20 Questions

I did it again - I couldn't resist joining Sweet Goodness Swaps Holiday Swap. And they've asked us to post the answers to these 20 questions on our blog so our partner (mine is Mary and I couldn't be happier about it!) can get to know us. So, here it goes...

1. Favorite Color:
Red, Yellow, anything bright! Oh, but with fall coming on I am really loving the earthy tones. Do I really have to choose just one?

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above?
Is all of the above an option? I choose that, but I am special fan of dark.

3. What is your favorite craft hobby?
Definitely Sewing!

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start?
Knitting. I just learned to crochet last year and my best friend is a knitter and spinner. I always see these fabulous knitting projects and think, "I really need to learn to knit."

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in ( so your partner doesn’t send something you wouldn’t use)?
Scrapbooking - I just don't have the time for it. I used to scrapbook, then I had children. Isn't this what gets a lot of people scrapbooking? I guess it had the opposite effect on me. Little P was a very difficult infant for about the first 18 months of his life and then I was pregnant with Baby N. I could probably find time to scrapbook now, but I guess I would rather sew.

6. Do you have any allergies?
No

7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else?
I love the costumes. My mom always sewed fabulous costumes for us and I always had one of the best costumes on the block.

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall?
A little - I have a fall tablecloth and I am a sucker for any holiday paper towel, so I usually get the ones with autumn leaves on them, but other than that, I don't do much. I like to spend my time thinking about the Thanksgiving menu - yum!

9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday?
I celebrate Christmas. I put up all sorts of traditional decorations - tree, stockings, lights, nativity, etc. Nothing too extravagant because we still live in apartment, but enough to set the mood and get us excited for the season.

10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls?
Yes - two boys. Little P is 3 and a half and Baby N is 1 and a half.

11. Do you have any pets, if so what kind?
No pets - I've decided that there won't be any pets until after the kids are all out of diapers. After that, there may be a dog.

12. Are you a reader? If so, what type of books do you like?
I do like to read. I wish I made more time to read, but I usually choose to sew. I am a big fan of historical fiction and I love Jane Austen (these are the only books I re-read). I also love trying out new authors. A couple of my friends have introduced me to GoodReads and I think this is such a great idea - such a great way to figure out what to read.

13. Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary in October, November, or December? If so, what day and what is the occasion?
It is Ryan's birthday in October (the 29th), but other than that, we are birthday and anniversary free for these three months of the year.

14. Do you collect anything? If so what type of things do you collect?
No, I'm not really a collector, unless you count my fabric collection which seems to have grown by leaps and bounds in the past six months.

15. What type of things do you like to cook? Are you an appetizer person, cookie maker, dessert freak or a take out type of person?
I like to cook a good dinner. Since this is the thing that is most beneficial to me and my family, I find I really like to try out new dinner recipes and find things that we like and that are easy to make. I also enjoy baking.

16. What is your favorite scent? Is there one that you can’t stand?
I love any citrus scent, especially grapefruit. I'm not a big fan of vanilla scents.

17. What’s your favorite song?
Right now I'm really in love with anything by Feist. My favorite song changes with the seasons.

18. What’s the last movie you went to see at the movie theater?
Becoming Jane - I went with my Mom on our last visit to her town.

19. What’s your favorite Candy?
Dove Chocolate, Almond M&M's, again, anything chocolate!

20. Tea or Coffee or other?
Other - mostly water. Sometimes Diet Pepsi/Coke. Today, since the weather was a little chilly, I had a nice cup of chamomile tea.

All Different Sorts of Things

First off, I forgot to include this in my "Lucky Girl" post. And it certainly makes me a lucky girl - it is the bag of goodies I got from Rebecca for winning third prize in the Sweet Goodness Swaps Container Contest. Wow! There were so many great containers and I was honored to win. I am so excited by this little pack of fun that arrived while I was on my blogging break. Included was a dish towel, vintage pillow case (may just have to make me my own bag with the pillowcase), an orange potholder (crocheted by Rebecca), and a bag of trims and buttons. Thanks to Rebecca for the goodies and to the ladies of Sweet Goodness Swaps! Have you signed up for the Holiday Mini-Swaps? Sounds like so much fun to spread the goodness throughout the season!

Second, a work in progress for another swap - the Embroidered Button swap. I guess I'm going for a "Five a Day" theme here. I sat down on Sunday night with a little Netflix (Veronica Mars Season 1) and got going on these. They are so much fun! I got a little inspiration from this pic and did a pineapple and watermelon, but then I just went for it with the strawberry, carrot, and broccoli. Now I just have to find the big shank buttons I bought at the thrift store so I can finish these up.

And lastly, I finally did it - I finally signed up for the Pay it Forward crafting gift fun. After having several opportunities to join in the fun, I finally did it and signed up to have Missy send me a handcrafted gift sometime in the next year. So, part of this means that I have to Pay it Forward and send something out to three of you. So, I will send a handmade gift to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift (although I have some ideas) will be yet, but you will receive it within 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. So, if you've resisted joining in or haven't heard of this yet, join in the fun - I'd love to send you something!

My Swap Package is Here!

Hooray! It came today! My Sweet Goodness Swap package from Jane arrived while I was out at the thrift store (more on that tomorrow) and it was definitely worth waiting for.

First off was the fabulous container - a vintage travel case that she painted! What a talented lady! My grandmother had one of these when I was a kid and I always wanted one.



And then inside, there is a piece of yellow chiffon fabric, a Vera sunshine scarf (I've got to figure out something to wear this with before summer is over), some daisy stickers, and entire roll of yellow ric rac (like yards and yards of it!), some great orange and yellow paper, bits and pieces of trim - perfect for artsy projects, and an owl painting (I'm assuming that Jane did this as well as it is very similar to the paisley on the container). Oh yes, and a little container that has an owl topper - so fun! Little P decided this needed to be his right away. I had a hard time taking this picture because he wouldn't leave the owl alone.

Thanks Jane - I love it all!

The Great Reveal

Jane received my package yesterday, so now I can reveal all of the goodies that I put together for the Sweet Goodness Swap. This was so much fun. Orange and yellow are some of my favorite colors, so it was fun for me to base an entire swap package on them. So, without further delay, here it is:My container was the pleated tote, which I made from thrifted vintage linens and fabrics. I found the napkins holder at the thrift store and then made napkins to go with it. The napkins were a great stash busting project - I used up two and half sheets in no time! I also made her a retro half apron. I threw in some sour tangerine Altoids, one orange and one yellow fat quarter and some orange and yellow ribbons. I love how bright and summery it turned out - that was the point of all that yellow and orange, so I guess I am saying I am pleased the colors served their purpose.

I am loving looking at everyone's packages and I can't wait for the next round!

A Sneak Peek and a Giveaway

Last night I went out and finished up the shopping for my Sweet Goodness Swaps Package for Jane and tomorrow I'll send it off. Hopefully, it will arrive quickly and I'll be able to share the package in it's full glory, but until then, here's a few pics to give you a sneak peek.


And this is my 50th post! Wow - that went pretty quickly (do I spend too much time blogging? maybe, but it keeps me sane!). So, in honor of this milestone, I'd like to host a little giveaway, although I haven't decided what I'll give away yet. It might depend on who wins. It will either be something pretty or some pretty things - your choice. So, comment away until Tuesday - I'll draw names next Wednesday. If you're lurking, you can de-lurk (no shame in this - I do it all the time!), and if you're a regular reader and commenter, all the better!

Checked Off

Yesterday was a day for finishing up loose ends. I had a couple of projects around that have almost been finished for a while now, so I worked on getting them out of the way so I can get started on some new things with a clean slate.

First, I finished this pennant banner made from bright, fun fabrics. I made two of these for a custom order last week and I like how they turned out so much and I had enough leftover flags to make another. Most of these fabrics are from my Mom's stash (which is much, much larger than mine), so does this count toward the Use What You Have Challenge? My Mom could probably never use her stash all by herself, so I was glad to help her out - thanks Mom!


Second, I finished this tote. I made the body of the tote a while back when I was making one for Natasha for the My Favorite Things Swap. I wasn't sure if I would crochet the handles for this one, so it got left undone. I finally did decide to crochet the handles and that took a little while too, so now here it is. And if you were wondering, the inspiration for the fun ric rac and trims at the top came from my shower curtain. Maybe you saw it in Target last year - a fun blue curtain with horizontally placed ric rac and trims. I had my eye on this curtain for a long time and eventually found it in on clearance for $7, which made it even more lovely.


It's nice to have both of these projects out of the way. And now they are both in the shop.

I also finished up my sewing projects for the Sweet Goodness Swap. Now I just have to gather up a few more items and send off the package. My partner, Jane, is new to blogging and an amazing artist and quilter, so stop by and say hello.

A First for Me

I just received an e-mail from my first swap partner! This is so exciting! I am participating in the One Hour Craft Apron Swap. I should have mentioned this sooner - I realized that if I told you when I signed up, you all could have participated if you wanted. But, being new to blogging, I forgot that this would have been a perfect thing to share on my blog. So, next time I will be more on the ball and hopefully, you already heard about it and signed up if you felt so inclined.

Stacey is going to be a great swap partner - she has already blogged about the swap a few times and I love all of her ideas! She seems just as enthusiastic about it as I do and to make things even easier, we are the same size, so getting a correct fit shouldn't be a problem.

I already had an idea of what kind of apron I wanted to make and then I read something on her blog that sealed the deal. But, of course, I can't tell what it is. It must all be hush, hush until she receives her package in a couple of weeks. And I would like to make that package lots of fun, so if anyone has any suggestions for how to create a great swap package (anything you or a swap partner you have had has done), please leave a comment.

If you're interested in participating in a swap, Sweet Goodness Swaps should be announcing their summer swap any day now. I can't wait!