What to do with fallen wood? + Sunday Synopsis!

Happy Sunday!

This week, I am mulling over what to do with this fallen wood that we acquired when the tree in my parents' yard had a huge branch fall off with the wind.  I know that it has to dry for at least a year, so I have time to think.  What do you think?

What project(s) should I make and do you know any tips for prepping wood?

By the way, this is only half of the wood!

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis

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Sunday Synopsis! Wood scrap suggestions?

Happy Sunday!

Last week, you all helped Kathy with lots of suggestions, so thank you very much!  This week, I have another question.  I pulled apart these pieces of wood that were basically abandoned, so I could probably put together something fun with one or all of these heavy duty pieces of wood.

Any suggestions for what to do with scraps of wood?

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis

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Sunday Synopsis + Bobbin & Iron Suggestions?

Happy Sunday!

For today's question, I wanted to ask again about anyone who might have an answer to Kathy's queries from last week...

What are the best bobbins to purchase? (She has a Finesse 827)  I've tried three different times at the local fabric chain here called Hancock and all three times the bobbins wind fine but can't be used for sewing, they totally get bound into the bobbin case.

My other question is about irons. Mine is old, and now it leaks. I clean it but I guess the tubes inside from the steam chamber are just worn out. Who can suggest a new one? I haven't bought an iron in 30 years!

Let's try to help Kathy out!

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis

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Sunday Synopsis / Stumped on Sunday

Happy Sunday!

I have two questions from a Stitch Once, Rip Twice member Kathy today for Stumped on Sunday.  Let's see if anyone can help her out!

What are the best bobbins to purchase. I've tried three different times at the local fabric chain here called Hancock and all three times the bobbins wind fine but can't be used for sewing, they totally get bound into the bobbin case.

My other question is about irons. Mine is old, and now it leaks. I clean it but I guess the tubes inside from the steam chamber are just worn out. Who can suggest a new one? I haven't bought an iron in 30 years!

P.S. - She has a Finesse 827, if that helps with the suggestions.  Thanks!

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis

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Sunday Synopsis

Happy Sunday!

Last week's wooden basket responses gave me lots to think about and I'm still thinking about it...  Maybe I'll get to it next weekend because we are doing a bunch of different things today, so keep the answers coming!

Do you think I should paint it, stain it, cover it up with fabric, or just give it away?

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Wooden Basket Dilemma for Stumped on Sunday / Sunday Synopsis

Happy Sunday!

Today's Stumped on Sunday question is about the wood basket (pictured below) that I shared with you on Friday.  Basically, this is what I ended up with and I'm not a huge fan, but I still want to finish it.  My question is...

Do you think I should paint it, stain it, cover it up with fabric, or just give it away?

This is the "example" basket, but I'm not a huge fan...  What do you think?

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Sunday Synopsis / Stumped on Sunday #5

Happy Sunday!

Thanks to everyone who answered last week's Stumped on Sunday question.  Remember, if you have a question that you want to have answered by my readers, e-mail me here so we can ask all of the smart cookies that read my lil' ole' blog.  :)

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For today, I am being purely selfish because I'm feeling really, really under the weather lately.  Runny nose, sneezing fits, and just feeling plain icky.  Anyways, my poor nose is red and peeling with all of tissues I have been using.  So here's the question...

Do you know of a way to avoid looking like Rudolph (the red-nosed-reindeer) when you are sick and are constantly blowing your nose?  I don't think those lotion-infused tissues really work...

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Sunday Synopsis / Stumped on Sunday #4!

Happy Sunday!

I have another question for this Stumped on Sunday!

This week, I started my wood-working class and I learned how to use a bunch of tools: band saw, table saw, drill press, belt sander, miter saw/compound saw/chop saw, scroll saw, nail gun, staple gun, and a router.  I think that's it...

Anyways, for this week's question...

Do you have or know of any easy projects for a newbie woodworker?  I would love to make something cute after we learn the basics!

A shot of my scrap wood, after learning how to use the tools!

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Sunday Synopsis / Stumped on Sunday #2!

Happy Sunday!

As some of you may know, Colette Patterns is having a sewalong for their new Albion pattern and I am so in!  I have never done a sewalong before, and I am ready to try it out!  By the way, the pattern is unisex, so it is a garment for me.  Selfish seamstress over here!  :)

My question to you is...

Where do you buy unique, good-quality notions and fabrics that don't cost an arm and a leg?

Remember, I am still a new sewist, so I cringe at the thought of destroying buying expensive items, but I would still like them to be lovely and unique.  By the way, I totally remember my "Sew My Stash" pledge, but if I need a few toggle closures to finish the coat properly, it's still not breaking my rules.  Yes!

Lastly, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Stumped on Sunday #1: How to Remove Tomato Stains? + Sunday Synopsis!

Hiya folks!  If you remember from my blogiversary post this week, I mentioned that we will start up the "Stumped on Sunday" series if any of you or I have a question...  and I have one today!

Does anyone know how to remove tomato stains from white tile?

My mom was making spaghetti sauce the other day and stained her white tile!  I noticed it the day afterwards, and the stain had already set in after I wiped the blotches away.  So, before we hire a professional, does anyone have any advice?  I would love to make more soup soon!

Here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

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Garden Tour & A Pepper Question For You!

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to give a mini tour of my mom's garden and I need to ask all of you gardeners out there a question or two.  Here we go!

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First up, let's check out what my mom has growing in her garden!  Here's a sample of the tomatoes from one of her many plants.  Thanks to the southern California weather, her plants produce nearly year round, and I get a ton of her bumper crop!

Here is a snippet of her plant life.  Of course, I was a little dumb and took these pictures after she harvested the ripe tomatoes, etc. so it looks a little bare.

1. Jalapeño
2. Macho Nacho pepper
3. Unknown pepper plant
4. Mini red tomatoes
5. Rosemary & Thyme
6. Basil
7. Serrano peppers & Yellow pear tomatoes
8. Large tomato plant (1 of 3!)

She also is starting to grow radishes and there is a picture of her bell pepper plant below.


Now, back to the pepper tasting and my questions for you.  As you know, I like my taste tests, and I was totally game for the challenge!  It was a bit surprising for a couple of reasons.  For years, I was under the impression that thin peppers with lots of seeds were spicier than large peppers.  This was totally proven wrong, and I was definitely surprised when I tried these out.

Here are my spicy rankings from least to most spicy:

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Time for a Facelift...

Hi everybody!

As you know, last week I celebrated my birthday and since then I couldn't stop thinking about something.  For all of us, time marches on, and what used to be fresh and youthful becomes old and sad-looking.  Well, I made a big decision to have a facelift...

...for the blog!

No way am I going under the knife!  My mom wouldn't even consider it yet, and thank goodness I'll inherit her genes.  :)

First of all, the blog itself is going to be a bit fresher looking (at least I hope so) and I have a couple of sewing posts planned, that I can't wait to put together.  I actually have a few questions for all you lovely readers if you don't mind reading through, and just a little bit of advice would be so helpful!


If you happened to be reading at anytime yesterday, you might have seen me tinkering around and playing with the blog template.  My car was broken into AND I had to bring my car in to have the brakes replaced, so I spent the whole day filing a police/insurance reports and playing around on the office computer.  Boring/fun!

So if you're reading this on the blog itself, you'll automatically see a few changes!  The front page evolved a bit:

Here's the list of wants that I initially came up with for my dream blog:

1. Come up with a wallpaper & banner on my own, to remove the two watermarks at the top.

2. Use mint green & turquoise (my faves!).

3. Make it a bit "cleaner"

4. Widen the columns.
5. Make sidebar titles, a custom Pin button, and post divider.

Well, I did it!  Yay!

I feel like it's a little bit more me with the colors and the vintage watch face/steampunk influence.  :)


However, there are a few issues that I'm having so far with my limited design/computer skills.  Help please?


Questions For My Lovely Readers!

1. I want to put the social media buttons to the right of my banner, and I can't figure it out yet.  :(  Maybe someone can point me to a tutorial?

2. I can't decide between the following banners.  I won't even tell you what I think, just so I have unbiased opinions.  :)  Also, I could always clean up the second and third ones a bit, so the edges are nicer.  Which one do you prefer?

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Help for Better Photographs?

This post is a combination of a question to all of you lovely readers and a great tip for you NYC readers out there.

Well, I started looking into taking better photographs a while ago, after stealing my guy's camera.  It would be really great for the blog and even better for real life!  I took waaay too many pictures on my trip, some of which I wish turned out better.  :(

The Cliffs of Moher look sooo much better in real life!

Over the weeks, I figured out that day lighting is so much better for photographs (duh!), even if I had to drag my dress form down the stairs and outside for every garment.

Then, I even figured out on my own a couple of quick fixes using Photoshop and wrote a post on it here.

Just this week, I was featured on Domesblissity for my post on organizing your fabric stash, and it was the worst picture ever!  Ugh, back to figuring out how to take better pictures!

I'm still not quite comfortable with knowing my way around a camera and I looked into some beginning photography classes in my area.  The few that I found didn't fit into my budget or schedule.

Then, I stumbled across this awesome website called Vimbly.  They listed several options for  photography classes with schedule and price comparisons.  Sooo simple!

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