Library Love

This is one of the libraries in my home town in Wisconsin. I took this picture on a recent vacation as a reminder of one of my "great" acts of teenage rebellion.

In my early teens, my parents still had me taking swim lessons. It was probably so I had some physical exercise since I wasn't very sporty, but I was completely tired of them. I knew how to swim and was being pushed to do things like diving that terrified me. So, when my dad would drop me off for lessons, I would watch his car drive away, then walk to the library which was on the other side of an open field/park from the pool. I would spend my lesson time reading and then walk back, wet my hair and my suit and wait to be picked up.

My parents never found out. I almost got caught one time - I was in the middle of that open field walking back to the pool and my parents were driving by on their way home before my dad would come back for me. They didn't see me and my secret was safe for over 20 years until I finally confessed. My father still looks at me and shakes his head every time we drive by the library when I am home for a visit.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a pretty pathetic attempt at rebellion. I got "better" at it when I was a little older. But I always laugh when I think about the library as my safe haven at that point in my life.... That really hasn't changed, either.

Lettering Delights

Generally speaking, I am a traditional scrapbooker (even though I haven't scrapped in awhile). Papers, adhesive, stickers, etc. I have never gotten into digital scrapbooking. But I will use my computer to print "doo dads" for my pages or journalling or titles. Lettering Delights is one of my favorite sources for these sorts of things to add to my pages or use for cards.

Here is a card I made recently for a friend's son who is a HUGE Harry Potter fan for his eleventh birthday.


I used what they used to call a "journalling delight" (now they seem to be part of their "graphic" section). You buy the one you want (which for me is never just one) and install it on your computer. They have their own software to use the materials. I chose the large piece I wanted, added my text and placed it using their software. Then I printed it. Super easy!

[Hey - if you are a Harry Potter fan, check out my other blog, Bring on the Books, where I have been blogging about the series!]

Pajama Party, Part 2

Last week I posted a PJ pillow I made for my son. I had also bought some Transformers material and decided to also try a PJ bag - something a little bigger for those bulky winter PJs, and something that he could take along when we aren't at home. It also had to be something simple that I could make with just hand sewing. So, here it is!

I cut the material at random - no measurement. I would have preferred it to have the fold at the bottom, but I didn't buy enough of the material to work that way, so the fold is on one side.


Then I used the seam seal to make a nice edge for the tie and to enclose the tie (shoe string). Then I sewed the shoe string in place and sewed up the sides. Once it was done, the top would cinch up and tie. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out!

Psych Season 4

The fourth season of Psych starts tomorrow - Friday the 7th. This is one of my favorite shows. I love the interplay between the characters. Shawn is the sarcastic fake psychic, played by James Roday. Gus is the screaming straight man played to perfection by Dule Hill.

The first three seasons are on DVD. In Season one, my favorite episode is Shawn vs. The Red Phantom. The boys go to a comic book convention looking for a missing teen. George Takei guest stars! In Season two, there are a lot of great choices, including Psy vs. Psy. Shawn finds himself competing with another psychic to solve a case. In Season three, the best is Any Given Friday Night at 10pm, 9pm Central. The boys go undercover with a football team.

I can't wait for Season 4!

U Create

U Create is one of my new favorite blogs. She does all the work, finding great craft projects on line, and then lists and links them in her blog. I have gotten some great ideas, found new blogs to follow, and been inspired to do my own creating.

If you like to create, this is a blog not to miss!

Pajama Party

I have an ongoing debate with my son about his pajamas. Rarely are they "dirty" after one night's wearing, so I would like him to wear them at least twice before washing so we can cut down on laundry (especially in the winter when the PJs are big and bulky). I started searching on the internet for pajama pillows or stuffed animals like I had when I was a kid. No such luck. So I decided to try to make my own. My fabric was around 11.5 inches square when I started.
I cut two pieces the same size and another one at around 8.5 inches. Then I had smaller pieces of the brown fabrics for some piecing that I was going to do. First I had to draw my "pattern."
Next, I used some Steam a Seam to finish the edges on the two flap pieces for the back of the pillow. Then I cut out the brown pieces, backed them with Heat N Bond, and pieced it together.
Next, I pinned the the three pillow pieces together inside out, and then hand sewed all the way around. This didn't take as long as I thought it would, but much longer than if I could sew with a machine.
Then I flipped the whole thing back the right way. You can see the flap in the back where the pjs go. Then I used some dimensional fabric paint to finish the monkey features - DONE! It is now ready to sit on my son's bed and hide his pjs so they aren't piled somewhere making his room look trashy or tucked somewhere where he will forget about them for a few days!



This was actually a pretty fun project. I have plans to try a PJ bag next because I don't think this pillow will be big enough for those bulky winter PJs I mentioned.

My Black Hole

A black hole is an area of space where gravity is so strong, nothing can escape. The internet is my black hole. I get sucked into blogs or comparison shopping or craft projects and time just zooms by.

Facebook and Twitter are other factors in my black hole. I have been on Facebook for awhile and I find it is a great way to stay connected with extended family and old friends. Twitter is something new for me and I am still figuring out how it works, but I enjoy reading about internet shopping deals at @coupontweet and different "famous" people like the Jonai (Jonas Brothers) and Christian artists like Steven Curtis Chapman and Mac Powell. Then I have my three blogs to update: Bring on the Books (book reviews), this one, and a new one coming in August, Bring on the Books for Teachers.

It is a good thing we only have one laptop in the house. My husband uses it in the evenings to work on his blog so I don't use it often. If we each had one, we probably wouldn't speak to each other at all - just tweet back and forth about what we were doing on the internet!