You Go Girl!

Embroidered Doodle Tote

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

 Remember this doodle?

I've turned it in to a Doodle Tote that smacks of summer.  When I look at it, I can almost feel the sunshine warming my face.  That's a good thing because March in Montana is the longest month of the year.  Everything is kinda gray. But not this tote. 

 

Sandi Henderson's fabric in Spring Stripey and Pumpkin Henna Garden work together on this bag.  The color combination makes me want to sing along with the Temptations and break out the suntan lotion.  Never mind that a wet heavy snow is falling outside my window just now, and the day is as gray as it gets.  Pf-ft...minor details. Yep.  I've got sunshine.  Now if I could just find little Robin Red Breast I would know that sunny skies were truly on the way. 

Wishing you sunny skies--

Cassie

The Big Reveal (Part 1): A small-ish purse with a zipper

Happy New Year!  I have finally poked my head above water for a breath of air and a little time at the computer.  Our Christmas was bliss.  The week since has been a flurry of activity.  Girls here. Girls there. Girls everywhere.  Friends and fun have been the main ingredients of this week.  On Monday when school starts again, it will all come to a screeching halt.  I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.  I guess it's good to "call it"  before the fun wears off.

I've been excited to reveal a few Christmas secrets to you.  Remember this... 

Well, Tink the Amazing Christmas Elf I stitched it into a purse for my mom.  She once mentioned that she wanted a small-ish purse with a zipper so that her important things could not sneak out of it.  I think I delivered...

This is the ugliest picture ever.  In fact, the picture is a total bomb (and not in a good way).  I had to take it in the dead night before I wrapped the purse at the eleventh hour. The only place I could find good light was on this carpet.  A leather couch looks good on this carpet. A small-ish bag with a zipper--not so much.  I could've got my white background out, but it was in the garage.  When the temperature is below zero, you think twice about going to the garage.  Especially when you have to walk all the way upstairs to get to the garage.  Bad carpet/smallish purse with a zipper combo, or freezing cold feet (my boots were up one more flight of stairs).  Those were my choices. I chose the bad carpet/small-ish purse with a zipper combo.  I think the picture gives you the general idea, doesn't it?  Somehow I don't think Sandi would put this photo on her blog, though.  Someday I want my blog to look like hers.  Yes, I dream big and in color!

Here's the inside.  Again, not a fabbity-fab-fab picture, but it will do.

Originally the zipper on this bag was brown.  I underestimated my own strength and ripped the zipper pull right off the brown zipper AFTER I'd carefully sewn it in.  I had a snit. Then I picked out the brown zipper and put the blue one in.  Some things are meant to be.  I like the blue zipper much better.  You could call it a fortunate misfortune.  How's that for an oxymoron?

It's getting late. The later it gets the more wordy I get. The more wordy I get the later it gets.  I'm caught in a vicious circle. Must. Go. Now.

Wishing you the best in 2009~

Cassie

Wanted: Christmas Elf (the cleaning type, please)

Just a quick post to say hi.  I hope all your Christmas sewing, and decorating, and baking, and card writing, and shopping is all going well.   I'm plugging along trying not to think about how much needs to be done in the next 20 days.  In the end, it will all be good.  It always is.

Here's a quick peek at some Christmas goodness I am making down in the workshop.  I can't show it all, nor can I tell you who it's for.  That might ruin a good surprise.

My goal this year is to not give any You Go Girl gift certifcates (a.k.a I-wanted-to-make-you-something-but-I-ran-out-of-time certificates).  In order to do that, I'm thinking I would like to get myself some of those helpful North Pole elves.  Not the toy making kind 'cause I think there probably pretty busy this time of year!  I'm looking for the cleaning and dinner-making kind.  Hmmm...I think I'll google elf before I  head down to my Christmas workshop.  I'll let you know if there are any good ones out there for hire.

Tootles,

Cassie

This, That, and the Other

I have a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a little bit of the other to share with you.

First the this:

Did you notice that I've gone back to my old blog banner and colors.  I'm still on an orange bender, but everytime I opened my blog to check something, the orange overwhelmed me.  I got to thinking that if it overwhelmed an anaranjado (I love to say orange in spanish) junkie like me, it must be gagging an orange-a-phobe. (I made that word up.  What do you think?)  Besides, I was missing that little doodle bird that Melissa drew for me.  When I first started this blogging thing, I commissioned her to create a banner for me.  I think she did a pretty fine job.

Now the that:

Wylde Women Award

 
To send love and acknowledgement to women

who brighten your day, teach you new things and

live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

A while back Robyn at Daisy Quilts gave me an award.  It is the Wylde Women Award. Tammy is the artistic genious behind this award.  I love the mission of this award.  When I set out to blog I hoped I would brighten someone's day, teach someone something new, and reflect the life I'm trying to live with generosity and joy.  It was very heartening to have someone tell me that I was doing this for them.  Thanks, Robyn.

I could pass this award to so many people.  There's a lot of inspiration and bloggy goodness out there. Today I choose to pass the award to these four girlfriends.

Jody at Gumbo Lily--Your posts always remind me of what really counts in life.  Thanks.

Julie at Joy's Hope--Your blog is a breath of fresh air to me.  Always brings a smile to my face. Thanks.

Lisa at A Spoonful of Sugar--You have more good ideas in you pinky than I have in my whole being.  You go girl!

Jona at Stop Staring and Start Sewing--I so get you.  A house full of kids, a husband that lets you be you, a terrific sense of humor, a heart to sew, and an amazing fabric collection.

There's so many more I could mention like Gemma, and Randi, and Terri, and Anna, and Nanette, and Tonya, and Marie, and Marisa, and Jenny, and...  The list could go on and on. Oh, I wish you were all my neighbors!   

Anyhoo, back to the award.  This award is yours to do what you want with.  If you decide to pass it on, here are the rules:

    1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.

    2. Link back to this blogsite as well (http://www.TammyVitale.com) so that Tammy (the originator) can go and visit all these Wylde Women. Tammy would love to see this travel around the world.

 

And finally the other:

I have two new items in my Etsy store.  I doodled up some covered buttons.  Yes, I have other things I should be doing, but this button thing is very gratifying.  There's something about popping the back on the button and then seeing a perfect little button come dancing out of the plastic sleeve.  It so easy a caveman could do it!

 

 

I also put this in the store. 

If you'll recall the swing top was originally going to be a bag.  Well, the girls were sure that the mommy and new baby I was sewing for really needed a bag.  So I stitched up a bag.  Now I have this little set of clothes that don't have a home.  I wish one of my girls could wear it.  But size 6-9 months doesn't work at this house any more.

Well, that's all for now. 

Toodles,

Cassie 

Up Next--I've completed my very first item from an Ottobre pattern.  I will post it soon.  I can't write about it until I let my brain relax from the eye-crossing pattern tracing gig.  WOWZER!

Pincushion Party

Is two a party?  I guess it depends on who the two are.  I remember when Mr. Handsome and I first started dating.  Anytime he was around, it was a party for me.  Sweet like cake and bubbly like punch.  Ahhh, young love.  But I digress.  I have two pincushions that would like to be part of a party.  And what's a party without a gift?

This little pincushion's for you (Leave a comment.  I will randomly pick a winner on Wednesday, October 8th):

This one's for the Etsy store:

 

  

 

These are the two pincushions I made last week when I was off-task.  I used Heather Bailey's pattern.  You can find it here.  I am happy to report that I seem to be doing a little better with my focus this week. All six pairs of jeans are hemmed.  I am currently working on the baby gifts.  One of the bags I am making for a gift is trying to get the best of me.  We'll see who wins this battle.  I hope that bags knows I am a woman armed with scissors.  I'm not afraid to use them. Snip, snip, snip little bag.  I just might cut you up.  Whew. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  I feel so much better.   (Disclaimer:  I am not a violent person, but I think I might be caught in a snit.  Gnashing of teeth.  Snatching of hair.  White knuckles gripping the scissors.  It's not pretty.  But I'm over it.  Really.) 

Thanks for being a part of my give-away.  And before I forget, Lisa and her daughter are have a giveaway at Spoonful of Sugar.  But hurry.  Midday on Saturday is your last chance to leave a comment.

Toodles,

Cassie

Off-Task Behavior

If someone gave me a grade this week, I think I would get a check mark for off-task behavior!  Here's why:

1. I haven't responded to any email or your lovely comments on my last post. Sorry.  I can't seem to find my way to the computer for more than about 30 seconds (until today).  It so bad that I haven't even been visiting all the blogs I love to read! 

2. I haven't given my home the attention it needs.  It is showing signs of neglect.  In fact, I could use the dust on my coffee table to help the girls with math or spelling homework.   I could just write in the dust.  It would work just like a chalk board.  That's not a bad idea.  It could be my effort to "go green".

3. I haven't given any thought to meals or meal preparation this week. When you're feeding a family of seven, and you do not have mad cooking skills, this is not a good idea.  My family has had more than one dinner that was haphazardly thrown together at the last minute out of a completely depleted pantry.  Dry cereal with a side of mashed potatoes is a meal, isn't it? 

Even my creative work is off-task.  I have three baby gifts to make, two sets of valances to stitch, one pair of curtains to whip up, and six pairs of triplet jeans to hem.   So what did I do?  I made these lovely doodled buttons and stitched together two new pincushions.  Hmmm, was that the most valuable use of my time?  Probably not.  But come on, you have to admit, the buttons are dang cute.  That's gotta count for something.  Doesn't it?  Here's a close-up: (Psst...they're for sale in my new store.)   I SOLD them!  My first ever Etsy sale.  I am giddy!

 

Where are the pincushions?  Well, I'll share them next time.  They're looking pretty good.  I think I might even be giddy for a give away...(pondering the thought)  Yeah, I'm definitely giddy for a give away.  I'll give the details next time.

Toodles,

Cassie

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

Everytime I see an orange, or say the word orange, I think of this knock-knock joke:

Knock-Knock!  Who's there?

Banana.    Banana who?

Banana.   Banana who?

Banana.   Banana who?

Orange.   Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

What can I say?  I also have knock-knock associations with cantaloupe and olive, but I will spare you the details.  Now, back to orange.  I have a thing for orange right now. 

I love these gigantar orange begonias growing in a planter on my deck.

My toenails have a fresh coat of orange polish.

My new favorite fabrics from Jona's store are the orange cuts of Farmer's Market.

   

I have a new chair to go with my chicked-out chaise.  This is a cheap ($8.00) Rubbermaid stackable chair that I did a rockin'-redo on.  I painted it with Krylon Fusion spraypaint in orange.  Then I made a chair pad using a little Ginger Blossom, a little Freshcut, and some bright orange covered buttons.

    

 

And finally, do you remember this doodle on orange linen.  It is now a spanky Glory Bag.

(Big contented sigh) Olive orange!  Get it?  Olive orange...I love orange.  I cantaloupe with orange because I'm already married (giggle, giggle).  Okay, I'll stop now.

Orange you glad I'm done?

Cassie

Au Revoir, Ciao, Adios, Goodbye

 

I'm not going anywhere, but I think summer is.  With this sunny little doodle, I bid a fond farewell to you, Summer.  Au Revoir to sunny days and warm nights.  Ciao my little petunia pals.  Adios my charming chaise.  Goodbye my fair weather friend.  I will anxiously await your return.

I welcome you, Autumn, with open arms.  I embrace your cool mornings, warm afternoons, changing colors, apples and pumpkins, pungent aromas, cozy sweaters, football games, new school supplies, and all the other sights, sounds, and smells you have to offer.  You really are lovely!

Wishing you all a Happy Labor Day...

Cassie

A Vacation At Home

We were going to go somewhere but things got complicated-- Gas prices are high.  Hailey had a commitment at school.  Mr. Handsome had a few projects at work that needed attention. The roofers were supposed to start working on the house.  We had landscapers digging out our basement window wells. (What a change!  Larger window wells means more light.  Not that it's going to matter much to me.  Paige is ready NEEDS to move  to her room in the basement.  That means I have to move out of my craft room [screams of no].  I fear I might be a gal without a place to land [sigh]. We're kicking around a few solutions.  There's been talk of putting my craft room in a shed [ahem] studio in the backyard.  More on that later...) Now, back to my original story... We were going to go somewhere, but in the end, we decided to stay put and do fun things right here in our own backyard.

Here's the picture tour.

Glacier National Park--Last Monday we drove to Glacier.  We started our day with a hike to Avalanche Lake.  It is a four-mile hike on the most beautiful trail in the park.  The trail is so pretty that the journey is almost better than the destination.

 

Following our hike, we had a picnic lunch at the Lake McDonald Lodge.  We ended the day with a hike to John's Lake, which should really be called John's Pond. We always have a good time catching frogs and salamanders here. 

We didn't drive the Going to the Sun Highway this year because: a) we ran out of time; and, b) the road construction signs warned of long delays.  The Going to the Sun Highway is one of the most spectacular drives I know of.  As an added bonus, there are always mountain goats waiting to greet you at the top of the mountain.  We tease that the goats are paid by the National Park service to stand and greet people when they get to the top of Logan Pass.  It's always a treat to see them.  I'm glad they like to hang out close to the road.  I hope we will get to visit them next summer.

Garnet Ghost Town--Not far from home is an old gold-mining settlement that used to have a population of 1000 residents.  We had fun peeking in the old buildings and looking for the items on our scavenger hunt list that we picked up in the visitor's center.

 

I'd never been to Garnet.  It was fun to peek back into the past.  The girls had a great time.

Boating and Swimming on Flathead Lake--Does it get any better than this??  This is the lake of my childhood.  I grew up right on her shores.  Sometimes you don't realize how lucky you are, especially when you are a child.  I love the lake and so do my girls.  Can you tell?

We also hiked around Holland Lake in the Swan Mountain Range.  Forgot the camera.  Big bummer!  It was truly magnificient.  We hiked to a falls at the base of the Swan Range that dumps into the lake below.  From the falls, you can see across the lake to the Mission Mountains in the distance.  Breath taking, I tell you. I wonder if the state of Montana would frown upon me building a house at the end of this trail.  I think right beside the waterfall would be just perfect.  Lovely views in all directions. Quiet. Fresh. Peaceful. Ahhhh...a girl can dream.

We wanted to tube down the Blackfoot River, but the weather didn't cooperate.  On Monday, when we were in Glacier, it was a hundred degrees.  No kidding. It would've been perfect for floating.  Tuesday, the high was in the mid-seventies. By Wednesday, the high was only sixty seven.   It slowly warmed up for the weekend, but not in time for us to venture down the river. It needs to be at least in the mid-eighties for a float to be any fun. Oh, well. There's always next year.

When I had down time, I worked on this.

This is just a little peek.  I'll show more later.

Toodles,

Cassie

One last question before I go--Have you ever thought your butt was much smaller than it is?  Mr. Handsome, bless his heart, snapped a picture from behind of me and my oldest daughter walking on the trail (screams of horror).  I will spare you the retina-burning image.  I think I am done eating until 2009, though!  I hope my grumbling tummy doesn't compromise my sunny dispostion! Hah, hah!

Glorious

'glo-ri-ous adj  1: marked by great beauty or splendor: MAGNIFICENT  2 : DELIGHTFUL, WONDERFUL

Remember the sneak peak of this doodle?  I think I said something about having glorious plans for it.

Well, I finally turned this doodle into the bag I had in mind when I first started stitching. I don't think the final product is full-blown glorious.  After consulting Mr. Webster (see above), I discovered that glorious is a pretty big word to live up to.  Some would even think I was boasting if I said this bag was glorious.  I've decided to tone it down a bit and say it's just a wee bit glorious (giggle).  It's a very happy bag, don't you think?

The whole time I was making this bag, a David Crowder song, called Everything Glorious, was playing in my head.  If your speakers are on, you might be listening to it now.  I'm feeling pretty computer savvy.  I figured out how to put music on my blog.  I know, I know it's not that hard.  But remember, I'm a technology goofus.  A circus monkey can do more on the computer than I can!  Really.

Anyway, back to the David Crowder song. This is the part that kept playing through my head:  (singing) You make everything glorious.  You make everything glorious. You make everything glorious and I am yours. What does that make me?  Are you hearing what I'm hearing?  The God of the whole universe is lovingly crafting us into something glorious. I am definitely a work in progress. But someday I will be glorious. Marked by great beauty...Magnificent...Delightful...Me!! I'm giving this thought a great big WOW! 

I hope your feeling a wee bit glorious today!

Cassie

By his power to rule all things, he will change our simple bodies and make them like his own glorious body.  ~Ephesians 3:21