I have it figured out.

Well it has been a strange two weeks. I am however keeping up with my Leap List. I have been doing the sorting and organizing, the new projects, and finishing some old. However I am having a bit of a hard time feeling motivated.
So on Friday night I was talking to some ladies and one of them said something that really hit home. She said she used to do all kinds of sewing, woodworking, and the likes. She quit doing it all because she just got tired of all the supplies everywhere.
That was it. That is what is wrong. I have so much just for supplies. So I have decided to sort through it bit by bit and give away all the stuff I don't absolutely think I love.
I LOVE woodworking, sewing next, and hand work too. Needlepoint and handquilting.
I did so good. I went through my craft room closet and took out shelves of fabric. I called my friend and said, "come and get it". She sews a lot more than I do and will use it. I can't even remember why I had bought most of it. I didn't even really like it anymore. So bye-bye. It felt really great. While I had all the fabric out I did find some awesome prim Easter fabric. We whipped up a couple of table runners and some Easter eggs. Any bits left over went to trash.  Seriously though, I took out a body size trash bag full of fabric and didn't blink an eye about it. After sorting through and keeping what I liked, I went through the little bit I kept and pulled out even more. YES!!!
My next clean out will be scrapbooking supplies. I loved it when I did it, but really spending a lot of time on that and then tucking the albums in a drawer or shelf makes absolutely no sense. I am saving the really great paper and such, making some cards and then giving the rest of that away too.
I am so happy about this. All the supplies are over whelming. Too much to do, too little time.
So I hope everyone has a productive week.
Kat.

Deceiving Dishonest People

For those of you that don't already know... I am not longer selling my creations/gifts at the Works of Heart in Caribou. The owners decided to double the commission rate and then didn't agree with the price increases. I could not afford to make things for free. I am very saddened by this as I have worked really hard for the store for a year. I have given up so much time with my family and friends, which I am so sorry I missed. They currently have about 150 vendors. Out of the 150 my sales were 1/6 of the total for last year. That is a lot of work.
So I go there tonight to pick up the rest of my stuff, at their allowed time. After not agreeing to the rate increase (doubled) I could only pick up my stuff at their convenience. I go in and I see that Sandy is now copying the items that I had been selling there all along. THAT IS JUST WRONG. There is no way any of the vendors can compete with that . She doesn't have to pay a high commission rate. She can keep her prices low.

Maybe that was the plan all along. Ask us how we make things, share all our knowledge so that she can do it her self cheaper. I feel like I have been slapped. What was I thinking, I should have listened to my friends. They told me this is what was going to happen. She knew nothing about any of this before I went there. Nothing about painting or woodworking, or any of it. NOT A CLUE.
I am too nice, and too trusting.
Thanks you my dear friends, and you know who you are, for putting up with all this for the last year. Sorry I didn't listen to you.

I can honestly say I am very happy with my decision, like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I want to craft and create because it is fun, because I love it, because I can do it with my friends and laugh. Because the people that I do it for appreciate it and love me. Anyone that does crafts knows there is not a lot of money in it and so not worth the time to do it as a second job.

When one door closes another one opens. Who knows what my next journey will be.

Hope you all have a great week.

Kathy

GO PATRIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck to both teams. Just hanging out, doing needlepoint, paperwork, banking and watching the superbowl.
What are you doing tonight?
Kat

A Very Sad Day

We went to the shelter about 6 years ago to get a short haired female kitten. We came home with the best long haired, male cat I have ever seen.

All spread out, lounging around. He fit into our family like he had been here forever. I love him. He wanted to be wherever everyone else was.

He thinks he is king. And he is probably right.

Well my heart is so sad, he died today. I don't even know what happened. He was running back and forth, I thought he was chasing a bug. I asked my husband to come and see what he was trying to get and he picked him up from under the chair and about 1 minute later he died. They become such a part of the family. They bring their own personality for sure. I don't even know how old he was. I just know that I am going to miss him terribly.
A very sad heart
Kat

*sigh*

Sunday 2012 Leap List Week 5

Well week 5 is here and I am still chugging along. Thank God for my home friends and my online friends though because I think I could seriously curl up, watch tv and just do nothing. lol
I get so much inspiration from each and every one of you.
1. Finished some prim pouch/bag thingys. Just to hang or bowl them.

2. I made some hearts that Misi had done here. She does a much better job but I had wooden hearts and this was such a great idea to use them.

Tree Decorated for Valentine's Day

Some I made with Jute and some with twine. Just for bowl fillers.

3. I cleaned my son's room. I made the shelf and hung it to hold his VHS Disney tapes. He wants to keep them, so in his room they went. I wonder if he will notice. Hahaha, I bet they will be sent to storage in the attic. I didn't take a picture because I am too lazy to go back upstairs to do so. :)
1. I finished making some flannel coasters for my coffee table. I saw them somewhere and have so much flannel/fabric it was a good way to use some up.

The picture is ugly but they really are nice. Again too lazy to retake. 

1. Oh and thing I am most excited about, and thankful to my friend Sharon for, is getting my quilt backed and the binding on it. I swear I could set and sew 100 quilt tops. I love that part. However the backing part drives me insane. Sharon made it so much easier, and of course we did both of them together, (hers and mine), so was fun.

I am still going to hand quilt around all the stars but the hand stitching I love doing.

Finished primitive Betty's pattern #2. Again love handstitching so this was fun and relaxing.

Made these crochet stars and then left them in the spare room with yarn and instruction. In case company wants to make me some more and leave them there as well. So if you come and spend the night you know where the entertainment is. :)

So that is about it for this week. Can someone tell me how to do a link up thing. I want everyone to share their finished projects. Leap List Link UP.
Would anyone like to do that? I know I am not the only one with unfinished projects.
I hope everyone has such a great week.
Kat.

2012 Leap List Week 4

Week 4 was another busy week. I am so addicted to Pinterest I am not getting as much done as I would like. Also joined the American Legion this fall so that is added to my list of to-dos but so worth it. The people there are great. Life after empty nest syndrome. 

So for my Leap List week 4:

2. Started another needlepoint from Primitive Betty's

2. I made curtains for my spare room. Got this linen like/type fabric at Joann's on clearance but it was perfect for what I wanted and it only cost 12.00 to do both windows. Works for me.....

I haven't figured out how I want to tie them back so .... another week. I used buttons at the top to make the fold. I like them a lot. They hang so nice.

I sorted most of that mess in Ryan's room and you can see I am still alive.... he slept on the sofa. hahaha. I told him he could sleep in the new, bright spare room and he just gave me a funny look. lol I took it he meant no. He is just a tad bit tall to sleep on the sofa but he managed lol.

If you saw my previous post you will know that this was is a major accomplishment in itself. I gave most of it away and some of it will go to the attic in a "small tote". The vhs tapes are waiting for me to get my butt to the basement to make them a shelf to live on. I wish I were rich, I would just go out and buy all the blue rays and hopefully he would let me throw these all away. Oh wellllll...... A shelf it is. IN HIS ROOM.

1. Finished putting up the trim in the bedroom. Put some of the stuff on the walls. It is coming along. I am hoping it will be finished this week. HOPEFULLY!

Paint cans and such still need to come out and this shelf definitely needs some work but I still have lots I want to do in here. It looks so bright and cheery when go in there now. :)

4. I went to Bangor with one of my dear friends and had such a great time. I think making time to spend with my friends is going to be a big priority this year. I miss them. Working full time and always crafting for the store takes up so much of my time. I don't want that to be my whole life though. So that is changing.

4. Brought my son home with me from Bangor on Friday and took him back this morning. It is a 3 hour drive down. Shop for an hour or so, and then 3 hours back. Of course I got stopped for speeding. It is hard when you get off the I95 where you can now drive 75 and then drive 55. Of course I got stopped in a 30 doing ..... (can't say), it just wasn't good lol. They were so nice though, gave me a warning. PHEW!

Well that is about it for this week. If i got nothing more done, other than spending time with my family and friends, it would have  been enough.

I hope you all have a great week.

Kat