stitch~Whimsy

Taxes

2011-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Spent a good part of the day working on our taxes..should be an easy task, but it's wrought with worry, oodles of papers, stacks of receipts and lots of tension. This year an employer didn't take out enough for Federal taxes. And, the mortgage company sent a statement that is missing numbers. :( Just combing through the papers is stressful and hubby works up a headache. It doesn't help to take a break because when you return to the task, you have to figure out where you are in the stacks and you've totally lost your train of thought.
Seems like after all these years of the dreaded process, we would have developed a smoother way to do this. We never know if we will end up with a meager refund or owe Uncle Sam. Because they change the rules every year, we can't rely on what we learned from previous experience so we never know exactly how much record-keeping we should be doing and what receipts will actually be effectively used. *sigh*
Still, there's an end to it. April 15th usually. So here's to hoping we entered the correct information in the right boxes and we aren't one of the lucky ones picked for an audit ! Good Luck, All.

Fall weather ?

2010-11-22T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight it's rather odd weather out; almost Thanksgiving and it was in the 60's all day, rain now, we're on tornado watch 'til 2am !
Have been sewing my fingers off trying to get caught up on pincushion orders (not a complaint, busy is good). Just about done with the current order yesterday (Sunday), when we got a phone order for another hundred. You would think by now (after years of orders) the market should be saturated. I'm always shocked when new stores order. Thank God, really.
Family will gather here for Thanksgiving. We will be having the Hage regular food staple: Pizza. Yeah, I know. But the kids wanted a new tradition when we moved away from family and friends (14 yrs. ago) and we didn't have a plan for the quickly arriving holidays. So...why NOT have everyone's favorite ? Actually, some years we have adapted new menu choices such as Chinese, Spaghetti, Tacos, or whatever fast food place was open. It gets interesting every time we start to plan. One memorable year, we decided on pizza and even checked ahead of time to make sure they would be open on Thanksgiving; well, they changed their mind. NObody was open. So we played "clean-out-the-frig" for dinner and played games all evening. And, ya know what ? It was one of the best times. So, tho I do love a good turkey with all the trimmings, I adore going against the grain and having fun memories that last a lot longer than leftovers.
So wherever you are going to be and whatever your plans, I wish you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving :)

A Mouse PINCUSHION....

2009-06-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

~ I made two, one following and old magazine article/pattern, and then I tweaked the pattern and made one a bit differently. They are very similar, but I liked the stitching process of the tweaked version.
So here they are..two little mice. I listed them on etsy as pincushions, but honestly, I couldn't stab something that looks at me ! So for now, they just decorate my sewing room. I'm working on more. It's fun to find material that will work for a mouse. It kind of stretches the imagination..
Today we are on Tornado watch all day (just means watch and see IF a tornado developes). The sky is sooo dark and it rains hard, but no real wind yet. Best get this posted before the lights go out !

A Chance to WIN a Chicken Nest Box

2009-06-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Check out the blog of : GeorgiaFarmwoman.blogspot.com, "Life on a Southern Farm". Besides good reading, they are having a drawing to win a Four Hole Chicken Nest Box for your favorite country critters. The boxes look made very well and have a lot of thought put into the design. All you have to do is visit, click on the picture of the nest box and then leave a comment. You just may win ! Good Luck.

FREE GIVEAWAY

2009-06-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

FREE~
***** FREE GIVEAWAY !! ***** Free Shipping is Good, but how about a FREE ITEM with that FREE Shipping ?! That's right, get the word out. The etsy shop, aWhimsy.etsy.com is hosting a giveaway, open to anyone who will look through the etsy shop, pick a favorite PINCUSHION, LADYBUG or POUCH and return to this blog; stitchwhimsy.blogspot.com. Leave a comment on this blog site (or hit the "contact aWhimsy" link on the etsy page..) describing your favorite Pincushion, Ladybug or Pouch (be entertaining, it may boost your chances) and be sure to leave contact info. ~FREE ~FREE~ FREE~ FREE~ FREE ~FREE~
Promotion ends with a drawing July 20, 2009. Winner to be announced the next day.
The clock is ticking so...GO!!

Another Pincushion...

2009-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Spoon Pincushion repurposed from a Baby's First Spoon. It is a Reed & Barton Silver piece and has an adorable Cat on the looped handle.

These were very satisfying to make. I like to use items for alternate purposes.

Spoon Pincushions

2009-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, here they are at last, pictures ! I finally got these listed in my etsy shop, aWhimsy.etsy.com. Good, clear pictures were hard to get due to size, lighting, glare, etc. I wanted to get close enough to show the fine details but not be blurry.

~Had to get a little help from our son, the tech-expert with the better camera.

This Pincushion uses a regular table setting spoon.

SPOON PINCUSHIONS

2009-06-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

~ I had fun putting together some Spoon Pincushions today. I used Vintage ornate silverplate spoons, velvet, ribbons and a bit of trim. It was a satisfying project ! Tomorrow I plan to take photos and list the spoons in my etsy shop, aWhimsy. Hope you stop by there or check back here when I am able to get the photos posted.

Tomorrow is Friday !! (We live for the weekend around here, so I'm excited). It rained all day today and I loved it. I'm all for weather that isn't freezing cold or boiling hot, so today was wonderful.

A day in the life of~

2009-06-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Started the day a bit late, but didn't sleep much last night!! Checked emails then walked downtown with daughter so she could get some coffee. I painted a bit on a doll bed I'm fixing up to sell (my helpful mutt assisted by enthusiastically wagging her tail against the freshly painted surface leaving lovely artistic patterns on both the bed and her tail).

Worked in the basement for a while, cleaning and pulling out stuff for the Neighborhood Yard Sale this weekend. I'm going thru my fabric stash and many boxes of books, patterns, etc. I could probably outfit a craft shop with all the stuff I've kept, so out it goes unless I Really plan to use it!
Back upstairs, I worked on the sewing part of my Finger Pincushions and then counted out some finished ones to get an order ready for mailing.

Played "clean out the frig" for our dinner meal, then Rick and I took an hour long walk along the canal, thru the woods and across the park behind us. Weather is great for walking !
Had time to watch a movie with Rick before he went up to bed. Now I'm wrapping up more sewing before I go to sleep. I ran across some bits of fabric perfect for the pincushions..can't wait to start sewing tomorrow !

Are you Crafty ?

2009-06-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm curious, how many crafty people are out there ? Do you love Quilts ? Or maybe Pottery is your thing. Perhaps you like making things out of recyclables... Whatever it is, celebrate your craftiness. It is unique and it is what makes you see things everyone else sees in a different way.
I like to sew, quilt, anything with fabric actually. I like to find new patterns or just read a pattern to get new ideas. Visit my etsy shop and see what I do. Send me your links so I can enjoy seeing what you do !!
Have a good, creative day.

Floaty~Thingies

2009-06-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

All this week, we have been invaded by floaty~thingies. They are wispy, air-born bits of fuzz that dance playfully in the air and travel great lengths. When you stop at a stoplight, they magically cross the street in front of you as if you stopped just for them, and now they have the green light. When these little bits do finally land, they tend to congregate together and cling to grass, looking like shed fur or, from a distance, they resemble sparse snow. I love the antics of them ! They seem alive, animated and definitely on their way somewhere.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to them. In reality they are seeds, most likely milkweed, and they reek havoc on those with allergies (hubby and sons). While my daughter and I are highly amused by their presence, the rest of the family is busily blowing noses, and wiping weary, weepy eyes. How sad that we can't all seem to enjoy this phenomenon together. I look forward to the daily visitors, but am sorry for the suffering ones. :(

Don't you hate migraines ?

2009-06-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Want this badge?

Hi~
I get migraines. I know other people who do as well. Migraines limit what you can do in life. They also affect the people around you, like your loving and patient family. The pain can squeeze you out of a job real fast. It is hard to escape the pain of migraines. I'm very grateful for the support of my family and their wonderful acceptance of my yucky disease. I'm so sorry it hurts them and gets in the way so often. I was hoping to outlive this but there's no guarantee on that.

If someone you know has "bad headaches" that interfere with life, urge them to seek medical help. Aspirin won't cut it, believe me. Especially if they have sensitivity to noise, smell or light. If you are looking for some more information, go to mymigraineconnection.com