' Up Wash Day rolling stamp, so I made some New Mom treat boxes (to be filled with chocolate).

The outfits on the Wash Day border are colored in with Stampin' Up markers and the socks, bunny, butterflies, and ducks on the bibs are topped with Ranger's Glossy Accents. The Black and white outfit popped up on the side is a $1 stamp I cut out (the red heart is colored with Stampin' Up marker and topped with Ranger's Glossy Accents). The striped paper at the top is embossed (the brown on the boy one is the reverse side), and was cut using the Marvy Scallop cutting blade. I didn't get to finish them, but what I want to add to them is "Welcome home" on the front, and "baby boy/girl" on the back using my Cricut markers and the Cricut Don Juan cartridge.

Now, onto the main subject, new logo deign ideas.

So, let em know which one you like the most. Also, let me know your likes and dislikes about all of them.

Until next time...

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

Three posts this week!

Three posts in one week! Wow! Now, don't get too used to it.
Today's post is about the things I made at a 60 hour Save The Ta-Ta's Crop at my LSS (local scrapbook store). I worked the 9pm-9am shifts Friday and Saturday nights. The first night this is what I what I got done:

My first thing for myself, an apron (yeah, I'm rocking an apron and arthritis gloves)

I made this using a pattern I picked up over the summer. As with most patterns I try for the first time, I followed the directions and all the while I was making mental notes (and verbal ones too) that this pattern was over complicating itself and I'm going to revamp it.

The second night was still productive, but in a different way. I labeled/priced/merchandised my doll clothes for consignment at the store:

My sign now hangs above it (and hopefully the rack is a little emptier)

Once that was done, I worked on a layout of my step-son. His grandmother had posted these pictures on Facebook a month or so after it happened, and I debated scrapbooking it since it was pictures of an open wound, but since it's now his "Harry Potter Scar", I did it anyways, and the close up pictures are tucked away in the green pockets and have big bandage pulls tabs with "Warning: Close up!"

"My Harry Potter Scar" - "November 2009 - Christian had to get stitches after getting hit by a rock when he surprised his cousin."

As of the moment, my sewing desk is cleared off in it's newest spot in the dining room, and I'm ready to get to sewing. No fabric tonight since I'm working on a scrapbook layout for work. 

Off to the sewing/scrapbooking desk....

Until next time...

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

It's beginning to look a lot like a logo...

As technically gifted as my sweet husband is, he is not gifted with artsy creativity. Therefore, after several attempts of making a me a logo for my Gomunk Creations, he seeked the assistance of a logo company. Here's the first 6 ideas they came back with.

So, what do you think? Which is your favorite? Which things do you like? Any suggestions?

They'll be a round two soon.

Until next time.......

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

New, at a store near you

If you are in the Charleston, SC area, make sure to stop by Charleston Scrapbooking. As of yesterday, my doll clothes are available for sale there as well as the other places I sell online (my website, Facebook, Etsy, AG Fans, and AG Playthings). So, stop on by to see The Mom and check out my inventory. Now that my inventory box at home is empty, and my sewing/dining room is rearranged (yet again), I hope to get back into my sewing groove soon.
Here's the display so far, it's just waiting on me to put a sign on it too. I'm thinking of using the one I used at National Scrapbooking Day Weekend.

(Taken with my 2mp cell phone)

(Made from 2 pieces of 12x12 cardstock spit and sewn together. font is from Cricut's Robitz cartridge)

I'm excited!

And we have a winner!

Yes, I know it's a couple of days late, but we've selected a winner. To make up for being late, we're selecting two winners. One from the blog and one from our Facebook fan page.
Blog winner: Laura (Sophie Amelie)
Facebook Winner: Patricia P.

Now, the outfits are not complete yet, and as it nears Halloween I've got a special order I need to finish first, but I can give you a sneak peek of the outfits since they are already cut out.

Yep, straight from the cutting board. The outfit on the left is a print dress, solid jacket, reversible hat, and solid bag with print accent. The outfit on the right is a solid dress, print jacket, reversible hat, and print bag with solid accent.

Congrats to the winners! For those who didn't win, have no worries, I am planning another giveaway for Spring.

Until next time...

I'm a slacker, baby...

Holy cow! 8 more days until the end of my September contest. And what have I done as far as the outfit goes? Cut out all of the solid pieces, and traced a few of the print pieces. And my sewing machine? Well, it's not gathering dust, but that is only because it's still in my rolling tote that I take to my scrapbooking crops.
My sewing desk has become quite a "catch all" and I had to dig through the stuff on top of it to get to my camera charger yesterday. Oy!
I've revamped my sewing room/dining room again. I changed dining room table and chairs to something less bulky and I wouldn't trip over, plus removed a desk that was more in the way than it was helpful. And have I sat down to actually use my sewing desk? No.
I am frustrated with the fact that I planned all these sewing projects once the kids started school, and I've completed one thing since then, and that was the Elizabeth outfit I sent off in the AG Playthings Summer Sewing Swap last month. That PDR Round 4 dress? Yeah, still almost done. I made the sash, but haven't sewn it to the dress yet. I did make a petticoat for it though, but I don't like it because I think it needs to be poofier (yes, poofier is a real word in the crafting world, just like pastely and thing-a-ma-jig). I still need to make the last two of three puckers in the back of the skirt, and finally add the snaps closures to the back of the bodice. My DollDuds polo shirt? Yep, halfway done. Waiting for a sleeve, then side seam, and Velcro.
Yes, I am the Princess of Procrastination, and lastly I've felt like the Mistress of No Motivation.
Half of my doll items are packed away because I no longer have the room to have my doll displays set up. All of my dolls are still out and about, but most of them are confined to the doll bunkbed (that my dad made for me) I have in my upstairs hallway. My Addy is still in North Carolina with Buddy Holly, and I hope she's enjoying her trip. She's been up there for over a year now, so when she gets back she'll have a couple of new faces to meet. Since she's been up there I've picked up some new dolls and also sold two to a mom for her two daughters. The mom wasn't able to pay me before her daughters headed off to stay with their dad for a year, so I let the girls have them early, and I'm still hoping the mom comes through with her end of the deal so I can use that money to buy Lanie from American Girl since I used my "Girl of the Year as a birthday present from my hubby" on Elizabeth since she is archiving and may sell out closer to Christmas where as the Girl of the Year Lanie should make it until sometime in December.
Speaking of American Girl... Mild mannered me (stop laughing) got a little short with their Customer Service today. It seems they have switched from shipping with UPS to shipping with FedEx. I loathe FedEx. In all of my years of retail, plus my years of online purchases, FedEx has always topped my list as Worst Delivery Company. I've had them throw boxes at my door at home, I've dealt with their rude delivery guys, and watching the way they've handling their boxes have me want to yell "Have some respect for that! It belongs to somebody and I've sure somebody paid for it with their hard earned money!" Anyways, after my rant about not liking FedEx, the customer service person informed me that since it was being shipped FedEx Smartpost, it would be handed to the US Postal System sometime, and would take another day or two. That would be all  fine and dandy if I had a mail person like my last one in North Carolina, or even the one my mom (who lives around the corner) has. But no, I am blessed to have a moron for a mailman. Ugh! I politely (okay, not really, but in my defense I could have been worse about it) told the customer service person that I expected to have to call them again once my package arrived to let them know it was damaged. Am I being pessimistic? Probably. I like to think I'm preparing myself for the worst, that way if it's not damaged, I'll feel better and FedEx and my mailman might actually earn themselves a cardboard cookie. My reason for calling American Girl today? To find out why it took two days for my box to travel an hour and a half drive. Seriously? It's an hour and a half by car to go from Middleton, WI (right outside Madison, WI) to where it was last scanned this morning at New Berlin (seriously?), WI which is right outside Milwaukee, WI. **sigh** Maybe I'm just looking for something to fuss about or maybe I'm getting tired of being too nice. I'm too nice to some folks and rude to those who truly deserve it, but I'd like to find a happy medium, you know?
I miss sewing.
I have done a couple of scrapbooking pages since I last posted, but I think I only have a (poor) picture of one layout.

Dylan when he was learning to crawl.

So, here it is 9:30pm now. The kids are in bed, and the house is quiet. I need to go sew, but need to clear off the dining room table and my sewing desk off first. Ugh! I miss my old sewing rooms. :'-(

Oh well, off to make the best of what I've got. Wish me luck, I'm going in.................

I've been tagged again!

Hi everyone!  I got tagged by "Beast's Belle".  So, without further ado, here are my answers, in no particular older.

8 Books I've Read Recently:

• 1.  "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks (because he wrote it, not because of Miley Cyrus starring in the movie)
• 2.  "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks
• 3.  "At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks
• 4.  "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks
• 5.  "The Lucky One" by Nicolas Sparks
• 6.  "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks (had to reread it since I just skimmed it the first time)
• 7.  "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks
• 8.  "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks (This is the book I would want if I could only have one book for the rest of my life)

8 Songs, Albums, or Artists I Listen to All the Time:

• 1. Anything by Keith Urban
• 2. A lot of Nickleback
• 3. Dixie Chicks
• 4. Miranda Lambert
• 5. Alanis Morrissette
• 6. Carrie Underwood
• 7. SheDaisy 
• 8. Just about anything on the radio

8 Things I Love:

• 1. My family (even the ones that drive me crazy) 
• 2. My friends
• 3. Waking up on a leisurely Sunday morning when we are all home for the day and the kids come to my bed to watch cartoons until we get up.
• 4. Sewing
• 5. Scrapbooking
• 6. Collecting American Girl dolls
• 7. Fabric shopping. Even if I'm not making anything, and even though I have a ton of fabric at home, I still love the look, feel, and smell of new fabrics.
• 8. Peace and quiet at the end of the day.

8 Things I've Learned This Year: (this was the hardest section to fill out)

• 1. new scrapbook techniques
• 2. new way to gather fabric
• 3. I can teach
• 4. my customer service is so awesome people remember me afterwards
• 5. some things never change
• 6. I have way too much stuff in my tiny house
• 7. It's okay to ask for help
• 8. I cannot do everything by myself

8 Recipes I Want to Try

• 1. Grandma's Peanut Butter Candy
• 2. Lasagna (from scratch)
• 3. apple pie
• 4. cheesecake
• 5. country fried cube steak
• 6. thanksgiving turkey (on my own)
• 7. that chicken and veggie dish my seester made last time I was at her house.
• 8. spinach and artichoke dip

8 Favorite Online Hangouts

• 1. Facebook
• 2. Blogger
• 3. AG Fans Message Board
• 4. AG Plaything Message Board
• 5. Charleston Mommies Message Board
• 6. TheScrapReview.com
• 7. threadUP.com
• 8. SewMuchComfort.org

8 Projects I Need to Work On: 

• 1. The blue dress from Round 4 of PDR (doll)
• 2. some special order pioneer dresses (doll)
• 3. some Harry Potter like robes and uniforms (doll)
• 4. bee costume for my son's honey bear
• 5. PJ pants for the kids (although now I think I don't have enough fabric anymore since I bought it a couple of years ago, so they may all get PJ shorts instead)
• 6. a dress for my Seester!
• 7. aprons for my mom, my Seester, and myself.
• 8. repaint my downstairs bathroom.

8 Other People I Think Should Do This: 

• 1. Yvonne
• 2. Amber 
• 3. Brandy
• 4. Karla
• 5. Jeff
• 6. Janet
• 7. Kizzie
• 8. Ashley

September Contest!

Welcome to September! My favorite month of the yea/, Why is September so special to me? Well, there are several reasons:

• My Seester's birthday (the day before mine)
• My cousin's birthday (also the day before mine)
• My birthday (16th)
• My grandmother's birthday (the day after mine)
• First day of fall - September 21st
• My Anniversary - September 30th

So, I plan to celebrate all month long, and I want all of you to share in my excitement over this month.

Now, onto the contest!

With American Girls' news of the Felicity and Elizabeth archival (boooooooo!), I'd like to offer a Colonial prize to my fans. Remember this?

Yes, the outfit I made for the AG Playthings Summer Sewing Swap. Now, don't get too excited, this is not the prize. Well sort of. The prize will be the same outfit, but in a different color scheme. I have the fabric picked out already: a sapphire blue cotton and a navy floral vine print on a light blue cotton. After all, sapphire is the birthstone for September. The outfit is in the process right now, and once it's done, I'll be sure to post pictures of it.

Now, how do you enter? Easy. Just leave a comment. At the end of the month I'll put all the names in a hat, and have one of my kids pick a name.

This contest is being held here and on my Gomunk Creations Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gomunk-Creations/86033784532?ref=ts

You can have up to 3 entries and here's how:

1. Follow my blog (if you already following, you've automatically been entered)
2. Leave a comment here
3. Leave a comment on my Facebook Fan page under my contest announcement.

Now, for a quick rule: You must be 18 years old to enter. If you are not 18 years old, you may have a parent enter for you (please do not enter your parent, especially without their permission).

Now, I'm off to the sewing desk!

Announcing a Contest!

A contest? Yes, a contest! Why? Because I can.
The announcement will be made tomorrow since tomorrow marks the beginning of my favorite month of the year. The announcement will be made here and on Facebook, and the contest will run all month long. **Squee** Just another reason September is awesome, right? (The answer to this question is always "yes").
See you tomorrow!

Look what I sent!

Okay, so it arrived in Canada the same day my outfit arrived here, and I am a slack blogger for not putting my pictures up here yet.
My swap recipient filled out this questionnaire (I edited out personal info), and upon seeing her answers, I knew I could either challenge myself or go with the easy one. If you know me, you know I don't always take the easy way.




Which doll are you hoping to receive an outfit for? Elizabeth or Kirsten
What kind of outfit do you absolutely NOT want to receive? nothing really comes to mind
Keeping in mind that not everyone is able to sew for all time periods, which time periods would you prefer your outfit be for? either for Elizabeth (colonial) or Kirsten
What would be your dream outfit? a very nice dress/apron cap for either Kirsten or Elizabeth as these two of my dollies have no extra clothes
Do you have any fabric allergies or are you allergic to anything else that might be used in a swap? no
Is there anything else you would like me to consider when I match you up? my favorite colors are purple and blue




For those of my readers that have no idea what the dolls names are, Elizabeth is based on the Colonial era and her family are royalists. Kirsten is a Swedish immigrant during the Pioneer era.


Now, I've sewn for Kirsten many times. I think I've made everything from her Pleasant Company pattern set, including a short sleeve version of her school dress. So, this could have easily been an easy out. 


Elizabeth on the other hand would be the challenge. In all the 15 years I've been making doll clothes I've never made something from the Colonial era. So, there was a challenge that I needed to take head on.


So, out came the pattern stash. I had Felicity's Pleasant Company patterns (for the non AG folks, Felicity and Elizabeth are friends in their stories and Felicity is the main character and these patterns were released and retired way before the Elizabeth doll was released), and a few other patterns to choose from. This is what I chose:

McCall's 3627 (image borrowed from McCall's website)

I wanted the view in the lower left hand corner but to pair it with the hat and bag in the view on the lower right hand corner. 

Then it was off to the fabric stash. The fabric stash vastly out numbers my pattern stash. When the questionnaire stated her two favorite colors are purple and blue, well that was just the icing on the cake since those are my favorite colors as well. So, 17 boxes of blue fabric later I had a handle of print to choose from and a few solids. Matching the solids to the prints helped me narrow it down some more. The final elimination round came down to which fabric combinations looked more Summery since after all the Sewing Swap was Summer Fun themed.

All went well; so well in fact, that I made two tops, and if I would have had the time I would have made a second dress out of the solid blue for even more mix and match fun. So instead I sent my extra fabric along with the outfit and a card letting my recipient know which pattern I used and how much fun I had making the outfit.

Here is the link to my recipients pictures (showing th outfit on an Elizabeth doll since I do not have an Elizabeth doll yet): http://picasaweb.google.com/kizziescreations/SummerSwap2010#

And here are a few of my pictures, plus a link to some more I took before I mailed off the outfit.

The skirt

The skirt with top #1 (which has handsewn pearl ball trim on the seams on the bodice and on the sleeve cuffs)

The skirt with top #2 (which has lace all the way around the neckline and sleeve cuffs)

The bum roll! (Ties around the waist with the tie being in the front as a way to make the hips bigger so the dress with poof out more)

And here is the link to my album which has more pictures including close ups of the handsewn trim: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gomunk/AGPTSewingSwap#

Look what I got!

My outfit from my Sewing Swap on AG Playthings arrived today. Well, technically yesterday, but a CERTAIN SOMEONE slept through the mailman knocking on the door while I was at the gym. So, after some morning chaos, I finally got to head to the post office and pick up my package. Here's what I got, a 3 in 1 outfit for my 1904 Nellie:

1. Bathing Costume

2. School Outfit

3. After School outfit

More pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gomunk/ReceivedInAGPTSummerSewingSwap#

Such attention to detail! I love the striped seersucker, the embroidery, the buttons, and the trim.

Not quite a month, HA!

Well, it's been almost a month, but not quite, so I am doing better about my blogging.
I just mailed out a completed Mix and Match outfit for a sewing swap over on AG Playthings. I thoroughly enjoyed making the outfit. I used a pattern and actually followed the directions. Weird, I know. Usually I make some modifications hear and there and laugh at the directions, but not this time. In my swap recipient's questionnaire she gave two eras to chose from: one I was very comfortable with, and the other was an era I had been wanting to sew for but hadn't made myself do it yet. So, knowing me, I went for the challenge. For a pattern from the Big 4 (Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, and Vogue) I was very impressed with the directions. There was only one part of the first piece that made me go "WHAT?!", but it was easily remedied. I made one piece twice using different fabrics, and when I made it the second time I didn't even look at the directions. Honestly, this outfit was much easier that I thought it would be. Now, my cape blows in the breeze as my chest swells with pride as I have now conquered an era that was intimidating. In all of my years of sewing I am still learning new tips and tricks. After all, you can teach and old dog new tricks. But I'm not old right? Right?!?
So, all of this talk of this new outfit, you would think I'd post a picture, right? Nope. Well, at least not today. Since I just mailed it off today, it will be a few days before my swap recipient receives it, and I don't want to spoil the surprise. But what I can do is give you a sneak peek. I finally got over straight angle photography, so I played around with some creative angles to show off the cute little details of the whole outfit. There was a good bit of hand sewing, and as much as I hate hand sewing, it wasn't too rough on my hands since I made sure to take lots of breaks.

This picture only gives a hint of this outfit's beauty. Will I make it again? Probably, but not with this fabric since I included the leftover fabric in the package since it's for another seamstress. I figure they can use it to make more mix and match pieces or a different doll outfit.

So, besides working on the above outfit, I've been continuing to work on my scrapbooking. At the 36 hour Christmas in July crop at my LSS (local scrapbooking store), I was able to sew some of my sewing swap outfit, but I also did some layouts during my 24 hours of straight cropping. Here's the layouts:

Noah (The title isn't glued down yet since I'm not 100% crazy about my handwriting with the Distress Stickels and the white marker I used didn't tickle my fancy either, but everything else I love)

Noah

Dylan (yes, my ScrapCessories box for my Cricut cartridges snuck into the picture. If you don't have one of these for your Cricut cartridges, GET ONE! They are AWESOME!) 

Yep, 24 hours straight, and I did 3 layouts. In my defense I also did some sewing of the swap outfit, cut out some more pieces for the swap outfit, and even had to make a quick run to the fabric store for a spool of thread and a spool of lace (but came back with a spool of thread and 12 spools of lace). 

This is Rosie the Crop Robot. Since yesterday she has been the centerpiece of a crop table for my mom and some friends at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Charlotte, NC until Sunday. She is 11" tall and made from glitter paper and Bazzill Bling. I don't have pink paper in my paper stash, so I made this at the Friday Night Crop last week since I could purchase the paper at the crop (and get opinions from other croppers who don't cringe at all the pink).

Dylan. This was done at the crop on July 16th. Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy, is awesome! I used it on the pumpkins (from Cricut cartridge Designer's Calender, font is from Cricut cartridge Don Juan) after I inked them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and the Ranger Foam Ink Blending tool. I used a vanishing ink pen to make my journaling lines, and whew, that was helpful!

So, my bloggy buddies, next time I'll post the rest of the pictures of the sewing swap outfit that I sent out, plus the one that I get from the swap.

Until next time...

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

straight stitch or glue glider adhesive, you decide :)

Gasp, I do exist!

Hello to my blog followers. I apologize for my absence. I've been so busy with life at home that my doll collection and my sewing have been put on the back burner.
My post today is thanks to a friend and fellow blogger, Amber. She tagged me on her blog, and here are  my questions.

1.  Who is your favorite musician/band and why?

Keith Urban. I don't think there is any song of his that I don't like. His voice is rugged yet smooth, and as he plays the guitar is like he's strumming my heart strings.

2.  What celebrity annoys you the most and why?

Miley Cyrus. The biggest problem I have with her is that her face is plastered on anything and everything marketable. 

3.  What has been your biggest letdown lately?

The weather. It's either too hot or it's raining. I really want to take the kids to the beach, but everytime Jim and I have the same day off it's too hot or raining.

4.  Worse job you have ever had and why?

CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). While the job is rewarding when you see the smiles of your patients/residents, the majority of the time you're cleaning up stuff from both ends.

6.  Guilty pleasures?  Spill.

Reese's Minatures straight from the bottom drawer of the fridge. Nothing like cold peanut butter inside of cold and and crisp chocolate. 

My new love is the Wonka Exceptionals. the one with the milk chocolate swirled with white chocolate. They hang out in the bottom of the fridge with the rest of my "Chocolate stash". I can only have a couple of pieces at a time, but mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

7.  The last argument you had with someone - what was it about?

My ex-husband a few nights ago. It's the same argument we've had since we divorced 5 years ago.

8.  What would be something you would NEVER do, even if someone paid you a ton of money?

Bunjee jump, sky dive, base jump. Not going to pay money to jump out/off of a perfectly good building or plane.

So, now to get everyone caught up with what's been going on. Since my last post I have sewn something:

This is my buddy Amber (blog: http://portraitofagirlwhoscraps.blogspot.com/). She is posing with her Donna Downey (blog: http://donnadowney.typepad.com/) canvas tote bag. I taught Amber how to make and attach the ruffles plus attach the ball trim. She has some more she wants to do to her bag, including some really cute fabric flowers she taught me how to make. My mother has a bag similar to this and has decked it out in her favorite color: pink. They will be taking their bags with them to the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Charlotte, NC next month. Excited does not even begin to describe them.

Since then, I've been working on a Doll Duds Polo Shirt from Liberty Jane Clothing (site: http://www.libertyjanepatterns.com/). I'm throughly enjoying the new pattern, but haven't completed it just yet. I just need to put on the other sleeve, do the side seams, add the Velcro, and I'll be done. I'm upcycling one of my sister's Walgreen's polo shirts, and it really is turning out to be really cute. Pictures soon, I promise.

To help get me back into the swing of sewing, I am working on a sundress sew-a-long on AG Fans and am doing a sewing swap on AG Playthings. My swap participate likes blues and purples, so I'm extremely excited since I love those colors too. The blue and orange dress from PDR still hasn't been touched. I think once I make the petticoat I'll start working on it again. My "To Sew" list just keep growing and growing...

I have been scrapbooking too. Here are the three pages I did when I went to Mom's house to crop on the 4th of July:

Noah's Family Tree

Christian's Family Tree

Still waiting on some more information.

Dylan's first road trip to NC.

The picture in the top left is actually a pocket for another picture that is similar but the quality isn't as good since I didn't use the flash since they were sleeping.

Jim and I now have custody of my step-son Christian, and I love having another boy in the house. Yeah, I'm still outnumbered, but I'm used to that. Even our cat is a boy! Next month all three boys will be going to school (Christian in 3rd grade, Dylan in 2nd grade, and Noah in Kindergarten), and I'm excited for them. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my days, but I'm sure I'll find something to do to fill my days.

I will try to update my blog more often. I can't believe it's been 2 months!

Until next time....

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

Having a pity party...

I'm in a funk. Not a "haven't showered" funk, but more like "I've been busy and lazy and generally anti-crafty" funk. Two words: It sucks. Two more words: My fault.
I've been busy with work, housework, the kids, and Project Doll Runway (PDR). I was in a sewing funk before PDR, and used PDR as a way to pull myself out of my funk. Well, PDR wasn't going so well, so I guess I got a little discouraged and when it came down to the deadline for the final outfit, I was exhausted (had too much fun at National Scrapbooking Day weekend) and fell asleep (5 hours before the deadline) before I could finish it. It's now been two weeks since I've touched that outfit. All that stands between me and the finish line: 3 puckers and 4 snaps. That's it! What, like 30 minutes at the most, right? Yep, 30 minutes until I can take this outfit and list it for sale. Yes, I have had 30 minutes to make finish the dress, but when I've had the chance to sew I've felt no motivation or craftiness. Here is how the dress looks right now:

Sorry for the not so great quality. I was in a hurry to upload the picture at the time I was sewing, so I used my   Droid (love) for the pic (see my camera in the corner, I love him too). The dress needs a petticoat since the skirt is so full, which will help the skirt stand out and the orange satin underskirt show.
Okay, that picture is just so bad that I had to take my camera and it's dying battery outside for some better pictures before it got dark. It's hard to see just how pretty the fabrics are with the phone's camera in the dark living room, so here are front and back shots of the dress outside with my camera:

See how close it is to being done? I did forget about having to sew the sash, so that may be another 30 minutes (turning it right side out is also a barrel of fun, let me tell you). The sash will be the same burnt orange satin as the underskirt and will have gold bead trim wrapped around it. The original intention was to have it criss cross the bodice, but since I went with a sweetheart neckline, the crisscross would have covered it up, so the idea was modified.
Tomorrow night is Friday Night Crop, and I have the boys' books to work on. Each boy has his own book and inside of each book I have pictures paired up with the background pages already so I have a good starting point when I sit down to crop. Each of the boys all have the same paper (you know how siblings are, and if you are into scrapbooking you know how hard it is to find boyish paper) but each paper design will most likely be used in a different layout (airplanes for Dylan is his newborn pics from the hospital and in Christian's book the same paper is for a picture of him as a newborn laying on Jim's chest, and Noah's sheet of airplane paper is still waiting for the right layout).
Here is what I have worked on with my scrapbooking lately:

A South Carolina shaped chipboard album as a gift (still needs buttons, bling, etc.)

My sign for my vendor booth (Cricut Robotz cartridge). Two sheets of 12x12 cardstock cut in half, alternated, and then stitched together.

A 4 inch tall 3D robot from Cricut Robotz cartridge.

There are a few layouts, but they need some fine tuning and then a picture with my camera and not my phone.

So, yes, I have not dropped off the face of the Earth, I promise. :-)

Vendor Booth and PDR: Final Round

Today I signed up for a Vendor Booth at my local Scrapbooking store, Charleston Scrapbooking. I'm so excited! I'll be there all day Saturday with my inventory, my sewing machine, and I'm even going to have a design contest for a chance to win a free Gomunk Creation. I'll see how well this contest plays out locally, and if all goes well I'll do it again for my online fans.
My outfit for the final round of Project Doll Runway is coming along pretty well, and I'm working on the finishing touches this week and it will be available for sale at my booth on Saturday.
So, my laptop is dying, and I'm off to bed. Lots to do tomorrow and Friday...

PDR Round 3

The challenge: take an awful outfit from AG (Oh, there are so many to chose from), and make it into something better. There is a twist: keep 3 elements of the original outfit.
Well, here's what I came up with...
The original: 1996 First Day Outfit

Go ahead and shudder. What was AG thinking? Yes, I know it was 1996, but it was just as ugly then as it is now.

So, here is how I remade it:

Ta-Da! The three elements I kept: black, turquoise, and stripes.

I made the pants and jacket in denim, since anything denim was the trend in the mid-90's. The original pants where knit and the jacket was fleece. It originally had a horizontal striped tee, but I opted for a silky vertical striped tank.

Here's the album with a few more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gomunk/PdrRound3#

The final round is Formal Season, and is due May 1st. I'm glad of that since I am having nasal surgery tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be back to the computer and the sewing machine in a couple of days.