Trendy, Not Trashy

My sister's birthday is Sunday and my husband and I are headed to Massachusetts for the weeks, which means that we will be home for her birthday!  Her birthday is March 4, exactly 2 months before my birthday, so it's pretty awful that I always forget the exact day and end up sending a belated birthday card and gift.  I'm psyched, then, that not only have I remembered her special day, but I have made a little something for her to open!

About 6 months ago, I bought One Yard Wonders (buy it here) and I have been wanting to make this silly project ever since.  The"Not-Ugly Car Trash Bag" clips onto the back of either the front seats and trendily (new word... just invented it, I think) hides all the candy wrappers that you had previously crammed into the glove compartment trash from your car in a pretty little bag.  It even has a front compartment for recyclables or plastic bags.  

My sister drives a notoriously cute car, which she adores, so I thought a trendy trash bag might be something cool for her!  Then, I got so excited about finally getting to make this project, I decided to make one for myself as well.  Here's the fabric I decided to use:

Sewing them together was so easy!  The directions were easy to follow and everything.  My only variance was that I decided to cut the raw edges with pinking sheers rather than zig-zag stitch them (and this decision was largely due to my inability to cut straight lines, leading to yucky raw edges!).

Here are the adorable finished products!  This one is for the birthday girl:

And this one is for me:

Ever since I got this new job, I feel invigorated to spend some true "hobby time!"  It's so fun giving nice gifts on which I spent time and love.

It's just proof that life is good, God is good, and little lingonberries are everywhere.

Winter Blooms

I got this really cute kit from a family friend for Christmas and was so excited to dive in!  It was time to make some long-lasting daisies for my kitchen!

Puppy flowers and Valentine's Day ducky loved how easy it was to punch out all of the pre-cut flowers.

They were even easier to assemble... pretty!

The stems were a little harder to assemble, though.  Lots of wrapping sticky floral tape.

The outcome, thus far, is really pretty!  I'll show you the finished vase once I'm finished!

Life is good, God is good. Little lingonberries are everywhere!

The Plot Thickens...

This weekend, I continued my work on the mystery quilt featured in McCall's Jan./Feb., and March/April, and got the first two parts to the mystery done!  (See all the fabric I chose here.)

I had done the first part featured in the Jan./Feb. a while ago, but never finished the final 7 or so squares.  So the completed squares and the un-completed squares sat in a bin by my ironing board... little lost UFOs... and as time went on, I wondered if they were destined to remain unfinished squares.  Maybe I would never finish them.  I tend to start a lot of projects and not finish them.

Then, BAM! I got a job and suddenly had time to do some things I love.  Last night, I finished part 1... and here it is!

So pretty! And I love how even everything looks even though I am new at this.  The yellow strips will make up the binding... but I wonder what the rest will look like...

I was so motivated by the ten minutes of sewing and pressing it took to finish part 1, that I decided to start part 2.  (It's truly amazing how much I put things off that I can finish quickly...)

Part 2 was a lot of cutting and a little sewing.  I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that there were no instructions for the colorful fabrics that I chose as the focal points of the quilt... the green and the yellow are more just accent colors to me.  But the good editors at McCall's are keeping secret what my hippie chicks and funky stripes will be used for...

Here is some more pretty green and yellow, though!

Now I want to know how this mystery ends!  I cannot wait for the May/June magazine!

Life is good.  God is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

Goodbye Old Job!

Today, I finished my job in the gift industry and I get ready to begin my new life as a social worker, which is something I have wanted to do.  Right now, I feel like this:

That's what I'm going to do now!

The mystery unfolds... (and is also cleaned and pressed...)

New, washed fabric can only mean one thing... a new project in the works!

McCall's January/February Issue features a mystery quilt perfect for beginners.  I am drawn to the idea of doing a quilt that is in steps (each issue of McCall's will feature a new section of the quilt) because I feel like I am more likely to finish it and not feel so overwhelmed.  The idea that I won't know the outcome is fun, too!  I'll post pictures as the mystery continues to let you know how it comes out!

Here's the fabric that will make up my fabulous 1st quilt!

So fun!  God is good.  Life is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

Little lingonberries can add up to great things...

So, I work in the gift industry, but have a degree in social work and have been actively pursuing a social work position.  Unfortunately for the social work field right now, beginning social workers do not have many options.  Social service agencies have adopted a largely "fee-for-service" model, in which therapists take on clients on an hourly basis (no salary, no benefits, large amounts of travel...) and do not get paid for sick time, a client not showing up, a client prematurely ending therapy, etc.  Some agencies do this better than others.  I have a friend, for example, who works FFS with a diverse 26-client caseload and weekly supervision (paid!).  She is also paid for paperwork (treatment planning), allowed to bill for phone calls and cooperative care with other agencies, and given a gas stipend.  I like this agency... I wish I lived in the same state that she does!

I, on the other hand, interviewed for (and was offered positions at) not one, but 2 agencies where I would only be allowed 5 clients for my first three months, would not be paid for paperwork, mandatory trainings, gas mileage (FFS is largely meeting with clients in their homes), and supervision would be mandatory... but I would have to pay for it.  I was getting discouraged... when I turned the jobs down, I had to wonder; would I be offered something better?  Or was I doomed to make four hundred dollars a month minus the cost of supervision?

Just when I was getting really discouraged... sending out resumes to anyone who would potentially have a position I was qualified for (even if I thought I would hate the job), NOT hearing back from anyone, thinking that maybe quitting my gift-industry job and volunteering for a year would be my way in to the field... maybe you know the desperation?, I got a job interview at a truly amazing organization.

On Tuesday, they offered me a full-time job.

So I got to go into work on Wednesday... and quit!  And to say that it felt incredible... like my adult life was about to start, like I hadn't wasted a year and a half somewhere where I was unhappy... would be the understatement of the century.

So here's what I've learned from this:

Sometimes when you are only focused on the lemons, you miss the little lingonberries.  

And you should really be looking for the little lingonberries, because, let's face it.  God is good.  Life is good. And little lingonberries are everywhere.