Zakka Style -24 Projects Stitched With Ease to Give, Use and Enjoy - Book Review

It's time for a new book review.  As always, I only review books that I like, love, cherish or can't live without!  This book fits into one of those categories.  Zakka Style   compiled by Rashida Coleman-Hale is a great book filled with 24 fun and fabulous sewing and stitching projects.

Here's the Table of Contents.  Look at all the great projects.

Most of the  Zakka projects involve the use of linen.  Here's a great Messenger Bag to make.  Every project has a supply list, cutting instructions and assembly instructions.

I love mug rugs and here's a quick cute one to whip up.

Looking for a quick hand stitching project?  Give these magnets a try.

One of my personal favorites is this linen bag.  I have this thing for fabric bags, especially linen, lace, and  vintage fabric types.  This one is darling.  I'm a sewing accessory lover, too.  There are pin cushions and a smart sewing kit, as well.

And who doesn't carry around a water bottle?  EVERYONE does.  Here's a great water bottle holder to make in an afternoon.  So cute.

Zaaka refers to a simple kind of style.  This design movement has been part of Japanese style for some time.  Each of the projects in this book were designed by a different zakka artist from around the world.
  Zakka Style is definitely worth a second look.  I have no doubt you will find more than one  sewing project you love in this book.

I belong to the Amazon Affiliate Program.

Change Your Life Sunday - 1-26-14 WORD KICK

It's" Change Your Life Sunday" , Jan. 26, 2014.  I picked this WORD KICK (hoping these words will give you the kick in the seat you need this week to get going) because it often creeps into my vocabulary much too often.  It's the dreaded word "SOMEDAY".  Even my Pinterest account(The Pattern Shack) has the categories "Someday Food", "Someday Bread", because someday maybe I'll make try cooking those recipes.  At some point along the way though, I decided that someday may never come.  Maybe it doesn't really exist.  Here's a quote from www.LIVELIFEHAPPY.com that proves it:


"There are 7 days in the week and Someday isn't one of them"

So, pick one of your "Someday" projects this week and get started on it.  Take one step toward "Someday".  Maybe all you need is a little momentum and a WORD KICK to tackle and achieve one of your "Someday" goals.

Happy week.

Indiemade and Zibbet

After much deliberation (sounds like a trial, I know),  I have decided to open  shops at both Indiemade and Zibbet.  I checked a lot of reviews people wrote about  Wix and Weebly and Supadupa and Zibbet and Artfire and ..........and decided to land at the two that seemed the best fit for me.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I liked Indiemade because it's for artists and crafters.  There's a blog feature, and the ability to import items from Etsy.  Those features helped to sell me on the site.  Check it out.  You might like it, also.

To Move or Not to Move

UGH!  I have been tossing around the idea of moving this blog to Wordpress and had pretty much made up my mind to make the jump.  I made copies of several "how to transfer from blogger to Wordpress" tutorials and bought a book to make the transition easier.  I think I have decided that I'm just not tech savvy enough to take that plunge.  So, then I started looking around at some other sites where you can both blog and sell your goods.  Oh my gosh, I had no idea there were so many selling sites out there.  I think, though, that I have narrowed it down.  I have decided to keep this blog and then add either a Weebly or Indiemade site.  I wanted to keep this blog because I can talk food, country,  animals, books  as well as crafts here.  All bits and pieces of who I am.   If I start another site it will be under the name of The Stitchin' Coop which is one of my Etsy shops and the one  that holds my PDF patterns.  I have so many more patterns stitched and ready to write up and list.  I want to wrap up this decision about a website this weekend.  I have spent so much time pondering and comparing.  Do you ever do that?  Ponder for too long?
How about you.  Do you have an opinion on Weebly or Indiemade?

Finally!! My Designs Are Going Public

Hey All,  I have been waiting about 14 years to publish and sell my stitchery and craft patterns.  I started designing when my, now 16 year old, was 2.  Add two more Cavesons, to make three, plus all of that mothering responsibility, and my dream got pushed back farther and farther.  But I knew

 the day would come when I finally had some free time to devote to this passion  of mine.  While I was in "wait mode" I filled three notebooks with stitchery and craft pattern ideas and prototypes just waiting to be hatched(ha, that's the chicken mama in me talking now).  They have been incubating for 14 years and the day has arrived to unveil the first batch.  Here are a couple that I have listed on Etsy with more to follow.  As soon as I can figure out how to put a free pattern on this blog I will do so for your stitching pleasure.  You can check out my designs at www.thestitchincoop.etsy.com.

Change Your life Sundays - 1/19/14

I have been a fan of Tony Robbins for over 20 years.  I think he's very inspiring!  Todays WORD KICK comes to us from the man himself.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure  he was talking directly to me when he said this.  I'm gonna narrow down my focus this year Tony, really..


"One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus;  We never concentrate our power.  Most people dabble their way through life never deciding to master anything in particular."

                                 Tony Robbins

A New Year - A New You - A New Life

I'm a lover of quotes and words of wisdom that motivate and inspire me.  I believe planting these seeds can be a catalyst to change your life.  And don't we all need a kick in the seat more than once a year!  I've decided to add "Change Your Life Sundays" as a regular feature to this blog.  I chose Sundays because it tends to be a day with a bit more down time for some folks.  It's a day to get ready before you hit the rat race on Monday.  It's my hope that the quote, words of wisdom, and occasional book review will jump start your week and keep you going when you start to wain long about Thursday.  Read it on Sunday then WRITE your goals and lists  for the week ahead.
     I'm a week behind so I'll share two "word kicks" this time, then I'll post these regularly on Sundays.  Jump on the change wagon with me.  Let's change our lives for the better this year.
     I'm not a New Year's resolutioner myself, but lots of people choose "weight loss" as their goal for each New Year.  Believe it or not, I have been a weight lifter/gym rat for 30 - yes, 30 years!  The gym fills up in Jan. and Feb. then attendance drops off and by May those people are AWOL, never to be seen with a dumbell in their hand again.  You don't need a gym membership to get in shape and eat right.  I was a bit lax myself over the holidays by skipping gym time and eating WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR.  Ugh!  Gotta get back on track.  So, we're in this year together.  Here we go.



SUMMER BODIES ARE EARNED IN THE WINTER.
See this at www.atitmesiramble.tumblr.com


And our make up quote:

You will never regret reaching your goal.  You will only retreat giving up and not trying harder.
author unknown