tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141231782024-03-07T20:38:05.270-06:00Way Too Much Stash!Do you like needlecrafts? Then you'll probably enjoy my blog. I feature projects I am currently working on in addition to occasional stash enhancements and journeys. This blog is as old as my cats - who were newborns at the time I started this blog - 13 years now! Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.comBlogger438125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-58566678955115708502022-12-16T12:54:00.002-06:002022-12-16T12:54:20.052-06:00Been Awhile<p> Due to life, I haven't been doing much in the way of quilting, but am doing cross stitching. I'll try to upload some of that stuff later. Getting sewing room ready again to start quilting/sewing projects next week. My goal is to get back in the habit of sewing at least an hour a day. I'm not sure what to do about photos yet as my last place folded up and my current place I need to close up. $5/month for not much data space. So, I'm trying Google Photos and will see how that goes!</p><p>My first plan is to get started on small wallhangings for my sister. I'll post those as I get the tops done. She machine embroidered the center sections. <br /></p><p>Not my photos, but my inspiration for quilts that will bust some of my stash. I bought the pattern for the first (I could figure it out but it was unique arrangement and I like to benefit designers). The second is a triple Irish Chain. I've made one like this before that just used florals. What's different is that the center blocks are much bigger and the chains thicker. Assembly might be a little different so I have to study it a bit.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTokrotIPJkc7QDQ61JtA4cGSH37vENKMrv4lQZnt-015LNIJkYgdoe2iUtIDZX2Zn9y3tKXEV5VLh-bXNvqhyaAhlaGFH45ffegdja9c8ZrA5QsGfqlRfzG5JxQSeGvsBMN_gKxTzJxSHRnnhpVlBkNO6rfBoiRaEwKB-zUSNs9pAjo-yvQ/s720/136689237_10157692732950913_6312275509053111005_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTokrotIPJkc7QDQ61JtA4cGSH37vENKMrv4lQZnt-015LNIJkYgdoe2iUtIDZX2Zn9y3tKXEV5VLh-bXNvqhyaAhlaGFH45ffegdja9c8ZrA5QsGfqlRfzG5JxQSeGvsBMN_gKxTzJxSHRnnhpVlBkNO6rfBoiRaEwKB-zUSNs9pAjo-yvQ/s320/136689237_10157692732950913_6312275509053111005_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBaqQc00tRIGv_1dHf5PSxO3XXF2Q-ElMX286hewrClUTVaW7goraHwIf9O56kQB7NSG0EOCHZpOW_z6JTDfW5jFww56sKg7rVRHYyF4GAJXYwigiQa-xoBLKPoGf4I_4ywHCOJdq6SmOxPzJ2_ld6tCpiYXm0vJG0PP8KxqMvUgn0tsyA/s618/134182138_10225013637557838_3950498487063747083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBaqQc00tRIGv_1dHf5PSxO3XXF2Q-ElMX286hewrClUTVaW7goraHwIf9O56kQB7NSG0EOCHZpOW_z6JTDfW5jFww56sKg7rVRHYyF4GAJXYwigiQa-xoBLKPoGf4I_4ywHCOJdq6SmOxPzJ2_ld6tCpiYXm0vJG0PP8KxqMvUgn0tsyA/s320/134182138_10225013637557838_3950498487063747083_n.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This quilt is an old BOM that I bought that I wanted to start. This is not my photo but the one that inspired me to buy the BOM. My colors are similar to the original which is more spring like yellows and greens. Plan to start cutting pieces out on Monday for the center section.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSkfcWVSG4CannN3QQMSOTTKTjtCnjeqAj9HaZOr4TjpL__O6xqXKtVbLZ38xzwCKExTPGSDBx9fYXpOceO-8bInZpZF-vtIFEalkSttJe6Fx8FERLAdRcy6BU6n1ZHo2pOS33uTTOoI6OeD6AeUXRlfc_iN1SJInXZ9vRx8Fn475xVbRvg/s1600/IMG_4486%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSkfcWVSG4CannN3QQMSOTTKTjtCnjeqAj9HaZOr4TjpL__O6xqXKtVbLZ38xzwCKExTPGSDBx9fYXpOceO-8bInZpZF-vtIFEalkSttJe6Fx8FERLAdRcy6BU6n1ZHo2pOS33uTTOoI6OeD6AeUXRlfc_iN1SJInXZ9vRx8Fn475xVbRvg/s320/IMG_4486%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-86440059101328369182021-06-11T15:16:00.002-05:002021-06-11T15:16:39.530-05:00Fixing fixing fixing<p> Well folks, I found out today that Picturetrail.com shut down in January taking a bunch of my photos with them. It's going to take me a few days to get over that. Lost all my links to the patterns used for some of the quilts, my kitten baby pictures notes, and mostly just the organization of photos. So, unhappy, but I will get past it. I also noticed some of my recipes ended up here instead of food blog. I will have to copy those over.</p><p>I took a 6 month break on hobbies - variety of reasons but I lost the impetus on my quilting when my sewing room just got too cold. This winter, I will use a heater by my feet for just when I'm in there. I had to stop cross stitching in October due to tennis elbow. Better now. Definitely have to get back to knitting socks!<br /></p>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-26532425034851875402021-04-24T15:57:00.000-05:002021-04-24T15:57:22.025-05:00Hobbit Seed Cake<p>I wanted a Hobbit based treat for the Dewey's 24 hour Readathon. This is very likely what J R R Tolkein grew up eating. I had to substitute poppy seeds for the caraway as my brother has trouble with caraway. Original recipe said to bake for 1 hour - cake is too dry. 50 minutes would work better. Otherwise, this is a light scone in texture. <br /></p><p id="id09818"><span style="color: black;">Recipe is taken from <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management</span>, 1861 and I give credit to this link for posting it. http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/seedcake-the-hobbit/<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: black;">Ingredients</span></p>
<ul><li><span style="color: black;">1/2 lb. of butter (2 sticks)</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">3/4 cup sugar</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">1/2 tsp ground nutmeg</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">1/4 tsp ground mace</span></li><li><span style="color: black;"> 1 Tbs seeds (caraway is traditional, but I like poppy seeds)</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">3 eggs</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">1/4 cup brandy</span></li><li><span style="color: black;">2 cups flour</span></li></ul>
<p id="id09820"><span style="color: black;">Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the spices and seeds, followed by the eggs and brandy, beating to combine. </span><span style="color: black;">Gradually
add the flour, stirring until everything is mixed together completely.
Pour this thick batter into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it
at 350F for 50 minutes.<br /></span></p><p id="id09820"><span style="color: black;">No pan size indicated, but other suggest 8-9 inch pan. I used an 8 in square with parchment paper.<br /></span></p>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-60376385684220366972021-04-23T20:20:00.004-05:002021-04-23T20:22:27.331-05:00Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-thon<p> Well, it's been some time since I posted. This is primarily due to limited computer access. I've been using just a laptop and my vision problems require me to literally have it on my chest while in a recliner or I can't read it! Have a big screen for my desktop and hopefully will get that up and running very soon.</p><p>Tomorrow at 7 a.m. (CST) starts the semi-annual Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-thon. Reading as much as you can in a 24 hour period. I'll alternate between ereader and audiobook. Looking forward to it.</p><p>Had my 2nd Moderna shot the other day. Slight fever and headache this afternoon, but other than pain in injection site, I'm doing fine now. <br /></p>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-9570799068529895022020-01-05T16:31:00.000-06:002020-01-05T16:31:31.266-06:00Fabric Frolic and stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finally, I'm back to sewing, stitching and needlestuff! I have to find new storage for photos. I have google storage for updating my computer, so gotta figure out how to do the photos and link them. Photobucket is charging too much compared to other places.
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I have a new sewing space. It is small, it is not yet done. Lighting is my primary problem at the moment. I actually had a choice of moving myself into this room and turning my bedroom back into the sewing room that it once was. However, my cats all have arthritis now and that is the window that faces the bird feeders. They jump up on bench to the bed and can either lay on the bed and watch the birds or jump into the deep window space to watch up closer. I couldn't take that away from them.<br />
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Partly due to loss of family, I plan to reassess my fabric hoard in the Spring. I only have so much space for quilts and only a few family members who need quilts. I'm not keen on using my fabric primarily for charity projects - I just can't afford it as I would have to buy additional fabrics to make stuff. Yet, what do I do with finished pieces? So I do plan to use some of the fabric for curtains in the bedrooms, and perhaps selling some of it and using the cash for other purposes. <br />
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I'm doing Bonnie Hunter's (quiltville.com) current <b>mystery quilt </b>called <b>Frolic</b>. I'm on part 3 and part 7 was released on Friday. So, it's a catch up game. She's asked that we not reveal the mystery for awhile, so I won't be uploading any photos until at least February. :) Cool fabrics though!<br />
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<b>Knitting </b>- for this year, I am mostly just knitting socks. Due to vision loss, I no longer buy any knitting patterns. I can still knit - but complicated or lacy things are too hard - If I drop a stitch, I can't easily pick it up to fix it. My current goal of weight loss, if met by next Fall, will enable me to justify buying yarn to knit up a new sweater. Now that the house is not kept as warm due to moving my disabled brother upstairs, I'm much more comfortable, but still need a sweater when the temp is hanging around 30F as the furnace doesn't run as much. <br />
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<b>Cross-stitch </b>- I discovered, despite the vision loss, that I can cross-stitch again now that vision has stabilized. I can't stitch 32 ct fabric (although I plan to finish one ornament using a magnifying glass) any longer. Some 28 ct works well, others do not. There are lot more projects I can do with Aida. Finished one easy project and almost done with a second. Then I plan to focus on the many SALs I joined and turning my UFOs (Unfinished Objects) into WIPs (Works in Progress) again.<br />
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SALs include Chopping Mall, Harry Potter, Space, and Familiars. A little behind right now due to having fabric and all of them starting at the same time, but there is a lot of time in between for 3 of them, so I will catch up. I have to have my feet up in the evening, so I get a lot of stitching in most evenings.<br />
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Finally, I am finally on Facebook. I won't be linking this blog to my account, but I was really amazed how many of my yahoo groups are now on Facebook. Alas, what used to be groups of 400 where you could easily get to know 20-25 fellow crafters, they are now huge groups of thousands. So much for interpersonal groups.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-15664300823773771492015-11-20T21:39:00.003-06:002015-11-20T21:39:56.196-06:00I finished something!I finally completed a project! Finished this a couple of weeks ago. I made a bunch of these <b>Montessouri Math Mats</b>. 2 different sizes. They came out nice although I ran into some trouble due to shrinkage of the batting. I preshrunk the batting, but it was ready to shrink some more. Sigh. Anyway, the teachers really liked these and the kids all wanted to choose these over the older ones, so I guess it went well. I'll be making more in the Spring. Note: I have NO IDEA how they use these to teach math, but they sure look cute. This was the equivalent of making a queen sized quilt, so lots of work. Thank goodness for a walking foot!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Math Mats, both sizes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each one includes gross grain ribbon for tying for storage.</td></tr>
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-2413397635274263172015-09-16T22:12:00.001-05:002015-09-16T22:12:32.188-05:00Sewing is Happening!Finally sewing again. I think I am past most health problems that I can do anything about.<br />
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For a first project, I'm making <b>Montessori Math Mats </b>for my Aunt's school. They have more than enough of the beads, but wanted enough mats so that there was 1 mat for 2 kids. They simply can't afford more sets. My aunt bought the materials and I'm making them. Pictured is my sandwich which is taped to an old card table awaiting a new cover. Plain black on the bottom, <i>Warm and Natural </i>for the batting. My sample has the binding coming up from the back, which will then be folded over and sewn down. I have 3 more backs to cut to complete the pinbasting for the tops I have completed. <br />
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This is how you watch birds when you are a feline who is really, really, tired. This is an afghan I made my Mom some years ago. I don't think she really liked it as it gravitated back to me. Mom likes her afghans large, despite being a smallish person. I made her one that she loves, so no problem. In any case, this is the original <i>Mile-a-Minute </i>pattern. I probably made 6 of these in different colors. They were a great lunchtime project at work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm73ddAUBaKuRreFT0O5xxeJg7F0SvZ7NU9sIbh80kYsbhD2SQBs7YJpQKOBu3d1d3H9s48j9DMhvX6-75iuiknUiQYfsaom5l-UEwS8OuQPRklTbvWE8evYn3tRXve9M4bjx/s1600/2015-09-02+18.45.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm73ddAUBaKuRreFT0O5xxeJg7F0SvZ7NU9sIbh80kYsbhD2SQBs7YJpQKOBu3d1d3H9s48j9DMhvX6-75iuiknUiQYfsaom5l-UEwS8OuQPRklTbvWE8evYn3tRXve9M4bjx/s320/2015-09-02+18.45.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The afghan above was made from the pattern below. You can still get it in electronic format over at Annies Attic. Easy, easy pattern - I recommend it for an experienced beginner. While I found that using a slightly heftier yarn for the center (where there white is) gives the resulting afghan more stability, it isn't absolutely necessary. Great pattern, but I chose to make it wider and longer.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-38807232007279475992014-03-27T13:44:00.000-05:002014-03-27T13:44:01.461-05:00Jan Fan Swap TopSorry for the long delay. Password issues.<br />
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I participated in a swap at QuiltingAroundTheWorld.com in January and have made the top up. Still without borders, but hopefully I can figure out what I want to do with it in the next week or so. I plan to do some unusual, for me, quilting in those white spaces. Not sure if it will be McTavishing or other fillers yet. It will be awhile before I can even pin the quilt, but I'll have to set up a time at my local quilt shop, I think. This is a full sized quilt and the borders will just give a little overhang. I really didn't expect it to be so big given that the blocks are 8.5 inches, but there were a LOT of participants, so this worked quite well. <br /><br />
For the border, my first thought is a narrow inner border and a piano outer border similar to this <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBjTm_EE4G44NQrZ3BukalXXnzd_IDm98bEbDiF2Z9fgFpvDZRef6szj6J_1UeeRV84obUcViCRZ3aTaSW3JWh23bNdZJq44uPNUC0C62GDTxECFOVIxVGZ1cToSeCZVTWCw6/s400/quilt+show+006.JPG">quilt</a> (cudos to Little Pieces of My Life blog). I'm almost tempted simply to make a few more blocks (I have 4 leftover) and abandon a border in favor of a solid binding to finish it off. Decisions, decisions.<br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-24491538212820759882013-11-27T19:54:00.000-06:002013-11-27T19:54:00.861-06:00Block for SwapJoined a swap for Fall colors and here's my completed block (I made 12 of them). I'm having a heck of a time getting photos online. Yahoo forced me to change my password one day. Ever since, I've been unable to get photos from my Itouch. Of course, yesterday, I made the connection that I could just attach it to the computer and upload (duh), but I was determined to make my email work again on the Itouch. I'm happy to report it now does. Now, if only I could figure out the problem with the newspaper on my Itouch, my life would be easier. <br />
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Here was what I was working on at the Sewing Expo. These are Easy Peasy Pineapples and they are very easy. You have NO IDEA how much easier this is. I can't get my head around paperpiecing and this totally skips that part. There is a lot of precutting - strips and strips of it, but otherwise, pretty darn easy. I have to go on Friday or Saturday to buy more fabric to enlarge this a little bit now that I know what I'm doing. Of course, I could leave it that way and just make it a wall quilt? Naw. If you also want to make an Easy Peasy Pineapple quilt without any math and without paperpiecing, go to the following website and buy the specialty ruler. So, so easy. <a href="http://jeanannquilts.com/">http://jeanannquilts.com/</a><br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-81400485305783258952013-11-10T13:04:00.003-06:002013-11-10T13:04:47.689-06:00Sewing ExpoThis week, I went to the Sewing Expo for the first time. Really enjoyed myself. I attended a class on Easy Peasy Pineapple quilts and yes, it is easy peasy. I hoped to put up some photos, but am having trouble getting photos to any of my photo accounts to upload. Technology. Always changing, sometimes for the better, always with some difficulty.<br />
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I've finished all the blocks for my current swap at QATW. Just have to press and add sashing tonight. I really wanted to participate in another swap, but it's not wise for me to sign up for anything just now since I don't know that I can complete it.<br />
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I'm almost done with a sock from the Scarefest Socks at Ravelry. I'm currently on the heel and plan to finish that this week. Then to start the next one. I'm not a fast knitter, but I am determined not to have 8 projects around with just one sock completed. Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-28940920290241831002013-09-20T20:41:00.003-05:002013-09-20T20:41:50.498-05:00Oh, To Be Home Again!!Finally, I am back home! Brought a lot of produce from my sister's garden/orchard, so will be doing some canning tomorrow. At the very least, will be making a couple of apple pies.<br />
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On the knitting front, I am working on a sock from Ravelry's annual SuperSock Scarefest. I'm still working on the first sock. I've finished the leg and have just started the heel, but had to rip back because something was going awry. I think I miscounted somewhere as the K1 Sl1 was not resulting in any kind of ribbed look. <br />
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I have sewn half of the binding to the back on my BIL's quilt. If I can find the thread, I am going to work on it tonight while listening to an audiobook. I really SHOULD be going through my junk mail and tossing, but I just don't have the attention span for that today. Besides, my kitty has been missing me and she will plop herself either next to me or on the quilt.<br />
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I noticed that my brother's cats sat weirdly due to many hours of watching birds on a hard surface. So, I placed a quilt there and that awkward stance mostly vanished after a few weeks. Clearly, something was needed here. Since I wanted the quilt back, the cats needed new padding. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62881845@N00/9845864994/" title="Window Cats by Tarana5, on Flickr"><img alt="Window Cats" height="375" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/9845864994_9cb3fa1a0e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gus and Walter (both a tad over a year old) on my quilt.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />I needed 2 pads and a bolster. The first pad was a wide one to give room for 2 cats. I also needed a bolster because the window ledge was 3 inches below the table. The pads were constructed of leftover flannel from quilts and some ugly camo fabric my sister had acquired as part of an auction. I made a square pillow for the bolster, but sadly, one end is quite wonky. The cats don't care as you can see in the photo below with Walter lounging.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62881845@N00/9845978464/" title="Walter resting between events by Tarana5, on Flickr"><img alt="Walter resting between events" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7443/9845978464_5b0c8ba5b2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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In addition, I made a cat pad for Ashley, who is about 16 years old. She was recently diagnosed with arthritis and even a favorite chair sort of cripples her up when she naps. She loved this pad the moment I put her on it. The side she is currently sleeping on is flannel. The other side is fleece (Univ. of MN) which she may prefer when it gets colder. I hope it makes up for the fact that she no longer has my sewing machine rolling cart to sleep on. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62881845@N00/9845967833/" title="Sleepy cat by Tarana5, on Flickr"><img alt="Sleepy cat" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/9845967833_912a25ec36.jpg" width="500" /></a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-79368673645619583732013-08-15T18:32:00.000-05:002013-08-15T18:32:20.587-05:00A Little QuiltingI have continued to work on my BIL's quilt. I am currently quilting feathers in the outer border. I still have to finish the 'rocks' in the border areas. I plan to complete the quilting over the weekend, cut out and attach the binding.<br />
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I've put the quilting of the Asian quilt on hold for a bit. Instead, I will be focusing on cutting out and assembling 3 tops. One is a butterfly wallhanging that I want to quilt using the <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mctavish+style+quilting&qpvt=mctavish+style+quilting&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=B5638ACF26EAAC94CB04DA9B276C1B0FE91D562A&selectedIndex=9">McTavish </a>style featured in the book "Mastering the Art of Mctavishing" by Karen McTavish. Karen McTavish is a Duluth, MN quilter. The other is the Asian Recliner quilt and finally, a Minnesota quilt using Quilt MN fabrics from 2012. I should get more for a pillowcase. Hmm. Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-25980315465078392802013-07-30T15:16:00.001-05:002013-07-30T15:16:50.133-05:00A Couple of FinishesI am out of town all the time and it's very frustrating to blog and add photos when they keep insisting that you change passwords! Anyway, here are two finishes. This is a wallhanging for my sister. It is about 23x22 inches, just the right size for a door. For both projects, I did grass hillocks in the border areas and random quilting in the other borders. The feature fabric starts off with a sun in the center and rays going out to the borders. Came out very nice.<br />
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<img alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com" border="0" src="http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL252/1600103/3065432/407291983.jpg" /><br />
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This one is a miniature for me. It's about 12x11 inches. Very cute. <br />
<img alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com" border="0" src="http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL252/1600103/3065432/407291984.jpg" /><br />
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I also made a mug rug, but I'll show it when I finish the other one. Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-46210818074140401642013-07-21T21:22:00.001-05:002013-07-21T21:22:18.760-05:00Lots of progress!In the last week, I completed both the wallhanging and mini-quilt. If I have time, I will upload some photos. Otherwise, I will be back home for 2 days in a couple of weeks and can get all the photos up.<br />
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In addition, I pinbasted the lap quilt, so it is ready to go. I'm looking for some batting tonight so that I can maybe pinbaste the Asian fabric quilt next week. A lot is in the air as my relative is being released from the hospital this week and I won't know how much time I have available. <br />
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Given that the kitties cause a lot of interruptions, I plan to spend some time working on a simple machine applique project. Quilt World had a lovely 1930s quilt which outlines a butterfly. That should give me plenty of practice. In view of that, I bought some clearance background fabric and will have to quickly go through some fat quarters in my stash to have some stuff to work on. I can only machine quilt an hour or two a day, so having another project helps.<br />
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Of course, I could read. Love my Nook HD+. I didn't NEED it since I already owned 2 Kindles and a Simple Touch Nook, but I needed a lighted display. I HIGHLY recommend a tablet of some kind if you need to read craft pdf files and want something portable. I'll let you know how easy it is to actually work from these units. One thing to remember is to turn OFF the automatic screen saver. It is set to 2 minutes which barely gives you time to follow a direction. Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-13570964996066332962013-06-18T13:44:00.001-05:002013-06-18T13:44:32.863-05:00Finally Quilting!Yes, after long last, I'm finally quilting again. Here are 3 small quilt tops. Just the beginning!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0537_zps4a9ec0a5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0537_zps4a9ec0a5.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap quilt</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0538_zps37ceca6e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0538_zps37ceca6e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wall quilt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0539_zpsb41ab2e5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/IMG_0539_zpsb41ab2e5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini quilt</td></tr>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-74806056293744470092013-04-26T18:02:00.003-05:002013-04-26T18:06:49.906-05:00I'm Still Breathing!Hi all. It's been an age since I have posted. I will soon post some photos. Remodeling is keeping me from quilting, but I have been steadily, but slowly, cross stitching on a simple fairy pattern. On the next rainy day, I'll be working on redoing squares on a crochet afghan that stalled. Otherwise, now that the snow is nearly gone, yardwork will be taking over for a couple of weeks.<br />
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In the meantime, if you cross-stitch, you might want to visit this site. Lots of patterns, but if you are particular about copyright, don't go there. That said, many of the patterns there have been out of print for ages.<br />
CatDragon invite you to Cross Stitch<br />
<a href="http://www.chcrossstitch.com/?fromuid=31611">Ch Crossstitch</a><br />
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That's it for now! Oh.. what do you think about using these for my summer curtains? I made two sets. One was slightly too small. The second set went astray in the mail so never arrived for the swap. They arrived about a month ago having been sitting in a Missouri post office (they were supposed to be in Tennessee, I think). Anyway, I've already completed the quilt top that they were to be used in, so I thought..huh...curtains for my bedroom. What do you think? They are 6x8 inch finished. <br />
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<br />Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-26303597338966882692012-11-25T19:58:00.000-06:002012-11-25T19:58:39.377-06:00Housesitting and Crochet ProgressHousesitting for my sister and BIL while they visit BIL's son. It's been pleasant and then a front came through. Got about 1.5 inches of snow and the temp dropped to the teens during the day and about zero at night.<br />
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So, what have I been doing? I decided to focus on finishing a friendship afghan that has been waiting for awhile. I got my last friendship square about 3 months ago. So, I spent a few days enlarging some squares so that they went together well. Kitties wanted to be on my lap, but not crocheting, so I did a lot of reading too (love my ebooks). Today though, I spread out all my squares. NOW they are interested in the crocheting. Now that I have my project all laid out, Huff came along to make sure that it didn't move.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/Tarana/library/buttonphotos" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Friendship afghan with cat help" border="0" height="400" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/buttonphotos/photo2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huff keeping everything straight....sortof</td></tr>
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Spitty came along to help too. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her Highness, Miss Spitty assists.</td></tr>
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Enjoy your turkey at Thanksgiving? Here's some wild ones that showed up in my sister's backyard looking for any spilled seed from the birdfeeder.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not exactly the birds we intended to feed sunflower seeds.</td></tr>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-85712606351284652632012-07-28T14:03:00.001-05:002012-07-28T14:03:09.217-05:00Ravelympics Day 2Working on ladybugs. Here's the one that I finished last night.<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=aa352914.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App" border="0" height="400" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/aa352914.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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How tired is that kitty in the window? This is her favorite spot and she is currently baking in the sun.<br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=2012-07-03161406.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Really tired, How's this for a really tired cat?" border="0" height="300" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/2012-07-03161406.jpg" width="400" /></a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-40499077791610577332012-07-27T19:07:00.000-05:002012-07-27T19:07:42.334-05:00Ravelympics Begins!I am grateful that Blogger heard my crankiness and has now added a light gray to the background where you do all the workings of your blog. SO much more readable. Thanks Blogger. However, I must point out that I am NOT RESPONSIBLE for any of the ADVERTISEMENTS that you see. I knew eventually Blogger would need to generate money somehow. Maybe I can get crafting ads, you think?<br />
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/buttonphotos/?action=view&current=ravelympicsnew.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="ravelympics 2012 logo" border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/buttonphotos/ravelympicsnew.jpg" /></a><br />
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Again, it is the Ravelympics and I of course will be participating. My plans include completing the crocheted <b>ladybug afghan</b>, making a <b>toy </b>and a <b>tea cozy</b>. Not huge things, but getting that afghan done finally will be PROGRESS!! I had planned to include a pair of socks in there somewhere, but couldn't find the yarn - it's in a box safe from the cat, but alas, I don't know which box.<br />
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Why join one thing when you can do two? I am also participating in the crochetville.org celebration by working on the afghan. <br />
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/buttonphotos/?action=view&current=crochetgames2008.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="2008CrochetGames, Emblem for the 2008 Crochet Games participation." border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/buttonphotos/crochetgames2008.jpg" /></a><br />
All that is left for the afghan is the sewing and final rounds. But, as we all know, finishing takes a long time. Therefore, I have several audiobooks to listen to while doing so. What? Not watching the Olympics? Can't. 140 countries can stream the Olympics for free, but not the US. We gotta pay. I'm not going to. I don't have an antennae hookup for the TV that I use to work on my projects, so I'm out of luck. I hope that eventually, I will be able to see the Opening Ceremonies on YouTube or something. If I can remember how to change my IP address, I can confuse my computer enough to watch volleyball from British Television.<br />
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I haven't posted because I haven't been doing any crafting. My hands are finally not giving me too much trouble and I just started sewing a project yesterday. It's a repeat of the <b>Triple Irish Chain </b>and it will be once again in white and scraps. <br />
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That's about it. Progress photos in a day or so! Oh, and btw, buying an Itouch can seriously cut into your knitting/quilting/crocheting time. You get sucked into a game and boom, you've run out of time.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-69228053243789713032012-05-04T11:41:00.001-05:002012-05-04T11:41:41.156-05:00I Detest The New Blogger 'Look'I plan to complain to Blogger about their 'new look'. It is SO unfriendly to those of us with vision problems. Seriously, did these folks even bother to look at this and think 'huh, this is an awful lot of white space. I like the features in Blogger, but if they don't change, I will be going elsewhere. <br />
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Anyway, haven't been posting much because I haven't been doing much. I think the allergies are beating me down, but I'm trying to make myself overcome the tiredness and get stuff done. At the very least, I have to get ready for a garage sale. I finished a swap and sent it out into the mail before remembering to take a photo. Darn it. Hopefully more to post this weekend.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-43703043932627309262012-04-09T14:57:00.004-05:002012-04-09T15:21:22.769-05:00Catching UpAs soon as I get done with my swap and the QATW BOM, I'll be working on an old, old BOM. Back around 2002, I bought a bunch of Joann's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Holiday Tidings </span>quilt blocks from the clearance box. This was a BOM from 2000. Over time, I've acquired other packages of this project so that I now have enough fabric to do all the blocks. Joanne's QuiltBlocks Dept. (1-866-784-5825) will send you copies of any missing instructions, which is great. While I know I will have to substitute a little fabric for the bottom quadrant, I think the result will be great!<br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/?action=view&current=Image.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 345px; height: 442px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/Quilting/Image.jpg" alt="Holiday tidings" border="0" /></a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-70147950848456101402012-03-28T19:36:00.003-05:002012-03-29T12:54:23.010-05:00Apps and craftsI am a gadget person by nature, but not with a lot of money. I have been perfectly happy with my Nano to listen to music and audiobooks while quilting, knitting, crocheting or cross stitching. But, the temptation of apps finally suckered me. I didn't need an iPhone so bought an ITouch. Love it. Love my gadget devices. Will your world be less if you don't have these apps? Nope. Stick with your Nano. But, if you already have the gadget, here are some apps you may find useful.<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Block Tool </span>is perfect for a quilter. Has 102 common blocks in 5 sizes. Worth the $5 if you commonly struggle with figuring out what to do in a hurry for that next baby blanket or gifted lap quilt. If you already have Electric Quilt, the app is redundant. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Quilt Block </span>is by <span style="font-style: italic;">C&T Publishing</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Sewing kit </span>is an app created for sewers. You can store your inventory of patterns to take with you. Each pattern has a place to keep yardages. While it can be used for quilting, it is clearly designed for garment sewing. You can create projects linked to pattern and fabric as well. I loaded it with 42 garment, accessory and household patterns. If you load the manufacturer and pattern number, the app searches a database for current patterns, and adds photos if there are any. If not, you can take a photo to add to the pattern.. I had a few crashes when taking photos of patterns not in the manufacturer's database, but it was still fast. I did it while watching 2 episodes of a Brit crime drama on Netflix. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, many cross stitchers and other crafters like to keep track of the time worked on a project. If you charge $$, then you certainly need to do that. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Hours tracker </span>is intended to be used by jobbers. At $5, it's a good choice for cross stitchers as well. It runs in the background, so uses less power. It will also keep a history of your job. Do you need it? Nope. There's a free stopwatch as part of the programming even on a nano. Gadgets. I love them.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I find other apps that are useful, I will tag them. Ok, well Polly is knocking over everything so that I will go to the quilting sewing area, so I will post another time. But, not by ITouch. This took forever to type.</div>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-89350829327083797422012-03-14T21:43:00.002-05:002012-03-14T21:51:45.165-05:00StuffIt's been a really slow week. Hurt my back and sitting has been difficult. Hopefully I will still get something done yet this week. I have a new ITouch. If you have any app recommendations, please let me know.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-42894341740543622222012-02-29T22:56:00.002-06:002012-02-29T23:04:20.274-06:00FMQ with Diane GaudynskiHere's a photo of my square using Diane Gaudynski's instructions to make a feather. This takes a good deal more practice than I thought. I did 10 pages of feathers with a sharpie and they were looking pretty good. When I get to the machine, they tend to look like leaf fronds. They are the nicest leaf fronds I have ever made, so I'm still proud of the progress. I also didn't turn my square (you aren't going to do that when you have a queen sized quilt), which was very helpful since practicing on small stuff doesn't always work take it to your larger project. All in all, I'm very happy with my progress, but I need to really practice that teardrop shape.<br /><br />I tossed the other 3 squares that I did, but this one came out nice enough to make it into a mug rug. What I'm thinking of doing is taking the thread out of the machine and practice making tear drops with just the needle and paper. In the meantime, leaf fronds.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=FMQdiane.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 584px; height: 438px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/FMQdiane.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123178.post-19079709118957214002012-02-28T22:39:00.005-06:002012-02-28T22:53:26.288-06:00Blocks and Small BagMore blocks done on the 2012 QATW Mystery quilt. Here are blocks 11 through 14.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br style="font-weight: bold; font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Yankee Puzzle and Bear Paw</span></span><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=BOMyankee.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 247px; height: 184px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/BOMyankee.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=BOMbearpaw.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 241px; height: 180px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/BOMbearpaw.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">QATW Block </span>(modified churn dash) and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Whirlpool</span></span><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=churndashvarbom.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 230px; height: 172px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/churndashvarbom.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=whirlpoolredone.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 229px; height: 170px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/whirlpoolredone.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Also, I had a 9 by 18 piece of quilted leaves left from last months freeform quilting project. I decided to make a little bag. It looks great if you don't look too closely. I definitely have to learn a little more about bag assembly. I was trying to make a box bottom - at least you won't get lint caught in the corners! Note that I used the side that FEATURES the quilting instead of trying to hide it. My leaves are so much better after last month's class. Tomorrow, you will see the results of this month's class - feathers. The finished bag is about 8.5 inches wide by 9.75 inches long.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=bagfront.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 260px; height: 194px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/bagfront.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/?action=view&current=baginside.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="width: 253px; height: 191px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/Tarana/baginside.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588395572203016231noreply@blogger.com0