I'm back!

Wow – I didn’t mean to take such a long break! First, I had a few technical difficulties as in my computer burned up. No flames or smoke, but a distinct smell of wires on fire. The nice computer technician in India was surprised enough to deviate from his usual script. After asking what the problem was, instead of saying, “Okay, I can help you with that,” I heard a silence and then “BURNED up?” And, then “Are you having any other problems?” Well, no – that should do it for today.

They don’t even bother trying to fix a burned up computer so I had to wait for the new one to be shipped (fortunately mine was still under warranty) and then set it up and reload everything. It’s hard to take a decent picture of a black CPU, but this is my new one. See the USB ports right on the top? No more crawling around looking for them. And, I love the built-in SD card slots!

And, as the blog title says, I have a hard time keeping everything running smoothly at the same time. So, I used my forced computer break to catch up around the house and to do some crafting!

Remember this? I bought the blue dotted pillow cover on the recent shopping trip to Ikea.

Now, it looks like this! Yep, it's a tote bag.

I cut it down and squared the bottom corners, then pleated it at the top below the contrasting band so it wouldn’t be so wide. I had fun trying out freezer paper stenciling and added a bit of hand-embroidery. I had the beautiful Japanese fabric in my stash which was just begging to be used. I’m very happy with how it all turned out.

Here is a close-up of my little bird? Isn’t he sweet?

And, I finally finished this purse…

I had started it I-don’t-know-how-long-ago and finally added the button and the flower detail.

I’m sort of ashamed to admit that was all it needed. It felt good to actually get some things out of the WIP (Works In Progress) pile.

I’ve also been making a few skirts and having lots of fun with headbands so more to come soon.

Almost Heaven!

My friend, Robin, and I had what is close to the perfect shopping day. We took a trip to Tampa to go to two favorite stores - in the same day!

Yes - we went to:

Anthropologie and Ikea!

Such a happy day. I came home to take pictures of my purchases and had a little help from my photo assistant. He's very particular about the staging.

I found the cutest shirt at Anthropologie. Don't you just love how they put the extra button in the little drawstring bags? It's already been filled with lavendar and put in the linen closet. (By the way, the shirt is cream colored. I was trying out some different camera settings.)

I found several treasures at Ikea, including things for future crafting. But, these trays and watering can were just for pure love.

These are some pillow covers that I found. Stay tuned for their transformation.

A few yards of these fabrics. I'm not sure what I'll do with them, but I am sure I needed them.

(My photo assistant helped arrange the fabric as well.)

We ate smoked salmon and Greek salad and drank sparkling pear juice for lunch in the Ikea cafe. Don't you just love a store cafeteria that has a menu like that? The restaurant was closing early to prepare for their "Midsummer Event." We couldn't stay that long, but we really wanted to. Maybe if we had been able to take a nap on one of the Ikea mattresses. I know they encourage you to try out everything, but I think they probably would draw the line there.

Just one problem during the day - after requiring practically our own personal customer service in the "self-service" checkout lane at Ikea, Robin and I are pretty sure our photos are on some sort of black list. The next time we try the self-service lane, we expect to be politely, but firmly, escorted to the full-service lane.