Inspiration for Crafting

We find inspiration in the most unlikely places. Today I attended a wonderful conference for women entrepreneurs. This conference is the annual event of Startup Princess. "Startup Princess is an international network for women entrepreneurs to learn and support one another started in July 2006 by Kelly King Anderson, a mom struggling to launch her own company who wanted to meet and learn from other like-minded, action-driven women" from StartupPrincess.com.

This networking opportunity is amazing! The fairy godmothers are so sincere in wanting to help women succeed in reaching their vision for their business. I was able to connect with women who are working in a similar market and who shared their hard-earned lessons on the path to success. While the purpose of the networking is to promote business and find and share resources for businesses, it is impossible to not be inspired by what these women are accomplishing in their lives. That inspiration transferred itself into ideas for craft projects which I look forward to exploring and creating over the next little while.

The keynote speaker was Heather Madder who addressed the topic of overcoming roadblocks to success. The title of her presentation was "Living as a Creator...without Limitations." Heather identified 5 tools that we have for creating: thoughts, belief system (within which the thoughts operate), emotions, words, and actions. When we think limiting thoughts or embrace negative emotions, we are creating our reality where those thoughts reign and we consistently fail. However, when we think potential-driven thoughts and act with a desire to achieve, our possibilities and accomplishments are limitless. I really connected with that message as a woman "attempting" to do a lot but not really feeling like I'm making any progress. But not any more! Out with self-defeating thoughts and beliefs and in with creating and achieving!

A more important message for me, though, struck my "mother-chord" with how I speak to my children. Heather illustrated the point using her son. He is six years old and when he writes on his paper at school "I will be an astronaut" he believes that is as possible as "I will ride a two-wheel bike." She says "Far be it from me to tell him he can't be an astronaut." As long as that is a real possibility to him, it is something he can achieve. Somewhere along the way we are taught these limiting thoughts and belief systems. I want to be more aware of how I talk to my daughters and how I explain life to them in order to help them understand timing and preparation for things instead of saying they are too small and can't do something.

Today I met so many amazing women creating amazing things. Over the next few weeks I will be featuring different women and their creations. I believe their stories and products can inspire.

Posted by Amber P. at 8:09 PM 1 comments    

Labels: explanations

Well, we are moving tomorrow. The craft room has been boxed up in preparation for our new home. Unfortunately, we are downsizing in a major way and I'm not sure what I'll have access to on a regular basis. As if moving wasn't busy enough, baby #2 is due in just two short weeks. I'm hoping we get rooms put together and the house is in a livable state before she arrives.

With all that said, here are the projects top on my list that I promise I will get to just as soon as I can:

• Regency Dress project: Amy--I'm so sorry I haven't finished it yet. This is my #1 project to complete. I just hope she doesn't outgrow it in the meantime!
• State Fair Challenge Quilt: All I need is to quilt and bind it and it's done. Unfortunately, I only have four weeks until the deadline.
• Quiet Book Make-Along Page #2: I've cut out the pieces and scanned the pattern into the computer. I just need to put it together so I can make adjustments and get it published! By the way, how is page #1 coming? Check out K's comment about her adjustments. Sounds adorable!
• Baby Doll Afghan: This needs to be finished to give to Sammi when Elizabeth arrives. However, it's all boxed up and I'm not sure it'll be uncovered in time. How sad...

Posted by Amber P. at 3:41 PM 1 comments    

Labels: clothing, crochet, explanations, project ideas, quiet books, quilting

This week I flew to Colorado for my brother's high school graduation. I thought there might be some downtime so I brought along my yellow baby blanket. I had originally planned not to check any luggage, so I carefully packed my blanket and supplies in my diaper bag. I was a little worried that the crochet hook would be confiscated at airport security, but, to my surprise, it was not!

I only had a little time to work on it but managed to do four or so rows. I've decided that blankets are very long projects and I have a very short attention span! I'm so excited to start on the matching sweaters. I was planning on making myself finish the blanket first, but I think I may have to set it aside and jump in on the sweaters.

Posted by Amber P. at 8:34 AM 0 comments    

Labels: crochet, explanations, yarn

The neckties were so fun to make that I thought I'd try a bowtie onesie as well. Actually, I was inspired by my friend Melody. Her son wears a bowtie to church and I think he's just adorable.

The bowties proved to be more challenging for me to create than the necktie. I had a vision of what it should look like. It took me a couple of weeks to problem solve and decide on a way to make it work. I pleated the "bow" part of the tie and then ironed it down. It gives it some depth and I think looks an awful lot like a bowtie. So, maybe I am a bit of an artist after all...

Enjoy the Bowtie Onesie Free Pattern. I'd love to know if you make any and how they turn out. Wouldn't it make a cute set to give a bowtie onesie and a necktie onesie as a gift?

**In the instructions I suggest using Wonder-Under to fuse the fabrics together. A cost-saving method I learned from my mom is to use a plastic produce bag instead! Just cut out the bag so it's larger than the pieces and place it between the onesie and the fabric. Cover it, carefully, with a scrap piece of fabric or an old tea towel. Iron over it with the iron on the hottest setting. You need to be more careful when removing the tea towel than when using Wonder-Under, but it works well.**

Posted by Amber P. at 11:30 AM 3 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, explanations, free pattern, gift ideas, sewing, tutorials

I have seen these adorable onesies floating around the Internet. I am not that great of an artist so it is hard for me to create a "picture" version of something and have it really look like that something. So, I enlisted the help of my talented husband to create a pattern for the necktie. Not only did he draw the tie for me, he helped me get it in digital form so that I can share it with others who may not want to draw a tie themselves!

This is such a cute and easy project. It makes a great gift for expecting friends.

Enjoy the Necktie Onesie Free Pattern. I'd love to see the onesies you create using it!

**In the instructions I suggest using Wonder-Under to fuse the fabrics together. A cost-saving method I learned from my mom is to use a plastic produce bag instead! Just cut out the bag so it's larger than the pieces and place it between the onesie and the fabric. Cover it, carefully, with a scrap piece of fabric or an old tea towel. Iron over it with the iron on the hottest setting. You need to be more careful when removing the tea towel than when using Wonder-Under, but it works well.**

Posted by Amber P. at 11:27 AM 5 comments    

Labels: baby, clothing, explanations, free pattern, gift ideas, sewing, tutorials

I feel like the turtle in the race against the hare. I'm making slow and steady progress on my craft projects, but nothing has progressed enough to give a substantial update.

The hare, in case you are wondering, is time and it is marching on all too quickly!

One thing I've discovered about crafting is rhythm. Once I get in a groove, things seem to go like clockwork. But when I have to start and stop frequently or get very little done in a day, then I find I have to "relearn" my rhythm all over again. The most frustrating part of this "relearning" process is I make mistakes again that I had already accounted for and perfected. Tonight I sewed together another block for the State Fair Challenge Quilt and forgot that I had adjusted the needle position on the sewing machine. My seam allowance was too big for several of the pieces I had sewn but I didn't figure it out until I had already trimmed them. Bummer! I am hoping for some quality and quantity sewing time this week to finally get the top pieced together. Only fourteen more blocks to go...

Posted by Amber P. at 10:56 PM 1 comments    

Labels: explanations, quilting

I've wanted to make a denim blanket for years. I started saving jeans only to realize that I don't wear jeans! It was taking forever! Then I mentioned to my mom about wanting to make the blanket and she produced the largest box of jeans ever! I think there are enough jeans to make a few blankets. So now that I was armed with jeans, I just needed to find some company to help me through this long project.

My friend Melody came over last week and we started cutting out the squares for our denim blankets. We gathered all of our materials, pulled out our brand-new Gingher scissors, my newly replaced rotary cutter and mat and then looked at each other! The first cut is always the hardest.

But we finally braved the unknown and cut up our jeans. At the end of the day I had 80 5" squares. Only 270 left to go! So far I've just cut up the legs of the jeans. My next brave cut will be to tackle pockets. Thank goodness for new scissors (Thanks Brent for the Christmas present!!) because that denim is some pretty thick stuff. I can't wait to start sewing strips together and see the pattern form...

I strongly recommend using a rotary cutter for this or any quilting project because it went two to three times faster using the rotary cutter to make strips from the jeans and then cut the strips to squares. As of this post I have over a hundred squares and I did tackle those scary pockets. I think they will turn out pretty cute!

Posted by Amber P. at 2:21 PM 2 comments    

Labels: blankets, explanations, project ideas, sewing

There are a million little projects I've been posting on my personal blog. I decided it was high time they received their own spotlight along with a little more background info on them. I've decided that the best way to describe myself, in relation to my crafting, is as a creative-wanna-be. As an unimaginative person, most of my projects come from things I've seen in other blogs or in magazines.

I love the energy and enthusiasm that come from finding a project idea and realizing that I can do it! It's very empowering and that's what I hope to share so that others can feel empowered, too.

Posted by Amber P. at 3:00 PM 0 comments    

Labels: explanations