I feel like someone opened a window and let the fresh air and sunlight in ...

and I am soooooo in the mood to create ...

I'm sure starting to set up my sewing/craft room has a lot to do with it, but it's something else ... I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's fall. Maybe it's because I'm falling ...

Whatever it is, I just feel good, and energized ... and creative.

Yesterday, since over a year now, I logged into a online quilt guild only to find that my subscription had expired. Duh!!! So, I re-subscribed and as I searched through the site I was refreshed to see some old things made new and new things made possible. I received so much inspiration that I was moved to create a miniature quilt. I could hardly wait for the day to end so I could go home and start auditiioning fabrics. Even as I drove home, idea after idea cirled in my head. I didn't get home until 8 pm and had a couple of things to attend to before I could go up to my sewing room.

I feel I create more freely when I have my fabrics and embellishments visible and at hand's reach so I either keep my stash in see-thru bins and boxes, sorting the fabrics by color and/or type or simply on the shelves of one of the two bookcases I use for storage.

So, once I was up in my room and I began pulling out various fabrics, I let my ideas carry me away. Next thing I knew, it was after 1:30 am. Even then i didn't want to stop. And, the ideas didn't.

This time I've included a couple of pictures. This is the work in progress (see the pins holding the pieces to the background?). It's not close to being finished, but I like how it's turning out so far. I'm going to add a few more and different blooms, some more leaves (wish I had a pattern for those, but it's supposed to be free-handed) and I'm think maybe a 3-D embellishment or two or more. I'm also thinking to do some free-motion quilting. I'll have to practice some before I try working on this piece, though. Anyway, it is a work in progress and will continue to evolve as I work on it.

on the road again ...

This project of getting my sewing/craft room set up has me so excited. Even when I'm feeling a bit tired, I can seem to muster 20-30 minutes to spend doing something in there - whether it's just deciding to put one item over here instead of over there, or just to familiarize myself with something in my ongoing stash, making a to do/to buy list. I'm even enjoying journalizing the progress and blogging. I'm having so much fun with the whole process. And to top it off, I feel my creativity flowing as it hasn't for some time now. I'm on the road again ...

Already this morning I went into my sewing/crafting room and just sat a my machine and looked around, smiling to myself, happy with the progress I made over the weekend and making plans to change this or that the later on today. I even found myself smiling because in my mind I was having conversation with me regarding this or that idea. Uh, maybe I shouldn't admit to that ... you know, the "white jacket" people could be lerking ... LOL

I'm feeling so inspired ...

Well, I've had two days to tackle the humongous task of setting up my sewing/craft room and although I'm no where near finished, I feel that I've accomplished quite a bit. My plan is to do a little more each day.

I'm feeling so inspired, but right now I'm sooooo tired. I didn't realize how late (or early) it is and tomorrow is the beginning of yet another busy work week, so I'd better be off to bed. I know it's going to difficult to sleep ... I have so many ideas dancing around in my head for the room and for projects too once I finish the room - or at least get a little corner cleared enough to do one of my small projects.

Time to dust off and start fresh ...

Having been blessed to have purchased my first house, I've also been blessed with the opportunity to make it "my own." And, although a very little at a time, I have been doing just that ... moving this, moving that, painting and decorating and hanging art ...

I even have an extra bedroom that is to be my designated sewing room. No more using the corner of my bedroom or causing the dining room to be off limits because it's been deemed Sew Central.

Since I chose one of the smaller rooms, I don't have a very big space to work with and, I have quite a lot to cram in there. Or, should I say un-cram in there because it's already jammed full of boxes and bins and tables and case, and of course, mounds and mounds of fabric. I've begun taking some "before" pictures of the jammed and crammed mess, that I'll post soon. And I plan to take some "after" pictures that I'll post as well.

Oh well, I guess here's where the creative gene is supposed to take over. I plan to start this weekend so I'll keep reminding myself that I'm creative and I'm sure I'll come up with a design that will work ... sooner or later. (LOL)

Time really does fly ... even when you're not exactly having fun ...

Wow! It's been a really long time since I've posted anything on here. So much time has flown by and soooooo much has happened ... personally and otherwise. I managed to sew a bit since my last post and up until around Thanksgiving, but that's sort of when it all came to a halt.

Since my last post - back in May - I had begun quite a different type sewing project. You see, my daughter asked me to sew various intimate apparel items and doing so kind of consumed my time. For so many years I had given up sewing clothing items, but as I tackle this challenge, I found that I really enjoyed what I was doing. I should have known that I would, as creating the clothing for my dolls is truly the next to most fun part of the whole process. I think I love creating their faces and giving them personality more ... or at least as much.

But then, as occasionally will, life made its demands and I had to change my focus from sewing and crafting to managing the day-to-day. The shame of it all was that as I dealt with those things demanding my attention I found that I had no time to do any sewing or other crafting. Oh, wait a minute ... I had begun a knitting project a couple of months back, but, like pretty much everything else, I've had to put it on hold. Oh, and did I mention that I bought my first house.

Bragging Rights ... He's just tooooo smart ...

Well, just received notification that "Poopie" is being skipped ahead ...

This is the second time in less than one year!

"Poopie" (Xavier) attends "school" at the White Marsh Childcare, which is actually a day care/learning center where they place children in "classes" by their ages. The various "grade" levels have the cutest names. When he first started, he was in the "Little Ducks" grade. After only 2 weeks, he was moved up a grade to the "Cuddly Kittens." That was 4 months ago when he was 16 months old. Now Poopie is 20 months old and is being skipped ahead, again, to the next grade.

On his "report card" ~ yes, I said report card ~ the children (parents) are given progress summaries ~ and the comments about Poopie's abilities are always glowing. In every subject ~ Alphabets, Numbers, Colors, Art: Coloring & Painting, Science & Nature, Story Listening, Writing (Drawing), Communication, and People Skills ~ he gets exceptional marks. The administrator told my daughter that usually a child's progress is age-appropirate and on point or just a little beyond, but in Xavier's case, he is found to be quite intelligent. (Guess it's true what they say that the apple (Poopie) doesn't fall far from the tree (me ~ well who else did you think I was going to say? LOL).

I'm so proud of him ~ but you could already tell that by the heading, right? LOL

The Grunge Bug ...

done bit me ... didn't mean for him to get me. Whew!

Oooops, those aren't the words. Hehehehehe.

But, nevertheless, I've been bitten. I think I'm fallin' in love with "grungy" primitives.
This is my latest ~ the doll I told you about a couple of days ago that was inspired by my daughter. You remember ~ she was the one who gave me permission to just let go. Well, this is the result! And dig that really, grungy crow! I'm gonna have to post these pics on my website.

I think I'm getting better at grunging up stuff, don't you? LOL

I Now Have Permission ...

My daughter just gave me "permission" to allow myself to "throw cautiion to the wind!"

For quite some time I've managed to stay away from crating dolls with that look. Everything I created in the past has only been tea-stained or coffee-stain with the added smell of cinnamon and vanilla ~ nothing really grungy though. Oh, I'd stain one or two things more heavily than the others, but still nothing really grungy. Then a little before last Christma I happened upon this quaint little store in my town. Everything in this little country store was old and worn with such patina. I found myself ooooohing and aaaaahing over other crafters' creations. I remember thinking that as a dollmaker I should be creating stuff like that. I should broaden my horizons because if this is what the public wants, I should try my hands dirty and go at it. I set about buying a few odds and ends that to use as accessories for the dolls I was going to create. And, I was actually quite excited about the whole process. Then I had hand surgery. (I told you about that, right?)

Anyway, Christmas came and went, and the New Year began. My hand was healing (slowly) and when I looke up ~ it was almost the end of February and I still hadn't convinced myself to get down to "grunging." I did get back to crafting and creating, but I nothing "grungy." And then a creative block set in and ...

While trying to gather inspiration, I came across piece of another crafter with the same "illness." In all the remedies she offered, what stood out the most was her suggestion to "try something new ~ something you wouldn't ordinarily do." How about that! Had someone reported me? LOL

So I gathered all my "stuff" and set my plan in motion. I began to grunge ~ or at least my version of it. Trouble was, I wasn't satisfied. Everything else I'd seen was more ... more dirty ~ more grungy. I had to get this. I became determined. I began to look for "recipes." I even purchased a couple of patterns that promised to have the "perfect" staining recipe. Heck, I even bought a recipe. I must say, though, that initially I was dissappointed. Each of the recipes were basically similar and turned out that one was really no better than the other.

So, I got to thinking, kind of putting everybody's ideas together to make one. I don't mind telling you - trying to find just the right combination is hard work. I still don't have just one. I have a bunch of them. All to different degrees. And when I'm working on something, it's still trial and error. And, getting to the error takes a bunch of trials. And, to me they still weren't grungy enough.

I only got close - really close after my talk with my daughter. Wisdom from the mouth of a babe. She simply said: "Mom, you've got to give yourself permission to get it wrong!" You see, I come from a line of sewers, seamstresses even. When I first began making dolls, it was the hardest thing to have a thread hanging, let alone tear a piece of fabric and leave the raggedy edges. In the beginning, ven my raggedy rabbits had french seams. (Don't ask! lol)

So, last night, after repeating what she'd said to myself and mustering up the courage, I hung up from her and drafted a wacky pattern. Sewed it up, stuffed it and dowsed it this gunky stuff that almost caused my bathroom sink to be permanently tan. I baked her and spritzed her, and rubbed her with cinnamon and poured the gunk over areas and rubbed some more and painted and ... whew! and there she lay ... one of the ugliest but grungy dolls I've made to date.

Now, I've got to figure out how to dress her. LOL

It's Happened, Again ...

An intense creative block. I feel stuck. I begin, but I find myself stumbled before I can finish a project. I can only get so far before stopping and it's be a day or so before I have another burst of ideas so that I can finish. A couple of times, I've had to begin something entirely new before a spark comes that helps me complete an unfinished project. Creative block is a really horrible feeling. It's like trying to speak with laryngitis ~ you know how to pronounce the words, you just can't make them heard.

HELP!!!

SHE DID IT!!!

She passed.

How does that song go ~~~ I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, etc. (Now if we can just to figure out how to add something in there about "Poopie." LOL

Kudos to Rhandi ~ You Go Girl!

Luv Mommy

NCLEX Exam

Well, Rhandi called ~ the exam is over.

I could tell that she couldn't talk about the exam. She doesn't want to "jump the gun" but she did say that she only had to complete 75 questions (the minimum) and it only took her 2 hours. But, I know she passed. I feel it. I know it! She just says, "she hopes she did."

You see, the way it works is there's a minimum of 75 questions, but you can be asked many as 265 questions and the exam could last as long as 6 hours. The exam is designed to ask as many questions as necessary to determin whether you know enough. The tricky thing is the 75 question minimum. The exam will end at 75 questions if you have demonstrated that you know enough, but it will also end at 75 questions if it's determined that you don't.

I believe in her heart she knows, but Rhandi is not one to be cocky about such things. A good quality in a nurse, don't you think?

Now all that's left is the wait. She should know something within a week or so.

Her Eye On The Prize ...

My daughter Rhandi is taking the NCLEX Exam today. NCLEX is the exam to become a Registered Nurse.

I know she's going to pass. She's already a nurse. It's one of those things that makes a person who they are; it's something that's a part of her and has been since she began taking Clinicals. She's already received employment offers from a couple of hospitals ~ one while she was in labor awaiting the birth of her son ~ pending her becoming licensed.

I am so proud of her. She's gotten to this point despite dealing with a lot of "things that weren't a part of the plan," including going through a pregnancy and raising a most wonderful little boy, all while going to school full-time (summers included) and holding down a full-time job ~ being a wife, mother, homemaker and a career woman.

I'm so tired ...

I've been staying at the office late for the past few nights. (Internet on the fritz at home.) No wonder I'm so tired.

Whew! I don't think I can keep this up too much longer. I'm putting in 16+ hour days.

I'm up at 5:30am every morning, weekends included. And during the week, I'm at work by 7:30am. I'm supposed to leave the office at 4:30pm ~ which of course, I never manage to do. Then, because internet is on the fritz at my house and my son has totally taken over my laptop, I hang around the office for another 3 or so hours to use the computer. Usually when it's time to pack it up ~ so my car won't get locked up in the underground garage ~ I reluctantly head home. I'm often relunctant to leave when I do because that's just about when "the chips start to fall into place." Good thing I'm not worried about having to go home to a "hubby" or little ones. That wouldn't be cool at all. LOL

Anyway, after dragging myself home from the office, I'm left with barely enough energy to prepare myself for bed ~ it's gotten where I prepare for the next day in the morning, hence getting up at 5:30am. [I seem to remember a time when I got up at 5:30am, but that was the time when I worked on ideas I'd dreamt about the night before. I've got to work on getting back to that.] And, before you know it, I'm back up ~ at 5:30am ~ and it all begins again.

The weekends are a little different; I don't have to go into the office. The weekends have become my time to create. The only problem is that I'm so tired from the work-week, that my brain is still racing or sometimes even clogged and I find that best I can do is sit and stare out the window. My spirit is willing, but my body just won't cooperate. LOL