I Apologize, But It's Instagram's Fault

I'm sorry. I've been a bad blogger. I blame Instagram.

I've been using Instagram a lot more lately, and the instant gratification and community aspects of it have sucked me in. I've been working on a bunch of creative projects, all at the same time, so I usually just have a little bit more of each one done at the end of the day. That makes for boring blogging. I'd much rather have some significant progress to share with you. Instagram makes it super easy and fun to share mini progress updates, and you get quick feedback to make you feel good and push you to keep creating.

Since I started using Instagram more, I haven't blogged as much, BUT I have been creating more! After finding myself in a bit of a creative lull, that makes me super happy. Being a stay at home mom can be lonely, but I've been able to connect with others in a way I wasn't before. I get to share with friends, family, customers, and other crafters working on similar projects, and it rocks!

I promise to be better about blogging, but for now, here's what I've been working on:

Sun Hat

Summer Stitching Club

The last time I wrote about Mollie's Wild Olive Summer Stitching Club, I had finished stitching up the Week 3 design (a swim suit) and had put a bunch of hexies together. I haven't gotten too much further on this project. I stitched up the Week 4 design (a sun hat), but I haven't made it into a hexie yet. This is high up on my to do list since I'll be able to add the next row of colored hexies too.

I got the Week 5 design yesterday, a picnic basket, but I haven't started stitching it up yet because I've been wrapped up in my Woodland Sampler.

Woodland Sampler

I like designing my own patterns, but I also enjoy stitching up patterns made by other people, especially ones made by other independent designers. I didn't know about The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Woodland Sampler until a few weeks ago, so it'll take my a bit to get caught up. I had to wait for the Monaco cloth I ordered online to get here so I could get started, but I've been stitching like crazy since it arrived.

So far, I have stitched some of the frames and finished the May and June designs. The July design came out yesterday, and I started that one too.

 

ABC Quilt

I was working on sketches for the letters I haven't stitched up yet, but I had some creative blocks with a few of the letters and ended up working on other projects. Hopefully I'll be able to share more on the quilt progress soon.

Goodbye Google Reader!

Since this isn't all that crafty a post, I'll keep it short and sweet.

I don't know if you've heard, but Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st.

I've been using Bloglovin' for a while now, and I love it! The interface is simple and clean, and you can easily organize the blogs you follow into categories. You can comment or like blog posts right from your feed, and my super favorite part is that that there are iPhone & iPad apps so you can get all your favorite blogs in one place while on the go.

If you are currently using Google Reader and need a new place to get all your bloggy goodness, consider switching to Bloglovin'. Here's a good tutorial to help you get your new Bloglovin' account set up.

If you're already on Bloglovin' and haven't followed me yet, here's a linky for you!  :)

Return to Blogging

It's been a while since I last blogged. Mr. Baby is getting older, and we have a lot more active time in the day now (play group, reading time at the library, playing at the park, walking around the lake, learning activities at home, etc.). Some time went by without me writing anything, and I decided I didn't really have enough time in the day to devote any to blogging.

I kind of miss blogging, especially sharing the projects I'm working on or new designs I've stitched up. So, I'm hoping to find the time to write. I don't think I'll be posting as often as I did before, but I'll definitely do it more often than I have recently.

See you next time!

In Need of a 12-Step Program

I love lists. I'm a master list-maker. If there was a job where all you had to do was make lists and then list out all of the lists you made, I would be a shoe-in. I have lists that have sub-lists. I am addicted to color-coding my lists (which is a sickness itself). I have lists in multiple locations, some of which list the same things as other lists. When Apple added the Reminders app to iPhone, I was excited because I could have all of my lists with me wherever I go.

My top ten best (longest) lists are for:

• General Crap To Do
• Things To Buy (separated by store)
• Things To Return
• Gift Ideas
• Crafts To Make
• Reviews To Write (for Amazon)
• Blog Posts To Write
• Deep Cleaning List (separated out by frequency of cleaning - weekly/monthly/seasonally)
• Home Improvements To Make (separated out by room/zone)
• My ever-lengthening Shop To Do List.

Whew! Uh oh. I just realized that is another list of lists.  :-/

If only list-making resulted in actually getting stuff done. By the time I pull out my list(s), cross off the very minimal amount of items I have completed and re-evaluate what's left, I don't have time to actually do anything on the list! I think list-making might be the ultimate procrastination technique. You get to put off actually doing work by thinking about all the work you have to do. Maybe it's time for a mid-year resolution.

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