The Ribbon Retreat Giveaway

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Are you all familiar with The Ribbon Retreat?

For several years, they’ve been THE place to go for ribbon and hair bow making supplies, (including tons of great free projects). You can buy lengths of individual ribbons, or they sell convenience packs, like this assortment of polka dot ribbons. Man, I love me some polka dots.

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And ribbon mixes, where they’ve already done the mixing and matching for you.

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Love Gymboree and matching bows? They take care of that matching for you, too! There’s a color guide or 10 yard mixes all ready to go.

But here’s the really big exciting part (at least to my dorky sew-er self)….

NOW THEY HAVE FABRIC AND NOTIONS!

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So, what’s in it for you?

A chance to win a $50 gift certificate to The Ribbon Retreat, good for ANYTHING they carry!

How do you enter?

1) Click on over to The Ribbon Retreat and browse through their ribbon selection. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite ribbon. Ribbons are easily accessible from their home page.

2) Click on over to The Ribbon Retreat and browse through their fabric selection. Come back and leave a comment with your favorite fabric. Fabrics are here.

3) Click on over to The Ribbon Retreat on Facebook and “Like” them (formerly known as becoming a fan of). Come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did.

So, you can enter up to 3 times.

YOU MUST LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!

Giveaway closes Friday night at midnight MST.

Not feeling especially lucky but still in need of some ribbon and/or fabric?

Get 10% off your order now through Friday using discount code “CRAP10”. (Man I love when companies use the word “crap” in their discount codes!)

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Another one where I ramble

So, I discovered something at the blogging conference this last weekend….we crafty bloggers are an insane bunch.  Don’t believe me?  Ask Hilary Weeks, who may have had a couple of them bow down to her right on the pavement in the parking lot (hint 1, hint 2).  It was fun to finally meet people that I feel like I’ve known for ages and to make some new friends, too.

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And, I may now officially be known as the world’s biggest Gary Coleman fan.  I just want to say that getting texts from 5 different people about his passing DOES NOT mean I’m obsessed with him.  And neither does the fact that I may have recorded his Divorce Court appearance and then hosted a viewing party.  Stop judging!

Complete and total subject change #1:

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(Can you believe it’s been an entire year since the ruffle butt?)

I got an email from Liz about her blog, Busy Lizzy’s.  She’s going to attempt and then review tutorials with details on what she changed, how much it cost, how difficult it was, etc.  The first tute she reviewed was my ruffle butt onesie that was originally posted over on UCreate.  You can find her ruffle butt review here.  She’s also taking suggestions for which tutorials to attempt in the future.  Go give her a suggestion that you’re too afraid to try yourself!

Complete and total subject change #2:

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If you want to hear read me sounding like a dork (because you don’t already get enough of that here), pick up the June/July issue of Quilter’s Home.  They interviewed me for their article on modern quilters. 

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I TRIED to tell them that I’m not a quilter (that part is even mentioned in the article), but they didn’t believe me.  This interview also included an embarrassing moment where I randomly blurted out the fact that I still can’t ask the ladies at the fabric store where the boning is without busting out into a fit of giggles.  Thankfully, they left that part out.

Complete and total subject change #3:

Super cool giveaway coming in the morning.  It’ll run all week, so go ahead and enjoy your Memorial Day if you must but be sure to come by and enter!

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Flickr Feature Friday

Did you know Crap I’ve Made has a Flickr group? You can find the link at any time up on my menu bar under Crap You’ve Made. Go add your stuff! Please?

Projects from the Flickr group will be featured on Fridays.

And, there’s now a Flickr stream widget over in my left sidebar. Click on over from your reader and check that out.

I triple dog dare you to look at today’s feature and not smile.  This is quite possibly my favorite picture in the whole Flickr group.

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Ty2308 (leave me a comment if you want your blog linked!) made this darling shirt using my 2nd birthday applique pattern.  It’s linked at the bottom of this post.

I’m headed back to the CBC.  Hilarious times last night with some other crafty bloggers!

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Word Vomit

Yesterday was May 24th, right?  Because I took this picture as I pulled back into my driveway after taking the kids to school.

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Some people that live here were more excited about it than others.

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Probably because he didn’t have to drive clear across the valley in it.  Traffic was stopped on the freeway.

Then I spent several hours at a child psychologist appointment with Campbell.

And after that he got bit by a dog….like bad enough he needed medical attention and a diaper was used to stop the bleeding.  On the way to the doctor, he may have told his father that he wanted to “hit Charlie (the offending dog) with a baseball bat and make him go to doggy heaven”.  I shouldn’t laugh, but I did.  Wonder what the psychologist would say about that.

At least my mail was happy?

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Heather over at Vintage Creations sent me this darling bag.

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The flowers are detachable, too.  You can get your own in her Etsy store.

And, I got my hair cut and colored (redder!).  I have bangs, for the first time since 1993.  BC’s calling it my TV hair.

What’s that?  I didn’t mention the TV thing?  Probably because I feel a little like throwing up if I think about it too much.  If you’re a Utah local, you can catch me on Good Things Utah next Thursday, June 3rd.

My friends will be the ones in the audience wearing these:

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We’ve got preschool graduation tonight, an orchestra thing tomorrow, and I’m attending CBC this weekend.  Crap making will be a little scarce…

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Flutter & Flowers Quilt

The nice folks at AccuQuilt sent me a GO! Cutter to try out. It arrived Thursday and I could hardly wait to get started. Fortunately, my friend and neighbor (she still harasses me about referring to her as *just* my neighbor last time I mentioned her) Tam over at Sew Dang Cute sells fabric….like at her house. Friday morning she and I plopped down on the floor in her sewing room and surrounded ourselves with bolts of fabric and started talking and diagramming.

Here’s what I came up with:

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(Thanks to my lovely assistant Keller for being the quilt holder.)

I used both the GO! Critters set and the GO! Strip Cutter –2 1/2” for this quilt, along with a couple of other random cuts.

The finished size of this quilt is about 36” wide by 41” tall…a good baby/throw size. All of the strips were cut the width of the fabric, so there’s pretty much no waste.

Using your GO! Cutter and the 2.5” Strip Cutter, cut 4 2.5” strips of the white fabric (W). You’ll also need a 15.5” strip of the white fabric for the center section (BIG WHITE).

Cut 2 3.5” strips of your blue fabric (B). I used Just Dreamy Blue Dots.

Cut 2 5.5” strips of your floral fabric (F). I used Just Dreamy Cream Large Floral.

Using your GO! Cutter, the Critters set and fabric with fusible web already attached (yes, really!!!), cut out 3 butterflies and 3 dragonflies (more or less….personal preference). The red is Make Life’s Texture Apple. The orange is Just Dreamy Orange Dots.

You could, of course, trace and cut out the appliques the old fashioned way…it’ll just take you WAY longer. ;)

Using your GO! Cutter and the 2.5” Strip Cutter, cut 5 2.5” strips for binding. I used Make Life in Shine Apple.

I backed the whole thing with some more of the Just Dreamy Blue Dots (about 40”).

Assemble your strips in the following order, using 1/4” seams:

W F W B (BIG WHITE) B W F W

Press the seams towards the non-white fabrics.

Position your Critter cut outs as desired and fuse in place. Stitch around the edges. I used a tight zig zag. I’m not a fancy shmancy quilter, though….I usually just make stuff up as I go. If you know the “correct” way to do this, do that instead.

Your quilt top is done!

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Quilt as desired.

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I used a walking foot for the lines in the white strips. I used a darning/free motion foot for the squiggles in the large white section. I’d never used either before (insert embarrassed face here). There’s a bit of a learning curve on the free motion foot, but I’ll definitely be using it more often.

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I attached the binding using this method, from Moose on the Porch Quilts.

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I love it a lot.

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I’ve also got the 6 1/2” GO! Tumbler. I think I’ll play with that one next. I feel like the giant stack of Nicey Jane sitting on my sewing table may finally have a purpose!

Thanks, AccuQuilt, for a fun new toy!

Show and Tell Green
giveaways

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Sneak peek

of what I’ve been working on this weekend….

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Flickr Feature Friday

Did you know Crap I’ve Made has a Flickr group? You can find the link at any time up on my menu bar under Crap You’ve Made. Go add your stuff! Please?

Projects from the Flickr group will be featured on Fridays.

And, there’s now a Flickr stream widget over in my left sidebar. Click on over from your reader and check that out.

I had one heck of a time deciding what to feature today, but I finally went with this fabulous quilt from Ruthie T.  (Ruthie, leave a comment or email me if you want your blog linked up!)

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Why’d I choose this to feature (aside from the fact that it’s amazing)?

I’ve got quilting on the brain right now.  You’ll have to tune in next week to find out why….

I’ve got some great giveaways lined up over the next couple of weeks, too.  Hope your weekend is fabulous!

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Help a blogger out

I’ve owned/worn the same pair of Doc Martens sandals since Christmas of 1998.

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That’s right.  These puppies have been with me longer than all of my children.

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I need new sandals.  BAD.

Help me shop?

Criteria:  brown leather, slip on (no buckling), *some* heel is OK

Ready?  Set.  Go!

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Since you asked so nicely…

I got several (OK…more than a few, less than a lot) emails asking about the monogram plate that was visible in the picture in this post.

Here’s a better view:

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My friend Jami and I made them late one Friday night.  It may have even been Saturday morning at that point.  ;)

Here’s how the plate started out.

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Jami picked them up at a thrift store for 75 cents.

We Mod Podged fabric around the edges.  The fabric bends around the contours of the plate more easily than paper does.  You don’t actually need Fabric Mod Podge to do this, regular works fine.

Then, we cut out a circle of paper the size of the flat part in the center of the plate and Mod Podged that down.

Then the same thing with a smaller circle.

And finally we printed out our monogram and cut it out with an Exacto knife and Mod Podged it in the center.  Don’t do it that way.  It takes way too long.  Print your monogram on your paper that you’re going to use for the smaller circle and then cut the circle around it.  Or use a Cricut.  Or rub on letters.  Or something.  Just don’t do it the way we did.

Jami also made one that says “Bon Apetit!” in the center.  I’m going to go harass her for a picture…stay tuned.

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Dry ice and planes

My flight home last night was delayed.  Like, we were all sitting on the plane at the gate when they announced it was going to be a while.  And a while = over an hour, just for your future reference.

Apparently there was some dry ice in the cargo area.  And it didn’t have proper documentation.

Yes, really.

I appreciated the pilot’s concern for our well being, but could have done without the “There will be no renegade dry ice on my plane!” speech.

The illegal ice was finally escorted off the plane and I got home after midnight.  Woo!

And here’s what I’m doing today:

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(That picture was taken when I was already 2 loads in.  It was worse.  Much much worse.  Why do the people around here keep wearing clothes?)

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