Vicious Cycle

Why is it that when you really get in the groove of doing something consistently .... but for one reason or another get out of the groove ...... why is it so hard to get back into it?

I dont know why I had to be so cryptic about it. Working out. The vicous cycle that it has become for me. I worked out very consistent for 6 months and lost about 25 pounds. Then for 6 months I worked out sporadically and held my weight loss at a consistent 25-27 pound loss. It's been a year since I started working out, and I've all but stopped. The cycle of working out, stopping and then getting back into it is so hard!

I keep noticing that my energy level is next to nothing now. If I think back 6-9 months I realize I was much more energetic. I played with Case more. I was up and about more and felt better! Now it feels like its hard to pull me off the couch. But ... the next stage of the cycle is about to begin! My gym membership expired this month and we bought a weight bench set to put in our garage. I'm excited about lifting weights again. It made the difference in me actually losing weight this past year. We also have an older treadmill and stationary bicycle out there too. Soooo... I'm going to get up and work out and get back into the exercise cycle. :)

If I can lose 25 lbs 3 more times .. I'll be at a good goal weight for me! It's so much easier for me to think of it like that .... instead of saying that I need to lose 75 pounds! I just hope that it doesnt take me 3 years to do it!!

I also have a new goal of writing and sending out things for publication. This month I sent in a few things to Blue Mountain Arts for submission to their greeting card segment. If I dont hear anything in writing from them in four months, I can assume a big, fat No from them. But hey, you never know till you try.

Yawn

I don't know if it is because it's starting to become the dog days of summer, or if I'm just lazy ... but I'm so darn tired lately! Of course, it probably has something to do with a certain handsome little 1 1/2 year old boy that I chase around all day!

I've worked on the quilt some this week. I'm sick and tired of it being stacked up in pieces on the kitchen bar. I have two more border pieces to add to it, then it will be ready to quilt. It will be a king size quilt when finished. When I finish the top, I'll get my watercolors out and get started on them again. I miss painting ... but I'm having a terrible time getting started painting again. What I really need to do is get a friggin job. .... ugh!

I stopped using my self tanner ... and also stopped shaving ... hahaha.. Nice, huh. I sound quiet attractive ... lazy, sleepy, hairy and pastey white! I hope I can get by on sheer humor and big heart .... :)

Sew what!

Okay, it's Thursday evening and I haven't worked out at all this week. SEW WHAT! :) I have worked on the freakishly huge quilt that I started a few months ago. I attached a picture of what I have together so far. It should be smooth going from here, though. Mostly just assembling the pieces and sewing them together.

I'll get back on track next week and work out 3 times. I did do pretty good watching my diet, though ... and the scales show that I'm holding steady or even down another pound. I guess chasing a 15 month old around is some sort of exercise. right? :)

When I am finished with this quilt project, I'll get started doing watercolor again. I've been wanting to paint something big! I got into a rut of doing small art cards (2.5 in x 3.5 in). Those things sold really good on ebay for a year or so. When I had to stop doing art for a year, I just never got started selling again. Maybe this spring I can do that again. It was a little bit of spending money and I enjoyed having it. Actually, I think I bought our bowling shoes and David's bowling ball with ebay money. Not bad for "free" money. :)

Guess I'll swig on this bottle of water and then float off to bed.

by the way, I saw a waterbed at Furniture Row today ... I didnt even know they still made them. Sew what! :)

Self Tanner and Shaving ..... part two!

After I went to bed last night, I realized that I titled my blog "self tanner and shaving" ... but didnt talk about shaving!

Not that its a big deal or anything... but I can't leave it undone! :)

Since my legs are now semi-tanned .... I find that I'm much more inclined to actually shave them! Now, I wonder if when I get skinny (yep, when .. not if!)... will I REALLY love to shave my skinny, tanned legs?? haha ha

Happy Easter!

Self Tanner and Shaving

I use to love to lay out in the sun and get a nice golden tan. I would tan quickly, easily and hardley ever burn. Those were my young and dumb days ..... young enough to wear a bathing suit in public and dumb enough to lay out and get a suntan. :)

I guess I'm old and smart now. Old enough to know that I shouldnt be wearing a bathing suit ... EVER ... and smart enough to use a great lotion with a hint of self tanner!

I love the Vaseline lotion with self tanner. It really works! I started just putting it on from the knees down, so that when I went to work out ... the little bit of leg that shows from my capri workout pants would be tan. Now I look freaky .... because I've started putting the lotion on all the way up, but the top half is behind! I have a farmer tan on my legs. Ugh!

I guess my theme song will hold true ... "She's so vain!". Yeah baby. Yeah.

Why do boys eat dirt?

Seriously.... why do little boys eat dirt, and lick chain link fences? Is this some weird way that nature has to prepare women for the fact that they grow up to be grown men that can spread dirt through a clean house faster than a dust storm in the desert? :)

I haven't worked out since the first week in January. I haven't painted anything since late January. I haven't worked on my quilt for two weeks. Is there a pattern here? I'm such a procrastinator. I knew if I gave myself a break from the gym, that it would be hard to get back in there. BUT.... I'm going to! Losing 22 pounds has been inspiring to keep going. To be able to see a difference in the way my fat girl clothes fit is a good thing. Like my friend Dawn, I'm tired of getting clothes in the big girl section. They aren't cute clothes either ... :0

Now that my PMS has subsided. ... my house has resumed it's pre-PMS clutter. :) Oh well, it'll get cleaned in about .... four weeks. :)

PMS and creativity

I think that PMS zapps all creativity. Instead it gives me a big ole' burst of the grumpies ... the grrrrrrrrrrr's to everyone! And for some odd reason, when I have PMS I tend to "nest" like pregnant women do!

For example, this morning one of Case's refrigerator farm magnets slid under the stove. When I pulled out the drawer to get the magnet .... I saw crumbs! And dust bunnies! And more crumbs! And about four other farm magnets too. So, I hauled out the vacuum. After I cleaned that up ... I realized that I hated my kitchen curtains the way they were hanging. So I took down the middle panel. Then I realized that I hated the way my kitchen table was arranged. So I turned it sideways. And then noticed all the dust in the crevices of my chairs. So I dusted that. Then I saw something roll across the living room floor....and off I go ... chasing it with my vacuum ..... OOPS! It was Case. :) He had better watch out or I'll be getting him into the bath this morning too!

:)

So.... PMS must equal a very clean house. And all before 9 in the morning!

Cut, Cut, Cut!

Quilting is funny. You sew and sew and sew strips of fabric together. Then you make sure you press the seams really well. Then ... you cut cut cut it apart! :)

I have cut my strips into 2 1/2 inch segments, and now I'm sewing two of those segments back together to form a square. But I have to sew 438 of them together!!! Good thing I learned about chain sewing, and i'm conserving thread and time.

Havent had a chance to paint lately. Although I do have a nice pile of tomatoes sketched out for watercolor.

It's been hard to do all the things I want to do..... I've started doing jewelry too. I should really dedicate one day for a project. One for jewelry making. One for quilting. One for sewing. One for scrapbooking. And ... I want to crosstitch again .. so there's one for another day!

With all those day's fully scheduled... when is there time for housework and cooking and doing a "real" job?

"Pressed" for time

9'' x 12'' watercolor on Arches paper - SOLD - copyright 2004

I've got all of my 2 1/2 inch strips of reproduction fabric sewed together. Now I have to press the seams to one side before I can cut them and put them back together to make four patch units. I'm "pressed" for time to get it done, though. A little each night, and it'll get done eventually! I'm still excited about the project, though. Will try and include a picture in a day or two.

I have added a picture of a painting that I completed in 2004. I really love how the beach and sand turned out. Have a new goal for the week to try and get another seascape similar to this done and listed on eBay.

End of the line

Just when I think that things have settled down, the family is busy doing their own things around the house, and that the time is prime for getting back to my quilting...... just then, do I realize that I've reached the End of the Line. Line of thread, that is. :)

I had the perfect time to sit down at my Singer and start sewing some strips together for my next quilt. First I checked my bobbin and it was close to empty. I rethreaded the machine to get it ready to rewind the bobbin....and looked at the spool of thread and it only had a few lines of thread left! Sigh, the end of the line of the white spool of thread. And I didnt have any more white. So, my perfect time to quilt turned into the perfect time to play my new Nintendo DS. It's an odd coupling of interests, isn't it! Imagine if someone that was reading this knew I was into quilting....they would think that I was older, perhaps. If they read that I was into watercolors, they too might think I was older too. But, if they read that I love my Nintendo DS, my Playstation 2 and my Nintendo Gamecube...they would think I was a kid!!! It's funny that I'm in my early 30's .... and I like to do so many different hobbies.

The order of business tomorrow is to get to Wal-Mart and get some thread! I want to get this quilt going, because I found a new quilt pattern to do....a butterfly applique quilt!

Too busy to be creative.

all paintings above are 2.5'' x 3.5'' - listed on eBay

With Christmas just around the corner, it seems like I'm too busy to do anything creative. I'll look forward to the slowing down of the new year, and the onset of some slow winter days.

I did manage to create some new art cards to sell on eBay. I enjoyed creating this group. The giraffe is something new for me to try. It was a nice change from doing seascapes and parrots. I did a few zebra cards a several years ago, and they were fun to do too. I think that sometime next year I'll try to work on a new series of African animals. There is an artist that sells on eBay that has a beautiful print of some Hippo's created in watercolor. I love that painting so much!

I do have my sewing machine set up on the kitchen table. But I haven't been able to get out my material and ironing board and get started on my quilt again. That may have to wait until after new years.

The Stitch is back in town!

Well, my sewing machine is back from being serviced. Let the stitch begin! I'm excited to start working on my wash day stars quilt.

I've been working on two small 5 x 7 paintings to hang in my living room. I already have the frames and mats, and just have to complete a painting that's half way good to hang up!

New art cards for eBay

above listed on ebay - see link to right!

I've completed three more art cards and listed them on ebay. The other art cards I had listed ended with one (the sunrise seascape) selling. Anytime I sell a piece of art is thrilling!

A hitch in my stitch!

Chinese Coins quilt - crib size - not for sale


Well, there is a hitch in my stitch! My sewing machine had to be taken in for service today, and it wont be ready until the end of next week.

My sewing machine is a Singer with the standard different stitch options...buttonhole, zig zag, etc. I think it has about 8-10 different stitches. I got this machine as a Christmas present the first year my husband and I got married. After 11 years, I guess it finally needed a good cleaning!

So my work on my new quilt is on hold. I'm anxious to get my sewing machine back and get started! I had sewed two strip sets and the seams were working out great and the mesurements were exactly what they need to be.

The quilt shown in the picture above is my first quilt. I made this one after seeing the pattern in a magazine. The original quilt was very pastel and soft. But I'm just not a pastel sort of person, and when I made the quilt for my son....I wanted bright, happy colors! And it is exactly how this quilt looks...bright and happy.

Watercolor Art Cards on ebay and quilt progress

above paintings listed on eBay - click on My Ebay at right to view and bid!



I've listed three new ACEO watercolor art cards on ebay this week. One is a painting of a group of pink orchids featured on a dark blue background. Another is a painting of a green hummingbird perched on a small twig. The other is another seascape, but this one is a sunrise seascape. It's a bit different than my traditional ones, but I like it and wanted to list it to see how it would do.

I've cut all my 2 1/2 inch strips of fabric, and now I'm working on sewing them strip sets together. I'll be sewing and pressing for a good week, I believe. There were 134 strips, which will make 67 strip sets. Then I'll sew the sets together to form a four square block that "should" be 4 inches x 4 inches. If I've cut and sewn accurately, the measurements should be right! We'll see!

Starch is Worth It!

So I took the plunge and washed my new fabric fat quarters today. I clipped a tiny piece of each corner because I heard this would help lessen the threads from coming undone. Then I put them all in the wash, small load on delicate. When I started to take them out of the washing machine one at a time.... I quickly discovered a mess! All of the fabric came out in one, big wad. I just put them in the dryer and dealt with it later. The first picture is what came out of the dryer.

After untangling the fabric, and cutting away the loose threads. I was left with what shows in pictures two and three.

After a very thorough starching, the fabric is now ready to be squared up and cut for the quilt. It now looks like the last picture!

I'm a beginner quilter, and learn by making mistakes. :) The things I learned today is that maybe I will be one of the quilters that advocates NOT prewashing fabric. Or, next time I will try putting the fabric in a pillowcase to keep if from getting jostled around so much. And I learned that that $30 can of starch was worth it!

Art Cards, Watercolor and Lazy Quilting

Each of the above pictures are available for purchase. 2.5" x 3.5" watercolor.

I've started working on three different art cards or ACEO's. The seascape is a standard watercolor that I love to do. I'm comfortable painting seascapes. I enjoy painting them! Parrots are a great series of watercolors that I've done in the past. I can't help but paint a parrot art card every so often! Florals are something that I would love to learn to paint even better. If you could see all the watercolor books on my shelf that are about florals, you would know how serious I am about this goal! All I can do is practice and paint more and more!

I'm at a stand still with my quilt fabric. After I bought the new starch (and what an ordeal that was!), I realized that I needed to decide if I was going to pre-wash my fabric or not. The local quilt store recommended that I NOT pre-wash the last fabric I bought. They said that it was easier to work with the fabric that way, and they weren't worried much about shrinkage or color bleeding. But, the quilt I am going to do involves colorful fabric (reproduction fabric in strong primary colors) with solid white sashing borders. I'm worried that if I don't pre-wash this fabric, that it will color bleed into the white when I finally complete the quilt and wash it someday. If I put so much work into making a king size quilt, I'd be awfully upset if the beautiful repro fabric bled into the white. I'm being lazy debating on this. The real reason I haven't just went ahead and washed the fabric is because I'm lazy! I like the feel of the fresh fabric from the bolt, the feel of the sizing still in the fabric. I know it's easier to work with and will involve much less ironing and starching to prepare the fabric. I really just want to iron a little and get started cutting. But, I know if I want to do a good job ..... I should start out right.

So my goal for this week is to wash the fabric and then starch the stiff back into it! I'm also going to work on listing my art cards on eBay, and starting my Farmers Market Tomatoes painting.

Starch and Composition

copyright 2006 Michelle Ford

One of the parts of quilting that I love, is preparing the fabric. As my son was playing (on the other side of the gate!) I got out the ironing board, starch and my new 1930's reproduction fabric that I purchased on eBay. The first piece I ironed was a beautiful pink floral. Then I was ready to starch another piece, a lovely red and white stripe, and all that came out of the can of spray starch was white foam! Argh! Just when I had the time, and my son was happy playing.... I ran out of starch! Granted, this can is about six years old. :) Does that mean I don't iron much...or that I don't starch much? All bets should be on the first choice.

So I've now got a new can of starch....and it cost me $30. Well, not really...but by the time I was finished at Wal-Mart I had spent $30 on a whole cart of stuff and I had only really gone in to get the starch.

I've written the word starch more times than I've used it on clothing... ha ha ha.

The more I look at the picture from yesterday, the more I question the composition. I have another picture from that day, that is a closer shot. I'll add it on the post. I can't decide which composition I like better.

Quilt Fabric Arrived!

-photo copyright Michelle Ford 2006-

photo may not be reprinted or copied without permission from photographer

Earlier in the week I ordered a bundle of fat quarters, reproduction fabric on eBay. I got the fabric today and it's beautiful! It reminds me of the fabric that my grandmother and great-grandmother used. I'm going to make a wash day stars quilt with these. I'm so excited about the project!

I also have several watercolors sketched out, and now I just need to start on one of them. The one that I'm most interested in is a painting inspired by a photograph I took at the local farmers market several summers ago. My daughter and I had gone early one morning to get some tomatoes and peaches. There was a beautiful table full of red, ripe tomatoes. I had my camera and took a few quick shots of them. I'm sure that the vendors thought I was crazy taking pictures of food! The tomatoes ended up being delicious, and so did the photograph!

Macaws

"Macaws" watercolor on 9 in x 12 in paper - sold