Write a Book or not to Write a Book?

Been sitting here for a few hours and thinking, you know the last couple of weeks I've had a lot of time to think and it's just amazing of all the things you think of at times. But tonight I've been thinking I really want to write a book. Even if it never gets published or no one reads it. I want to write something that's about my life including all my experiences plus branch out into the craziness of life that is my friends, family and people I've met along the way as I remember it. There will probably be some embellishments on some of the stories but will definitely be as true as I could possible remember it. I know this sounds like one of my crazy ideas but I feel it's something I really need to do for some reason. I think the hard part now is where to start and what to do. I have the idea in my head and the story is all there, now it's just getting it down in ink so to speak. I'll just have to keep looking online on how to begin. Mainly it's the organizing or what the book will be who is gonna be in it and how it's going to flow from beginning to end.

Exchanging a gift that someone gave you.

So I'm reading this article online about how to go about exchanging a gift given to you on christmas and then I get down to the comments section where people get all high and mighty and i'm just shocked

So someone you know be it a family member , your BF/GF or a friend got you a gift for Christmas, and it falls in the many categories of Gift FAILS ( too small, too big, ugly, no use for it, not something you wanted, etc... ) OMG! What do you do now? well here is what I have to say about that.

First let me just say if someone doesn't know you well enough by now to know what you like or would want then they really shouldn't be getting you something without trying to atleast find out. I don't mean to sound so cold or want to come off that way in this post but I think it needs to be put out there cause you know all us have been on the receiving end of a bad gift and some of us have been on the other end and gave a bad gift.

CLOTHING
Major issue. When someone gifts you clothing it usually always ends in tragedy. It's either too small, too big, really ugly or just something you'd never be caught dead in. Usually most of these items come from your parents or grandparents and sometimes from friends, GF's & BF's. So to avoid these issues on Clothing gift fails here are some helpful hints for both parties.

Receiver - Do your self a favor make up some kind of index card style gifting stats on yourself for people. Sadly certain people in your life really should know you by now and should really know better but unfortunately that's not always the case. Something like this can really come in handy but it can also back fire. Don't hand them out to everyone, just the people you know who usually get you these kind of things and need to know you garment stats. Basically just list you sizes and fits, color choices, fabric likes and dislikes maybe even allergies. Something like this can avoid hurting someones feelings when you get something you don't like and can also save you the hassle of having to return and exchange a gift cause honestly who wants to go through all that.

Giver - OK i'm gonna just come out and say it. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUYING FOR! And from that if you're still content on buying clothing for someone I'd suggest asking that person what they like and don't like and what size they may be. You don't have to be out right with it but you really do need an idea cause going in blind when it comes to clothes for someone else can be disastrous. OH and Moms, Dads, BF's & GF's, if you don't know by now what those people like then SHAME ON YOU! OK, so say you did things the right way and you think you got them what they wanted but aren't totally sure. Please leave the receipt in the box with it just in case and let them know it's ok if they take it back or exchange it .

ELECTRONICS
This one can be alil easy but still tough so again here are a few tips.

Giver - I'd say no matter what it is electronic that you give just make sure that a receipt is given with it incase something happens where they have to take it back especially if it say a warranty. one But really if you know the person you are gifting for is tech savvy you should really know what they'd like or want as far as this subject goes.


So this one is for everyone. Money and Gift Cards.
OH what a wonderful delight to get. I can't tell you how much I love it.

Giving money can do no wrong just realize who you're giving money to, to determine how much you want to give.

Gift Cards can be alil tricky though. This is when you really need to know who you're giving it to. There are all types of gift cards out there. The best kind are the ones that are basically like prepaid credit cards or all purpose gift cards. Can be used just about anywhere for anything. Usually your best bet and the best way to go if you know your person if really picky. Store specific gift cards you just want to make sure you know where that person shops alot. Same goes for Restaurant gift card, give them one to somewhere they eat at alot or like.

That should cover your basics. I know there are so many more things I could have added but these are the Major issues  and my opinions on them . I hope this was helpful.

Dec 12th Updates

Hey Peoples :)

OK, so what kinda news do I have for you today? Let's see, well I'm gonna post some links to things I feel people should check out. And I'm gonna tell you about the progress of some things I'm working, plus some other random stuff going on in my life. So let's get started shall we.

I guess I'll start off with some (Works in Progress).

  • Top down Raglan sweater. This one is about a child's size Small/Med. I'm knitting it in a Blueish/Lavender color and I've decided to add a lace pattern to the front of the sweater just below the chest. This is the lace pattern I've decided to use Orca Tails , just adapted to fit the sweater. The pics below show the sweater at It's early stages. I'm more the a 3rd down the body of the sweater already but have set the project aside to take a break from it for a moment.
 
  • Neck Cowl / Short Scarf. This item is for a friend. He's been eying this thing for sometime from a Knit Wear designer he saw on face book, so I took a look at the thing to see how it was made and constructed and saw that it was really basic and offered to make him one because , well I wanted to and I just so happen to have the colors and type of yarn it was made in. Down below shows a pic of the item , not the one I'm doing but the original and I'll post links to their sites. 
  • abhaya fibers on facebook 
  • abhaya fibers on Etsy 
  • abhaya fibers Blog 

 So I guess now onto the music aspect of things. I've finished my mixes for World's Away by Aiden Leslie ( Facebook ) Still working on mixes for Tyler Jacob's song"Cry No More" ( Facebook , Official Site )
"Party of the Year" Jipsta ft Sandy B is finally out and doing well got news that we made #2 Breakout on the Billboard Dance Charts. This is a song I produced ( Diva Nation ) for him early in 2009 that's finally seeing the light of day. Oh and I'm also working on stuff for Mila Jam.

OK so now on to the Links YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

  • Very Pink Knits ( Website , Youtube ) I love this lady. The tutorials on her youtube page are GREAT, I couldn't recommend a better place to find videos on hand knitting patterns online. The cool thing is she doesn't really give you the actual patterns or measurements in the video she just helps you work through her patterns that are available for purchase on her site. I got hooked (no pun) when I saw her Socks videos. SOOOOOOO great. 
  • Diana L. Sullivan ( Youtube , Blog ) I came across Diana's sites through Ravelry. I'm on a BOND sweater machine knitting group on there and she posted a link to her BLOG which also contains the videos she has on her Youtube page. Very helpful stuff and so useful too. Go take a look. 
This is basically all the stuff that's going on for me right now. I have to give my sister a ring tomorrow while I'm thinking about it. I'm supposed to house sit for her over Christmas while her and her hubby travel. My mom was supposed to do it but unfortunately she passed away the Friday after Thanksgiving. So my sister asked me to do it and I gladly said yes. I'm still trying to find a job but I think the hunt is going to have to wait till after the holidays. I really want to work again. Being broke and not being able to help the hubby out with the bills really sucks and is getting me down. Hopefully the darkness will pass and the light will once shine again but for now it's just 1 day at a time. The House cleaning is still a slow and steady process but it's getting done. I started on the living room but I think what I wanna do next is tackle the basement so that anything that needs to be moved down there can be . I'm going to concur this house if it kills me. I really want a CLEAN house to live in for once. Well I guess that's it then for now . Till next time :)

Not So Happy Holidays

Hey Everyone,

Well where do I start? I guess with the bad news. I never thought it would happen this soon but such is life and things just happen out of nowhere. I've had the unfortunate experience of having my Mother pass away on Friday Nov. 26th. I knew she wasn't doing well health wise for the last few month but she fought long and hard to try and keep her spirits and her health up for everyone. Luckily she got to spend time with her grandchildren before she passed. I'll truly never get over my mothers death because she meant the world to me even in our times of disagreement I still loved her to death (and beyond) thankfully she knew how much I loved her and with that I think it was easy letting go and getting past the fact I'd no longer see her again. I have my memories and she'll always be with me in my heart and hopefully she's still around me keeping an eye out on me as I move forward in life. Mama you don't have to worry anymore now, no more pain and suffering.

Now on to some positives. I started working on a raglan sweater which will probably fit my Niece, Destiny. Start date was Monday Nov 15th worked on it for about 7 days then took a breaks the following week. I picked it back up around the 29th and now I'm pretty much halfway down the body of the sweater. hopefully i'll have it done soon.

Also I'm making some great progress on the the cleaning in the living room. Got a little frustrated tonight cause I got to a section that was alot of his stuff and he's picky about what get touched or tossed etc... so I stopped but I'm about to go back and get started again cause if I stop for too long now I'm not sure I'll get anything done. OH and why is it that when you're trying to clean it just feels like you're making a bigger mess LOL.

I'll post again soon I promise, no month at a time inbetweens :)

when your past resurfaces

I never thought I would see the day when I'd have to face the person from my past who I was in love with and wouldn't show it to anyone. He wasn't even a boyfriend but a close friend of mine that wanted to explore and now he's come back to try and reconnect after 11 years. I'm not sure how to feel about it all cause it just brings up too many emotions and memories. He was asking me what I've been up to and if I still thought about him and that I shouldn't forget where I came from. But you know after I came out, not many people that were in our little group of friends stuck around to be my friend. A majority of them moved on and had their own life that didn't include me and to be perfectly honest I'm kinda OK with that. I'm also hoping that by reconnecting with this person he doesn't expect me to just pick up where we left off 11 or so years ago cause I'm in a relationship with someone right now and I just can't be doing that kinda stuff. I told him how I felt about him back then and how it affected me. He didn't realize I had such strong feelings for him in the end. And I never really forgot about him, he was my first after all. How can you forget your first? OK so I keep pausing on this lil blog every now and this for this entry cause he keeps talkin and the more he does the more I just don't care so I guess I'm over it .

Rain Rain go away!

Hey Everyone,

Wow, It's Oct 6th already and I could have sworn I just wrote a blog entry yesterday. Silly me, the days are just running together anymore. So I've made some cleaning progress with the house, nothing huge but some small steps in the right direction and I think the rest of the day I'll be doing various things around the house so that I can get this place into order. I'd really love to start on the basement and get that all sorted out with so that I can set up a nicer work area down there and maybe even actually get to move the stuff out of the dinning room and maybe even the back room so we have an actual house. It's time to get the hubby's butt in gear so we are on the same page. I'm sure he's think well if i'm home now alot and not working I should be doing something but I think he should at least help me alil bit you know. So yeah where was I? LOL Oh yeah cleaning. I'll most likely start with some laundry today and organize that and maybe see about getting Purple Heart to pick up some things. I know we have tons of stuff here that he nor I wear that can be given away or sold. Alot of other things I had in mind I wanted to do personally I will be putting on the back burner for the time being because of things out of my control. As for the job tip, It's coming slowly and I've applied for a  few places online so I'll be waiting to hear back from them in the next couple of days to weeks but I'm still keeping an eye out for any job opps that may come up.

As for my crafting stuff, I'm so excited to started on working on some new things but I really want a fresh and clean space to work in before I really start on something again. I have the screen printing stuff, Knitting, Sewing and Crochet I'd like to do but with the confined space and it being so messy and restricting I feel like my creativeness is getting sucked out of me.

Oh and this weather isn't helping me feel better either will it just stop and be regular fall weather for once LOL.

Anywho I guess that's all for today, till next time :)

September Closing Update

Hi everyone,

     So there has been alot going on the last couple of weeks. I've got some good news and some bad news. Let me get the bad news out of the way since it's only 1 thing which is that 2 Thursday's ago I was let go of my job because I was no longer needed, the plus side is that it wasn't on bad terms and I am still welcome back there anytime. They did say they still needed me for 1 night to help out but I was an overall budget cut for them, but I needed some time to collect myself because just out of the blue being let go from your job can really do a number on you.

    Now on to the "Good" news. I'm working on a Crochet bag pattern, right now I have the bag section form and half of the fold over flap. I'm thinking of doing an optional closure design so that people can use regular buttons or metal snaps. Also I've been asked to Design and construct a Fanny Pack from an existing one that is no longer usable. So I'll be working on this as well and once I'm done with that I'll have another item to add to my Original designs.  Once I finish the crochet back i'll post some pics.

   In the weeks to come I really want to get the ball rolling on my Etsy store and maybe a website. I'd really like to try to have alot of my Items for sale be custom but at the same time I want stuff that's already made that they can buy and not really have to wait for it to produced and ship.

recap august till now

So i finally got the Charity AIDS Awareness quilt done for the Summer Games Auction. we had set the starting bid @ $100 but it wouldn't even go for that so it's on hold till the next event coming up. kinda sad no one wanted it. Oh well.  but here is a Pic of it.


Been working on some other things as well. some more handbags and lil change purses. stuff to start off with for an online store. also have 3 quilt tops that need to be made into full quilts. one is the star one i made for me , the other is a asian inspired one and the 3rd one is a Nine inch Nails one i made for an old friend for a present.

It's been awhile.

I'm not sure where to start, August was a very stressful and hectic month and September is looking to be just as stressful. I'm trying to work on a few things at the moment. I have a crocheted afghan in the works its blue and purple and i've also learned out to quilt as you go. much easier since I don't have a HUGE working area. In the process of finishing a quilt for an A.I.D.S. charity. not sure what else to write just wanted to through something on here to close up the gap alil. once I get some things done i'll update this again . see ya then. I'm Out!

OMG time for a rant

OK, now a lot of the crafting I've been doing I've learned by watching videos online mainly via YouTube, but I've just about had it with the eHow / Expert village videos. I mean COME ON, how do they get away with pawning this crap off on us as informative and informational HOW, I ask HOW? Let's see,

1) The topics you look up aren't even grouped into play lists a majority of the time and if they are they aren't in order so you can watch it step by step.

2) why are they broken up into tiny ass videos like that if you are allowed 10 minutes a video then freakin make each section 10 minutes.

3) They are very vague, and I've noticed that with alot of ones I've had to pay for too. What is it with these instructors not being very detail oriented i mean come on the reason most of us are paying for it or looking and downloading it is because we are beginning and well some of us need it broken down to the most smallest detail.

4) The people doing the video are only out to promote themselves not really caring to much as to give you any info on what the video is supposed to be teaching you.

Oh yeah while I'm at it let me talk about these "CRAFTING" show hosts. There are a few in particular I just can't stand cause to me they are assholes. Let start with naming Martha Stewart and Sue Hausmann. These 2 actually bug me the most and here is why. Martha for instance has this better then you 1 up mentality. Lady can the shit you are no better then anyone else, why do you insist on having guest on and making them look like asses because they choose to do something in a way that you don't get over it lady not everyone is like perfect lil Martha. Ugh I hate it so much when people act like this and do that kinda stuff. Now on to Sue Hausmann. She may be a very nice lady but I think as a host of a she she is a real ass. Time your segments out lady. She always seems to be cutting her guests off on projects and the set up and just arrangement of things, WHAT A MESS! Poor people that go on her show I'm sure have a set up for their project but she is always cutting them off. How about you do some pre-production and make sure you have some time for everything you want to cover in your show, maybe some note cards etc.. Also some of the Stylicious girls
one of them and I can't remember her name but GOD does she always seem miserable and dead on the show or what GIRL snap out of it, if you hate it so much stop doing it. And again they are always cutting each other off with "well why do you do it that way I wouldn't" honestly I don't care just show me how to do it the way that is being shown and if I like it enough to want to do it myself I will probably end up modifying the pattern anyways to fit the way I work.

OK now on to some people I really like, Nancy Zieman (sp) she's not bossy, very informative, right to the point, let's you know that everything is just a point of reference and you can interp things any way you want to as long as you're happy with the final product. Vicki Howell, man I can't get enough of her she is just so up beat and easy to like. enough said. Fons & Porter are my next and last people to add right now. I don't really like them together but when they do segments when it's one or the other man do they have their shit together. I can't tell you how enjoyable it is to watch the show and not feel anger or have to roll my eye or want to turn it off is all i gotta say on them. Now I'm still kinda new being only a few months into the fabric crafts and almost 2 years fully into fiber crafts. I know there are probably a ton of shows out there i could be looking into but these are the ones and peoples that air on my local cable provider so it's all I can really judge on at the moment.

PS. i have a few projects in the works right now that I don't really want to prematurely talk about in case I don't finish them but I'll keep you posted as they are finished. 

More bags and stuff :)



new bags yaaaa !


YARN SALE !!!!

Hey Fellow Knitters, 
I have some yarn I want to get rid of to clear out my stash. It's mostly sock yarns that I splurged on 
last year. The deals were too good to pass up when I bought them but as my passion for hand crafts has moved to something else that I feel is alil more suited for me I've decided to clean house.

What I have for sale are 6 yarns from the 2010 Collection Julia's Yarns.
I've looked on her site to see if some of these are still being sold and most aren't but instead of me marking them up because they are no longer in production & to try to make my money back , I figured i'd just sell them at a lower price and give you guys and even better deal.
Yarns are stored in a Smoke Free Home and Pet Free Area. 

Also Shipping is $4.95 flat rate, so it's not going to matter how many items you get.
75% Super Wash Wool 25% Nylon / 50grams / 9 balls Available




100% Wool / 50grams / 10 balls Available




100% Merino / 50grams / 3 skeins Available

50% Tencel 50% acrylic / 50grams / 8 skeins Available




100% Bamboo / 50grams / 8 balls Available




100% Wool / 50grams / 10 balls Available




New Items I Made.

Here are some new things i made yaaaaa me!

Ladies Wallet #1
I have to get a zipper foot and a better matching thread for stuff like this
once I get the new sewing machine it will be easier. Still not bad looking though.

This is a Proto-type bag I made
not loving the final outcome of this but the design was on the fly so
I have to test the design a few more times
Maybe i'll do a long strap with D rings & loops on the side next time.


Box Pouch Bag 1

hey hey it's me again, so this morning before I went to sleep I decided i wanted to make a bag so I tried out a pattern. I added a few things to it but I think the pattern could still use another adjustment.


Wallet Project 1

Hello :) it's me again, so here is the first wallet I made. It's a Men's wallet, I used some let over fabric from the Japanese quilt top I made. It has 2 money pockets, 1 zipper pocket, 6 card slots and a snap closure. I got the pattern from Here. And I also have another one set up ready to be made. Once that one is finished I'll post pictures as well.

The stitching isn't perfect but the final product still came out really nice and the more I make the better they will end up looking.

online store venture

Hey Peoples,

So this is just gonna be one of those posts that I just talk for a bit. No pics just yet cause nothing there isn't really any need for them today. Awhile back and probably long before that I've always wanted to be in business for my self you sell stuff you make. I've sorta done that with some people I've worked with when it comes to music, selling them songs I've produced for them or remix work etc.... And even when i was younger and my mom was into crafting we made some thing and sold them even baked some stuff and sold it. But now i want in for myself and i know i have the know how and the talent to do so. It's just figuring out what people want to buy or what they will buy. I took up knitting cause it was fun but right now i'm rethinking that i mean i still may want to do it because I've actually invested so much money into that well i can't just give it up and drop everything now. Same with the Screen Printing on T Shirts, I've just invested too much money into it to just drop it and kick it to the side. Now I've taken up quilting and sewing and well I actually kinda love it cause i can see results faster. 

With all that said, I basically would like to open an online store that sells Handmade items by me in the following areas.

* Quilts, Pillow cases, Pillows
* Handbags, Purses, Tote bags, Woman's & Men's  Wallets
* Men's Underwear, Men's Shorts
* Unisex all over design T's, Unisex Screen Printed T's
* Patches, Stickers, Notebooks, Postcards
* Some Knitted apparel such as socks, scarves, hats, vests & sweaters
* Fabric by the yard, Fat quarters of fabric lines I've designed
* A section were people I know can sell their stuff through me

I already have the company name down and a logo. I just need to make sure that i have a few things ready for sale and where to sell and how to get out there and market myself. So of course i still have alil researching to do. Also i have to make sure i price things properly so that people will actually buy it.

Now my next major purchase is another sewing machine, the Brothers CS-6000i it's a computerized machine for a really reasonable price, I was going to get it this week but decided not too. I will be getting it with my next paycheck though.

Monday Shopping YAAAA !

so there really isn't must to talk about just wanted to post some pics of the stuff i got today while shopping. i went to Joann's and AC Moore today. we also went to 5 Below but i'm not gonna post that stuff cause most of it was Luau party decor for the hubby's B-day party / Luau Beach Party at the club in 2 weeks. so here are the pics.

roll of inkjet fabric i got from AC Moore
Got more fabric by Jay McCarroll at AC Moore (right side is new left is the stash i already had)
3 different bundle sets i got at Joann's
3 more bundle sets from Joann's
last bundle set from Joann's I bought.
I also bought 2 spools of thread and 4) 7in zippers
and 8 snap closures.

Japanese Inspired Quilt 2

top is done.

Japanese Inspired Quilt 1

so I started a new quilt top, it’s gonna be modern vs classic / traditional (japanese/asian influenced)
I took a fat quarter and (I guess you can say appliqued) pieces I printed out on fabric sheets with some extra Designs I found off the internet I liked. I used a close zig zag stitch to give them a patch like look. I’ll Probably square this up and use it as a center block.

here is a picture. 

FINISHED diamonds and zig zag quilt

yaaa its done.

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