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This page started for me with the “atomic” paper and a handful pf photos from a local antique store. This little boy, Tony, looked to be up to some mischief.
Evidently it was Saturday morning cartoon time and someone forgot to turn it on. 
I put together some found text to tell a little story after finding a couple other papers that seemed to fit that mid-century vibe.
With this piece I changed size but not format. It’s still a loose leaf page but instead of 7×10 inches, it measures 6×8. I had a few random 6×8 pieces of scrapbook paper in my stash. Likely from a garage sale. I was drawn to the teal color as well as the bright green leafy strip which was originally at the top of the page. However it had a hole punched in the center.
I decided I need some layers to take care of that problem. I have a box of Project Life cards in my stash that are very neutral. The card had a blank space that perfectly fit the green strip. I zigzag stitched the strip across the entire page.
Then I began playing with other elements to complete my collage while covering the hole in the green strip. I found the perfect ruffle in my stash of ruffles. I like to mass make them with fabric strips I have laying around. They definitely come in handy.
Bird image is from a Tim Holtz ephemera pack and was the right size for the tag I picked out. The clock and wish label were cut from a magazine ages ago and hoarded away until now. I have a cigar box of images and fussy cuts that I’ve amassed over time. Again making it easy when I’m looking for just the right something to add to a page. The little yellow flower is an iron-on, I believe. It was a great topper for the tag and covered the hole in the tag as well.
I’m very pleased with this page and it will make a great addition to my planner journal.
Welcome everyone! I’m thrilled to be hosting this month over at Art Journal Journey!
I chose a very tongue-in-cheek theme that has a wide variety of ways to fulfill the challenge.
This piece uses a number of sewing themed items as well as machine stitching. 
Don’t let the word “notion” trip you up. It’s really more sewing themed with a puny title. I love a good pun!
I added a little pocket to hold a tag with a quote that resonated with me.
I’m looking forward to seeing how others interpret my theme of “I’ve got a notion”.
Head on over to Art Journal Journey and join the fun!
It’s taken me a bit and is far from complete but I have finally starting the transformation of J’s room into a sewing room. The room is very small and we plan to keep the bed in there for now so that leaves less options for layout.
This was my first layout. It was ok but far from ideal.
This is how I currently have it arranged. It’s more functional but looks awkward. I still have issues with the desk space. The only place for a glass is behind the sewing machine. You may be able to see the empty coaster there.
Truth be told, besides the bed, there is still some stuff that J has yet to move. So I am working around that as well. 
I have made use of the space though. These are a few journal covers I had rattling around my head. More to come on that as I continue working on them.
Also was making use of scraps I unearthed while rearranging. Years ago I wrote an article for Sew Somerset describing my process for these mini collages. Now the junk journal community calls them clusters. I can get behind the name change but the process is the same.
This bunch took me less than 30 minutes. 
I’ve also started work on a paper bag book. I haven’t made one in probably 10 years. I kind of burned out on it. However there is a baby boom around work. I thought I’d try my hand at making a few instead of the typical gift of a cute little outfit that baby fits into for exactly 57 minutes.
As you might be able to guess…we are empty nesting again. We brought Mini-me back to college for Spring semester.
When we walked into her room we were shocked that her cactus had grown with no light for a month. No water wasn’t surprising…but no light?!
I snapped a photo out the window on the most boring part of our drive. There is about an hour of basically this view after you exit the interstate.
When I spotted some panda fabric at local quilting store I just had to grab it. Mini-me loves pandas. I thought I’d make her a cute accessory for her dorm room.
My neighbor has been making beautiful custom pillowcases for family and friends over the summer. I’ve been admiring her handiwork. I happened to be with her at this particular quilt shop and guided me on how much I needed to purchase for a set of pillowcases.
After giving me a brief verbal tutorial, she passed along the YouTube video tutorial she followed to create very professional results with French seams.
I tried to snap some photos along the way but honestly without the video, my photos may not make a whole lot of sense. Not being one to try to recreate the wheel…and really just wanting to get these made…I didn’t take enough photos to create a tutorial of any sort.
Sausage rolled fabrics that had me questioning my sanity.
I’m mainly sharing my images to of course show off the cute fabric, but also to show how crazy this process seems and how you may fear you are doing something wrong…but don’t worry…it all comes together in the end.
Again, this had me questioning my sanity…closing the seams with right sides out and raw edges exposed. All I have to say is, patience…follow the process…it will turn out right in the end.
I love this little detail. A small tab of contrasting fabric.
And here you have them…perfect French seam pillowcases…no exposed seams or raw edges. It’s a kind of magic especially when you think about the fact that I only sewed three lines of stitching, Crazy!
Once again I’m playing catch up here on my blog. Spring definitely gets away from me. School gets more demanding as we near the end which leaves me too tired to do anything beyond feeding my family and preparing for the following day.
This spring we also have the added pressure of Mini-me graduating from high school! Stressing over whether or not there will be a graduation ceremony, a choir concert, grad parties, etc. And if there are…how comfortable do we feel about it. We finally got the answer to a couple of those question marks. There will be a concert but it will be single choirs to limit people and possible exposures. There will be graduation which will look similar to those in the past due to since our governor announced a step down in restrictions taking effect before graduation. This does make me nervous even though we are all vaccinated. Mini-me will not be having a graduation party. 
Last week was an eventful one. Wednesday was my birthday…next year is a big one… I was spoiled by friends and coworkers with kind words and thoughtful gifts. Thursday, Mini-me and I drove to Duluth to move J home from college for the summer. It was a quick up and back trip.
We had to take a quick detour into Canal Park before heading to campus…we love Duluth so much. I wish we could have spent more time there.
If you look closely there are two ships in this photo. The closer one is a “salty” meaning it traveled in from the Atlantic Ocean. The other one on the horizon is one of the Great Lakes fleet of ore boats.
I did manage to fix my journal. I plan to add some beads along the spine to cover the extra holes but decided that it would make the most sense to wait until the journal is complete.
Look at all the pretty papers! I can’t wait to start using it. I know my birthday cards and notes are going to have a place right away.
I have been sewing too..no surprise there. It is so satisfying to be making a major dent in my scraps. I have yet to decide if this will become a bed size quilt or a couple of throws.
I had to share the mug J bought for me. He said it was a combo b-day and mothers day gift. So sweet.
This summer appears to be getting more back to normal. Both kids have jobs…thank goodness! Mini-me will actually have two. J currently has two but his school job will end in June obviously and he will be able to put in more time at his internship. It’s so very exciting to see them both taking those next steps in life. Although I’m not even going to pretend to be completely ok with being “empty nesters” next fall.
You know what that means…I’m linking up with Elizabeth and the gang to share a bit about my week…or weeks as the case may be.
I’ll just rip the bandage off quickly…this is the worst quilt I have ever made. At first glance it’s not terrible but if you keep looking you begin to see all the issues. And boy are there a lot of them.
The one thing that I do love is the no holds barred scrappiness of the quilt. No negative space or even plain solid to let your eye rest. That was my intention. It’s the back that set the multitude of issues into play.
Oh it’s like a trainwreck…so many things went wrong. But I just wanted to finish this dang thing. I was like Dory from Finding Nemo…
Except it was just keep sewing, just keep sewing…
It’s not beautiful but it will still keep me warm and snuggly on the couch so it does have a bit of a redeeming quality.
I had to share the clever display case at school welcoming the kids back. So fun. There are signs all over the school letting the kids know how happy we are to have them back. I think they are really happy too! Today we welcomed back the second group of students as we are still in a hybrid learning model. So fun to see all those kids! We did not get to go snowshoeing yet but I am still hopeful
My COVID vaccine that was scheduled for Saturday was delayed until next weekend due to weather affecting the supply chain. The weather has been absolutely insane everywhere it seems. 
I leave you with my Bulldog mom mug. My bulldog is not coming home for Spring break. They only have two days off instead of a week. I’m not sure I’ll see him until he moves back home. *sniff*
I just realized I’m going to need a new mug next fall… That one will make me a cougar mom. Hmmm…that sounds a little funny. LOL
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