Saturday, February 5, 2011

Please Mind The Mess

Source.

Those of you who read me via a feed reader or Facebook have probably not noticed the changes going on over the last few days. But for those of you who come visit the blog directly, please mind the mess. I am trying my best to freshen up this place but it can be tricky.I want to change it, but I liked the old layout. I want to ad sponsors but I don't want them to take over. I want to add some graphics but where is the 'too busy' line?  I think I have found a nice balance though. I hope? Please feel free to give me your constructive criticisms or compliments!

Speaking of sponsors, yes I have sold out. But in a good way...kind of. I thought maybe I could begin bartering ad space. I haven't really figured out how that would work but I liked the idea. I also love supporting the handmade industry and the ads in my sidebar are from such businesses so please go visit them. If you would like to see your 125x125px ad in my sidebar give me a shout (There are a few links in my sidebar you can use to reach me.) and I am sure we can figure something out!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

About Us...Right Now

This is me. My name is Melissa, Missy to most. I am the incredibly fortunate stay at home mama to Wednesday and wife to Ron (AKA The Mister).  I am a coffee loving, Supernatural watching, zombie fearing crafter in my early thirties. I have a bazillion interests but primarily I adore creating (particularly sewing) and natural living. I am also a fairly apt baker if I do say so myself. I am a patriotic Canadian to the core living in South Eastern Ontario (Belleville to those familiar with the geography.) Here in my corner of the blogosphere you will posts on sewing, crafting, baking with a little gardening (coming soon) and every now and then an editorial piece. Please grab a coffee (because you know I have one!) or tea if that is your pleasure and poke around, and if you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me via any of the links in my sidebar.

Wednesday is my three year old daughter and I am able to type, sew, craft, read, cook and bake "Until Wednesday Calls". She is my reason for waking in the morning. I love her to bits and pieces. She is a diva all the way. She loves to play dress up, perform for friends and family (And the odd strangers at the bus stop), she loves her Barbie dolls and making them dress up and perform. She is rarely seen imitating domestic activity but positively glows when using glue and glitter. She is a three-nager and sometimes you can hear our battle of wills in the next room but the self discovery (both hers and mine) is worth more than all the coffee in Columbia tea in China. I post recent photos of her every Wednesday in a weekly post called Wednesday on Wednesday. Sometimes it is a simple photo and other times it is a short photo essay about her, but always it is a super tenderhearted moment here.


Ron AKA The Mister. He is the reason I can be a stay at home mom taking care of Wednesday and the house. He is also one of the most wonderful people I know. I have yet to meet anyone quite as generous of both self and possessions. He is also a skilled carpenter and artist. We bonded over coffee (no joke) and it continues to keep us together (We have a rule in our house: No talky talky before the coffee drinky drinky.) . He is our provider, our mechanic, our comic relief and all around Captain Awesome.

Even in hard times I know that we are a blessed family to have each other and I am most thankful.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

My Crafty Weekend



First off, I would just like to say thank you for all the well wishes we have been receiving. It has been a tumultuous time for us as a afamily, what with all the snot, coughing and just general wretchedness. But we are very near our usual superhuman 100% and business in the Sweet houshold has returned to what passes for normal. So thank you, for both the sympathetic vibes and your understanding.

But enough about the mucus and germs, lets talk crafty stuff. Did I mention my craft area is all but operational? Oh yes, as soon as I had even the remotest amount of energy I spent it unpacking, organizing, sorting, and arranging. Wash, rinse, repeat. For serious folks. Some things, I must have unpacked and rearranged three or four times. You know when you unpack something and you 'think' you have found the perfect spot for it, that is until you unpack the next thing and that spot you just filled would in fact be perfect for the item you have in front of you. Yeah. That happened a lot for me. Not tom mention, the five shelf bookcase of books I had to relocate so that I could relocate a couple hundred DVDs. For serious. But, whatever. My point is (and I do have one) that my craft space is almost operational, and by operational I mean that all of my fabric and supplies have been unpacked, organized and arranged. My sewing machine is in my sewing table. All that is missing is a counter top, but I have that in the works, it is just a matter of sweet talking the hubby into actually procurring it for me. I am hoping to have pics (and projects) to share with you this week. :)

Blah blah blah until the pictures come though right? Ok, well, how about pictures of your stuff? Yes? Ok.

Allie, of What Allie's Making shares some pictures of an absolutely darling Valentine decor piece. So simple too. She made hers out of wood, but I bet painted box board or papier mache letters would work just as well. You can visit the post here for more photos.

Marissa of Threaded Together made the care package above for her deployed hubby. He's on an aircraft carrier so she made magnetic Valentines to send. So cute, Visit the blog post to read about it and get the instructions to make your own.

Ms. Muffin of Muffins and More made this adorable hooded scarf. She has a great post about the trials and tribulations of making your own patterns. Luckily it all worked out though. To read more or see more pictures, visit the blog post here.

Some wonderful stuff. Lots of handmade goodies for the holidays. What have you been up to recently? Been baking? I haven't baked anything in a few weeks (But to be fair I baked a sponge cake with a butterscotch and berry reduction AND a banana cream pie (from scratch sooo good) in the same weekend.) Been sewing? Or scrapbooking? I have unpacked all of my scrapbooking supplies and now...well, I am kind of overwhelmed it has been over a year since I have done a layout. Definitely intimidated but I'm working up to it. Whatever you have been up to,you simply must share it! Since there is only two weeks until Valentine's day, I am going to link up my Valentine projects from last year. I had went a bit crazy last year, but I can't help it. I even have a bunch of ideas for this year (but will I be able to execute them in a timely fashion?).Remember, buttons are optional but please please visit the link before you to leave some good bloggy karma in the form of an encouraging comment!


     
          

Monday, January 24, 2011

My Crafty Weekend : Sick Kid Edition

Good afternoon folks. I hope your weekend was full of nice weather, good times and of course fabulous crafting. Remember the sick little babe I posted a picture of last week? Well, she is still sick and I have bee just as, if not worse. So today forgive me if I don't post any featured photos? I will of course post the link up and I encourage you to visit each other's links and leave a note of encouragement. Link everything up that you have been working on, and if you want you can re-add the links from last week feel free, actually I encourage it. Especially some of those recipes I haven't had a chance to peruse yet. Okay, my sinuses are aching, I must go.


     
          

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday on Wednesday

My sleeping babes
This picture was taken yesterday when Wednesday took herself to bed for an unscheduled nap. The kitten beside her is our newest family addition; Dinah. This is a rare moment of her resting. We have all been hit with colds this season. Wednesday and I are on our second round already which is nearly unheard of for us. So today is I'll just be hanging out on the couch watching movies with Wednesday and sleeping when she does!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I Tumble For You...

Hello! With the onset of my new obsession (DIY Storage) I realized I needed more than Google bookmarks to help save. Mostly because I wanted to share as well. Not every idea comes from a blog post and I found a way to save, share and comment on all of my favourite storage solutions.



Storage geek Screenshot

Enter The Storage Geek at tumblr.com! Yes, I have started yet another blog, but this one is so much fun! I can post to it at total random and since it is primarily a photo type blogging tool individual credit for every photo and blog post(if applicable) is given by tumblr itself. I love it.

I haven't a fancy button for it yet but if you click on any link in this post that says The Storage Geek you will be taken to the tumblog. Also, I have no idea how to comment on individual posts yet. Thanks to both Google and Disqus I was able to add comments to each individual post! I am still totally learning.

I thought I would share though! Do you tumblr? Leave a comment with your tumblog and I'll follow you!

Cheers ♥

Monday, January 17, 2011

My Crafty Weekend


Happy Monday Crafties! I hope your weekend was wonderful. We have mixed reviews from here at Wednesday Central. I threw my neck out, The Mister came down with something on his birthday and yet we rounded out the week(end) with a small dinner with close family. Whew, wish we had had more energy (and less pain) to celebrate but I think The Mister had a good birthday. I was the wrangler/cook/baker of the festivities so I hadn't time for pictures but I might be able to wrangle up one or two this week.
I wish I had a picture of the banana cream pie I made (The birthday boy`s request) and it was amazing. Amazing. I'll be making another soon complete with recipe. Mmmm pie.

You creations last week were wonderful! The following are just a sample, don't forget to visit your fellow bloggers and leave a note of encouragement.

I absolutely adore this faux stained glass plastic Christmas jar turned apothecary jar done by Erin of Luck & Bliss. Seriously, it is so easy, so clever and so cute it almost hurts. For the full how to and a hard-to-believe before pic visit this post at her blog.

The talented seamstress Donna of Comin' Home shows you how to create a lovely three paneled shower curtain with French seams. To see how to make your own, visit the tutorial.

And before you think that I forgotten Valentine's Day is coming up here is a great piece of word art by Bonnie of Somewhere in Craftland. I love the creativity behind finding letters around the home. I think I might even be able to make one of these for The Mister with my limited craft space. To make one yourself visit her blog.

And now it is your turn again lovelies! Did you bake anything this weekend? Sew? Scrapbook? Paint? Show us what you have created recently (Or not so if you are new) and don't forget to visit the link before yours to leave a note of encouragement!

     
          

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wednesday on Wednesday

It has been too long since I shared some pictures of my little princess! But, today I managed to snap a couple pics of her during dress up and so I thought I would share them with you as well as some pictures of the (work in progress) dress up corner I made for her.


Playing Dress-Up
Playing Dress-Up
Playing Dress-Up
The mirror photos are bit foggy because it is old and the mirror is foggy. But Wednesday loves looking at herself in it. I still have to work a full length mirror into the space for her because she loves to look at ever her shoes on. She is such a diva!

Dress Up Collage
I found a the dresser at a thrift shop for twenty five dollars. Which between you and me I have never paid that much for anything from a charity shop, but this was just to perfect to pass up! It was already painted white and ready to be filled with dress up goodies. I added hooks to the sides for necklaces and wings. In the drawers are glasses (and clown noses etc.), play silks and shoes. In the white suitcase is a hat collection. On the little coat rack is her dresses and skirts.
The photos of Wednesday were taken today, the dresser photos are from before Christmas, and since Christmas her dress up and accessory collection has exploded, so I have to rework the corner but I have a few ideas in mind. For a few more shots of the goods you can view the Flickr photoset here.

Hope your day is fabulous and don't forget to "Curtsy while you think, it saves time." ♥

Monday, January 10, 2011


Good morning my fellow crafties! I type this for you stuffed up and dozy so if I forget something or my writing looks unedited, we ll you know why! Aside from that I have been a sorting and organizing machine! Unfortunately I am still ages away from the finish line but I am hoping to have you some photos this week. yes that's right I got my camera deal sorted out. Not only do I have a working camera but I have a memory card! (I cried in the wee hours of christmas when I realized my memory card was missing!) But now I can take pictures of my gorgeous girl, our new gorgeous kitten and of course my gorgeous handiwork!

But, this post is not about me (well not really) it is about you and your crafty endeavors! These are just a few of the lovely links from last weeks My Crafty Weekend.
 These gorgeous placemats were made by Steph of Silly Precious Piggies. For her mom as a Christmas present, wasn't that sweet?! To see more photos and get a quick run down of the how to visit her blog here.

I am inspired by this gorgeous Valentine rosette wreath made by Julie of Singing Three Little Birds. Doesn't it make you want to sit down and spend an evening making rosettes and wreaths?! To get the quick how-she-dunnit visit the blog post here.

How can you not fall instantly in love with this Anthropoly-esque scarf-necklace made by Maya of Little Treasures. To see more pictures of the pretty neck piece visit her blog here.

*sniffle sniffle*And there you have it folks, some of last weeks treasures. Ready to link up this week? What have you been spray painting, photographing, sewing and baking? have you been scrapbooking, beading or knitting? Please share with us you accomplishments! Below are some buttons which would be super if you added to your blog posts or sidebars but it is not necessary to play the game. What I do ask of you though is to visit the link before you and leave a note of encouragement. Bloggy karma you know?! Okay folks, have fun!


     
          

Sunday, January 9, 2011

CSN Gift Certificate Winner!

The winner of the forty dollar CSN gift card winner is...
Drum roll please!!


Comment number five which was The Sewing Dork who said "I'm a follower. Thanks for the chance!"
Check your email Cynthia!

Thanks everyone who entered! Hope we do this again real soon! See you tomorrow for My Crafty Weekend!