addictions blessings fabric quilting sewing shopping: heather ross munki munki
by Blabby
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Munki TREASURE
Oh man. It’s been an exciting day. We were headed to the library, but instead, I thought, “hmmm, I wonder if Marshalls has any Munki Munki pjs anymore” because I had read a couple people found them there…
(FYI - my most favorite illustrator/fabric designer, Heather Ross, does the artwork for Munki Munki. The pjs are lovely, but retail for about $100 a set - something I’d never pay. Especially since I don’t want to wear them, I want the fabric they’re made of for sewing.)
Anyway, we hit the Marshalls in the next town, and I hit pay dirt. Five sets of pjs at $10 each! BARGAIN! Sadly, none of them fit me, but that’s okay, because I’m just going to chop them into perfect little pieces for lovely little quilts.
One snag is that these five sets are the kind with the knit shirt, not the button up pj shirt. So I don’t know what to do with these shirts that are too small for me, and I don’t know if anyone will want them without the matching pants. But maybe I can do something with them also - the colors are great, and the knit is super comfy.
We never go to Marshalls, so I didn’t realize that they have a toy section. So when I was done treasure hunting for pjs, my cute kid - who absolutely doesn’t need anymore toys, maybe EVER - got to dig through the piles of half opened toy packages to see what he could find. He ended up with a super cool Sand Man (from Spiderman) that has really bendy legs and arms. SCORE. Score for me, because it was only $5.
So after nap time, my husband says, “you know, I could use some cologne.” Really? Well, wouldn’t you know, they have cologne at Marshalls! So we head out to another town. No Munki Munki pjs to be found, but we did score some Ralph Lauren Blue for $20 and Mr. Fantastic and The Thing (Fantastic Four action figures - all with really bendy arms and legs!) for $7. Now I’m starting to really enjoy this, so we head to one more Marshalls.
PAY DIRT! I find two more sets of Munki Munki pjs - these with the button up top. Bicycles and Farmers Market! Super awesome.
I also went crazy recently and got a bunch of Hope Valley and Nicey Jane - that treasure should be arriving in the mail in a couple days, and I can’t wait. The oranges and purples in Hope Valley are going to go perfect with my new coffee munki munki print. I see a fun coffee quilt in MY future. I think my poor sister may never get a quilt.
One last project that didn’t involve shopping. Actually, I did have to go to Home Depot, so scratch that. Anyway, I got a metal dowel and some cafe curtain hangers, and put up this handy ribbon holder. These spools used to be in the bottom drawer of a craft organizer that is really hard to get to. I also have a ribbon jar, for when I get yard cuts, but I think this is going to be a good solution for my spools. And it’s always fun to get out my drill :)
some quilty goodness
I finished some sewing just in the st. nick of time. A tree skirt, thanks to Jacquie’s tutorial over at sewmamasew.com, an improved pillow from the scraps of the tree skirt, and a quick little blanket for the couch. The microplush blanket was only $5 at Walmart, then I sewed on some ribbon to make it more festive. I also whipped up 12 festive napkins and a couple trivets, but I forgot to take pictures of them. Now, they’re in the wash covered in mashed potatoes and gravy. Anyway, it was a whirlwind, but I’m happy with my efforts. Here are some photos.
And after you’re done reading my blog, head over to aquiltisnice.blogspot.com, for some eye candy.
I feel so cool!
mine
kerry's
I was wandering through all the lovely quilts on Flickr, one of my favorite pastimes, and I ran across a gallery with one of my quilts and another quilt that looks a lot like mine. Kerry over at Freckled Beauties made her lovely strip quilt based on MY DESIGN! Woo hoo!
Here are her blog posts about it with lots of pictures. I particularly like her use of bigger white pieces in the middle - they show up a lot better than on mine.
I was thinking how cool it is that we can share patterns from different countries (she’s in Canada), and how sewing - like anything that brings people together - makes the world so small. It was a thrill to see my design being created by another quilt maker. Maybe I should write down the pattern :)
blabbery: denyse schmidt heather ross RWA rwa annual conference
by Blabby
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someday stuff
Here are some things I dream of:
- Sewing weekend with Heather Ross in Vermont.
- Improv workshop with Denyse Schmidt.
- Become an accomplished pastry chef, with someone besides me eating all my creations.
- Go to a SARK event.
- Attend the RWA National Conference. Preferably in 2011 in NYC.
- Enroll in a low-residency Creative Writing MFA program. No link for this one because there are a million programs out there…I’m looking for just the right one.
someday!
homeschooling
Is looking more and more attractive. I mean, how can anyone afford preschool? Much less private school for the next 13 years? So far, here’s what we’ve been doing. Right now, my sweet almost-four year old goes to a little parks and rec program for socialization a couple times a week. He loves it. He loves his teachers and he loves his friends. But it’s not academic at all. So I’ve been looking up curriculum online. It is kind of surprising how much is available! We’ve been printing worksheets for math and reading, and he’s doing great.
My main concern is the little things, like the fact that he can’t hold a pencil correctly. I’ve shown him lots of times, but I think it boils down to I just don’t know what I’m doing.
I think homeschooling options have come so far! In my city, there are three different ‘schools’ for homeschooled kids. A place for them to go a couple times a week for science labs and other kids and field trips. There are so many options for varied curriculum. It almost makes me feel like I could do it.
I’m glad I still have a year to decide. It’s a big commitment. One I used to feel I wasn’t qualified for. But now, with so many resources available, I think it is a viable option for my son.
books: audible credit worthy fiction Stephen King under the dome
by Blabby
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the dome is freaking me out
I recently listened to the new Stephen King novel Under the Dome, on audiobook. 34 hours or some such craziness - for ONE credit on audible.com! Awesome. Anyway, I loved it. And I’m not a King fan at all. I was miserable all the way through Misery, made it to part 3 or 4 of The Stand before giving up, but with Shawshank and Stand By Me in mind, I dove into the dome whole-heartedly.
It’s about an invisible dome suddenly surrounding a small town in Maine. I kept imagining a dome coming down as I was driving on the highway. Totally crazy to imagine - and King does it in full detail. This is a long one, but it holds your attention throughout. Narration is superb - distinctive voices for all of the huge cast.
Although King does go for full detail on some gore and depravity, this isn’t a horror novel at all. I’d say it will appeal to anyone who likes a good small-town story, where the characters rule the roost. Human nature under a magnifying glass. With a little science fiction thrown in for good measure. Highly recommended!
Now here’s the crazy part. As you can imagine, when the dome crashes down - or up - it’s not really clear - the power lines are severed. Along with some people and a wood chuck. But I digress. The power lines are cut and the town is powerless except for generators. So, last night, I’m in the drive through at Taco Bell and I hear a loud crash and see big flashes of light above the Taco Bell. THEN THE POWER GOES OUT. On the whole block! I thought, ‘holy crap, the dome just came down around Taco Bell!’
It was an idiot crashing into the power pole. But it scared the crapola out of me. Anyway, read the book. Or listen to the audio book.
contests and giveaways
In conjunction with the release of the book One Yard Wonders, you could win fabric for a year! Ends Feb 28, 2010.
http://www.storey.com/oneyardwonders.php/#entry
And on Sew Mama Sew, they’re hosting a giveaway event. There’s a long list of bloggers giving away cool stuff…most are accepting comments until Dec. 6, so hurry!
http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=3717
I’m always up for free fabric :)
books coming of age WWII fiction: american history barbara kingsolver communism diego rivera frida kahlo lacuna mccarthy hearings mexican history trotsky
by Blabby
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The Lacuna
Here’s my review for the lastest Barbara Kingsolver book, The Lacuna. Highly Recommended!
I’ve read a bunch of contradictory reviews of Kingsolver’s latest work. I think we all recognize that The Poisonwood Bible is a tough act to follow…and I’ve loved every single one of her books. This one is a departure for sure. But as this book settles in my mind, I am finding more and more things to love about it. On it’s surface, it is about a Mexican American boy becoming a man, seemingly alone from the 20′s to the early 60′s. That’s a huge historical mine field. Kingsolver touches on events that I was totally unfamiliar with. I found myself googling historical facts and people to find out what was true and what was fiction - which I love! The result of the glimpses of American and Mexican history is like a picture of a picture of a picture. Today’s disbelief about Japanese-Americans being incarcerated in camps and the preposterous nature of the McCarthy hearings will be the same as our grandchildrens’ disgust with Guantanamo Bay. History repeating and repeating to our detriment.
With wit, lovely prose and not a little humor, Kingsolver presents (I won’t say creates, because Frida and Diego and Trotsky were real) wonderful characters. Presenting HER take on the historical figures, to be sure. I truly enjoyed reading Harrison’s journals and letters. I loved Violet Brown’s input even more. The book made me think, gave me renewed interest in history, gave me alternate perspectives to work with. And made me want to eat good Mexican food! I never felt like the political agenda was being forced down my throat…how could I? Harrison never takes a strong opinion - he’s a spectator with pen in hand. I’m glad I got to see his view of the world.
Additionally, I listened to this book on audiobook. I’m not generally a fan of authors reading their own work, but Kingsolver does a spectacular job. Especially with Violet and Frida.
