psst!

I've thrown my stuff in a hefty and moved!
Please come and visit me at my new home: www.goodygoody.typepad.com
I look forward to seeing you there!

Today's activities and follow me!

These bundles of pure vintage yumminess were put together by Claire and I today for some upcoming shows. We're calling them lollipop stacks. We've done all the work for ya by combing the thrift stores and creating fat quarter stacks and charm packs of our favorite vintage pillowcases and sheets..and whatever else we can get our hands on and hack to bits with a rotary cutter. They're just de-lovely..and we'll have them at Down to Earth April 19th and Bazaar Bizarre May 3-4th.

So, I mentioned a few posts ago about "the change". No, not menopause. No, not the coins in the bottom of my washing machine that seem to be multiplying with every load. But a new name and a new spot for all my jabber. I've been speckled hen for a few years now and although I still love the name, I'm feeling like it's not unique enough. There's a few other blogs out there with "speckled" names and I'd like to stand out a bit. Until now, goody-goody has been used for my card line. But I'm going to take that name now for all my crafted tidbits and blog. My cards will be under the new name Two+Shoes. When I get my butt in gear and make some, that is. There's a sad 1500 lb. letterpress in my garage just beggin' for use.

So, please, for my hump day giveaway, join me tomorrow at my new blog: www.goodygoody.typepad.com. I promise it will be worth your while! I am so thrilled at how many people have been visiting me and saying hello. I really look forward to seeing you over there! Thanks for the support and laughs. You make my day!

free tutorial! tgif quickie :: sushi roll pincushion

I have been seriously jonesin' for some sushi lately, so when it came time to think up this week's quickie, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. One of the first things I ever sold on etsy were these catnip-filled cat toys shaped like sushi. They were pretty hilarious (or so I thought). This is simply a bigger version--minus the catnip, unless you like a little feline company on your sewing table. So roll one for yourself and a few more for the all the sushi lovin' sewers in your life.


Get it:

• Black or dark green fabric cut into a 3.5" x 6" rectangle
• Felt (wool or poly) cut into two 2" circles
• Stuffing
• Lentils or rice (for heft)
• Needle + thread
• colored buttons

Do it:

• Fold your dark colored fabric in half widthwise, right sides together, and sew up the side edge. Now you have a little tube. Cool. Turn right side out.

• This part is kind of a pain. Sorry. It might involve some swear words. Like dang-nabbit and snickerdoodle. Try and keep it clean. Take your needle and thread (one strand doubled and knotted) and sew up through the fabric and up and over the felt and back down. As you whipstitch along the edge, kind of roll the felt circle to meet the fabric like a little hat. When you're halfway done, you might want to add a little stuffing in just to have something firmer to sew against. I tried to take a picture of this part, but you couldn't see squat with the white thread against white felt. If it doesn't come out as tidy as you'd like, just take out your stitching and try again. Felt is nice. It forgives you when you suck.
• Once you've got your circle on, put a small layer of stuffing in the bottom. Layer in a few teaspoons of rice or lentils. This will help your pincushion feel more substantial and keep it from rolling away from you. Add more stuffing, then rice, etc..until it's full. Pack in a little more stuffing for good measure. That's always my philosophy on polyfill and chocolate. Sew on other circle the same way. Add buttons at each end for your desired fillings. Yum. No soy sauce or wasabi required. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.

have a great weekend.

Cute shoes and flying poo

Claire thinks I need to talk more about me. And my life. Such as it is. She's right in a way. I don't feel like I have much to say. And I don't think that I'm funny. But she says I am. So blame her for this post.

After a nice lunch out with my daughter, we're heading back to the car. And she drops her little purse. In poo. Not just any poo. The mother of all bird droppings. So huge I had to take a double and then a triple take at the pile of gray matter splattered on the sidewalk. So large that I could not believe this came from any bird on this planet. Pterodactyl, maybe. You could use it to sculpt an urn for your great-grandma's ashes and still have some left over. So..I gasp and she immediately picks up her purse and starts flailing madly. Not really sure why. Okay, she probably takes after me. I've been known to go all-akimbo when walking through spider webs or when someone says there's a bug in my hair. But now there are poo droplets soaring through the air, landing on her sleeve, her shirt and hand. I want to help her, I really do, but my fear of being hit keeps me at arm's length. Finally I shout "Freeze!" and she actually listens. Amazing. The child that NEVER listens just did. I guess it's only for important matters involving feces and sparkly accessories. After we get all wiped up and in the car, she starts discussing the pros and cons of hand vs. machine wash of clothing and purses...and I laugh so hard my stomach hurts.

Clearance shoes at Gap. A near-death experience with turd. All in a good day.

The winner of the hump day giveaway is morgan ! Visiting her blog about all things book-related reminds me that I need to read more. Not just the dosage information on allergy medicine. I used to be smart. Really. Please send me your snail mail, morgan, and your earrings will be on their way! Thanks for playing, everyone. Ya'all come back next week, 'kay?

See you tomorrow for another fun tutorial!

hump day giveaway!

New and exciting! To celebrate the half-way mark of the (tedious, stressful, boring, amazing--you fill in your own adjective) weeks of our lives, I'm a gonna give away something every Wednesday. Or until I run out of things--which, by looking at the state of my craftland, isn't going to happen very soon. So, up for grabs is a set of bitty button earrings made from fabric covered buttons. Just right for putting a little handmade oomph in your Spring wardrobe. Just leave a comment telling me how your week is going. That's it. You don't have to share any gory details, but those are always welcome. I'll be drawing a number at random tomorrow morning. And since it's already 3 o'clock out here, the odds are in your favor.

I've been busy behind the scenes...contemplating all the details of a new name and new blog. Same me, same stuff, just having an identity crisis of sorts. More about that later..

Have a great rest of your week...enjoy the downhill slide to Friday. I'll see you back here for another tgif quickie!

tgif quickie(sunday edition)::panty sachets

Well, hello. Better late than never, right? By poplular demand (okay, it was just Melissa) I have a sweet smelling quickie for you. Mother's Day is sneaking up on us and if it's anything like the holidays in March, it will be smack in your face in no time. These make great girlfriend and shower gifts, too. Enjoy!

Get it:

• contrasting fabrics for waistband and panty--small bits, no larger than 3.5" x 4.5" (FYI, I got the lace-print fabric at JoAnn's a few months ago, the dot is Amy Butler. If you care.)
  
• ribbon for tab (optional)
• lavender (I get mine here. Lots of lavender that will make a buttload of sachets. Butt. Ha.)
• needle and thread
• paper for pattern
  

Do it:

• Make yourself a panty pattern. High cuts? Granny? Thong? It's up to you. Two pieces: waistband and panty. My waistband rectangle is 1.5" x 4.5". Sketch out a panty that's around the same width at the top. Symmetry problems? Fold the paper in half and sketch half the panty. When you cut it out, both sides of the pattern will be the same. As you can see, I should follow my own tutorial. My legholes are kinda whack.

• Pin pattern to fabrics and cut two of each piece. Pin waistband to bottom panty, right sides together. Sew together along top, repeat for other side. Iron both sides flat. Pin front to back, sandwich in your little ribbon loop on the side. I've showed it on top, loop facing in, but it should be tucked between the two sides. Pin it in there.

• Starting middle of the top, sew all around the sides. Leave a hole when you get back to the top. At least 1" should do. I've tried leaving a smaller hole, but it just makes turning an incredibly painful, awkward, near-ripping experience. Kind of like giving birth. Clip curves and corners if you like. You don't have to. I won't tell.
• Once turned, I like to iron it flat and smooth. Use a chopstick or paintbrush end to get all those nooks and crannies out. Make a little funnel out of paper for filling your panty with lavender. I made one out of cardstock and just stick it in the bag with the lavender so I always have it handy. Use a chopstick or skewer to help the lavender get in there. Stuff to desired fullness and stitch closed. Sha-zahm.

I sell these sachets at craft shows from time to time and at one such show a middle-aged sour-puss asked "Aren't these a little crude?" while holding up a panty sachet to her utterly-disgusted face. I'm not one for thinking on my feet...otherwise I would have retorted, "Well, they are CLEAN panties. No skidmarks, I promise."

I apologize for my poor, bluish pictures (yet again). Our cross-country trip had me a little jetlagged and I missed that early morning light. Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

fiesta hangover

Since when do kids birthdays last a whole week long? With a preschool party, a family party on her "real" birthday and a party at the park yesterday..I'm completely birthday-ed out. Hey, I admit it--I'm a willing participant and planner in all that goes on, but sheesh. When I was a kid, we had a small dinner, cake and the gifts? Painfully practical. One year it was a bathrobe and a hairdryer. Serious.

So, planning a party on a serious time crunch? Cute, festive and simple. Thanks be to Martha for her free printable PDF's and rice crispy cars. (No, it wasn't a global warming/carbon offset birthday theme..the cars just turned out a little big for the platter. Although, they are marshmallow-powered luxury sleds. Totally green.) I saw these cupcake picks on craftpad and was hooked. I stuck those suckers everywhere. Thank god for label sheets. I love you so.


A shout-out to Mary-Ann over at Indie-Pendence for featuring my bunny. He's still homeless...so snatch him up at my shop. He's a good little bunny who deserves a life outside the rubbermaid under my bed.

I'm off for a week...so next week's tgif quckie will be on Sunday. Yeah, thanks Melissa for being the spoiler. Think lavender. Think panties. The laundry you will actually enjoy doing!