31 Days of Pinterest, A Birthday Gift for Myself on Day 15

So this one, as warned is a day late.  Yesterday was my birthday and I thought that I would be going to Ainsworth Hot Springs (which I freakin' love) but the weather was horrible and the road is windy so we decided better safe than sorry and we stayed home and I got the chance to finish the bag I was making myself using a fabulous tutorial from mmmcrafts.  I suggest you bookmark it or pin it or whatever it is you do to organize your future projects because it is a great - and not that difficult - tutorial to make the perfect sized messenger bag.

Source: mmmcrafts.blogspot.com via Tina on Pinterest 

And this is mine... I would like to toot my own horn a little and let you know that the exterior of the bag is made entirely of wool jackets that I have been thrifting to make bags (which I have only made two of so far but have two more about half done).  Nag gave me a tip that there was a red wool jacket at the Sally a couple of months ago and I knew it would be the one I used for my own bag.  I really love it - although it is nothing like my original plan which was more square and had flowers appliqued on it.  The next one will be like that (and I will use the scraps from this one for the flowers).

I have another bag post for Day 16 - which I will do later. I have to go sew with my Wilters now. :o)

Tina

My Kids Rock the World

No 31 Days today - I will do a double post tomorrow.  I did not have anything ready ahead of time and tomorrow is my last ever birthday. Read a better explanation here or here.

So my Dad gave me a $100 for my birthday which I promptly took to the grocery store.  With my shorties.  They are both healthy eaters (I have worked hard to ensure they did not inherit my TERRIBLE eating habits) so they don't bug me for too much.  They both wanted fruit so I told them they could choose their own.  This is what they got.

Penelope sweet watermelon, the little man savory red pepper.  You can't tell me that isn't cute.

Man, I love those guys.  :o)  Tina

31 Days of Pinterest, An Owl Case for My Beloved iPhone on Day 14

Like any crafty person, I like to support other crafty people but sometimes something comes along that there is no way I am going to buy because I know I can make it.  This is one of them.

Source: etsy.com via Tina on Pinterest

Boy was I wrong!  It was a huge pain. It doesn't even fit my phone properly. I should have just bought one... but alas I did not and now I will have to keep trying to make one that works the way I want it to.  This is mine, all sewn by hand with a pocket in the front to put my bank card in - too bad it was a fail...

It looks like the dorky owl.  To be clear, my phone does fit into it, but it does not
slide in easily as I envisioned when I spent HOURS making this little sucker!

Okay and just so you know, tomorrow is my birthday so I won't be posting 31 Days.  By the time I drag my tired but home from my last ever birthday celebration I will be in no shape to be writing to anyone about anything (or anyone) so I am doing a post right after this one to go up tomorrow - something cute about my shorties.

Have a wonderful March 15th.  Think of me on my last ever birthday.

:o) (How can I make this smile appear old and wrinkled?)  Tina

31 Days of Pinterest, Something for Baby Hayden's Big Brother on Day 13

Today's project was a Christmas gift for my favorite four year old. He has been four for three whole days and has recently been reported to have told his Mom, PITA, that he is an old man.  Noah is a character like no other.  I made him a shirt for Christmas that said "Small guy, BIG attitude" and you will have to take my word for it.  He is hilarious - when I think of him, I think if him with his head cocked to the side, wagging his finger at me giving me the what-for.  He is a funny guy - he gets it from his mother.

On another note - complete unrelated to this post.  I wanted to say thank you to PITA for not only being a wonderful niece but a very good friend.  I love you and cannot image if I had to life without you.  I simply could not do it.  Thank you for going the extra mile whenever I need you to and thank you for making my birthday start today.

Source: homemadebyjill.blogspot.com via Tina on Pinterest

This is mine... well Noah's.  I used felt for the numbers instead of painting them on as in the tutorial.  I also made the felt road windy and had to use two pieces of felt so I added a crosswalk where they are pieced together.  Overall, I am happy with the end result and will most likely make a few more when people I know have baby boys.  Cute, easy gift that is easy to personalize.

Talk to you tomorrow.  I am working on a bag and hope to have it done, if not, I have a few other projects I have already done lined up for you.  :o)

Tina

Grrr... Gotta Vent Somewhere and Lord Knows He Does Not Take the Time to Read My Blog!!

Every now and then I need to vent a little about CH.  Godness knows I love him but he sure does wear me out.

This morning Nag and I were driving to work and she was telling me that her friend Mel had gotten a wedding dress given to her that she hoped to use for some trash your dress photo shoots.  Nag went on to tell me that the person the dress belonged to was in a happy marriage and then got in a car accident and her husband decided it was too much to deal with.  What the heck?!  Really.  How old was he, 12?  How can he face his reflection in the mirror, let alone leave his house? What kind of a person does that?  There has got to be more to it.  He must have been looking for an out already...  I don't know but both Nag and I deal with our husbands issues daily and we stick around even though it is not always easy and it means we sometimes have to carry more than our fair share of the responsibility in the relationship.  Grrr.

So that conversation lead to her asking if CH could be trained to do anything - I think he could.  He, unfortunately, does not.  I find it very frustrating.  He would need to do something he could do on his schedule (around his migraines and taxi service for the kids), that does not require much physical output, if any.  Maybe he could work as a home inspector, or be a medical transcriptionist.  There are lots of things - in my opinion - that he could do.  If he wanted to. I think he is afraid, just like I am as I look for a SECOND job, that he will not be able to do it.  I think that he is worried that he will not have any time for himself - to sleep, or to play video games.  He gets stressed when he has a schedule that he needs to keep - maybe he is afraid of that.  I don't know.  I do know that for some reason he thinks he is disabled - totally unable - and that his disability payment is enough money - let me tell you, it is not.  Not even close. Grrr.

Since the shopped moved, it has been much slower (which I expected) and we have been feeling the pinch at home - maybe now he will notice.  Today he asked me if I had any money and I told him what I have (which is literally about $30) and asked him for what and he said "To buy you something for your birthday."  WHAT?????  I deliberately told him what I wanted when we had money in the bank from his cheque and he didn't buy it.  SERIOUSLY????  He can be so selfish.  Doesn't he see how much it hurts me? I take care of so much for him - why doesn't he take care of me?  That's all he really needs to do.  I can do it all - the cooking, the cleaning, the household finances, the parenting - he just needs to take care of me.  Is he really so wrapped up in worrying about himself that he cannot see that I need him to worry about me. Even just on my birthday - Mother's Day and Valentine's Day and maybe Christmas would be nice too but...  Did I tell you on two of those three days he had a migraine all day?  He slept through V-Day all together and drug himself through Christmas like is was some kind of hideous torture (which it actually was). Especially this birthday - the last birthday I am ever going to have... 39 forever....

Last week I went to counseling.  My counselor told me that I am an enabler.  Well duh.  Not a newsflash unfortunately.  I do everything in my power to ensure the lid stays on CH's bottle of Ativan - I need to start worrying a little more about my own!

Thanks for listening, I will be back later with a 31 Days of Pinterest post and a little more cheer.

:o)  Tina

31 Days of Pinterest, A Cute Little Needle Keeper on Day 12

I spent Sunday, thankfully (as I had/have a nasty cold), on my bum sewing.  I finished a few projects I had in the que for customers and then did something for myself.  I saw this little needle keeper ages ago and new I would make it eventually.  I have a bit of a thing for pin and needle storage (and maybe pins).

{via}

This is the Pin for the tutorial, I of course used this picture and the template and just did it without following the instructions (that is my MO - you would think I would learn!).  I made one to test it out - and used batting, it was way to bulky (the orange one with monkey stamp), then I read the material requirements - which did not include batting  - and sewed the other four.

When I was done one thing I realized I would have done differently was that I wished I had used my machine to sew the snaps on when I sewed the address lines and felt for the needles so that I did not have to (carefully so I only caught the top layer of fabric) sew them on by hand. Also, if I make more, I think I will make them a little bigger so that I can wrap my scissors and thread up with them for one of my to-go projects.

This project was a freebie, and it will be for you to if you have any fabric scraps, felt scraps, and snaps on hand.

:o)  See you tomorrow!

Tina

31 Days of Pinterest, The Boy Who Changed My Life on Day 11

My son is a sweet, affectionate (but only at home, we have a deal), kind hearted, responsible, stubborn, intelligent, wise beyond his years, compassionate, and serious little man.  And in one instant he changed my world forever. I never knew there was love like this until the day he was born.  I never knew that any one person could totally change everything about who I thought I was the way that he changed me.

Source: graphicshunt.com via Tina on Pinterest

Everyday I think I could not love you more and then the next day I do.

Look how handsome he is.  :o)

Tina