The Sewing Mom

I crafted this bag, along with the matching bag organizer, a while back. The front is designed from 5″ square fabric charms set on point. The back and lining are both coordinating fabrics. It is fully lined and the handles are reinforced for added strength. The bag is large enough to carry a laptop in, although, it wasn’t technically designed for that purpose and so it doesn’t have extra padding in it. The organizer is a great place to keep your keys, cell phone and anything else that tends to get lost in the bottom of your bag!

I’m currently making a similar bag and hope to have it completed by the end of the week. (If I would just get off this computer!)

Tags: bag organizer, fabric bag

Did you know that Mother’s Day is May 11, less than 3 weeks away?

Since becoming a mother myself 12 years ago, Mother’s Day has definitely taken on new meaning. It has really made me appreciate my own mother so much more for all she did for me and continues to do for me today even though she lives almost 1,000 miles away. We’re always sending each other little things throughout the year, but for Mother’s Day, I really like to choose something very personal, something I know she probably wouldn’t buy for herself and yet it’s something she would enjoy.

She & I are both coffee drinkers, but there are many times when we enjoy a cup of hot tea. It’s a nice soothing drink that is enjoyable and relaxing. I realize there are a number of places to buy tea, but I recently discovered FullBloomTea.com online and they carry some very unique gifts that are perfect for Mother’s Day. In addition to selling teaware, they have some neat gift sets including the “Tea for Two” set pictured here.

I think what makes these teas unique is how they are packaged and what happens to them after you poor hot water over them.  Each tea bloom come individually tied and wrapped and once the hot water is poor over them, they appear to be blooming. This is the reason that many of the gift sets come with a clear glass mug, in order to view the “blooming” drinkable bouquet of tea.

If you’re looking for something unique to give your mom or any other tea drinker, this is definitely it!

Tags: fullbloomtea.com, Mother's Day gifts

As was was browsing blogs this morning I ran across a special post that reminded me so much of where I come from. I was born in Washington state and, up until a few years ago, returned there to visit family about once a year. I always tried to plan my visits in the spring, my favorite time of year.

Spring in Washington means still seeing snowfall on the tops of Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Baker. It also means flowers, lots and lots of flowers. You see, outside of The Netherlands, Washington state grows more tulips than any place else. Not surprising since many Dutch settlers landed in the fertile area of Northwest Washington.

Each spring is the annual Tulip Festival in and around Mt. Vernon, Washington. To see some beautiful photographs from this years festival, click here to visit Cromely’s World. While enduring a rather unusual hail storm, he still managed to get some gorgeous photos of the tulips and daffodils. Take a look and enjoy!

Tags: Cromely's World, Mt. Vernon Wa, Tulip Festival

Since my daughter was born 12 years ago, I’ve worked outside the home and I’ve been a stay at home mom. No matter what I’m doing, my primary goal is to be able to provide the very best for my family. I’m the first to admit, it’s not always easy, but finding a balance between working and family is definitely worthwhile.

When we moved from Illinois to Texas about a year ago, I gave up a full time job and decided to stay home full time and look for other ways to provide income from home. First and foremost, I am attempting to start my own business with my sewing and crafting. It’s a slow start, but I am definitely making progress. In the mean time, I’ve also looked for other ways to supplement our income.

I began blogging about 7 months ago as a way to document my sewing projects. It’s also a way to keep something of a diary of my progress. I’ve also discovered along the way, blogging can be a means to make money. Because blogging can be done at my leisure, it fits in great with my schedule. It’s a perfect outlet whether I am working outside the home or not. In other words, it’s the perfect way for me and other mommy bloggers to make money.

If you’re a mommy blogger and would like to earn some money through blogging, you really need to check out SocialSpark, the newest social media marketing network for bloggers. Social Spark is a great place to meet other bloggers with similar interests. I’ve also discovered many bloggers through their network who have helped me with other things such as technical issues with my blog. But, Social Spark isn’t only a social network, it’s a great way to earn money.

Register at Social Spark and once your blog is approved, you may begin accepting opportunities to write about on your blog. You can choose from those opportunities that interest you, write a simple post on your blog and get paid. Write your post on your own time, when the kids are at school, or down for a nap, when it’s convenient for you. Set your own hours, be your own boss and get paid. I just don’t think it gets any better than that!

What are you waiting for?

Tags: Social Spark

Do you see that sweet, innocent looking dog in the above photograph? Well, she’s a killer! A murderer of squirrels!

Last night, a poor little squirrel’s life was ended because it didn’t have the sense to stay on the roof, out of harms way. Instead, it opted to jump down, almost to ground level, right in front of our dog! Now remember, this little dog is have beagle, a true hunter. That squirrel, upon realizing its mistake, attempt to scale the side of our house but couldn’t seem to get a grip on the brick and started to fall. As it was falling, it attempted to jump into the bushes and the dog saw her opportunity and jumped into the bush as well.

In a split second, the squirrel was in Plinko’s mouth and quickly died, only after both dog and squirrel let out horrifying shrieks. The dog, a shriek of pure joy and the squirrel, a shriek of fear I’m sure.

It took us almost 30 minutes to get the squirrel away from the dog. We had to chase her down with brooms and finally startled her so she dropped the dead critter. It was a sad day in squirreldom I’m sure.

Tags: hunting dog

It’s definitely spring in Texas. We’ve been having severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, and temperature extremes that tell us that spring has indeed arrived.Besides bringing ever changing weather conditions, spring is also the time for gardening. Weather it’s vegetables or flowers, I think of quilts when I think of gardens, they really are quite similar. First, you must make a plan or layout of your design. Where will your different colors go, what works well next to each other. Then you begin putting your pieces together, making sure your seams or rows are straight and your stitching and soil is good and strong. After finishing all the piecing, add the backing to give it softness and warmth and in the garden you may add fertilizer for the same purpose. Then, barring any weeds growing or pieces not lining up, sit back and enjoy what you’ve created.

Of course, just like in quilting, some gardeners have more of a green thumb than others. I for one am better behind the sewing machine than behind the shovel and trowel. While I do plant a few things on my own, I’d prefer to visit the Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center in Orange, Texas where their professional gardeners have laid out formal eco-friendly gardens in a beautiful pattern for our enjoyment. Their expert design and construction has earned them the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC.

These gardens provide a sanctuary to over 300 species of plants and wildlife. In addition, there is an adjacent bird blind allowing visitors to view nesting birds. If you get hungry while visiting, there is a cafe with delicious food.These botanical gardens are located in Southeast Texas between Beaumont and Lake Charles, LA. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit. After all, Shangri La means a place of beauty and peace.

Tags: botanical center, nature center, Orange Texas, Shangri La Gardens

I was just reading some of my favorite blogs and I ran across a post that really made me laugh. If you are a dog or cat lover (or even love both), this post is a must read.

Tammie received the post in an email and shared it on her blog, so I hope you will go over and give it a read. If you enjoy humor (and who doesn’t), you will certainly enjoy this one! As I read it on another blog, I am posting the link here and I hope you will go give it a read.

Tags: dogs & cats, humor

I took my daughter to the library the other day and I noticed that every single computer with internet access was occupied. It makes me wonder who these people are that are in the library using the internet, I guess they don’t have service at home, or maybe their computers are in for service.

I wandered around and looked at the screens. I was curious about what people were researching. There were several students working on projects online or doing research. But there were also several people either in chat rooms or checking out online videos. Okay, these people need to get a job. It’s the middle of the day and they need to be at work!

Okay, maybe they don’t want to go flip burgers or work for a lawn service. Maybe they’re wanting something more exciting, I don’t know, how about the life of an international DJ? That would be exciting! I saw a guy watching a video from housemusictv.com about the life of famed DJ Lee Kalt and thought how much fun it would be to create new house music mixes for clubs worldwide, especially if I were younger!

What kind of job would you have if you could choose anything and anywhere in the world?

Tags: housemusictv.com, international DJ, Lee Kalt

I was talking about our dog in my previous post and I wanted to share this photo.

I went into my daughter’s room the other morning to make sure she was up and getting ready for school. She was in her closet getting dressed and this dog was very content to still be in bed. She was so comfortable that she stayed where she was while I went to get the camera. I don’t think she’s too spoiled, do you?

Tags: puggle puppy

The other day I came home after dropping my daughter off at school and as I pulled in our driveway, there was our puppy, standing there, looking at me as if she were lost. I was stunned to see her. She was so scared that when I opened the car door, she jumped in and I drove on into the garage. I’m so glad I hadn’t decided to run any errands before coming home, who knows where she would’ve gotten off to.

Our entire back yard is fenced, but I discovered that a gate on the fence had been left open. The gate is located off the sideyard and isn’t visible without walking over there which we rarely do. I promptly closed it, but it leaves me concerned that it could happen again. We would be devastated if our dog got lost.

I’ve heard of using vehicle tracking to find lost or stolen vehicles and I discovered that this same technology can be used to track pets. In fact, the PT-200 is designed with a special pouch and pet collar to do exactly that.

To cause me even more concern was the news story last week about how designer dogs and pure breads are being stolen and resold because of their high prices. I think investing in a tracking device is not only the smart thing to do, but it would give me peace of mind.

Tags: gps tracking, pet tracking, Rocky Mountain Tracking