My new blog class. Blogging Your Way

Yikes I've already missed the deadline! I was suppose to blog between the 5th and 8th about my new class Blogging Your Way with Holly Becker from decor8, a blog I have followed for awhile now.
Weekends are tough for me. Saturday is my Friday so Sundays I usually teach a class or catch up on chilling out. And Monday was my first Wedding Anniversary. I'm really piling on the excuses aren't I? Ok enough of that.
I've had this blog for a few years and read help books here and there. I know a little about computers but not a lot; hardly anything with html and all of that stuff. . I've tried different things on how to increase readers but nothing seems to really work. Is it my writing? My posts? I admit I have not fully let it all out.
Kind of uncomfortable doing that, or rather worried. Or what are my goals. 

A few weeks ago a drunk friend made a suggestion. Now this friend does not have a blog or any other computer internet type experience however she is the public so her comment hit hard. She said my blog looked "a little homemade" ouchie, I did take offense but I am glad she was truthful. 

Decor8 is a blog I check in with and I saw this class the next day. Fate? And not sold out! Yay!

Here I am, I made my latte for the morning and will be doing some writing and have a couple etsy purchases to mail out.  Away we go!

Latte in my favorite Jonathan Adler mug

Toiletry bags seem to be a big seller for me on etsy

Tutorial: Making a Cafe Curtain

Ok for you newbie sewers out there you may be asking "What is a cafe curtain?" Or "I can never make a curtain". Basically it is a panel and it is super easy!  It can be a full panel covering the total window or a half panel, covering the lower half of the window. Just imagine a cafe in Paris and sitting at a table you can peer over the curtain to watch outside or put your head down and read a book without everyone watching you.  A single panel is good for small windows. You can push it open by sliding it slightly or using a complementary tieback.

We have a door in our bedroom that goes out to the back yard. The door has a small window so we didn't want anything fancy for covering it up. We also wanted it to match the shade we got for our windows, a warm latte color.  A cafe curtain was the perfect solution.

Instructions:
1. Measure your window and add 2" to the height and width
2.  Fold over 3/8" seam allowance on all 4 sides, steam.

3. On the bottom and sides fold in another 3/8", steam and sew an edge stitch on the inside fold.

 4. Be sure to steam after sewing!

5. For the top loop I overlocked my raw edge since I have a serger. But don't worry, if you don't have a serger just fold over once and steam as in step 2.

At the corners fold in a diagonal then pin down and steam. Normally I don't put pins like this, but the seam allowance is so tiny I do in this case.

6.  Fold over 2" , pin and steam

 

7. I find it helpful to pin the end openings so they don't shift when you are sewing the edge stitch on the fold. See below.

8. Finished! And steam! And hang!

Since this is a door with no window frame, Andy found curtain rods that are magnetic at Home Depot! I believe Target also carries them.

Life....hot toddies and more!

Life happens and then the blog falls behind. Well I have had the first cold of the season. Big bummer. It started the night I went to see Bruce Springsteen for the first time. He is absolutely fantastic!  Life has been happening, with me coughing and sneezing and sniffling...you know all that fun stuff. Well there is some relief: hot toddies. Or according to wikipedia hot totty. The traditional hot toddy is whiskey, hot water, honey, lemon. Or has hot toddie become a synonym for booze plus hot water?

Cocktails.about.com sites this as the recipe 

• 1 oz brandy, whiskey or rum
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 lemon
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tea bag

Andy and I visited one of our new local fave bar/farm to table restaurant, BluePrint on 5th Ave.  The bartender there made a wonderful hot toddy for me. He did mention putting cloves in which also is medicinal.

Check out the below link for a variety of bars and hot cocktails:

http://newyork.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/standard_photo_gallery/one-drink-five-ways/895054/content

So my version of a hot toddy at home: hot water, Jameson, half of lemon, big spoonful of honey and some minced ginger. Quite tasty. 

Now that I am mostly better, minus some mucous. Lovely I know. I am working on Fall 2013 mens sportswear colors, scheduling the holiday shows in NYC and sewing more product. Also working on fun projects: lunchbags for my nieces, quilt for Andy's birthday that consists of 19 prints! Yes you read that correctly, and still working on a quilt for Haptic Labs. I hope to post all of the progress and pictures. Oh yea the office is slowly coming together.