July OMG

Fabric storage is a problem in our house. We always seem to have more fabric than we know what to do with. Not a terrible problem! This One Monthly Goal for me is to find some good fabric storage options and declutter and organize. I'd like to have the majority of my fabric neatly put away by the end of July. 

This is an especially important goals for me this month as I will be taking a big step back from sewing for the rest of the year. Even though I'm putting sewing on the back burner, I want to make sure that my resources are available to me if inspiration strikes . 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts this month, as usual!

Zoo at Home, Zoo Abroad: Greater Cleveland Aquarium

Last week I found myself in Cleveland Ohio and decided to visit the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.

This is a really sweet little aquarium on the West Side of the Cuyahaga River. It's under ground, housed in the lower levels of the FirstEnergy Powerhouse Building which was built in 1892. It's a gorgeous brick building and being right at the edge of the river makes one feel that they are going deep under the water.  

This aquarium is pretty kid friendly, with touch tanks and little activities to do throughout. It is a little pricey to get in at $20 for adults. I understand that these attractions need money to survive as well as our support. But I often wish they could find a way to be more accessible as well. 

By far the main attraction and the big finish for this aquarium is the shark tunnel! This is a really neat feature towards the end of the space and it's worth the price of admission!!

I found Cleveland to be an extremely nice and interesting place to visit and this aquarium was no exception. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the area! 

Has anyone else visited the Greater Cleveland Aquarium?

June OMG

For the first months of the year I had the same One Monthly Goal and I still haven't completed it. I thought about keeping with it this month, but I thought I would take a break and make a goal that would, hopefully be easier to accomplish. 

Last month part of my hiatus from this blog was also a break from the Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month in May. For June I want to get back into it so I'm making creating two MCQBOM blocks my June OMG. 

So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
May - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Jun - 2 MCQBOM Blocks -

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts today. 

Beach Walk | No 1 | Video!

Who else has a morning walk routine? I hope you all enjoy seeing one of my beach walks. If so, please subscribe to my channel. comment, or give a thumbs up! 

Where is your favorite place to walk?

Tattoo Story: Anchor

It might be an unofficial goal for 2018 (and every year) but I would love to get more tattoos this year. Actually, I think about my next tattoos constantly. Does everyone feel like this?

In honor of my future tattoos, I thought I would take a look back at my current tattoos. I hope I can remember in what order I got them! 

Getting your first tattoo is so odd bc you have no idea what to expect!! It did not go as I was thinking but one thing was for sure, I loved it! This tattoo was not at all how I expected it to come out. I had had ideas of what it would look like, but it working with another person on art is always a surprise! My artist was Ryoko and she was working at Brooklyn Tattoo at the time. 

I always get asked if I intend to put color on my tattoos, but I do not! I love my thin black and grey line work. I hope that all my tattoos are semmetrical, so this tattoo is on my left forearm, and  I have another one of the opposite arm. 

What is the story behind your tattoos? 

MCQBOM Group Photo / 3

I have been running low on inspiration for my Mad Cat Quilts Block Of The Month, so I thought it was time a group photo.  

I'm not sure what the final layout will be and every time I see them all together, I'm more confused! It's nice to see them all in one pace, though. 

Linking up with Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, and more around the web!

Mad Cat Capsule: Comparing Spring

Spring marks one year that I have done a capsule wardrobe. Now I'm able to compare my first spring capsule with this year's. There are a few of the same items from that capsule that made it into the latest one! Both have my signature colors of denim, grey, black, and some white. Both are colorful, far more than my Winter Capsule. 

My previous Spring Capsule had mostly cool colors, but the new capsule has more warm jewel tones but with teals, and browns. 

My first capsule was far more casual, in the newest one, I consciously tried to be more dressy and formal. I feel more more in tune with a personal style since I have been using the CW method! That was one of my goals, and I'm glad it's working!

With this spring, I also have been a little looser with the "rules" of this capsule. I have never followed the stricter rules that some people use, but this time around I feel like I haven't even completed this capsule and we are already one month in. 

My first Spring, I was very rigid on purpose. I wanted to make sure I was trying this process whole heartedly. Now I feel so much more comfortable with capsules, I feel ok to play around with this one more. 

Since my first attempt, I've been introducing more and more slow fashion into my capsules. This latest one has the most ever, and I've almost completely stopped buying fast fashion! Even if I tempted, I try and seek out a sustainable alternative. I also care much more about what my clothes are made of. Sure, I always knew cotton felt great, but now I look for wool, cashmere, silk, and linen, too!

How long have you been keeping a capsule wardrobe? Does yours change much season to season? What have you learned?

May OMG

Yep, you guessed it. This month I'll still be trying to finish this scrappy little quilt. 

So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
May - Finish scrappy quilt - 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and around the web. 

April in Review

April was all about flowering trees, the weather getting warmer, the anticipation of Spring and Summer. But let's face it, April was all about cats. 

I got to meet a magical space lady, 'Lil Bub! 

We saw so many #watchercats!

We hung out at home with all our cats, which is always a priority for us. 

Work out of the house was busy this month and not too much sewing got done. I'm far behind in many projects, but it felt like a very productive month. 

So many plans were completed in April! May is shaping up to be a whirl wind, so let's get going!

Youtube | What I Ate | No. 2 (Video!!)

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MCQBOM² / 12

While making the last Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month, I had scraps and extra time, and threw this block together right after. 

I can't wait to do a group photo of this bom! I've been super happy with the way these blocks have come together. 

Linking up around the web today. 

April Plant Update

Finally!! Flowers in my plant update!! This update is all about flowers, in fact. From the beginning of the month, with snow covered buds, to the end of the month when many trees and flowers are in full bloom, here are some pretty plant observations. 

Can anyone tell me what these flowers are?

This crocus was hanging on for dear life. 

Finally the magnolias are blooming. 

Same tree...

...different day. 

This apartment/tree set up always reminds me of Nola. 

Yessssss. 

What's blooming in your neck of the woods?

Bullet Journal Check In: A new BUJO

It's that wonderful time that comes around every so often! I have filled my bullet journal and its time to set up a new one!!

My favorite notebook to use is Fabriano notebook with grid paper. I've used a few of these, my last BuJo was a purple one and for my new journal I got one in blue. Bc I buy a new (bio friendly) notebook, I make sure to only use pens I already have. We have a seemingly endless supply of pens and markers. So the pen I'm using right now is just some sort of black in pen that has rattled around the house and the name brand has worn off. 

I am on the hunt for a more zero waste/low impact solution to just buying a new notebook Perhaps I should start seeking them out at thrift shops or yard sales? Does anyone have any low impact solutions to notebook needs?

My last journal lasted from November until April. I'm excited to see how many months I get out of my new bullet journal!

MCQBOM² / 11

You would think it would be easy to find the time to make two blocks a month. But somehow I always feel like I'm behind with the Mad Cat Quilts BOM. This block was again inspired by Pat Sloan and her amazing free patterns. 

This week some friends and I had an art salon of sorts. We gathered at a friend's house and all made art together! Interestingly enough, I wasn't the only one hand sewing! We plan to make our salon a regular thing! Everyone who came got work done and it was nice to chat, explore idea, and discuss our work!

Do you prefer to work alone, or make art around friends and family?

Linking up around the web!

Hand Sewing (Video!!)

I am slowing but surely making youtube videos! I don't plan to always share them here, but for now, I'm pretty proud of each one! Subscribe to my channel if you like these videos and use the notification bell to know when they post!

Here is me working on my visible mending. Original music by audionightlight. 

What are you favorite style of videos to watch?

Zero Waste - Foraging for Firewood

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste and Low Impact would be a more  accurate description of my evolving lifestyle. 

You may remember that when we moved to NJ we got a fire pit. It's one of the first household things we really wanted! I can't say it's our most used house hold item but when we do use it, we love it! 

One reason that we werren't using it too often was bc I hated buying firewood at the store. We mostly found it at big box stores, wrapped in plastic (!!) and who knows where it came from! We had seen many places where wood was for sale on the side of the road, but the idea of having to walk up and knock on a stranger's door always stopped us from getting it that way. Buying it locally online would mean buying a cord, which is way too much for our little fire pit.  

Right now we just have piles of firewood in various places in the yard, as it gets to be fire season, we will chop and organize our stash. 

Then one day we started picking up sticks, and logs and fallen branches. And as our stick pile grew and grew and as we started oooohing and ahhing when we saw a pile of discarded tree limbs on the side of the road, we realized that this was a viable way to gather wood for our fire. Now where ever we go we usually come home with a large stick or two. That person walking around the neighborhood dragging a large dead tree branch? That's me. We stick wood in our car, in our bags, carry it on our shoulders. Now that we have a large stick collection, we are just waiting for the weather to be nice enough to have a fire!

We realized that we like the mindful act of seeking out something useful when we are out, without buying anything. There have been some big wind storms lately, many trees lost limbs. It was a field day for us, and we liked the idea that instead of going to the local dump (and then who knows where? We don't have a compost or mulch pick program in our town), this debris would be used for something. We are happy to put to use something that most consider solely waste.

Right now, we are only collecting fire wood casually but it got us thinking that this might be an affordable, zero waste, way to cut down on the none renewable resources we consume. If we were to install a wood stove to offset gas-heat usage, could we gather enough sticks to help heat our house?     

We're still in the research phase of this possible new plan but we are kind of excited to see where it might lead. Does anyone out there have any advice on wood stoves, firewood or foraging? Do you forage for anything in your neighborhood?

The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters

One of my goals in 2018 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd was a book I picked up somewhere (a book sale, a stoop sale, a stoop?) bc it had an interesting cover and an interesting sub title. 

This book sat in my to-be-read pile for a long time, years and years. Who knows why it was the one I chose one day?

Navigating love, lust, art, and inspiration during his first year away at college is hard until our narrator meets surgary sweet Maybelle Lee, and kitchy bitchy Himilllsy and enigmatic, design obsessed Winter Sorbeck. Then it get far harder!

Set in the 1950s, a young man struggles with becoming an adult, what that means and how it revolves around art. An interesting take on a coming of age story, a look at the art school life in all it's quirky glory, I really enjoyed this book. Written in a non traditional manner, by a graphic designer, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in design, art school, or coming of age stories, or books set in the mid century. 

This book is hard to describe but that might be what makes it worth reading. What's your favorite book that you can't explain?

FAL2018 Q1 Recap and Q2 List

Here was my list for Q1, nothing got finished from this list sadly:
1) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt One.
2) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt Two
3) Finish quilting, bind, label, Maybe Quilt.
Bonus: Add borders, baste, quilt, and label Maybe Isaac Quilt. 

On to Q2!

I'm just rolling over all the goals I had for Q1 into Q2. Not very exciting I know but I really hope to finish these projects. 

1) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt One.

This is my April goal. I have about 1/2 of the quilting done, just have to get motivated to work on it. 

2) Baste, quilt, bind, label and gift Baby Quilt Two

This goal is approaching the point of lateness where you wonder if you should even bother. 

3) Finish quilting, bind, label, Maybe Quilt.

This is another where I wonder if I should even keep it on the list, or chuck it in the Wrinkly Old WIP pile. This quarter will be my last attempt before abandoning it to wallow. 

Bonus: I'm changing up the bonus bc I really should work on this other WIP that could be better done earlier in the year. 

We'll see if I make thru the goals and onto the bonus. 

I'm hoping I have better purserverance in the second quarter! Linking up with our global hosts for the 2018 Finish ALong!

Mad Cat Capsule: Spring 2018 (April - June)

Here we are, come full circle back to Spring. I started my Capsule Wardrobe in Spring 2017 and I have greatly enjoyed the last year. I feel like I've learned a lot and yet, I feel like I'm still learning and growing into capsule wardrobes. I'm still learning the best way to create each capsule, I'm still learning what my personal style is, and I'm still learning to part with so many of the clothes I've kept over the years. I feel like I'm moving towards owning less, buying less, but enjoying my clothes more. 

For Spring, my method was very different than the last few. seasons. I had a good idea of many things that I wanted to include and did not go thru all my stored clothes, only those I knew I wanted. I also bought quite a bit more this quarter (all used, except a few pairs of sneakers). I also didn't choose one color to be my theme as I mostly have done for the other capsules. I know I wanted more color this season, so I added whatever I wanted. My color scheme has my usuals, grey, black and denim, but also some maroon, brown, teal, orange, white, and mustard. 

7 Pants - New to me red cords (used), Everlane jeans (sustainably made), red pants (new to me but used), brown pants (used), grey jeans (used), gap jeans (new to me but used and mended), banana republic jeans (new to me but used).

4 Pullover Sweaters - cream (used), teal, grey (a favorite thrifted piece), black. 

4 Over Shirts/Cardigans - Mustard cardi (hand me down), maroon cardi, red/blue button down (10+ years), vermillion cardi. 

8 Tops - Maroon cowl neck (10+ years), black short sleeve sweater/top (10+), grey satin neck (used), B&W diamond top (new to me but used), moon shift (clothing swap), white short sleeved top (newly thrifted), lace sweat shirt (newly thrifted), Everlane top (sustainably made). 

4 Tank Tops - White, grey, black, brown with flowers (all over 10 years old). 

7 T Shirts - Maroon V, teal V, grey V, maroon crew (all made in usa and 10+), cat/whale (10+), grey Talula's, black Witch band T. 

4 Shirts/shorts - New to me bermuda (thrifted), t shift, denim (used), long black. 

9 Shoes - grey cons (10+), tall boot (new to me but used), suede booties (used), white hightops, velcro vans, cat sneakers, grey moccasins (10+), maroon boots (10+), emily booties.

My Spring capsule is a little all over the map, but I like it!! I think it'll work for me and I'm excited to try it. It's a bit larger than some of my previous capsules, falling at 50 items. 35 of those are slow fashion, a higher percentage than previous capsules. Many of the remaining 15 pieces are close to the 10 year mark. Having an entirely slow wardrobe is a goal I'm happy to work towards. 

I cannot wait to get into the meat of this capsule. And into real spring. Warm weather cannot come soon enough. Is everyone as excited for the coming season, and coming capsule, as I am??

Something New: Visible Mending

One thing I know I should do more of, as a sewist and as a someone on a sustainable lifestyle path, is mend my clothes and make repairs to my wardrobe. 

Since I get almost all my clothes second hand, or use what I already have, repairing my clothes will help them last longer. Since I don't use the sewing machine, sometimes my repairs can't help but be visible. But I am also trying to embrace purposely visible mending. 

I decided to try it out on pair of jeans I thrifted but that had a hole near the knee that was too big for my taste. For the patch I used a bit of old jean. I stitched one way with a blue cotton thread and in the other direction with cream colored purl cotton thread. 

I like how these came out, but 'll be interested to see how these wear and how I feel about them after getting used to it. 

Does anyone else use visible mending to repair clothes?