Blame her.

Don't let the cute face
gappy teeth,
or big bald head fool you.

She. Does. Not. Sleep.

She's over it.
All day long it's party time.
No stopping for naps.
15 minutes and she's good.

I suppose it was inevitable.
My mom doesn't sleep.
I don't sleep.
Now Janey doesn't sleep.
Sometimes I don't heart genetics.

How is it that I have a 5 1/2 year old that I can still get to take three hour naps (totally aware that she is the only human kindergartner that still does that), yet I can't get my eleven month old to saw logs during the day?

So my left arm is getting crazy strong, hauling around twenty four pounds of cuteness.


Hauling around.
Not sitting.

So as my inbox fills, just know that I am trying to get through my emails.
Little by little.

But for now I am working hard on this.
Launching this.

There is still time to be a part.
To change the world.

Email me.
Janey promises to give me twenty minutes today to get back to you.
Maybe even twenty three.
It could be a record.



Make some fun cupcakes with the kiddos.
They are sure to be gobble gobbled up.
(I'm dorky!)

Print happy tags.


Hire some local pilgrims to deliver bread door to door spreading Thanksgiving cheer.
(Or to bribe your new neighbors to disregard the crazy amount of noise that they have to deal with living next door to a youth pastor with a pool.)


Hello fashionistas!
Ready to get skinny?
Let's sew.


Take your scarf and your pins.
Fold the scarf in half, right sides together.
Pin every rectangle or so.
You could iron it in half first, but really, who wants extra ironing?



For this scarf you are going to leave both the top and the bottom open.
Take the top corner where the raw edges meet and line them up with the right edge of the foot.
Sew a 1/2 inch seam all the way down the scarf stopping at the end.



When you come to where the two pieces of fabric meet, be sure that the seams are laying flat and open on both the top and the bottom of the fabric.
Bunchy seams equal bunchy scarves.



Clip your threads and get a big safety pin.
Pin the pin on one of the folded down edges.



Stuff the pin inside the scarf.
Keep pushing the pin down and scrunching the fabric inside itself.
After a while the scarf will suddenly be right side out.



Almost there!



Fire up your hot steamy iron and place your scarf on the cute ironing board.
Carefully iron it flat and even with the seam to one side.



Cut trim to the rough size of the opening.
I wanted 3 pom poms so I am going to make it work even though they are a bit bigger than the opening.
Two would not cut it.
Set aside the two trim pieces.


In the middle of the scarf, line up one of the edges with the right side of the foot.
Change your stitch length to 4 o 5.
Move your needle over as far right as it will go.

This is called topstitching.
It makes the scarf stay together, closes the openings, secures the trim and adds overall cuteness.
Who doesn't love overall cuteness?

Stitch a few stitches, backstitch, keep stitching towards the end of the scarf.



When you are a few inches from the end stop.
Pull the needle down into the fabric to secure it.



Stuff in your trim.
I turned under the edges, smooshed it a bit and poof.
Three pom poms.
Yay!


Now continue stitching to the corner.
Roll the needle down.
Lift up the foot.
Turn the fabric.
Put down the foot.
Sew along the trim side.
Stop at the corner.
Repeat.

Then sew up the other edge.
Stop and turn at the corners.
Meet up where you started.
Backstitch.

Done!
This skinny scarf will get you through bad hair days, bring a pop of color to your dreary winter days and last you well into spring.

Congratulations!

You can pick up your diplomas and report cards after class.
Each of you get a gold star and an A+++!


Okay cold weather friends.
Are you ready?
Is your flannel washed and dried.

Let's go...


I had to iron my flannel.
The fact that iron and flannel are in the same sentence freaks me out. But I'm taking one for the team.

Open up your flannel.
Line up the edges.
Fold it in fourths with the crazy frayed edges together.
This makes the ginormous piece more manageable and gives you less to cut.
You will be only cutting out one flannel backing at a time.

Smooth it out on your ugly table.



Lay your lovely scarf on top of the flannel.
Carefully, with sharp scissors cut the flannel the same width of your scarf. I tried to do this with my rotary cutter, but the piece was just to big. Be sure not to cut your scarf, or to let the scarf move. They need to be the exact same size.



Now unfold the long piece of flannel that you just carefully cut and lay your scarf right side down on top of it.
Put a pin through both layers every square or so.



Trim off the remaining flannel.
You might have a lot, or a little depending on how much yours shrunk.



Save this scrap.
I am not a fan of letting fabric go to waste.



Get out your fun trim.
If you are making all cozy scarves you might need to go buy some more.
Uphill. Both ways. In the snow.
Sorry.
I'll be sunbathing as you dig out your car to go to the fabric store.
Or buy it here. My new fave trim store in the world. No snow blower required.



Cut the necessary amount of trim.



Open up the two layers.



Lay your trim inside the two layers.
The fun side in.



Close the two layers with the trim inside.
Pin liberally.



Go back to your new best friend sewing machine.
Use about a 1/2 inch seam.
Start in the middle of one of the sides.
Line it up with the right side of the foot.
Put the foot down.
Sew a few stitches, backstitch a few stitches, continue sewing down the length of the scarf.



When you get to a seam where two fabrics are joined, make sure that the seam lies flat under the foot. Bunchy seams mean bunchy scarves.



When you get to the end of one side don't panic.
Sew slowly and stop near the edge.

Roll the needle down with the right hand big knob, lift up the foot and turn the fabric.

Breathe.
Here is the only tricky part.



The trim will be at the left of the foot.
It will want to get in the way.
It will want to make you cry.
Don't let it win. Press it to the side with your fingers. Sew slowly. Take out pins as you go. Don't sew on top of them. Just make sure that you don't go too far to the right. You need to sew through all three layers.
When you get to the corner, put the needle down. Foot up. Pivot the fabric.
Keep sewing up the other side of the scarf, turn at the corner, conquer the other side of trim and start sewing down the other long side.



You will want to stop sewing about 10 inches or so from where you started.
This will be where you turn the scarf right side out.
When you stop don't forget to backstitch.




Carefully trim each corner on an angle. Make sure not to cut the stitching.



Open up the opening, carefully pull out the scarf from each corner.
How cute is it?



Get your hot steamy iron and iron it flat and pretty.
Make sure to iron in the opening that isn't stitched yet.
Almost done!



Take your freshly pressed scarf. On the middle of one side, line it up with the right side of the foot.
Move your needle all the way to the right.
Change you stitch length to 4 or 5.

Now this part is called topstitching.
It keeps the scarf together, closes the opening and makes it cute.

Sew a few stitches, backstitch.
Sew all the way down, stop and turn at the corners, meet up where you began and backstitch.

Now you are done.
Cozy.
Happy.
Done!

Holla!!!!
Can you stand the cuteness?
Do you love it or do you love it?



Remember the scrap I had you save?
Tonight while you are curled up on your couch, grab a needle and thread and make some yo-yo splendor to adorn the end.
Cuteness turned up to eleven.

Good job cozy students!
I give you all an A+++!



had two choices today:

1. Go to the beach
2. Write the final Scarf Along post.

Which one did I pick?


Totally worth it.
But for all of you holding your breath...
I was looking at all of the radness over in the Flickr group
and came to a conclusion.

I wear scarves for fashion.
Normal people wear scarves to keep warm.

The original scarves are skinny.
Fun, but skinny.
Perfect for a 75 degrees Cali day,
not so perfect in the snow.

So, I am going to do a two part post tomorrow.
One for finishing the skinny Cali-style scarf
and
one for adding cozy flannel to the back for
those who actually use scarves for their intended purpose.

If you want to make the cozy scarves, fetch a coupon
and head out to Joann's or Hobby Lobby and
grab 2 1/2 yards of flannel.
Then come home and prewash it.
Flannel has a tendency to shrink...
if you don't wash it your scarves will come out crazy.

But you will have to wait.
I need to wash the sand off my feet,
buy some flannel and Picnik some pics.

See you tomorrow.



I have loved hosting giveaways each Friday.
It is so satisfying to spotlight wonderful women.
Fantastic shops. Happy handmade goodness.

But I am going to take a little break from
regularly scheduled programming.

God has been stirring something in my heart for quite a long time.
It is exciting.
Big.
Scary.
More than I can do alone.
But I have Him.


My ultimate desire is to bring Him glory and change lives.

I can't wait.

Now I need you.

Want to be in on it?
Want to use your hands, your talents, your shop for
something much bigger than you could ever imagine?

Click on the Contact Me tab up on the left.
Let me count you in.

I can hardly contain my excitement.

It is going to be so very, very good.
I have been crying happy tears about it each and every single day.



I re-opened the shop and added some fun new flowers.
Half of all sales are going to buy water.

So shop and save lives.

Giddy. I can't wait to tell you what it happening!

Can't. Wait.


What would we do without Google?
How would our questions be answered?

Now Google is so creepily smart that it tries to guess what you will ask it.
Perhaps it picks the most frequently googled questions and lets you go from there. All I have to say is...
people ask weird questions.

Enjoy the screenshots.
Then go ahead.
Type "why..." into the search box and see what comes up.

Weird.




I have never owned a parakeet. Nor should the people who are wondering this. Paging animal control.




You probably can't own a Canadian because of weird customs laws or something.
Or because it's a PERSON!



If you have to ask Google why he doesn't love you, you probably have your answer right there. Sorry sweetie.



Your computer is so slow because you are spending too much time asking Google why your computer is so slow. As for the Pakistani... someone please call 911.



Something I am wondering is why doesn't my keyboard have a cents symbol?
Because it bugs when you have to type 50 cents.

Why did I have to type 50 cents?
Because over at The Benner Daily, you can find out how to make gifts for 50¢.

What's that?
Did I just type ¢?

Holla!

Thanks Trish.
You are better than Google.