Second Hand News Handmade

Bibbity Boppity

2009-07-16T08:32:00.000-04:00

New to our shop... bibs.

Come one, come all!

Done.

2009-07-15T07:57:00.002-04:00

Here is the finished product of the Christmas quilt I have been working on. You can see the WIP top here.

The binding is made from fabric remnants of like colors and patterns and stippled with a simple scrolling stitch.

Sick Day

2009-07-14T19:45:00.003-04:00

Yeah, that's me. I've come down with something awful. I'm pale, feverish, congested, sore throat, and my ears are a'burning. My nose is becoming raw due to the copious amounts of nose blowing. I think I was hallucinating last night as well, but I can't be too sure about that. I may have just dreamed that the walls were moving.

I feasted on French onion soup last night for dinner. That deliciously hot broth was just what I needed to feel a little bit human.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm taking a sick day.

2009-07-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine

2009-07-13T07:08:00.001-04:00

I'm taking the day off today. Same time, same place... next week. Ciao!

So Much For Saturday....

2009-07-11T16:44:00.004-04:00

Today I'm working on nothing but gifts. I'm finishing up a surprise for my pal Maureen and then I'm off to finish the binding and tie off the Christmas quilt I have been working on for The Niece. I'm hoping to start a set of quilted fabric coasters for my brother for his birthday in August.

Speaking of coasters, I'm donating a set of the above Harvest Moon quilted fabric coasters to the Silent Auction hosted by Blockhead Radio on July 24th at 6pm until July 26th at 6pm. This auction will directly benefit fellow artist Larry Hamm. You can read more about the cause and Mr. Hamm here.

2009-07-10T15:11:00.001-04:00

Fat Quarter Friday

2009-07-10T15:07:00.002-04:00

In this weekly feature, I showcase the FQ that’s currently tickling my fancy. This weeks FQ is Alexander Henry's Halloween Lane.

A Fabulous Bake Sale...

2009-07-09T07:21:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I posted the story about one of my scumbag coworkers stealing money from the Student Success fund. In attempt to help replenish the stolen dough (pun intended), the idea of a bake sale came to mind. This Sunday was spent baking like a fiend; cupcakes, pecan pie bars, cookies (snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip), pound cake, mocha cheesecake, and banana bread. We sold out! Food porn is as follows...

"You're a bad man. You're a very bad man!"

2009-07-08T21:14:00.004-04:00

I posted this elsewhere the other day and it slipped my mind to share it with you until now....

Monday,I took the dogs to the dog park for some play time. Everything was great for the first twenty minutes. Anakin was running around and playing with the other dogs, and inevitably found a water dish of which he proceeded to splash around in and then step in the muddy area surrounding it. (This all resulted in a bath when we got home). Vader was trotting around the park making friends with the humans and hanging out with the other dogs until a GS puppy started to do the doggy hump to him. Now mind you, this dog and been trying to do a nasty to all of the other dogs in the park while we were there and his owner allowed him to. So Vader freaks out and whips around and rolls the GS on the ground and gets his front paws up on the GS's chest to immobilize him. The GS's owner then picks Vader up (55 pounds of solid Husky) and throws him against the picnic table. Vader yelps and runs towards me. I'm in such shock that I grab Vader's collar, hook up his leash and get him the hell out of the park as fast as I can. I notice as we are heading back to the car that Vader is limping which I can only attribute to how hard his right honch hit the table when that son of a bitch tossed him. I spent a good portion of Monday night and the wee hours of Tuesday morning sick to my stomach, tearful, and worried. I can't stand to see any animal in pain, let alone my own. I woke up around 330 Tuesday morning and sat on the floor next to him squeaking his rubber duck toy hoping he would want to leap on it as he usually does. I am so so angry at this bastard for doing this to Vader, let alone, not taking action for his own dog trying to screw every pooch in the park. For the love of God, be a responsible pet owner and teach your dog basic obedience before you bring them out off leash. I wouldn't dare dream of taking either pup out without them having even a slight understanding of elementary commands.

I'm happy to report that since then, Vader is doing much better. As a matter of fact, he was busting chops this evening giving me those big Husky eyes in an attempt to score some of my chicken fettuccine Alfredo.
He got nothing.

Save a Wolf, Eat Some Chocolate

2009-07-08T08:38:00.001-04:00

This has got to be the greatest idea ever. EVER.

"Endangered Species Chocolate uses the universal appeal of chocolate to spread a positive environmental message. We do this by creating a selection of the highest quality, all-natural, ethically traded chocolate, including certified organic offerings. By purchasing ethically traded chocolate, we guarantee cacao farmers a fair wage that lead to more sustainable farming practices."

I first came across this particular "wolf bar" of Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds one day while strolling through the aisles of Whole Foods. Now I'm not a huge chocolate aficionado, but I think I am going to bite the bullet this weekend and indulge myself in the delicious textured treat pictured above and make difference to an endangered wolf cub.

10% of Endangered Species Chocolate's net profits are donated not only to support endangered species, but they also help habitat and humanity as well. So buy a bar and save a wolf. Or a chimp.

June, Rewind

2009-07-07T19:09:00.003-04:00

Me, eating ping gai kabobs at a Lao celebration...

A twist on the tradition with a meme of a different color....

I am... only as old as I feel.
I feel... tired and achy.
I see... squirrels running around in the grass outside.
I need... a deep tissue massage.
I love... a full breakfast on a Sunday morning.
I wish... I could fly.
I think... pygmy goats are lovely.
I hear... the wind blowing.
I crave... chicken enchiladas with hatch chile and sour cream sauce.
I fear... leaving my home.
I hope... to own my own home again someday.

Tuesday Food Porn....

2009-07-07T16:42:00.002-04:00

A flour tortilla stuffed with Mexican rice, jalapenos, cilantro, pico de gallo, chicken, and Monterey Jack cheese...

Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine

2009-07-06T06:03:00.002-04:00

Every Monday morning, Yours Truly has the honor of featuring a different handmade item here on Blogger. This week, I am proud to showcase these What's Poppin' Popcorn Danglies by DirtRoadSouth.

"Gear up for movie night! These earrings are actually a better bargain than the real thing at the movie theater!

These popcorn pretties measure 1 3/8 inches long from the top of the silver plated kidney ear wire to the bottom of the plastic red and white striped box and are half an inch wide. Get yours today and you're sure to be what's poppin."

Visit DirtRoadSouth's Artfire shop to view the rest of their kitsch goodies.

Fat Quarter Friday

2009-07-03T08:56:00.001-04:00

In this weekly feature, I showcase the FQ that’s currently tickling my fancy. This weeks FQ is Alexander Henry's La Loteria.

Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine

2009-06-29T06:54:00.002-04:00

Every Monday morning, Yours Truly has the honor of featuring a different handmade item here on Blogger. This week, I am proud to showcase this Turquoise Gemstone Texas Faith Necklace by CCTexan3.

"Turquoise colored magnesite stones and nuggets make this 20 inch necklace a perfect accessory for the Cowgirl Diva. The 1.5 inch cross adds additional length. there are heavily silverplated beads which hold up well in even in Houston humidity. Some of these I have had for almost a year and I have not needed to polish them once."

Visit CCTexan3's Artfire shop to view the rest of her faith inspired jewelry.

Fat Quarter Friday

2009-06-26T21:58:00.002-04:00

In this weekly feature, I showcase the FQ that’s currently tickling my fancy. This weeks FQ is Sandi Henderson's Apple Dot Green.

Featured!

2009-06-23T16:51:00.002-04:00

My International Smorgasboard spotlight has been featured on the ByHand Gallery Blog. A big "thank you" to LuminaJewelry!

A Truth Bespoken As June Comes To An End...

2009-06-23T16:14:00.004-04:00

I've been putting off this post for nearly three months now. For those of you whom are a regular follower of the blog, you may have noticed that my "monthly rewind" posts for April and May of this year have gone AWOL. To my knowledge I don't believe I have hinted about this here in the past, but the main reason behind my posting delinquency at the moment is because I have been in therapy for my anxiety and agoraphobia, two words that before April of this year, I couldn't bring myself to mutter to my therapist, let alone the world wide web. I'm proud to say that even by posting this I've taken another step forward towards dealing with my overactive medulla oblongata. In a nutshell, (no pun intended)I am my own worse enemy. Childhoods traumas, being whisked into a religious cult as a pre-teen, a "marriage" in my early 20's followed by a horrifically abusive separation ending in divorce, all these demons over the years have taken a toll on my once bright outlook on daily carrying ons. Twenty years worth of alphabet diseases later, this has become a life limiting disability for me and I'm at the point where I refuse to be another silent victim when I know I deserve so much better than to live in fear day after day.

Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine

2009-06-22T07:30:00.002-04:00

Every Monday morning, Yours Truly has the honor of featuring a different handmade item here on Blogger. This week, I am proud to showcase this "To Honor 3-Strand" bracelet from ExquisiteStudios.

"Sterling silver throughout this 3-strand bracelet. I used Swarovski crystals in ruby, clear and dark sapphire. There are also 21 sterling silver rounds to represent military rites.
My hope is that people will wear this bracelet in honor or in memory of loved ones lost, serving, or retired in the military as well as police officers. I would rather that a wife, mother, daughter, friend would cherish this piece for its symbolic nature than to merely wear because it went well with an outfit."

Visit ExquisiteStudios Artfire shop to view the rest of her great jewelry.

Sweet Deception....

2009-06-21T14:06:00.003-04:00

The college I teach has a program for the 4.0 students to help out their peers and raise money through various ways such as uniform sales, bake sales, and pizza lunches for the Student Success Department. A lot of our students are from inner city Washington DC so these fundraisers are really key in helping out from time to time with transportation, supplies, etc. Well one of my scumbag coworkers stole the couple of hundred dollars raised from the fund last weekend.

We are in a recession, no doubt, but stealing, from students nonetheless, is the ultimate act of desperation and deception.

My heart is sad.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2009-06-20T18:38:00.001-04:00

The winner of the zippy pouch giveaway is Craftykids! Please contact me with your digits to claim your prize.

Like Totally Awesome Dude!

2009-06-20T17:46:00.001-04:00

An Artfire Dreamsicle,,,

2009-06-20T14:42:00.005-04:00

Fat Quarter Friday

2009-06-19T21:44:00.001-04:00

In this weekly feature, I showcase the FQ that’s currently tickling my fancy. This weeks FQ is Amy Butler's Chrysanthemum Blue.