AfroCentric Hips Bellydance Troupe Holiday Market 2014 performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppD_9GwXpPg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My sewing room friends!

Whipped these up up to keep me company in my sewing room.

Supplies:

Crystal candle stick holder from the dollar tree

Ribbon on hand, mine was 1 1/4 inches wide

Hot glue gun

Small mason jars, also from the dollar store, but you can get them from the grocery store or a yard sale.

First I cutoff a 9 1/2 inch piece of ribbon, then a 3 1/2 inch piece.  Put them aside.

I cut an additional 3 pieces of ribbon at about 3 inches each.  Then I took the top out to the mason jar lid and carefully glued those three pieces to the lid with the hot glue gun (just a lip drop), overlaying each on top of the previous piece.  If your ribbon has lines you may want to match those up, or not.

Carefully using the hot glue gun place a line all around the mason jar ring.  Take the 9 1/2 inch piece of ribbon and wrap it around the mason jar ring (do not add the lid to the top until after this step).  Make sure there are no holes between the ribbon and the ring (remember you are going to be refilling your little treats over and over again so you want a good seal).  Be careful NOT to put any hot glue on the inside of the ring (you won't be able to close the jar if there is glue in the way).  Also make sure that you completely glue the ribbon closed on the ring.

Take the 3 1/2 inch piece of ribbon and hot glue it to the bottom (or wherever you like) part of the crystal candle stick the same way you glued it to the ring (but with less stress on you because this one can't mess up you lid, yeah)!

Now, fill you special treat jar with M&M, Dove, taffy, caramels, or if you like dried pineapple, carrot chips, whatever floats your boat.  Then place your lid, with the ribbon side facing down, into your ring.  Careful not to ruffle your nice glue job on the ring (it was really quite easy and no stress, they are not that tight, so just plop it in).

Finally, place your lid on you jar, yeah.  Oh, but wait...

One more step.  Take the hot glue gun and place a strip of glue in the top circle of your crystal candle stick.  Center your mason jar bottom (actually I've done these with upside down votive holders, so whatever container you have handy will work) on the glue ring on the top of the candle stick.  Then quickly squeeze on a little more hot glue before it starts to dry.  Press down and hold for 30 sections or so.

Now, stand back and check out just how crafty you are!  Enjoy!

Until next time...

Love and Stitches, 

Steph!

Recycle and put to use!

Okay I found a great way to help me be a better blogger, ummmm.  I have it on my IPad now so I can sit and blog all my craft, sewing and redesign sewing room crap, I mean stuff, while I am in my sewing room working on projects.  I have also done some of the many things I have pinned on Pinterest that I will be doing reviews on.  

Here's today's recycled project.  Super easy.

I found this rack in one of our storage units.  It's the kind that you would generally hang in the shower or outside the shower for towels. Well I decided I needed it someplace else since it was not needed in our shower.

I also had these over the door hooks and lots of clear shower hooks.  The rack is hung on the over the door hooks we got from somewhere but could not use for the purpose we got them.  I used some shower hooks to attach the rack to the over the door hooks since the rack itself was also designed to hang over something.  The rack's hooks were too narrow to go over the door, even if it could it would not have allowed the door to close. 

 I took all my crafty design scissors and placed a hook on each pair and hung them from the rack. 

Oops, I also had plenty of a maroon plastic half curved typed shower rings, that is actually what all the design type scissors are hung on.  The other stuff is on the clear ring hooks. (Thank goodness for pictures or I'd never get the story right, lol.)

After that I took all my quilting rulers and rotary cutter and hung each of them from a clear ring hook and placed them on the rack as well. 

I am super happy with this quick and easy recycled project for my sewing room, which beleive it or not is still a work in progress, redesigning it. (Sigh)

Until next time...

Love and stitches, 

Steph!

Awesome rendition of 'I Need Thee'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_pnDWle0I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I made a dress in one evening!!

i found a remnant on the clearance rack for $2.25! I thought 'oh how cool - this ruffle fabric will make a cute purse'. got it home and opened. WOW, it was way bigger than i thought. so i thought um, a skirt would be cute and only one seam. sooooo, yeah, ended up with a little piece left over. i thought if only i could make some type of sleeves with it. So i did, completely made up, would probably make an experienced seamtress cringe at some of the stuff i made up, lol. but it's done and I wore it to church today and it didn't fall off. i even made a little slip to go under it. Love that ruffle material!

Staying Hydrated | Hydration and Exercise | Hydration During Exercise

Staying Hydrated | Hydration and Exercise | Hydration During Exercise

Why is Nutrition Important? | Nutrition Basics from EAS Academy

Why is Nutrition Important? | Nutrition Basics from EAS Academy

MiMi G's Olisa Smart Iron Review and GIVEAWAY!!

How to make leggings- DIY Tutorial

Sewing Queen, woohoo!!

I finally started sewing!  Yeah,  clothes that is (already sewing quilts).

My first article of clothing in umphteen years.  I made a blouse in high school home economics class back in the 80's.  I wore that poor blouse until it literally fell apart.  Of course it was RED, duh.  I never made another piece of clothing again, never had the resources to do so or to continue learning.  Before I got married a sewing machine came into my possession (freecycle, lol) but, that did not quite spark my interest in sewing as I had hoped it would.  I was too far gone into belly dancing and being Stake Single Adult Representative, so I had a pretty busy plate.

Once I got married, I came into possession of nice little Janome sewing machine.  At the same time I found our local quilt shop.  Only to find out month's later but before my beginners quilting class, that the store would be closing.  Bummer, but if you know me (or you'll come to know) once I set my mind to learn to do something there is no stopping me.  So I hit one the greatest resources for information I know, YOUTUBE!!  Gotta love YouTube!!  I found many willing to help me learn to quilt.  Now, learn to sew.  YouTube is almost better than college, lol (don't get you panties in a ruffle, it's an exaggeration of course.  I'm not telling your children not to go to college.)  Also as great as YouTube are bloggers who are willing to share all their great knowledge on a daily basis, and even greater still, VLoggers, because I can read it and then go to their YouTube channel and watch it!  BAM!!  I love it.  I'm a visual learner myself, you can tell me until you are blue in the face.  Until I see it, and put my own hands on it, I may not fully understand it.  Then I got a Brother's 75000 for my birthday and baby, lookout, here is becoming a sewing queen, with a new machine, you got the sewing queen, la la la.....  (in my head I heard the music to 'Dancing Queen', in case you were wondering, how the la la la fit in at the end of that statment, lol).

Ooohhh, we got our square foot gardening done and seeds are growing.  Oh, wait, I was talking about sewing, right?  Okay I'll write about our Square Foot Gardening on another post.  It is awesome.

Okay back to sewing queen.  So having my wonderful new machine inspired me to want to sew, not to mention the sad state that clothing has taken these days, (whatever, you may feel differently and that's great for you, but for me, it's ack).  So I was inspired once again to make the types of clothes I want to to wear so I don't have to spend time going through racks to find nothing I want.  Did I mention I HATE, no LOATHE, shopping.  How strange for a women, I think it's because I can't find what I want or either in my size or that will fit properly.  Of course, a girl is loosing a few pounds and toning up.  I LOVE teaching Zumba and Zumba Toning.  The changes to my body are awesome!!  Oh, right, sewing.

So I know have a half way complete sewing room slash craft room.  Still painting book shelves and making dry erase board.  But it's coming along.  I already have my sewing/craft table set up and my sewing machine cabinet set in place to work from.  I'll post pics of the before and after when it's all done.  Because it is one big ol' DIY project.

I completed my first projects last week.

I made this cute (to me anyway) little drawstring backpack:

Then this sweet little mismatch maxi skirt that I got from a blogger, check it out and tell me what you think:

I must say that I am so enjoying this sewing journey that I have begun.  You know I live to be creative and so this is just another outlet that allows me to do so.  If I couldn't be creative and even better bring that creativeness to reality it would truly be a sad world for me.

Well, off to work on my Toastmasters' speech for tomorrow, the title is "Square It Up!".  Can you guess what that is going to be about, lol.

Later updates and pictures on my quilting projects to come.  So much fun with that as well!!

Love and Shimmies, Steph!

p.s. someone wanna tell this newbie how to put badges from other sites on this site.  I have a few I'd like to add but have been unsuccessful at doing so.   ooh, I wonder if I can find it on YouTube!  LOL.

 350 Blocks Project: 2013 Update!!

April has come and gone!  How many wonderful blocks do you think I have made this month.  Well, brace yourself, a whole whopping 2 Churndash blocks.  Yes, I know, I hold my head down in shame.  The month started so bright and hopeful.  Then, 1 churndash, a few days later another one.  And then, n-o-t-h-i-n-g, nothing.  I am not doing so good on my block project for this year.

But I can do better, I must do better.  May's goal is 31 blocks.  Ummm, okay.  I have some Betty Boop material that I want to use in a Block of the Month, and needless to say I am behind on this as well.  I want to make some hourglass blocks for another project, yes, that's behind.  Oh, did I mention all the cool maxi dresses I'm planning to make.  Yeah, May is going to be MY month!!!  Oh, wait, I gotta get all my seeds planted in our garden as well.  [sigh], umm, yep, May is going to be my? month.

Love and Shimmies [and out of breath], Steph!!

Crafty Gemini: Turban Inspired Headband-DIY Tutorial

Crafty Gemini: Turban Inspired Headband-DIY Tutorial: If you need a quickie hair accessory this is the project for you!  Super easy to make and a great beginner project! Even kids can m...

I love this and plan to make some for class!!

Steph!

RobbyGurl's Creations: Mini Menu Board Giveaway!!!

I would LOVE to have one of these!!

RobbyGurl's Creations: Mini Menu Board Giveaway!!!: On April 26th, 2013, the Menu Board will be celebrating it's 2nd birthday here in blogville! As a special gift from me to you, for all y...

350 Block Project: UPDATE - Jacob’s Ladder

I am soooo excited.  I bought this little charm pack on sale from our local quilt shop at their going out of business sale (right after I just found them, bwaaa).  I simply LOVE it, had no idea what I was going to do with that one charm packet, but the colors just popped and I had to have it.  After all, it was on SALE!  So I took it home to my little growing stash of charms and fat quarters. 

While scouting my favorite ‘go to’ site, come on, you know it, YOUTUBE!!  Can I just say I love Jenny from Missouri Star Quilt Company  (I’m going to do a YouTube video soon on all the cool projects I have done from Jenny’s tutorials, just my way of saying ‘Thank You Jenny’).  Well one day while going through the list, there it was.  The perfect quilt for my little charm packet.  I couldn’t wait to try it.  This would be the first time I’d be making big blocks like this and I was a bit worried (although each block consists of five 4-patches and 4-half square triangle units, which I’ve made plenty of before).   I had to make many, many trips to the store to find the perfect green and brown to make my 4-patch units.  Finally I settle on a fat quarter each at the local Wally’s World.  To add even more pressure they (the individual units) had to be laid out in a certain order or there would be no ladder to follow.  Ask me how quickly I came to realize that…

As I made the blocks I laid them out in my portable UFO tote that I made, super cute (pictures and details to come next week, using supplies on hand or from the local fabric store bargain bin).  I did not consider how to put them together.  I was just so excited to be starting another project.  Not to mention having blocks to count for the 365 Day Block Project .  So the first time I laid them out on the design wall DS (darling son) and I only saw 4-patches turn into 16 squares.  L, After feeling a bit let down, thankfully I realized that I had not lined them up in the correct directions.  I was simply going by which design I wanted on the top on each block.  Ah, amateurs, you gotta love us (because once you were us J).  Once all the blocks were turned in the appropriate directions. There it was my very own little Jacob’s Ladder. 

o_O  , ummmm, yes I see the ladder, but… something still is not right.  Oh for pete’s sake.  I only have half of it.  I could only see 2 diamonds in the center, there were 4 in the example.  YIKES!  Quilt store officially closed and Wally of course does not carry these wonderful lines of charm packets.  OH NO, panic sets in.  What am I going to do, I need another charm packet?  Okay, went to Moda site, nothing, gone, no longer, I think they discontinued it.  [Thump!!  Head hitting desk in pool of tears.] Okay, breath, hit Amazon, ugh, nothing.  Okay, Ebay, nothing.  2 days later I refuse to believe I can’t find this on Ebay, so I go back.  No [sniff sniff] I did not find the charm packet but I did find someone selling the whole line in fat quarters.  Um, is it worth it to me to pay $40.00 plus s/h?  Let me think on that one for a bit (yes, I’m cheap, so what of it! Rather frugal!!)

I have the blocks on the wall in our bedroom behind the door (you just gotta love those little cheap 3 for $10.00 lap blankets.  I tape them to the walls and hang my quilt pattern on them, and until I made my UFO totes I’d rolled those up with quilt pattern laid out) because I already had a quilt laid out on the one in my sewing/craft room for another project I was working on.  So sitting with DH at our desk, he looks over and says, “I marvel at you (tee-hee J), you have to find the fabric and finish that.”  To which I look over and fall in love (with the quilt layout that is, you know I LOVE DH already).  He is right I have to finish it.  Hey I had to buy more green fat quarters and yardage of brown for the 4-patches so what’s a few more fat quarters of the whole line of fabric.  Besides, if had more of the fabric design I could go ahead and make it big enough to fit out bed or family couch cover while watching movies together, yeah…  Looks like it’s off to Ebay I go.

For the Month of March my little Jacob’s Ladder has helped me in my 350 block project count with 10 blocks plus 2 blocks from another project equals 12 blocks for the month.  Not a lot, but it is progress and it means I worked on some blocks last month.  So, that would be February’s 20 plus March’s 12 equals 32 for the year so far.  Yeah Me!!  Of course the count was for 28 in February which is when I found the project and started.  For March the goal was 31 and for this month, April it’s 30.  I have to play catch up, not to mention the 17 for January (which I was not a participant in the project at that time).  WOW, I’d better get busy. 

Jacob’s Ladder inside one of the new portable UFO totes I just made.

My finished yet unfinished Jacob’s Ladder on the design wall!

Love and Shimmies, Steph!!

Shimmy and more: Go Red For Women ™ presents: 'Just a Little Heart Attack'

Great Reminder Ladies!!

Shimmy and more: Go Red For Women ™ presents: 'Just a Little Heart Attack'

Tuesday Tinklers

I thought of another way to help me to consider the things I've learned throughout the week and help me get in the habit of blogging.  So I will try really really really hard to do a post every Tuesday of all the special, spiritual, inspirational, motivating, and thoughtful ideas tinkering around in my head.  Hence the name Tuesday Tinklers.

To start off this week I'd like to share with you one of those magical moments when you go, "Ah!"

A couple of weeks ago I was in my craft room working to complete some quilting blocks.  I made a mistake that I really had expected to make months ago.  You see I've been teaching myself to sew and quilt (I'll say it again, don't you just love YouTube!).  I was having this major problem with my thread bunching up and locking my needle in place.  Once I would move the fabric there would be this little mountain of thread beneath.  I had to work with the crank to get the needle to come up without breaking and without damaging my blocks.  I tried over and over to fix this problem.  I kept unstopping and pulling fabric and catching both threads.  Eventually, I had an idea to get a better view of what was happening under the fabric while I was sewing.  I caught the top and bottom threads, wrapped the two threads around my two fingers.  I then pressed the foot pedal and let the thread wrap around my fingers over and over, watching every single move the machine made trying to see where the thread hill problems were starting.  I wasted probably a good half of a spool of thread, if not more.  I wrapped my fingers probably hundreds of revolutions and emptied 2 bobbins (they had been used previously).  Then I played with stitch tension and length, (let's be honest here, readjusted every knob on the machine in hopes something would work [hey, I did say I was a novice].  

I was dead set that the problem had to be there because that was the only thing I could not see while I was sewing.  I was convinced it HAD to be THERE in THAT spot.  After 2 (or more) hours and near the verge of tears I gave in.  I was making one final adjustment before walking away defeated and exhausted.  I neglected to say that during this whole time my foot remained on the pedal.  Barely hovering over it during those times of stopping to pull thread and readjust something (yep, wait for it...) Well, this last time I went to get the mangled thread out, I leaned in closer for a better look.  O_O  All of a sudden out of nowhere I felt this sharp sting in the tip of my left index finger.  I simply froze, wondering, 'um, that's an odd sensation'.  The pain was intensifying rapidly.  So I looked up and 2 major life experiences came to me.  Those are what I would like to share today. 

If you didn't guess it already, I had my index finger right in the path of where the needle would come down.  When I leaned forward to have a look, my foot also leaned forward and down came the needle.  Right into the tip of my finger (see picture below).  YIKES.  All I could think was 'Charlie Brown you block head'.  This is what I always say to myself when I do something stupid (hey it happens).  Amazingly I said nothing, I just looked and then it hit me.  

1.)  Take your foot off the doggone pedal EVERY time you stop sewing to make an adjustment (of course, new machine has a stop/go button, yeah)!! 

2.)  More spiritually:  It dawned on me if I had just looked up during those painful two hours I would have noticed that the top thread had come off track.  It was not properly in the loop that moves the needle up and down.  OH MY GOODNESS!!  Is that not how it is in life?  We are so dead set on doing it our way; following the path we want to take that we never stop and look up.  How many times have we refused to give up on something or a path that the Lord never intended for us to take?  During all that difficulty if we'd just stopped once and looked up to our Heavenly Father for guidance.   I could only see where I thought the problem was but had I just looked up I would have noticed that the thread was off track.  God can see our plan and even better he knows his plan for us.  He knows what we want to do and where it will lead us and he knows the outcome.  So whose plan do you think is better?  For his plans will lead us to eternal happiness.  

Of course, there are times when you have to go through something to get where you need to be.  But again if you look up the Lord can always help you to know the difference.  I have learned to be thankful for my trials they have provided me with growth and strength (well, after the experience of course, :-).  

Remember, Look up!

Love and Shimmies, Steph! 

Quilting in progress!

I've been working on several quilts the last two months.  I am having so much fun learning all the interesting blocks there are out there.  I finally learned to stipple on my little machine (thank heavens for the new darning foot).  A big new joy is that for my birthday honey got me a new sewing machine.  I call it my 'big girl machine' since a new quilter in the area stopped by one day to use our internet.  We were talking and I found out she was a big quilter with all the nice machines and such (and I liked her).  I told her of my issues trying to learn to stipple.  She asked if she could take a look and maybe help me figure out what my problem was with the machine.  One issues is that I couldn't drop my feed dogs and I kept getting this little thread hills, I call them, that would stop my machine.  I had just ordered a darning foot and put it on the machine but had not actually tried it out yet.  She saw my Janome and called it a kids machine, 'you know one you'd give your teenager' (sniff sniff, I didn't show or say it, but that kinda hurt my feelings, that little machine has been good to me and done all that I, in my limited capacity, had asked it to do).

However, my new machine that I drooled over for a month or so was  a Brother CP7500.  Just think needle down, thread cutter, drop in bobbin, 70 stitches, stop and go push button, backstitch button, DROP DOWN feeddogs, woo-hoo, oh and computerized.  I liked my little Janome just fine (and think I'll keep it, although honey mentioned ebay'g it.  O_O  ah, umm), but I love my new sewing machine.  It opens a few more options up to me and makes it easier to do what I need to do to make fabulous new quilts and to start sewing my own clothes.

Thankfully I found Prairie Moon Quilts: 350 Block Project. a month or so ago.  This will hopefully help me be more accountable for doing some blocks regularly.  The whole report in idea.  So for February I did 20 blocks!  Yeah me!!!!  Okay, maybe to some of you that's nothing.  But for a new quilter who is still trying to put her sewing/craft room together and learn other new roles life threw at me (rather I volunteered for [Toastmasters speech contest, Cub Scout Commissioner, rewriting my Belly Dance course, beat some education keep my 14 year old going in homeschool, studying all that can make me a better Zumba(r) instructor, marketing for my studio, etc... you get the point] and am enjoying to the fullest).  Of course I may have forgotten to mention that I probably did hundreds of blocks if you count the fact that I did the wrong blocks with the wrong fabrics for the wrong project, twice.  So I had to undo and redo, twice.  Have to always be mindful of what fabrics go with what projects when you have hundreds of cool projects running through your mind.  Don't you just love YouTube.  Shout out to Jenny at MSQ Co.  I have already started on my blocks for this month, today I will be doing my first blocks on my new Brother's sewing machine.  So stoked!!! Pictures of my blocks to come a little later, this blogging thing is still new to me.  I like to eat my elephant one bit at a time, thanks.

Oh, it's date night.  Um, well honey's a bit under the weather, soooooo.  If he just wants to crash and rest when he gets home tonight, being the good little wife I am I think I'll just let him go to bed and sacrifice my date night for his rest.  I mean, I can always just go to my room.  My sewing room, lol.  You know as I throw a bowl take a bowl of soup to him in bed.

Love and Shimmies, Steph!

New Year, New Me!

Okay, new year, new things happening, I am really gonna try harder to post at least once a week.  Plus I've got all these cool recipes and ideas to share and what better outlet than this blog, after all it IS already set up and waiting to be used.  

I will really try to share something weekly, so this week I'll start be sharing one of my favorite things to do.  Although I'd been away from my love for a while, when I started me beloved company Genoubee Inc., a Dance and Fitness Studio, I knew I had to get back into it.  I am still not where I was before but I'm slowly working on it and getting back into the shimmy (groove, lol).  Along with offering Zumba(R) [I have not learned to make the sign yet for on the blog site so I resulted to the old fashion way for now...I told her I was a terribly blogger, now you see :-)] I now offer Zumba(R) Toning.  The studio has been such an emotional blessing and such an uplifting place that I truly enjoy being a part of.  

I am also redoing my craft/sewing room.  This is truly a process, considering we continued to stack boxes in it.  But I painted a book shelf today, a rather interesting color for a bookshelf let me assure you and will add some stuff to it and see what happens.  Got lots of ideas floating around, more details and pictures to come, sooner or later.

Happy 2013, let's make it count!

Love and Shimmies,

Genoubee (Steph, not only is that the name of my studio it's my belly dancer name - it means the southerner.  You know I love the South)!

Hi I'm Steph | dancer, zumba, belly dancer, scouts, cub scout, wife, Mormon.

Hi I'm Steph | dancer, zumba, belly dancer, scouts, cub scout, wife, Mormon.