Slapdash Saturday

It's been a LONG time since I shared links. I have a feeling this will be sporadic because I am not online as much as I used to be. However, I came across a link (the last one listed) and thought it should be passed on to others. Enjoy.

• Jazz Up Your Binding!
  Quilting / Sewing
• Chip's New Year Revelation

If there is any hope for all of us to move forward, to heal and to grow – we have got to learn to engage people who are different from us with dignity and with love. Joanna and I have personal convictions. One of them is this: we care about you for the simple fact that you are a person, our neighbor on planet earth. It’s not about what color your skin is, how much money you have in the bank, your political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, nationality or faith. That’s all fascinating, but it cannot add or take away from the reality that we’re already pulling for you. We are not about to get in the nasty business of throwing stones at each other, don’t ask us to cause we won’t play that way.

I think we are all here for a reason. I think we all have a call on our lives. Your role is not my role, and thank goodness, because there is so much unique and important work to be done. Jo and I feel called to be bridge builders. We want to help initiate conversations between people that don’t think alike. Listen to me, we do not all have to agree with each other. Disagreement is not the same thing as hate, don’t believe that lie.

Weekly Recap #18

{May 2 through May 8, 2016}

Gardening

• I have been dehydrating a bunch of parsley. I have way too much growing and hate to see them go to waste! The dehydrator I purchased works fairly well and I am pleased with my efforts.

  By the way, I see pickling cucumbers coming forth. I need to find a good dill pickle recipe soon. I found a tip to add a grape leaf to each jar which will help the pickles themselves remain crunchy. So, I shall give that a try as we have tons of wild grape vines growing along the fence out in the backyard. Speaking of which, I spied green little berries on the wild grape bushes! Just maybe, maybe we will have a good crop later this summer! I just hope it continues to rain periodically because this is what prevents grapes, berries and lemons to just shrivel up and die before maturing. I am watering our lemon and grape bushes when it has not rained in awhile. But, the wild grapes and berry bushes, I let nature take its course.

Quilting; Crafts

• I sewed up the Bordered Square-in-Square block. I also picked out fabrics and sewed up two Square-in-Square blocks. By the way, I ended up paper piecing the square-in-square portions. All of blocks are for section 2 of the Gypsy Wife quilt. I picked out fabrics to make an Old Maid Puzzle block. I just need cut the fabrics and sew the block. I also hope to sew all of the blocks and strips for section 2 together this week. We shall see – slow and steady wins the race.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• I was sick Saturday with migraine, stomach and even nausea / dizziness troubles. It has been a long time since I felt this way. I discovered one of the reasons why Sunday morning – TOM (Time of Month) came. I am sick of TOM. I wish there was a switch or a pill I can take to get it to stop completely. In the meantime, Dan built a bunch of trusses for the barn. I felt bad as I wanted to help him out.

  I was feeling much better Sunday and helped Dan finish building the trusses. We ended up having to run around to find more nails for the barn. I thought we could get it locally; but, stores were closed on account if it being Mother’s day and / or Sunday. Silly me, I forgot. So, we ended up making a run to the city for supplies.

  We attempted to put up a truss Sunday afternoon and failed utterly. It was tough because I have a fear of heights and ladders. As long as I feel safe, I can overcome that fear. However, I just cannot climb a ladder while simultaneously hauling something. We made scaffolding out of a ladder and it just was not high enough for me to hold a truss up. Dan is taller than I and even he failed. We eventually did figure out a way to get a truss up and even nailed it down; but, we could not secure it properly. So, we had to admit defeat and call it quits.

  Dan researched online for ways we can build the roof with just the two of us and discovered many possibilities. It is just a matter of him deciding which method is best (and safe) for both of us to us before the weekend comes. We may be defeated; but, it’s only temporary. We will not be down for long. We will find a way and we will succeed.

Some Links to Share

• Free Sewing Tutorial: Beside Pockets Organizer.

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.

~ Ruth Bell Graham ~

Slapdash Saturdays

I apologize in advance because today's links seem to be all quilting and sewing related. If you're not interested in sewing or quilting, skip reading the rest of this post.

• Log Cabin Spool Quilt Block Pattern

  {Quilting; Sewing; Paper Piecing technique
  Note: There are two links to similar block patterns besides the one at this link that are also very cute. And, two more already have been released. Just click on the "fresh spool series" tag at the bottom of post to see the other blocks.}

• Recycled Shirt Cuff Pouch

  {Sewing; This is clever! I plan on saving shirt cuffs from Dan's old shirts when I finally make the old jeans quilt! :-) }

• Understanding Scale: A Little Trick

  {Dealing with large scale prints (fabrics), I think I will no longer be afraid of large prints!}

• Continuous Bias Binding

  {Sewing/Quilting; “Rather than cutting individual bias strips, you can cut and seam a square to make a continuous bias strip. Start with a square or rectangle of fabric.”}

• Free Paper Foundation Piecing Tutorial

  {Sewing; Quilting}

• How to Sew a Boxy Quilted Zipper Pouch

  {Free; Tutorial}

• Catnip Pillow Toy Tutorial

  {Sewing}

Slapdash Saturday

• Salt Spout Mason Jar

  {Repurposing; reusing. This is wonderful for a mason jar freak like me!}

• Crochet Doily Trivet – Free Pattern
• Good Neighbors – a Pincushion Party and Pattern

  {Free Paper Piecing pattern}

• How to Join Batting (Scraps)

  {Quilting}

• 10 Extremely Bizarre Phobias

• The Camera Bag of a Professional Traveler

  {Photography; The exception is that I do take a flash for indoor shots. Not professional. I know. Lazy I am.}

• Free Geektastic Printable

  {An Oldie but Goodie –Periodic Table of Sewing Elements}

• Quiltmaker Treasure Hunt (Win Big Prizes)

  {Two grand prizes and 25 prize packages; contest runs until 11:59 p.m. MST on Dec. 1, 2015)

• Four Myths Regarding Iron Water

  {Regarding Iron Maintenance. Note: I used to use spring water until we moved here and purchased our new refrigerator. I have been using the filtered drinking water ever since.}

Slapdash Saturday

• 25 Idioms To Teach Your Kids During the Dog Days of Summer

  Even you don’t have kids, this was an interesting read. At least, I found it interesting.

• How to Make a Mason Jar Table Lamp

• Scripture Cover Tutorial

  {Sewing; Bible or book cover}

• A Cute Free Pincushion Pattern link is provided within the post at this link
• Pillowcase Tutorial Roundup

  {Sewing; links to five different tutorials. I love the idea of a reversible pillowcase! }

• Fabulous DIY Maxi Skirts

  {Sewing; 15 links}

• Free Printable: Road Trip Postcards

  {Foil; Uses Minc machine which I do NOT have but some of you may have one.}

• 6 Things You Should Know About the Color Wheel

  {I found this to be very thorough and it refreshes the art class terms of my youth}

• 3 ways to determine the color value of fabrics

  {Discusses Value, Pure Color, Tint, Shade, Tone. Note: I often take a photograph and convert to Black and white to determine value.}

• Free Printable Calendar 11x14

  {PDF downloadable file; One of the few I have come across and really like. Can print and put in a frame behind glass and use as a "whiteboard".}

• 9 Things Sewists Do That People Who Don’t Sew Don’t Understand

  {Humor; written by someone who does not sew -- a husband}

• 15 Magical Macro Snail Photos

  {Photography}

Slapdash Saturdays

Just popping on for a few to share a few links I found since the last share. Enjoy!

• [Say] No to Chicken Rental

  Chicken keeping isn’t as easy as so many of its proponents would like you to believe. No animal is easy – if it is, you’re likely doing something wrong. For example, a rabbit in a wire hutch in the backyard is no trouble to take care of – simply give it food and water daily – but you’re not providing what the rabbit needs to live a decent life. Same thing with chickens. Can you keep two in a small coop for a few months? Yes. Is it what those chickens need to thrive? No. Is it being a responsible animal steward? Definitely not.

• DIY Purse Organizer From a Hot Pad

  You only need a few things for this project:

  a hot pad (with the loop in the middle of a side, not at a corner)

  6 Ziploc sandwich bags (about 6″ x 6″)

  a button

  fabric and ribbon (optional, for decorating the outside)

  I am thinking you can use a hotpad without a loop and add your own loop.

• Non-Slip Sewing Machine Foot Pedal Pad

  {Sewing, Instructions (of a sort)}

• It’s a Bugs Life – 27 Super Macro Photography Images

Slapdash Satudays

• 8 Crucial Innovations in the Invention of Photography

  {History}

Slapdash Saturdays

• 20 Adorable Photos Proving that Your Kids Need a Cat

  {Pictures; humor; priceless; etc., and etc.)

• Rotten Ruler Syndrome – Are you a Victim?

  {Quilting rulers going bad}

• 15 Cats Who Refuse to Accept that Their Boxes are too Small

  {Pictures; humor}

• Tool Shed Turned Craft Room

  An 8x12 shed converted into a craft room. This goes to show you that anything is possible. It has an A/C unit and she uses a space heater in the winter.

  By the way, I know of a person that built a room INSIDE their huge barn-like structure on their property. That room is her sewing space and the rest of the structure belongs to her husband. The top of the room is used as storage space (like an attic)!

• Christa’s Soap box – How to deal with Trolls

  Easier said than done.

• Real Men Like Bluebonnets

  {Photography}

• Arrow Bird Mini Quilt

  {Quilting/Sewing; Tutorial; Link to a Free Pattern via Craftsy!}

• Pull It! (Bastard Cabbage in Texas)

  {Note: Texas Wildscapes on facebook concurs}

Slapdash Saturday

• Sacred Heart quilt

  Zentangle inspiration! I immediately thought of Zentangles upon seeing the quilting on this quilt. It’s awesome!

• Eight of History’s Greatest Cat Ladies

• Patchwork Pincusion Tutorial

  {Sewing; Quilting}

• It’s Okay to be a Craptastic Quilter

  {Warning: Language!}

  If you make the f*cking Quilt you are a quilter and I encourage you be to the very best ( read that as happy) quilter you can be and not to let the quilting of others make you feel bad about the work you are doing now.

  If you are happy with the quilting you are doing then power on. If you want to learn more then dive in, there is a world of resources out there from you LQS to online classes and books.

  As quilters we can be the greatest support or the worst critics of each other and each day we can choose which sandbox we want to play in. Personally I am choosing the one that lifts all quilters up.. feel free to join me, I will be in the one in the corner with the cookies and a Margarita.

• Why I’m Coming out as a Christian Who Doesn’t go to Church

  {Inspirational}

  But the truth is I don't think I'm alone. I think there are a lot of us out there. Jesus lovers who don't fit the sunday-church-goer-midweek-meeting-mold and who are scared of the reaction other Christians will have towards them if they knew.

  I'm coming out as a Christian who doesn't go to church, but is still deeply in love with a God who hung on a cross to ensure I would live with him forever.

  I'm coming out as a Christian who doesn’t go to church, who still has doubts and fears and questions about God, but loves him anyway.

  My only salvation is Jesus.

  My salvation isn't about what I do on a Sunday, whether I write devotionals, if I have a whole book of the bible memorized. It's Jesus plus nothing. Always.

• Not All Olive Oil is Created Equal

  Fraudulent olive oil has been in the news. What’s being done about it?

  Fraudulent oil is an ongoing problem in the U.S. University of California at Davis did a study and found out almost 80 percent of the generic brands were found not to be extra virgin.

  What is the government doing to prevent this?
  

  In Europe you’re breaking the law if you’re mixing refined oil with extra virgin. Producers can be fined and penalized for that. But in the U.S., no one is pulling oil off the shelf to test olive oils. If that did happen, there would be little to no repercussions. I consider it the Wild, Wild West in the U.S.

• When God Makes You Wait

  Wherever you are at today know that God is right beside you and that there is a purpose for you. Even if that purpose is to wait.
  Don’t give up just because you don’t see anything happening today.

  Don’t allow your waiting period to make you hopeless about what tomorrow will bring.
  Instead, let it build your faith and give you even greater hope for what God has prepared for you.
  He made some of the greatest men of faith wait.
  Don’t be discouraged if He makes you wait as well.
  He will come through for you, just like He came through for them.

• This family has two sets of twins and that’s not even what makes it so incredibly unique

Slapdash Saturday

• Top 10 Tips to Transform Your Creative Space

  {Organization; this is actually one of the better articles I’ve read about creative spaces}

• Hanging Towel Tutorial

  {Sewing; For the kitchen or Bathroom}

  I think I might make some of these up for the guest bathroom (to use in place of hand towels). What do you think of that idea?

• DIY Budget Money Envelopes {a Tutorial}

  This is perfect for those who live on a cash system (no debt and no credit cards). I also think they are cute and may make a couple to hold coupons and the like in my purse.

• 12 signs Cats Have Taken Over Your Home

  The #2 picture is hilarious!

  #1, #2, #5, #6, #7, #9, #11 all have true at one point or another throughout my life. Calvin was the sink sleeper. Gracie has destroyed blinds trying to see outside. She’s the reason why our blinds in the public areas are never fully lowered. Little One found the oddest places to sleep. Almost all of my cats were drawer kitties with the exception of our Maine Coons (Calvin and Chessie) and Abby Gail.

Slapdash Saturday

• Ribbon Spools (Free Template)

  (Organization}

• 30+ Ninja Cats that have Mastered the Ancient Art of Ninjutsu
• The Prayer Jesus Taught: Part 3

  {Inspirational, Christian, Devotional}

  …Hallowed be Thy name.

  The highest end of prayer is the glory of God.

  Through prayer you invite Him to have His way with you, to do His work in you, and to express Himself through you. As His child you are a member of His family and carry His name. It is that name that you seek to honor, and it is His heart that you seek to please.

Slapdash Saturday

• Rolled Hem Basics & How To

  {Sewing}

• Hedgie Pin Cushion

  {Sewing}

  Here is a blog post with a better picture in which the author used her hedgie pin cushion for “dead” sewing machine needles! I thought it was too cute.

• Funny Macro Dragonfly Photo

  {Photography}

• The Prayer Jesus Taught Us: Part 1

  {Inspirational; Christian; Devotional}

  Our Father…

  When you come to God in prayer, you don’t come to a stranger who needs an introduction, or to an enemy who is against you. You do not come to a statue that cannot see or hear, or to some mean and impersonal deity who needs to be appeased. You come to your Father, whose heart reaches out to you in goodness and kindness, who knows every detail about your life, and who wants you to come and welcomes your company.

Slapdash Saturday

• Measuring Tape Lanyard

  {Crafting}

• DIY Sock Snowmen

  {Crafting}

• 51 of the Most Beautiful Sentences in literature

Slapdash Saturday

• Easy Peasy Pincushions with Baby Pom-Poms

  {Sewing}

• All About Diatomaceous Earth – In Your Coop, Garden and More

  {Note: I get DE (food grade) at my local feed store.}

• What Introverts Can Give Our Wild World During the Holidays

  {Inspirational}

• Your Struggle Won’t Shock Me

  {Inspirational; Christian}

  Really guys who cares what people think about us at church. Why do we sometimes feel as though that’s the one place we have to have it all together. That if people knew at church we were struggling they would think that we were less than them.

  Ladies we are all sinners, so let’s stop pretending like we are not.

  I decided a few years ago that nothing anyone tells me that they are struggling with should shock me. We are messed up people, and although we have been forgiven of much, and grace and mercy have been poured out on us, we are still sinners. Sin will havoc our lives until the last breath we take.

Slapdash Saturday

• Guide to Precut Fabrics and Common Quilting Terms

  {Free downloadable PDF for reference }

• 19 Before and After Photos of Butterflies and Moth Transformations

• When You Wonder if You’re Really Forgiven

  God seemed to whisper to my heart again. “All of the mistakes and failures you remember, all the secrets you run from, all the regrets and remorse… they are all gone. Every one of them has been torn from the story of your life. You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are loved.”

  I realized at that moment that God loves me. He doesn’t just tolerate me. He doesn’t just put up with me because I’m a Christian and He has to. He really, truly loves me.

  So wherever you are, whatever mistake you have written in the journal of your life, know that God has ripped it from the pages.

  There’s only love.

  There’s only grace.

Slapdash Saturday

• Peacock Spider; very cool moves!

Slapdash Saturday {Links}

• Crockpot Lemon Garlic Whole Chicken

  {Recipe; Cooking}

  I have not tried this yet; but, I will using chicken broth, if it is needed, that is also gluten free.

• Evidence Depression Isn’t Just ‘All in Your Head’

  Depression touches people differently, making dealing with the condition more of a personal experience than a universal one. Some describe the illness as a dark cloud, while others liken it to being trapped in an empty space.

  Regardless of how it personally feels, what many people don't know is that the illness can also take a physical toll on the body. Those symptoms, combined with the emotional side effects, have the potential to be draining.

• A Little Pinsive

  {Sewing; Pincushion; Free}

• The Dancing Traffic light

Slapdash Saturday (Links)

• Mouse Pincushion

  {Sewing; Pattern and Instructions; Free}

• {Now, this is my kind of ballet! Not Boring.}

Slapdash Saturday (links)

• 11 Problems Only Perfectionists Understand

  {Is this you? Dan (my husband) was reading it along with me and he pointed at number 9 and then pointed at me. Oh Bother! <-- Remember Pooh?}

• The Sacred Sewing Room Tour

  {A pretty cool thing to do! You will need to dig around on the site to see before and after pictures.}

  This year, the Sacred Sewing Room program is embarking on a national tour to create a unique, beautiful and inspirational sewing room in five shelters across the country. Through this program, shelter residents will learn sewing basics that they can then use as a coping mechanism, an expression of creativity and a way to build a better future.

• Our Daily Bread: Rooted

  {Devotional; Inspirational; Christian}

  Others can teach us the principles of their faith, but each of us must come individually to a lasting and personal faith in Christ. For faith to be real, it must become our own.

Slapdash Saturday (Links)

• Village Apron Pattern (free}

  {sewing|

• Kitten Clown Car

  {From a blog I follow, the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. Six little kittens popping out of a pod. This will bring you smiles! At least, it did with me.}

• 22 Funny Pictures of Wet Cats

• Honey Bee, the blind cat goes hiking

My apologies to all the cat haters out there for this post being filled with a cat related links. But, you know I love cats. Hopefully, I will run across cooler links next week for all of you. This past week seemed to be an amusing and cool week for cats.