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I've moved! As noted in my last post, I'm now blogging from a new web address. Click on the image below to be taken there. Thanks for visiting!

Thought Bubbles

You may have noticed I've been on a bit of a blog break. Here's why: I've been writing xhtml and css! Is that Greek to you? If it is, then let me explain: it's coding for websites, and it takes time. It takes some trial and error, some thought, and lots of tweaking. And there isn't much about it for me to photograph!

I mentioned quite some time ago that I was thinking through what I wanted this blog to be, who I was as a crafty person, and so on. Well, I've let all that marinate for way longer than I expected, and I think I have some sense of direction now. I'm not talking about huge changes from what you already see here, just a little freshening up, a little more intentionality and focus on my part. One step in this direction involves moving to a more "permanent" blog home (and a name change).

I've been working on pulling that together as of late, hence the coding. (I like to hand code my sites from scratch, crazy lady that I am.) Planning for a new website has been getting pushed aside for more entertaining projects, but a disadvantage of having small children who collectively don't sleep well at night is that there isn't much room for doing needlework or other such things. The hidden benefit has been that, when my son wakes up for the 76th time before 10 p.m. and I decide to wave the white flag and just go to bed with him, I can play around on my laptop while I cuddle him back to sleep. That has been happening a lot lately, which means that all the fussing with domain names and css and web design is finally finished!

So, what does that mean for you?


Well, this will be my last post at this address. I'll keep this site live to avoid broken links and to redirect anyone who may find me via old posts, but for anything new, you'll have to follow me to my new home. (All my current archives will be transferred there as well.) That means if you want to see my second memory pouch or more on the stamps I carved to make the image above, you'll have to click on the link: june at noon.

I've enjoyed being a part of the online craft community so far, interacting with all of you, and I look forward to continuing the journey together at my new site. Hope to see you there!

Always Love You

Whew! That was a lot of writing yesterday. I need a break. Bring on the photos! (And some more writing. I can't help myself.)


Here we have one of the little projects I just completed. It's a little pouch for keeping written memories for my daughter. The idea came from here.

The basic idea is that you cut up small cards (I did 3"x5") and decorate them (we have used watercolors and markers so far). Then you store them in the pouch for easy access when something happens that you want to remember. It's the type of stuff that doesn't usually end up in a baby book, the type of stuff you want to keep forever. And the bonus is that the memories are written on a piece of the child's artwork. Double nostalgia bonus! The cards can then be put into a scrapbook, made into their own little book, or stored in the pouch permanently.

The design was inspired by this photo:


While we were on a walk, my daughter picked these wildflowers, and when we got home she laid them out on the walkway like that. I took a photo thinking that would make a great embroidery project. I stitched them on linen and used stem stitch, some satin stitch, and some other ... I don't know, freedhand stitch. I just made it up as I went!


The lettering was done freehand and says, "I will always love you," which is a phrase I've always said to my little girl. I used some fabric that reminds me of vintage bedsheets to line the inside of the pouch.

The whole thing was meant to be a little more organic--rustic, for lack of a better word. It was a nice departure from some of the super detailed stitching I've done in the past, and I have to say I'm really pleased with the results. I'm thinking it might even translate well to some little pouches or cushions to be sold some day down the road....


In the near future I'll share photos of the pouch I made for my son's memory cards. Have a good day!

The Honest Scrap

Well, it was a slow crafting weekend, what with my spider monkey children and all, but I did manage to finally finish the small projects I had in the works.


The finishing should have taken an hour or so, but it ended up taking an entire day of very brief stolen moments. Sew a seam here, stop toddler from stealing baby's toys there, zip in another seam, feed a baby, and so on. But I did it! They're done! And I will write a full post with photos and details soon. For now, though, I am going to play along with Alison, who sent me the Honest Scrap award.


To participate I have to list 10 honest things about myself for your reading pleasure. I rarely do these, but I like Alison. ;) So, without further ado:

1. I really like the color red, but my favorite color is green. For cars, however, I prefer white.
2. I don't know how to drive a car with manual transmission. My husband does, and when we were young he drove me to school sometimes.
3. In high school I was part of the "drama crowd" and played "Ophelia" in a "rewritten" version of Hamlet.
4. I was one of a few students who could read and understand Shakespeare.
5. I can also read music. I play the piano, started when I was seven, but I don't have a piano or find much time to tinkle the ivories nowadays.
6. I worked as an in-house editor for two publishing companies and later stayed at home to work as a freelance editor for a handful of other publishers.
7. I am very good at deciphering illegible handwriting.
8. After publishing/editing burnt me out, I spent two years working at the front desk of a dental office, where we tinkled a different set of ivories. Thanks to that job, I know way more about teeth than the average person, way more than I ever thought I would.
9. Speaking of teeth, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I am a sucker for cookies or brownies.
10. I often talk way too much, and with carefully crafted paragraphs I can turn a 10-things meme into a 32-things meme in a single breath. I type at least 120 words per minute.

I'm not going to tag anyone else, but why don't all of you consider yourselves tagged. If you participate, leave a link in the comments so we can be nosy and learn about you too!

Back soon with some crafty posts and some bloggy news....