This and That

A few items of note (to me) to mention ...

First of all, after many months I've changed my blog header. And I used Picnik, but no fancy stuff. I'll be going back with some other images to play, play, play. But for now I have a new header.

Next, there's a new shop in town. Fort Myers town, that is. Savvy on First is expanding and adding a second location on Cypress Lake Drive (9405 Cypress Lake Dr., Ft. Myers FL 33919 (Opening Feb.1)). I will be one of the 200 artists featured in the new shop. I've stocked some onesies, handbags, coasters, and baby layette items. This will be the first time, since Ditto Kiddo closed, that I'll have any of my items in a brick and mortar store, I have no idea what to expect, especially with a new store, but I'm hoping for the very best. I spent some time with Lisa, the owner, today and the shop is going to be so exciting. She's got some terrific ideas and some great merchandise. If you're in the area, either downtown Fort Myers or the Cypress Lake/McGregor area, stop into Savvy for a peek.

On Saturday, February 4th the Alva Community Park will be having it's first Annual Craft Show, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free. I will be there peddling my Because I'm Me wares. This is the first craft show I've done since River was born, I think, so I'm a bit disorganized and getting a little nervous about being ready in time, especially since I have a whole booth to fill and not just a smaller table. I don't think it'll be hugely busy, but it seemed like a good opportunity to do some networking with other crafters and artists and since I didn't have any other plans I thought I'd give it a shot. If you happen to be in Alva, Florida on the 4th of February, stop by and say, "Hi."

And now I'm off to work on binding a zig-zag quilt.

A little Picnik play in the bottom left corner

Good News / Bad News - Picnik is Closing

(Cross posted to Because I'm Frugal, no you're not experiencing deja vu.) 

If you've ever used Picnik to edit photos you know how awesome all their tools are, and have seen the wonderful things that can be done on their site with a photo. A lot of it could be done for FREE. FREE collages, free frames, free text added in all sorts of awesome fonts. I love Picnik.

The bad news is that Picnik is closing.

An e-mail was sent out Saturday saying, "Since joining Google in 2010, we have been creating editing magic in Google products while continuing to keep Picnik awesome. But now we get to focus on even awesomer things. Picnik will be closing on April 19, 2012."

I don't know what the "awesomer things" are but I'm happy for them, and so so so sad for me. If you know of a comparable photo editing site please let me know. The e-mail from Picnik goes on to state, "We are excited by the photo-editing fun we have already brought to Google products, like Google+, where you can find many of your favorite Picnik effects in Creative Kit. We encourage you to visit Google+ and give it a whirl." Has anyone tried Creative Kit? If you know of another comparable photo editing site please let me know.

The good news, and the reason I'm sharing this, is that Picnik's premium services are FREE FOR ALL until they close on April 19, 2012. Folks, there's some fun stuff to play with there. I plan to spend the next three months colorizing, decorating, framing, doodling, skewing, collaging, and whatever else I can until my images bear no resemblance to their former selves. Well, maybe not that much, but I will be making some collages for Because I'm Me merchandise, and a back stock of banners for blogs, websites, and Etsy.

Also, if you are a Picnik premium member you'll be getting a full refund of your annual fee, whether you signed up last week or eleven months ago.

recently created on Picnik

Treasury Love

I feel so blessed lately to be included in so many wonderful treasuries on Etsy. It's very encouraging and quite a compliment. Here are a few more from the last few days, followed by the first treasury I put together, which was a lot of fun but not as easy as it looks!


My blue and white quilt is in the bottom row, second from the right.



My butterfly onesie, third row, second from right



My handiwork (well, the treasury anyway, not the greatness in it!) There is so much wonderful stuff on Etsy, picking and choosing is not easy!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

From SouleMama

*****

Another Great Etsy Treasury

First row. Second image. Because I'm Me.

(mostly a test to see how this app looks, thanks for bearing with me)

More Love

Taking a break from sewing oodles of colorful triangles to share these fantastic treasuries Because I'm Me was included in this weekend. The items in both treasures use Dick and Jane fabric. Fun little coincidence!

Click on the images to see the treasuries on Etsy.

 See the Dick and Jane pencil roll smack dab in the middle there? :)

Barely in the image, but the bottom right is Because I'm Me's Dick and Jane Baby Quilt.

I am so honored to be included with the other wonderful handcrafted treasures in these collections.

Weirdest Conversation

bowling balls at the orange grove

Ran into Joann Fabrics on New Year's Day for one particular fabric (the binding in this quilt). Of course, they didn't have that fabric but they did have a few clearance fabrics at just the right price.

I get to the front of the line and the gal starts cutting my fabric ... (this isn't the exact words, but close ... ):

Her: So, did you go outside and watch the sky at midnight?

Me: No, we didn't make it outside.

Her: Well, we did. And when we got outside we saw two red lights going up into the sky. They were going much too high to be fireworks and one was moving in our direction. It were moving too fast for the telescope so we looked at it through binoculars, and it said "USA" on it. It was very loud too. One was moving south and one was moving west. I called ABC News and they didn't know anything about it but said they'd call me back if they found out anything.

Me: Oh, wow.

Her: They called back at 3:30 am, it's ok we were still up playing poker, and said they knew what the things were but couldn't discuss it because it was a matter of national security. I called FOX news and they said, also, that it was a matter of national security so they couldn't discuss it.Well, that sure tells me what was going on.

Me: Yes, wow.

Her: We're not the only ones who saw it. It's all over Facebook. Of course it's bombs, and they were shooting them off at midnight to hide behind the fireworks and noise of New Year's Eve. And then I hear there's an earthquake in Japan this morning, which could have been from a missile landing in the water.

Me: Oh my (yeah, I'm a big talker).

Her: Here you go. Have a wonderful New Year!

See - Weirdest Conversation. At least the weirdest conversation I've ever had at a fabric store.

I have to admit it was a little unnerving. Especially after reading about Iran and their missile testing on New Year's Eve. My guess is either missile testing or wonderful lady at the cutting counter just wasn't thinking clearly that afternoon!

Bowling balls at the orange grove is not relevant, just odd.

Fourteen

fourteen  (ˈfɔːˈtiːn)
— n
1.	the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and four
2.	a numeral, 14, XIV, etc, representing this number
3.	something represented by, representing, or consisting of 14 units
4.   the age of my oldest, tallest, deepest voiced, closest to driving age son, Happy Birthday Ian!
— determiner
4.	a. amounting to fourteen: fourteen cats
	b. ( as pronoun ): the fourteen who remained

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

From SouleMama

*****