November

♥[Credit]

I can not believe that it is November already!?!
Where does the time go?

I have a lot of plans for this month:
1. I have been working on some new products and want to get those in the shop
2. Set aside more time for good friends
3. Exercise! Remember this post? Unfortunately I didn't stick with my plan :( I hope this month to implement a regular work out routine [and stick with it!!]
4. Another giveaway :)
5. List something new everyday
6. Tutorials!
7. Make a cheesecake
8. See Harry Potter yay!
9. Start Christmas shopping [so I can for once be done my shopping before Christmas eve]
10. Add gift sets and gift certificates to the shop

What do you have planned for this month?
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Heat Wave

This weekend was H-O-T!

The temperatures here in Maryland hit over 100 degrees.
I spent the weekend inside, staying cool in the air conditioning and sewing a couple of hobos [although it still gets really hot with the iron on all day].

[credit]

Today I start my exercise plan.
My goal is to work out 30 min a day/ 5 days a week. Then increase the time after a month. I plan to do a mix of cardio, yoga, and strength training.
I figure there is no better time than now to make good habits. I find it very difficult to keep to a workout routine but I feel like exercise is really important to your overall health [even though I hate it :P]. I am really determined to stick to it [this time]. Wish me luck!

A Lovely Day

Today was one of those great days.

The weather was perfect.


I found a four leaf clover.


I got started on this pile of pouches (with two new designs) I cut out over the weekend


This weekend was great (and busy) as well. Saturday my boyfriend and I headed down to Baltimore in support of a friend for the Take Steps for Chrohn's & Collitis walk (click here for more information and learn how to help).

On Sunday we went to a really nice and relaxed co-ed baby shower. The morning started out with thunderstorms, but by the time the shower had started, the weather had cleared up and it was beautiful. I played horseshoes and was embarrassingly terrible, although I did improve as I played :)

Then we went out for a fabulous dinner with my boyfriends family- which was delicious.

I hope your weekend (and today) was just as lovely!

Organize [ribbon]

Earlier this month I did a complete overhaul of my sewing room.
My main goal at the start of 2011 was to get organized. After the holidays, my sewing room looked like a tornado had hit. This really hindered my productivity and was a bit overwhelming.

Now my room is fresh and clean - and everything has a spot :) This makes me feel so much better and it looks so nice! I can go in and I quickly get started. No time wasted looking for tools or creating a space for work. Now I just get to it. It is quite refreshing.

I will start off this organizing series with my favorite change that I made to stay organized in 2011. Finding a place for my ribbon.

I wish I would have a taken a before picture, but it completely slipped my mind. So you will just have to use your imagination :)

I used to keep all my ribbon stacked in an old caboodle case [you know like the flip top case all the cool girls had in middle school]. It was overflowing with messy spools of ribbon and it was so stuffed it would not close all the way. It was a mess and a pain to find the ribbon I needed .



I really wanted to consolidate my ribbon collection, so I decided against using a ribbon rack. I thought that it would take up too much space. Instead I cut out 3 x 4 inch cards out of thin cardboard. I then wrapped each card with a single color of ribbon and placed all of the ribbon cards in rows in a plastic storage container.

I love it [and it was really simple]. Every shade of ribbon is easy to get to. I can see all of the colors so I can just grab the ribbon I need instead of searching through spools. Plus it has saved a lot of space and it looks so much better.

Road Trip

My trip to Colorado was great!

The ride out was long, but I travel well. My family has been driving across country since I was a little one, so I am no stranger to a long drive.

The Drive

The drive was relatively uneventful; some winter weather, a lot of sleeping, reading, and watching DVDs. We did see a police chase which was kind of exciting. I had never seen that before, so that was a first.

Cool Fisherman

When we reached Colorado the temperature had dropped 40 degrees and was a snowing pretty heavily. We almost did not make it to the condo we were staying at, the roads were pretty bad. But we made it safely. The condo was lovely and had an amazing view.

Breckenridge

Snowboarding was great. Colorado is truly a beautiful state. I loved the long runs and variety of trails. We went to three resorts: Keystone, Vail, and Breckenridge. All ski areas were incredibly beautiful and had a ton of runs. The snow was not as good as I expected and I had a bit of altitude sickness- but all and all I got some great snowboarding in and had a blast with the family.

A Picture in the Condo

After the short time we were back in the car again. I have to say I missed my sewing machine and since being home have been hard at work on some new designs and old favorites. I am just waiting on a *new* camera to take some new pics and improve some old. Exciting- stay tuned!

Keystone