Time-sucking black hole...

The internet literally sucks time out of my life.

And I don't really have enough extra time to share it with the good ol' internet.

It's a giant hour-devouring black hole.

I'm pretty sure I can hear time's rapid exodus from my day

- like a big whoooosh-

and sometimes it's even a creepy screeching sound.

During the day, it's not so bad.

I usually get on for just a 'quick second' to check a recipe or something.

No biggie.

But nights are the worst.

My viable sleeping minutes just tick, tick, tick - gone.

It's terrible.

I really need to do something about it.

Don't even get me started on Pinterest...

I have a love/hate relationship with that pretty little time-sucker.

It really is so. pretty.

Despite the internet, I have gotten some sewing accomplished.

Like I said a few days ago, all my commission pieces are done and gone, and it really does make relaxing a possibility.

Well, if you call it relaxing.

I call it relaxing, so I'll stick with it.

I get to sit and think about what I want to make next.

(I know, I know- living in the moment- but I'm a work in progress, what can I say?)

My creativity part gets all buzzy and jumpy.

I even twitch a bit.

It's a good time.

I've even made a list of what I've been thinking about.

I will share said list with you later- because I just thought of a few things to add.

There's nothing worse than an incomplete list, no?

In the meantime,

how about I share a BOY nursery set with you?

It was all designed around some fave fabrics, a mobile and a print

the customer planned on using in the nursery.

I'm loving the zig-zag thing happening with this one.

Really.

I love the colors, so bright and cheery.

And boy.

And the way the chocolate brown is used to accent all the pieces and bring them together is great, too:

chocolate brown bumper ties, binding and accents in quilt, and bottom border on crib skirt.

LOVE.

I made the zig-zag quilt using the HST method, which is by far my favorite for making perfect zigs and zags.

I machine quilted,

on either side of the zig-zag seams to add emphasis,

using a light grey thread,

and then added lots of extra quilting lines in the

solid brown zig (or zag).

I love the effect it made and it might be my favorite part of the set.

The quilting looks snazzy on the back, too!

And here's the handsome quilt in all it's zig-zagged glory.

(That's a tiny helper, not a huge quilt!)

Working on this set really got me wanting to make a few more zig-zag quilts... we'll see.

But I did manage to eek out a fall-inspired HUGE pillow cover out of some scraps:

Extremely teeny tiny scraps that I can never ever just throw away!

And I got to do some

organic line quilting in bright green

for this one,

which I also love.

Yay!

I added a little strip of trees (Majestic Oak by Joel Dewberry) into the pieced envelope back.

Just for fun!

I love how this turned out, but unfortunately it doesn't match my home decor at all,

so I've decided to try and sell this cutie.

If you're interested in purchasing this 20x20" pillow cover ($28), you can using the button below:

And for those of you interested in buying a custom nursery set,

you can do that using the drop down menu at the right, towards the top.

That's about all the time I'm going to let this darn internet suck from me...

for now.

Happy Wednesday!

Exhale.

Sometimes I forget to breathe. 

And I know some people can turn that into a dumb blonde joke.

Whatever.  

But I just exhaled, 

like really, actually, literally, physically exhaled... 

and it was amazing. 

Like, stars-in-a-jar amazing.

Source: weheartit.com via Madison on Pinterest

Do it. 

Take a big breath. 

And let it ALLLLL out. 

Doesn't it feel nice? 

Mine was more refreshing than a long hot shower, and we all know how much I love those. 

Weird thing, that breathing. 

Source: keraleda.tumblr.com via Madison on Pinterest

breathtaking, right?

***

All commission sewing projects are done and gone

Pictures uploaded to computer

New sewing area (finally) created in new house 

(the hubby was not a fan of me using the kitchen table- so, my plan worked- ha!)

Computer/office nook set up 

(no more computer on chair, mouse on scrap of fabric on table, keyboard on lap)

Last of the boxes unpacked

40 envelopes addressed, stuffed, stamped and sent

Garage sale OVER

Dishes done

Babies sleeping

Laundry going

Hubby out with long-time-no-see best friend

Lights down low

TV OFF

Pandora ON

(sing it, Adele)

writing now...

... and EXHALE.

it just feels. so. good

Source: flickr.com via Madison on Pinterest

Sometimes, I just get way too caught up in what's happening next 

that I forget 

to focus on 

what's happening now. 

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Madison on Pinterest

It's a constant struggle for me. 

I have to realize that 

there will always be deadlines, 

I will always have laundry, 

some thing- whatever that 'thing' may be- will always need to be done,

there will always be DIY projects on Pinterest that beckon my name, 

my inbox will always have emails that need replies,

I will never run out of family members to call, 

someone will always be expecting something of me, 

and my house will never be completely clean. 

And that's ok.

Because there will also always be a 'now'. 

Lots of things happen 'now'. 

And I need to stop thinking about what needs to be done and worry about what is being done, 

because there's nothing like the present

 or something like that, right? 

Source: etsy.com via Madison on Pinterest

I think a lot of women have this problem. 

We try to be everything by doing everything. 

Guess what?

That's stupid. 

And we are a smart bunch, I like to think.
Oh, we can get shit done, if you know what I mean.
But nobody can do everything, let's get real. 

Source: weheartit.com via kait on Pinterest

So, to all of you 

stay-at-home-moms, working moms, single moms, new moms, 

single ladies busting your butts, married ladies busting your butts, 

wives, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, college goers, law school students, waitresses...

sit down, relax, and           exhale.

And know- even if it's just for this moment- that you. are. everything. 

You are doing exactly what you need to be doing.

You are being. 

And that is a beautiful thing. 

And so are you. 

Source: singingthroughtherain.com via ty on Pinterest

***

I was going to post all latest quilts/finishes/sewing projects tonight, 

but then I figured I couldn't post those until I posted Willow's birthday pics from August

(yeah, August), 

and then I started thinking about my Grandpa Paul and how I really need to call him to let him know that I got his letter, 

which got me thinking about all the letters that I sent out (wait-did they all go out?), 

which got me thinking about the new big quilt that's in the works, 

which got me thinking about my blocks I need to finish for my charity circle, 

which made me think about the best way to organize my scraps in my new studioish area, 

which made me think about where in the world I'm going to actually plug in my sewing machine down there, 

which made me think that I never found a bobbin cover for my friend's sewing machine like I said I would forever ago, 

which made me think of her birthday presents, 

which made me think about Willow's party and the lack of post and/or uploaded pictures for the rest of my family to see. 

See what I mean?

EXHALE. 

I'm working on it...

I needed a little boost tonight, 

so I figured somebody else out there might need one, too. 

I tried to be as non-girl-powerish as possible while still keepin' it real. 

Source: live-inspired.com via Rachel on Pinterest

One for you, one for me.

Have you heard of do. Good stitches?

Well, it's a really cool. 

It's a charity quilting bee.

Basically, a bunch of quilty peeps sew a couple assigned blocks a month and then send them across the country to another quilty peep who sews them all 

together into a pretty sweet finished quilt. 

And, since it's a charity bee, the sweet quilt gets donated. 

That's the do. Good part... but it also feels good. 

It's also a good way for me to learn new techniques and try out new designs 

I wouldn't normally choose, 

 a few blocks at a time. 

So, here are my Postage Stamp blocks for August: 

Even though I've done patchwork before, I've never worked with 

such small squares 

(2.5" unfinished, 2" finished).

Turns out, I loved it so much I made myself a pillow cover! 

 The charity bee blocks were only 6x6, 

so I extended the pillow cover with more squares to make it 8x8, 

which used 64 2.5" squares. 

It's a great way to use up your scraps!

I pieced the back as well, and I thought I took a picture, but I guess not...

oops. 

It's made from my stash and super-cute. 

You can take my word for it. 

Anyway, the new cover looks nice paired with my

  Happy Pillow 

and placed on my 

newly painted chairs 

against my newly painted walls 

in my newly inhabited home. 

Love. 

It's just another step forward in trying to live a more handmade life.
Next project for keeps are some handmade place mats for my new kitchen table...
I'll just add it to the list, right?