Winners! We Have Winners!

It's time to announce the winners of the Craft Leftovers Giveaway. Random Number Generator has spoken!
Commenters 1, 11, and 4! I'll be contacting you by email shortly.




Thank you everyone for commenting and helping spread the word. I'm sure we'll have more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned.


***UPDATE!***
Michelle, commenter #1, I need your email! You've got 24 hours to claim your zine. Email me! absolutelysmall {{{at}}} gmail.com

Sketchbook thoughts

A few weekends ago, I found myself strolling through the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Japantown. By chance I picked up a Lotta Jansdotter import that I can't remember the actual name of. It had lots of scans of her sketchbooks, and photos from her life. And it hit me like a lightningbolt. Ah-ha! THAT'S what I'm missing! No, not a huge Japanese following. (Though I wouldn't mind one.) Sketchbooking. Lotta's sketchbook pages were alive with little swatches of fabric and other ephemera. It seemed like not only did it help her work out creative issues, but it also chronicled her life somewhat. But seriously, the fabric bits knocked my socks off. Fabric is important to her. Fabric is important to me, too. Why had I never thought of this before?
Honestly, I've barely touched my sketchbook since this whole pregnancy thing started up.
But this inspired me to try again. Plus, I had a really fun day to capture:

Life's been a creative/headache-y swirl since then, and I haven't kept up with it. But I haven't forgotten it, either. Why are the things that are so good for us (and so enjoyable) sometimes the hardest to do?

So here's my question to you: Do you sketchbook? What about? How often? Are there any sites/books that get you inspired?
Feel free to answer any of those in the comments below. I want to open the discussion! (It's a creative way of avoiding sketchbooking, too!)

What, Me Quilting?

It's 6 am, and I'm ironing.
What is wrong with that sentence? EVERYTHING.

Let me back up. Why am I ironing? There's no point trying to hide it anymore. I was...I was...quilting. Oh, the shame of it! I have strategically avoided everything near quilting for years. It's my mother-in-law's chosen craft, for starters, and I don't want to step on any toes. (Don't I have enough crafts?) There's the problem of straight lines and me being the least perfect match since Sid and Nancy. And the not insignificant fact that I know nothing of quilting.
It all started with a blanket. (doesn't it always?) We had one of those machine knitted blankets on our bed, the kind you can purchase at any Target for 14.99. It's our summer blanket. However, this summer it had become a mess. Something to do with pugs jumping up on it, and jumping off of it, and their little curly crochet hook claws dragging huge holes in it.
It was time for a new summer blanket. Of course, a new knitted one was right out. So was microfleece. (Dan hates the texture.) Regular fleece was a possibility, but I work with fleece all the live long day. I longed for something different.
Enter the idea of the thin quilted blanket. Of course, I wasn't calling it a quilt then. I was still in denial. My thoughts were: I had fabric. I like to use what I've got. Why NOT make a giant quilt? (I'm four and a half months pregnant. This is as much thought as I've put into anything lately.)
Everything went really well for awhile. Hundreds of little squares were carefully cut, and then carefully stitched into long strips. I even used the seam guide things on the sewing machine! And there was ironing. Lots of ironing. I was doing everything right. As far as I knew, anyway.
Things started to go awry when those long strips needed to be attached together. Not a single one lined up with another. Despite the hours of careful, painstaking cutting and piecing, it appeared that every "perfect" square was a slightly different size. Sometimes a very different size. I still don't know how this happened. Clearly, there was to be no reconciliation between me and straight lines.
What could I do but continue? I hate unfinished projects, so I plowed on. Many hours later, the finished quilt top, while hardly perfect, was actually sort of charming. (I have a huge tolerance for imperfection.) But now what?

Stay tuned for part two...the finishing.

Fall Chickenpants are here!!

Allow me to start by saying holy cow, this baby stuff has really slowed me down! It's taken me much longer to put together this brood of CPs than any other that I can recall. Not that I'm complaining, it's just...whoa. I think I may have to scale back a bit on future broods.

I'll start listing them in the shop officially on Monday, but this time, we're going to try something new. Since there are a whopping 38 new Chickenpants this time around, I'm offering a pre-order. I'll be listing them into the shop little by little, in random order. That's obviously going to take awhile, so why should you have to wait? Plus, some will no doubt be going to shows, so they may not even make it into the shop.

So here's the deal. If someone you see here strikes your fancy, email me (chickenwidget {{{at}}} gmail), and I'll send you a Paypal invoice. (Or set up a reserved Etsy listing, if you prefer.) Whatever makes you feel more secure, and less like we're doing something Chicken-y black market. (We're not! It's just that I haven't figured out an easier way to do this yet.)
All the new Chickenpants are $20 each OR 2 for $35. (plus shipping, of course. $2.60 in the US, $3 to Canada, $4 to Australia.)

So, without any further ado, meet the Fall Chickenpannts for 2010!
(click on any photo to see it larger)

Who wants a copy of Craft Leftovers Monthly?

YOU DO! Or maybe you don't. But it's pretty darn awesome, so I think you do.
I have an article in this month's issue, and Kristin generously sent over multiple copies so I can share the wealth! This month, I have 3 copies to give away. Yay!
This month is all about miniature crafting, something near and dear to my heart. I can just see a bunch of these projects as perfect Chickenpants accessories...or for Blythe!

(photo by CLM, stolen mercilessly by me because hello, still sick!)
More photos and details about this issue can be found here.

So, how do you win a copy of this goodness? Simple! Leave a comment below. Make sure that I have your email so I can contact you if you win. That's it! I'll pick the winners by random number generator on next Wednesday, the 29th.

For extra points, (that is, extra comments + increased chances to win), you can also do any of the following:

1. Blog about the contest! 2 extra comments!
2. Tweet about the contest! 1 extra comment!

To get those points, do one (or more!) of the things mentioned, then come back here and leave an extra comment(s).

Science proves me right, and then kicks me.

Internet, it's a girl! We have a photo to prove it. Which I shall not be posting. Because, ew.
Hooray! Dancing! Let the shopping commence!
But science decided to give me a few swift kicks while I was at the doctor's office, too. No less than three doctors and nurses sang the praises of the TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Whooping Cough) vaccine to me. And in the way of these things, they kept insisting it was FATAL to INFANTS if they happened to get it. Whooping cough? Really? Isn't that a victorian disease? NO. IT IS AN EPIDEMIC! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
I don't usually get worked up by this stuff, but I cowed to the pressure this time. And I got a flu shot for the first time, too. You know, infant mortality and all that.
And less than five hours later came the crushing cold. That I can't take anything good for. (Infant! Mor-ta-li-teeee!)
So, my dears, I shall see you again when the chills and aches subside.

20 Weeks

And today is the big ultrasound! Today we find out the baby's gender. I'm 99% convinced it's a girl. Come on science, prove me right!

Weekly roundup

I had such plans at the beginning of this week to be a good blogger. I was going to post! Things! And they would be interesting!
Alas, that obviously did not happen.
I've been crafting like a maniac, but I don't have much to say. I've recently undertaken a huge project for myself that has taken a turn for the insane. (More on that later.)
I've been working on custom Chickenpants a lot lately, too:

Yay! Keep those orders rolling in! They're my favorite ones.
And of course, there has been plenty of this:

Laying about. Mostly due to the tons of rib pain. It makes sewing very tough. Lame!

May your weekends be free of rib pain, and full of coffee and booze!

New Affiliations

Hello, lovelies! I am writing to you today from the land of not-quite-enough-sleep. Delightful place. I've been living there for the past week or so. I should probably just start getting my mail forwarded here, actually.
ANYWAY.
All that is just my way of saying, hey, I have something new to tell you, but on account of the lack of sleep, it may or may not make sense!
Here we go.
Craft Leftovers, my most favorite of zines, approached me to test out something new. An affiliate program! It's new for them, and new for me since I've never tried out anything like this before.
Basically, if you click over to their site from here and wind up buying something, I get a small cut. Woo! Baby needs a new pair of shoes! Shameless merchandising? You bet!
Let's start off with the September issue, which I could not be more excited about.

It's all about miniature crafting! Check out the table of contents:

Hi Ya - Notes from me to you
Smitten Knitten - a knit kitty for your littlest friends
A few of My Favorite Things
Mini Fabric Banner by Claire Chambers of Absolutely Small (hey, that's me!)
Chatting with Denise of Denise's Shop - the maker of the cutest tiny amigruimi creations around
The Crafty Life
Make a Matchbox by Su Mwamba of Tangle Crafts
On the Web
Stitch up a Mini Tie Quilt for your mini bed
Color IT!
Make Your Own Borrowers Rug
Dwelling on Dollhouses
Thrift Kitchen: Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Mini CLM
Find the Words
Tiny Reading Chair
Knitting on the Smallest Scale with the Smallest Hands
Until Next Time

Fun stuff, right? If you're so inclined, hop on over and check it out! There we go! That was the affiliate link!

Still with me? Ok, cool. I'll be back (hopefully soonish) with more tales of buffoonery.
(Did you know buffoonery is a real word? Me neither. Oh man I need a nap.)

Things I Have Done Recently

1. I managed to smack my forehead very hard on the back of a folding chair, merely by bending over and not realizing that it was a few inches from my face. I still have a hurty red spot.

2. I got barbecue potato chip dust in my eyes. Here's how it's done: reach the bottom of the bag through diligence and hard work. Tilt bag up to get those last delicious crumbs. Tap bag lightly, so the dust sprinkles your eyes evenly. Burn.

3. I fell going UP a small flight of stairs, and skinned the all skin right off my knee. With skinning. I do not recommend this.

All of this is just to say, hey, look at me, I'm clumsier than ever now! Except now I'm trying to grow another human! Good times!
And also, it is to say that good blog posts require thinking, and not pratfalls. But pratfalls are all I've got at the moment. Pratfalls, and a jar of delicious peanut butter. I need a snack.