Scrappy Hearts

I Have Plans

Big plans. And they include something that is hidden in this package. But I can’t share and it is going to drive me crazy. Just thought I would put it out there...I am no good with secrets....

Sunshine, Blue Skies

Today, this is what I woke up to; sunshine streaming through the lace curtains in the corner of my bedroom. This is what I look at first thing in the morning. I love a sunny morning!

I love the blue peeking through the white lace curtains. I spend a little extra time laying in bed, just taking it all in. No better way to start a lazy Sunday.

A Trip to the Mall

Have I ever said how much I really hate going to the mall? Well, today was no exception. I think everyone in the world decided to shop today. They were all at the mall. Ugh! It makes it very difficult to move quickly when there are just so many people around. Today my list was long and required stops in several stores. 

I needed shoes to wear with my wedding dress, a shirt for Mark to wear to the wedding, a shawl or some sort of coverup, also for the wedding. This wedding is beginning to require a great deal of stuff. 

But, by the end of the day, I had succeeded in ordering my shoes and picking up two shirts for Mark. Actually, one shirt in two sizes. I think it matches the color of my dress pretty well, but we will have to see in daylight.

I did get a shawl. Our wedding is at six in the evening, outside, in April. I am expecting a bit of a chill and want to be prepared. I think I am liking this shawl/scarf sort of thing. We will see...

The color and texture match the dress almost perfectly. I am thinking I need to have my friend Robin come over to check my purchases!

I am exhausted. I stopped in every shoe store, in every men’s store and every department store. Although exhausted, I am glad that I was able to take care of so much. 

Oh, while I was there, I decided to get my hair cut and makeup. Well, since I was there already!

The hair dresser that I have been going to for 10 years is no longer cutting hair. I took a chance with someone and someplace new and I think she did a good job. Hopefully she will be available right before the wedding!

A successful day. Finally time to eat and relax. Cleaning and the rest of my chores can wait until tomorrow!

 

Taking the Time to Create

Okay, so that house isn’t as clean as it could be, and there is still laundry on the chair to fold, but everything in life requires balance. Right? Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. 

The truth is, I have been feeling more like my old self lately. Not sure if it is because I was able to catch up on sleep over the weekend or the fact that I started to do aerobics again. Well, whatever it is, it’s working.

For the past two evenings I have managed to get some sewing in, managed to complete some work, both school and personal, exercise and get to bed at a reasonable hour. 

I am most pleased, however, with the opportunity to sew. I feel so much better after some quality time spent with my machine. The past two evenings I have been working on Emma’s Daisy Chain Quilt. I have made a Daisy Chain for myself, Amanda and Olivia. Emma’s quilt is long over-due. I will probably end up making one for Jessica and both of my sisters. All the girls need to have one! I will have to post photos of all the Daisy Chains, each one is so unique and so pretty!

As you can see, Emma’s blocks are done and the rows need to be sewn together. The next step will be the sashing and then finally, the inner and outer borders.

I do not have the fabric for the borders, I am thinking I need to arrange a date with the little one to hit the quilt store with me. We may need to have lunch also. Here’s to creative progress! 

Crafty Goodness

I find it much easier to create gifts than to purchase them. I never know quite what to buy, but make, well, that’s a different story. This year Valentine’s Day creeped up just a little too quickly, considering that Mark was here until the 29th of January. Not to mention, when he left, we actually though he might be moving back at the end of February. No need to rush holiday plans, or so I thought.

Needing to have, whatever I decide to send to Seattle, ready and mailed at least 5 days prior is a necessity. So, when I received word that, in fact, Mark would not be moving back any time soon, I went into overdrive. Seriously. I panicked!

Then I happened upon this post from Ali Edwards. Wow, a plethora of ideas and all in one spot. Me, I chose the one I felt would be easiest to create given my time schedule and the fact that I was also preparing a workshop to teach. Judge for yourself, but I think Mark’s Valentine’s gift turned out adorable!

I started my album the same way that Ali did, it just seemed easier to follow the directions as given although I wasn’t particularly good at that either! This was my cover.

This was the inside page made using the free download that Ali Edwards provided on her site, here. I added the little felt heart that I cut, freehand, from the same felt that I used for the cover.

And so the pages go, on the left side it says "i love you" and on each left hand page I included some sort of embellishment. The right side begins with “because"....

What made this project truly doable, in the time I had, was the simplicity of following a pattern. The left page was the same each time, as was the right page.

You don’t really need to see all of the pages to get the idea. But I love the inside back cover - again - just taking the plan and making it my own!

Being a follower of Ali Edward’s has afforded me the opportunity to relax about my scrapbooking. What does that mean? Well, she tends to simplify. Create a formula and apply it to a whole project. No need to over stress about creating individual masterpieces, just focus on the story at hand and share what seems to be most important. I believe I am getting more stories told because I am trying to live more in the moment and notice the gifts that I am graced with each day. If you have not yet visited her site do so, and soon. Great ideas popping up all of the time.

It’s Snowing!

I figure, if it is cold, it might as well be snowing. I hope it snows for at least 12 hours!

Time to Create

My goal this weekend was to allow myself time to create. While I did very little else, I did manage to squeeze “time to create” into my schedule. Saturday I spent with my friend Robin working on a t-shirt quilt that we began in 2009. I am pleased to announce that the quilt top is done. Phew. It was a real challenge piecing together different size t-shirt pieces to make a cohesive whole. But that part is done. Now, we just need to add the borders and plan for the quilting. We will let the professionals handle that part!

I did spend a little time yesterday cutting pieces for a quilt that I hope to make for a friend but I cannot really say that I made any headway on my projects. I still have to finish piecing my t-shirt quilt together, but I am unsure of how to proceed. I will have to ponder that a little longer.

Tonight I started to work on my Miss Emma’s quilt, again, pretty pinks and yellows. This quilt, the Daisy Chain, really comes together quickly once the cutting of the pieces is complete. I am well on my way to having all of the individual blocks completed by Tuesday, fingers crossed!

It felt really good to take some time to sew, scrapbook and just relax. I am not good at that relaxing piece, but I am learning. It feels good!

Project Life, Week 7

Week Seven started with my Saturday in New Orleans. It was the perfect day - our workshop let out at 2:30, we planned a little for Sunday and then it was off to explore the city. I journeyed on my own. I had some very specific places that I wanted to visit and I really wanted to move at my own pace. It was a calm afternoon into evening and after a stroll along Bourban Street, I called it a night.

My role as a workshop leader has afforded me the opportunity to visit many places across the country. And while I often breeze in and out of these places, I do as much as I can to experience what each unique locale has to offer. Having been in New Orleans just shy of a year ago, I knew that I wanted to spend a little bit of time relaxing at Cafe DuMonde, taking in some people watching and some street music. It was perfect.

During Week 7 it really dawned on me that this project, Project Life, was quickly becoming full of my ideas and thoughts, not very inclusive of my family. Well, because I am currently living alone, that seems a bit natural. But, moving forward, one of my goals is to have the others in my family add their thoughts and journaling. Today I am sending out a package to Mark and in it I am including some of the small journaling cards so that I can include them in our album!

This is our Week 7 spread. I love that this week included a little of my trip, a little of my messiness, a little bit of Valentine’s Day, a little bit of wedding and a little bit of spring. A really busy week!

This week, once I was home, featured some very ordinary days. I just love the ordinary. Time to spend at home doing the things that I love, or not, as the case may be.

The second part of this week found me focusing on wedding details, specifically, what necklace to wear with my dress. Still haven’t decided. I spent some time on Skype with Jess, she has a dress that she wants to wear for the wedding. One less thing for me to think about. I also included a journaling card about Mark. Not sure what he was thinking, but he found out that the house that he is living in may be sold in 30 days. A stressor for sure, but he handles things very differently than I do. I included my thoughts about that, probably very different than what he is experiencing.

Five minutes a day affords me the opportunity to create and to chronicle our experiences. I am really embracing this project! 

 

Project Life, Week 6

The year is tumbling past and I am barely hanging on. If feels like only yesterday was New Year’s and already we are beyond seven weeks into the year. Less than 28 days until I am able to see Mark and less than 62 days until our wedding. Time flies.

Week six was an eventful week here at the Miller house. I was able to Skype with Jessica, had dinner with Jason in NJ, received our wedding invitations, and traveled to New Orleans to teach a workshop. One of my very favorite parts of Week 6 was the opportunity to spend a weekend at home. While I love to travel, I love the time to just relax at home.

I have not yet mastered the art of taking the photos of my Project Life, they are definitely a work in progress. Also, I will be adding additional page protectors to this week. At least one that has room for additional photos so that I can include more pictures from New Orleans.

I included ephemera from Victoria’s Secret and The British Chip Shop right over the journaling cards for the days I visited those places. Not sure if they will stay there, but I did not want to lose track of them. Still need to work out the little details in my Project Life system. I also missed an opportunity to have Jason add some thoughts to the journaling for the time we spent together. I have to be better about that!          

The second part of the week was all wrapped up in preparing for my trek to New Orleans. A walk to the library to check out books for the trip and a trip to the post office for postcard stamps and stamps for the wedding invitations that I wanted to mail on Valentine’s Day. I love the photo of the cathedral from New Orleans and I love that I was able to lighten the photo of the band walking by Forever New Orleans. I think that was one of my favorite parts of this trip, the number of high school and middle school bands that took advantage of the opportunity to parade up and down the sidewalks in the French Quarter, getting ready for Mardi Gras I assumed! So neat to be able to hear so much live music!

Beautiful

Captured this photo through my windshield on my way to tutoring this evening. Friday nights are usually reserved for doing nothing. I have been so tired lately that I really mean doing nothing. Tonight found me rushing to a tutoring session, rescheduled from Thursday, because the poor little guy was exhausted from playing outside all afternoon.

Glad for the need to be out and driving, otherwise I may have missed the sunset. Really beautiful. 

The wind has picked up now, sounds like a fall evening out there. The weather is supposed to stay warm for the next few days, up to the 60’s again by Monday. Here’s to the weekend and beautiful weather!