Pincushions

I made these pincushions over the weekend.

This was a fun little project and I think I will make some more. A good way to use up fabric scraps!

New Wheels!

I have fulfilled one of my environmental resolutions. Here is my new bike! I love it! I haven't owned a bike since I was in grade school! This is a "Schwinn Five Star Cruiser". I think it looks more like a Cadillac than a bike! H.H. and I went out this afternoon to buy paint for his place when we stumbled upon this on sale! When I rode it home, I felt like a kid again! What a great feeling! I hope it is sunny on Monday so I can bike to work. I also bought 4 compact florecent bulbs today and installed them.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Just some pretty pictures for you today. I took these in Cuba. If I stare at these long enough, I can almost convince myself that it is summer.

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Vincent Peale

Bag is Complete

Here is my latest project completed. I am very happy with it - it turned out better than expected. The best part is the inside. I added a pocket - a stripped fabric remnant I had laying around. The colours of both fabrics match. I think it's unexpected and cute.

That's it for today! Have a good one!

Saving the World - one bulb at a time!

In the spirit of Earth Week, I thought I would let you know how I am going to contribute to the repair of our planet starting this week and moving forward!

1) As I currently only have two fixtures in my home with compact florescent light bulbs (CF) I am challenging myself to replace all of my other energy sucking, earth polluting light bulbs to CFs as well.

2) I am going to buy a bike next weekend and bike to work for the summer (except for rainy days - is that ok?). I currently take transit, but I think I can do even better.

3) I am going to make sure that I unplug all appliances when I am not using them (Did you know that electricity is still being used even if the appliance is in the off position?)

4) I am going to bring my own cloth bags when I go grocery shopping.

So this is the plan. I really am going to make an effort to do this. I'll keep you updated on my progress. I'm feeling so green! I can save the world!!!!

I did some sewing on Sunday. I’m making yet another purse. This one is being made out of one of many fabrics I received for free after posting an add on the Freecycle website: http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=Canada
Thanks Dorothy – the fabrics will be put to good use!

Purses and bags are my vice. I know some women have a thing for shoes – my thing is purses. I have tons of them and now that I’ve learned to sew, I’m sure there will be many more!

As you can see - the pattern was inspired by the picture of the purse I posted a few weeks back.

Cuba Photos Finally

I was out of commission for the past few days. That little cold I had turned into a big flu. I'm all better now though. I have uploaded half of the pictures from my trip to my Flickr account. You can view them all at the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7523271@N02/sets/72157600111678019/

Here are some of my favorites.

This guy caught my interest. He was just wondering the Cathedral Square sucking on a red lolly pop - you can see it in his hand if you look close.

The cathedral of Cathedral Square - Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana (Cathedral of Saint Christopher of Havana). Built in 1724.

The buildings in Old Havana are absolutely gorgeous, however; as you move further away from the tourist areas you can see that the majority of the buildings have not been maintained and are falling apart. I found beauty in these buildings just the same if not more so.

Bed time - talk to you later.

Instant Gratification

I've got a cold. I guess I deserve it after all of my bragging about Cuba. My co-workers have no sympathy for me this morning. What an awful sleep I had last night. I fell asleep at 10pm and woke up at 2am with a headache, runny nose and sore throat and couldn't get back to sleep. Now I am feeling quite 'zombie like'. Coffee helps though - and a big calorie filled cranberry lemon muffin made for giants! You would think I would be in a bad mood today, but I'm not - how could I be when I woke up to this:

That's right folks - pure morning sunshine filtering through my window! Gosh that makes my day! It has been cloudy here in Toronto since I returned and it is nice to see the sun. Maybe winter finally packed it's suitcase and departed while I was sleeping last night - I sure hope so.

So here is the latest project. My new clutch purse! I found the pattern for it at http://sewing.about.com/od/freeprojects/ss/clutchpurse.htm. This is super easy to make. Great if you want instant gratification over the weekend.

I lined the inside with a chocolate brown lining and added a hook & eye for a closure.

I think this little purse would make a great gift for a friend....but then again, I love it and think I will keep it for myself - I'll make more though and give them to friends....er....if I don't just fall in love with those too.

Regreso!

Hola! I am back from Cuba! What a fantastic trip! We really enjoyed ourselves. Pictures will be uploaded to my Flickr account as soon as soon as I get my camera back from H.H. (he is burning the pictures onto a CD).

I have also completed another project since my return. That will also be posted upon return of the camera.

Just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well, and a little tanned!

More tomorrow...

Inspiration

Good morning. Hope all is well with everyone. I just wanted to post a picture of this great bag I saw in LouLou magazine! I love the shape of it! Also gotta love those rope handles. Hmmm....wonder if I could figure out how to make one? Where does one buy rope - the hardware store? I've never had to buy rope before - I think it's about time I did.

It's freezing outside today!!! Where the heck is spring?

Beach/Market Bag

Here it is! I'm happy with the outcome. It is nice and big and roomy and grooooooovy!

The inside of the bag.

And I still have some of this fabric left over!

Things are Bloomin'

These are some pictures I took around the house this morning. My house plants are starting to come out of their winter slumber. Picture above is of my African Violet.

I really love plants. I get a lot satisfaction out of growing a plant (or perhaps it is more specifically out of not having a plant die on me!). I would love to have a nice garden some day - but living in an apartment without a balcony limits me to indoor plants.

My ultimate favorite plant is the Goldfish plant (pictured above). I love it's shiny deep green leaves and it's flowers that look like tiny goldfish. This Goldfish plant came from clippings I received from my friend Kathryn about 3 years ago and it is still thriving! I have given clippings from this plant to many others - so it has relatives all over Ontario! Whatever I'm doing is working (knock on wood), so I thought I would share it with you:

Light - A brightly lit spot away from direct sun is just right.
Watering - The Goldfish plant likes to be kept moist but can get a little dry between watering in winter. Leaves enjoy frequent misting.
Fertilizing - Fertilize sparingly, especially in winter.

Inspiration...

I love this picture. I would love to be at this party. I found it on the Martha Stewart website (groan! I know! - I like her site though, I must admit). There are instructions showing how to make these "Hanging Pom-Poms" there.

So I actually did do some sewing over the weekend. I started a new tote bag for my trip to Cuba. I'm making it out of the same fabric as the famous apron I made a few months ago. I'm making sure that I sew in a few organisational (have I used that properly in my sentence? It sounds wrong...) pockets to keep me organised. I'll take a picture when it's complete.

I'm really looking forward to shopping at some of the markets in Havana. I bet I could find some interesting fabric there - keep you fingers crossed for me.

That's all I have to say today, but in closing, here are some more shots of the free fabric I got from work.