Don’t laugh…This is the current disaster in my sewing room.  I’ve completely neglected it over the last few months (yes, that’s my pink Christmas tree that I never got around to decorating).  But now with the new year, it’s time to get my act together.  You know your sewing room is in the same state of disorganization, so let’s get it cleaned up quickly.

A few years back, I wrote The ABCs of Spring Cleaning Your Sewing Room over on SewMamaSew.  There’s even a printable PDF for your convenience.  I know it isn’t Spring yet, but heck, you’ll be getting a jump start on it!

While going through the piles of crap on my cutting table, I found lots of treasures I had forgotten about.  Yes, the bags of fabric from Joann’s Black Friday Sale were yet to be unpacked.  It’s mostly more flannel that I don’t need.  I know…don’t judge me.

I did find all the goodies I purchased during a recent NYC shopping adventure with my dear friend, Sara Norris.  Sara and I met online about 7 years ago while sewing children’s custom boutique clothing.  When she told me she was coming to New York City for a few days, I just knew I had to show her my fabric playground (aka NYC’s Garment District).

Sara and I had a ball while her husband, Mike, waited patiently as we went treasure hunting.  Our first stop was Pacific Trimming—an old favorite of mine for rhinestone buttons and buckles.

We discovered a trim shop, Hai’s Trimmings Inc.,  I had never visited before.  This place had more high-end trims than the other shops I usually go to.  I was even able to finally find 24 row rhinestone trim to recover my bathroom switch plate!  This place was AMAZING!

Sara surprised me with the cutest spool of velvet trim she found at Antropologie.  Love it!

Now it’s time to find a home in my sewing room for all these sewing things.  Hopefully, once I get my kid back to school tomorrow, I’ll get back in the groove!  Hoping to sew a lot more this year than last!

It’s a new year and I’m determined to be more productive than last year.  There were so many things I wanted to accomplish last year, but didn’t.  I just didn’t have the physical or mental energy to get it all done.  So perhaps I need to come up with a better plan.

After watching an episode of Sister Wives, I had an idea.  Why aren’t there any Brother Husbands?  You know, a bunch of husbands that serve a Wife?  Think about it.

Jesse Metcalfe could cut the lawn, plant the annual flowers and clean the pool.  Oh wait, I don’t have a pool.  Whatever.

Ryan Scott could heat things up in the kitchen.  I’d even let him use my new bronze Kitchenaid mixer.

Scott McGillivray could put up the Christmas lights and do whatever needs fixing in and around the house!  He can start with building me a new garden room and then figure out how to retrofit one of the kitchen cabinet hinges which broke months ago.

Seems I’m not the only Diva that thinks like this.  Just think of the possibilities!  I’d have endless hours to craft and shop!

Now first let me say, I do love my Mr. Diva™…he’s a great guy.  He lets me be ME.  He doesn’t put any restrictions of any of my craziness.  And he puts up with all my quirks (like how I have to separate all my food on my dinner plate, no red in the house, etc.).  However, Mr. Diva™ doesn’t help with much around the house.  He doesn’t do yard work, can’t fix things and would never think of doing housework.  In his defense, he doesn’t insist that I do it either and he is more than willing to pay someone else to do it.

Guess I’ll keep him.  Anyway, what if all my husbands were sports fans who rooted for opposing teams?  And could you imagine the piles of laundry and the dishes?

Happy New Year!

Glamorous Christmas Stocking Tutorial

Go check out my Glamorous Christmas Stocking Tutorial at Boutique Cafe.  It’s part of Boutique Cafe’s Christmas Festival Traditions and Tutorials.

Christmas Confessions

Christmas Confession #1:  I’ve never let my kids decorate MY tree.  They can put their handmade ornaments on their smaller trees in their room.  I know, I’m a bad mother.

Christmas Confession #2:  Even though your Santa may wear a RED suit, mine doesn’t.  I loathe RED.  There is not a speck of RED (or Christmas Green) in my house during the holidays or any other time.  My Santas have Gold, Cream, White, Silver, and Aqua robes…LOL!

Christmas Confession #3: I like getting Christmas cards with pictures of your adorable kids.  Except the ones that include those annual summaries of their overachievements.

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

EDITED TO ADD:

Handmade Holidays 2011

Handmade Holidays 2010

Handmade Holidays 2009

Handmade Holidays 2008

I want to take this opportunity to personally express my gratitude to the lovely divas, Beth, Kristin and Lauren, over at Sew Mama Sew for their month long sewing inspirations!  You girls ROCK!

If you’ve enjoyed their Handmade Holidays, hop over to the Sew Mama Sew Online Store and show your love!

Aprons

Sew Mama Sew – Day 1 – Aprons

Additional Apron Tutorials

Pincushions

Sew Mama Sew – Day 2 – Pincushions and Pins

Additional Pincushion Tutorials

For the Home

Sew Mama Sew – Day 3 – For the Home

Additional Sewing for the Home Tutorials

Lunch Bags

Sew Mama Sew – Day 4 – Lunch Bags

Additional Lunch Bag Tutorials

Tote Bags

Sew Mama Sew – Day 5 – Totes

Additional Tote Tutorials

Blankets for Baby

Sew Mama Sew – Day 6 – Blankets for Baby

Additional Baby Blanket Tutorials

For Your Purse or Pocket

Sew Mama Sew – Day 7 – For Your Purse or Pocket

Additional Purse Tutorials

Whimsy

Sew Mama Sew – Day 8 – Whimsy

Additional Whimsy Tutorials

Fabric Ornaments

Mama Sew – Day 9 – Fabric Ornaments

Additional Ornament Tutorials

Ties and Belts

Sew Mama Sew – Day 10 – Ties and Belts

Additional Ties and Belt Tutorials

Reading and Writing

Sew Mama Sew – Day 11 – Reading and Writing

Additional Reading and Writing Tutorials

For the Table

Sew Mama Sew – Day 12 – For the Table

Additional Tutorials for the Table

Placemats

Sew Mama Sew – Day 13 – Placemats

Additional Placemat Tutorials 

Kids’ Clothes

Sew Mama Sew – Day 14 – Dress the Kids

Additional Kids’ Clothes Tutorials

Booties, Slippers and Socks

Sew Mama Sew – Day 15 – Warm Those Toes

Additional Booties, Slippers and Socks Tutorials

Gifts for the Crafter

Sew Mama Sew – Day 16 – Gifts for the Crafter

Additional Gifts for the Crafter Tutorials

Purses

Sew Mama Sew – Day 17 – Purses

Additional Purse Tutorials

For Baby

Sew Mama Sew – Day 18 – For Baby

Additional Baby Gifts Tutorials

Tech Gifts

Sew Mama Sew – Day 19 – Tech Gifts

More Tech Gift Tutorials

Organization Gifts

Sew Mama Sew – Day 20 – Gifts for Organization

More Organization Gift Tutorials

Pillows

Sew Mama Sew – Day 21 – Pillows

Additional Pillow Tutorials

Fun for Hair

Sew Mama Sew – Day 22 – Fun for Hair

Additional Hair Goodies Tutorials

Soft Toys and Games

Sew Mama Sew – Day 23 – Soft Toys and Games

Additional Toy Tutorials

Sachets

Sew Mama Sew – Day 24 – Sachets and Therapy Pillows

Additional Sachet Tutorials

For the Kitchen

Sew Mama Sew – Day 25 – For the Kitchen

Additional Stitching in the Kitchen Tutorials

Embellishments

Sew Mama Sew – Day 26 – Embellishments

Additional Embellishing Ideas and Tutorials

Gifts for Warmth

Sew Mama Sew – Day 27 – Gifts for Warmth

Additional Gifts for Warmth Tutorials

Drawstring Bags

Sew Mama Sew – Day 28 – Drawstring Bags

Additional Drawstring Bag Tutorials

Fabric Boxes

Sew Mama Sew – Day 29 – Fabric Boxes

Additional Fabric Box Tutorials

Want to see what everyone else did for Handmade Holidays?

Handmade Holiday PHOTOS on Flickr

Lots of gift wrapping inspiration over at Flickr’s Nice Package,  Crafty Packages and Presents photo pools!

There’s even a Gift Tag Pool on Flickr, too!

Check out Handcrafters’ Holidays–a new blog meme from Sew Mama Sew!

There’s 10 Reasons to Look Forward to the Sew Mama Sew Blog in the month of December.

Happy Sewing!

Because I don’t have enough hobbies, I bought myself an early Christmas gift from Mr. Diva.  And yes, it is BRONZE to match my kitchen.  Determined to justify this purchase, I proceeded to make some sugar cookies.

The first Sugar Cookie recipe I used was from the Kitchenaid Mixer booklet that came with the mixer.  Conclusion:  Rock hard bland cookies.  Total FAIL!

Next up, I mixed up at batch from a recipe at Allrecipes.com which received great reviews.  These cookies were at least edible, but not yummy like I had hoped.  Another FAIL!

I’m going to try this recipe from Moms Who Think which uses half-n-half and this recipe from The Kitchn which adds lemon zest, almond extract and cream cheese.  I’ll let you know how they turn out.  Do you have a great Sugar Cookie recipe?

On a brighter note, I made homemade mashed potatoes for the first time in my life.  The mixer whipped them up effortlessly!  They were delicious!

What do you make in your mixer?  I need ideas so my mixer doesn’t become a heavy paperweight (like my crock pot) on my kitchen countertop.

With friendship,

While everyone is busy doing cute Christmas crafts, I’ve had something else on my mind.  In mid-October, I lost my beloved Mother-in-Law, Mary.  She was the Mother-in-Law every girl dreamed of having.  I don’t think I had an argument with her in 20 years.  It’s hard to imagine life without her now.

I spent her last few days caring for her at her home.  It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do.  If you’ve ever done in-home hospice care, you know what I mean.

My Father-in-Law had kidney stone surgery (he’s 90 years old) and the doctor wanted him to stay overnight at the hospital.  However, I begged the doctor to let me take care of him at home to be with his wife in her final hours.  Thankfully, I got him home just hours before my Mother-in-Law passed.  It was heartbreaking to watch him say goodbye after sharing 65 years of marriage with her.

In the meantime, my husband got kidney stones and gout–losing his mom was just too much for him.  And I ended up with pneumonia.  So as soon as my husband was well, I checked myself into the Critical Care Unit at our local hospital for a few days.  With the help of some IV steroids and antibiotics, I was back to normal in no time.

We had buried my Mother-in-Law at the cemetery up the street, so we can visit her gravesite often.  Whenever I have a few extra minutes, I go and see her.  It’s too soon to add her gravestone…but we can add flowers and such.

I went to purchase a grave blanket for her, but couldn’t bring myself to settle for standard plastic poinsettias and bright red florist bows—not to mention dropping $150 on them.  My Mother-in-Law was too special.  So I made my own 4 foot grave blanket using evergreens, berries, ornaments, pinecones and ribbons.  My Mother-in-Law would have loved it.  It’s classy like she was.

 Black Friday Sale

It’s sale time! Now through Monday, Nov. 28, save 30% on everything* at silhouetteamerica.com. Get a new CAMEO tote for just $70 (normally $99.99), or a starter kit for $28 (normally $39.99). Best of all, you don’t have to wait in any lines or camp out in a tent. Just be sure to visit silhouetteamerica.com before the end of the day on Nov. 28 (MST) and use the promo code BLACK during checkout to save 30% off your entire order*. (Not valid for Online Store subscriptions)

* Offer excludes Silhouette CAMEO™, download cards, and gift cards. Promotion valid 11/25/2011 12:00 AM through 11/28/2011 11:59 PM only at silhouetteamerica.com. 30% off sale only includes physical products purchased at silhouetteamerica.com while supplies last. Offer not valid for Online Store subscriptions.

Do you want 40% off instead?  Use code “DIVA”. 

SECRET CAMEO LINK

The CAMEO will not be found in the regular online store, but only on the ‘secret’ Black Friday page: http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/blackFridayCameo.aspx

Using the promo code, ‘DIVA,’ you’ll get a nice discount on the CAMEO (note: the CAMEO is not 40 percent off, but will be discounted).  The Black Friday supply of CAMEOs will sell out, so make sure you don’t wait until last minute!

The Black Friday Sale begins at 12:01 (MST) on Friday the 25^th.  Codes will be valid through the 28^th.

50¢ Shapes

The 50¢ shape sale is back in the Silhouette Online Store. Over 20,000 designs (including fonts and printable patterns) are just 50¢ ea. now through Monday, Nov. 28. Whether you have a subscription to the Online Store or just like to dabble every once in a while, you’ll get more for your money this weekend from the comfort of your own home. And to make the deal even sweeter, they’ve added new designs to the store today and will add more Saturday and Monday, so come back each day to find out what’s new. For even better savings, sign up for a subscription to the Silhouette Online Store. For just $9.99 per month you’ll get $25 of credit to spend on downloadable designs – and at 50¢ each, you’ll really stretch your dollar.

50¢ shapes available for download only through the Silhouette Online Store or at silhouetteonlinestore.com. Offer not valid for other websites, subscriptions, or physical products. Promotion valid 11/25/2011 12:00 AM through 11/28/2011 11:59 PM only.

Enjoy!

Just pictures!  Enjoy!  Now to get an early start on Christmas decorating!

With friendship,

Nothing is better than some Italian Sausage and Peppers on a cold New York City Fall weekend!  I’ve had so much going on in my life, but I desperately needed to get back to my kitchen and share another one of my favorite recipes with you.  Thanks for pushing me!

First let’s talk about ingredients. It’s real simple—everything will taste better if you use FRESH ingredients.  Fresh pork sausage from your local butcher will ALWAYS taste better than some frozen sausage crap from the supermarket.  Peppers you roast yourself have a much better taste than those you get in a jar marinated in vinegar (yuk!).  Same goes for fresh herbs.  Now granted, I might not have fresh oregano on hand at all times, but I try to use fresh whenever possible…and you should, too.  Don’t be a loser.

Oh and on a side note…many Sausage and Pepper recipes use Tomatoes of some type (sauce, chopped, peeled, etc.).  I prefer mine without tomatoes.  The choice is yours.

Prep and Cooking Time:  35 minutes

Feeds about 6 Hungry People.

Ingredients:

• 8 – 12 Sweet Italian Sausage
• 4 – 8 Bell Peppers (Red, Orange and/or Yellow—NO GREEN)
• 1 Large Onion (I prefer the White Spanish variety)
• 3 cloves of Fresh Garlic
• Fresh Basil (5 leaves)
• Fresh Parsley (10 leaves)
• Fresh Oregano (pinch)
• White Wine (big splash)
• 3 Tablespoons of Butter
• Olive Oil (big splash)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Hot Red Pepper Flakes to taste (optional)

Fire up your outdoor BBQ, indoor broiler or stovetop and burn the heck out of your peppers.  Don’t worry…you really can’t overcook them.

Once burnt, put them in a bowl of cold water to loosen their skins.  Remove the skins and seeds from the peppers.  Rinse.  Tear peppers into strips.  Set aside in a bowl.  (Note:  you can prepare your Roasted Peppers a day or two before to save time  Just keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them.)

Brown your Sausage in a big frying pan with some Olive Oil over a medium to high flame.  Remove sausage and set aside.  DO NOT CLEAN FRYING PAN.

Add Butter to your frying pan and loosen up all of the brown caramelized gunk sausage fat in the pan.  Slice your Garlic and Onions.  Chop up your Parsley and Basil leaves.  Throw it all in the same frying pan you used to fry the Sausage.  Sautee until transparent.

Add roasted peppers, oregano, salt and pepper.

Stir in some White Wine.  And have yourself a glass or two while you’re at it.  You deserve it.

Cook until everything is tender.

Cut browned Sausages on the diagonal and add to frying pan.

Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Make sure Sausage is fully cooked.

Serve with fresh Italian Semolina Bread!  Enjoy!

P.S. – Yes, you can double this recipe and freeze it if you’d like.  However, It doesn’t matter how much I make…there is NEVER enough left to freeze…LOL!

With friendship,

Seems like my life is just dashing past me.  I have such good intentions, but spend my days doing projects for others.  Rarely do I get any creative “ME” time these days.  And I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get my crafting time, I get bitchy.  Really bitchy.

And yes, I’m selfish like that.  Although I love my friends, I need my solitude.  I need to spend time inside my brain.  There’s so many projects in my head that it becomes overwhelming at times.  Not like crazy.  But more like frustrated that I can’t do MY OWN stuff.

Selfish Seamstress – buy it HERE!

However, sometimes it’s not busyness.  It’s laziness.  Wait…maybe it’s not laziness at all.  Maybe I’m simply EXHAUSTED!  By the time I finish taking care of everyone else’s crap, I have absolutely no energy to do the things I want to do for myself, my family and my home.

As a New Year’s resolution this year, I promised myself that I would not volunteer to help others with their projects.  You may think that’s rotten of me, but understand that everyone thinks I have nothing to do all day.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t need me to do put together a small gift basket, do a little alteration on their new dress, or help them with a quick craft project.  Although I want to scream, “LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!”…I succumb to the pressure and give in to their requests.  And this builds resentment.  And quite honestly, I’ve had enough.  I really need to take the advice of Elaine, the Selfish Seamstress.

photo source

But here’s the thing—I genuinely LIKE helping others.  Actually, I probably thrive on it.  Sad, I know.  So I’m thinking my problem is more one of BALANCE.  Yep.  How the heck do the rest of you do it?  Between family, friends, housekeeping, school, blogging, sewing, decorating, etc.—Tell me how you find balance in your life.