It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
–Unknown
My favorite way to spend Valentine's Day is doing something special for the people I love. Flowers and chocolate and paper hearts never live up to their expectations and waiting an hour for a table at a restaurant is not my idea of relaxing. I find that I enjoy the day much more when I find a way to do something nice for the people I care about. Today I'm doing individual heart-shaped pizzas topped with whatever the Not-So-Little Bugs and Mr. Bug want. They like it and it makes me happy to do it for them.
In the vein of love and sharing, something that I love and always want to share is the The Piano Guys. Their newest video is so much fun! As a side note, we have tickets to go see them in May! I'm so excited!
Available for purchase from The Piano Guys, at Amazon or on iTunes.
Tour Information
I also really loved the vocal version.
However you celebrate today, may you find love in one of its many forms.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Something New: Upping the Impossible Ante
Plan specifically so you can implement flexibly. –Dallin H. Oaks
I've been working as fast as I can {which is why you haven't heard from me in 10 days}, but we all knew this project was doomed, right?
Talk about a mission impossible. I gave myself 9 days to cut, piece and quilt it and I gave the framers a week. Today is day 15. The quilting is not even done yet.
Two consecutive 40-hour work weeks {general ledgers and gross income, I hate working that much} and the fact that every framer I talked to takes two weeks for a custom job, have conspired against me. It would seem that the best option would be to call it a day and move on to something else.
Hardly. Every goodspy quilter always has a back-up plan. And a back-up plan for the back-up plan. And if they don't have back-ups, then they come up with new plans on the fly.
One of the framers that I talked to said they had ready-made shadow box frames that were 20". Using a ready-made frame would give me more time for quilting even though a ready-made is a little bit plain. Full of hope that I could salvage the plan, I headed to the shop after work and dinner and regular stuff last Friday and discovered that they close at 8:00 pm. Every day. What kind of craft store closes at 8:00 pm!?! Undaunted, I tried again on Saturday and they did indeed have 20" shadow box frames. They just aren't 20" square.
Not willing to give up, I looked at every single frame in the shop, tape measure in hand, trying to find one with a 20" square opening. I finally found one. Well, OK. The opening is only 19½". And the frame was occupied.
Still not willing to give up, I bought the artwork, intending to strip it for parts. What I'm going to do with the print, I have no idea. I don't think I'll be able to just throw it away, though. I may try to cut that outside border down and put it in another frame. {Yes, I see the irony.}
I also bought some spray paint. My first thought was to paint the frame flat white and then strategically sand it down to give it a shabby, worn look. I'm undecided about that now, and wonder if it will be too white, even with bits of the dark showing through.
This project hasn't gone to plan. But I kind of like the changes. I think that framing it without glass makes it a little more . . . I don't know . . . real. The first DWR is kind of look-but-don't-touch. This one will be up front and center; accessible, like a quilt should be. {Sidebar: I know. It will get dusty. I thought of that. I'm giving the bride & groom a lint roller to go with it.}
I'm still crunched for time. I took the picture above a few days ago, so I've got more than just the ditch quilting done now and I think I can make it. Even if I have to pull an all-nighter.
As Lane put it, I do like a challenge.
I've been working as fast as I can {which is why you haven't heard from me in 10 days}, but we all knew this project was doomed, right?
Talk about a mission impossible. I gave myself 9 days to cut, piece and quilt it and I gave the framers a week. Today is day 15. The quilting is not even done yet.
Two consecutive 40-hour work weeks {general ledgers and gross income, I hate working that much} and the fact that every framer I talked to takes two weeks for a custom job, have conspired against me. It would seem that the best option would be to call it a day and move on to something else.
Hardly. Every good
One of the framers that I talked to said they had ready-made shadow box frames that were 20". Using a ready-made frame would give me more time for quilting even though a ready-made is a little bit plain. Full of hope that I could salvage the plan, I headed to the shop after work and dinner and regular stuff last Friday and discovered that they close at 8:00 pm. Every day. What kind of craft store closes at 8:00 pm!?! Undaunted, I tried again on Saturday and they did indeed have 20" shadow box frames. They just aren't 20" square.
Not willing to give up, I looked at every single frame in the shop, tape measure in hand, trying to find one with a 20" square opening. I finally found one. Well, OK. The opening is only 19½". And the frame was occupied.
Still not willing to give up, I bought the artwork, intending to strip it for parts. What I'm going to do with the print, I have no idea. I don't think I'll be able to just throw it away, though. I may try to cut that outside border down and put it in another frame. {Yes, I see the irony.}
I also bought some spray paint. My first thought was to paint the frame flat white and then strategically sand it down to give it a shabby, worn look. I'm undecided about that now, and wonder if it will be too white, even with bits of the dark showing through.
This project hasn't gone to plan. But I kind of like the changes. I think that framing it without glass makes it a little more . . . I don't know . . . real. The first DWR is kind of look-but-don't-touch. This one will be up front and center; accessible, like a quilt should be. {Sidebar: I know. It will get dusty. I thought of that. I'm giving the bride & groom a lint roller to go with it.}
I'm still crunched for time. I took the picture above a few days ago, so I've got more than just the ditch quilting done now and I think I can make it. Even if I have to pull an all-nighter.
As Lane put it, I do like a challenge.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
A Stitch In Time: January Finishes Giveaway Winner
We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. –Herman Melville
Thank you to everyone who linked a finish up in January! There were so many amazing projects to see and be inspired by. LadyBug drew our winner for this month and she picked #27.
Karen
Karen will receive a charm pack of Comma by Zen Chic from The Fat Quarter Shop. Make sure to hop on over and see Karen's super cute red and white challenge quilt, and if you haven't already, check out a few of the other fun things that were finished in January.
The February Finishes Linky Party is open, so you can link up as you go throughout the month. Remember to include the February Finishes button {code found in the February post} somewhere in any post you link up. Code for a button for your sidebar can also be found in the February post. The giveaway, sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop, is a charm pack of Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for Moda!
Today's post brought to you by: 
Thank you to everyone who linked a finish up in January! There were so many amazing projects to see and be inspired by. LadyBug drew our winner for this month and she picked #27.
Congratulations to
Karen Karen will receive a charm pack of Comma by Zen Chic from The Fat Quarter Shop. Make sure to hop on over and see Karen's super cute red and white challenge quilt, and if you haven't already, check out a few of the other fun things that were finished in January.
The February Finishes Linky Party is open, so you can link up as you go throughout the month. Remember to include the February Finishes button {code found in the February post} somewhere in any post you link up. Code for a button for your sidebar can also be found in the February post. The giveaway, sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop, is a charm pack of Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for Moda!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Favourite Things Friday: Blue Skies
Blue days, all of them gone
Nothing but blue skies from now on
Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see
Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
–Bing Crosby
This has been the coldest winter we've had in decades. For the past five weeks, the mercury hasn't risen above about 27˚ F and mostly we've been sitting in the low teens. Today, we hit a very lovely 30˚ F complete with sunshine and blue skies. It was a very nice day. How could it not be, with a beautiful start like this?
It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of winter, especially these bitter cold winters. I looked up record low temperatures and in the US, only one other state beat our low of -69˚ F {-56˚ C} in 1985, and that was Alaska with a mind boggling -81˚ F {-62˚ C}. We've had relatively mild winters since about 1995, but this year we've had a real cold snap. It is more like the winters I remember as a kid, where once it snowed, you didn't see the landscape again until the spring thaw.
We lived across the street from a park, so we'd cut across it on our way to and from school. It would get so cold that you could walk across the snow without your boots sinking in. I loved that. I remember one winter with so much snow that it was up to my 9-or-10-year-old chest and all the dads had to go out and shovel snow off the roofs to keep them from caving in.
Despite the cold {said with a shiver; I haven't been warm since September}, it has been fun to see all the snow art that has popped up around town. I already showed you the Igloo that I pass on the way to work every day {which is still standing, by the way}. And this Snow Titan is in our little neighborhood.
I won't even guess at his height, but I'm certain that ladders were involved in the construction of this behemoth. His hat is a broken tree branch, for snow's sake. Just to give you a little perspective, here's a wider shot. He's as tall as the roof line of the house he's guarding.
The days are getting longer and spring is around the corner. The beautiful sky and the warm sun today give hope of more to come. I'm so looking forward to seeing the grass again.
Today's post brought to you by:
A Stitch In Time: February Finishes Linky Party
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. –Walt Disney Company
Welcome to the February Finishes Linky Party! I can't believe we're already a month in 2013. You've all been productive, though! There are lots of new faces around here, so welcome to anyone who is new! And thank you to everyone who continues to participate! I really enjoy seeing the fun and creative things you all make! I wish you lots of luck in getting a project or two finished in February!
To participate in this month's linky party:
• Finish a project {finished as in done, finito, nothing more to add, ready to use/display/give away} with some sort of stitching in it and blog about it or post a photo of it on Flickr.
• Scroll down to see what other bloggers are up to and link to your own finishes.
• Please include the February button in your blog post. Copy the code in the text box below and paste it somewhere in the post you link for this month's finishes. The button is a link to this specific post, so that other bloggers can find their way over and link up too. If you'd like a button for your sidebar, the code is at the bottom of this post.
• Each time you link up a finished project, you're entered to win the February giveaway, a charm pack of Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for Moda!
• Thank you to The Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring our giveaway!
The Fine Print {which might be boring but you really should read}:
• Projects must include stitching of some sort. For example: appliqué, crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, practical sewing {garment construction, bags, curtains, etc.}, quilting.
• Projects must be completely finished. As in done, finito, nothing more to add, ready to use/display/give away.
• You can pick something new to do, but projects do not have to be started during the month. If you pick up a UFO, Ph.D, WIP and finish it during the month, it counts.
• Finishes must be completed during this month, but you have until noon MST on the 1st of the next month to link your post.
• Post about your finish and then link your specific post {instructions here} above. Links to your blog and not the individual post about your finished project will be deleted.
• Have more than one finish this month? Great! Post about each finish individually and then link the specific posts up separately. Each finish, and therefore each link you add, counts as one entry for this month's giveaway.
• If you've already posted about a finish for this month, there's no need to do a separate post. Just add the button to that post and link up.
• Please copy and paste the code below to include this month's button somewhere in the post {not your sidebar} you link up for this month .
• Don't have a blog? You can link from your flickr account. Just post a picture, include a little note about your finish and a link back here {code included below} in the description. Then join the linky party.
• Want a button for your sidebar? Copy and paste the code below into an HTML gadget for your sidebar. This button is a link to the main A Stitch In Time Linky Party page, which always has the current month's finishes and links to all previous linky parties.
• Make sure to visit a few of the other links and leave them some love {ie, a comment}. A good rule of thumb is to visit two links for every one you include.
• Winner of the sponsored giveaway will be drawn randomly from among the links and announced by 8:00 pm MST on the 3rd of the following month.
• Instructions for making an index page to your finishes can be found here.
• Kindly consider changing your comment settings to the pop-up window option for faster and easier commenting for visitors to your blog. Instructions can be found here.
To participate in this month's linky party:
• Finish a project {finished as in done, finito, nothing more to add, ready to use/display/give away} with some sort of stitching in it and blog about it or post a photo of it on Flickr.
• Scroll down to see what other bloggers are up to and link to your own finishes.
• Please include the February button in your blog post. Copy the code in the text box below and paste it somewhere in the post you link for this month's finishes. The button is a link to this specific post, so that other bloggers can find their way over and link up too. If you'd like a button for your sidebar, the code is at the bottom of this post.
• Each time you link up a finished project, you're entered to win the February giveaway, a charm pack of Spring House by Stephanie Ryan for Moda!
• Thank you to The Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring our giveaway!
The Fine Print {which might be boring but you really should read}:
• Projects must include stitching of some sort. For example: appliqué, crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, practical sewing {garment construction, bags, curtains, etc.}, quilting.
• Projects must be completely finished. As in done, finito, nothing more to add, ready to use/display/give away.
• You can pick something new to do, but projects do not have to be started during the month. If you pick up a UFO, Ph.D, WIP and finish it during the month, it counts.
• Finishes must be completed during this month, but you have until noon MST on the 1st of the next month to link your post.
• Post about your finish and then link your specific post {instructions here} above. Links to your blog and not the individual post about your finished project will be deleted.
• Have more than one finish this month? Great! Post about each finish individually and then link the specific posts up separately. Each finish, and therefore each link you add, counts as one entry for this month's giveaway.
• If you've already posted about a finish for this month, there's no need to do a separate post. Just add the button to that post and link up.
• Please copy and paste the code below to include this month's button somewhere in the post {not your sidebar} you link up for this month .
• Don't have a blog? You can link from your flickr account. Just post a picture, include a little note about your finish and a link back here {code included below} in the description. Then join the linky party.
• Want a button for your sidebar? Copy and paste the code below into an HTML gadget for your sidebar. This button is a link to the main A Stitch In Time Linky Party page, which always has the current month's finishes and links to all previous linky parties.
• Make sure to visit a few of the other links and leave them some love {ie, a comment}. A good rule of thumb is to visit two links for every one you include.
• Winner of the sponsored giveaway will be drawn randomly from among the links and announced by 8:00 pm MST on the 3rd of the following month.
• Instructions for making an index page to your finishes can be found here.
• Kindly consider changing your comment settings to the pop-up window option for faster and easier commenting for visitors to your blog. Instructions can be found here.
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