Thursday, December 09, 2010

The Big 3-0

The Big 3-0

In one week (December 16th), I will be 30. Not sure how I feel about that. I'm not exactly where I thought I would be at 30. But I am loved and happy.

The mini cake is from my in-Laws. They have given me a cute cake like this from the girl with the most cake for the past few years. Very much appreciated! These cakes are very tasty and this one is Lemon! Yum! And cute! I'm eating it early because I've been staring at it in the fridge for too long.

We don't have plans for the big day. We are in a new city with no family or friends around. I thought we might go into Toronto for the day if S can get the day off. I have a gift card for Lettuce Knit burning a hole in my pocket. And maybe a nice dinner.

How do you celebrate your milestone birthdays? Any ideas.Will 30 really feel any different from 29?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

A Kirby little secret..

It's time that I let you in on a little secret. During the move and my trip to Rhinebeck and all the insanity that came along with that stuff, I was working on a very important quilt commission.

It was for Nintendo of America. I was commissioned to design and create the quilt for Kirby's Epic Yarn game on the Nintendo Wii. Isn't that insane?! I'm still shocked and it's long finished and shipped out. We love Nintendo at our house, so even though the timing of this project was less than ideal, it was too awesome of an opportunity to pass it up. If you remember I made a Nintendo quilt for my husband a few years back. I don't think I ever posted a photo on the blog, so here's a picture of that one.

THE Nintendo Quilt

Now, on to the Kirby Quilt!

Here is a bad photo of Kirby overseeing the whole operation from the top of our fridge.

Kirby Stands Guard

I made the whole quilt, all 119 inches (almost 10 feet!square), in the Kitchen because my sewing area hadn't been unpacked or set-up yet, in fact it still isn't. Gotta do that soon.

Here is my initial design plan. I created the grid in Excel, and then just coloured with pencil crayons. Once I decided what I wanted to do, I coloured in my Excel sheet on the computer. That's as high tech as my quilt designing goes. I prefer graph paper and pencil crayons.

A plan in the making

The quilt consisted of 80 10inch quilt blocks created by Nintendo fans, media and staff. These were created using the White Bella Solid Layer Cakes and fabric markers. All of the fabrics, mostly solids, and a few prints were ordered from Fat Quarter Shop. Love them! Their fabrics on the screen are soo true to real life, which makes ordering from them awesome. The felt, buttons, embroidery floss came from Fabric.com. This was the first time I ordered from them, but I was very pleased and would do it again.

Supplies

While waiting for the other blocks to arrive, I started creating my 16 10inch blocks out of felt and embroidery floss, and one big centre logo of the game. I was also asked to embellish each of the 80 blocks with a bit of stitching. Big job! Good thing I was between day jobs at the time. (Still looking for a day job btw if anyone has any leads on anything creative in the Toronto Area or work from home, please let me know)

Here are some of the blocks I received. Love the one on the top in the middle! It's amazing!

Some blocks received

Here are my blocks

The blocks I created

The centre square

The centre square

Me and the final product! Ready to ship!

Me and my hard work

Some of the blocks and detail

Kirby Detail

Kirby Detail

Kirby Detail

Kirby Detail

And here is the finished quilt! Hard to photograph in the apartment so this one was sent to me.

Kirby's Epic Yarn Quilt

I had no idea where the quilt was going to be displayed. Turns out it was at the Nintendo World store re-opening in NEW YORK CITY!! for Super Mario's 25th Anniversary. How awesome was that!

Kirby's Epic Yarn Quilt | Nintendo World

The above photo was taken by hello sandy at the Nintendo World store!

Here's a photo taken by GamingBits. That big green square in the top left corner is the back of the quilt hanging in the window.

Nintendo World store - New York City

and some more photos of the event are available here.

Yay! Feels good to get that secret out.

Oh and I got to play the game. Super fun!

Happy Quilting!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

My recipe: for Spaghetti Sauce

This spaghetti sauce is something I make a few times a year. It makes a big batch and I freeze it in Medium Ziploc bags. This sauce originated with my friend Lisette. She invited me over to make sauce one day, and I wrote it down as I went. She's not a fan of veggies and I am, so I added a zillion veggies which were not in her original recipe.

My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Here it goes:

Lisette and Sarah Spaghetti Sauce

In large pot:

1 large Onion
2 stalks Celery
1 Bacon (I omit the bacon because I rarely have any)

Cook those and add meat

1 pound of ground beef (or chicken or turkey, I've tried them all) you can also add probably another pound of meat if you are a meatarian (i'm pretty close to vegetarian)

Add veggies:
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped
2 medium zucchini chopped
2 cups carrots cut fine (i like those matchstick precut carrots in the produce section)
1 tray of mushrooms
1 can of mushrooms (I like mushrooms)

Spices:
Bit of nutmeg
Bit of sage
Lots of oregano
Lots of basil
Red Pepper flakes (to your spicy level)
3 bay leaves
salt
pepper

Add:
1/2 cup red wine (I rarely have this since I'm not much of a drinker, so I use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar)
1 big can of tomato paste (or two small ones)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato sauce

Let that cook over medium-low for about 30-50 minutes

Let cool slightly and carefully scoop into Medium Ziploc Freezer bags. Makes about 6 bags. Each bag serves 3. (You can portion to suit your family)

Store in the freezer flat.

Then all you need to do is take it out the of freezer the night before and defrost in the frige.

This is the best sauce I've had and it's sooo much better than jarred sauce. Try it and enjoy the homemade goodness.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Rhinebeck Recap

It feels like ages since we went to Rhinebeck for the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival but really it was only a few weeks ago. October 16-17th to be exact.

We had an amazing time! I only took two pictures. It was such a whirlwind that I wanted to enjoy every second. Plus I knew that there would be tonnes of photos in the blogisphere if I wanted to re-live it again.

The highlight of the trip was meeting THE Ysolda Teague! and Louise and I got our picture taken with her! What would have made it more fabulous was if I had finished my Damson Shawl in time to wear to Rhinebeck, but sadly I only finished it yesterday. Photos to come after blocking.

Here's us with Ysolda!

Me, Ysolda Teague!, and Louise

My other photo was of the famous and incredibly delicious chicken pot pie. Yum, yum, yum!

Rhinebeck Chicken Pot Pie

We also had some of the maple cotton candy, Heaven!

Here's my yarn haul.

My Yarn Haul

Slightly over budget. But I did come home with 25 dollars.

Clockwise from far left.
Mini Mochi, Colour: Babyface 111
The Sanguine Gryphon Litte Traveler, Colour: San Zhi
The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! , Colour: Half-Banded Topper
Jamie Harmon Merino/Angora 2 ply handspun, Colour: Multi
Jamie Harmon Merino/Angora 2 ply millspun, Colour: pink-red (making that up)
Socks that Rock Lightweight Mill-end, pink
Socks that Rock Lightweight Mill-end, grey green blue
Fibre Optics Roving, 80% Merino & 20% Silk, Colour: Chocolate-loden-teal-dusty blue gradient

And a Ravelry Goodybag from the awesome party! Priceless!

I also got a Jennie The Potter yarn bowl. Which I've already put to good use on my next project. I'm starting the Daybreak Shawl by Stephen West.

Jennie the Potter Yarn Bowl

If you every have a chance to go to Rhinebeck, do it! You won't be disappointed.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Getting there..

Well, we've got the cats all packed up...

Livy's Packed

Stewie's Packed

and we're getting ready for the move.

The thing is our new place is quite a bit smaller (no craft room), and I'm starting to feel like one of those people on Hoarders.

The Move

This big pile is all crafting stuff. And the craft room is not empty. I think the book box count alone is over 12 now. And I've stopped counting the fabric and yarn boxes. Eeks.


We're moving Friday.

Still to pack:

- The rest of the craft room and mostly everything else.

I may need some backup.

Disclaimer: No cats were harmed in the packing of the apartment. All banana box chillin' was strictly the idea of the felines pictured. We love kitty cats!

Hi to the visitors from Whitby and Oshawa! We're moving to Whitby!

Friday, October 01, 2010

On the move..

I'm sorry for the long haitus. Things have been crazy.

We finally found a new place to live and will be moving a few things this weekend and shoul be completely moved by next week. In the midst of all that craziness I was working on a few comissions from an old coworker.

I say old coworker because since we are moving over 4 hrs away to a new city (scary), I have had to quit my job. I am hoping to find something that will feed my soul. Here's hoping there's just the perfect creative job out there just waiting for someone like me to fill it!

Here are the commissions.

Commission #1 - a nameplate for a new baby

Commission #1

Commission #2 - a wall quilt

Commission #2

Commission #2 closeup

I also took my last bus ride as a OC Transpo bus pass holder. Had to document that one as I waited for the bus that was 15 minutes late.

Last day as an OC Transpo pass holder.

Also new is that I'm no longer a braceface! Got those pesky braces off, and now have nice straight teeth! Yay!

Talk soon,

Sarah

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Moving

I thought that since it had been so long since I have blogged that I should fill you guys in on some new developments.

We are moving from Ottawa to the GTA. My husband got a promotion which is the reason for the move. We are in the process of finding somewhere to live, and staring at empty boxes procrastinating packing. I haven't forgotten about the blog, there has just been a tonne of stuff going on in a very short time frame.

Note: If you are moving shortly do not ever scan a room and envision yourself packing every single thing in it. ugh!

Needless to say I haven't made any progress on the Improv(e)Your Butt Quilt Challenge. I did ok that first week.

I've been trying to craft whenever I have time. I'll try and take some photos if I can find the camera! :P

Monday, July 26, 2010

Improv(e) your Butt Challenge!

Jacquie over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio has thrown out a challenge to all the quilters out there. It is called Improv(e) Your Butt Challenge. Basically it's meant to get us crafters (who spend lots of time on our butts sewing) up and moving around. The goal is to log our miles on this website and see if we can collectively make it across the US. I'm not from the US but I'll gladly walk across it to get fit and make a fun quilt!

The fun part of all this is for every mile that we log, we get one piece of fabric to use for our improv project. This is a fantastic idea. I've been trying to figure out a quilting/exercise thing for a while and here it is. And I always seem to do better when there is group motivation!

I’ve decided to use scraps or cut fabric but nothing bigger than a 6 inch square. They can then be sub-cut depending on what block I'm trying to make. I'm going to take my personal challenge up a notch because I am in major need of some extra motivation! (Because I’ve been doing zero exercise.) I fell off the wagon big time! and because this 6 month project will end exactly on our 3rd wedding anniversary (January 26th, 2011). And wouldn't it be fun to fit into that dress again...(i don't need to wear it, just want to be that size!)

This means in addition to the 1 piece per mile, I will also be rewarding myself:

1 piece for every day I stay on track with my food plan (this is key for me to see results)
1 piece for every time I do my weight routine

That’s a potential extra 10 pieces per week! I won't be logging these ones on the mile tracker but will keep track here on the sidebar somewhere.

We'll be sharing our quilts over on the Project Improv flickr group.

Wanna join in the fun? Go see Jacquie to find out how to join the team!

Improv(E) Your Butt Button

Friday, July 16, 2010

52 Fridays Week 29/52 the Laura Edition

Happy Birthday Laura!

52 Fridays Week 29/52
(From me and some friends from my weekly Knitting Group!)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sorry..

Haven't been in a photo taking mood. Which means there isn't much to see. We went to New York City for the July 4th weekend. I'll try and get some of those photos up soon.

I'll be back I promise.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

I'm around...

Just not here.

I've been doing a lot of knitting! Here are some recent photos.

In a true test of perseverance, I finally finished my Ravelympic Socks! Yes the Ravelympics were over in February. But the socks are finished, and that's what counts.

Ravelympic socks!

I've been working on a Shawl.

Shadow shawl in progress

And I started a new pair of plain socks.

Pink socks in progress

If you're a knitter you may be wondering "what the heck is with all the Noro Kureyon Sock?" My reasoning for starting the shawl is that I was upset with the Ravelympic socks and their lack of stretch and having to start from scratch 2 times. I didn't want it to destroy my love for Noro, so I started the shawl. Then once the Ravelympic socks turned out ok, I decided I should get going making another pair of them before I forget what I did to the first pair. Strange, I know.

I'm also behind on my 52 Fridays. I have taken photos, but just haven't posted. I'll be doing that soon.

Sometimes it's just hard to keep up with everything.

So why not have a nap?! Seems to be working for Olivia.

I believe this may be the life.

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Sewing

I sewed a bit last night and today.

I made a pouch!

Not a quilt, but 'quilted' so I'll still count this as a win! Sewing mojo on it's way back!

Side one.
I sewed a pouch! - side one

Side two.
I sewed a pouch! - side two

Peek at the inside.
I sewed a pouch! - sneaky peek at the inside

52 Fridays Week 23/52

Had to fend off the paparazzi for this one. They were trying to get a photo of my sewing room in it's disorganized state!

52 Fridays Week 23/52

Nothing to see here!

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Quilt!!!

I've been noticing that my flickr and blog visitors have dwindled a bit. Then I started to think about what I've been doing differently. or not doing as the case may be.

That would be quilting! Since I got bit by the knitting bug this past September, I've been hibernating and not working on any of my quilt projects.

I've just started listening to a quilting podcast that my lovely friend upstatelisa recommended to me. It's called Quilting Stash. It's getting me thinking quilting again! I feel so bad that I've been neglecting my quilting, and have found that when you stop doing something, your skills don't exactly improve.

I want to quilt more!

These are some of my favorite projects.
Inspiration (My own work)

Just a reminder to myself, that I'm good at this, it's fun, creative, exciting!

Get back to it already!!

My new mission is to find some fun, exciting like minded quilters in my area to sew with! Anyone in Ottawa, Ontario? I want to start a Modern Quilt Guild in Ottawa.

This is my 100th post.

Monday, May 31, 2010

52 Fridays Week 22/52

Back to reality. I miss the Island already. So much traffic and noise in the city.

52 Fridays Week 22/52

How I spent my May Vacation (52 Fridays Week 21)

I'm a tad behind on my 52 Fridays. I did take photos though, just haven't had the time to post them. I went to Prince Edward Island Canada with a knitting friend last week for the Canadian long weekend. We went to visit my Mom at their new Bed & Breakfast in Tignish, PE.
Shameless plug: Go visit them too! Murphy's Tourist Home and Cottages

My Dad was in the process of finalizing the sale of their house here in Ontario, and on his way to PEI. We did manage to catch him enroute the last day.

Here's my summary of the trip. Based on what I can remember and in no particular order of significance. More so based on the few photos I remembered to take. WARNING: LOTS OF PHOTOS.

I traveled from Ottawa to Halifax-Halifax to Charlottetown
photo2

I arrived.
DSCN3237

My luggage didn't.
photo3

Do you like my outfit? I thought I may have had to wear it forever.
photo4

Poor Mr. Cow. He has no luggage either!
photo5

But my suitcase's trip to Calgary was short lived and it arrived the next morning.

I learned an interesting bit of info that may be useful at dinner parties. Charlottetown is YYG, Calgary is YYC. So if you get someone with bad eyesight, your luggage is taking it's own trip.

photo6

A random old house for upstatelisa. She loves photos of old houses.
DSCN3239

We went to MacAusland's Woolen Mill and I bought a small piece of woolen blanket that they sell as a shawl. Super warm! and some Wool to make some of type of East coast mittens. To be determined. Christine also bought a blanket!

DSCN3249

Giant spinning wheel! almost as tall as me!

DSCN3246

Beautiful beach!
DSCN3257

My friend and my Mom.
DSCN3264

Saw Yoda at the Co-op (Grocery Store)
Yoda in Tignish, PE?

We saw some boats.
DSCN3282

We met some nice horses across from the boats.
DSCN3288

Hello there!
DSCN3297

We saw the tip of the island. North Cape. And the super cool wind turbines.
Wind farm

Look how long each propeller (?) is!
Wind turbine piece

I took my 52 Fridays photo. "Hey look there's the tip of the island"
DSCN3336

Watch out for this cliff. Even the sign is falling in!
DSCN3340

This is the lighthouse at the North Cape.
DSCN3348

Here's the other side of the island.
Brae Harbour, PEI

We went to a wonderful quilt shop the Quilt Gallery! (website not so fab. but over 3000 bolts of quilting fabric at the amazing shop!!). Michelle who works there told us about a talk that the Northern Lights Quilt Guild of O'Leary were putting on. The speaker was Sandra Betts. She spoke about her work and actually passed things around so we could all have a closer look. Amazing!!

My friend and I blowing away in the wind.
Christine and I

We went to the Past & Present Rug Shop in North Rustico on our drive back to the Charlottetown Airport. They sell lots of rug hooking supplies and also some wonderful Fleece Artist yarn. It's a teeny place but I managed to spend lots of money there!

The End.

Summary:
Had a wonderful relaxing week.
I wish we could have stayed longer.
The weather was great. Not hot. I loved it.
I love small town living.
Can't wait to go back!