Going Live

I am happy to announce that my new Etsy shop, That's Sew Lin Designs is open for business!  More items will be added soon, but I have a selection up and ready for purchase.  Please take a moment to check it out!

I'm selling reusable sandwich or snack bags.  They are made from cotton oil cloth and sized larger than your average plastic sandwich bag to hold even thicker sandwiches. Closed with hook and loop (Velcro) strips across the whole length of the opening to keep your crumbs inside. Simply clean with a damp cloth and you are ready for lunch again tomorrow.

And roomy little zippity bags that are great for holding your toiletries or makeup for a weekend away, craft supplies, or you can used them as a catch all in a large tote.  I have various sizes and colors, and many more to come.

 

 I hope you will enjoy my bags, and please stay tuned because I will be adding more items soon!

Short Update

I know I have been missing in action for a bit, but work has been super busy recently with the fall semester starting.  All my free time (which isn't much these days) has been spent recharging for the next day and working on preparing for the launch of my Etsy shop (coming soon!)

So not to leave you hanging for too long I thought I would post some pictures.  Hopefully I will be back with regular posts in about a week when the rush at work is winding down and I can have two minutes to myself to breathe again.

The first pictures are from a pug play group picnic we took the dogs to this weekend.  The group meets monthly so the pugs can play together and owners can visit.  This month was the groups annual picnic, and out first time attending the picnic.  Ian had so much fun talking to everyone.  It was the first time I have ever seen him try to engage strangers in a real conversation.  He talked to everyone!





Cowboy Ian watching Rango.  You can't watch a cowboy movie without a cowboy hat!


Play date with Isabelle; she has the coolest musical toys!

Bits-and-Pieces

1. Last week I ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner in anticipation of my birthday.  I knew I would get a little money for my birthday and really wanted a good planner to keep track of bills and life stuff, so I splurged.  Well, not exactly splurged, but got a really crazy awesome deal thanks to a special on Plum District and a lovely promotion code to make it even more affordable.  60% off? Heck, yes I will take it!  I can't wait for it to get here already! (Thanks Mom and Dad for the birthday money, you got me a sweet planner!)

2. Ian turned three on Saturday, and had a nice little party complete with eleventy million presents and lots of love.  Among those gifts was a scooter from my in-laws that Ian thinks is so cool.  He is getting the idea of it pretty well, scooting back and forth across the living room.  I don't think it will be long before he is ready to hit the open road sidewalk.  My dad got Ian 51 little cars of the Hot Wheels type variety.  My living room looks like a parking lot after a tornado, as viewed from the top of a skyscraper.  All I have to say about that is, "Vroooom!"  We got Ian a robot toy called Alphie and plays learning games with alphabet, numbers, etc.  Ian has been siting for a long time each day since his birthday playing with Alphie, his new favorite "bobot." 

3. I can't believe how much my kid has changed!  A year ago his speech was hardly understandable and now he will tell you all about his day or sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" on tune with a good portion of the words right.  I'm so excited because with each new thing he learns or understands he gets a little more interesting and fun.  But there is a part of my heart that just can't bare to see my baby slipping away into boyhood. Please let him still want to hug me for many years to come.

4. My hair has grown so long!  Naturally, I now have the urge to change it because I never keep the same hair style for very long.  I'm just weird that way.  But what to do?  I thought about cutting it to my shoulders again, but I am really liking being able to pull it up or wear it in a braid so I think that cutting it shorter is out for now at least.  I guess that means I need to color it.  Suggestions anyone?

5. Reading list update: I recently finished reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer.  Yes, she is the same one that wrote those Twilight books.  And yes, this book was written just as poorly as Twilight.  However, it had that same magic that pulls you into the story and makes you very emotionally involved with the characters.  I really liked the story and I am really looking forward to seeing how the movie based on this book ends up turning out.  Up next on my reading list, "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah E. Harkness.

6. My goal for one month from now is to open my Etsy shop...finally.  So now I need to get sewing in all my free time until the end of the month.  Please fell free to harass me to make sure I stay on task.  I've delayed too long.  It time time to make things happen!

My little man turns three today!!!

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one} what was one thing that you valued when you were a kid?

When I was a kid I love to play outside.  Most of my memories from being a kid are us playing with the kids on the block, running up and down the street all day.  I wish I still loved the outdoors that much, but allergies have made playing outside less pleasant in my adult years.

{two} what was your favorite (+ lease favorite) subject in school?

My favorite classes in school were the arts and English.  I preferred them to any of the academic classes.  My most hated subject was always math.  Math and I do not get along.  “Math, I am not your therapist, and I cannot solve all your problems.”

{three} do you remember your first love?

Yes, who doesn’t?  As with most kids my first “love” was really more of a crush and was something I kept to myself. 

{four} what one pet would you love to have?

I would love to get an alpaca if we ever move to a house with some land for him to live on. 

{five} would you rather live in the country or in the city?

If you asked me this question 10 years ago I would have said city with no doubt in my mind.  These days, I have to say country. There is something so nice about having space between you and your neighbors, and not so much light so you can actually see the stars at night.

{six} what do you love about blogging?

I love getting thoughts out and having someone care about reading them.  Lately, I have been in a bit of a slump where it comes to writing good posts and stories.  I hope that will pass soon because I miss having something fun to tell you all about. 

{seven} what is the first website you visit everyday?

Twitter!  I have to check up on my friends and see what is going on. For many of my friends we keep in touch via Twitter so it is like checking my email and sometimes I check Twitter before even looking at my email.  Also,  I like getting breaking news in little 140 character increments.  The bad stories are a lot less depressing when you can fly past them and read the next thing.

{eight} will you or have you joined google+?

I joined, but it is really kind of boring.  I still prefer Twitter.

{nine} what is your favorite scent of candle/air freshener?

I like “fall” scents like pumpkin and apple spice.  There is one scent from some candle company I can’t remember the name of called Teakwood Cardamom and that is my all-time favorite. 

{ten} how would you describe your style?

My style is very eclectic.  I like the minimalist modern look where everything is clean and simple, but I really gravitate toward more raw wood and antique type items.

 (source)