It seems like forever

I know its been a while and I wont even try and make excuses. I'll just say Happy New year and I'm glad to see it.
One of the things that I managed to get done lately is lay out and sew together this blanket for The Grandparents. I don't want to call it a quilt because there wasn't a lot of quilting with it but it still came out pretty cute. The story that goes with it is almost just as cute.
Its hard to think about what to get for people that have been around for 9 decades. But one day Lynne (Kits mom) was on the phone talking about how Eleanor and Raymond (the Grandparents) were talking about how cold it was.(It's a Northern Minnesota Winter) and that she had a blanket that she just loved an wished they had another.
Lynn asked where she got it from because maybe she could get one for Christmas. Eleanor said that it was a wedding gift......They have been married for 69 years. I'm pretty sure that its out of production.

So I produced this one. This is where I question my layout, on the bed.
Eleanor loves bright colors. Do you think I covered that that part?

I added the brown,green & tan so that Raymond wouldn't have pink and fuchsia dreams as they approach their 70th Wedding Anniversary. Its the gift that would keep on giving and its the least I could do since she gave me the machine to make it with.

Sewing Clothing

I'm not the greatest at making clothing. I can usually get thru an item for myself because my body is right there to make any needed adjustments.

The one person that does a really good job at sewing clothes is my mother. Funny thing is that most of the time she does not like to do it.

These are some dresses that she made to sell. They are really cute. I told her that I would list them on my Etsy for her.

I have no idea what the price should be. I guess I have to do some research first....

I need to practice more. Then maybe I would have a better chance to get out of this jobless rut.

Cowl Neck Infinity Scarf

I Love Cowls. I learned today that they are also called snoods in the UK. I believe that they are also referred to as infinity scarves. I like them on shirts or just the cowl by it's self. I really want a chunky orange one for this winter but I cant knit. I have tried to learn but so far no luck.

I made this ivory one but luckily I found knit fabric for a reasonable price. I am going to list it on etsy.com yo see if anyone else likes it.

it can be worn in different ways and I have shown a few different ways.

I love that it is a loop that wont fall off.

If only I could find some orange knit fabric....

My Epic Fail.....

I have not been posting lately.
A few people have brought it to my attention by asking "Whatca working on?" My answer is always the same. "Nothing"
Truth be told that's a Big Fat Lie!
Since before I was laid off , almost a year ago I have been working on a project that means more to me than any of ones in the past.
Kit and I have been trying to add to our little family. I know that it doesn't seem like that would take up much time, considering we pretty much have the act down and we are good at it. Actually we are pretty good a making babies also....Just not so good at keeping them alive past the 1st trimester. Since the first miscarriage last year we have loss 3 pregnancies.
That last statement usually starts with "I" and I have to keep reminding myself that the loss was not mine alone. Kit has been really supportive. Especially considering that I haven't been working and hospitals and insurance companies bill you about the same cost, baby or not.
I have to keep reminding myself to stop blaming me, because its really easy to beat yourself up, thinking that I could have done something about it. I know that medically it was out of my hands. Its hard to stop the Why me?, and the It's not fair!, and the crazy jealousy of others. My internal dialog has been terrible towards myself because hate to fail. And this feels like an Epic failure. I have this incredible need to go all in and hands on and fix things and I cant fix this.
That's the part that has taken up so much of my energy, desire to work on anything creative, or even get out as much as I should.

After the 3rd loss we were referred to an Infertility specialist who assured us that 3 losses to them were no big deal. I think they should try being on the other side of the desk. The amount of testing that you have to do is insane. We both came out with a clean bill of health, but I have been given the label "Advanced Maternal Age". After 2 rounds of Injection cycles and now the discovery of Uterine fibroids that may need to be removed. When I stop and consider the losses, cost and the potential damage to my health and relationship, I think I have come to terms with the idea that this may not happen.

I am coming back around to being me. I have managed to dump 10 of the 18 pounds that I picked up this year being depressed (self medicated with food). If I could find work, that would be great but with this economy I'm not holding my breath.
At first I was glad that I was not working. I felt like I needed to be alone but now I know, I need to get out. I have gotten out more to workout dates with friends and picked up on the frequency of my yoga practice. It really does help put things in prospective.
Kit and I have talked about me going back to school. I have to give it more thought because I never really thought of a serious career. I've always considered work as just work. It was just something you did to provide the necessities so you could enjoy your life and family. I'll have to focus on it more now since I may not get hired the one career field that I really wanted.....

I want to a great big thank you to the people that have let me bend their ears back with all my chatter. This is my equivalent for crying on shoulders since I'm not one for crying in front of others, I am eternally great full for you checking in on me every week. And thank you the one who have helped me dodge questions that I could not answer at the time (You know who you are). If by chance I have pushed away from you in the past year please know that it had nothing to do with you, it was not personal.

One thing that I have learned is not to take things and people for granted. The other is that when someone is dealing with a medical condition like infertility I will never tell them to relax and not stress, because then and it will happen. Maybe its me but that just grates on my nerves. You would never tell some one to relax away any other diagnosis. (except maybe stress)
I will get back to projects & posting soon. I still have a chair that needs to be recovered. I have the fabric. The chair and fabric have been sitting in the corner looking at me looking at it......I'm gonna tackle it......

Yoga gets slippery

I've found myself in yoga class more lately. With things a little hairy around here I've needed some help staying centered. Anne a friend has recently completed her Yoga certification. She wanted to practice her teaching and was kind enough to as me to be one of the familiar faces in front of her.

It doesn't matter how cold or hot the room is when I am practicing the results are always the same. I sweat as if I am in Death Valley. I wish that I could blame it on the extra 15lbs that I have been caring around the past year but I have always been this way. Ever tried to stay in downward dog with sweaty palms and feet. I feel like I'm about to face plant.(not the four-limed staff style) I've tried to practice on a regular towel but it nor I stay in place. I decided to make-myself one out of micro fiber towel fabric. I added grip to the back so that it could hold on to my mat while I hold on to it. I also made this one for Anne as a thanks for getting me out of the house. I know I could have grabbed a plain one but why would I want to cover my mat with that.

Its HOT in here!

I know that vaulted ceilings are designed to let light in to the foyer but they also let in heat.
I've always felt like it is wasted space. I think that it would have been a better use of space to make the master bedroom larger. The level of heat that comes off the window is ridiculous. So I decided that it needed to be covered with black out shades. There were two problems with my solution.
The first is that it is very expensive to cover a 60 inch window and the other is that it has to be hung up and there is no easy access.

The solution that I found was to buy mini blinds and turned them into roman shades. I found some blinds on the clearance table at Lowe's for $15. They were two inches short. But I felt that I could compensate with fabric to close the space in the window.
Jo Ann's Fabric had black-out on sale for 40% off so I purchased a couple of yards. I had some Tan colored fabric at home that would be a good choice. Then I removed all the slats from the blinds, all but 10. I doubled them up for strength. and hand sewed around the slats spaced about 10 inches apart. This way I would have 5 folds. I think it came out pretty well and it does reduce the amount of heat that comes in.

Kit pulled the ladder from under the house and I held it as he cursed the heat and the drill as it was installed. The only downside is that I do have to get on a step ladder to adjust it.

Wanted: More Storage

Bags, Bags & more Bags.
They were all over our foyer. There's my purse, gym bag, work bag( when working) and then there's Kit's contribution. My solution was to get a credenza to fit it all. However that was not in my budget. This dresser from Ytina was, because it was free. (Thanks again Ytina)
In the photo below it's on its side because I started working on tearing it to pieces before I remembered to take a before photo and I didn't want to set it down again. I tossed out the 6 drawers that were in it. I also removed the curvy bottom.

I spent $20 on two packages of bead board to cover the sides and $10 on 1x4's for the top. I didn't want the cadenza to sit on the floor but I couldn't find any feet/legs in my budget. My solution was to buy 4 wood post at $14. (3.5 each) I had to remove the galvanized fastners from the post centers before I added them to the new base.

Once I removed the rails form the inside I added one newly craft papered shelf to each side. The shelf is made from scrap particle board that I had in the garage. I made the doors from the the left over bead board & trim. ($12)
The next thing I did was to practice anger management. I beat it up with hammer, screw driver and a a chain to give it some personality. I used sage green spray paint for the base.($8) The next day I went over every thing with a watered down brown paint that I had at home. I ragged off the excess before it dried. Then went over the entire thing with a matte glaze($3) so that it would look old but loved.

I thought it was best to use hardware that was not modern. These black ones are hammered and I think that it is a good match. ($8 Pulls, hinges,and catch magnets)

I'm happy that the bags are out of site. But I did get in the car this morning with out my purse.....out of site, out of mind.
Piece of mind $75( if I can add, and not the $300+ that I couldn't spend.