Deedaloos

HOLIDAYS & SNOW MAKE GREAT FAMILY FUN

2009-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Way overdue and so much to say but I'll just let my pictures say most of it it since I'm so behind. Thank you Doody family for sharing part of your day with us shopping for a christmas tree. I also LOVED making cookies with the kids - great fun! And I have to say if it's going to be cold, there might as well be snow to have some fun with. Kristen fell quite a bit on her first trip out on skis but we totally expected that and just tried to encourage her but by the time we made it back to the house she was tell me that she hates skiing and she never wants to do it again - if only I could have gotten her little tantrum on video as it was VERY funny! She really DOES want to go again so we may try tomorrow!

INTERNET/TELEPHONE DEAL & FREE SHIPPING ONLINE

2008-12-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

O.K. all you Deedaloos blog readers today there will be no pictures - sorry! Maybe another day I'll post pics of xmas tree shopping. Today is about being a thrifty consumer or an alert consumer I guess. Fairpoint Communications (they bought out Verizon) provides my basic telephone and internet service to the tune of about $42ish which allows for local calls only, no long distance (we use a prepaid card as necessary) and their entry level internet. I noticed an ad on tv a couple of weeks ago advertising for phone & internet service from Fairpoint for $33.66 and thought that sounded lower than our bill generally was but since I don't pay the monthly phone bill I needed to check. Sure enough . . . so I called and asked about the $33.66 and yes in fact that is an offer/promotion they're having FOR A YEAR. Further inquiring why we simply wouldn't be charged that I was told that when prices at Walmart get lowered for an item we bought a week ago, Walmart doesn't call me to tell me?! WHATEVER! Also she said that they can't make any changes to our account without our permission. Apparently they do put this information in with your bill in the notes section AND the most recent bill had a seperate slip of paper in with it about their offerings, neither of which I suspect my husband would take note of especially considering that he rarely uses the computer. Soooooo . . . the bill drops for 12 months AND the internet connection speed gets faster! Now in the 12th month I must remember to call and drop the speed back down or I'm certain the price will go up. I honestly can't say I notice a difference.

Another idea worth noting is with shipping. I've done a fair amount of shopping online this year and I despise paying for shipping when there's so many offers out there for free shipping but sometimes I can't find the coupon or maybe I find it and it's expired but I can get free shipping at LL Bean so when I found some things at Lands End that I wanted (twice) I called. The first call was more simple - "hi, I've found some items I'd like to purchase but I don't seem to have a valid free shipping coupon anymore. I'm sure I can find something comparable at LL Bean, but if I can get these items shipped for free, I'd just assume give you the business" Bingo! Days later I get a $25 promotion off of $100 purchase for Lands End and so I take ANOTHER peak and I hear that tiny little voice in the back of my head saying "oh Kim, it's Christmas and there must be some stylish gifts under the tree with YOUR name on them" This was a bit harder because I already had a $25 discount but what the heck I called, my order was already chosen and it was sitting up on my screen waiting for me to push the button. Unfortunately, the girl told me that there were no free shipping offers at that time and when I NICELY told her that I just couldn't justify spending that $14ish?? on shipping since I just had free shipping . . . she put me on hold and kindly checked again only to tell me that because I already had one promotional code she couldn't help me. Well, I no sooner hung the phone up when this screen popped up in front of me from Lands End asking me if I wanted live chat help to assist me with placing my order so I clicked on it and I stated why I was hesitating in placing my order and that if it were LL Bean I'd already have the free shipping and I'd be earning $20 towards a future order . . . Well, she told me to place my order, give her the order # and then she would provide me with a credit for the shipping immediately!

Yes, I admit I'm a bit frugal at times, but I love getting a good deal. Under the tree for me will be a winter vest which will be lovely for layering, a new winter coat and TWO pair of shoes all for UNDER a hundred bucks!

KRISTEN MARIE TURNS 5!

2008-11-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a whirlwind last few days and it ends on a high note with Kristen's birthday party - pizza, cake and some great friends/family (we missed you Grammy Beck!). I found this cake idea when I was googling for such. It's from http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=40760 and it's called the groovy jeans cake, although we opted to make our groovy jeans pink instead of their blue. It was simple but very cute and she really liked it. I'm not sure if my favorite part is the fruit roll-up belt or the rock candy rhinestones. Way too many presents and she's already been into her new Barbie markers to color her cuttlebug jr. alphabet cutouts she made as well as played with her Barbie laptop. She's set with lots of crafts to do between now and Christmas (and then some!). She's going to love doing the projects that everyone got for her!

GOBBLE-GOBBLE!

2008-11-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

Big turkey, small group for the Therrien household. The inlaws shared the day with us which was great and my dad came solo. I invited my grandparents as well trying to convince my nana that it would be great and I was cooking this big bird and her response was "Kimmy, I've got a bird for you!" to which we both laughed. That's my nana for ya! Unfortunately, my mother had some insane, lame-ass excuse (ha, ha) of having emergency eye surgery on Tuesday and she's to lay on her side for one week to allow the surgery to hopefully do it's thing. Apparently she was having some issues with floaters??? I dunno . . . google it . . .

"Eye Floaters can have devastating visual and emotional consequences. All too often, doctors dismiss patients' symptoms as unimportant or natural. Patients often describe floaters as seeing bugs, strings, or unusual dark shapes in their vision."

Anywhoo . . . the floaters disappeared but then she was having trouble with a film over her eye and come to find out she had a detached retna and was pretty much blind in that eye - yikes! Hence the need for emergency surgery. This totally blows for so many reasons I just can't even explain but most of all because my mother is my family's rock and the rock has become a little loose. Anyone who knows my mother knows that trying to stay still is not an easy task for her. I think that she would have been proud of my thanksgiving feast even if my gravy did come out of a can. I'm sad that she isn't feeling well and I'm sad that she missed thanksgiving and I'm sad that she won't make Kristen's birthday but it's so much more important that she do what she's supposed to do and LAY DOWN DAMMIT!

Kristen's birthday is Sunday and she turns 5. She's sooooooo excited! I was looking for cake ideas because she was just being too simple (ya, call me stupid!). I found this really cool idea for making a cake to look like jeans. They did theirs in blue but I'm toying w/ pink sparkly pants?? I'll blog about it. It's really not too hard. The hardest part is that I have a craft fair on Saturday and I'm working Saturday night and I've gotta pick up some of my crafts from the Sawyer's house Sunday night. Never a dull moment I guess! Oh and my husband is working tonight (Friday) so he's done all he can do for the moment of helping but my children have graciously agreed to help me on Saturday.

CRAFT FAIR COUNTRY STYLE AT SAWYER'S, BARNSTEAD, NH

2008-11-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

Tom & Penny Sawyer open their home on North Barnstead Road, Barnstead, NH to Pandee's, Deedaloos and other local crafters begining Friday, November 28th and going through Sunday, November 30th. They will have our fleece items - hats & mittens - along with some fun retro-styled aprons and pajamas. Pandees has ceramics, primitive wood decorations for the holidays, wreaths, kissing balls and more. I believe that I saw some handmade sweaters and I know that they're having some homemade jams & jellies. I hope to update this post tomorrow after I visit. It's totally worth the trip and if you're uncomfortable with googling directions, just send me an e-mail. If you do attend because you saw my blog post, please let them know that I sent you! kimsworld5@verizon.net. UPDATED - I WAS THERE! THERE ARE SOME ORNAMENTS, GREAT SNOWMEN PRIMITIVE/COUNTRY WOOD DECORATIONS, THE KISSING BALLS ARE GREAT, CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOPS, GOATS MILK SOAPS, BLACK AND WHITE PICTURED SPECIAL OCCASION CARDS, BEAUTIFUL FABRIC PILLOWS. I LOVE THE WINE GLASSES THAT HAVE PAINTED ON SNOWMEN AND I LOVE THE WOODEN SNOWMEN!

12 Days of Christmas with the EtsyKids Teams!

2008-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

On the first day of Christmas, the ETSYKIDS team members gave to me….a Christmas event you really must see!

November 28th – December 10th, join EtsyKids for 12 days of fabulous, festive fun and dreamy holiday prizes. Here’s how to play: Each day the EtsyKids blog will contain a post showing an image that’s hidden in an item listing on a few different EtsyKids team members’ shops. When a contestant finds just one of the hidden images, they send an Etsy conversation the day’s entry collector with a link to the listing where they found it. Once their conversation is received, they’ll be entered into a drawing for an amazing EtsyKids prize. The Etsykids blog will also contain clues to find the hidden images, and let contestants know who to contact to enter, as well as the prize(s) that will be awarded that day. The number of prizes will increase each day and the winners will be selected at random.***Contestants can enter once each day.Within 24 hours of winning, the lucky winners will be contacted via Etsy Conversation, and MUST contact (via Etsy Conversation) the prize donor with their mailing address within 2 days of being contacted. If they fail to contact the prize donor within the given time, a new winner will be selected.

SEWING KARMA & MY WALK IN CLOSET/FLEECE STASH

2008-11-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

If you like to sew, you must know that from time to time mistakes are made. I believe that even the most experienced have made foolish mistakes and here I will share one of mine. I recently acquired some new pj fabric. I think it came with a curse affixed to it. I never actually purchased it because while I was preparing to cut something out of it I wanted to relish in my bargain prices for my recent stash load so I pulled out the receipt and I simply couldn't find this fabric anywhere on my slip. Hmmm . . . freebie I thought with my next thought being that maybe I should go back cuz if I don't I'm going have some bad karma. Needless to say I was ready to cut and cut away I did. I completed the pj's, posted them in my store (now in my clearance/seconds section) and even shared a pic with a co-etsyian only to relize that the construction trucks print was UPSIDEDOWN! I guess that I had thought that these trucks were all on there randomly and not all going one way?! I'm sorry, but that's some seriously poor planning from whoever designed this fabric - bastards! Needless to say, these pj's have the front and one arm w/ upside down trucks and all the rest are right side up. I guess the little guy could look down and he'll see the trucks on his belly right side up - right???
I used to dream of a walk in closet. When my husband was finishing my upstairs the one thing I was insistant on was that I wanted a walk-in closet. I honestly think that I remember show - maybe it was home improvements - the guy built his wife a shoe rack that rotated. There was a time I actually owned a ton of shoes for every possible event and now I think I might have five pair that I wear. Well, he gave me my walk-in closet and needless to say it eventually made it's way into my fleece/ebay storage unit. It never actually had racks for hanging clothes and I suppose that's just as well. I just cleaned this out a couple of nights ago - wow, it was a mess and had I really thought ahead, I would have had before and after pictures to show the difference. Although the stack of clothes might appear messy, they are really well organized! I've been a bit lax on my ebaying efforts so it will have to wait until I'm sick of looking at the pile. Needless to say, I do have a couple of other buckets stashed behind my entertainment system which I haven't pictured and then there's all my buckets IN my sewing room, but those aren't really fleece, but other STUFF.
The rolls of fabric standing up are actually my moms. I borrowed them but then couldn't really find a pattern that I thought I had plus the fabric wasn't quite what I expected and . . . well . . . they belong back in her attic . . . maybe someday my husband will take them back over if ask. Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your week!

NEW PAJAMA WAFFLE KNIT PRINTS

2008-11-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Here's some great newbies to add to my collection! Strangely enough the day that I made my son a pair of pj's out of the Treasure Island print he came home with a note from his teacher stating that he'd take a test on Treasure Island and he did excellent and the book was almost 200 points over his previously assigned lexile reading level which is fantabulous! I think that this will make the pj's even more special! Lots of great toddler and bigger kid pajamas to be made!!

TRUE LOVE IN THE MAKING WITH MY JUKI 734DE SERGER & BROTHER 2340cv COVERSTITCH

2008-11-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Both of my new machines have been pulled from their boxes and I've packed away the huskylock. I've given the the new Juki 734DE a test run and all seems well. I have some attachments but I probably won't try any of those out until after the holidays. I don't like to mess with things when I feel pressed for time. That being said, I still decided to give the coverstitch machine a whirl. That too has 5 different attachments, but please don't ask me what they all are yet since I'm not even really sure. I've figured out the different ways you can thread it (I think) and what I mean by that is that it just depends if you want a wide or a narrow coverstitch and if you want two or threee needles threads. It's really like a serger but it doesn't cut. On the Brother 23440cv it's a bit different not having an autothread release which means that the needles threads don't release when you lift the presser foot. One might think that this is not a big deal until you try it and you realize what a pain it is to release them. I did find a tutorial that in my humble opinion will certainly make it a wee bit less cumbersome once I get used to doing it. Sew, if you too are wondering how to remove your fabric from your new brother 2340cv without feeling like you need to be an octopus, vist http://sew-4-fun.blogspot.com/2007/06/coverstitch-removing-fabric.html. You'll find this blog most helpful! Also, I've found so many helpful people at http://sewing.patternreview.com/. I'm feeling good about my choices so let's hope it stays that way!

2008-11-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

Kristen was star of the day last week at preschool and I was the volunteer parent that same day. She was soooooo cute! She did such a great job with her poem. I tried to upload the video clip but it wouldn't work. Her poem goes like this: Brown is my hair, brown are my eyes, i'm 4 years old and just the right size. My name is kristen and as you can see, I'm very happy to be me! Might I point out that her left to right progression was fantastic as she just beemed with pride. I was so happy to share this time with her at East Concord Cooperative Preschool. Teachers Miss Jill and Miss Katie are really quite the everyday hero's in my book!

JUKI SERGER & BROTHER COVERSTITCH HAVE ARRIVED

2008-11-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

THEY'RE HERE -- EW, EW, EW, THEY'RE HERE -- I'M SO EXCITED BUT I JUST CAN'T PLAY W/ THEM RIGHT NOW, NO TIME, MUST CLEAN OUT SPOTS FOR THEM TOO - PROBABLY START W/ SERGER FIRST SINCE I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE THAT ONE. MAYBE TOMORROW?? I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE SOME PICS OF MY HUSKYLOCK AND KISS IT GOODBYE SO I CAN SAVE FACE WITH HUSBAND. THE JUKI TOOK A DIGGER ON IT'S WAY HERE, BUT SEEMS IT ONLY HAS BOX INJURY.

ALSO, FOR YOUR ADDED VIEWING PLEASURE IN THIS POST, MY RECENTLY COMPLETED EAR FLAP HAT DONE IN CROCHET WITH SOME FABULOUS SOY AND WOOL BLEND YARN THAT WAS $2.00 OFF A SKEIN AT MICHAEL'S. I'M THINKING OF DOING THIS ONE AGAIN IN BOY COLORS FOR HUBBY BUT NOT SURE WHAT HE'D THINK OF IT?! IT'S A LITTLE BIG ON SHEILA BUT SHEILA'S HEAD IS ABOUT 1.5 INCHES SMALLER THAN MINE.

LASTLY, HERE'S A PIC FROM CRAFT FAIR AT COE-BROWN ACADEMY IN NORTHWOOD, NH. IT WAS O.K. - TOO MANY PEOPLE THERE SELLING JEWELRY SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WASN'T MY GIG. I'D HAVE TO SAY HONESTLY THAT WE MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE HOT SPOTS AT THE FAIR, BUT I COULD JUST BE DREAMING TOO. OUR SPACE WAS WAAAAAAAAY TOO CRAMPED AND MOM NEEDS TO REMEMBER TO BRING AN ALLEN WRENCH FOR HER GREAT NEW CLOTHING RACKS.

HALLOWEEN 2008 GORILLA & BATMAN FROM THE 80's

2008-11-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here's the finalized version of my batman costume. I cannot take credit for the gorilla - that came off of a clearance rack at Sam's club years ago and this is Kristen's 2nd year wearing it (her choice entirely and no tears from me on that one). The kids are very pleased with their pumpkins as well as their candy intake! I'm told that they got to experience some sort of haunted house while out w/ dad, their aunt and cousins trick-or-treating. I could tell that they had a great time! Now if only Matty would be batman next year too . . .

not a chance!

BATMAN & FLAPPER COSTUMES 2008

2008-10-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

Well, it's a busy week here for many reasons and these costumes are only one of them. The flapper dress took pretty much no time compared to the batman costume that's mostly complete. With batman, I didn't fuss with hemmng sleeves or pant bottom and I fudged the top a little cuz I didn't have the right size zipper and so I added the bias tape to the neckline for ties. The belt has some parts that you glue and I don't have a buckle so I might hit the goodwill store to see if I can find one there?? That's pretty much what I think is left on this. I could tweek the face hood a little to snug it up but Matty didn't seem to care so . . . The flapper dress is a neat hairy-like fabric and I just made a straight tank-style dress and added the trim at the bottom. The fabric is very sheer so I actually made a slip out of some black swimsuit fabric that I had so if my niece wanted to wear that underneath. I just hope it fits?! I didn't have all her measurements, just the waist so I really did wing it a bit. She's very petite so I think it will be fine.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME BEGINS - BATMAN FROM THE 80's??

2008-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner and no, I haven't completely procrastinated. My daughter said she wanted to wear the same costume as last year - a gorilla costume that I bought off the clearance rack for Matty many moons ago, but he never wore it and now she wants to wear it twice? Now there's a girl who wants to get the most out of an already bargain. I wonder if that's an inherited trait? I won't complain and while we've shopped for Matty's costume I've simply told her to keep her eyes peeled for something for next year. Matty decided that he wanted to be batman so my first stop was ebay, first for costumes and then for patterns. It seems there are several versions/color schemes and he strangely enough chose this blue/gray version. I looked and looked and . . . . finally decided to just buy a pattern that I saw in ebay where they had "make an offer" which I did and they accepted - yeah me! I saved a whole dollar! I guess I should back up and say that I wanted to simply buy a gray sweatsuit and make a face mask and the cape and outer undear wear and put the batman logo thingy on the front and Matthew just wasn't buying the whole idea of wearing a sweatsuit because he insisted that a sweatsuit isn't a costume. I think that he needs to get a job. Then there was finding the fabric. Lucky for me it was ALL on sale - 60% for some and 50% for the felt - so that was awesome and I already had the blue swimsuit fabric that seems to be a close enough match so that was great too. Sew . . . the pattern pieces are prepped, I've cut a few things out of felt. I'm going to maybe hit goodwill to scrounge a belt buckle instead of buying one new. I'm hoping it goes together easily but the silvery bodice fabic I got is really quite slippery so by the end of the week I may want to hurt myself?? I also volunteered to make a little flapper skirt for my niece but after googling that, I kinda want to make her just a short dress with the cool black fuzzy, shimmery fabric I got for that. She's going to look adorable, I just know it! Of course I'm also going to TRY to do halloween shirts with the kids tomorrow night and I've got to find the time to do halloween pretzel rods for Matty's class for Friday - oh joy! Plan B - call my friend Jen from work and ask to borrow her son's batman costume from last year - tee hee hee!

JAY LENO INTERVIEWS KEVIN SMITH

2008-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I don't even know who this guy is but when I came home from work on Friday night and started watching Jay with this guy, my poor husband who was sound asleep must have thought I'd lost my mind. I was cracking up laughing. Here's the Youtube clip and it's about 10 minutes long but it is absolutely hysterical. http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?swf=http%3A//s.ytimg.com/yt/swf/cps-vfl59689.swf&video_id=SbCFSJiftH0&rel=1&hqt=1 The famous line that keeps getting noted is "dropping the kids off at the pool" and if you can't guess what he's talking about, well then maybe you should watch the clip! For those that don't know me well, you might seriously start to question my character considering the types of things that I find entertaining. This is really funny shit! (no pun intended) Enjoy!

CUSHION COVER COMPLETE

2008-10-19T17:37:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to show I haven't been completely idle. I had a nagging project. Now, mind you . . . the project recipient wasn't nagging but rather patient if I dare say. I felt that since she did bring it up recently it was about time that I tackled the cushion cover which was something I'd never ever done before so I admit that I was a little nervous to cut this curtain up knowing that there was only one curtain and if I screwed this up I'd feel horrible! Well, I'm going to say that I think I did just fine. Thank you Jodi at http://happyhousequilts.com/ for suggesting that I wrap the pad in plastic wrap so it slides easily into the cover. I had no idea, although my back flap opening was full access with a velcro closure so it might have worked o.k., but still smoother I think with the plastic wrap. Rather than do the seams with my serger, I opted to serger the seams (fabric definitely wanted to fray alot!) and then sew them together to maintain a seam allowance in the event it needed repair. I think that I could have had a slightly snugger fit but the cushion wasn't completely even either so I simply did the best I could. The recipient was thrilled as was I just for trying something new. Yeah me for coloring outside the lines! And do I dare say GO RED SOX! (this is totally the time that it sucks to only be using a rotor antenna on roof - can't watch the game?!)

MICHAEL MILLER ROCKS MY WORLD

2008-09-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS ON THE RAINCOAT THAT I SAID I WAS GOING TO MAKE OUT OF SOME MICHAEL MILLER LAMINATED FABRIC. I BELIEVE THAT THE PRINT IS CALLED CARNIVAL BLOOM BROWN. I JUST LOVE THE VIBRANT COLORS IN THIS FABRIC. I ACTUALLY STARTED BY TRYING TO GET GOING ON A HAIR STYLISTS CAPE THAT I WANTED TO GIVE TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS ALMOST DONE WITH HER SCHOOLING. OF COURSE, I MANAGED TO SCREW THIS UP TOTALLY AND CUT TWO HEAD HOLES IN THE DAMN THING SO RATHER THAN WASTE THE FABRIC, I CUT ANOTHER CAPE AND THEN USED MY MESS-UP TO CUT THE RAINCOAT IN A SIZE 5 WHICH ACCORDING TO THE MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE PLENTY BIG ENOUGH - JUST NOT THRILLED WITH THE LENGTH. NOW, WHEN I CUT THE COAT OUT, I WASN'T PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE CUTTING DIRECTIONS AND MANAGED CUT ONE PIECE INCORRECTLY (I THINK THE PATTERN PIECE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOWN AND IT WAS UP AND I HAD NOT A STITCH OF EXTRA ON THIS FABRIC - JUST BARELY ENOUGH TO DO THS PROJECT. SEW . . . I FIRST WANTED TO THROW A TOTAL TANTRUM BECAUSE THE FABRIC WASN'T CHEAP AND THEN I THOUGHT . . . HMMMM . . . I ESSENTIALLY CUT THIS IN REVERSE SO WHAT IF I CUT EVERYTHING REVERSE??? I CALLED MY FRIEND JODI AND WE BOTH AGREED THAT IT'S A DIFFICULT CONCEPT TO WRAP YOUR BRAIN AROUND WHEN YOU'RE NOT RIGHT THERE SEEING IT AND SHE ALSO HAD ANOTHER GREAT IDEA - LAMINATE THE SAME FABRIC (I DID HAVE THAT PRINT IN UNLAMINATED TOO SINCE I LOVED IT SO MUCH!). IT'S CLOSE TO DONE AND BACKWARDS CUT WORKED OUT FINE. I'M NOT OVERJOYED WITH MY STITCHING JOB ON THE BIAS TAPE IN THE BACK NECK BUT I'M GOING TO GIVE IT ANOTHER ROW FROM THE INSIDE SO I'M SURE I'M CATCHING IT ALL IN AND YOU DON'T SEE THE STITCHING ON THE OUTSIDE ANYWAYS CUZ IT'S UNDER THE COLLAR. I NEED TO HEM IT AND IT CALLED FOR A 1 1/4" HEM AND I USED ONLY 3/4" BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS SHORTER THAN I'D HAVE LIKED. I THOUGHT I'D PUT SOME SIZE 16 PINK SNAPS ON IT BUT I ONLY HAVE 4 AND IT CALLS FOR FIVE SO I THINK I'M GOING TO PUT 5 DIFFERENT COLOR SNAPS ON FROM A COLLECTION OF BRIGHTS - EACH OF THESE COLORS IS IN THE PRINT. I CAN'T DECIDE IF I SHOULD GO THROUGH BOTH LAYERS OF FABRIC OR JUST ONE AND SLAP SOME INTERFACING BEHIND IT FOR ADDED SUPPORT. I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THE DIRECTIONS SUGGEST. I RAN OUT OF THE HOT PINK THREAD I WAS USING SO I'VE GOT TO GET MORE TO FINISH THIS ANYWAYS. FOR NOW, HERE'S YOUR SNEAK PEAK!THE FAMILY DID THE DEERFIELD FAIR AND OUR ONLY REGRET WAS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE MORE TIME. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. MATTY SKIPPED SCHOOL, KIDS LOVED FEEDING THE ANIMALS AND DAVE ENJOYED SITTING ON HIS DREAM (IT'S A $20,000 DREAM?!) HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND I'LL TRY TO GET MY BLOGGING WEEKLY BUT NO PROMISES!

SEW . . . I'M ON A ROLL NOW

2008-09-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'VE BEEN BUSY AND YES I KNOW THAT MY BLOG IS GETTING STALE (SORRY MOM) BUT THERE'S ONLY SO MANY SLEEP DEPRIVED NIGHTS THAT ONE CAN HANDLE IN A ROW. WHY OH WHY MUST I NEED SO MUCH DARN SLEEP? SEW . . .HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY LIFE AND IN MY SEWING ROOM.

ONE OF MY DEAREST FRIENDS JUST LOST HER HUSBAND TO ARDS AFTER HIS SUCCESSFUL BATTLE WITH CANCER. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CHEMO WORKS WONDERS WITH CANCER BUT YOU'RE BODY SIMPLY CAN'T FIGHT BACK AGAINST ??? I FEEL HER PAIN AS HE WAS A GREAT HUSBAND, FATHER AND FRIEND AND I WILL MISS HIM TERRIBLY AS WELL AS THE PIECE OF CHRISTINE THAT I KNOW HE'S TAKEN WITH HIM. TAKE A MOMENT TO READ ABOUT THIS AMAZING MAN KNOWN TO MANY SIMPLY AS BUD http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080907/NOCOMMENTING/809070336/1006/COMMUNITY02

YET ANOTHER CLOSE FRIEND AND PARTNER IN CRIME (O.K., NOT REALLY CRIMES BUT IT SHOULD BE W/ ALL THAT WE HOARD) HAS RECEIVED HER LAST ROUND OF CHEMO FOR HER BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER. SHE HAS STILL MORE PHASES OF TREATMENT AHEAD OF HER AND YOU CAN VISIT HER THROUGH THIS JOURNEY AT HER BLOG http://www.happyhousequilts.blogspot.com/. THIS BLOG IS ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL AS JODI IS AN AMAZING WOMAN - TRULY ONE TO LOOK UP TO FOR HER STRENGTH AND DETERMINATION. HER ARTISTIC ABILITY IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL TAKE A MOMENT TO VIEW THIS IN EITHER HER BLOG OR AT HER ETSY SITE http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5093295 BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU THAT YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

SEW WHAT? WHATEVER! THAT'S WHAT I SAY! I JUST NEED TO TRY NEW THINGS I GUESS?? I GET BORED, I WANT TO EXPAND MY HORIZON'S OR MAYBE I'M JUST A D D AND I JUST DON'T KNOW IT? CUT OUT I'VE GOT BOTH A RAIN COAT AND A HAIRDRESSER'S CAPE IN SOME BEAUTIFUL MICHEL MILLER LAMINATED FABRIC CALLED CARNIVAL BLOOM I'VE NEVER WORKED WITH THIS TYPE OF FABRIC BEFORE SO WE'LL SEE IF I MAKE IT THROUGH THIS. THE ONLY REASON I'M DOING THE RAINCOAT FOR KRISTEN IS SO I DON'T WASTE THIS EXPENSIVE FABRIC SINCE I SCREWED UP THE CAPE THE FIRST TIME I CUT IT OUT. THE DAMN THING HAD TWO HOLES FOR THE HEAD WHEN I WAS DONE WITH IT - STUPID STUPID ME! ANOTHER PROJECT ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK IS NOT SEWING BUT RATHER A PENDANT SO I'M REALLY EXCITED CUZ THE DIY NETWORK SAID IT WAS SOOOOOOOO SIMPLE - RIGHT JODI? OH, I SHOULDN'T FORGET THAT I'M WORKING ON A CROCHET ROLLED BRIM HAT THAT IS TO BE FELTED ONCE I COMPLETE IT AND THAT'S A FIRST FOR ME - FELTING THAT IS. RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS WOULD BE

THE PINWHEELS - DON'T ASK, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO USE THEM FOR, I WAS JUST TRYING SOMETHING THAT I SAW IN A BOOK. THE PURSES, WELL, I'LL LIST THOSE ON ETSY SOMETIME IN MY LIFETIME . . . MAYBE?? THE APRON I ACTUALLY MADE FOR MYSELF BUT I FEEL LIKE MY HONKERS POKE OUT THE SIDES OF THE TOP WHICH MIGHT DEFEAT THE PURPOSE SINCE THOSE ALWAYS GET CRAP ON THEM - ?? THE PICTURES SIMPLY DON'T DO THIS AMY BUTLER FABRIC JUSTICE SO I'VE GOTTA CHEAT AND PUT THIS LINK IN HERE SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE FABRIC REALLY LOOKS LIKE. LOTUS STAR PAISLEY LIME http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=c680785a-7611-4c15-a85e-ef43e29c18d4

AND THIS ONE TOO LOTUS FULL MOON POLKA DOT LIME http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=7613caf9-7f31-4b30-811d-124232b49131 IT'S TOTALLY REVERSIBLE AND YES, IT WAS A LOT OF WORK AND I ACTUALLY ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

I SHOULD MENTION THE KIDS - THEY'RE GREAT. KRISTEN'S STARTED DANCE AGAIN AND SHE WAS GLAD THAT I FOUND HER "RETARD" (SHE WAS TRYING TO SAY LEOTARD BUT SHE SAID RETARD INSTEAD). SHE'S DOING PRESCHOOL 3 A.M.'S A WEEK AND SO FAR SO GOOD. THANK YOU TO CARPOOL DIVA CINDY! MATTY HAS STARTED 3RD GRADE AND THINGS ARE GOING WELL. HE'S ALSO PLAYING SOCCER. HE'S GETTING A LITTLE GOOFY ON ME AT TIMES BUT HE'S A GOOD KID. AND LET US NOT FORGET THE FAMILY TRIP TO SIX GUN CITY! NOW THAT'S SOME SERIOUS FUN PLAYING LASER TAG OVER AND OVER AND OVER . . . AND THE ROLLER COASTER REPEATEDLY?!

I KNOW, I KNOW, SHUT UP KIM - RIGHT?? BUT HOW WOULD IT LOOK IF I DIDN'T MENTION THE HUSBAND AND THE WONDER THAT HE IS?! HE'S DOING SO WELL AT HIS JOB WORKING OVERNIGHTS (OUCH!) AND SOME OVERTIME AS TIME PERMITS AND SO NOW YOU KNOW HOW I GET ALL THIS SOLO TIME IN MY SEWING ROOM! WHEN THE HUSBAND'S AWAY MOMMY DOES PLAY . . . IN HER SEWING ROOM! TO THOSE SELECT FEW THAT ACTUALLY READ THIS POST UNTIL THE END - YOU ROCK!

WHERE HAVE I BEEN AND WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO YOU ASK?

2008-07-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well, those that know me well know that my husband was laid off so I began working extra nights to bring additional funds into the household. This presents a whole slew of infringement issues with my crafting & computer time for more reasons than I'll get into right now. I'm pleased to report that my husband found a fantastic job and he's now working several overnight shifts a week so it leaves me some alone time after the kids are in bed! Well, I've got a lot of catching up to do! I thought maybe I'd post tonight with some projects I've been able to do recently, including my last post which was a new Jalie pattern that I tried and I wrote my first pattern review. Yeah me! Brief notes on projects . . . flip flop bag was a gift for one of my nieces, the small purse was just a first effort at a new pattern, the hats I started after a friends recent diagnosis with breast cancer and thought I might try to sell them but maybe not?? (her blog totally rocks so check it out http://happyhousequilts.blogspot.com/), the swimsuit was for the queen and believe it or not I got another two-piece completed out the same 1/2 yard of remnant fabric (now that's some creative cutting!), and the pink diaper bag was put up at Etsy. I think I even came across an incomplete knit dress on my sewing table last week and finished that w/out directions and I think I'm going to just use it as a beach cover-up, but don't have a pic of that. Oh yes, then there's Kristen's blue butterfly outfit where I made my own cording. That was fun (ha, ha)! And Matty's 8th birthday where he HAD to have a turtwig cake. Last year it was a pokemon cake - turtwig is just another character. I was so worried he wouldn't even know what it was but he was thrilled with it. Sorry that my blog has been so uneventful! I'll try to do better but I make no promises!

PATTERN REVIEW JALIE 2682

2008-07-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

These are pictures to accompany my review. http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/readreview.pl?readreview=1&reviewnum=30855

2008-05-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

We can dance if we want to We can leave your friends behind' Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance Well they're no friends of mineI say, we can go where we want to A place where they will never find And we can act like we come from out of this world Leave the real one far behind And we can dance

This is Kristen's 2nd year of dance with Ms. Diane. She seems to really enjoy it and we look forward to the Fall when it begins again! Kristen is also pictured here with her friend Carissa. It was Carissa's first year of dance!

LARGE PJ ORDER PICS

2008-05-07T21:50:00.001-07:00

WHEW . . . WHAT'S NEXT?!

SPRING AHEAD WITH TODDLER PAJAMAS

2008-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm waaaaaaay overdue with my blogging but I really haven't been just dilly-dallying either. I was so excited recently to receive a pajama order from one of my previous customers. Repeat orders are the best and just soooo much fun! I just tried to load a slideshow, but can't get it to work, so i'll have to add pics of the pj's later. Here's a quick sample!

Also, just recently placed and received a spectacular order from fabric.com! I was very surprised to see the tall box, but then i realized how they had to pack the laminated fabric. Hmmm . . . checked it out and it's not quite the weight I'd anticipated so not sure how I feel about keeping that. The order includes some new knit fabrics for pj's as well as some Amy Butler and Michael Miller prints - yeah!!!

EASTER FUN!

2008-03-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

First, there's the outfit for my little Kristen! Yes, I made it with two coordinating cotton Easter prints and a matching knit for the top. I embellished it with the help of my sizzix dies, wonder under and some fabric paint. I won't bore you with the select few things that I did wrong on the outfit but rather focus on it's cuteness factor! Kristen picked some pink glitter mary janes to match. She said she's going to wear them EVERYWHERE and somehow I think that might be true!

Next, there's dinner. Some of the kids disappeared and ate downstairs. Hmmmmm . . . maybe they just fed their food to Daisy?? Then the kids opened baskets from Grammy and Grampa while the guys hid the eggs this year!

This did seam to wear some of us out!
NOW THE REAL FUN! Let's hunt for eggs!!

Some of us had so much fun, that we never even changed into pj's for bed!

I want to thank Paul & Cindy for hosting Easter at their home. We had a great time!

OOAK ST. PATRICK'S DAY ALTERED CLOTHING

2008-03-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

I JUST FINISHED THIS ONE OF A KIND ALTERED OUTFIT. CAN'T DECIDE IF I WANT TO LIST IT AT ETSY, E-BAY OR MAKE IT MY FIRST AUCTION AT MOMMY AUCTIONS. THE PANTS AND SHIRT ARE NEW, BUT WERE PREWASHED SO I REMOVED THE TAGS AND HAVE BEEN ALTERED/EMBELLISHED TO CREATE THIS GREAT OUTFIT. THE PANTS ARE A SIZE 4 WITH AN ADJUSTABLE WAIST AND THE SHIRT IS AN XS WHICH IS INTENDED FOR SIZE 4/5. THE BEST PART ABOUT IT IS IF IT DOESN'T SELL, KRISTEN COULD WEAR IT!

ETSYMOM CHARITY AUCTION FOR RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

2008-03-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

Please take a moment to read what I consider to be a very important public service announcement. The Etsymom team is conducting an auction at a site called Mommyauctions.com and here's the link http://www.mommyauctions.com/EtsyMom-Charity-Gift-Basket,name,61801,auction_id,auction_details. The retail value of this gift basket is over $150 and the bidding starts at $25. There will be voting for the best item donated and 1/2 of the proceeds will go to the Etsymom who wins that vote and the other 1/2 will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Need I say more? You're already at the computer reading my blog, so why not check out auction link?!

SNOOPY ST PATRICKS

2008-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

IT'S SNOOPY, CHARLIE BROWN, LUCY, THAT OTHER CHICK AND THE YELLOW BIRD??? WHAT A GREAT DRESS TO TWIRL IN! LITTLE GIRLS LOVE TO SEE THEIR FULL SKIRTS FLY OUT WHEN THEY SPIN AROUND! THIS IS A SIZE 5 AND I'VE TAKEN PICTURES FROM THE INSIDE OUT! SERGED . . . DOUBLE NEEDLED HEMS . . . SUPERB!

ST. PATRICKS DAY DRESSES LISTED

2008-02-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

I've listed some dresses on both my Etsy site http://www.deedaloos.com/ and on Ebay. My Ebay username is shepherdx2 but here's a link to one of my listings which ends on 2/3/08 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270208464306&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=017 My preference would be to sell them off my Etsy site, but at this point, I'll work it both ways and see how it goes. I haven't listed any ties yet, but I do have one or two cut from last year. They're a bit more challenging to make than what one might expect - it's turning them that drives me nuts since I don't have one of those Fasturn tube turner thingys. Last year I think I sold somewhere between 35 and 40 dresses on Ebay and I'm very anxious to see if any of them turn up as a resale! Yes, I'm sad that my products don't have a nice label in them so nobody will know it's a Deedaloos, but I'll be excited nonetheless just to see them. I've also entertained the idea of making matching outfits for dolls. Apparently those American Girl dolls might like to have matching outfits to their owners?? Can't say that I know much about that, but I have some patterns so if someone were dying for it, I can probably work that out. Thanks for visiting my blog and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

St. Patricks Day Hair Quilt Shamrock

2008-01-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

This would look great with one of my dresses!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9182625

ST. PATRICKS DAY FABRIC CHOICES 2008

2008-01-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here are my choices for fabrics and inventory may change daily, depending upon requests. I make twirly dresses, ties and long sleeved t-shirt dresses. Please visit me at Deedaloos.com if you would like a dress for your St. Patrick's Day princess. There's shamrocks, clover, leprechauns and even the peanuts gang! The tops are generally black, white or off white, depending on the print you choose. Thanks for visiting my blog!

BE MY VALENTINE!

2008-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR YOUR LITTLE CUPCAKE FOR VALENTINES DAY TO KNOCK HER DADDY'S SOCKS OFF! THE DRESSES CAN BE FOUND AT www.deedaloos.com AND THE CLIP CAN BE FOUND AT THIS LINK! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8810220 SWEEEEEEEEEEEET!

WHAT'S NEXT AT DEEDALOOS?

2008-01-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

WELL, NOW THAT XMAS HAS PASSED BY WITH A WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITY, IT'S TIME FOR ME TO MOVE BEYOND THOSE FLEECE HATS AND MITTENS, ALTHOUGH I'D CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO WELCOME CUSTOM PJ, HAT AND OR MITTEN ORDERS. WITH ALL THIS SNOW WE'VE HAD HERE IN NH, MAYBE WE'VE GOTTA HAVE LOTS OF EXTRA SETS ON HAND ?? - AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I'VE NOTICED HERE! CHECK OUT THOSE SNOW BANKS!

FOR THOSE THAT KNOW ME, MY NEXT VENTURE IS PROBABLY PREDICTABLE (SORRY). I WILL BEGIN MY WORK ON ST. PATRICKS DAY DRESSES AND TIES. I EXPECT TO HAVE SOME REPEAT BUSINESS ON EBAY AS MY ITEMS ARE CUTE AND THEY'RE REASONABLY PRICED. HERE'S A SAMPLING OF MY WORK! I MAY ALSO LIST SOME VALENTINES DRESSES AT http://www.deedaloos.com/ BUT I DIDN'T FIND THOSE TO BE QUITE AS MUCH OF A HIT AS ST. PATRICK'S DAY, SO I'LL PROBABLY LIMIT THOSE LISTINGS.

HAPPY SLEDDING AND STAY WARM!

MANCHESTER UNION LEADER NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ALERT

2007-12-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

RED ALERT, RED ALERT. THE MANCHESTER UNION LEADER, MANCHESTER, NH, HAS MADE CONTACT WITH SOME NH ETSIANS STATING THAT THEY ARE INTERESTED IN WRITING AN ARTICLE ABOUT ETSY! I WAS CONTACTED VIA AN ETSY CONVO AND TOLD THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE MY FLEECE PRODUCTS IN THEIR ARTICLE. IF YOU'VE STROLLED ACROSS MY BLOG ANONYMOUSLY, PLEASE VISIT MY SHOP AT DEEDALOOS.COM FOR SOME SUPERIOR HATS AND/OR MITTENS MADE WITH MALDEN MILLS FLEECE! LET ME TRY TO TEMPT YOU WITH A COUPLE OF PICTURES! LET'S BE WARM THIS WINTER!

DEEDALOOS DOES DALLAS!

2007-10-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

O.K., SO I LIED . . . I DIDN'T DO DALLAS AND I DIDN'T EVEN DO TEXAS, BUT I DID DO A CRAFT FAIR IN PENACOOK, NH THIS WEEKEND AND IT WAS PAINFULLY SLOW. WHY? IT WAS A PERFECT RAINY DAY BUT I DO THINK THAT ADVERTISING MAYBE COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT BETTER AS THERE WERE OTHER CHURCH FAIRS AND SUCH GOING ON. MAYBE EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS THOUGH, WE'LL SEE . . .

AS YOU CAN SEE, JUST BECAUSE I'M NOT BLOGGING DOESN'T MEAN I'M NOT SEWING! ALSO, DUE TO THE VOLUME OF HATS I HAVE AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE TWO SPACES AT MY UPCOMING FAIR, I NEED TO GET MORE HAT RACKS MADE SO TIME TO ORDER MORE WOOD. I ALSO PLAN ON REPAINTING THE RACKS THAT I DO HAVE AND HAVING MY HUSBAND CHANGE THE BASES SO THEY'RE A LITTLE LESS TIPPY.

IN CLOSING I'LL JUST SAY . . . VISIT ME AT http://www.deedaloos.com/ and GO RED SOX!!

Why buy Deedaloos? Why Malden Mills?

2007-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

First, Deedaloos has a commitment to quality and your satisfaction. I do my best to choose fabrics that are both appealing and durable, standing up to multiple washings. Many of these I have used to make things for my own children and I know that they will last. I choose quality threads and manufacture my items using the best technique for the item at hand, so if it can be serged without bulk, I do so using four threads. I frequently use wooly nylon in my pj production as it's very soft against your skin.

When it comes to fleece, I primarly use fleece from Malden Mills. I do not advertise it as polarfleece or polartec as there are trademark issues with use of such, although that may well be what I'm using, just like other high end manufacturers such as LL Bean or Lands End. Sometimes I may use a less expensive fleece from Joann Fabrics, but it's been chosen due to the popularity of the print. I have had great experience specifically with their microfleeces that are quite pricey, but are very soft and yes, VERY durable.

Malden Mills fleece comes in a variety of weights and finishes. I mostly will use 100 and 200 weights or a combination of both in my hat and mitten productions. The higher the number, the warmer it is, but sometimes using a 300 weight is simply too bulky and doesn't make a nice hat for a child. Different finishes means that some of them may look different on the right side than the wrong side and some look exactly the same, as they have a double-velour finish. You may find some with a chunkier or berber finish and others may be treated to deflect water. There's also a curly fleece which is lots of fun when you really want to turn your sewing room into a big mess! In my experience, the way they are manufactured does seem to impact the stretch that they have, so I look for that as I shop. Malden Mills fleece washes and wears so very nicely and even better . . . it's made in the USA!

Now . . . direct from horses mouth is as follows:
Q. What's the difference between Polartec fleeces and copycat fleeces?
A. Be careful of the imitations! Other manufacturers are producing fleeces that may appear to be similar to Polartec fleeces, but they aren't. They will cut costs by:
- producing a thinner fleece (less oz per linear yard)
- producing a fleece that pills. Polyester is a strong fiber that doesn't break away from itself when it meets abrasion. The longer thread of other fleeces will pull into itself and pill.
- producing a fleece that matts. It is the ability of the fibers to stand upright that provides Polartec fleeces with it's thermal qualities.
producing prints whose colors and lines are fuzzy instead of vivid and clear

You should still use certain care when washing your fleece items. Recommend care is as follows: machine wash warm, tumble dry low or line dry. It's always best to wash with like fabrics, but I tend to just wash darks with darks and lights with lights. Do not use bleach or fabric softeners as this can remove some of the finishes on your fleece. Last, do not dry clean which is glorious because who wants to pay for that anyways!

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to your special requests for hats and mittens!

YES, EVEN I STILL MAKE SILLY MISTAKES!

2007-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

I CAN HEAR MY MOTHER NOW . . . "DON'T SEW WHEN YOUR TIRED OR YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES" WELL, IT'S TRUE AND HERE'S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THEM. I'VE ALWAYS DETESTED DIRECTIONAL FABRICS! MAYBE I COULD JUST SAY THAT THE PENGUINS WERE SWIMMING DOWNSTREAM? HMMMM . . . IF ANYTHING, MAYBE IT WILL GIVE SOMEONE SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT AND THEN I GUESS IT'S ALL WORTH THE POST! NOW'S THE TIME TO SPECIAL ORDER THOSE WINTER HATS AND MITTENS! OH YA, I PROMISE THAT IT WON'T TURN OUT LIKE THIS! :O)

NEW GUEST ETSY APPEARANCE

2007-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

BEGINING IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS I WILL HAVE A NEW GUEST IN MY ETSY SHOP. SHE CROCHETS THE MOST LOVELY PONCHO'S AND I'M LISTING ABOUT 5 OF THEM! CHECK IT OUT AT DEEDALOOS.COM

SPECIAL ORDER COMPLETE!

2007-10-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL ORDERS AVAILABLE

2007-09-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's a winter hat your in need of or maybe it's a special project like this altered clothing (still a work in progress and not yet complete)? Either way, I do take a limited amount of special orders. Maybe you like the hat you see but want it in a different color or don't want the mittens? It doesn't hurt to ask! With the hats, it helps to have a head measurement, but if not, I'll wing it based on age. I use primarly fleece from Malden Mills which is the same quality that is being used by high end retailers such as LL Bean and Lands End. I also make toddler pj's in both knit and fleece fabrics. Occasionally, I might use something other than Malden Mills polar fleece, so if you're wondering about a particular item, just ask. I purchased some large quantities of microfleece from Joann's last year and made some pj's for both of my kids and they washed and wore GREAT and the microfleece was very soft and cozy. They outgrew them before they wore out. This isn't Walmart so you're not going to get them for $5, but my prices are reasonable for the quality you're getting. I also use quality threads and in my pj's I tend to serge them with wooly nylon in the loopers which is very soft against the skin. I have some repeat customers, like the woman who ordered these altered clothing halloween outfits. She picked the fabric and mailed the stuff to me! Her girls will match in the pumpkin patch, but they won't match everyone else's store-bought outfits. As always, thanks for visiting and peer in at Deedaloos.com when you've got some free time!

GIRLY-GIRL STUFF

2007-09-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

MORE STUFF IS READY TO ROLL. NOW IF ONLY I COULD AFFORD TO HIRE SOMEONE TO TAKE ALL OF MY PICTURES AND POST THEM. BETTER YET, MAYBE I COULD SOMEHOW GET MY COMPUTER TO MOVE ALONG A BIT FASTER AS I HAVE A NEED FOR SPEED! ENJOY YOUR DEEDALOOS PREVIEW! THERE'S TALK OF A POSSIBLE OPEN HOUSE THE FIRST SATURDAY IN DECEMBER, BUT I'LL LET YOU KNOW! I SEE NOW THAT A COUPLE OF MY PICS AREN'T CLEAR - SORRY!!

DEEDALOOS DOES DINOSAURS

2007-09-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hunter green or navy blue with a sharp contrast of taxi yellow! These are great hats for your little dinosaur. My son LOVED the one his grammy made him! These hats are just fun but they'll definitely keep the heads warm too. You can have different two differnt colors for the ridge or keep it as one. I'm thinking of doing some girly ones too just to see if they'll sell. You can purchase just the hat or have them as a set. I haven't yet decided on the price but for a set I'm thinking $16 and if you want to leave your thoughts on my price point via a comment, I'm certainly open for suggestions! Thanks for visiting and I can't wait to put up my periwinkle hat, mitten scarf set, but that probably won't be until next week as there is some handwork involved in that! For those that know me, you know how much I love that handwork! (ha, ha) Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I just had these incredible clay buttons made for me to use on my hats. They were made by Polpette Clay and you should check her out at Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5150803&order=&section_id=&page=1 Her work is great, her spirit incredible and please tell her that I sent you! I only hope that my work will do her buttons justice! I will post those pics in the next couple of weeks as I haven't received the buttons yet.

SCHOOL ROCKS!

2007-09-14T06:44:00.001-07:00

I had to add a quick little something about my kids. My little muffin Kristen will be 4 on November 30th and she started a 2 day preschool class this year. She loves it and do does mom! Matthew is 7 and he started 2nd grade. He's doing o.k. after rough start w/ a cold that blocked up his ears and he couldn't hear and threw off his balance so he bonked himself on a soccer goal post. Of course, even w/out the blocked ears he managed to get kicked in the eye from a girl on the swings who he claims lost her shoe and he was helping her recover it??? 2nd grade chivalry?? 2 calls from the nurse already???? yikes!

will it every REALLY look like SOMETHING?

2007-09-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

so hard to believe it's been almost two weeks since my last post. where has the time gone? well, my sewing room is just a big old mess and the fleece dust is just horrible, but i'm working . . . it's a LONG slow process, but i really am working. i had a boatload of fleece pulled out last night, matching colors, cutting this and that, tracing and modifying some new patterns. i figured i should caputure some of my work in progress. almost doesn't seem possible that anything will every become of it. as always, sew much to do and sew little time!

DEEDALOOS DOES BLING!

2007-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

WHO NEEDS CAMO

WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE BLING? ACTUALLY, I DID GET SEVERAL CAMO HATS DONE, BUT COULDN'T FIND ANY VELCRO AND DIDN'T PICTURE THEM YET. THIS NEW GEM IS EMBELLISHED WITH A PRETTY LITTLE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL FOR SOME LITTLE PRINCESS! SWEEEET! MORE OF SUCH CREATIONS TO COME! (OR SO I SAY?!)

FLEECE ALERT!

2007-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, yet another blog entry AND I've got some fleece out AND I'm actually cutting out some hats AND they're boy prints/hats too. It's a miracle to be doing this in the heat, but it's simply way to hot now that the sun has actually surfaced and i've got chores to get done and the kids simply need some down time today so it's a good opportunity for me to just jump into winter projects! Before we know it, we'll be shopping for our winter gear so I must be ready. Oh happy day!

2 POSTS IN 1 WEEK?! THAT'S NUTS!

2007-08-22T17:29:00.001-07:00

YES, I'M BACK AGAIN SO SOON. O.K., IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ANYTHING. I CLEANED MY SEWING ROOM AND I'M READY TO ROLL IN FLEECE. WE WENT CAMPING FOR A COUPLE OF NIGHTS, MY PURSES DIDN'T SELL ON EBAY AND I'M STRUGGLING W/ ETSY LIFE SINCE IT SEEMS THERE'S A FEW BUGS THAT CROP UP MORE THAN I LIKE. TRIED TO LIST THEM ON ETSY BUT AFTER MULTIPLE TRIES, MY PICS WEREN'T LOADING. TURNS OUT I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE W/ THIS PROBLEM. HIKED A SMALL MOUNTAIN TODAY W/ SOME FRIENDS AND VISITED MY MY NUTTY NANA WHO TELLS ME HER DOG CHEWED UP HER TEETH - UGH!

MATHCHING WALLETS NOW PICTURED

2007-08-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

THESE ARE LISTED ON EBAY W/ THE PURSES PICTURED BELOW. NOT SO SURE THEY'LL SELL AND MIGHT JUST LIST THEM ON ETSY AS WELL JUST BECAUSE . . . I'VE CERTAINLY GOT PLENTY OF FABRIC TO REPRODUCE THESE! SWIM LESSONS ENDED TODAY - OH HAPPY DAY AND CAMPING ON SUNDAY/MONDAY. IT'LL BE A BIT COOLER THAN I'D LIKE, BUT NO RAIN MAKES ME A HAPPY CAMPER!

CRAFTING IN THE SUMMER?? NOT EXACTLY . . .

2007-08-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I've been sooooo busy trying to enjoy this time with my children and my husband that I've been totally delinquent in my duties, but read a few great booksamong other things. Before I know it, another year of school will begin and my youngest will start preschool so I'm excited for them but also a little sad. We've been camping, done the polar caves, story land, ocean trips, lake trips, swim lessons, ocean kayaking and more. I will post some

pictures and I promise that they won't include my shorts that I duct taped when I ripped them camping (it was kinda funny, but the pic wasn't mine and I'm certain it wasn't pretty, but i suspect that you can find that somewhere at www.happyhousequilts.blogspot.com)! I've eased my way into crafting with a shirt for Kristen also a sweater I've begun for her in single crochet (ugh, what an idiot, it'll take FOREVER!). Finished the two purses I cut out weeks ago and may list them on ebay today since they're having a listing fee special. Might pull a few etsy items that are stale and see if they'll sell there. Also donated a few things to Loudon Old Home Day PTA silent auction where 100% of the proceeds when to PTA so I hope they did well! I did make a very lame boat when I was camping for our first annual handmade boat race down the stream. I competed against 3, 5 & 7 yo's and I LOST in a very big way! As always, thanks so much for checking out my babble and have a happy day! Now, if only I could figure out this tagging thingy?? . . .

6/29/07

2007-06-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

How exciting - an etsy sale to a Loudon local! I (finally) made a signature block that contained my website and blogspot address and I'd sent a note out to a PTA email list as a follow-up on a fundraiser I was heading up and used my signature block and apparently this person checked out my etsy site and bought the two cute purse/wallet sets pictured below. So I guess this goes to show you that you never know who might want to look! I'm also told by my local buyer that they found a great ipod case too so hopefully their other transaction went just a smooth. For me, I hand-delivered my two things rather than pack them and mail locally and I stuck a couple of bucks in each kids wallet as a means of partial reimbursement for shipping (they wanted NOTHING back on shipping but it just didn't feel right). As always, thanks for visiting my blog!

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DEEDALOOS & MORE

2007-06-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after having several weeks of dealing with a head cold and then shortly thereafter moving onto a virus that hit all four of us, I'M BACK! I've finished a couple of purses that are up on my etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php. I've listed a fun pair of bug pj's for a toddler boy and I completed an outfit for myself which is like a Christmas miracle in and of itself. After completion I decided that it will make a great pair of pj's - lol! I've got some knitting needle & crochet hook cases that I'll be listing at my Etsy site for another talented artist friend. He's just too shy to open his own site (ha, ha). They're truly incredible though and totally worth checking out. His blog totally rocks too with knitting projects galore! Check it out at http://brileyknits.blogspot.com:80/ It's almost that time to switch gears to winter though, so I need to pack up some of these fun projects and move on to the real deal - FLEECE!!!

MATTHEW TURNS 7!

2007-05-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

It was my son's 7th birthday this week and for the first time, I totally ditched the big party scene and kept it to just us! He wanted a pokemon cake so I figured I'd throw a few figurines or something on the top of the cake and then he'd have them since he likes silly things like that. Well . . . four stores later I knew I was screwed on that idea! I scrambled home and pulled up a picture of pekachu??? I guess that's one of the pokemon characters from the game - very popular and ever so quickly mixed up that yellow frosting. Anyways, I'll share some pics and I thought that the cake wasn't 1/2 bad for the very last minute!

EBAY AND ETSY - NEW LISITNGS TO COME

2007-05-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

ON THIS GLORIOUS DAY, STILL NOT QUITE FEELING UP TO SNUFF AND SEW VERY MUCH TO GET DONE, I SPENT MY DAY TAKING PICTURES . . . O.K. NOT THE WHOLE DAY . . . I DID STEP OUT FOR SOME FRESH AIR. BUT I'VE GOT A LOT OF LISTING TO DO W/ LOTS OF STUFF TYPED UP AND STILL A BIT MORE TYPING TO DO BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOME VERY COOL KNITTING/CROCHET NEEDLE CASES I'M LISTING FOR A FRIEND, CHECK ME OUT ON ETSY OR VISIT ME AT EBAY BY USER NAME SHEPHERDX2. I'M ALSO LISTING MY KIDS USED IN-SEASON CLOTHING AND HOPEFULLY THAT DRAWS ATTENTION TO SOME OTHER THINGS.

KIM

PARTIAL LIST OF SWIMSUIT FABRICS

2007-05-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

this isn't everything . . . for some reason, the neon pink, yellow and green didn't get pictured in here. also, i've got black and a few different blues. i could always mail out a swatch before starting a project. i might be getting more colors too and some of these patterns might be limited. feel free to visit my etsy site and convo

PJ FABRICS

2007-05-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

these are many of my pj knits. i can always email a better pic to you or snailmail a swatch. some of these are a bit heavier than others, so ask first. for example the abc's/123's print on red is an awesome fabric, but it's far to heavy for the summer. towards the fall i might do this sort of picture thing w/ all of my fleece. it's an overwhelming task though so i just can't think about it yet! thanks for looking and please shop at www.deedaloos.etsy.com! kim

swimsuit fabrics & etsy

2007-05-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today I posted another one of my scuba-style swimsuits on etsy. You can visit me at www.deedaloos.etsy.com. I thought it might be best to use my blog to post some of the other fabric choices. I also just realized that all my pics don't have to gone down one side and i can add them into my posts - duh?! I'm going to try to do another post of just pics with the swimsuit fabrics, but not sure how well this will go or where they'll end up so be patient with me while I learn! I'll label them as swim fabric.

Pajama knits - pictures are up (most of them)

2007-05-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm FINALLY getting back to my blog. As always, a work in progress! I've put up a few pair of shorty pj's on my etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5137032 but I thought that people might want to look and see what I have for fabric selection for knit pj's. I have two other boy prints that I've got to pull out my stash and they're a couple of my finest so I REALLY need to do this. Both boy prints - one is a bug theme and the other is an airplane.

I made my first two etsy sales this weekend on my purses and I also sold one of the same bags at ebay on a buy-it-now! I need to get crafting but I also need to get on the ball and sell of my kids clothes from last Spring/Summer so you'll see me at little bit scattered here and there right now! If it doesn't happen now, it'll just be too late! ahhhhhhhh . . .

As always, thanks for visiting!