Memorial Day wishes

As I wrote the title to this post, on instinct I was going to write "Happy Memorial Day," which is how we greet people on most holidays.  However, I remembered that it is a bittersweet occasion for the families and friends of fallen soldiers, both remembering their loved ones and honoring them for their service.

Yesterday, we celebrated at a barbecue with five veterans of different generations, who had all been blessed to come home.  For us, it was a joyous occasion, and I was fortunate to thank them in person.  To all of you who have veterans in your lives, I send thanks and good wishes to you during this Memorial Day.

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.   -Francis A. Walker

To those whose loved ones have fallen, I also send my deepest condolences.


Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.

- Will Carleton

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Why I am a Shy Blogger...

I promise that every Thursday from now on, I will have a useful tip for my Blogging 101 series.  Before we get into it, I have a confession to make.  So please excuse the interruption before we start off, because I have something that I have been meaning to explain to you all for a long time.

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Some of you have been loyal readers of mine since the beginning, others are newer friends, and some of you might be reading this post as the very first time on my blog.  Here are a few numbers that may (or may not) interest you:

I have been blogging for 491 days, published 561 blog posts on Vintage Zest & The Episodic Eater, and shared a whole slew of photos and more on my Instagram, Twitter, Google+, and Facebook accounts.

And how many of those posts and social media shares have included a picture of my face?

A big, fat ZERO.

Why?  Because I am a shy blogger.

I get asked a lot why I don't have a picture up on my website, and I figured that I should explain it with a bit of thought behind my answer.  If you are wondering why I am addressing it now, here is the reason.  As both Vintage Zest and The Episodic Eater grow, I have been attending more events.  As I meet more bloggers, shop owners, and PR peeps, I have to explain that I would rather not be photographed.  Sometimes I feel bad about it because to fully explain why,  I would have to give the whole explanation below.  Not time efficient when someone wants to snap a quick Instagram pic!

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Could a Bit of Kitchen Creativity Win You $1,000,000 from Lay's Do Us a Flavor? #DoUsAFlavor

#Sponsored by Mom Central Consulting #MC

I love to cook.  I love to eat.  I love to eat what I cook.  Simple as that.  But do you want to know a secret?  Up until a few years ago, I did not consider myself a good cook.  Sure, I knew how to follow recipes and end up with good results.  However, I was not at all creative when it came to recipes.  Do you know what changed that?  Grad school.  Now, you would think that not having much time for anything but studying would lead to less creativity in the kitchen, but I had to be creative with what I had in my fridge or pantry or risk going hungry!

One day after eating a can of peaches for dinner, I decided that I just had to start throwing ingredients into pots, pans, baking dishes, and see what turned out to be edible.  It was like Iron Chef every time I walked into the kitchen!  Sometimes you miss, but it's awesome when you hit a recipe on the head!


In fact, the recipe I shared a few weeks ago for my Creamy Jalapeño Poppers With Sausage was one of my first original recipes.  Now, it is a definite game day fave!  Definitely a yummy experiment!

Nowadays, I like to take familiar dishes and turn them on their heads.  Remember these Chicken Nugget & Waffle Sliders?

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Venting about First World Problems...

So this is the day that I promised to share my Mad About Plaid Challenge, but it has been a crazy week lately and you will see why soon...

I just need to vent quickly about the silly things that have been happening in my life lately.  However, in the spirit of positivity and putting things in perspective, I'm going to try to come up with at least one good event for every poopy item on my list...

#1

Bad #1:  I lost some pictures in the move to my new computer, including the ones for the Mad About Plaid Challenge.


Good #1a:  I have a new computer!  It's faster, lighter, and not 5 years out of date.  :)

Good #1b:  I still have the jacket and the camera, so all is not last.  Yay!

#2

Bad #2:  I spent a ton of time on phones this week with customer service representatives, two of which were really, really rude!

• In one instance, a website made a mistake in not applying a credit to a gift order.  My options were to cancel or be overcharged, according to one lady.  She then put me on hold for 13 minutes and hung up.
• In another instance, I was supposed to be refunded a partial amount for a workshop that was cancelled, but the lady interrogated me when I could not produce all of the confirmation numbers that she needed within 5 seconds.  I had them soon after, but she already accused me of being a liar and wondered why I even cared about being refunded such a small amount.  Ugh!

Good #2a:  I eventually spoke with other people in the respective companies, who were so much nicer!

• The second customer representative fixed the problem after admitting the mistake.  Also, I did not wait for the first lady to come back from putting me on hold, so I did not waste 13 minutes waiting for her on my home phone.  I made a second call from my cell phone and had the problem fixed in less time than it took for Ms. Rude to hang up on me.
• I was not refunded, but I spoke with the manager in charge of Ms. Super-Rude and she admitted that the employee had an ongoing problem.

Good #2b: I could afford to not get refunds from these people at all, so I am lucky to not be hard-pressed financially.  Perspective!

#3

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What is Your Fitness Age? & My Health Story

I love quizzes!  Not those pop quizzes in history class, but those fun questionnaires where you add up your answers to find out about yourself.  I take them all the time, just because.  FYI, now I know that the Disney princess I am most like is Princess Aurora, I should live in Cape Town, and my superhero-self is Spiderman.  :)

But going back to the story, I resolved to be healthier in 2014 and not just with my food choices.  Since I'm a quiz lover, I just re-took the Fitness Calculator test that took the internet by storm a few months ago.  Being the sharer that I am, I thought that you would all want to see how you stack up!

And after the results of my fitness age, you can read up on the (probably definitely too-long) story on all of the ups and downs of my journey to health, and what I am doing new for 2014.

My Fitness Age!

To calculate your fitness age, here are just a few short questions, that you have to answer.  You will need to know your current weight and waistline measurement, so grab those measurements first.

I plugged it all in, and this was my fitness age!  

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Why Shop Small?

For both this week's and next week's posts, I am taking a bit of time to explain why I think it is important to "shop small" and why I am continuing my "25 Days of Handmade Gifts Series" as the "Shop Small Saturday Showcase!"

First of all, what does it mean to shop small?  Basically, it means that you support the little guy rather than a massive corporation.  Some of you may already be familiar with the concept, because it has been recently gaining in popularity!  You may have heard of Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) designed to promote mom-and-pop shops during the busy holiday shopping season.

Here are a few causes that are closely associated with shopping small!

• Shopping local
• Buying American
• Handmade & artisanal goods vs. mass-produced
• Small-batch vs. Factory made

By shopping small, you automatically support most, if not all, of these worthy goals.  Isn't that a great reason on its own?  Well, if you need more convincing...

Here are my Top 10 reasons for why you should shop small!

1.  Small = Unique!

When you buy from a small shop, you are less likely to end up with the same old item that everyone has.  I would rather have something that is one-of-a-kind, wouldn't you?

Awesome L.A. pillows by Kheel's!

2.  Quality Goods

When items are made by hand or small-batch, that means someone has an eye on practically every part of the process, making sure it passes the test!

The small batch pickles at Pernicious Pickling Co. are so delicious.  :)

3.  Great customer service

Small shops really want their customers to be happy!  That means if you have a concern, they are extremely happy to help, and they definitely know their products.  By the way, because of #2, I have never had a problem.  :)

I loved all of the Peppermint items from Moxxie.  Satisfied customer here!  :)

4.  Supporting your Community & the local economy

When you give your dollar to a small business, that shop owner is more likely to invest their money in local resources for their own business needs.  That means you are helping to build your community!

In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that every $1 spent on American made products fuels another $1.40 in spending elsewhere in the US economy.  Woo-hoo!

Kat from Santore Company is proud to support her local community!

5.  Friendly shop owners

Small businesses don't have nearly as much red tape between you and the shop owner.  That means that you can talk about anything to them, and I have found that they are always happy to chat.  :)

The gals from Reclamation Dept. were so friendly and told me their whole story from top to bottom!

6.  Custom work!

Because you can talk directly to shop owners (#5) who make everything from start to finish, you can get exactly what you want!  In fact, some of the favorite gifts I have given have been custom items from local, small businesses.

Kate from Small and Great does AWESOME custom work!

7.  Supporting someone's dream!

It is hard to be an entrepreneur, so why not support the little guy!  Most of the shop owners I have spoken to have a day job but their small business is their ultimate dream.  I would love to help achieve that dream, wouldn't you?

For small businesses that have been passed down from previous generations, they need continued support to stay in business.  I love seeing those signs that say how long they have been in business!

33stewartavenue talked about how the long commute to his day job inspires some of his work!

8.  Job creation

When small businesses grow, they create jobs.  Also, they tend to provide better wages and benefits than larger corporations do.  Enough said!

I talked with Tricia and her assistant about the beautiful products from Tricia Ree Ceramics!

9.  Indirectly “pay it forward”

Over 90% of small business owners support their communities through volunteering or donations.  In fact, non-profit organizations receive on average 250% more support from small businesses than from large businesseses!

Olivia from atiliay always gives back with her focus on donating to non-profit organization!

10.  Shopping small means you are buying American!

Why does buying American matter?  ABC World News reported if each American spent just $64 on American-made goods during holiday shopping, the result would be 200,000 new jobs. That's awesome!

Amy & Griselda from Peppered Up Foods use tried and true recipes for their tasty treats!

Some people have also said that shopping small is associated with a reduced environmental impact due to less transportation costs, less waste, and investment in local resources.  I mean, that's a bonus reason on top of 10 really great ones.  :)

I hope you join me in supporting all of the awesome people I have met recently and their small businesses!  See all of the great shops here, if you missed them the first time around.

Do you already focus on "shopping small" or is this new to you?

Sources:
www.ilsr.org/why-support-locally-owned-businesses/
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/11/29/top-ten-reasons-to-shop-small-on-small-business-saturday/
http://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why

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Sew My Stash Pledge!

This post is up a little late because although I have been thinking about this for a while, I was really nervous to put my thoughts into words that the public can see!

I decided that I have to stick to my guns and not buy fabric for all of 2014.

*Crickets chirping*

So how can I be a sewing blogger without fabric?  Well, believe me, I have that covered.  I have a HUGE fabric stash, and I have only been sewing for just over a year.  I REALLY do not want it to get out of control, so I have been thinking about the decision to commit to sewing my stash.  Now it's in the blogosphere for all to see, and I can't take it back.  Eek!

How do I plan to actually get projects done then?  Well, I cataloged and organized my entire stash a few months ago in this post of my entire fabric stash.  That included a TON of folding perfect fabric bundles, using this method.  Now it will be infinitely easier to find fabrics that fit the project that I want to work on!

I have caught myself a few times thinking about heading to the fabric store for inspiration.  But why do that when I practically have a store's worth of fabric in my bins?  I actually need to sew the stash I already own!

So here is my pledge for 2014...  I hope!

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1 year Blogiversary & New Plans for 2014!

Yesterday marked exactly a year since I started the blog!  No party or big hoopla mostly because all of the holiday plans in real life mean that I have been so crazy busy.

This little blog of mine has grown so far beyond my expectations and I would love to take this time to reflect on what is in store for the blog this upcoming year, and some new posts that I hope to put into effect soon!  I'd like to think of this post as my public New Year's Resolution for Vintage Zest.  :)

Some Blogiversary Tres Leches cake from Picca!  Yum!

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I will share some of my ideas for the upcoming year, but first here are...

My Current Weekly Posts

Monday - Recipe Day!

Possibly my favorite posts of the week, so they're staying put on Mondays.  :)

Tuesday - Do Tell Tuesday link party

Remember to link up every week and have the chance to be featured by any four of our blogs!

Wednesday & Thursday - Original content

You may see sewing, organization, DIY, or tutorial posts 

Friday - Weekly Wrap-ups!

All of the fun adventures, food, and fun from the week.  :)

Saturday - Shop Small Saturday Showcase

Following up on my 25 Days of Handmade Gifts series, we will be having lots of great small businesses with beautiful local, handmade goods and interviews with their fabulous makers!

Sunday - Sunday Synopsis & Stumped on Sundays

Saturday Synopsis posts will now be on Sundays, and they will be exactly the same as before.  Now, what is Stumped on Sundays?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to pop in before I get to all the cooking & eating today to with everyone a happy holiday!

This past year, I have had lots of changes going on, including starting this blog.  I just wanted to say that I have much to be thankful for in my life, and this year I am lucky to add one more big thing...

All of you, my fantastic readers!

I have had nothing but love, sweetness, and kindness sent my way by people who were once strangers and have become companions and friends!

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Today, I have a few "tips" for you this weekend:

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Sewing in Modern Times + Take My Pledge!

This has been on my mind for a few months now, and I would love to hear all of your opinions on this topic if you don't mind reading through my long windedness. :)

Well, if you are a regular follower you would recognize that my four favorite hobbies are cooking, traveling, organizing, home decor, and sewing.  In the media, you see shows and entire channels devoted to each of these subjects...except sewing.

Yes, there are a couple of public access shows, but they are so obscure that Nancy Zieman has a fraction of the public recognition of Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, or Nate Berkus.

Source 

What about Project Runway?  I still watch it to this day!  It does deal with sewing and you hear about techniques, hemlines, patterns, etc.  However, it is focused more on the design aspect (as it should be) and less on the actual sewing.  Remember, there always seems to be a designer on the show who does not "know how to sew."

And The Great British Sewing Bee?  I LOVED the show and everything about it.  It had some interesting history, discussion about what makes good technique, and a little project for the viewer to recreate at home.  If you would like to check it out, you can find the first episode here.  As much as I loved this show, not a single person in the U.S. off the street would know this show, unless they sewed as well.  Well maybe in the microcosms of Silverlake, Brooklyn, and Portland.  I must say that I'm a bit envious about how much more popular sewing seems to be in the U.K.

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So why does this matter?

When I tell someone that I sew, there are a few responses:

1. My grandmother sews!
2. Like quilts and stuff?
3. Are a cosplayer / Renaissance fair aficionado?
4. Are you trying to become a clothing designer?

Basically, I've found that most people think of sewists as either grandmothers, quilters, costumers, or professional designers.  I feel like the hobby of sewing should be viewed like any other hobby, such as cooking.  Just because someone likes making desserts doesn't mean they want to be a professional pastry chef!  What happened to the regular girl who sews as part of her normal, non-costume wardrobe?  It wasn't too long ago that this was the norm!

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In fact, there used to be entire sections of department stores dedicated to fabrics and sewing patterns in the past, and it used to be all over the the television and movies.  Nowadays, there are very few instances of sewing in popular culture, but I found a couple of mentions recently!

Here is a clip from New Girl.  Jess is sharing her "first time" story, which the guys are eager to hear about...

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More About Me + Passing On the Liebster Award To...

Hello again!

You may remember that around 3 months ago, I was given The Liebster Award and posted about it here.  It was a lot of work to talk about myself, and even harder to find blogs to nominate and pass it on to, that fit the "under 200 follower" rule.  That's why I totally understand when the lovely Susanne of Bebe & J nominated me again!  Instead of taking a second Liebster for myself, I will pass on my place to one lucky blogger.  :)

But, I am still going to answer her questions for both her and you!

1. What is your favorite food?

I eat A LOT.  It may sound juvenile, but I absolutely love pasta.  Baked penne with marinara, butternut squash ravioli, corn tagliatelle, papardelle with lamb ragu, bowties with pesto & sun-dried tomatoes, traditional ramen noodles, and so on.  I can't get enough!

2. What is your go-to recipe for family dinners?

One of my faves has to be a veggie lasagna recipe that I could make in my sleep.  I promise to share it soon!

3. Whose blog are you really digging right now?

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6 Things About Me

A couple of weeks ago, Brittany tagged me in her "6 Things About Me" post!  What a sweet girl, right?  These questions are completely different than the ones in my Liebster Award post, so you'll get to know a bit more about me!  Also, scroll down to see if I tag you next!  :)


1) What is your favorite animal and why?

Hummingbirds!  They were all over my parents' garden growing up, and I loved how they would zip from flower to flower.  Also, they're so tiny and cute that they would totally cheer me up when I spotted one.  :)

No flower pictures, but some of the plants in my mom's garden!

2) Would you prefer a city break or a sun, sea, and sand vacation?

City break!  I'm totally an L.A. city girl.  Can you tell by the fact that my last few vacays that have been in Vegas, New York, and big cities in Europe?

3) If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?

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Weekly Wrap-Up? + Random Acts of Blogging #2!

So...

It has finally happened.  I don't have any fun adventures to post this week.  Not a single friend outing to report on.  Most shockingly, I didn't even eat anything particularly interesting...  You are all gasping in amazement right now, right?

Basically, while I can't add anything to my foodie page, I will have a bunch of fun dishes to share with you in the near future.  I spent some time in my kitchen and editing pictures on my computer.  Fun!  In fact, you have already seen the Croissant Apple Bread Pudding with Coconut Crisp Topping that I whipped up last week.

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Since this is a weekly wrap-up to summarize what's been going on in my life, I thought to myself, why not share another round of Random Acts of Blogging?  First up, a few statistics that I thought were pretty interesting plus more WACKY SEARCH PHRASES!  Remember, that I have a small blog here, so don't make fun of how low my pageviews are, etc.

1. Top Countries

No surprise here, but English-speaking countries are at the top here, but France is more interested in my blog than Australia.  Go figure!

2. All countries

Since March, I decided to keep track of any new countries that popped up on my pageviews.  I thought it was super interesting, especially from countries that I would never have guessed would be interested in taking a peek.  Also, I admittedly was stumped as to where Jersey was, until I looked it up and found out that it is a "dependency."  Neat!  Also, sorry Sint Maarten, because apparently it thinks that you are misspelled...

3. Top Posts

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Random Acts of Blogging #1: Meeting bloggers, Bad clothing, Weird search terms

So, I wasn't sure what to call this post because there were a few items that I wanted to share with you guys that I've encountered in the past 8 months of blogging.  They're mostly amusing little tidbits that are completely unrelated to each other, hence the randomness of it all.

I'm sure this will be an ongoing series, as more blogging fun comes up.  :)

1. I love meeting other bloggers!

I went to Mimi G.'s conference last month, which was totally fun!  Not only did I meet Mo after she joined Stitch Once, Rip Twice, I met a few other sewists who have since joined our little group.  Yay!

In October, I'll be going to the SoCal Social, and I'd love to know if any of you guys will be there!  It's basically in my backyard and it sounds like a fun, stress-free day of shopping, eating, and meeting great people and bloggers.  Perfect!

2. I'm more aware about clothes than I used to be before sewing, especially the awful pieces.

Not to say that I was a slob before or that I'm super-fashionable now!  Since learning how to sew, I tend to peruse the internet for inspiration instead of actually intending to buy clothing.  Sometimes, that means that I encounter pretty weird garments since expanding my fashion horizons.

This it drives me crazy in every way possible.  This is a MAN'S item and it costs $300 on sale.  Why?

3. People land on my page in the strangest ways.

I've compiled a strange list of search terms that have led to my page.  What does that mean?  I like to take a peek at the Google searches that get people to click on my page.  Every so once in a while, I notice an odd search phrase that directs a click my way.  Let's see what that looks like!

Well, that looks pretty normal...except...  Vintage yogurt?  What is that?!?!

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Me? A girly girl?

Today, an acquaintance said that I was a "girly girl."  Now, while I don't consider that an insult, I have absolutely no idea why he would say so!

First of all, you see all of the feminine things that I do, like sew, bake, and craft.  These are my private creative outlets at home, but I am much different in my professional life and otherwise.  I suppose it's the perception that I'm girly that mystifies me, because I don't see myself that way, even if I appreciate it in others.  When I was a child, I idolized feminine, elegant ladies like Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, and Jane Powell.  Definitely the best of of vintage "girly-ness."  :)

Being girly nowadays doesn't necessarily mean the same thing, although I don't see myself in this category either!  I even Googled "characteristics of a girly girl" just to make sure that I wasn't jumping to conclusions.  This may be a little rant-like, but here's a few reasons why I wholeheartedly disagree with Mr. Acquaintance.

Disclaimer: Some of my best friends are girly, so please don't take offense to this list.  They didn't!

1. I don't wear excessive amounts of pink.

The one and only garment with pink that I have sewed.  See here!

2. I could not care less about the Kardashians, The "Real" Housewives of anywhere, or the royal family.

3. I am anything but ladylike to bad drivers.

4. When I go to the gym, I actually work out.  I can even do real push-ups and pull-ups.

I lift a lot of weight!

5. I never liked playing with dolls, pretended to be a princess, or planned my future wedding when I was a kid.

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Guest Post: Amy from SewsNBows on Fast Fashion

Hi everyone!

Last week, I sent out word that I would love you guys, my readers, to share some of your favorite posts and spread the inspiration and creativity.  The response was overwhelming!  I'm seriously excited about all of the posts we have coming up.  Everything from fashion, travel tips, sewing tutorials, to amazing recipes.  Nice!

Our first guest poster is the amazing Amy from SewsNBows, whom I'm sure a bunch of you are familiar with.  A super fun girl to have in our sewing group and she always has the nicest comments!  :)  Read below for her thoughts on fast fashion (a definite eye-opener!) and then pop over to check out her blog!

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Hi ya'll!  I'm Amy from SewsNBows, and I'm thrilled to be hanging out with Diane today! I love sewing children's clothing and toys, and I joined Diane's Facebook sewing group Stitch Once Rip Twice to motivate myself to sew more women's wear. The more I sew, the more I get tired of "fast fashion". I thought I'd share my last experience with fast fashion, and see if you guys have similar stories!



Recently I posted about fabric shopping in Dallas. I ranted (only a little!) about the sorry state of our textile industry. Thanks in advance for indulging me in another rant. I promise not to become one of those angry bloggers. It's a tiny rant. Really. Bear with me?



My dear husband was kind enough to drive 3 hours to Dallas, and follow me aimlessly through warehouses full of fabric. That's probably the equivalent of me shopping for power tools. Absolute torture. So, I hit the Galleria mall and made his sexy butt try on some casual summer clothes. I felt guilty for dragging him all over. He's so good to me, and patient. He never bats an eyelid when I get a wild hair up my....you know.

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1st Year Sewing Anniversary!

So, exactly one year ago today is the day that I started sewing.  I didn't know the first thing about sewing, and I definitely didn't think I would be starting a blog and have an online sewing group to boot!


Anyways, here's a conversation I had a couple months ago, which inspired the post I'm writing today.

My Guy (MG): "Hey, can you hem these pants for me?"
Me/Diane (D): "Sure, but you could probably learn how to do it yourself too, if you don't want to wait."
MG: "It would definitely be too hard for to me learn."
D: "But it's just like driving a car!"
MG: "What?  Of course it's not!"
D: "Actually, a sewing machine is just like a car."
MG: "Oh really?  Prove it."

And I did.  :)

Meet Paisley, my trusty sewing machine.  :)

Just so you know, I don't claim to be an expert on sewing machines, but I can squeeze more out of analogy than most people can!

Driving a Car / Using a Sewing Machine

First of all, sewing machine and car mechanisms have a few items in common.  Most importantly, the foot pedal!  For both, you push it down more to make it go faster, and release to slow down.  Beginners tend to go slower and are a little jumpier with accelerating speed, but pros know how to work at a fast, even pace.

You also need to make your car reverse, when getting in and out of parking spaces.  It is also very important to use your machine's reverse function at the beginning and end of your sewing work.  Definitely necessary in both!

In the middle of your journey, you mostly go straight forward with some turns or curves in the road.  Of course, beginners have problems with turns, but they get less shaky over time.  Exactly the same with sewing work.  :)

Speaking of turns, you use your hands to control the direction that you travel, with a steering wheel in a car and by manipulating your work in sewing.

Car Models / Sewing Machine Models

As for the machines themselves, most people have pretty basic machines that have the basic functions.  Others have a ton of bells and whistles.  Some cars are technologically advanced with GPS, computer-controlled radio, etc., while sewing machines also can also have screens and other digital capabilities.

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Thoughts on Boston 4/15/2013

Hopefully, this is not a controversial post but here goes.


During travels, you are usually slow to get the news from back home, which is not unexpected.  After all, who wants to sit in front of a TV, newspaper, or computer looking at the news.  But every so once in a while, something shocking enough happens that you can't miss it, even overseas.


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When you are traveling as an American, you notice several things.

Sometimes you hear comments about how rude, loud, stupid, or bullying we are in the world of politics.  We heard one such comment at the Boom Chicago show from a local, while the troupe (originally from America) were setting up their last song.

I have heard the joke, and even made it a couple of times, that we would get treated better if we pretended to be Canadians.  I've also heard a couple of times that Canadians hate to be mistaken for Americans when traveling.

With this in mind, you go along your travels and try not to feed into the stereotype too much.  Admittedly, I cringe when I see or hear the stereotypical "embarrassing Americans."  I'm not unpatriotic, but it's not a great feeling.

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The thing that I want to shed some light on is about how much international support the U.S. really has.  Yes, there are those people who shout out how terrible we are in a crowd, but then there are a hundred other people to shush him and laugh and clap with us instead.

People generally speak English, which we take for granted, but they are happy to converse with us, even if we can only say thank you in their language.  They are truly nice to us and care about where we are from.  They tell us about the times they've been to America, or where they'd like to go if they've never been.  


Every time we went anywhere, someone was listening to the radio, or watching the TV, or having a conversation of how terrible the tragedy in Boston is.  And these were what we would call foreigners.  People who have never set foot on our soil, and do not know anyone that was directly affected.

Although we tend to not know much about matters outside of our country, which is partially due to the little international news we receive, the same cannot be said about the rest of the world.

What I'd like to say to those affected is that while you have support from your friends, families, the city around you, and the rest of the country, there is an international community out there that you may not know about, who truly care.  You are in all of our prayers.

Source

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Giveaway Winners + Chakoner Giveaway! *CLOSED*

First of all, I have to mention that I recently had a ton of traffic to the Sunglasses Case Tutorial after someone submitted it to Craft Gossip.  In the last week, I had over 4,000 people look at just this one post.  I know that's nothing compared to the large blogs out there, but it's crazy for me!

Honestly, I started this blog with the intention of cataloging my sewing projects and food adventures for myself and two of my friends.  On my last blog, I had 64 posts and 11 pageviews.  This was back in college, when we put our info in our AIM profiles anyways.  So yeah, I wasn't expecting much from this venture.  :)

Thus, when I shared this pattern, I was thinking maybe 50 people at most would take a peek.  After about three days, it became my most viewed post.  Thanks to whomever submitted it!  It totally made my day!

Now, let's get down to business!  The lucky winners of the sunglasses cases are...

Lynn (Thimblemouse) following via Bloglovin'

and

SkyOak69 following via E-mail

Congratulations!

And to everybody else who entered but did not win, you can make your own from my pattern.  I would love to see the results of what you all make!

Or even better, I have ANOTHER giveaway for you guys!

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