swap - check, QAL - check, hex-love - check

I have packed up my goodies for my super-crafty swap partner - I can't wait to see if she likes everything...and truth be told - I'm pretty excited about getting some goodies too. I'll be stalking the mail box this week.



I've also been continuing to have hexie fun. I love this little gnome in the middle. This is an experimental pin cushion - I'm trying out a few things for my pin cushion swap, while I wait for a couple of cute little pins to arrive. The hand sewn close on this one is kind of sucky - but it's so cute otherwise - I guess I'm happy to have to keep it. I stuffed it with crushed walnuts - some lizard litter from the pet store - whodathunk?

I have also caught up on all of the cutting for the QAL over at crazymomquilts - I am excited to have kind of a mystery quilt forming - using up some coveted fabric, and hopefully getting a quilt out of it, I hope I can manage to keep up.

Last up - if you are looking for a sangria recipe - and trying to watch the calories - I have made up a batch of this one (scroll down) for my daughter's 5th birthday party tomorrow - for the adults of course - and it's quite tasty - but be careful, it's a slippery slope if you eat all of the booze-soaked fruit, never good to fall asleep at your daughter's birthday party. Just sayin.

make-a-long

Mushroom Pincushion

I hand sewed more than I have in for-ev-er today on this little pin cushion - I think it's charming - but my embroidery skills are sub par. Does anyone know a helpful hint to the french knot? I cross stitched back in high school and here and there, and have never understood those cool little knots... Anyways, I used this tutorial - thank you tute writer. It is one of my swap "possibilities" for the Scrappy Pincushion Swap over at flickr. I may try my hand at teeny little hexagons next to attempt something like this. Isn't Little Miss Shabby something?



I have also started the quilt-a-long with Amanda Jean over at Crazy Mom Quilts. Just the inspiration I needed to kick me in the pants to sew something big. I am using my Amy Butler Daisy Chain jelly roll with white Kona Cotton for the background. My homework for week one is done, I'm antsy to get started on the next step.



I know this is supposed to be a knitting blog...I feel bad I have not been knitting, summer seems to be sewing season in these parts. But I'll be back to knitting for sure - and Tour De Fleece is coming!

Ack - no caffeine?

Another aspect of my personal "Happiness Makeover" has included looking at my diet and excercize. I could lose a few pounds and tone up, but mostly, I want to feel better. I have been feeling like I have been dragging through the day for awhile.

Confession :: I'm a bit of a diet cola ho. Big Time. I have found myself running through McDonald's every morning for a $1 XL diet coke. AND purposely ignoring the little voice in my head, asking me if I have a problem. Hmm, sounds like any addiction, right?


Oh, snap, it's Peaknit, with no diet soda...

So far, I have gone without caffeine for a week - and while in my mind, I imagined myself as Godzilla, pillaging villages - I feel surprisingly human. It is possible. I would not go so far as say "I'm reformed" but now that I know I can get through the day without copious amounts of caffeine and soda - I'm pretty awed. I was gloating to my husband, and he asked "do you want some applause?" And hell yes, I do. I mean, no caffeine and I'm still nice? Who knew? *she giggles*

On the happy mail front - I got some Tufted Tweets today - omg. I have been waiting for these whimsical fabrics by Laurie Wisbrun. I have the rest of the collection on the way - and now face the challenge of finding a quilt pattern worthy of this coveted collection. I am thinking something with bigger pieces to show off the fun chairs, couches and birdies. Any thoughts? There are some cool Quilt-A-Longs going on, but they don't speak to this fabric for me - so I will hopefully bite off more than I can chew and get immersed head first in a second summer of quilting. *fingers crossed*


Tufted Tweets by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufmann

Last up, I made a yummy treat - Peanut Butter Blondie Brownies - two thumbs up. The recipe is from the book The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfunkel. The book was a quick read, as it traces the history of pen pals from childhood to adulthood (don't you wish you had a pen pal like that?) - the recipes were the fun part for me. I love any book that tells stories through recipes - this one is loaded - some sound crazy and I would never make them - but the brownies were made with stuff I had on hand, and everyone loved them. I made the pan yesterday - and it is now empty. A sure sign of a good treat.



If you would like the recipe - please leave your e-mail in a comment and I will shoot it over to you. I am not sure I can legitimately post the whole thing here but recipes are for sharing.

swap-spiration

A mosaic for the Scrappy Pincushion Swap group over on flickr. Just a sweet pincushion. The hard part seems to be that there are too many incredible clever and whimsical ideas. I really want to give some hexies a try. But honestly, the lovely mosaics filled with candy coated ideas are worth the trip to the group page. There is still time to join til tomorrow.



The beginnings of my little paper pieced village - we are off to a rough start. I am not sure I would want to live in either of these little ramshackle cottages...I'm sure a little more practice is in order.

They crookedy houses me of those described by Jeanette Walls in her autobiographical The Glass Castle - it's a crazy little book, I really enjoyed it. It truly does put the fun in dysfunctional. So, if you think you're family is a wee insane, I am thinking the one in this book will out-crazy yours. I'll even bet you.

finished object...yay

Make It Perfect Versatile Skirt in Joel Dewberry fabrics

I finished this skirt in just a couple of hours - and that is including some mistakes cutting out my pattern...which led to a spot of rum to quell the disappointment. Bummer, rum slush. I had to capture a picture because I thought the rum slush looked just gorgeous next to my fabrics. I love when my adult beverages and my fabrics want to coordinate. The fabrics in the following photo are closer to the actual shades.


2 hours earlier

Easy Peasy Rum Slush

Throw all the following together in a big tupperware::

12oz can of concentrated orange juice
12oz can of concentrated lemonade
48oz can of pineapple juice
3 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
1 cup - and a little - of light rum. I bet Malibu would add a nice tropical flavor.

Freeze it up - usually at least overnight but often a bit longer, the alcohol keeps things a little soft. Scoop a bunch into a cup, add 7-up (or diet 7-up - as the slush is a bit lip-smacking-sugary.) Add paper umbrellas or cherries for a bit a panache. Voila - a yummy party drink. And a lovely little sewing helper.

And I have a skirt to wear to court tomorrow with a white cardi - it's a little sassy, but won't I just have a little rum-a-licious secret when the judge is passing sentence on one of my probationers? I'll be transported to a sunshiney place in the dankest of circumstance, and my orange will coordinate with the inmate's jail jammies...always good to find the silver lining.

...and speaking of orange and lock-up...



I just finished Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. She tells the story of her trip through federal prison. She was a successful business woman who was arrested for a crime she had committed many years hence. Though I think some of her observations oppose my own beliefs because I work on the other side of the law - the book was very interesting and enlightening about the prison experience. My favorite quote was "chickensh*t people enforcing chickensh*it rules" - yup, that about sums it up. A lot of petty things go on within our system - but I don't have a solution - so onward.