Spring 2011

It has been a long long time since I posted anything here. Did you miss me? Did you wonder what was going on? It’s been a heck of a Fall/Winter, and I just haven’t had the time or energy to do anything but survive for the last few months.

Last October, I shared a bit about Frank’s cancer. He’s still dealing with that and still recovering from all the surgeries last August. This week he finishes up his second to last round of chemo, and the surgical recovery thing has come a long way… just a little bit more to go and he should be done. With that part anyway. He’s getting there.

Last week we finally put the Christmas boxes away. (The tree came down just before Valentine’s Day.) The last of the Christmas cookie tins were washed tonight and maybe I’ll muster up some energy to put them away along with the wreath this coming weekend. Please re-read the last sentence of the first paragraph. I wasn’t kidding.

Anyway, I have some (exciting to me) news to share – I have been trying to come up with ways to earn extra money to help pay the bills. Frank and I miss just enough work each month, and have just enough medical expenses (prescriptions) each month, that our ends don’t quite meet. It bites. It’s depressing. So in January, Rachel and I rented a space at a cute little boutique in town called The Fussy Duck. I wanted a venue to sell my plates, and maybe sell other handmade items as well.

To be honest, it has been slow, but I think I’m still trying to figure out what people want. Risa, the owner, has been a huge source of info and a lot of help. She suggested posting our items on her shop’s page on Facebook, so I have been doing that. Meanwhile, I am dying to show you what we’ve made so far:

The “Sister Rock” was the first item to sell. Here are the other things created in our basement Girl Cave:

Pillow cases -

Duct tape wallets -

Map picture frames – (I’m still on the hunt for tiny cars to glue to the maps, but here’s what they look like right now)

Chip clips – (I love these)

Bottlecap magnets -

Femme Fatale Lunch bags/Gift bags –
(Thank you, E.)

Black & White and pink handbag with a purse organizer insert -

A Black & White and green handbag with inside pockets -

Mustache mugs –

Do you like my mustache?

One note about the handbags: I have been playing it fairly safe with fabrics as I practiced the pattern. (I actually used fabrics that were purchased to make pillow cases. I couldn’t help it; I just had to try the handbag pattern!) So this week I stopped at my favorite thrift store and bought a couple of big plaid flannel shirts. I’m going to cut them up and piece them together for a cross body hobo bag, following this same basic pattern. I’ll post pictures when the bag is done. I think it’s going to look great.

Speaking of the thrift store, I haven’t forgotten about my mentioning wanting to blog about Thrifty Nesting things. The plan is still there. During down time for my brain (there is no such thing, really) the little gears have been grinding away with thoughts and ideas. On weekends I get a chance to dig in a little and sew and research and glue and compile stuff. I can’t wait to get my next batch of ideas up and running.

Once we’re done with Dr. appointments 4x/week or more (some weeks it’s 2 Dr. appts every day after work,) I will take a big breath and dive in head first into Thrifty Nesting. 

So that’s that.

Please be patient as I try to work my way through everything that has piled up since last August. I can’t wait to get my life back. No, actually, that’s not quite true. My life before all of this was boring and ho-hum. The last 11 months have given me perspective, and I no longer want my dull old life back. I want the life I’ve been wanting all along, and right now I’m using the time to figure out what I need to do next.

Stay tuned!