i really like having my mornings free to work on projects. the only downside is that sometimes i get into a really good groove, and then i have to leave for work. this happened to me yesterday as i was starting work on the teddy bear project.

i sewed the head together, and then the ears, and then...poof! it was time to go. mondays are generally like this, because i run my weekly errands on mondays, leaving less time to craft than normal.

but today? today is a very rainy tuesday. the perfect morning to cut out more pieces, and hopefully finish this puppy. er...bear.

here it is. my original needlework piece, entitled "the road to hell".



obviously, i could frame it.

but wouldn't it be amazing if i made more of these with various addages on them, and created a quilt??????? patchwork addages????????

sometimes i realize that i am completely out of control.

this is one of those times.

(i seriously just came up with that idea. and now i know that i can't take it back, and i will obsess over it for several years, never actually making another needlepoint. this is what i do.)

i am very glad to have finished painting my desk. now i can finally get back to organizing, and more importantly, purging. now that i know how much space i actually have to store things, it's making it a bit more necessary to actually let go of things.

here are some before and after pics of the desk. i am loving it.

i left it out back to dry all afternoon yesterday, and i had my sewing machine on top of it, but when i took the machine off to take some photos, some of the paint came up with it! grrr. i touched it up and i'm going to leave the machine off all day today. perhaps i will have to put a mat down or something.

yesterday was a very "blue" day. after painting the desk blue, i came home from work to find a lovely blue package from my june colorswap partner becca - it even arrived in a blue envelope!



and here is what was inside:



what great stuff! ribbons, needle protectors, a new pincushion, some really cool tea, and the most amazingly soft misti alpaca yarn! she even suggested this pattern as a good way to use it...i love everything! thank you so much, becca! you were a great partner!

i have to say, i am tired of cleaning already. it never ends. i think i am bitter because i had to wash a moldy baseball hat (don't ask).

i'm attempting to organize my fabric this morning. i'm going to the fabric store tomorrow and i want to make sure that i know what i need. i'm going to get some containers for my bits and trims. it's all very exciting for me. i love organizing because it's not really cleaning. it's more like displaying.

last night we watched hoodwinked - it was very cute!

back to the fabric.

i have started a new blog at blogger! i will still be posting here, but feel free to follow me over to http://thetinybean.blogspot.com

thanks!

i've spent the last week working in the yard, and i have to say, it has been wonderful. my mom came up to visit on friday, and we planted a bunch of flowers, as well as a few veggies that she had brought with her. here is a peek at the progress:

here is a look at my tiny garden. i have planted everything using the "French-intesive" method, a la an old Martha article (thank god i save everything...). basically, all of the veggies are closely spaced with flowers and herbs mixed in. the marigolds are there to repel the bad bugs, and bring the good bugs in. this, apparently, is good for the tomatoes.

more photos ( under here )

not much crafting has been going on, i am ashamed to say. i've been getting packages ready to send out, as well as finishing my postcards for open yours, too which i do indeed need to get out into the world today. i leave you with this photo of the woodsy area next to my yard. i just think it's cool.

i know that i should really update, but i haven't the time at the moment.

a real update with pictures, very soon.

ok...i'm not sure what happened, but for whatever reason, today was an extremely great day for surprises!!!

yesterday was my birthday, and I got a lot of great books from adrian (as well as a double-thick chocolate milkshake from stewarts...yesss...). today, miss eastonchick dropped by, and i scored this lot:


my very own ultra-cool accordian folder and magazine organizer, perfect for my crafty clippings and magazines!!!


a "brush your teeth" sign, made by eastonchick!!! (available at her etsy shop )

and a subscription to one story , which is only the coolest subscription EVAH. it's one short story, sent to you once every three weeks. it is brilliant. thank you kate, bill and mollypants. you are the greatest!

a while after visiting for bit (and allowing me the use of molly as a model for my toddler dress, which by the way was so cute on her), the mailman arrived. carrying many packages. for me.


a justice league kickball, from fitzjustice and mandalas!!!! you have no idea how i have been craving kickball...and i just discovered that our town has a KICKBALL LEAGUE...i am now ready to sign up.

many thanks, guys. i love the way that it was addressed...

another ebay score, direct from england. a knitting pattern for DANGERMOUSE!!!


it also comes with a pattern for that extremely geeky dangermouse sweater...i am loving it!!!

a birthday gift to myself. direct from japan. books of cuteness and craftiness:


i looked through one of the embroidery books, but i must really pace myself...so much goodness to take in... there is one more book, but it is on backorder. hopefully they can find me a copy!

last, but certainly not least...this was so incredibly delightful. the very dear sarah of red felt flower was my secret trim swap partner. she lives in australia, and she sent me this most amazing package of goodness:


a box wrapped in a vintage hankie...i am melting already...


gasp! squeeee! a handmade pincushion...tiny vintage postage stamps in a glacine envelope!!!


the trims...the grosgrain...the satin...the organza...i am in heaven!!!

thank you so much, sarah. the colors are abosolutely my favorites, and i adore the tiny tags that label each trim. you are so generous and sweet. cheers!

phew! that is a lot of love for one afternoon! more updates this weekend. my mom is taking me to a flea market tomorrow morning for my birthday. hopefully there will be some good finds! i hope that everyone has an enjoyable weekend!

here is a peek at my birthday skirt. all that needs to be done is the hemming:

do you love my pasty white leg??? this was my very first project involving a zipper. it went fairly well and i am very pleased with the skirt. it still needs something...not sure what.

dear seamus: i hate you. i love you. i hate you. i love you.



one thing i am hating about this sweater is the yarn. i know. it's brown sheep. which i love. but the little bits of white wool are GETTING EVERYWHERE!!! combined with the fact that my hands are generally sweaty, and the house is incredibly humid...it's just not a summer project. i've been doing one or two rows at a time, and then breaking. i need something lighter for the summer. i just can't handle it!!! but i do love you, dear seamus. i promise that i will wear you this fall. maybe.

my latest ebay score arrived in the mail. my favorite cat:



i grossly overpaid for this pattern, but truthfully, i don't care. i intend to knit myself a bagpuss this summer. oh yes. he will be mine.

i leave you now with a little birdy i picked up. the nest is real. my mom found it on our front lawn while visiting one day. it was built, but then scrapped. perhaps by a crazed lazy bird, much like myself. so it's been sitting on my window sill above the kitchen sink. and now it has a little friend to keep it warm.

my goal for the holiday weekend was to knock some things off of my "works in progress" list. i did ok.

my wee bunny's tail. he is all stitched up and officially complete. love him!



toddler sun dress. stitched facing into armholes and stitched up back sides. all that needs to be done is the hemming, and i need to borrow miss mollypants for that. i will consider this done. because i can make those decisions!!!



retro apron. sewed binding on. loving it. all that needs to be done is the embroidered patch, which will be completed this morning. you sir, are done.

i spent some time knitting, even though i don't like knitting in the summer that much. actually, i don't mind knitting light projects. but seamus is anything but light. it is going to be one heavy sweater, people! i should really post some photos of my progress. but the camera batteries are conveniently dead.

i did an awesome swap with miss eastonchick! i gave her my lamby-pie needlepoint, and she made me this beauty:



i absolutely love it! it's going to be hung in the bedroom at some point. it makes me very happy.

this arrived in the mail last week. it also makes me giddy:



this came from etsy user littlestflower. her stuff is just amazing. check out her shop here - she is awesome, and she lives in australia!

i mailed out my package for the trims swap on saturday morning. here is a look at the contents of the package:





the color-coordination was a bit of a happy accident. i hope that my parter enjoys!

and finally, i went out to some tag sales on saturday morning. there were a ton of them going on. we went to a barn sale early on, and it was a bunch of overpriced "antiques", so that was a bit disappointing. we did a bunch of errands and by the time i got out to scour, a lot of the sales had been pretty picked over. however, i did have success at one sale, and it was not a bad score:



a set of tin salt and pepper shakers, $2
vintage bed sheet, $1
yellowstone national park decorative plate, $2
paint-by-number in frame, $1

yessss. i also find it strange that everything seems to match...apparently i am a crazy person.

my mom is taking me to a huge flea market on saturday morning for my birthday. i'm really looking forward to it.

so that is all. i have to get to that apron before i pass out. i have to get to the grocery store at some point before work. good day to you all.