I’m so excited that my crafty life has been featured in Redbook magazine. I haven’t seen it in person yet. My parents found the August issue in the airport. It’s not scheduled to be in my bookstore until the 21st. The wait has been driving me a little crazy! Thankfully my mom sent a pic. Here’s a close up.
I can’t wait to have an actual magazine in my hands. I’m on the last page. Check me out!
Our recycling is mostly made up of glass, aluminum and plastic. Since I’ve canceled most of our catalogs, our weekly paper bin consists of some boxes, a few days of newspaper and junk mail. Not tomorrow, though!
Believe it or not, the biggest project I worked on while my parents were visiting was non-craft related. I tried to regain some control over our filing. There are lots of reasons excuses as to why it was in such a state. I won’t go into them here. Let’s just say there will be a lot of paper at the curb tomorrow morning.
I’m still not finished. Most everything has been sorted into files. The next step is to go through each file and figure out what we need to keep. I’m going to work on that at a much slower pace, though. I need to get back to my sewing!
resource: The IRS has a guide for what kind of records you should keep posted on its website.
Right before my parents leave after a visit, my dad lets me download all of the photos from his camera to my computer. I love going through them. Here are three of my favorites from last week.
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new on julie-k: two new tote bags!
The tote is growing and the yarn balls are getting smaller. I spent a lot of evenings this past week hanging out with my parents, who were visiting from Baltimore, and crocheting round after round on my bag. It has become quite addicting.
Also pictured is a vintage crochet book I picked up at a garage sale last week for 25 cents. It’s a stitch dictionary packed with over 100 stitch combinations. Fun!
I’m really excited about my new little shelf. No more doorknobs in my photos!
It’s not really that blue, but the white spray paint I used still doesn’t match our trim very well. My husband said we have some leftover trim paint downstairs, so I’m still not finished with this project yet. Luckily, it’s good enough to start using right away. (p.s. These two new totes are now in my etsy shop!)
recraft: All it took was a little paint to give this $2 shelf new life!
I was all excited to try out my new simplicity skirt pattern with two cute pillowcases I had thrifted, but I forgot to add in the ease to my measurements. Bugger! That’s what I get for cutting fabric too late at night. I’m already ripping out the seams to make something else. Here is the too small front.
I tried the pattern again with the proper measurements and it fits much better. I didn’t want to sacrifice anymore fabric until I got it right, so I made this version out of a cotton sheet. It’s a little sheer, though. Not sure if I’ll be wearing it outside of the house.
I’m planning to try the version without darts next. Hopefully the third time will be a charm!
refashion + recycle: pillowcases from church sale, sheet from tote of garage sale fabric, thrifted zippers in both
This morning I went to a few garage sales. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular — just trying to stay fresh with ideas. I found this cute cotton shower curtain that I think will make some really fun tote bags. There’s even more ric rac not pictured! Today I’ve been sketching and trying to figure out how I’m going to cut this up. There are so many possibilities!
More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo. Go check them out!
I’ve got a lot going on offline. I’m sewing, spray painting and taking pictures. I’m visiting with my parents and watching them visit with their granddaughter. There is always so much I want to accomplish when I have someone here to spend the day with Bella. My mind is racing with all of the possibilities.
I try to be mindful of when my creative brain goes into overload. When I start spinning my wheels, nothing gets done. One of my favorite ways to slow down is to knit, especially in the round. Its soothing, repetitive stitches need just enough focus to allow my brain to settle down and let me think. I’ve recently discovered crochet in the round has the same effect (now that I’m getting better at it, of course). Whenever my mind needs a break, I pick up the hook. I like that I can sit with my family, do something I love and refresh my creative spirit.
Do you have a favorite craft that helps you find peace? Please share!
project: Attic24 crochet bag pattern in progress
Ever since we moved to Lincoln, I’ve wanted my parents to visit on the 4th of July. Our neighbors set off a ton of amazing fireworks, and from the right spot in our front yard, you can also watch the ones from the developments that are east and south of us.
This year my parents finally made it out and I think they were pretty impressed. We took a blanket and some chairs and set up camp on the front lawn. Our neighbor came over with a bottle of Italian sparkling wine. I didn’t take a lot of pictures or video because I was too busy watching everyone have fun. Here are some pics I did manage to snap. You can also check out last year’s video here.
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new on julie-k: handmade student emergency kit
After spending a few days working on a skirt, I needed to sew some right angles. All that’s left to do on these totes is to add some buttons for the ties. I hope to sew them on today and get them up in my shop.
blog notes: I’ve added some categories to the top of my blog. I posted an about me page, if you are curious about my creative life. There’s also a contact form so you can get in touch without leaving a comment.